No answer is also an answer..

Lots of people are incapable of explaining why they feel the way they do. Some are too afraid to express their feelings for the fact that maybe they dont want to hurt the other person, or even pursue anything at all because they are afraid of how things will turn out.

So some people just figure that you will read between the lines and know that romance will never begin, or for those in a relationship, they expect you to know the love is over...

While explanations can be helpful, they are never offered. Many loves end horribly or never get started, and no words help the pain or clear the confusion...

What about when someone likes you and you don't like them?..
Do you sit them down and tell them or do you go about your business and hope they get the message?

Silence is easy, but it's not always the best solution, that's why we need to figure out what we are saying even when we are not using words..

If you are the one who causes the pain, don't be too proud to admit you are wrong and apologize. It can bring you closer..

If you care for someone it's not worth staying mad and holding grudges..
Express your disappointment..talk it over..and move on..

If that's not the case, just remember that no answer is also an answer.

It usually means they don't care. Obviously to them.. the situation is not worth discussing and they feel you are not important enough to get an explanation..

Writing Prompt

Hey everyone...

I know I haven't posted anything in an eternity, but that is going to change this weekend. Anyway, I was in one of my classes the other day when we did an exercise. All of us in the class were partnered up, and my Professor wanted us to exchange a profound moment from our lives. I am a firm believer in the fact that everyone has their own story and always find myself curious about the lives of others. So, if you have some free time, and are willing, I would like to hear about some of the profound moments from your lives. As a community of writers, I think it would be great if we all had the opportunity to get to know each other better.

I hope all is well with everyone..

Keep up the great momentum..

-L Marie

The Game of Life

One good day you will look back and you will finally realize that what worries you, makes you cry and suffer today will only make you laugh, even make you feel ridiculous about the way you felt and acted in the past.

Everything in life comes to an end one day and you can finally get over anything.

The most important thing is not how, when and how high we fell, but knowing how to get up, shake it off and continue with more strength as life will put us through a lot more challenges and every day they will be even harder.

They say "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger," it's cowards who give up and as we continue living we have no other choice but to use that strength to face the new challenges that will come with life.

In our lives nothing is a waste of time, we always learn something from what we live whether it's positive or negative.

Editor's Note: Introducing the Pick of the Week Feature

Writers,

As indicated earlier this month, as we grow, new features will come in to play.

The latest feature added is the "Pick of the Week" feature, located on the right side of your screen (where everything seemingly is) below the subscriptions buttons, but above the thesaurus.

Choices include all post of the last seven days, but that is subject to change. How you ask? Well, I was contemplating only choosing one from each author who submitted anything that week. The author will be asked which one they would like to make it to the poll--but that's just a suggestion.

As always, I am open to anything and everything you're willing to suggest, so don't hesitate.

Finally, it is worth noting that you can only vote one time. As we grow, the poll will become more competitive and hopefully, more rewarding. Enjoy!

Payback Pt. 1: A Narrative

I loved my mother. I needed to protect her from anything and everything—to show her the love and appreciation that she was missing.

People don’t see how disrespectful that is. As if she can’t get on without you. Like she didn’t survive without you—get over yourself. Women are stronger than men, they are completely capable of self-sufficiency—the ones who aren’t, never got the right chance to be.

We grew up poor, so naturally I appreciated what others might see as small things. Things that people might usually take for granted. At 11-years-old, my favorite toy was a Fisher-Price tape recorder that I got for Christmas. I didn’t have any replacement tapes, so I just recorded over old recordings on the same tape.

All of the recordings were pretty much the same.

The average workday is 9AM-5PM, sometimes overtime, sometimes a little later, or a little earlier.

My father left the house everyday before 6 AM. My baby sister had to be at day care at about 8, and I had to be at school before 8:45, so did my brother, and it seemed like my sister went to high school at whatever time she wanted. Most of the time, we were all home by 5 PM. 7PM on late days.

My father would arrive at 12AM the earliest, and there were times where he wouldn’t twist his keys in the door until 3 AM.

You could always tell when Fernando was about to stumble through that door—sort of like a sixth sense. The jingle of the keys was as unique as a fingerprint. But there wasn’t anything physically unique with the keys—we just knew that it was him. On the really late nights, he’d usually drop his keys on the hallway floor before inserting one to unlock the bottom lock.

Sometimes, we’d hear him burp or hum or sing his favorite tunes from the ‘70s—as if everything was all good, as if he was a happy drunk…

Fernando was from a happy drinker. He could have had the best night out with the boys, or the strippers or hookers—whoever he was with, but as soon as he walked through the brick-red door of 311 W17th St., he’d flip like a light switch—just like that. Angry, upset, raging—on fire…and for what? At the time, I couldn’t understand why he was so upset, and even if I did, that is no justification for what he did to our lives.

I can’t exactly recall the first night he came home late, but I remember the countless nights that we couldn’t sleep, or were woken up by his shit. Three in the morning…coming home angry and taking it out on my mother—constant verbal abuse. Non-stop. He would violently scream at her, at 3 AM about a hot plate of food would have been prepared for him had he been home at the right time.

The selfish motherfucker couldn’t quite grasp what he was doing wrong—what he was doing to us. All he saw, all he understood is what she didn’t do. He was impossible to satisfy, and I knew it was only a matter of time before his verbal abuse turned physical.

I knew I couldn’t physically beat him up the way I wanted to, so I took…alternate routes. To make matters worse, he usually had sober days on the weekend, in which he would try to talk to us, or make us breakfast and lunch—as if all was forgotten—or never happened. He couldn’t understand that it just made us despise him more.

My blood boiled because of this sorry excuse of a man who would smile in our faces during the weekends, but disappear during the weekdays. Just coming home to sleep, scream, and occasionally beat us whenever we decided to stand up to him.

