My drabble "They Just Love Halloween" is a part of newly released drabble anthology "Jack-o'-Lantern Tales of Treats and Tricks". The collection was made in a collaboration of Fiction Writers Group from Facebook and is available as an ebook. It can be downloaded for free in PDF format from the…
Are you doing it this year? I’m so not ready! I need my outline done. There is so little time left! OMG! Are you ready? Do you have any tips? Here’s my plan for success! What will you be writing?
If you are a writer or have any writing friends, these comments pop in social media quite often at this time of the year. Almost everyone is preparing for (or dreading) the start of National Novel Writing Month (that has, in fact, become quite international). Everyone, except for us, few people in the corner, watching this cheerful madness with unusual calm. (more…)
I have a pleasure to announce that my story has been published in the anthology by Witty Bard Publishing, "Of the Dead & Dying: Tales of the Apocalypse". "To Conquer the Sea" ("Pokonać Morze") initially has been published in Polish language in "Science-Fiction Fantasy i Horror" magazine and was translated…
Exactly a year ago I posted my first news on this webpage. After some weeks of sorting out the domain name and the external server I was able to move my Polish website at WordPress to a new place: bilingual Melfka.com. This would not happen without some help from two great ladies, Anna Suseł who provided technical support whenever my meager knowledge of css was tried and Maja Sarnowska who designed the layout of this page.
Since the anniversary caught me unprepared with the usual “Oh dear, already?”, I don’t have a fancy post or a book giveaway (I don’t have a book yet to give it away), but I thought I’d share a small infographic on the page’s statistics. They might not be something to be boasting about, but they show that you are there and come visit every once a while. And for that I’d like to thank you all so much!
And if you’re in the playful mood, try to guess how many words I’ve written on the page, how many posts there were and which is the most popular text up to date, before you look at the infographic below. (more…)
There is only a few more songs left on my list and I hope you enjoyed this musical journey with me. This is the last part of the “Music Inspirations”, but as I usually discover new music and come up with ideas, maybe one day there will be few more to be posted. If you found inspiration while reading or listening feel free to share them in the comments as I love to see different perspectives and ideas. (more…)
A comment to the previous part of the Music Inspirations made me realize that I didn’t make a clear distinction between “writing music” and “music inspiration”. The first one often consists of a writer’s favorite songs or maybe background music with no lyrics if they prefer (such as classics or movie soundtracks) that helps to focus on writing or isolate from the surrounding world. The second one can be anything that the writer heard, a new hit on the radio by some popular singer or a long-forgotten lullaby or anything else, including songs outside of a writer’s musical comfort zone.
When I look at my music inspirations I realize how different this list is from what I usually listen to and from what I listen to when I write. Of course, some of the songs make it to my permanent playlist, be it the writing or the general one, while others stay forever attached to just one idea, and I don’t really listen to them once I wrote the story they inspired. If there is a rule to my musical inspiration, I have to find it yet. All I can say for sure, they happen and they come unexpectedly: just like the one that made it to the list below. (more…)
Some writers can’t work unless there is silence around them, others easily jot down sentences in a crowded cafe, but to many of us music is an important part of the creative process.
To me music is important as it not only inspires me, but also helps me create. I don’t need it in order to be writing (some friends of mine can testify that they saw me writing during a loud party), but I like to use it to create a barrier between the story and the world around me. Sometimes I find a song that reflects the story or the mood of what I am writing, and then I am happy to listen to it in a loop as long as I write, and sometimes it’s just a random playlist in the background.
Some time ago my Facebook friend and fellow writer – Anna “Cranberry” Nieznaj invited me to join a game for writers: for 30 days we would be posting links to the music that inspired some of our works with a short description or an excerpt. The game was fully in Polish and only available for friends, but since another person asked me about the role of music in my writing, I thought it is due time to convert that game into a blog post (or three). (more…)
I don’t think I would be wrong if I said that most of people can’t wait for Friday: especially for its evening part, when the week’s work has been done and it’s time to relax… or catch up with all the things neglected during the non-weekend days. Though I have to admit that regardless of how much I am looking forward to the weekend, Friday morning always throws me in a state of panic. “Is it today already?” I think opening my browser. “What’s this week’s theme?” (more…)
27th of June was the release day of the anthology "I żywy stąd nie wyjdzie nikt" ("And nobody will get out of here alive") by Fabryka Słów Publishing House. It's a collection of of science-fiction and fantasy stories about war and I am very happy that my story "Słowa żołnierza"…
With pleasure I'd like to announce that my story, "Kot na sznurku" ("Cat on a string") was published today as a part of anthology prepared by Esensja magazine. The collection (named "Kot na sznurku" after my story) will be available as an ebook for all the supporters of the magazine…