Hello everyone! The Muse has been a bit quiet - particularly with regards to long form content. However I do have a few projects in my brain aka the melting pot - most notably, a letter addressed to Anne Frank for the #DearAnne initiative hosted by the Anne Frank house.
Moving on to the questions:
1. How do I include rhythm in my work? Surprisingly, I would say that's a device that I don't really use too much in a particular piece. I focus more on using imagery to build up the scene and make things that one can visualize in their head.
However, where rhythm comes in is varying the type of work I produce. There is a bit of difference when I write poetry versus writing prose, for instance. Switching things up allows me to flex my creative muscle a bit. Especially when coupled with a captivating prompt or some additional constraints - I go into detail a bit more in my post called "Tasting the Imagination": https://theautisticmuse.substack.com/p/tasting-the-imagination.
2. 70 songs that I like? I could go on for a while naming such songs, and I'll usually find a gem or two every time I listen to something I've haven't before. One that sort of defines me as a person is "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd - my stepfather played this quite often on the guitar, and when he passed away back in 2014 the song took on a new meaning for me. I still wish he were here to see me tackle life head on, evolving as a person as I try to figure out where I am going in life.
A handful of other songs that I like - "Warrior" by Aurora, "Fade to Black" by Metallica, "Nikt" by Lor (a Polish band), "24/7" by Moyka, "Aqualung" by Jethro Tull, "Blackbird" by The Beatles, "Songbird" by Oasis, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, and "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane.
3. People watching is a skill that I've used to learn how other people interact so I could 'mimic' them and thus hide some of the awkwardness that being autistic creates. Unfortunately, doing this is not perfect, as I still fail to catch some of the nuisances of standard conversation. It's also tiring after a while, as I must expend extra energy to act 'normal'.
When around other people that are autistic/neurodivergent/chronically ill/mad it's a lot easier to communicate naturally. Something 'clicks' - I'm not sure what - and the connection is much stronger. I don't have to worry as much about 'blending in' with societal norms.
Love this very personal response to the people watching. I appreciate you sharing this. If it’s any help, I think many resonate with the normal. How many mingle parties, networking events, work settings have I not been in where I waste so much energy to blend in and not show how I actually feel about some colleagues I have to be around. I feel you on that. It is a skill to play a role of someone else when all you want to do is the opposite. It’s draining. You wrote that perfectly.I felt every word. Thank you again, Dylan.
Hello Dylan! So great to see you again. It’s ok for the Muse to be quiet. It’s you doing the work anyways, not the muse per se. We’ve all been there. Thank you for this well thought out response full of treasure. I think rhythm can be interpreted in so many different ways. I like your take on it. Imagery can be the one thing that supports writing and adding a type of rhythm to a piece. Obviously, imagery may not be as easy to use in non-fiction, but it serves an important purpose which is to help the reader visualise and understand. And who says that rhythm can’t be achieved by intervals of visual pieces interspersed in your writing!
Anyway, on to the questions... How do you include rhythm in your work? Mainly through variation in the lengths of the sentences, to create a sense of flow and so on. Lots of shorter sentences to quicken the pace, and add tension and things like that. Sentences with just a single word can work well for that, and can form a staccato rhythm of information that builds to a powerful crescendo at the end of a Chapter. But yes, rhythm can really add a lot to the structure and reading experience, for sure.
Share 70 songs you like? Oh wow. That's a lot of songs. How about just some from the 70s I like? Haha! I think I've mentioned it before, but one that definitely means a lot to me is 'The Pretender' by Jackson Browne. That's a remarkable piece of work that says some very profound things about life. Some other ones that are special, because of moments, and people, I associate them with are: 'One of These Nights' by Eagles, 'Till It Shines' by Bob Seger, 'All My Love' by Led Zeppelin, 'Hard Headed Woman' by Cat Stevens, 'A Case Of You' by Joni Mitchell and 'Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight' by James Taylor. That's seven, but there's so many amazing ones, I could easily do 700!
