Now I know I've been out of the loop when it comes to my street lit. I mean that's what got me writing since I was...well as long as I can remember. I probably came out of my mama's womb with a pen and a pad in my hands! With that being said, what the hell has happened?! Are you people serious?! Everybody cannot and should not write hood stories or write for that matter on the topic, especially if you were not brought up in the hood.
Two days ago I started this book that I had my mouth watering for. Moth to a Flame. Great title, great cover, synopsis (description on the back of book for you Hooked on Phonics readers) on point. It's like they invested more on the outside and stopped there! You know what I'm talking about ladies, it's the summer time so the fellas got the clean big body trucks and drop tops out, system is heard way before the ride is seen. He calls you over and you all excited cause he leaning low looking delicious, then BAM! Far away brotha resemble T.I. but up close disappointingly he looking like Pitbull, chopped and screwed teeth and all! That's how I felt when I started this story.
For all my aspiring writers and established ones please understand there really might have been a reason the big wig publishing houses did not want you on their roster. I'm proud of my entrepreneurs making a gateway for us to make our mark in this publishing game, that's why I want to start my own. But get your ish together before you go plopping some hood name on a letterhead just to say you getting your hustle on!
Read up on having a business, network with other publishers, editors, and authors so you have connects so when you are ready to hop on the publishing game you have a solid business fam. Get your work out there whether thru your own blog site (like yours truly), newsletters, magazines just to name a few outlets. Don't depend solely on your friends. Half of them cannot read, most of them are 'yes' people that will not tell you your ish sucks for fear they will not be on the thank you page and the rest of them are not experts! If the highest level of education they've acquired is the sixth grade, well then Houston, we have a problem! Cause I seriously think that is what happened in this case. And say what you want; 'She ain't published nothin'!' or 'What has she done?' and 'She hatin'!' No I'm not hatin' or any of that other stuff I'm just going to tell it like it is out of love.
First off, writers need to seperate their writing from how you speak in reality. Meaning unless someone in the story is talking do not put slang in your writing. 'Pookie nem was seen walkin' down the block' is not a legitimate sentence! This is going to sound harsh but do not proudly show how ignorant you are!
Second in all of the writing books I've studied (yes, studied! I'm always looking for ways to perfect my craft) one thing that I try to accomplish is showing, not telling. I'm going to pull an example from this damn book:
'She could see that Raven was into him and
she could tell that her husband wasn't fond
of the idea at all.'
Now this example is not as bad as some of the others but it's bad enough for me to point it out. I get that her husband was angry and all but wouldn't it be better to have given me a more descriptive sentence? I can't just take your word for it that the man was mad. And how mad was he? A little? A lot?
'She felt a wave of something foul and
followed it until her eyes locked onto
her husband's face. The whites of his
eyes were crimson red. The vein in the
side of his forehead pulsated.'
You get the drift. If there is a way you can express it thru the five senses take that road instead of just simply saying 'he was mad' or 'J.J. was the best sex partner' show us why, ya feel me?
Another thing that bothers me, and I pinky swear this is it, is all hoods across this wonderful world is not the same so stop creating the same ish! Female writers tend to make the female character 'boss bitch' who is running thangs on the streets and then falls head over heals over the kingpin of the streets. The fellas tend to write about the brotha who is womanizing, into drug pushing and gets caught up resulting from greed. It's all running together, how many ways can you write the same ish? Seriously we go thru the same stuff every other race goes thru. Take a story line that seems out of place and put a hood twist to it. I promise you people will jump on it. Don't create a mediocre story just cause it's hot right now. I stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote a psychological thriller and I enjoyed it!
My point to this rant session is that now that we have somewhat of a legit piece in this writing industry and people all over the world are taking notice of our talents, lets take it to the next level. Right now it seems as though these 'urban' publishers are putting out crap just to say they have some titles under their belt! That is an ingredient to disaster. If they are picky about selecting bestsellers than so should you!
Now am I going to finish Moth to a Flame? Heeeeeeeeeellllllllllll no!
Peace and Love
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
What I'm up to?
