voice-of-bennuma

[voice-of-bennuma]

Writing Prompts

so btw, if you like reading random writing ideas, I'm going to put some more up in my side blog @free-range-writing-prompts (I added more to my queue there)

Just a place for ideas that amuse me enough to share but which I'm not going to use... so they're free to a good home.

[voice-of-bennuma]

More Soup...

So... part 2 of the adventures of The Duck wandering in the forest is up in my side blog @onceuponasoup which is where I put short stories that I write when I am trying to evoke the feel of old school fairy tales. Sometimes it is entirely new content, and sometimes (like this most recent one) it is somewhat inspired by actual vintage fairy tales (currently one of the stories from the Brothers Grimm collection). Don't expect me to ever be channeling modern versions of fairy tales (such as those by mouse, inc) for this collection.

Link directly to the blog entry in question:

For anyone who would prefer to read the Blogspot version (same thing, just different format for reading) I also have these shorts over here:

[voice-of-bennuma]

You Are Unique.

Because you are unique, that means you are irreplaceable.

Being irreplaceable makes you invaluable.

That means your worth is infinite.

[voice-of-bennuma]

Hello. (status update)

Okay, so I re-blogged (to here) some art that @creatures-by-ada-street did for me a long time ago and recently put on tumblr (by request ^_^)

I am also working on some maps and info about the geography (as suggested by the poll I did previously) ...will get that up when finished.

Also have been working on my outline and rough draft stuff for the Crossing, haven't done much writing of first draft styles lately, but do have a section in progress, will also put that up when I finish a little more.

[voice-of-bennuma]

Lion facing forward represents the Present

Goat facing backwards represents the Past

Snake tail represents the Future

Sketch from some years back, of the kind of chimera that would be found sometimes in the fictional world of Bennuma.

Art for @voice-of-bennuma

[voice-of-bennuma]

Inked lines (after pencil sketch) with colored pencil.

Art done some years back, of fictional original creature for the fantasy world of Bennuma. Supposed to be similar in form to some descriptions of basilisks, but nothing like a basilisk in abilities or anything else. Based on a ptarmigan instead of chicken, with an imagined snake tail.

Up in the corner was a sketch for a sort of medallion based on a stylized dharmigan head, I did other art of that medallion/token or 'coin' later, might still have a copy somewhere...

Art for @voice-of-bennuma

[voice-of-bennuma]

Had a sketch of this a long time ago, but it was lost... this is an attempt to re-create it in thumbnail version using (ballpoint?) pen and white gel pen. Very small, something like an inch or so square... study for a fight between two not-quite-identical fictional birds, for art I may do for @voice-of-bennuma someday. I forgot which way I had originally intended to be 'up' for this art so I took a pic of it angled... sorta always intended it to 'work' from any angle, would kinda like the actual piece to do so, when I eventually get to it.

[voice-of-bennuma]

To everyone: please do not use my "asks" or any other way of messaging or mentioning me, in order to ask me to donate to you, or to help promote your donation requests.

1. If you genuinely need help and are not involved in a scam, I wish you all the best and pray that you can find real help, even if it isn't what you expect. HOWEVER...

2. I cannot reblog or otherwise promote any fundraising requests without first researching each and every single one, to determine not only whether the request is legitimate, but also whether or not a person requesting aid is using a legitimate site and not one that may be scamming them. I currently am mentally and emotionally unable to put in the time and effort required for such research, so therefore I can neither validate nor recommend any fundraising efforts from anyone.

3. I personally am unable to donate to anybody, because I simply do not have money. I myself am destitute and in need of funds. I cannot in good conscience attempt to compete with all the people who are simply asking for donations, but one day maybe if people wish to help support my writing, I hope to earn enough with it to get by.

Please don't anyone hold this against me; it doesn't mean that I don't care, and it does not mean that I think everyone is scamming, and it does not mean I am against people trying to raise funds for their families or other causes. I'm just stating what my limits currently are, and why it is wasted effort for anyone to ask me to donate or to help them promote their fundraising.

[voice-of-bennuma]

Guess What?

I finally finished another section of my WIP novel set in my fantasy world called Bennuma, work-in-progress titled as "The Crossing" ...check it out @bennuma-crossing (newest part labeled "3.3" as in, chapter 3, section 3)

Also, as I tend to do, I have added the same to my old blog on Blogspot/Blogger, just in case anyone might prefer reading long posts from that sort of format instead of on Tumblr (easier to locate the oldest posts instead of scrolling all the way down through them all, if you are new to the story)

Someone makes an appearance who hasn't been seen yet in this story. :)

[voice-of-bennuma]

This.

