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Deep Pencil - the musings of Morgan Bell

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it did it really make a sound? If i post a blog and nobody reads it was there really any point? You have entered the random thinking space of Morgan Bell . . . These are my musings . . . things about my life written off the top of my head . . . written in an informal disjointed style almost completely devoid of punctuation, this is where i flesh out writing ideas, discuss my life, and generally be self indulgent . . . it is also the bargain bin for articles which do not fit in with the film or arts themes of my other blogs . . . so have a wander around my mind, have a laugh, have a think, be nice, and humour me!

Writing - Deep Pencil

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Word of the Day: Fisking

September 21st 2009 14:48

Fisking

noun

1. Point-by-point criticism that highlights perceived errors, or disputes the analysis in a statement, article, or essay.
2. Line-by-line nitpick.
3. Written rebuttal, formatted as chronological quotes from the original post each followed by comments that refute or dispute. Comments may contain derision, savagery and scorn.
4. Witty, logical, sarcastic, and ruthlessly factual, point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or news story.

etymology

Named after British journalist Robert Fisk, writer for Ireland's The Sunday Independent.

Robert Fisk was "fisked" by conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan in 2001.

CLICKHERE for the first "fisked" article by Robert Fisk.

CLICKHERE for the first "fisking" by Andrew Sullivan.

A "Fist Bump"; not to be confused with "Fisking"

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Trivia, Writing

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Come back to my room . . .

June 23rd 2009 02:58

I have been inspired by Natalina to take a few snaps of random things from my room.

To see Natalina's house CLICKHERE.

I moved in with friends somewhere around the murky borderlands of southern Newcastle and the upper Central Coast (yeah i still call it Sydney, but I think anywhere 90 minutes by car away from Oxford St can be classified as the city) and my friends are in the process of renovating.

Hence I am still living out of a packed bag and my car, with the bulk of my belongings stored in boxes in the garage.

However I can still show you my day to day stuff.

I cannot take credit for any decor or colour schemes in the background, but I am responsible for the mountains of clutter in my guest quarters.

These are my everyday shoes. I got them from Rivers for $30 on sale. They remind me of something a genie would wear. Last time I got a pedicure the lady that served me was from China and she remarked that they were very similar to the colourful styles that are popular in China.

Next to the shoes is my heat-pack for my back. Its filled with wheat and you microwave it for a couple of minutes and apply it to the area in pain to sooth it. An ex-housemate gave it to me when I lived in the city of Newcastle some years ago.

This is the most recent pair of shoes I've bought. They are the first pair of high heeled shoes I have worn in over two years. They make me look 7 foot tall.

My housemate HATES them . . . which is a big part of the reason I bought them, I just wanted to see his face because I knew he would consider them to be ugly. When I saw them I thought "he will hate them", but I liked the colour and the the general idea of a slit-front bootie, and I knew it would go down a treat at the local gay bar. Are they the boots Gwenyth Paltrow wore in that film? No they are $40 from Target

Here is two items I cannot live without. My mobile phone and my hair straightener. I bought both of them before I left Sydney. The phone has gone to shit, everything on it is broken, and because it is a Nokia it has absolutely no battery life. It will randomly switch itself of mid conversation. It really needs replacing.

The GHD will probably outlive me. I wish GHD made mobile phones.

This is my Guess handbag. It is huge. I have spilled many drinks over and in that bag. It has a leopard-print lining. I want to keep that bag forever, but sadly, due to my mistreatment, it is wearing in places.

These are my keys. There's a bottle opener, a keyring from where I had my labret pierced saying "Let Me Put It In For You", a crab in a little red bottle from Vanuatu, a diamante "M" (both gifts from a friend), and the green key is quite special to me as it opens the front door of a friends house who gave me an open invite to stay at a time when I was homesick for Newcastle.

Clockwise from left we have my handbag, a few DVDs including Broken Flowers, Dangerous Liaisons, Torch Song Trilogy, and a Jackie Chan box-set, some of my books (the ones that arent in storage), my pink make-up bag, medications, notebooks, and perfumes.

A friend of mine works for Perfume Connection so I have acquired many fragrances on the cheap. I also used to be an Avon lady so I have a couple of Avon perfumes that I love.

I have quite few books on writing (see HERE and HERE) and a selection of fiction I have discussed in a post before (see HERE). A few others include a Rupert Everett autobiography, books by Isaac Asimov and Erica Jong, plus Alice In Wonderland, The Devil Wears Prada, Prozac Nation, Valley Of The Dolls, The Orchid Thief, and He Died With A Felafel In His Hand.

So that ends the tour of my room. Thanks for joining me.

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Writing , Life & Musings, Blogging & Bloggers, Secret Womens Business

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On my radar . . .

June 11th 2009 01:39

Confidence is a must
Happiness is a plus
Edginess is a rush
Edges, I like them rough

Radar . . . got you on my . . .
Radar . . . got you on my . . .
Radar . . . got you on my . . .

Radar.

I got my eye on you . . . and I cant let you get away.

There actually is a point to this post, other than the musical stylings of Britney Spears and the fan-video direction of Leslie Diep.

A list of websites that have been on my radar.

Some new and exciting ways to entertain yourself on the net

1. Daily Booth

dailybooth.com

For people who like taking photos of themselves. Daily Booth is an online photo journal designed to document the appearance of the user over time in daily photos. Take a snap from your webcam or phone or digital camera and upload to the site each day. You can create a record of your life and how you feel by collating images of how you look. It's a quirky way of marking time, and a great incentive to practice your photography.