I was physically helpless against him, but I knew I could do other things that would hurt him. At 11, my older brother was in high school, my sister just started college, and my younger sister was occupied by after school programs. Almost every weekday, I was home alone for a couple of hours, at least, and I rarely watched TV. It gave me ample time and opportunity to snoop around the house.

I found many things, sensitive documents, condoms, and stashes of cash. I remember the first time I found anything, I was in his room. In his top drawer was a steel-gray safe box. It was hard to get into without taking out the socks, underwear, army knife, and a few condoms. The first time, with sweaty palms, it was enough to just discover that I found something secret—something difficultly placed in the drawer for a reason—I fled the room.

It wasn’t enough.

The very next day—Tuesday, I went back. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I went right for the safe box, moved everything out of the way and pulled it out—it was locked. I didn’t want to turn back, and I know the key had to be in here somewhere so I went through the rest of his drawers and his closet. I also went through his shoe boxes—one was hard to reach for me. I was a short preteen—I struggled to reach the top box, I stood on the ill-balanced tip of my toes.

I had to dodge an avalanche of boxes—one of which had a bunch of 20-dollar bills in them, at least 50 of them. I picked them up as fast and orderly as possible, and took a “finder’s fee” of about $60. I created a monster.

I didn’t tell anyone—not about the safe or the shoebox filled with enough money to buy 100 Nikes. Not a soul, not my brothers or sisters, not my closest friends. Probably because I planned to take more…and I did.

But the money wasn't the only item that I came across. I finally found the key to that safe box, he must have left it in one of his pants pockets in the laundry basket. He kept that key and a few others separate from the keys that he carried around with him daily, I guess. The silver key for the silver box, I found a silver .22 caliber pistol, and a silver Smith & Wesson army knife.

This was my form of reparations.

Unforgivable Mistakes...

Sometimes we make mistakes perhaps for fun, for the lack of love and attention from our partner, perhaps because with time we fall into a routine or just because we don’t love our partner anymore. My question is:

Would you forgive unfaithfulness?

Would it be possible for you to be happy knowing that the person whom you have never been unfaithful to,

The one who is supposed to love you and share those special moments just with you, didn’t care and failed you?

Would you trust this person again?

Do you think the anger, the jealousy, and the disappointment you feel now would let you be happy with this person again?

Do you think there is a valid reason for this person to be unfaithful to you?

Do you think it would be worthy to forgive and to forget?

Would you forget?

The truth is, when we cheat we jeopardize a lot of things that we shouldn’t risk for just a moment of fun. If that is the case then,

Where was the love that person was supposed to feel for you?

On the other hand, if it wasn't just for fun then we have more reason not to forgive. In my opinion, when a relationship is darkened by the cloud of unfaithfulness there is nothing else to look for.

We should turn the page and close that chapter of our lives. It's not worth forgiving someone who disrespected you that way, someone who hurt you and what is even worse, someone who didn’t think about you and the possibility of losing you.

Life is too short, give yourself the opportunity to find someone who is really willing to live for you. Someone who respects you and with whom you can live a pure love without anything that will ruin it. It is better to be alone than with the wrong person.

Editor's Note

Writers, just a few things that need to be addressed (in no particular order of importance):

1. Initially, there were about seven writers invited to this tester version of a blog. Only members can write, and only about four of the seven, on a great day contribute on a semi-regular basis.
   

• In response, there will be another group of writers invited--writers who I think would contribute.
• The blog will stay available to view, but if/when these additional writers do contribute, I will close it completely to members only until we're ready to proceed to the next level.
  
• However, even while it is closed, there will be an influx of writers invited periodically, the more people who are invited translate to people who write more--easily overriding those who don't.
• Lastly, if you might know anyone interested--don't hesitate to get their e-mail addresses and have them invited.

2. As a new feature, I will be posting and/or e-mailing questions to writers, inviting anyone to write a response to it--as always anyway you want it, and post it directly to the blog.

• Additionally, anyone is free to post/e-mail their own questions, inviting a response as well.
• Usually, the writer who poses the question should stay out of answering it, but if need be--whether no one else answered to it, or the question is just that intriguing--by all means.

3. Lastly, it's important to emphasize that everything that was written about, be it new features or anything else will be done. You should do the same.

There is nothing...

There is nothing like...
The rush you get when you meet someone who shares all your interest.
Someone who finishes your sentences,
Someone who, while you speak, speaks over you and ends up saying the same thing you were going to say.
The butterflies you feel when the phone rings and you see their name across the screen.
When you get that phone call and instead of hearing "hi"
you hear "I miss you babe how was your day"
When no matter how busy their day is they take 2 minutes to call and ask about YOUR day.
How you blush and get shy when you speak to your friends about them.
The rush you get when they call to say they are on their way
The feeling you get when they call to say they are outside
The feeling you then get when you walk up to them and one simple tap kiss feels like you are in heaven.
When the simple things make you feel like you are flying.
Like just roaming the city holding hands,
Sitting on a bench in a park not saying a word to each other
Going to the movies and not even watching the movie
Receiving a bouquet of pink roses because he knows they are your favorite without you ever telling him they were your favorite.

Just knowing that he listens to every word you say even when you think he isn't paying attention and then he agrees and says "yes babe because..." (and repeats everything you just said word for word.)

And just the feeling of being in love..

Finally moving on..

as time has gone by the Icy wall surrounDing my heart
has began tO melt.
my life didNt begin wiTh him
and it definateLy dOesn't end without him.

its not easy putting yourself out there but iVe decidEd i will tell mY own stOry.

as most of yoU know by now yes i was hurt.
however im over thAt part of my life.
im oN a new journeY and as i said subconciously iM trying tO find something,
im looking foR somEthing,
i dont know what yet ,
but i know i dont have it,
so im on the path of getting it.

there is nothing better than embracing your life and saying goodbye to what held you back all this time.
i have lots of plans for this year.

im glad he is out of my life..

