Tag: fine art

Amy on writing

Open of Bizness

amywestphalcreates
California Yield

Hey all!

It’s been another while since my last post but I’ve been Bizay!

In the best ways.

I am currently beta reading for the extremely awesome Stephen Black of Fractured Faith and the Kirkwood Scott Chronicles fame. (lucky me I know) and I’ve been working on my online art gallery.

I hope you will visit my stores. I’m selling prints and merch of some of my best works.

Here are my links

Www.artpal.com/AmyWestphal

Www.RedBubble.com/AmyWestphal

Take a look, pass the word, and comment. Anything is greatly appreciated.

Best to you all,

Cheers, Amy

Amy on writing

Ashfield Estate

amywestphalcreates
A YA Utopian Horror

I did it!!!! I did it, I did it.

I finished my first round of developmental edits for my latest novel: Ashfield Estate– a YA mystery that plays with the classic boarding school trope but adds elements of horror, dystopia and satire.

Although I have a ways to go before it reaches the query stage, I have completed my second book!

It is now in the capable hands of my editor. Which in my mind, is the equivalent of handing over a jumble of tangled chains to someone and waiting for them to return necklaces.

I’m hoping this book is the one. It’s leaner, it’s meaner and I think I’ve learned and grown as a writer in the process.

And as usual. I’m hopeful. Always hopeful.

Cheers always. Hope to update again soon.

Cover art by me! A fun reward for completion.

A.

Amy on writing

Nothing

amywestphalcreates

 

I spin my webs and draw them in, a gift they cannot see. They wear the cobwebs like nebulous bonnets of silken fluff and air.

 

My hands are a pyramid and my fingers tap, like a menacing villain without a face. Everyone knows but no one sees. I have a taste for it now.

 

Ignore the feeling, it’s just the wind that raises hairs upon your neck. For I am soft-spoken and golden crowned. Harmless, vapid thing.

 

Drink my water squeezed from stones and rest your weary head. Your brilliant mind is just too full and you are too very kind.

 

I did nothing at all.

 

In my previous post: What It Isn’t , I discuss constructive criticism and how important it is in many fields, particularly in creative fields. This poem was inspired by the people best known for giving destructive crits. You know the type… The one always taking credit for others good work, the one issuing blame and never taking responsibility…

You are better than that. Relish in it.

Cheers, Amy

 

Amy on writing

Enemy Mine

amywestphalcreates

 

I close my eyes to reclaim my peace. But in the darkness I come at you swinging with the force of a thousand wrongs.

 

Always swinging, never connecting.

 

I bat at you with kitten paws but you never even flinch. I kick and scream at your impenetrable walls, but you’re a fortress. I am lost.

 

I break the glass with banshee cries and chew the shards to sand. I taste the blood and spit it out, a bitter pool for your reflection.

 

I hope you drown.

 

I grab your hair and lick your face to mark you as my own. You belong to me I say when I Holyfield your ear.

 

And when I think I’ve won again, again you slip away. The light of day has won this one. It always is the same.

 

Enemy of my enemy, enemy mine.

 

In my angsty, community raised, couch surfing, teen years I wrote a lot of poetry. In lieu of a heart dotted i diary, I would sit with my Mazzy Star, The Doors or Alice In Chains and write all the wrongs of my little world. When I was done, I would smile and frolic off on my merry California way, refreshed and ready to do what teenagers do.

 

I miss that feeling of renewal.

 

I love poetry, and have mentioned how cathartic I find it. However, I seldom write it just for me anymore let alone share it. Especially since I get to read wonderful poetry everyday here on WP. But lately, in my self possessed, collected adulthood, my old outlet found me in a time of need.

 

So in honor of candor and stress relief I decided to share.😅😳

 

Cheers, Amy

 

Self portrait in sepia pencils on canvas by me.

Amy on writing

Poetry… in Fiction?

amywestphalcreates

Like reeds on water,

We sway, they cannot break us.

We will only bend.

— Lauren, Capture the Tide

I love haiku, I find it very cathartic. So much that my novels protagonist writes Haiku.

For me, utilizing poetry in my fiction novel offered another level of depth I was searching for. For both my writing and my protagonists character. But how do you take that further? Music, Art, Astro physics? How do you merge your passions and create a deep and believable world full of history and meaning?

I’ve spent a month in the blogosphere and I am still in awe of the incredible artists I have encountered. Novelists, poets, lifestylers, storytellers…..writers. It’s good company to be in. And it got me into some inspired thinking….

Feel free to tell me how you merge your passions in the comments….I love it…..Until then, I’ll be rubbing all my sticks together to see if they make fire🔥

Cheers! Amy

Painting by me.

Amy on writing

Do what?

amywestphalcreates

Picking an editor that’s right for you.

I recently blogged about my querying journey, but how did I get there? Let me backtrack a bit and talk bout editing…

You’ve written a book, now what? Now it’s time to edit. Oh you already did? Ran it through spell checks, reread it a hundred times? That’s nice. You haven’t been edited though.

If you’re serious about launching your book and you don’t find a pro, you are doing yourself an enormous disservice. Even the best writers need a fresh eye.

So what do you do? If you’re lucky, you know someone who will do it for free or a small fee. Or if you’re more lucky, you can rely on critique partners and beta readers to help you work it right. If you’re me, you got Nothing and need to start from scratch.

I researched local editors first. People I could meet in person. I found a few. They had different styles, all valuable but Difficult for me to life manage, so I checked out internet services. There are a lot of those too!

Here is what I learned:

Benefits of In house editor- offer the chance to meet in person or Skype. Together you can go line by line and really get gritty with your work. Time consuming but a great option.

Benefits of Internet services- offers you opportunity to send them your work and they will edit your book using a tracker on Microsoft word, that way you can see every change they make or suggest, always keeping the integrity of your work in tact.

This is what I chose:

I chose the internet. Quick efficient and time tested.

I recommend skribendi, book baby or standout books. Each are excellent. I particularly love the comments and questions from my editor that allowed me To make the change, or take a suggestion, or to note any inconsistencies. And even better? It works with my limited schedule. I will admit that pros on either platform aren’t free. But it’s an investment in your career right?

So what’s your editing process? Tips to share or questions? Let me know in the comments. I love it!

Cheers, Amy.

Painting by me

Quote-Yeats

Amy on writing

The Muse

amywestphalcreates

If your muse was a real person…

img_0041

In mythology, 9 Grecian sister goddesses preside over the arts and sciences. The muses… Today, the muse is any personification of inspiration.

So what is your muse like? Look like? Talk like? Could you take them out for drinks and have a good time, or does that creeper need to stay chained in the basement?

I like to think of my muse as an uncut, despicable version of myself. She is ruthless and undiplomatic. She takes what she wants. She’s a bitch, but I love her. I need her because I will back burner everything and anything to meet the needs of my loved ones. I happily forgo me. But she reminds me, gives me shit for slackin’. And if I ignore her, she fights her way to the front of line.

It’s nice of her really…

Tell me about yours in the comments, I love it.

Cheers, Amy

Sculpture by Me

 

 

 

 

Amy on writing

Readers Favorite

amywestphalcreates

Hello my fellow fictioneers!

The last day to enter the Readers Favorite award contest is today: June 1st 2018

Readersfavorite.com

I think I might just put on them big girl chonies and give it a go.

Wish me luck!

Cheers, Amy

P.s. thought I’d share some of my art today. Maybe even do that portfolio thing once I figure it out 😬