Happy Holidays for sure when you check out the new issue of INSTANT NOODLES curated by Old Scratch Press. It’s a fun one ’cause we’re in the nood!
Holiday Noods!
Tag: Robert Fleming
Secrets to Publishing Your First Creative Work
Founding member Robert Fleming share his insights on How to be successful at publishing your first creative writing work
You’ve put it on your bucket list to be a published author. Well done. Who are you doing this for: yourself, others, or both?
Yours truly, without even knowing, wanted to be published. In 1973, at age ten, I published text on the bathroom brick wall of Roslyn Elementary School in Westmount, Montreal, Quebec. My work looked like the work following but also had curse words and genitalia graffiti.
Bathroom Wall Poem
This talented toilet author made choices: what topic to write about (poo poo), what language to use (English), where to publish (on the bathroom on brick), who the publisher is (self), what genre (poetry), what poetry devices to use (rhyme, humor, 5-lines), and to not disclose the author name (anonymous).
Where you target your publication is guided by your confidence (courageous or timidity) about having other human see and judge your work. If you are feeling timid like the Cowardly Lion, publish your writing in your personal diary. Be sure to select a diary with a lock and attach the key to your necklace that you wear even when you shower.
Cowardly Lion from movie Wizard of Oz
If you get a little courage, self-publish your work on social media (Facebook), like I did in the following work.
On Facebook, other humans will see your work, but you will not experience the review/selection of a judge who accepts or rejects your work.
https://fourfeatherspress.blogspot.com/2024/09/40-poets-being-published-in-doors-of.html
If you find the courage of Joan of Arc, send your work to a publication where work is selected by an editor.
Joan of Arc
Tips for setting yourself up for your best chance of publication acceptance
• For your first publication, select a publication that has a fifty-percent or greater acceptance rate like vanity press where you will have to buy a book that could cost $50, an organization newsletter like a religious one you are a member of or a school you are an alumni of.
• Read the target publication and only submit to them if they publish work similar to yours (genre: poetry, theme: love)
• Read the submission directions and follow them: sometimes there is a theme like love. When there is a theme only submit work that is the theme requested.
Ready? Take a bid breath in, hold three seconds, exhale. What is your publication confidence: timid or courageous. Go forth.
Yours Truly is:
Robert Fleming, a contributing editor of Old Scratch Press.
Who published an Amazon best seller visual poetry book: White Noir.
an editor of the digital magazine Instant Noodles
and the creator of an upcoming magazine cover for Tell-Tale Inklings #7, to be released Autumn, 2024. Visit Tell-Tale Chapbooks on Facebook.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Digital Monsters
By Robert Fleming
For Halloween what are digital graphic artists doing? Yours truly, is making digital images of monsters. Oops! Oh NO, I came out as a digital graphics artist. I will show you how, to make monsters.
My inspiration for monsters is the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley first published 1/1/1818. Since Mary died 2/1/1851 and Frankenstein sells 40,000 copies a year, who is collecting Mary’s royalties? Hmm?
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN MONSTER
One of the computer software tools I use to create digital graphics is Canva which has a free and paid version. Home – Canva. To create a monster:
- access a device with www access
- choose your image which could be a photograph you took or an image which is free (in public domain) on the www
- cut away the parts you don’t want by cropping the image which is like using an electronic scissors
- if the image background has a border frame (like white) you don’t want, you can remove it by using computer software to remove background like Adobe Express Free Image Background Remover | Adobe Express
- on the www go to Canva
- in Canva create a Design
- upload your image(s) into Canva (toolbar to the left of your image)
- copy/move your uploaded image to your design page
- click on the image
- duplicate the image page (so you will have the original), toolbar on the top right of the image, click on the +
- move your curser to the duplicate image
- click on edit, toolbar above your image, left side
- on left side of image, click on apps “see all”
- click on Liquify (4th row, far right)
- click on Flow (2d row, far right)
- set the flow options: melt amount 1 / melt scale 1/ woble amount 1 /woble scale 1
- if you like the image, click on “save”
ADD COLOR
if you are confidant and feeling adventurous, then add color to the image
click on the image
click on edit
click on the app ColorMix
click on the parakeet (2nd row, far right)
if you like the image, click on save
Another example: Transforming a photograph using a funhouse technique.
DIRECTIONS
return to Liquify
Click on Melt (1st row, 2nd column)
set the melt options: melt amount .5 / melt scale .5
if you like the image, click save
I send you courage to make your own digital graphics monsters.