(there is a message in the capital letters) ;-)

Is Fear Stronger Than Love?

Inspired by my sister, I read the wall,
And the closet said "fear is stronger than love."

I took it in...a deep breath...gazed at the wall
the gaze turned into a stare...a still, statue-like stare

A blank stare capable of freezing you...a daydream...a revelation

Fear is stronger than love...

Is that how you prefer it?
Is that just the way it is?

Or is it a choice?

Are you afraid to love because you're afraid of heartbreak and heartache?
Is your fear of failure stronger than your desire to love?

You fear the dark, you fear heights, you fear what you don't understand--you fear being misunderstood, you fear...fear--but you don't fear being feared--

That's power...that's another story.

You love innocence, you love nature, you love growth--progression...you love success--money, sex, drugs, music--they're all the same.

The pleasure they give you--the high--it's all the same...love is love, right?

Is fear just a characteristic, a trait of the weak? And love, of the passionate, of the creative?

Or are they just instinct? Human nature.

Nowadays, they want you to fear everything in the name of caution and awareness. But of course, you can fear and love simultaneously--they're cut from the same cloth.

Left arm, right arm--they're both arms--both part of the torso...
both with the same functions, same core values...identical.

Love is fear overcome
Fear is love undone...
love never there

Or is--was it? And you didn't know, you passed it by--let it pass you...because of fear

You don't love fear--you fear love...

I'm awake

Alone

I’m alone…

And I like it.

I enjoy the peace of mind, there’s nothing like it

Conversations with my shoes—they do most of the talkin

The dialogue you can hear, at least

But the convos are far better with my mind

The talks that she and I have can only be achieved…when I’m alone.

I’m alone…

And I wouldn’t have it any other way

But it’s not like a have a choice, I’m alone every day—

Every night

Walking under the street lights, dazing into the eyes of the moon—

I hope she comes back to me soon

But until then, I’m alone—there’s not much I can do

Try to get around to get my mind off of you

But that doesn’t do much—they’re not quite my style

I don’t get down

the way they get down

And so I’m alone

And I miss you dearly

They say that space is good, but they overlooked this…

Clearly

I’m an independent man, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need you

Because the fact is that I do, you have consumed me

I used to breathe you, bleed you, sleep you…eat you

I miss those days, those nights are far out of reach now

Now I can only enjoy you temporarily for a time here—a time there…

It isn’t quite fair, but these are the sacrifices we make…

We’re too much alike—not enough sense of urgency,

Because we both have a firm grip on life…

We both know what it takes to make it work,

And so we do it

No questions asked, barely any second thoughts

You know I gotta work, I know you gotta work

And so we understand…and maybe that’s the problem

When does sacrifice become an excuse?

When is enough, enough and we refuse to take the abuse?

Everyone has needs, and I hope you’re not playing me…

Playing with mine

Heartbroken I will be,

Heartless even, maybe

Adjustments made, plans out the window,

But at least I won’t have to start from scratch because I know how it feels

To be alone

When it’s as cold inside as it is out

And there’s no one to hold on to for warmth

Except yourself…

Self-reliance is my name, and maybe you were just a crutch

Because

Now you’re just a convenience, I don’t need you all that much

And I know you feel the same, so we see each other when we can

Not because we’re dangerously in love anymore

We’re not 12-years-old anymore

Grow up

But really the only way to do that

The only way you know you’ve made it

Is when you look around and see no one there…

And smile to the air.

LET'S GET PERSONAL: A little about me..

I dont think anyone has ever really understood me. And maybe I even thrive off of that..

I dont even think my closest friends, mom, sis and my cousin, get me MOST of the time. "Its like they hear what I am saying but they're not feeling my words or my pain". I am like a puzzle that cant be put together.

I am the kind of person that just shuts off and shuts down instantly. It's like I will hold on and deal and then when the day finally comes, even I dont see it.. it just becomes what it is.

Some people never change and then others are always evolving...

Some people want the simple things and others are aiming for the grand prize.

Some are content with where they stand and others keep finding ways to get to the next thing.

I used to be the girl that lived for the moment. I never EVER cared about what people said, or even thought about me. I never gave away my heart, I always played with hearts. I was never the girl to take anything or anyone too seriously.

I think back and remember the days when i was wanted by many and i played with many hearts and minds. Until one comes along and drags you off your feet (yes not sweep you off your feet) and your whole life changes. For the worse.. it's rearly ever for the good.

I remember clubbing almost every weekend just to forget about the problems... countless times in VIP, endless pictures online so "they" can see that I'm doing just fine..

and that had been my life for awhile..

there comes a point where you finally just want to stop.

I lived the party girls life and im content with saying no more to that.

The only part I miss is the dress up part LOL

I dont regret anything... I am actually happy I got to be crazy for a while.

And yeah, every now and then I might decide to step out and remind everyone how I'm not an old lady LOL..

but my mind is somewhere else now.. subconciously im finding something, looking for something..

I don't know what yet..

Life is all about struggles & finding the way to cope them

Nothing is impossible in life (everything comes at the right moment) nor is anybody smarter or more capable than anybody; God gave us the tools, is up to us to put them to work. Never give up on your personal goals, the harder it is to achieve them the more you will appreciate what will come as a result, and the prouder you would feel about yourself.

Be somebody’s role model, not anybody's disappointment!!!!

Love, a thousand questions with no answers!!!!!!!

Why if love is supposed to be so beautiful, sometimes it makes us feel so horrible?
Why if it is the best feeling in the world, sometimes it makes us feel the worst?
Why if we want to live to love and to be loved, sometimes because of love we will like to die and even to kill?
Why if love makes us see birds and butterflies everywhere, sometimes it turns us into monsters?
Why if love can make us be so sweet, it can also make us be so bitter?
And why if love makes us suffer so much, we want to fall in love all over again?