2. Blovel Spot

blovelspot.com

Blovel Spot is the new resource for writers to write blog novels (or blovels) online. A blovel is a novel you write very quickly in 40 chapters of around 500 to 1000 words each. One chapter a week (or a day if you are feeling productive) over 40 weeks. Each post is a chapter which should end in a cliffhanger. Blovels should be written in first person and stick to the three act structure. No editing allowed. The blovel is intended allow writers to jot down a first draft which can be used to structure a proper novel from.

3. Square Space

squarespace.com

A fully hosted, completely managed environment for creating and maintaining a website, blog or portfolio. Bloggers, businesses, authors, and professionals are all able to take advantage of Squarespace's flexible platform because it can power sites of all sizes. They give you full control over your content and site customization, and claim to be ten times faster than a regular web builder. Very low hosting fees if you are considering building an online portfolio. Check out the examples. Very swish.

4. Blurb

blurb.com

Blurb is an online self-publishing service, similar to Lulu, but aimed more towards creative and commercial photographers, and visual and graphic artists. You can create your books with a free bookmaking software (for Mac and PC) and produce bookstore quality books. Blurb is a low cost and professional way of promoting your work as an artist. You can maintain the integrity of being independent while selling polished products online.

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Writing , Photography

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Broken Record

May 15th 2009 18:03

John
You've been on my mind
Drugs
I've got nothing to do
Wrong
You led a charmed life
Trapped
I've got no breathing room
Crushed
Don't get me wrong
Stairs
Theres nothing that we could do
Sleep
You need a backbone
Wake
I'm only dancing with you

if that sounds slightly familiar it's because it is a mash-up of Chris Cornell's "Get Up" and David Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing" . . . i was having a psychedelic moment

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John Cleese slams Modern Writers

May 12th 2009 12:03

Fawlty Towers is an enduring classic of British television comedy.

But the BBC almost dismissed the TV show initially.

In 1974, John Cleese submitted the script he had written with his then wife, Connie Booth. The letter back from the BBC script editor said:

"This is full of clichéd situations and stereotypical characters, and I cannot see it being anything other than a disaster."

That first series took 43 weeks to make. And while the average BBC sitcom scripts were about 65 pages an episode, for 'Fawlty Towers', the scripts were about 140 pages.

"That's why I think people can go on watching it - there's so much more in it than there is in most shows"
John Cleese

In an interview to coincide with a documentary commemorating the 30th anniversary of the second series, Mr Cleese told the Daily Telegraph that the "golden age" of British comedy is over.

"I don't think the writers work as hard as they used to, and I think they may lack experience, because the writing isn't as good,"

"I do proudly claim that in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties we had the least bad television in the world. I don't think that's true any more."

Today, Cleese says, the people who run TV are interested only in money and viewing figures, and are fearful of new, imaginative ideas.

"What works wonderfully, is if people who know what they're doing, at least some of the time, are allowed to trust their gut. That's when you get interesting television."

original story by Phil Gladwin

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My Winter Reading List

May 1st 2009 08:01

As the weather cools off I head to the bookstore.

I love buying books, however I very rarely finish them

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Writing , Life & Musings

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Genevieve vs The Raven

March 30th 2009 00:17

It's poetry appreciation time here at Deep Pencil . . .

I found this poem on YouTube, written and spoken by an angsty young gent called Cody Weber

[ Click here to read more ]

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Whispers and Screams: recent wise words

March 18th 2009 19:59

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Writing

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Queer Honi

March 10th 2009 13:07

Honi Soit is a tabloid style weekly newspaper distributed FREE to all Sydney University campuses, and is a must read for all students at Sydney University.

Honi Soit plays a vital role in enriching Sydney University's campus community by giving a voice to student issues and interests. Each edition incorporates a variety of satirical and serious articles with regular features and columns including: Education News, Arts Reviews (music, theatre, cinema, literature), Gig Guide, Head to Head, University Sports and more

[ Click here to read more ]

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Dragtastic Twilight heartthrob

January 5th 2009 14:02

dont you just love eye-catching yet barely true news stories?

check out THIS ONE from CelebrityFix on ninemsn

[ Click here to read more ]

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Fan-fiction, Slash & RPS

December 3rd 2008 16:07

I guess we could blame Star Trek for Fan-Fiction, or even Star Wars, or Dr Who, or more recently Buffy, Xena, Harry Potter, or the Lord Of The Rings film trilogy . . . any cult fiction that produces obsessive fans will result in Fan-Fiction.

[ Click here to read more ]

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Stoneage Screenwriting

November 23rd 2008 17:28

There is a free screenwriting newletter that circulates writing and tips to subscribers. It is a free service offered by Phil Gladwin on Screenwriting Goldmine. The website and newletters are a great practical resource for writers working on scripts and searching for their big break.

In a recent newsletter Phil Gladwin uncovered an "antique" writers guide which I thought was absolutely fascinating and wanted to share

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Counting Words

November 17th 2008 17:37

Defining works of fiction by Word Count . . .

Novel - 40,000 words or more

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The Writing Market - finding the right publication

September 29th 2008 15:01

Some writer's essentials for your professional library . . .

When it comes to marketing your freelance writing it is a good idea to invest in a couple of current reference books

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