Writing Quotes

These are some quotes I found interesting. Slow Saturday…

‘You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you’ve got something to say.’

F Scott Fitzgerald

‘Writing is more than anything a compulsion, like some people wash their hands thirty times a day for fear of awful consequences if they do not. It pays a whole lot better than this type of compulsion, but it is no more heroic.’

Julie Burchill

‘Coleridge was a drug addict.  Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was stabbed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman’s name out of a satire; then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to be a writer -and if so, why?

Bennett Cerf, co-founder of Random House

‘Without me the literary industry would not exist: the publishers, the agents, the sub-agents, the sub-sub agents, the accountants, the libel lawyers, the departments of literature, the professors, the theses, the books of criticism, the reviewers, the book pages - all this vast and proliferating edifice is because of this small, patronised, put-down and underpaid person.’

Doris Lessing’s writers’ manifesto, courtesy of Rosemary Friedman in Writers’ Forum

Every novel is an attempt to capture time, to weave something solid out of air.  The author knows it is an impossible task - that is why he keeps on trying.’

David Beaty

Different Seasons

Different Seasons is a book title from the mastermind of horror and one of my favorite writers, Stephen King. It is not a single novel but a collection of novellas. The novellas are the following:

“Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” The novella follows the story of Andy Dufresne how he spends his time in prison. The story is one of a prison break, a story worth reading. This story is also the basis for the movie, The Shawshank Redemption which I’ve seen. The movie is faithful, for the most part, to the novella which is great because the story is great. Here is a trailer for the movie. Watch the movie and read the novella, I highly recommend it.

“Apt Pupil” There are scary stories, funny stories and then there are those that make you ask, how in the world could someone come up with something like this. “Apt Pupil” is one of those stories. How in the world did Stephen King came up with this? I mean, this story has to be one of the most disgusting, appalling and horrifying (it is not a horror story though) story I’ve ever read. Read it, you won’t be able to stop. There is a movie based on it, and I haven’t seen it actually. If you have, post a comment and tell me how it is. Here is the trailer though. But again though, read this story. Its unbelievable.

“The Body” This story is a coming of age story of Gordon Lachance. It is a very good story and it is unlike the other three because it is not scary or weird, it is just a story of 4 boys and the adventure they had. It also features some very truthful commentary about the nature of friendships. Read it.

“The Breathing Method” A story within a story is the best way to describe it. I think it is the weakest of the 4. The innermost story is a weird one but I won’t spoil it, let me just say that someone will their head.

Anyways, my take on Different Seasons is a book that it should be read. The 4 novellas are great and different, I highly recommend them. I decided to mention this because I recently read the book and here is a link to the Amazon page and the cover of the book.

American Gods

American Gods is a book written Gaiman. I enjoyed it quite a lot. I think I’m biased because the main character goes by the name of Shadow. Anyways, this is one of the passages that I liked a lot. This is the character of Sam, telling Shadow what she believes in. Everyone should read the book!

I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren’t true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they’re true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen-I believe that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone’s ass. I believe that all men are overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline of good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. Believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we’ll be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind’s destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it’s aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there’s a cat in a box somewhere who’s alive and dead at the same time (although if they don’t ever open the box to feed it it’ll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn’t even know that I’m alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of casual chaos, background noise, and sheer blind luck. I believe that anyone who says sex is overrated hasn’t done it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what’s going on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies. I believe in the woman’s right to choose, a baby’s right to live, that while all human life is sacred there’s nothing wrong with the death penalty if you trust the legal system implicitly, and that no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you’re alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” She stopped out of breath.

Moving On and Out, A Dream Deferred

Yes, I’m moving on. I will no longer be blogging in WordPress. I’m moving on to Blogger. This will be my new site. http://iamashadow.blogspot.com/

Why did I decide to move? Mainly because I wanted a change in scenery I guess. I’m random like that. This site will no longer be updated! Go to the new one. If you are one of the people who have me in the blogrolls, add the other site.