Lets see. As you can see I have did a little short story for you. Hope you enjoyed, it's just a lil' something something. But I do have 2 stories that I'm doing at the same time. One is a urban hood story what I have been writing way before urban lit became the ish. It will contain a lot of betrayal between best friends, murder of course, and revenge. As a matter of fact I think that is what I'm going to call it 'Sweet Revenge' or 'Poisonous Revenge' something like that.
The other story is about relationships and how even the most 'perfect relationship' can be crumbled with one little action. However before you get done dissing and cussing out the man in the story something will happen that definitely make you go 'What the F**k!'. Yeah, I shocked myself with it too. I swear my multiple personalities be coming out strong. I'm glad I figured out how to contain them all!
I also have another review that I will plug in tomorrow or Friday. This book was just as twisted as my damn head is! I've been getting into Japanese writers lately. But I'll have that for you.
Peace and Love
The other story is about relationships and how even the most 'perfect relationship' can be crumbled with one little action. However before you get done dissing and cussing out the man in the story something will happen that definitely make you go 'What the F**k!'. Yeah, I shocked myself with it too. I swear my multiple personalities be coming out strong. I'm glad I figured out how to contain them all!
I also have another review that I will plug in tomorrow or Friday. This book was just as twisted as my damn head is! I've been getting into Japanese writers lately. But I'll have that for you.
Peace and Love
Monday, June 7, 2010
Ugh, finally! A Daughter's Worth written by yours truly Talia!
Alright finally my butt figured out how to create my book into a PDF so everyone can enjoy. As promised A Daughter's Worth! I mean would you really kill for your mama?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Felt the need to post this again!
Will you.....
The look of pain, betrayel, abandonment;
all of that tattooed permanently
on their faces but not by choice.
I watch the attitudes of my sistahs.
This is their armor, their skin.
Fuck putting on foundation,
attitude is their makeup
but not by choice.
I watch the swagga of my sistahs.
You can't buy that shit from Walmart
or Abercrombie & Fitch!
Their curves sway rhythmically to their own music.
And yet you still do not notice,
is this your choice?
To leave us to raise your children
while you parade the 'prize' around the hood
where we once greased and braided your hair,
where we played hide go get it,
smoked a blunt and drunk our red kool-aid
out of the pickle jars until the street lights came on?
Are you that disconnected with yourselves?
Afraid of looking at us directly in the face
because you will only and always see the
reflections of yourself?
They are not band-aids that will cover up
the burden of carrying the world on your shoulders.
Only we can lighten that load.
Only we can help lift you, love you, relate to you,
and help fulfill your destiny of being the Kings you
all are suppose to be!
Sit down with us and chop it up a lil'.
Reconnect with us, love us!
Will you make that your choice?
Dorothy Allison's Bastard out of Carolina
A woman in authority; maternal tenderness or affection. I put this because I wanted my readers, including myself, to know the universal meaning of what a mother, no excuse me, mama (any woman can be a mother but it takes a real warrior to be a mama) means. A mama has a passionate, almost obsessive love for her children. She's an entrepreneur in the business of love actually. A hustla like no other. Whatever is needed there is will be no moral code anymore, she will get it with her shoulders held back and head held so high and she will dare anybody to question her motives. She projects better than any army a country can conjure up. She will guide them with a wisdom that her ancestors has cloaked her with. Can I call myself a mama? Honestly I wrestle with that question everyday. Maybe when I'm old in my rocking chair I will have the answer.
The reason I went into that mode is because I just read this book and I needed to write my feelings on it and motherhood while my emotions were still raw.
I didn't expect this story to be this way, especially how it ended. Allison created a family so real, so unorthodoxed that literally you feel you were a Boatwright. Experiencing life Ruth Anne tells about her people. Each family member is corky and have more issues than a little bit. She painted the words so vividly with a brush full of black anger that closes your throat and drags you down to that darkness so you feel it too. And for good reason too. Her mother loved Ruth Anne with that love I described earlier, anyone could feel it. But boy did sh make some unimaginable choices! I don't agree with her actions, I don't even hold any sympathy for her. I relate strongly with Ruth Anne.
