Books feature on Prose (and my projects)
I've been playing around with the books feature here and I wanted to share what I've made and some brief thoughts as a user of seven(ish) years:
I've been sitting on a stack of writing that I haven't had any clear direction for but knew that I wanted to put out in some way. The books feature is neat because it allows me to do this in a way that is structured and easily customizable. I like to have creative control, and this gives it to me. So I would encourage anyone who wants to organize their work into an easily accessible collection to try it out. This is my first time giving it a go, and my first impressions are generally favorable. There are some technical issues, but I assume those will be addressed in time. There's authors who were way earlier to the game than I was and they are a wealth of information and deserve props for being pioneers. I really love the idea of being able to find a writer and peruse a book they've written and see posts that may have flown under the radar otherwise.
You can post the books for free, for a flat flee or on a chapter by chapter basis. Right now, I have a mix of free content, paid content, and subscriber only writing. Some of my books are for a flat fee, some are chapter by chapter, and others are are now, and will always be free. A high percentage of my posts will be openly available, and my "edgier" (however you want to define that) or more extensive standalone pieces will likely be subscriber only. I will always have this mix of paid and unpaid elements, though there are details to be worked out. I'm still figuring it out, especially with the addition of Lobby, Mezz, and Emerald.
I still have work reserved for traditional(ish) publishing outlets, but most of my stuff is here on Prose. I've set my subscription cost at 3.33. But as I said, I intend to keep a lot of stuff free or at the very least, available at a low cost. As of right now, the books are unfinished, evolving entities and will continue to be updated for the next little while as Prose. continues to fine tune the changes on the site. Some elements of them are free and some are subscriber/purchaser only. Writing is a career for me, so subscription and purchases make a big impact. That said, we live in exceptionally difficult times. So please don't feel obligated to do either. Take care of yourselves first.
Also, if you want to show support to a writer that either can't or doesn't want to put their work behind a paywall, there is a now a tip feature.
I am pulling from a fifteen year old body of unpublished work, so it will be some time before these are complete collections and will be added and subtracted to many times until they are complete. But here are my published projects so far:
Best Of: TheWolfeDen- a collection of popular works, challenge winners, and personal favorites
Goddess- poetry and prose inspired by female spiritual figures
Labyrinth- stream-of-conscious writing focused on self-reflection and patterns of behavior
Gardenia- poetry and prose inspired by the natural world
Stuff and Things- a chaotic collection of random writing
The Sins of Aphrodite- poetry, prose, and creative non-fiction centered around love, heartbreak, and everything in between
Skeptics and Soothsayers- works inspired by esotericism, religion, and spirituality
Psychonaut- creative non-fiction drawn from psychedelic experiences
Kintsugi- essays and memoir style creative non-fiction
Dreamscape- dreamy prose and poetry
Dungeoncrawler Daydreams- fantasy/sci-fi/horror short fiction
Kingdom- a medieval poetry collection
Justice- a mythical murder mystery series
Madame Kavindra's Freakshow Theatre- a horror(ish) anthology (in progress)
I've tagged people that I think would be interested in this. Thanks for your support (however you choose to give it).
I’m Listening
I don’t have a degree in psychology or experience in social work. I have never led group therapy or prescribed medicine. Self-fulfilling-prophecy is the title of a monster movie in my world. I have nothing tangible to offer the depressed and suicidal.
But, I am a great listener.
My office is my bar. My stools double as therapy couches. I hear confessions on 15 minute intervals throughout the day. I make eye contact, nod my head, and watch for facial inflections that proceed bar orders. If the customer wants to explain his life while nursing multiple drinks, then I will listen to his story, and learn what he wants even before he knows himself.
William mixes and pours cement ten hours a day. He drinks beer. His first visit had him wanting whiskey. I extolled the values of the ice cold drafts and the refreshing carbs within. A large sweaty man wants to be refreshed, not drunk. He tells me more of his life each day. I know his twins want to go to college, but William wants them to work when not in school. “Who am I to disagree?”
Mary works as a law clerk, obviously underpaid considering how much she knows. I see her nightly at her table reading briefs and nursing her Virgin Mary. Her face could use a bit of color and her glasses are too large, too heavy. However, if I were a betting man, I would give even odds on the first chap who bothers to look past her superficials to see what she has yet to reveal. She is too intelligent to let such a patient scrutinizer escape her clutches easily.
Then there is Travis. He is a man hiding his pain, attempting to discover a new friend in the bottom of each glass of whatever he is drinking tonight. Every day, Travis discovers a new drink, one with a variety of components, maybe an Old Fashioned, maybe a Manhattan. Tonight, Travis wants Commonwealths. Currently, he is on number three. I will place him on black coffee for number four and then call him a cab. His indifference to others speaks louder than the crowds. At the end of the bar, Travis sits alone and always will until he finds what he is looking for.
These are my clients. I am their doctor. By the end of tonight’s session, they will all leave for the better.
In the Complex
I've isolated myself
only in awareness
of the Otherness felt
in heightened alertness
that we are not Ourself,
each now looking out
thru different window,
alone despite the crowd
no matter Our size...
a one thing at a time.
...so, will it be us, or I?
10.02.2023
Despite a Crowd of People challenge @Raynstar
Thoughts
I cannot extricate
From the tricky corners
Of my mind
These thoughts of he
And so
I will try
To write myself
Better
How is it
That I have
A general disbelief
Of everything
Living next to
My absolute belief
In all things
I feel pressure
Behind my eyelids
Yet
I'm too tired
To cry
Coupled with
I don't know why
I want to
Not really
Why would he
Show me
So many things
Just to fade away?
If life
Is not knowing
Most things
All the time
I am killing it
If life
Is laughing at yourself
Until your sides split
And your split personalities
Join back together
I am killing it
If life
Is manufactured joy
Conjured
For the comfort of others
I am killing it
If life
Is watching
And waiting
For magic to happen
I am killing it
nihilist
i watched a video
on YouTube that told
my life has worth something
and im gonna grow old
and im gonna be happy
though, it seems like a lie
and maybe just maybe
I'll find the right guy
I'll feel like I'm loved
I'll take myself at face value
and know I'm enough
that one day I'll see me
the way people do
that I'm not just a burden
or an object to use
I'll be on my deathbed
at age ninety-eight
and see my life was filled with
people i love, and songs i hate
I'll see everything as a blessing
and not something to overcome
maybe my skin will feel
the warmth of the sun
after years of the clouds
preventing it's shine
my grandchildren will see
my dark smile lines
my parents will be proud
and i will be prouder
i won't be scared to be outgoing
I'll speak up for myself louder
but that was just a video
made by a kid who doesn't know me
with no life experiences like mine
and nothing to show me
I'm gonna die
with nothing to show for it
and 100 years from now
no one will know of it
crazy, and sad
a nihilist maybe
with no one around
and no one to save me
Sushi Trash, Haikus, And A Big Birthday!!
Hello, Writers and Dear Readers.
Today on the channel, we push some good product, as usual. Pure, uncut, above any street value or money, the words of these writers have come along to us recently, and we wanted to introduce them to our seasoned Prosers. Also, do a shot every time I say Corner Chicken in the first two minutes of the video. You'll be feeling pretty fine...
Here's the link, and we'll tag the writers along with the big crew in the comment below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBfW7WNYZNM
And...
As always.........
Thank you for being here.
-The Prose. team