On far bigger news, my other site has launched, officially. Yayness and happiness. This is the site that I’ve been working on. http://adreamdeferred.org/ I would like everyone to visit that site as well and added to their blogroll if you already have me on. The Dream Deferred blog is not my operation but a collaborative effort by me and other Dreamers. I hope you enjoy it. Some of the people who have commented here in the past are writers in that blog as well. Anyways, I will be writing for Dream Deferred everyday, hopefully because I am working for the non-profit, Brave New Films. And I will continue to blog for the new Blogger Site. So, that’s what’s going on with me. Go to the new sites!

Manuel Gonzales.

This is the video accompanying the Dream Deferred site.

An undocumented university student view of the world

Well, it’s been over three months since I started writing this blog. I like it. Love to write. I decided that I’m also going to take a break from my own personal writing and just concentrate on blogging. Fortunately, I don’t have any more stories due for my writing class. I’ll get back at writing during the summer, when I have time and energy to devote to writing.

My views of the world have changed slightly, if they have, it has been on the personal front of my life. Life is random I guess. But I’m still a university student. I still have to do work and such, or really, procrastinate and then do work as everyone else does. And I’m still undocumented. Not that I expected that to change in the last 3 months.

My ability to deal with the frustration has been breached because of something that happened with some of the school administrators here. They have the mentality of ‘wait’. For those who personally have never waited, it might be easy to say. For those of us who actively wait, we can’t really do so anymore. Time passes too slowly for us. But the fight must continue on I suppose. Always.

It is getting harder I suppose, to hide the sadness behind the smiles. To hide the dis-functionality behind my supposed normalness. Normalness? I still do well with it I guess, playing video games and such. I have to admit, Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a great game, very fun, but I don’t play as much as I should. Haven’t played it in a couple of days actually. Sometimes things like that seem meaningless in the overall context of things. I’m getting quite tired of the school paper have things about immigration too, most of the comments online seemed to be negative, just like every other paper out there. I mean seriously people, why do all anti-immigrants usually have to have a pissing contest over who can be meaner to immigrants. Get a life people, a girlfriend or something, a Wii if you can find one. They are fun. I’m just getting quite tired of a lot of things. The pretending though, one day is going to get where I won’t be able to pretend or the fact is that, I’ll feel really uncomfortable around some of the things that could be talked about. It is getting harder by the day and it will just continue being like that. But that’s okay right, this is the life I lead and should suck it up.

My undocumented view of the world will still be the same in the years to come, I bet. I hope I’m wrong. I’ve been wrong about some predictions, like me going to college. That was never going to happen according to my predicting abilities and yet here I am. And there are other things I was wrong about. But that view, the undocumented view, can be quite depressing at times unfortunately.

On Censorship…

In my Spanish class, we have been talking about censorship and the like. So, I’ve decided that I will give my opinion on my blog. Why not right? Well, my opinion is that I believe in the total freedom of speech. Total. In order to be a true democracy, a strong one, we have to he be able to tolerate the intolerable. That means we have to tolerate the assholes who are racists and the ones who are calling for the shooting and extermination of undocumented immigrants. That’s fine. I believe in freedom of speech. Sure, go ahead I say, let them talk all they want but as soon as they take any action against a particular group, put their asses in jail.

It is not the prettiest position to put oneself in. After all, there are some really intolerable people out there. I hate them, what they say about me and granted, it is not the healthiest of environments to grow up in. After, being called scum and the like is not good for the self-esteem. It comes wit the territory, it shouldn’t have to but life is not perfect. I don’t wish to censor them though, because that would take out the fun in beating down their ignorant hurtful views.

Censorship is bad obviously; information is the lifeblood of any democracy. The media needs to be unbiased and right, unlike some networks that I could mention that are not. I guess that’s why I like 1984 so much, it is a warning against what could happen if we go down the road of fascism. If this country does take that path, I pack my bags and leave. One thing is to be undocumented and having certain lifestyle impose on you by ignorant people but another thing entirely is to just live in a police state. Thanks but no thanks.