A love should not by any means be bargained when it involves kids, no matter how much you want that supposed 'good love' Please read this!
Peace and Love
The reason I went into that mode is because I just read this book and I needed to write my feelings on it and motherhood while my emotions were still raw.
I didn't expect this story to be this way, especially how it ended. Allison created a family so real, so unorthodoxed that literally you feel you were a Boatwright. Experiencing life Ruth Anne tells about her people. Each family member is corky and have more issues than a little bit. She painted the words so vividly with a brush full of black anger that closes your throat and drags you down to that darkness so you feel it too. And for good reason too. Her mother loved Ruth Anne with that love I described earlier, anyone could feel it. But boy did sh make some unimaginable choices! I don't agree with her actions, I don't even hold any sympathy for her. I relate strongly with Ruth Anne.
A love should not by any means be bargained when it involves kids, no matter how much you want that supposed 'good love' Please read this!
Peace and Love
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
http://ambitionissexy.com/
Ok, so I am in support of my people but not just my people but the ones who really have something to say about some real ish, owning our own business which if you get a chance scroll on over to clutch magazine.com because it has a outrageous article on some of the things that are not really blacked owned - depressing. But anywho, I just got off this new website created by CZAtheCEO.com and read a article on why um, rich or somewhat wealthy brothas do not go for less than stellar is his words black women. Feeling some type of way. I know I try to gear this site toward writing but I had to say this was a little disappointing. Women, my black sistahs, don't fall for this ignant ish! Not all women need to be this iddy bitty bitch with the ribs touching, etc etc! I'm not a model broad but damn it I love my thickness - 5'3", 165lbs, a bitch is working it! Young-minded men, fall back!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Hill Harper in The Conversation
Ok my lovely sistahs and brothas, I'm about to school you once again on some real ish. This book is definitely a breath of fresh air, especially since the issue of why successful, middle aged black women are having such a difficult time getting a black man to marry her has been the hot azz topic recently. I know plenty of white women who are not married, are they being interviewed on 'Good Morning America'? It's none of anybody's buzinezz if we get marred by a certain age. What happened to the black family motto, 'what goes on in this house, stays in this house'? And all of these desperate looking women sitting on these lame talk shows pouring their hearts out, whimpering and whining about their dilemma need to wake up and realize that these people don't give a damn! You are just the hot topic of the moment.
The people that you need to be talking to are the brothas. I mean ain't that the source of our supposed 'problem'? I mean isn't that one of our problems when we're in our relationships, we run to our girlfriends, mama, hell a chick in the waiting area while we are waiting for our name to be called at the welfare office? LOL. In actuality, we should be talking to our 'kings' and men to their 'queens' about what's bothering us in the relationship. Yeah, I said it, I'm guilty of it my damn self. But it's time to stop having everyone and your neighbor in your relationships; the majority of them are miserable old heifas who wants you to be right along with them. Miserable. Misery loooooovvvvvvvves company! Which leads me to this wonderful book written by this sexual chocolate of a man by the name of Hill Harper. (so upset that I can't watch CSI anymore. Damn digital and that raggety antenna!)
I'm proud that there is a black man who is willing to open up the lines of communication for us sistahs and brothas. I applaud him for not putting the blame on either side but giving it to us real by admitting his own faults in his past relationships. Reading how he feels about relationships and his mentality on the opposite sex made me have a Oprah 'ah-ah' moment. Men are not that different from us women when it comes to what we want in relationships to make us happy.
He holds conversations with both men and women on topics like interracial dating (yall know how I feel about that), stereotypes that we have about each other, the baggage we carry around with us, cheating, our fears and most importantly our lack of communicating with each other. Trust me the conversations get gritty so prepare yourself and open your mind.
Did you know that we are the one race that lacks communication among each other? That's crazy considering we have been thru slavery together, segregation, just to name a few. How do you think we survived thru all of this? Hello, togetherness people!