Yours Truly is:
Robert Fleming, a contributing editor of Old Scratch Press
OLD SCRATCH PRESS – a poetry/short-form collective | estd. 2023
who published an Amazon best seller visual poetry book: White Noir
white noir: Fleming, Robert: 9781957224183: Amazon.com: Books
an editor of the digital magazine Instant Noodles
the creator of an upcoming horrorthon banner for Oddball Magazine, to be released +-10/27/2024
The 2024 Horrorthon: A Call for Submissions – oddball magazine
and the creator of an upcoming magazine cover for Tell-Tale Inklings #7, to be released Autumn, 2024
(1) Tell-Tale Chapbooks | Facebook
THANK YOU FOR READING. Follow Old Scratch Press on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/
Play a Game With Us and Win a Prize!
It’s the spooky season! Let’s play Exquisite Corpse!
“What,” you may ask, “is Exquisite Corpse, and how do I engage in such an outlandishly named game?”
Before we all get the vapors…
Exquisite Corpse is a collaborative poetry game that traces its roots to the Parisian Surrealist Movement. Exquisite Corpse is played by several people, each of whom writes a word on a sheet of paper, folds the paper to conceal it, and passes it on to the next player for his or her contribution.
In order to write a poem, participants should agree on a sentence structure beforehand. For example, each sentence in the poem could be structured “Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.” Articles and verb tenses may be added later or adjusted after the poem has been written. The game was also adapted to drawing, where one participant would draw thehead of a figure, the next the torso, etc. The name “Exquisite Corpse” comes from a line of poetry created using the technique: “The exquisite corpse will drink the young wine.”
https://poets.org/text/play-exquisite-corpse
While we cannot share a piece of paper, we can, all the same, play the game. Please join us!
The rules for this game are as follows”
SUBMIT: one line of “poetry”
FORM: The line must be arranged to have these elements in THIS ORDER ONLY as the main elements:
Adjective, Noun, Verb, Verb, Adjective or Adverb (one only), Adjective, Noun
Punctuate (or not) as you see fit.
YES! You can add conjunctions, articles, etc., as needed, but the main words must be Adjective, Noun, Verb, Verb, Adjective or Adverb (one only), Adjective, Noun
So, this would work:
Happy frogs jumped and swam quickly, green sparks
Happy(adjective) frogs(noun) jumped(verb) and swam(verb) quickly(adverb), green(adjective) sparks(noun).
And this would not:
Frogs jumped happily and swam quickly making green sparks
Got it?
You do!
Send it to dianne@currentwords.com between now and October 29th at midnight PT, for publication on Halloween!
Make the email subject: Exquisite Corpse.
ONE entry per person!
PRIZES:
SUBMIT and you will be given a free digital copy of the OSP book of your choice!
Three lucky people, chosen at random by Robert Fleming and his random number generator, will be given a print (paperback) copy of the OSP book of his/her/their choice!
One Lucky Person (not publishing with CWP) will win a free 5-page edit from me!
OSP members and other people CWP publishes are welcome to join in, and can claim a free Kindle of their choice from OSP, but are not going to get one of the three free print books or the edit (so sorry! Let’s give those to our guests!).
YES, everyone who enters will be subscribed to OSP news through Current Words newsletter, which is sent out to email addresses one time almost every month. At the bottom of your first newsletter (and all the rest of them) is an unsubscribe button, and if you really don’t want to stay on the list, that will get you right off (Mailchimp don’t play.).Honestly, we’re not trying to bother you; we’re out to have fun!
So, let’s have fun!
Ooooo, you can already start dreaming of the OSP book you’re going to choose for your prize! Take a look at your options:
Happy Fall, y’all, and Happy Halloween!
I cannot wait to read your exquisite corpse!
🙂 Dianne
FREE BOOK OF THE QUARTER: white noir
Where Art Meets Poetry: Fleming’s creative prowess knows no bounds. He’s a poet who wields images like a maestro conducts a symphony, infusing each verse with a visual narrative that ignites the imagination. Brace yourself for an electrifying literary experience that shatters the boundaries of storytelling.
A Feast for the Mind and the Eyes: white noir is more than poetry; it’s a a tapestry of emotions on paper. Featuring a striking cover designed by the author.
What They’re Saying:
“…you will see and think things you never did.”
Matt Wall, publisher of Poetic Anarchy Press
“Robert Fleming is outrageous and original in word and image.”
Michael Sindler, beat poet laureate of Colorado
“…a raw and curious visual journey through human history.”
Crystal Heidel, author of Still Life in Blood
Owner of Byzantium Sky Press
AND IF YOU WANT A FREE COPY… ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK. RIGHT HERE.
Gabby @ Stone Soup!
CONGRATULATIONS TO GABBY and THANK YOU!
