Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Journal.
What I've Learned from a Month of Blacksmithing
There aren't as many sparks as the movies might have you believe. Also, much fewer swords, because swords are incredibly arduous to make, not to mention useless if you're a beginner blacksmith, because it will not turn out right.
By D.C. Perry7 years ago in Journal
When I Pick Up the Brush
When I pick up the brush I may have a tree or a sea monster in mind; or I might have a photo on my phone, which I need to keep tapping with my left hand in order not to have to put down the brush again and put my right thumb on that little white dish that somehow knows more about the ball of my right thumb than me; or I may have nothing in my little head other than the need to scream with colors, it being too late at night to scream the conventional way unless I join a bacchanal going on somewhere but that is not really my thing; in any case, when I pick up the brush I generally dip it in water first, always in a shapely glass jar that makes my heart happy when I look at it, and then I remember that I should probably get some toilet paper to blot away extra water, well, sometimes I have toilet paper left from last time—painting, not going to the bathroom—that looks artsier than the attempts at art that I have taped to the wall in front of me and which I use again instead of new toilet paper because toilet paper costs money and I don't have much of that; after I dip the brush in the water I take a deep breath and reach for a color—usually the deeper blue color or the faded green one, I don't know what they're called—and take a stroke or a shake or a bop at the paper, which I sometimes have covered with water beforehand to make a cool effect that I assume also has a name that I don't know; well anyways when the first drops of paint hit the paper I think, I should drop out of college and do nothing but watercolors for the rest of my life, and I want to make something elaborate and cool so I take another deep breath and make another mark on the paper that completely ruins the great art that I created seconds ago by accident: it was the wrong color, it fell outside the line that I meant to be the edge of the face, AND the pigment was too strong; maybe I should not quit school, I say to myself—quietly, because my housemates are asleep and they wake up when I turn on the faucet even just a tiny little bit in the kitchen—and then I say, but I should also not quit painting, and I swish the brush in the jar for three seconds so as to be rid of the offending color for now as I try to figure out how to fix what is wrong, but I can't really figure it out so I pick up another brush and another color and take my chances; when I pick up the brush this time I am chewing my lip and knitting my brows because that's the face you make when you're concentrating really hard and want everyone to know, except my dramatic performance has an audience of just four, two owls and two succulents, and they are all mildly challenged in the area of knowing, whatever the Egyptians do say about owls; the third color mixes with the second and first colors and it looks pretty cool for whatever reason, but now it's nothing like a face, just a bunch of splotches, which is fine, it is kind of autobiographical, it resembles the journey of my own face—heh—maybe I can be a great artist after all; I hang the completed scream on the wall by my other great works of art when it's dry so I can marvel at my genius in the morning and in the evening despair at the fact that I will never achieve greatness by picking up that brush.
By Shiori Zinnen7 years ago in Journal
10 Things You Need to Know Before Becoming a Makeup Artist
YouTube beauty gurus seem to have taken over all social media platforms, inspiring their millions of followers to become makeup artist themselves. But, what they don't tell you is the struggles of a true freelance makeup artist, trying to make their mark in the industry WITHOUT YouTube. Here are some things I wish I knew before becoming a professional makeup artist.
By Grace Badarak7 years ago in Journal
7 Things I Learned While Working in Retail. Top Story - September 2018.
1. Not every customer is rude. These are the people who are just the sweetest angels. Everyone knows working in retail can take a toll on most people. The customers who take the time to compliment you on your customer service skills and say they'll write nice things about you in the survey are the best customers.
By briana okay7 years ago in Journal
Bonus Content: 4 Reasons to Be Afraid of New Amazon Rules for Authors
Do you hate cheaters? Most of us do. And rightly so. When there are fair, transparent rules meant to level the playing field, it is precisely those rules that can create a framework for people to flourish under. Yet, just like in the popular board game Monopoly, many of us have encountered people who might try to bend the rules in an attempt to gain some perceived advantage. Friendships can be ruined, trust can be broken in those moments. It is easy to feel as if something tangible has been taken from you, when someone uses unfair advantages to acquire a temporary advantage. Even if you beat the cheater, the damage has already been done: you know they don’t always abide by the rules.
By Stanley Gray7 years ago in Journal
How to Plot Like a Rock Star
The object of writing is to tell a compelling story and sell your book! For the beginning writer this may be a dream that seems unrealistic. If you’ve done other kinds of writing—magazine articles, news reporting, technical writing—you know how to express yourself in clear, simple English. You know how to write words that inform, and maybe even words that amuse or entertain. But now, you’re faced with a new challenge: writing words that excite and engage your reader in a fiction story.
By Melissa Saulnier7 years ago in Journal
How to Improve Your Online Job Applications
“Back in my day, we would walk-in, hand in our resumes, and speak with managers face-to-face!” Believe it or not but millennials will probably be the last generation to have experienced this method of job search as a norm. As you can imagine, one benefit of this approach is that if you didn't have a strong resume, you could still charm employers with your personality and communication skills. This way you could at least score yourself an interview.
By Brandesha Sinclair7 years ago in Journal
Not Just the Tip
I recently found an old article I wrote in 2015 about a very unpopular opinion I have regarding the service industry. It would seem that my opinion has not changed – but the expectations have only gone up. Let’s review this together, while I continue to explore my old thoughts with the new realizations.
By Julia Beaulieu7 years ago in Journal
'Wishes Upon the Stars'
I am here to expose my inner and outer most personal experiences in all life through writing my own books. Although unpublished, I do post them all on a free Android app and site called Wattpad. What I'm sharing today is one of my stories called Wishes Upon the Stars. This is on a very high fantastical world where romance entices from four different men in four different but similar timelines. Where my experiences can be found are in the romances from the main character and the four men.
By Shann Allyson7 years ago in Journal