Why, why, why?????

Finally, it is better to fall in love or out of love?

It's this or that.. which one is it?

Swear to me that you have yet to forgot me

If you tell me that there isn't any love
then with pain in my heart I shall walk away.

If later you realize that in fact you do love me
but your pride pushes me away
than honor your heart.

If destiny makes you regret the decision and you go back on your word
I refuse to accept an apology.

Swear that you have completely forgotten my love
Knowing that in an instant you get a flashback of how much I meant to you

If this taunting and teasing is what I deserve
please God help me

I know that I'm to blame
All I wanted to do was love him
But I failed in love.

If I'm crazy to think that you would still love me
please lie to me
and do it shamelessly

I prefer that you would lie to me
than to be sincere
don't ruin my illusion..

Yes We Did! (Vote for Him Because He’s Black) President-elect Obama would have won, anyway…

Here we are. One day before the completion of the biggest underdog, history-making, era-defining victory in American history. But still, adversaries persistently try to undermine the historic event, citing the camaraderie of his ethnic background as the ONLY reason for Barack Obama’s victory.

That’s just silly.

Have they forgotten what kind of situation the United States is in?

Have they forgotten that we are in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?

Have they forgotten that we are STILL involved in an unjust war—which is the cause for several thousands of lives lost worldwide?

Have they forgotten that much of these consequences that are punishing the lives of plenty of families around the nation and world, are in large part due to our 43rd President of the United States of America?

Frankly, our situation is so bad, and our need for change so necessary, Elmer Fudd, would have won the election over Senator John McCain (R-AZ).

Have they forgotten that up until October, when Sen. McCain tried to disperse of his support and relationship with President Bush, he was a big-time partner of his, and should also be held partially responsible for leading into this crisis which was almost beyond repair?

‘Almost’ beyond repair would have evolved to 'certainly' beyond repair, had there been a different result on Nov. 4, 2008.

Luckily for us, the majority of voters (over seven-million of them) decided to look beyond President Obama’s ethnicity and his apparent partnership with the Blacks, and make the right choice for the good of the country we all love.

This probably could not have happened in any other country with the same history or past as the U.S., and we should all be thankful.

On a personal note, I never thought that I would live to see the day that a Black man was in the Oval Office as the Commander-In-Chief.

And if I did, I most definitely expected a different set of conditions.

I would have expected to see a completely unified country that elected the man based on who he is, what he can do for the country, and what he stands for—not race.

Maybe those expectations are a bit naïve.

Leading up to the election, I occasionally flipped through different news channels to get varying perspectives on what was about to go down.

SIDE NOTE: It’s important to realize that news corporations do have opinions.
They can try to stay “objective” but that’s nothing more than a mission. What’s objective to them can be complete bias and nonsense to you and I, because perception is reality.

Anyway, I stopped by Fox News, and it seemed like my timing was perfect.

I don’t remember her name—she wasn’t part of the staff, she was a guest. She said, “95 percent of them will vote for him just because he’s black.”

On CNN, during their coverage leading up to Election Day, a woman was on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” She was an advent supporter of Hillary Clinton, but when the Senator from New York didn’t win the democratic nomination, she supported the McCain-Palin ticket.

Regarding policies and almost everything they stand for, Clinton and McCain-Palin (especially Palin) are staunch opposites. In fact, with the exception that Palin is a woman, they are different in almost every way possible.

Her reasoning? Because she doesn’t trust our current President-elect.

Meanwhile, it was absolutely fine for her to say that she supported Hillary or even Palin because they’re women, and it’s a great symbol for women.

Excuse me miss, I forgot your name, but are you implying that Mr. Obama doesn’t represent a symbol of PROGRESS in America in the most extreme way possible?

Is that a good reason for Blacks to vote from him?

I digress.

Not to mention, so-called experts like Pat Buchanan, Bill O’Reilly, and Howard Stern, all known for their anti-urban/plain out racist remarks, all accuse Obama of close affiliation with domestic terrorism, and that’s just the beginning.

When our next President made his democratic-nominee acceptance speech, he gave a pound (hand shake, but with a closed fist) to his wife…it was labeled as a “terrorist fist bump” by one Fox News contributor. It is probably one of the best sound-bites ever. She even brought in a "body language expert!"

It seems like they all forgot simple statistics. In recent history, approximately 93 percent of Blacks vote for democrats—it’s that simple.

In fact, ever since FDR and the Civil Rights Era, blacks and democrats have gone together like peas and carrots.

It’s like they didn’t get the memo about what most right-wing stood for back then and still stand for now: abolishing particular economic and educational laws and programs that DIRECTLY affect blacks, other minorities, and people living in lower-income neighborhoods.

Affirmative action, welfare and other government assistance, and many other institutional actions in place made to benefit people who aren’t as privileged as they might be. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon. Sometimes we need assistance, a push, a mentor, and some sense of direction.

It’s also worth noting those who voted AGAINST Obama because he’s black, which were plenty. A few months ago, I was watching a video online and a middle-aged woman who seemingly lived in a rural community said that she doesn’t want Obama to win because she fears that “the Blacks will take over.” But we didn’t hear too much about that.

According to the 2005 US Census, Blacks only make up approximately 17 percent of the US population. Factor in babies and people who aren’t of voting age--how much of a difference does that really make?

I wanted validation that I wasn’t crazy, so I asked two college students and a 17-year-old who is politically involved about their perspectives.

Felicia, the 17-year-old said that they eyes of those who didn’t vote for Obama because of his race “are still shut. They don’t see that the world needs to change.” I asked her why she would have voted for Obama she added, that he gives hope to the urban youth and shows them that anything is possible.

Wendell Peterson, a Master’s Degree candidate at a university in upstate New York, said that he doesn’t see a problem with voting for a candidate based on race, the problem is ignorant votes. “Some people nowadays are not educated enough and are uninformed.”

