Let's give it a go with one of my favorite authors.

via wikipedia.

In his book Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, Vonnegut listed eight rules for writing a short story:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

I'd also recommend reading this, How to Write With Style, by Kurt Vonnegut. 

1. Find a subject you care about

2. Do not ramble, though

3. Keep it simple

4. Have guts to cut

5. Sound like yourself

6. Say what you mean

7. Pity the readers

---

The above mentioned advice has nothing to do with my GRE stories. In fact my GRE stories probably go against most of the said above. Good Real Effort (GRE)  I wonder if this is really my way of studying or really just a way to condone my procrastination. Anyways I decided to make the GRE stories real life (much harder) instead of made up pseudometaphors and parallels about themes of what I see and feel in life. 

I did see a grave in rice paddies though.

There was once a time when photos did not exist. There was no way to capture a moment in time, with all its truth and honesty. Mendacious paintings trying to do a photo's job obstructed the truth. But photos today fall in the same lines as august, affected constructed paintings of the wealthy. They are glibs that skewed reality and made others invidious, wanting a life that is really not what they think it to be. 

---

Today I found out sort of life changing current news from a few friends. All in one day! I am very happy for each of them. 

I am a big believer of "friendship vibes" that is when I think about a friend and miss them, they suddenly pop into my life in some way or form.

My friend Ai recently entertained the idea of me living in Austin, Texas. She or maybe Lillian, can't remember talked about a friend who used to live in New York, and went/moved to Austin and was blown away by the music scene. Que Divertido! She said she will be blogging Austin cafe scene and whatever not to convince me to move there. Living costs are really low too!

I really just want a life, where I have friends, family and see a lot of shows and art - and to end human trafficking. I've got a few years to accomplish that.

My California goal is to learn spanish pero quiero hablar espanol muy. Ir a la playa y escuchar y talk with the community.  I think this is a very doable endeavor.  Might as well up the anty with the number of languages I can speak to 4. 

---

and now random pictures in my computer to delight the reader, in no particular sense:

A temple in Vietnam. It's a fake tree with REAL BIRDS living in it. Talk about living in denial. Literally.

I did this circle art activity with the girls at the shelter, where we had to complete each other's drawings. I'm not too sure if that is an upside v-neck or saggy boobs that reach into my arms. The likeness is uncanny.

This photo looks familiar.  I guess I wasn't nostalgically staring into the distance and reflecting. Like all facebook profile pictures, they are skewed reality. I was just sitting next to my mama on the Melbourne subway yappin' my ass off. Good job brother for capturing that.

The first time I ate a chicken after seeing it alive a few hours ago. GUILT. 

This popped up on my facebook (when I was on it) and I laughed out loud. Sally is now one ocean closer to me!! =)

Productivity at its best. "Hey Sally how's the roller coaster ride?" "Really peaceful, relaxing" "Hey Tam how's the nice hot weather on the beach? "The air conditioner is making me cold" "Kim how's the fishes?" "There's a surprising amount of oxygen down here"

Touch. The. Dinosaur. I really miss those holey jeans.

This is my last show in the states. Metric! God we're sooooo legit. This is after walking past the metric t-shirt hawkers.  Aline is my friend the the far left. She's uber legit,  can dance AND she lives in Kansas. That probably calls for a upgrade to uber legit midwesterner (If my California geography is correct) I love midwesterners.

I learned how to eat these spicy critters. I certainly feel legit.

Beginning signs of carpel tunnel sucks.

Oh well. Will have to calm down with the computer typing. Have to think about computer time more wisely.  Helps that I haven't been on face book for 1 month! woo.

22 GRE words chosen at random:

a literal metaphor


My mother often compares me 
to my stubborn father 
I stubbornly choose
not to believe her. 


---


Easing into a lethargic somber, the swaying green placated the graves.  The seeping dirt held such repose that any form of dissonance dissipated into the abyss. Despite living mold and growing cracks, the ossified reverse was happening inside. Souls were hardening.

On the east end of the fields, two kites hovered over four sportive children, the birds languid over the occasion flew by without a second look. The anodyne kites soothed their unwashed little hands; the strings held onto the gold. Ephemeral, this would only last a few more years. Soon their hands would be wizened - soon not later. The sun would find refuge in the crevices of their palms, relentless like a potentate ruling over his empire. The children would eventually fall into lassitude, exhausted. Living in penury, they had nothing but their kites. The kites had nothing but their children. Both had the sky.

The children did not believe the apocryphal tales of a creature who lured the night whose stare would leave a curse. This did not keep them up at night. What kept them up was the pejorative comments their invidious parents yelled to one another. Their children did not sleep nor did they.

There was something unconscionable about their love. It was an unfair kind of love. It wasn't the type of love you saw in the movies. It also wasn't the unimaginable type of love. It was the kind of love that once existed but died. It was a lost kind of love.  He hoped that she would take note of his subtle obsequious attempts to please her but she had already fallen deep in her thoughts. She often found herself in investitures, gaining power and authority. In these ceremonies she would rise in grandiose gowns. No kites flew high here. The weather was always pristine. She had everything, but her kites.