You don't see true black love anymore and it's depressing. Hopefully with the Obamas in office we can catch up and rebuild our communities. We are the leading race when it comes to single parent homes. That is not an accomplishment we should be proud of. Come on people, we need to get us back. Back to loving one another, communicating, living like the kings and queens we were meant to be! Get with your boo and open this book and your mouths. I have the confidence that we can. Hello, Beyonce and Jay figured it out. So did Will and Jada, Mary J and her boo, lets do this.
Peace and Love
The people that you need to be talking to are the brothas. I mean ain't that the source of our supposed 'problem'? I mean isn't that one of our problems when we're in our relationships, we run to our girlfriends, mama, hell a chick in the waiting area while we are waiting for our name to be called at the welfare office? LOL. In actuality, we should be talking to our 'kings' and men to their 'queens' about what's bothering us in the relationship. Yeah, I said it, I'm guilty of it my damn self. But it's time to stop having everyone and your neighbor in your relationships; the majority of them are miserable old heifas who wants you to be right along with them. Miserable. Misery loooooovvvvvvvves company! Which leads me to this wonderful book written by this sexual chocolate of a man by the name of Hill Harper. (so upset that I can't watch CSI anymore. Damn digital and that raggety antenna!)
I'm proud that there is a black man who is willing to open up the lines of communication for us sistahs and brothas. I applaud him for not putting the blame on either side but giving it to us real by admitting his own faults in his past relationships. Reading how he feels about relationships and his mentality on the opposite sex made me have a Oprah 'ah-ah' moment. Men are not that different from us women when it comes to what we want in relationships to make us happy.
He holds conversations with both men and women on topics like interracial dating (yall know how I feel about that), stereotypes that we have about each other, the baggage we carry around with us, cheating, our fears and most importantly our lack of communicating with each other. Trust me the conversations get gritty so prepare yourself and open your mind.
Did you know that we are the one race that lacks communication among each other? That's crazy considering we have been thru slavery together, segregation, just to name a few. How do you think we survived thru all of this? Hello, togetherness people!
You don't see true black love anymore and it's depressing. Hopefully with the Obamas in office we can catch up and rebuild our communities. We are the leading race when it comes to single parent homes. That is not an accomplishment we should be proud of. Come on people, we need to get us back. Back to loving one another, communicating, living like the kings and queens we were meant to be! Get with your boo and open this book and your mouths. I have the confidence that we can. Hello, Beyonce and Jay figured it out. So did Will and Jada, Mary J and her boo, lets do this.
Peace and Love
Friday, May 21, 2010
Editing
I finally finished my short story that I will be givin' to you thru eBook status here in a minute. I'm editing it so that I like what I give you and you like it too.
Hope everyone have a great weekend. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
Hope everyone have a great weekend. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Be about your business, I can't stress this enough people!
Yesterday I borrowed this book from the library because as I was going thru my future competition I realized that I'm worried about the wrong things right now. Yeah I can start my own publishing business but since I don't have any publishable works under my belt who is going to want to sign with my company? That's why I'm trying to continue giving you different pieces of my work and doing free eBooks on the regular, now that I'm done with this retchet algebra class I can focus on that! But anywho, I ran across this book to your left and thought I would just put it out there for anyone who is considering doing a publishing business. I mean this book has every form you can possibly imagine and you don't have to sit at some copying store and pay 10 cents for each sheet you wanna print out, they have a CD in the back that is included and you can download all of them to a disk or your personal laptop like I did.
Again like I stressed yesterday, don't go into any hustle half steppin' or you will be half steppin' it to the unemployment office or down your block with your head held real low because you were too arrogant to take heed to what I'm saying. Please visit my guy at dreamandhustle.com cause he is on that serious hustle tip and he has some decent words for anyone trying to come up from where they are at right now and mean it. Peace and love.
Again like I stressed yesterday, don't go into any hustle half steppin' or you will be half steppin' it to the unemployment office or down your block with your head held real low because you were too arrogant to take heed to what I'm saying. Please visit my guy at dreamandhustle.com cause he is on that serious hustle tip and he has some decent words for anyone trying to come up from where they are at right now and mean it. Peace and love.
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