Rokim Robinson, a 21-year-old Graduate student said, “Implying that blacks voted for Obama just because he’s black is implying that Blacks never voted before. Over 90 percent of Blacks are Democrats.” Robinson said that he isn’t surprised that people didn’t vote for him based on race, citing that there is still plenty of institutional and “under-the-radar” racism in America.

But opponents are persistent. As of Dec. 7, according to the Baltimore Sun, two lawyers, one from Pennsylvania, Philip Berg, and another from New Jersey, Leo C. Donofrio, “are pursuing lawsuits asserting that President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to hold the office of president because he is not a "natural born citizen." Their claims were rejected in lower courts, but they have filed motions and appeals at the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Lawyers are supposed to be the smart ones! Do you see what desperation does!? For anyone to really be declared a “natural born citizen,” he or she has to be of Native American descent.

Whites have descended from Europe, and 99 percent of the population descend from all over the world—not the USA. That honor belongs to Native Americans.

But something tells me that that isn’t what they’re implying.

No Expectations for NOTORIOUS

I am a critic. Not a professional one, just a critic.

It's not that I'm a cynic, it's just the fact that I believe that there is always room for improvement. But that does not mean that I am never satisfied.

There is nothing more satisfying than a good book, or a good flick--Jack Nicholson, Anthony Hopkins, Denzel Washington, and Spike Lee never seem to fail me, to the point of where my expectations are high whenever they bless the screen.

Movies that are biographical bore me--most of us fans know the story without the movie, so the movie is just a waste of time. But this wasn't the case in American Gangster, but that was rare--let me shorten this--I have no expectations for NOTORIOUS--which comes out tomorrow, 1/16.

American Gangster was biographical of Frank Lucas and the short lived Lucas Crime Family. Anyone can do research and know the story, but the movie--the movie was something different.

The performances by Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, and especially Ruby Dee (Mama Lucas) were outstanding. And the language--the way that it was written--was phenomenal. It hit hard, had a great build--ideal, to say the least.

I was excited for American Gangster--gangster movies are the best kind--they always keep you on your toes, and there is no 'good guy-bad guy' typical theme--in most gangster films the so-called good guys wind up crooked and just as bad as the rest of us--a true reflection of real life.

But enough about that--I'm not as excited for NOTORIOUS, I'm not sure if I'm excited at all--which is why I'll be the film's biggest fan if it is indeed a modern marvel.

A lot of fans and some pundits are hyping it up, one artist even said that he sees it doing $50 M opening weekend. We all (well, most of us) know Biggie's story, and it is compelling--which makes the acting, writing, and delivery much more prominent.

With that, I have no expectations of the film--I'll just wait to see it...and I refuse to see it on opening weekend--I know better than that. Theatres will be mayhem, I anticipate fights and a bunch of rowdiness, so I'll just wait to go on a secluded rainy morning or something like that.

To close, I brought this up to some of my friends--the way that they are advertising the movie is great, it's ideal and they're doing everything right. On a personal note, they're doing such a good job, that people are screaming that BIG was/is the greatest rapper of all time--wait--the greatest rapper of all time?

I'm as objective as they come, I don't think that I have a bias, but if I do, I wouldn't mind being called on it, but there is no way that BIG is the G.O.A.T.. As aforementioned, his impact and influence cannot be denied, and we pay homage, and we'll all pay homage and remember him for as long as music exists, but the greatest of all time?

No.

Impact and influence don't translate to being the GOAT--Jackie Robinson was arguably the most influential athlete, but does that make him the GOAT? No, Willie Mays is still better.

He came out with two albums, and unfortunately we would never know how his career would have progressed if he were still here, so we can't FAIRLY call him the GOAT. I can name one other Brooklynite and two other rappers who I would put above him without any second thoughts.

He put the east coast back on the map and influenced every NY rapper in the game after or during his era. I pay homage, but I'm not fooled by the hype and the absurd.

Go see NOTORIOUS

You never last forever

Happy endings are for stories that haven't ended

I know you don't exist
Stop asking me to let you in
Stop trying to make me feel you
I don't want you anymore
You hurt me too many times

Why everytime I find you
You always leave?

So don't come back if it's temporary
I will let you in if you promise to stay forever
But it's never forever with you
You only stay for a few months

So love...don't come back
I don't believe in you anymore

Now, the story has ended.

Who will ever know

It kills her inside
But she smiles with deep pride
They don't know, what she feels inside
They try to make her open her eyes

Her heart has froze
She still loves him though
Her soul turned cold
And she doesn't know
Will she love again
Or stay alone

They will never know
They will never know
She will never let it show
As she continues to smile with deep pride
No one.
Will.
Ever.
Know.
What lies...behind her eyes.

I don't know what to name this, pt. 1

Prelude

I, as the rest of you, creatively write. Some things just come to me, some things I take from someone's life (or my own) and expand it to the point of which you can't trace it back. For this one, I don't know...I don't know what to name it, so help me out.

As you read, you will come to find out that there is dialogue between one and a group of people, students. You will also find that there is flashback. The first character, and the one who does most of the talking, is seemingly a teacher lecturing students. Enjoy, and help me out! I am horrible with titles! Read:

I ate a slice of bread this afternoon.

That was my breakfast. I didn’t even have bottled water to go with it, so I drank out of the faucet.

I guzzled the last of the cranberry juice in the fridge this morning when the landlord came and told me I had until the end of the weekend to get out.

In case he wanted to have an in-depth conversation, I’d rather have cranberry juice on my breath than the smell of the morning.

This was life. Everything was fine at the beginning of the month. I was working at a steady rate, paying my bills on time—everything was carrying on the way it was supposed to.

And then I graduated. That’s when life started to smell like the piss and vomit that are the cologne and shower gel of the homeless.