Hi All~
Today we celebrated the launch of Gabby Gilliam’s book: NO OCEAN SPIT ME OUT with a reading on Zoom by Gabby and Robert and Alan.
I am going to guess that many of the guests were friends/family of the authors, and I am so grateful for their kindness as we navigated our first live event since 2020, in a different house, on different equipment, and on the opposite coast. I’m not going to say we were a well-oiled machine, but our hearts were in the right place. 😉
Within the coming week we will create a nice video of the event and post it here, as well as send it to the participants.
If you attended, or if you missed, please consider coming to future events. It meant so much to me to hear the authors read the books live that Dave and I often work on alone, in silence. I tend to read the books we publish a few times, but this is a whole different and rich experience.
So, if you were able to attend, I thank you for doing so, and being such a gracious guest.
If you were unable to attend, not to worry, as we will be posting the event here ASAP.
And don’t forget to visit the catalogue page and see what OSP books are available! The OSP authors keep 100% of their royalties, so help them earn a little coin at this writing game.
Also, next week, if you’re feeling game and supportive, join us again for the live reading of INSTANT NOODLES… VOLUME 4 (has it been 4 years???) ISSUE 1.
The writing for this issue, chosen by Gabby Gilliam, Anthony Doyle, Nadja Maril, and with visuals chosen by Robert Fleming and Alan Bern, is not to be missed!
Thank you for supporting indie authors.
Much love~
LIVE READING EVENT via ZOOM
🌟 Get ready for an unforgettable evening! 🌟
Join us for an electrifying book reading event as the talented Gabby Gilliam unveils her latest masterpiece, No Ocean Spit Me Out!
But that’s not all! Friends and fellow literary stars Robert Fleming and Alan Bern will also be captivating us with their powerful readings. 🌟✨
Don’t miss this extraordinary event—it’s FREE and open to everyone! 🎉📚Register here for the ZOOM link.
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“NO OCEAN SPIT ME OUT” IS LIVE!
New Poetry Collection by Gabby Gilliam; An Interview with the Author
No Ocean Spit Me Out. Gabby Gilliam’s first chapbook of poems, published by Old Scratch Press, is now available for purchase. Shipments will begin on September 15th. Recently I had the opportunity to ask Gabby a few questions about her work and her newest book.
The poems in Gabby Gilliam’s new book, No Ocean Spit Me Out, explore the dynamics and evolution of family relationships.
A live reading zoom event is coming up, JUNE 15tth and you can register to hear Gabby read from her new book as well as hear poets Alan Bern and Robert Fleming read from their work as well. To register click here.
What do you like best about writing poetry?
I love that you can use poetry to describe things in new ways––to make the familiar fresh and universal at the same time. It’s one of the things I like best about reading poetry as well.
Which is your favorite poem in this collection and why?
I think my favorite poem might be the one that gives the book its title, No Ocean Spit Me Out. It’s a tribute to my dad. In this poem, I compare my dad to the god Zeus, and Zeus fails to measure up. Since my dad passed away, most of my poems about him are darker and focus more on my grief. I like this poem because it focuses on some of the things that made me love him so much.
What would you like readers to know about you in connection to your work?
Many of my poems focus on aspects of family connection. From dealing with addiction to witnessing my dad’s complicated relationship with his faith (which had an influence on my own struggle with religion and faith), the poems in this collection are a collage of my childhood and gradual self-acceptance. I hope readers can connect with my personal experiences by reflecting on the nuances of their own familial relationships and the impact they have on shaping our identities. I think the power of shared experiences is what make poetry so resonant, and I hope readers find that within the pages of this collection.
More about Gabby
Fellow collective member Gabby Gilliam is a writer, an aspiring teacher, and a mom. Gabby’s poetry has appeared in One Art, Anti-Heroin Chic, Plant-Human Quarterly, The Ekphrastic Review, Vermillion, Deep Overstock, and Spank the Carp.
Not only is she a poet, but Gabby pens the Drumming for the Cure series of novels. Two thus far, Trouble in Tomsk and Chasing the Cure have been published by Black Hare Press. She lives in the DC metro area with her husband and son.
To purchase your own copy of No Ocean Spit Me Out, click here. Please remember to leave a review if you like it because customer rankings count. And please follow Old Scratch Press on Facebook.
LIVE READING EVENT via ZOOM
Come hear Gabby read from her new book!
Friends Robert Fleming and Alan Bern will also read!
Free and open to the public!
Register here for the ZOOM link.
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~NO OCEAN SPIT ME OUT~ IS LIVE!
OLD SCRATCH PRESS 