What's your peoplewatch strategy? Just carefully observing things around me, and looking for stories that are unfolding, or moments that could lead somewhere. Small things that could become bigger, or be a springboard to go somewhere else. Things like that... 😎
How about 7 special ones from the 80s, too? It's got to be 'Crazy For You' by Madonna. Then 'Purple Rain' by Prince, 'I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us' by Meat Loaf, 'Lullaby' by The Cure, 'Queen of the Slipstream' by Van Morrison, 'Hello Again' by Neil Diamond, and of course, we must have a bit of George, so we'll finish the set with 'A Different Corner'... 😎
Always a bit of George! In fact it was his birthday this week on Wednesday! It would’ve been his 62nd… I see you’re going for it and before we know you’ll reach the 70 songs without knowing. Are you going to cover 7 decades?
Welcome back! SPAWN champion, you are! I think it is fascinating that you find rhythm and structure in rhythm by varying sentence length. Of course there is more to it than that but you're on to something. It does get boring if everything is as expected, like a straight road puts you to sleep. You need the turns and curves and variation in landscape.
Absolutely! And of course, that constant blending of short and complex sentences to create a more interesting reading experience is something the AI doesn't know how to do! There's very little variation, and all the sentences tend to be similar lengths. In fact, that's one of the ways they say you can tell when an article/story has been written by AI, because the structure is too uniform... 😎👍
Mindreader… yes I was just going to say that there’s a pattern to sentence structure on texts written by AI. An editor was recently sharing in a session that she picks up what stories and even emails, pitches have been done by AI due to the sentence structure and length. It was reassuring, to say the least.
It's shocking how many people are using it already. For pretty much everything. Especially students. At this rate, future generations won't even be able to write their own names without the help of ChatGPT! Haha... 😎
Tell me about it… it’s a great tool if you want to become less able to write, read, edit… I wonder how much it does help… I heard people use it for writing emails too. 😱
Ahh! I missed this! Sorry, guys. I was obsessively plotting out a novel. (Achievement unlocked.) I have massive playlists. I don’t think I can keep it down to just 70! I people watch but in sort of an abstract way because if I really pay attention, they’ll come and start a conversation / unload their life story / ask for directions.
Haha! That is so true! It can be very easy to end up getting drawn into conversations and other adventures, if people see you just sitting there and it looks like you have time on your hands. But of course, sometimes, that can lead to interesting places, too... 😎👍
You need to do something with these lines “if I really pay attention, they’ll come and start a conversation / unload their life story / ask for directions.”
Am I the only one that automatically thought rhythm was referring to music the first time I read it?
Anyway...
1. Obviously, differing sentence length changes the pacing. Longer for description and shorter for action.
2. Like many have said, too many to list. I have no favorite artist, or genre. I also still listen to whatever is on the radio, no Playlist, or Spotify.
3. People watch? It can be done anywhere, anytime. Although I do find people waiting in airports fascinating.
Ok fair enough. Gun to the head it’s 1. Out in the Street (Springsteen) the ultimate “I hate my job” song and 2. The House is a Rockin’(Stevie Ray Vaughan) the best song to play after your funeral so everybody leaves with a little pep in their step.
Well, funerals are definitely changing these days. People are often wearing bright colours now and wanting them to be more of a celebration of life than a sombre thing, which is really lovely. Good music is all part of that! 😎👍
Hello everyone! The Muse has been a bit quiet - particularly with regards to long form content. However I do have a few projects in my brain aka the melting pot - most notably, a letter addressed to Anne Frank for the #DearAnne initiative hosted by the Anne Frank house.
Moving on to the questions:
1. How do I include rhythm in my work? Surprisingly, I would say that's a device that I don't really use too much in a particular piece. I focus more on using imagery to build up the scene and make things that one can visualize in their head.
However, where rhythm comes in is varying the type of work I produce. There is a bit of difference when I write poetry versus writing prose, for instance. Switching things up allows me to flex my creative muscle a bit. Especially when coupled with a captivating prompt or some additional constraints - I go into detail a bit more in my post called "Tasting the Imagination": https://theautisticmuse.substack.com/p/tasting-the-imagination.
2. 70 songs that I like? I could go on for a while naming such songs, and I'll usually find a gem or two every time I listen to something I've haven't before. One that sort of defines me as a person is "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd - my stepfather played this quite often on the guitar, and when he passed away back in 2014 the song took on a new meaning for me. I still wish he were here to see me tackle life head on, evolving as a person as I try to figure out where I am going in life.