But that’s my opinion in the matter. I guess I should think more about it. I’m just ranting. Big exciting news coming later in the week though, stay tuned…

And I’m back…

“Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” Samuel L. “I’m a badass motherfucker” Jackson in Snakes on a Plane.

So, I just wanted to open with that. I’m back from the dead! Zombie style. No, not really but I’m back, in a limited fashion to some extent. I had a week to think about this blogging situation. And I made the decision of coming back to this blog to continue writing. No, the updates won’t be daily even though I’ll try.

As for me, I’ve been incredibly busy. I had a great fantastic weekend but it didn’t leave me any time for blogging or writing or school. I had the opportunity to see a very special show at my school and got to see a celebrity. It was a great show. I’ve met a new cool friend so that has been great. I’ve had a lot of work as well, two midterm essays due last Tuesday and a story of mine is being work shopped at my creative writing class. I hate the story so I suspect that it won’t be a good time for me. I’m dreading it.

As to why I’m back. Well, I came to the conclusion that two blogs are better than one. And I have a lot more freedom on this blog to write about whatever I want. I believe that the more blogs there are the better. I’ve seen that the last couple of posts are not about immigration at all so I’ll be working on that because I’m kind of embarrassed by it. I won’t review another video game until the God of War ones are out of the front page. I might do books but no movies either, at least not at the moment. So, yes, I’ll be still be writing here and try to write in the other blog as well. So I leave you with this,

May the Force be with us all.
PS. If you don’t like Star Wars, you simply suck…

Last Post…

So, I’m sorry I haven’t had much time to post. I’ve been sick. My memory card for the Nintendo Gamecube games was corrupted. So…I lost about 40 games worth of data and god knows how many hours of game time. So I’ve been mourning it. A lot. I’ve also had to write a short story and I hate it. Despise it. My class is going to hate me.

As for the title, maybe not the last post for sure. Yes, the anti-immigrants have changed my mind. They have convinced me of the fact that I’m the scum of the earth and should be deported, or better yet, be shot. Now excuse me while I laugh…a lot.

No, of course the anti-immigrants have not defeated me. No. I have been given the opportunity to write for another blog and will do so. I’ve come to the realization that I won’t be able to keep both this blog and write for the other at the same time, everyday. The other blog will be a lot bigger than this one, and I won’t be the only writer. The focus will be immigration of course. As for this blog? Well, I want to say that I will discontinue it but I won’t. I will update it from time to time, maybe once a week from now on or something. I don’t want to be focused on movie trailers or video games either so I don’t know what I’ll write about. Maybe about myself and American side of me. You know, my normal life.

Anyways, I don’t want to get all mushy now. I really liked this blog and writing. I want to thank all of my readers for the patience that you had with my bad grammar, and for the encouraging comments. Especially a big shout out to those who backed me up in the comments against the anti-immigrants. And as for the anti-immigrants who commented, thank you for raising my popularity and raising my hits. Don’t worry, I never commented on your sites and never will. Haha, you probably thought I had been deported haven’t you. No, not yet anyways.

As for the new site that I’m working on, write a comment and I’ll let you know what it is. I’ll give out a hint about it though, and the saying goes, this a brave new world isn’t it? With such people in it…

I’ll be back here some time later and this is not the last time you’ve heard of me. Peace!

Quote of the day

Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.
- John Updike

I like that.

Personal thoughts of the day

So, I’m an English/History major now. I’ll be having an advising meeting to see what that involves. I think I’m closer to a history degree now than an English. I dropped one of my classes, I just didn’t think I could handle the amount of reading and writing being asked of me.

I have to write a short story pretty soon. It is due on the 14 and will be work shopped the week after. I’m pretty nervous about it. I’ve never considered myself a strong writer, mainly because my grammar is so bad. I’m trying to fix it by increasing my reading. I don’t know what I’ll end up writing. I want to write a fantasy story but don’t want it to turn out to be a Tolkien clone. Have to be creative. I also had to write a paper on my religious beliefs for my Spanish class. I don’t like to write about those things but oh well, I want a good grade so I’ll do it.