I make that reference because I might be their roommates soon.

Everyone makes a big deal when you graduate—and I guess for some, it is a big deal. And it is a big deal—just in different ways.

The typical college student has a minimal amount of academic-related debt when they graduate. Their parents usually pay their way through school, and some might even pay their loans as a graduation gift.

The typical student is privileged—they are taught that they can have whatever they want, and their parents bring them up that way—privileged and spoiled.

They could fail out of school and still land a well-paying job, just because of the profile that daddy has, or the fact that mommy has connections.

More power to them—that’s fine.

But there’s problem when they don’t notice, as a whole—family and all—what they have. The fact that they’re privileged—they’re blind to it. The realization that they have a head start—a huge one, over us, is a myth to them. It’s just normal life to them.

Work hard, get rewarded—is that the way it goes? Sure…in theory. But in practice…not so much. Barriers, unspoken requirements, profiling, and the many other pounds of the locks and chains post-getting out of the locks and chains that were 200 years ago, are still prevalent.

And they’re the same ones to complain…about how their life sucks because they didn’t get the dog that they wanted, or they couldn’t find the hair gel or the eye makeup that they saw in the latest edition of Cosmo.

I oughta slap the shit out of you. How insulting could you be? But you don’t even do you? And your air-headed ass wonders why there’s still tension.

Look around you…really look—analyze, outside of your farm, outside of the mall, outside of the coupe—look.

It’s a different world out here, ladies and gents—and you need to take notice.

Mothafuckas will kill you—just to get that purse or that necklace, and sell it, so that they could get that loaf of bread. Some dude just last week on the corner of Plainfield and Liberty killed a dude for his wallet—the reason?

He needed diapers for his newborn son.

I remember sitting in the dining halls and eating nasty ass school lunch everyday, and the processed frozen food dinners every night in college, while some people had their gourmet meals—or a Wendy’s hamburger.

Everyday, I just wanted to slap their tray out of their hands, so that their food and drink would hit the floor—so I could pick it up…and eat it.

But I held on…I knew better days were coming for me—darkness before the dawn right? Sure, only for those who really want it…

The difference between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois is that Washington wanted us to conform to the system—to settle, to just do what our so-called masters told us to do, and eventually we would progress. Progression through conformity—that’s not taking charge.

On the other hand, Dubois wanted us to create our own shit. To support our own folk—and not conform, why make money for the same people who deprive us (I didn’t use the word ‘deprive’ in its past tense for a reason) of every single liberty that we are entitled to?

Instead, Dubois put his money on the Talented Tenth—the theory that one in 10 black men would become leaders of the world through continuing their education, writing and publishing books, and becoming directly involved in social change, which included establishing black institutions to train and lead black people.

That was the early 1900s—and we could still cling to his theory.

This isn’t a testament or a question of how far we have come through over a century, but a celebration of the fact that W.E.B. Dubois was so far ahead of his time, like Shakespeare was. But he’s painted as a villain who turned his back on country and fled.

Shit…if I had the money—I’d flee, too. Nonetheless, students, Dubois preached in layman’s terms, that in order to progress—you have to take it.

Grab progress by the horns, because as the rest of the bull’s body moves, the horns stay still.

Grab the horns, look it in the eye—and take it down—it’s like a social rodeo.

There will always be the elite—and we have to invest in our elite, and convince them to help us—to invest in us.

He later said that leadership could arise from any level and that social change should happen on every level, and we shouldn’t only depend on the elite.

Dual consciousness—and not that sociological bullshit that they try to teach you, about how it involves one person with two inconsistent trains of thought—is what needs to be really understood by every human on the planet.

We have to not only understand, but EMBRACE how we are seen by other people. How blacks are seen by whites, how whites are seen by blacks, how Latinos, Asians, and everyone else, are seen by each other. We have to read into it—we have to understand and embrace it—and act accordingly—or you won’t last long.

Now, of course there are exceptions—but let’s not get our heads too far up our own asses.

NY Writing Opportunities via Craigslist.org

Writers,

For those of you interested, here are a few intriguing writing/editing possibilities in-and-around the NYC area, as found on Craiglist.org.

• Contract job w/ Dream Maker Films

• Publishing internship with Skyhorse Publishing

• Havenhurst Books are looking for authors

• A relationships coach is looking for a writer

• Get paid for your heartbreak stories.

• A literacy agency is looking for a publishing intern

Keep your eyes opened for more opportunities.

Editor's Note

Writers,

We're a little limited as far as progression of the actual site is concerned while being on blogger. As you should know, we have every intention of obtaining our own domain as we grow, but don't worry about that now.

What we should be thinking about is ways that we can improve the site. On the right side of the page, are several helpful tools including a thesaurus, a subscription link to receive RSS feeds, and favorite sites toward the bottom.

The sites listed now are all writing sites that, aside from celebrating different concentrations of writing, also take applications to write for them and maybe earn a little side cash, upon acceptance. If you would like to add to the sites, don't hesitate to let me know in the comment box.

Additionally, upon potential growth, it crossed my mind to add a "Pick of the Week" that will feature the best piece of work according to our peers. There are two ways that this can happen:

1. Through a poll conducted on the blog -OR-
2. A piece chosen by the editor

As always, keep up the good work, and post directly to the blog, and leave feedback--appraisal or constructive--they're both helpful. Let me know your opinions on the "Pick of the Week" and the favorite sites options. You have as much control as anyone else.

Thanks.

Dear Warmth

Where have you gone?
I miss you daily.
I reminisce about feeling you at dawn...
comfort...a lost cause now.

You left me...

stranded, naked, disdain.
Please don't misunderstand me, it's not that I can't survive...
Because baby, I'm alive.
I have to be...to be able to feel this pain...
Warmth how can you be so vain?