A handful of other songs that I like - "Warrior" by Aurora, "Fade to Black" by Metallica, "Nikt" by Lor (a Polish band), "24/7" by Moyka, "Aqualung" by Jethro Tull, "Blackbird" by The Beatles, "Songbird" by Oasis, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, and "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane.
3. People watching is a skill that I've used to learn how other people interact so I could 'mimic' them and thus hide some of the awkwardness that being autistic creates. Unfortunately, doing this is not perfect, as I still fail to catch some of the nuisances of standard conversation. It's also tiring after a while, as I must expend extra energy to act 'normal'.
When around other people that are autistic/neurodivergent/chronically ill/mad it's a lot easier to communicate naturally. Something 'clicks' - I'm not sure what - and the connection is much stronger. I don't have to worry as much about 'blending in' with societal norms.
Love this very personal response to the people watching. I appreciate you sharing this. If it’s any help, I think many resonate with the normal. How many mingle parties, networking events, work settings have I not been in where I waste so much energy to blend in and not show how I actually feel about some colleagues I have to be around. I feel you on that. It is a skill to play a role of someone else when all you want to do is the opposite. It’s draining. You wrote that perfectly.I felt every word. Thank you again, Dylan.
Imagery is hugely important, for sure, and a vital part of making the story come alive in a reader's mind... 😎
Hello Dylan! So great to see you again. It’s ok for the Muse to be quiet. It’s you doing the work anyways, not the muse per se. We’ve all been there. Thank you for this well thought out response full of treasure. I think rhythm can be interpreted in so many different ways. I like your take on it. Imagery can be the one thing that supports writing and adding a type of rhythm to a piece. Obviously, imagery may not be as easy to use in non-fiction, but it serves an important purpose which is to help the reader visualise and understand. And who says that rhythm can’t be achieved by intervals of visual pieces interspersed in your writing!
Hi everyone!
Happy Thursday to you all, and Happy 70th Edition to SPAWN!
This week's Haiku Prompt was all about 'windows', and you can find out more about that, and join in with the fun if you'd like to, here: https://chrisjfranklin.substack.com/p/house-of-haiku-prompt-window
Anyway, on to the questions... How do you include rhythm in your work? Mainly through variation in the lengths of the sentences, to create a sense of flow and so on. Lots of shorter sentences to quicken the pace, and add tension and things like that. Sentences with just a single word can work well for that, and can form a staccato rhythm of information that builds to a powerful crescendo at the end of a Chapter. But yes, rhythm can really add a lot to the structure and reading experience, for sure.
Share 70 songs you like? Oh wow. That's a lot of songs. How about just some from the 70s I like? Haha! I think I've mentioned it before, but one that definitely means a lot to me is 'The Pretender' by Jackson Browne. That's a remarkable piece of work that says some very profound things about life. Some other ones that are special, because of moments, and people, I associate them with are: 'One of These Nights' by Eagles, 'Till It Shines' by Bob Seger, 'All My Love' by Led Zeppelin, 'Hard Headed Woman' by Cat Stevens, 'A Case Of You' by Joni Mitchell and 'Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight' by James Taylor. That's seven, but there's so many amazing ones, I could easily do 700!
What's your peoplewatch strategy? Just carefully observing things around me, and looking for stories that are unfolding, or moments that could lead somewhere. Small things that could become bigger, or be a springboard to go somewhere else. Things like that... 😎
Beautiful songs, thank you! 7 or 70 if anyone is up for it! You never know!
How about 7 special ones from the 80s, too? It's got to be 'Crazy For You' by Madonna. Then 'Purple Rain' by Prince, 'I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us' by Meat Loaf, 'Lullaby' by The Cure, 'Queen of the Slipstream' by Van Morrison, 'Hello Again' by Neil Diamond, and of course, we must have a bit of George, so we'll finish the set with 'A Different Corner'... 😎
Always a bit of George! In fact it was his birthday this week on Wednesday! It would’ve been his 62nd… I see you’re going for it and before we know you’ll reach the 70 songs without knowing. Are you going to cover 7 decades?