As for other things, I decided to go back to therapy… Yes, I’m clinically depressed and I’ve been sad (not same as depressed my therapist told me) for various reasons on the last couple of weeks. I had a refill of my anti-depressants so that’s good. I had a lot of things to talk about with my therapist. Being clinically depressed…it’s depressing. There is really no other way to describe it. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It’s like believing the entire world is going to end and nothing else matters… Wow, this is quite sad. I should end in the happy note.

The first person who I told the truth about my status had this to say. “Dude…you have the biggest b***s of this university.” He said this in the dining hall, and I couldn’t stop laughing afterwards. It’s something I’ll never forget. Ever.

Sorry…

So, no update yesterday, sorry about that. I discovered Steam, online service for selling video games. So I downloaded lots of demos and bought a couple of video games. Okay…couple is small. Anyways, my laptop slowed down to a crawl and couldn’t use it. So yesterday I was dealing with a broken computer but now I’m back. Yay. And I’m sick or getting sick. A cold. But that will not stop me from writing my posts and than sending them out so they can be posted. Hopefully I won’t do anything else stupid on my laptop but than again, this is me who we are talking about and I love those video games. And for the curious, I got Half Life 1 and 2, Deus Ex, Max Payne, Deus Ex: The Invisible War, and a demo of Dawn of War. In my computer I already had Star Craft, World of Warcraft, Rise of Nations, Fable: The Lost Chapters, Civilization IV and the Expansion pack of Beyond the Sword and Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Needless to say, I almost like PC gaming as much as I like Nintendo.

Go back where you came from?

Oh, I found the kid’s answer to be hilarious. Laws like the one that Virginia is trying to pass are just bad. In the minds of the anti-immigrant people, they just think that Latinos=illegal immigrants. And please, don’t say it isn’t so. I mean, how can anyone tell who is documented and who is not?

Not about to give up…

My cause is getting attacked on all sides by various voices. By various people, from all levels of life, from Internet bloggers to US Senators. They want to quiet me and others who they think are ignorant. They have made this into a long bloody struggle. And even with everything they call me, vermin, leech, parasite, cockroach, and much more, I’m not going to give up. I’ve met challenges head in the past, through stubbornness, blind courage, or sheer stupidity. I’m not going quietly into that good night, not by a long shot. And neither should anyone who is speaking for this cause, even if sacrifices have to be made. Do not go quietly into that good night.

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

By Dylan Thomas

Go out and do it!

For those who apathetic (you know who you are) about voting and speaking out, these are some quotes for you. Quotes on indeference by people who have made a difference in some way in the world. Go out do something for yourself and for those around you. Go out and speak our for what you believe in. As Brave New Films puts it, do something.

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them, that is the essence of inhumanity. George Bernard Shaw

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it. Albert Einstein

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
Elie Wiesel

Blogging for a Month

December 20 was the day I started blogging and it is now a month later. I have found it an enjoyable thing to do, blogging, despite the negative comments by some people. I mean, seriously, anti-immigrants are not going to convince me to their side and you don’t see me posting stuff on their websites. I have better things to do…like update my site.

So once again I ask all my readers if there is anything that they think I should do improve my blog. Aside from being more careful with grammar and the like. I love to write but I just can’t get to seem to grasp the grammar work. It’s quite sad actually. But anyways, I might change the format of the blog just for the hell of it too.

So thank you for the people who have commented, even the negative commenters, you amuse me. Also, I would like to thank the people who have added me to their blogrolls, thanks for considering my blog to be good. A special thanks to Moleman from the blog A Case of the Denver Doldrums, dude, you are awesome. While I don’t know much about your situation, I hope you get better and continue to write. I try to read your blog everyday, and on your last post, do try to write if you can. Writing is awesome, it is a great therapeutic technique. It helped me out during my depression. So, thanks for considering my blog a cool one, I think the same of yours.

Anyways, I hope everyone continues to check out this site since I still plan to update it everyday. Maybe not with immigration stuff but most of the time it will be that. I think I need to get better at reviewing things too. Oh, and if anyone wants to know more about me, just ask. I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!!