Breathing Genius into the Spectrum of Literary Excellence: George R. R. Martin Exhales

Artist: Bryan K. Stites

Winter is coming...
Notice the stab of the stag's antler.
Ours is the Fury, still.
--

I recently begun reading Game of Thrones. As an avid fan of the HBO television series, I have been waiting to peel open the pages of the written tale and engulf myself in Martin's genius. 

I have only completed about 15% of the first book of the series, or so my Kindle says, and I can honestly state that Martin MUST be deemed one of the Greats of contemporary fiction. Before this literary adventure, there was just Tolkien and Rowling. Now, as the realms of Westeros and the Free Cities latch themselves to my heart, I find myself chanting: Tolkien, Rowling, Martin... Tolkien, Rowling, Martin...

May their words forever immortalize their worlds.

Back at It: Short Story Production

One key fact about myself is that I have commitment issues. Lets face it: my relationship history proves this, my activity on this blog proves this, and my list of completed literary works proves this.

HOWEVER! I am determined to change.

As I type away at this short story I am writing for my Black Women Writers final project, I cannot help but become saddened by the fact that I have not completed any type of fictional work since I was a child, which I wasn't able to even write independently. Each work that I have started, other than poems, have been unfinished and poorly developed.

While I understand that writing is not for everyone, as well as that it may not be for me, I believe that I need to start anew and actually finish those projects that I begin, regardless of their effectiveness or if it is deemed unworthy of publication.

Therefore, I am making a promise to myself, today and right now, that I will finish every piece of literature that I have begun in the past. I also swear to myself that I will seek out new literary endeavors and complete them successfully. Lastly, I promise to make detailed and up-to-date posts regarding my experiences, discussions, issues, and review of the work.

Starting tomorrow, my social presence will be noticed, whether for the better or worst. Until then, I shall continue to recreate, dissect, and perpetuate the messages constructed and communicated by Toni Morrison in her novel Paradise. I am sure I will be working on this assignment for the remainder of the night in addition to some time tomorrow. As soon as I am finished and have submitted the final project to my professor, a new entry will be posted both here and at A Readers Cavern 

Ruby's Harvest: a Literary Response to Toni Morrison's Paradise

I decided to continue the story created by Toni Morrison by examining the way in which the Disallowing had changed over the town’s history in my short story "Ruby's Harvest." Taking place in Ruby 50 years after the massacre at the convent, the story focuses on three girls who meet a similar, untimely demise because of their inquisitive natures. Nevertheless, these characters are used solely to provide a deeper analysis of the violent nature of the Morgan family and the consequences for a "Rubian" not behaving obsequiously.

After reading Morrison’s novel, I could not help but question why a "family" previously determined to keep everyone safe—a family that underscored communal responsibility—was able to destroy those who their ancestors previously sought out to protect. Moreover, why no one aimed to help protect their neighbors. My story projects Ruby as a town no longer under the influence or protection of its founding fathers but a town of oppression that enforces Steward’s influences and expectations of conformity.

My story also aims to highlight the immortality of the Haven mission. Where Steward Morgan becomes the guardian of Ruby, Oklahoma, Ruby Morgan becomes the protector of Haven, keeping it alive for those in the afterlife, anchoring Haven to the land in which it was originally founded on. Ruby preserves the original mission and reopens Haven as a sanctuary for those souls that were harmed by the wayward actions of the Morgan family. As a result, I believe that I demonstrate Ruby to be a town that abandoned its original vision and submitted to Steward’s reign and influence, which is what allows all of the murders to go unchecked and un-investigated. The people submit and continue to submit until they lose their sense of individuality and their capacity to stimulate change. Essentially, the community’s submission sanctions Steward’s actions in Paradise and Joey’s in this short story, making each person in Ruby an accessory to murder and the cause of the town's stagnancy.