We should've done that, yes! We could've started at the 60s, and gone all the way through with ten songs from each decade. Ahh well... 😎
That’s more a Song Title Poetry thing right? Sneaking in here with the music theme. But summer needs music!
A Song Title Challenge/SPAWN mash-up! Haha... 😎👍
Welcome back! SPAWN champion, you are! I think it is fascinating that you find rhythm and structure in rhythm by varying sentence length. Of course there is more to it than that but you're on to something. It does get boring if everything is as expected, like a straight road puts you to sleep. You need the turns and curves and variation in landscape.
Absolutely! And of course, that constant blending of short and complex sentences to create a more interesting reading experience is something the AI doesn't know how to do! There's very little variation, and all the sentences tend to be similar lengths. In fact, that's one of the ways they say you can tell when an article/story has been written by AI, because the structure is too uniform... 😎👍
Mindreader… yes I was just going to say that there’s a pattern to sentence structure on texts written by AI. An editor was recently sharing in a session that she picks up what stories and even emails, pitches have been done by AI due to the sentence structure and length. It was reassuring, to say the least.
It's shocking how many people are using it already. For pretty much everything. Especially students. At this rate, future generations won't even be able to write their own names without the help of ChatGPT! Haha... 😎
Tell me about it… it’s a great tool if you want to become less able to write, read, edit… I wonder how much it does help… I heard people use it for writing emails too. 😱
Ahh! I missed this! Sorry, guys. I was obsessively plotting out a novel. (Achievement unlocked.) I have massive playlists. I don’t think I can keep it down to just 70! I people watch but in sort of an abstract way because if I really pay attention, they’ll come and start a conversation / unload their life story / ask for directions.
Haha! That is so true! It can be very easy to end up getting drawn into conversations and other adventures, if people see you just sitting there and it looks like you have time on your hands. But of course, sometimes, that can lead to interesting places, too... 😎👍
You need to do something with these lines “if I really pay attention, they’ll come and start a conversation / unload their life story / ask for directions.”
Many turned up for next day Spawn! You’re here! So good to see you. Plotting new novel? Exciting times ahead for us readers. And for you?
Happy late SPAWN.
Am I the only one that automatically thought rhythm was referring to music the first time I read it?
Anyway...
1. Obviously, differing sentence length changes the pacing. Longer for description and shorter for action.
2. Like many have said, too many to list. I have no favorite artist, or genre. I also still listen to whatever is on the radio, no Playlist, or Spotify.
3. People watch? It can be done anywhere, anytime. Although I do find people waiting in airports fascinating.
Airport people watching is pretty cool! Great to have you here Laura!
I love short sentences. And use them. A lot. Haha! And yes, airports are fascinating places. So much activity. And so many potential stories... 😎
Hi.
1. With flash/micro you are almost forced into a staccato rhythm by preserving words
2. Too hard to pick
3. Best people watching trick is to sit next to not across from your partner in a restaurant and face the room, it turns the whole place into a movie!
No easy way out Scott! Pick the first that come to mind, come on! (For question 2).
I love the response to 3! Need to try that.
Ok fair enough. Gun to the head it’s 1. Out in the Street (Springsteen) the ultimate “I hate my job” song and 2. The House is a Rockin’(Stevie Ray Vaughan) the best song to play after your funeral so everybody leaves with a little pep in their step.
Ahh yes, Springsteen is a great pick. So many amazing songs. If I was expanding my list, he'd definitely be on there somewhere... 😎
I’m thinking curating funeral exit procession playlists could be a biz opportunity.
Well, funerals are definitely changing these days. People are often wearing bright colours now and wanting them to be more of a celebration of life than a sombre thing, which is really lovely. Good music is all part of that! 😎👍
Well, for the 70th time... 'Late Night SPAWN' is here! 🕺😎🕺
Haha! It’s as quiet as ever but yes, late late spawn version!
It is particularly quiet this week. Everyone must be away on an early summer break, before the school holidays kick in! Haha... 🏖️😎🏖️
I doubt it! It’s summer and pimms and Wimbledon!
A Pimm's is lovely in the summer, for sure... 😎