themagpiepoet

Not a God-forsaken world but a world forsaking God. Where man is preoccupied with the carnal sheathing of swords. Where the alienation of rights outweighs obedience and faith. Where the natural is twisted and the sacred is corrupted. Where lukewarm comfort allows for lazy dominion. Where doctrine is lost and morality is shifted. No longer the age of the righteous but that of the wicked. Behold, the world of the wretched. -JOP-

Not a God-forsaken world but a world forsaking God. Where man is preoccupied with the carnal sheathing of swords. Where the alienation of rights outweighs obedience and faith. Where the natural is twisted and the sacred is corrupted. Where lukewarm comfort allows for lazy dominion. Where doctrine is lost and morality is shifted. No longer the age of the righteous but that of the wicked. Behold, the world of the wretched. -JOP-

Not a God-forsaken world but a world forsaking God. Where man is preoccupied with the carnal sheathing of swords. Where the alienation of rights outweighs obedience and faith. Where the natural is twisted and the sacred is corrupted. Where lukewarm comfort allows for lazy dominion. Where doctrine is lost and morality is shifted. No longer the age of the righteous but that of the wicked. Behold, the world of the wretched. -JOP-

Warning: Fixed Form Poetry Approaching The villanelle is a fixed form of poetry originating from the French that has grown in popularity in the English language. Over the years, the traditional villanelle has been put to great use by many notable poets, including, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Theodore Roethke, and Oscar Wilde (double villanelle in traditional). There are also many wonderful, more modern and progressive examples of the form by poets today, such as  Dan Lechay's Ghost Villanelle (traditional; altered language),  Steven Cramer's Villanelle After a Burial (traditional; altered punctuati

Dear Stranger, I'm leaving this post-it tucked in the side of the train-seat. If you're reading this, you've seen it. I've seen you sit here every few Monday mornings, sometimes tapping a bent, unlit cigarette against your thigh, sipping from your tea (who brings a tea cup onto a train anyway?); sometimes staring at the rain outside, or reading your well-worn, beaten copy of Jane Eyre (I hate that you fold the corners down - it's bibliophilic abuse. I wish the book would papercut you to defend itself a little, but I digress). You seemed so sad this Monday morning past. Please smile again. I love it when your eyes catch the light of something

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. Well, that didn't really happen to me. I remember it hurting; a searing pain in the back of my mind, and then it was all over... I found myself floating, drifting high above the battlefield. My feet touched something that felt like an invisible glass floor, and soon I found that I was able to stand on it. It took awhile to get over my fear of heights, but once I did; I opened my eyes and just, watched, as the entire world carried on. Funnily enough, I didn't feel much of anything at the time. I guess they tend to play it up in the movies. They always show that people remain angry, th

The Art of Refining Prose Many writers dread the editing process. Not only does it delay the showcase of prose, it can seem a tedious and painstaking task. Often, editing is more time-consuming than the initial writing and consequently, it is either ignored altogether or briefly indulged. This is a great shame. Sincere editing not only proves a pleasurable experience but invaluable to prose, as this is a wonderful opportunity to buff, polish and tighten the impact of one's writing. Some might argue that editing is not only unnecessary, but detrimental to the “raw concept” of one’s inspiration. The answer to this is simple: se

Writing Prompt 101 Character Creation – Note: Many people have asked how I come up with my characters so I figured I would share what I do.  This is just an outline and know that you don’t have to fill out any and all.  It’s a guideline.  Also note, that though you answer these questions not everything should be included or expected in your writing.  This is so you can know your characters intimately and how they would react but not everyone else needs to know some things. Basic Information is key to the first vital step Name: (normal, foreign, alien…etc) Age: (2 years, 1000, immortal…etc) Gender: (female, male,

This guide is meant as an aide for the prospective science fiction writer, game designer or world-builder wishing to incorporate extraterrestrial elements, in order to improve quality and rationality of the created works. It is not so much a “How To”, which would broach multiple sciences and require a profound understanding of each of these, but a “Before You Go On”, things to consider, wrinkles that need ironing out rather than a methodology. Issues that I bring up here do not necessarily make a choice impossible – you must simply figure out a way around them. Herein I will be dealing with sapient species, inte