To come and go as you please...
Disregard everyone, only fulfill YOUR needs.
I was on my knees...
Warmth, I thought I needed you more than ever.

This was not a one-night stand, not a sexual endeavor...
when we cuddle, I take in your scent
smelled like forever.

At least that's what I thought...
now you're nothing more than a thought...

Just leave...
Warmth, just leave me alone!
Why can't I leave you alone...
distance got me thinking...it's not the same on the phone.

You're out of reach now...
far removed from my fingertips...
far removed from my lips...
far removed from my kiss...
it wasn't supposed to end like this...

Dear Warmth, I don't need you anymore.





Mr. Purple is not a poet.

Nowhere

My mind races.

I see you. I feel you.

You're gone.

My hands tingle.

My heart feels you.

Where are you?

When will it all be over?

No matter how many times I fall and hit my head on the rock I just DON'T learn.

Ugh. I don't know how many times the story needs to be repeated for me to finally understand and get the point.

I'm sad and I feel like crying, I'm angry, too, but at the same time a million thoughts are running through my mind at full speed.

Every time I start giving the benefit of the doubt and ASSUME things can possibly get better...because we never know what the future holds, I just get taken back and slapped in the face with reality.

You are a father to be--probably one of the hardest news that I ever had to deal with.

The fact that you got married was hard enough, but I always told myself, "there's always divorce."

But now?...Now you are gonna be a father! A commitment that lasts a lifetime.

And not saying that we we're gonna ever get back together, but we never knew what the future held. But now? Now there is no chance at all.

I refuse to let you keep hurting me. What I don't understand is why you keep coming around? Why you keep looking for me?

Is it guilt?

Are you trying to smooth your way into telling me yourself?

I don't know what you want from me. I found out on my own and you have no idea I know yet.

But I'm waiting for your call because I'm officially done with this whole situation, that you have once again dragged me into after I was doing great moving on and forgetting all about you.

I was very much happy but then I found myself coming back to this...it's hurting and killing me because now the both of you will be attached forever.

I guess it's time for me to let it go and move on.

No matter how much I decided not to accept it.

Maybe I've been getting signs that I refuse to accept, but for some reason the signs keep getting worse. This is more like a slap in the face.

This is going to take me some time...maybe a lot of time.
(sigh) I don't know what to think anymore.

I keep holding my tears back as I sit here and reminisce. Trying to figure out why we never worked.

We lived together and I was practically your wife. You never decided to propose to me, let alone marry me. We spoke about having children a million times and tried and tried.

I guess it wasn't meant to be or meant for me. No matter how much we tried, I couldn't get pregnant.

Those that know me, know how I feel about having kids. It's a big deal to me. I want lots of kids. Now the fact that you are having them with her...well how should I feel?..

Mrz Endy

What Makes Good Web Writing?

Two uber-popular websites have some standards as to what qualifies as good web writing.

Suite101.com and BleacherReport.com have over 12 million readers every month, and over 2 million every month, respectively.

Both were created by professionals, and media professionals have formed partnerships with or write for the sites, as well--so I expect them to know a thing or two about good web-writing.

Each site has about 10 tips and hints of what makes your material stand out, and the similarities are evident--these similarities are probably what you would put your money on as most helpful and effective.

So what does a good, aspiring writer do? S/he learns from them.

Suite101's Top 10 Rules

1. Write tightly-focused, specific articles that are authoritative and cite trusted sources.

2. Assume a reader's cursory knowledge of the subject, but explain for the layperson.

3. Insure copy is unique, balanced, exclusive, and free of sales pitches or pure opinion.

4. Write in the third-person reportage style and keep personal anecdotes for blogs.

5. Proof for spelling and punctuation errors, tired language, or general/weak statements.

6. Title your article as transparently as possible, reflecting the key search terms/phrases.

7. Get to the point in the lead paragraph and proceed convincingly from there.

8. Use 50-75-word paragraphs, bold subheadings, and bulleted lists for easy reading on screen.

9. Link to up to 5 related on- and off-site articles, with keyword anchor text organically embedded.

10. Attach a clear and appropriate colour photo, properly credited and captioned.

BleacherReport's Writing Tips

Impressing the Search Engines

Search engine optimization begins and ends with keywords. Articles with vague or esoteric headlines don’t draw many readers for the simple reason that they don’t appear on many popular search listings. If you want people to read your work, you have to put it where they’re going to find it—which means being mindful both of which keywords you choose and how your order them in the headline.

a. Choosing Keywords

In choosing keywords to include in your headline, it’s important to balance specificity and mass appeal. If your aim is too narrow, you’ll get buried in your own niche. If your aim is too broad, you’ll get lost in the World Wide Shuffle.

Personal names (both first AND last) are generally the most effective traffic-generating keywords. Events and team names (both city/school and mascot) are next on the list, followed by divisions, conferences, and leagues.

Your primary goal should always be to include first and last personal names in your headline. If that strategy isn’t a fit with your article, you should next target events and team names. If that still doesn’t yield a match, you should turn to divisions, conferences, and leagues as a last resort.

Poor choice of keywords: “Irish Eyes Are Weeping”

Better choice of keywords: “Notre Dame Football Drops the Ball”

Best choice of keywords: “Charlie Weis, Notre Dame Football Drop the Ball”

b. Ordering Keywords

Keywords at the beginning of a headline are weighted more heavily by search algorithms than those at the end. With that in mind, it’s important to lead with your “best” keywords—i.e. those which are most likely to attract readers who are going to want to read your article.

As a general rule, you should aim to order your keywords according to their effectiveness in generating traffic:

1. Personal Names

2. Events and Teams

3. Divisions, Conferences, and Leagues

If you work within that framework, you’ll give your article the best chance of earning a strong search ranking—and you’ll give potential readers the best opportunity to sample what you’re trying to sell.