[voice-of-bennuma]

BTW

...I have noticed the results of the poll I did before, asking about what Legends-of-Bennuma -related things people might like to see... I have put it next on my list for the Legends ( @legends-of-bennuma ), to write a bit (more?) about the geography of the world. Also, when I locate where I may have hidden my digital copies of Bennuma art somewhere down in my backup files, I will share some... and when I get more art, which I will eventually.

In the meantime, if anyone is interested, there's a short... episode(?) of my (original) fairy tales blog @onceuponasoup featuring further adventures of Duck.

Will do more writing when I can focus on it, have been having an extended difficult time with it, but absolutely not giving up.

[voice-of-bennuma]

Fairy Tales

Oldschool Fairy Tales from pre-industrial times: "These are cautionary stories for all ages, and also reminders that sometimes life is terrible for no good reason at all, or just makes zero sense."

Fairy Tales from the 1900s: "These are kids' stories where we try to teach that everything in life has meaning and moral lessons, and that if you work hard, believe in yourself, and are basically a good person, then you WILL be successful in life."

Me now: "The oldschool nonsense tales had it right, and basically all the other stuff is a lie."

(To be fair, I do believe that people should work hard, should believe in themselves, and should be basically good people because those are things that make life tolerable... I'm just convinced now that doing those things is no guarantee of success and that "anyone who says differently is selling something"

...also, I think it's weird when people make edits that seem to suggest that statement is in any way inspirational. It's not 'inspiring', it's just realism. It may be comforting sometimes to know that life is terrible for a lot of people out there and even if a person's suffering is unique to them, they're still not the only one suffering... but to act like that's uplifting in some way is weird to me.)

[voice-of-bennuma]

Legends of Bennuma poll

Ok, first time I've done an actual poll here on tumblr, testing it out...

(refer to @legends-of-bennuma for reference)

[voice-of-bennuma]

wip novel part 3.2 !

Got the next part of my wip novel up in @bennuma-crossing !

I gotta say here, I really really really enjoy switching pov characters from time to time because I absolutely love exploring the ways that different characters will look at things differently from each other, see others in varying ways, and spend their time thinking about different things. If you like that sort of thing, too, please check out my story. :)

Also, as always, if anyone prefers blogspot format for reading long posts, it's also here:

(someday I might make my own website or put my writing in other places to make it more widely accessible, but for now it's just in those two places)

[voice-of-bennuma]

This is awesome.

Congrats to whoever made that cake, I know that sort of thing is not as easy as people sometimes make it look on tv.

3. (regarding this particular meme usage) Totally why I might come across better when writing, because I can edit it however many times I want before people read it.

When I do the same while speaking, people wonder why I am saying the same thing over again multiple times in slightly different ways... not understanding that's how I sound in real time when compulsively editing myself, because I speak the way I write, not vice versa.

(part of why I sometimes say written English is like my first language, and spoken English my second)

(also this only took me a few minutes to write, but although I lost count, I am fairly certain that I made at least several dozen edits to this and may have to do a few more before posting since I wrote this bit)

[voice-of-bennuma]

WIP novel progress

(see @bennuma-crossing for most recent and all previous sections of the story, skip pinned intro post if desired)

Starting chapter 3 of my WIP-titled story "The Crossing" ...about a camp of people who fled a bronze-age equivalent war zone in a magic-deprived portion of a fantasy world, who come across a traveler from a different (magic-rich) part of the world, who shows up and helps the people from the camp when they need it most, only asking to travel with them in return.

Who is this stranger, where did she come from, and what is her real objective? How will they find a new home where they can live in peace and safety, and what part will be played by the (arguably) most broken man in the camp?

(note: though originally intended to be an adventure story, future chapters may contain a love story, but rest assured I will be keeping it SFW)

also, if anyone happens to prefer blogspot format for reading long posts, you can find the same story on my blog here:

[voice-of-bennuma]

Done. Did It.

It has been a very common thing in my life, that the list of things that I need to accomplish on any given day, will far surpass what I am capable of actually accomplishing.

At the end of the day, it's easy for me to get overwhelmed by all the things I hadn't managed to cross off the list, especially when other things that hadn't started out on my list crop up during the day and end up taking place of priority for legitimate reasons.

So, although I may have spent all day keeping busy doing things that needed to be done and having minimal break time, I may have ended up accomplishing almost nothing that was on my list at the beginning of the day.

At such times, I've found it is helpful for me to keep a list of the things I did that day, everything I did accomplish regardless of whether it was on my "To Do" list or not. Seeing my "Done" or "Did it" list at the end of the day can help me feel less like a failure, and focus on the positive-ness of having spent the day accomplishing things that were worth doing.

Worth a try for anyone who may experience some of the same anxieties about never having enough time for everything that needs to be done.