Poor use of keywords: “NBA: Boston Celtics Ride Kevin Garnett to Finals Win”

Better use of keywords: “Boston Celtics Ride Kevin Garnett to NBA Finals Win”

Best use of keywords: “Kevin Garnett Leads Boston Celtics to NBA Finals Win”

Attracting the Searchers

Given the emphasis on search engine optimization in the online publishing world, it’s easy to forget that search engines are themselves merely conduits to real-live human beings. Sure, it’s important to appeal to the Google computers with your headline. But it’s even more important to appeal to the searchers who’ll actually be reading your work.

To that end, you should always be mindful of three distinct criteria in writing your headlines: specificity, readability, and “clickability.” Doing so will endear you to the living, breathing people on the other side of cyberspace—which if nothing else is a whole lot more satisfying than making friends with a search algorithm.

a. Specificity

Remember, potential readers can only judge your article by the headline that gets listed with syndicated search results. With that in mind, it’s important that the title communicate exactly what the piece is about—in order to help searchers find exactly what they’re looking for.

As noted above, vague or esoteric headlines fail to generate traffic because they fail to advertise the product to search-engine users. As is true of any transaction, buyers (or in this case, readers) won’t commit if they don’t know what they’re getting into. Specific headlines convey precise and relevant information to searchers, and thus encourage those searchers to take the plunge with your work.

Vague headline: “MLB Prospects: You Will Know Their Names Soon”

Specific headline: “Jay Bruce, Evan Longoria Top List of MLB Prospects”

b. Readability

The importance of readability in headline text speaks to the fact that there’s an actual person on the other side of the search process. You’re not writing for an algorithm, after all; you’re writing for a human being, and to that end you should be sure that your headline reads naturally rather than mechanically.

The most natural headlines—the most “human” headlines—are those which present themselves as readable, keyword-rich units rather than mere amalgamations of keywords. Before publishing, you should always ask yourself whether your headline would make sense if you said it out loud. If it does, you’re in business. If not, it may be time for a rethink.

Awkward Headline: “NBA Draft, No. 2 Pick: Miami Heat Sitting Pretty”

Readable Headline: “Miami Heat Sitting Pretty in NBA Draft with No. 2 Pick

c. “Clickability”

“Clickability” is the most abstract of the criteria outlined here, but in many ways it’s also the most obvious.

Again, Internet readers have plenty of options when they search for sports-related content. If you want people to choose you, you have to actively compete for eyeballs—which means using your headline to differentiate yourself from all those other hack writers out there.

A clickable headline is any which makes searchers want to read YOUR article instead of the next one. Although it’s hard to pin down exactly what’s clickable and what isn’t, there are four fundamental techniques that will help you put your best foot forward:

1. Take a Stand

Most Bleacher Report submissions are written with an editorial bent, and thus are naturally distinct from the bulk of generic, fact-based content on the Internet. The best Bleacher Report headline, in turn, is that which conveys the nature of an article’s editorial position.

As a general rule, Internet readers are drawn to articles that make arguments instead of merely regurgitating information. The more forceful a stand you take in your headline, the more likely you are to attract people to your work.

Bland headline: “NBA: Nets Acquire Yi Jianlin From Bucks”

Clickable headline: “With Yi Jianlin, Nets Primed for Great Leap Forward”

2. Ask a Question, or Hint at an Answer

Mystery is always more compelling than certainty. In writing headlines, your best bet is to hint at the substance of your article without giving away the whole story.

The strategy here often entails asking a question, or adding “Why” or “How” to your title. The bottom line is that you want to be suggestive in order to be provocative. Anything you can do to stimulate the curiosity of potential readers will help to drive search traffic to your work.

Bland headline: “Nick Saban Dismisses Jimmy Johns from Alabama Football Team”

Clickable headline: “Why Nick Saban Dismissed Jimmy Johns from the Alabama Football Team”

3. Make a List

For reasons known only to David Letterman and VH1, people love lists. That’s especially true of Internet readers, who will flock to headlines which promise “The Top Five” or “The Ten Best” of just about anything.

All list articles should be advertised as such in their headlines. You’d also do well to repackage non-list articles with list-like headlines.

Bland Headline: “Fantasy Baseball Pickups: Week Five”

Clickable Headline: “The Top Seven Fantasy Baseball Picks Up for Week Five”

4. Overstate Your Case…Or Understate It

The final key to headline clickability lies in your choice of qualifying adjectives. To attract potential readers, you should always aim to either overstate or understate your position.

Hyperbolic headlines make articles more salient for search-engine users. The more dramatically you package your article, the more likely you are to drive traffic to it.

Bland Headline: “NBA Draft: Second Round Picks Who Became Stars”

Clickable Headline: “The Best Second Round Picks in NBA Draft History”

Understated headlines, on the other hand, play upon the general appeal of mystery and uncertainty. Understated qualifiers include words like “might,” “could,” and “should,” and can lend an air of intrigue to an otherwise plain title.

Bland headline: “Why the Chicago Cubs Will Win the World Series”

Clickable Headline: “Why the Chicago Cubs Could (or Should or Might) Win the World Series”

*

If there’s one lesson to learn about headlines, it’s that the title often makes or breaks the story. Given the search-centric nature of Internet traffic, you can’t expect to attract readers to your work if you don’t package it well. Whenever you publish, always be mindful of the extent to which searchers will judge your articles by their headlines—and always promote your submissions with as much effort as you put into writing them.-Bleacher Report Inc.

Feedback: Some rules are great for web-journalism, but some raw opinion is desired and very much necessary in writing. The keep it short, get to the point, and visual effects rules are dead-on. IMO (of course.)

Some of the similarities of these two gurus are short, focused, concise, passionate, and accurate articles filled with keywords to improve your searches. Also, not to be forgotten, the inclusion of links and pictures make your article interactive and easy to assess.