Comments for Bluestem Magazine http://www.bluestemmagazine.com Fri, 11 May 2012 00:01:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Did He Who Made the Lamb Make Thee? by an excerpt from Did He Who Made the Lamb Make Thee? | Camille Graves http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1283#comment-194 an excerpt from Did He Who Made the Lamb Make Thee? | Camille Graves Fri, 11 May 2012 00:01:43 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1283#comment-194 [...] Read more at Bluestem Magazine   If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! [...] [...] Read more at Bluestem Magazine   If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! [...]

]]> Comment on Idealism vs. Realism: Fiction Edition by Steve http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1626#comment-172 Steve Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:10:24 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1626#comment-172 I think the biggest problem people have with idealistic writing is the tendency towards predictability, which can really disrupt the building tension: "Will [character XYZ] manage to [insert goal] before [antagonist's goal / consequences of failure]?" Probably. It's the same reason I always laughed when books or movies in a long-running series would try to make a big deal out of the dangers thier protagonsits face. I don't think it's necessarily the fault of the idealism. I think that when writing with elements of heavy idealism, however, it's much harder to build tension that feels "realistic" enough to engage suspension of disbelief while still staying true to its lighter nature. There are some stories that do this very carefully. They essentially end well, and in some this really works in FAVOR of the story. The protagonist is put on such a hellish ride throughout the middle, and knowing that he'll (probably) come out of it alive makes me think, "Wait ... how in the world are they going to get out of THIS situation?!" I think the biggest problem people have with idealistic writing is the tendency towards predictability, which can really disrupt the building tension: “Will [character XYZ] manage to [insert goal] before [antagonist's goal / consequences of failure]?” Probably. It’s the same reason I always laughed when books or movies in a long-running series would try to make a big deal out of the dangers thier protagonsits face.

I don’t think it’s necessarily the fault of the idealism. I think that when writing with elements of heavy idealism, however, it’s much harder to build tension that feels “realistic” enough to engage suspension of disbelief while still staying true to its lighter nature. There are some stories that do this very carefully. They essentially end well, and in some this really works in FAVOR of the story. The protagonist is put on such a hellish ride throughout the middle, and knowing that he’ll (probably) come out of it alive makes me think, “Wait … how in the world are they going to get out of THIS situation?!”

]]> Comment on Pretenseville: The fArt of Pretension by admin http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1511#comment-163 admin Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:01:02 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1511#comment-163 Well, if you think that way, all language is borrowed thoughts, so I don't actually agree with you, but I appreciate the thoughtful response. I actually find that using others' words in a clever new way in writing can be quite profound and well written. For instance, in one of my classes, I used a play on words from Moby Dick to create a poem about something that is completely not like Moby Dick. So, in essence, it's using borrowed words literally, but it does something quite new. ~Emily Bowers, assistant editor Well, if you think that way, all language is borrowed thoughts, so I don’t actually agree with you, but I appreciate the thoughtful response. I actually find that using others’ words in a clever new way in writing can be quite profound and well written. For instance, in one of my classes, I used a play on words from Moby Dick to create a poem about something that is completely not like Moby Dick. So, in essence, it’s using borrowed words literally, but it does something quite new.

~Emily Bowers, assistant editor

]]> Comment on Pretenseville: The fArt of Pretension by Dustin http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1511#comment-155 Dustin Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:13:33 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1511#comment-155 That’s an interesting question you bring up. “Where is the line between pretension and intellectualism?” Honestly, it’s been tugging at my ear all weekend. Reifying one conception is hard but drawing a line between two could be someone’s life work. When it comes to pretension in the realm of writing I see pretension more in the response or in explanation. Unformulated or unclear thoughts that have been quickly strung together to look as if it fits within the framework. If you are working too hard to find the right “words” then your conception of the topic is still cloudy. Pretension shows up when we borrow other people’s words to fill the gaps within our own misunderstandings. We become pretentious to service our desire for our words to be of value. Could it be that pretension is not natural thought but borrowed thought, borrowed words. Or do we use the borrowed thoughts to build the foundations of our natural intellect? Could pretension be the first step to intellectualism? That’s an interesting question you bring up. “Where is the line between pretension and intellectualism?” Honestly, it’s been tugging at my ear all weekend. Reifying one conception is hard but drawing a line between two could be someone’s life work. When it comes to pretension in the realm of writing I see pretension more in the response or in explanation. Unformulated or unclear thoughts that have been quickly strung together to look as if it fits within the framework. If you are working too hard to find the right “words” then your conception of the topic is still cloudy. Pretension shows up when we borrow other people’s words to fill the gaps within our own misunderstandings. We become pretentious to service our desire for our words to be of value. Could it be that pretension is not natural thought but borrowed thought, borrowed words. Or do we use the borrowed thoughts to build the foundations of our natural intellect? Could pretension be the first step to intellectualism?

]]> Comment on The Vegetable Game by Land of Wonder | Jersey Devil Press http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=834#comment-145 Land of Wonder | Jersey Devil Press Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:05:01 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=834#comment-145 [...] Next? How about a double-shot of JDP faves as yasmin teams with Chloe Caldwell (better than when Superman shows up in Detective Comics!) over at Bluestem Magazine with the deeply unsettling, “The Vegetable Game.” [...] [...] Next? How about a double-shot of JDP faves as yasmin teams with Chloe Caldwell (better than when Superman shows up in Detective Comics!) over at Bluestem Magazine with the deeply unsettling, “The Vegetable Game.” [...]

]]> Comment on The Demonstration of Gravity by Finding Division of Shy Gravity « Constructively Telling Lies http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=348#comment-143 Finding Division of Shy Gravity « Constructively Telling Lies Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:43:52 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=348#comment-143 [...] Shy by Casey Hannan (Wigleaf) Demonstration of Gravity by Tracy Gonzales (Bluestem) Finding There by Lindsay Hunter (Cricket Online Review) We Did [...] [...] Shy by Casey Hannan (Wigleaf) Demonstration of Gravity by Tracy Gonzales (Bluestem) Finding There by Lindsay Hunter (Cricket Online Review) We Did [...]

]]> Comment on Cockroaches by SHORT « FictionDaily http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1291#comment-142 SHORT « FictionDaily Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:10:38 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1291#comment-142 [...] She wondered if she could love him, if she could convince herself that it was she who was strange. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. ▶ No Responses /* 0) { jQuery('#comments').show('', change_location()); jQuery('#showcomments a .closed').css('display', 'none'); jQuery('#showcomments a .open').css('display', 'inline'); return true; } else { jQuery('#comments').hide(''); jQuery('#showcomments a .closed').css('display', 'inline'); jQuery('#showcomments a .open').css('display', 'none'); return false; } } jQuery('#showcomments a').click(function(){ if(jQuery('#comments').css('display') == 'none') { self.location.href = '#comments'; check_location(); } else { check_location('hide'); } }); function change_location() { self.location.href = '#comments'; } }); /* ]]> */ [...] [...] She wondered if she could love him, if she could convince herself that it was she who was strange. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. ▶ No Responses /* 0) { jQuery('#comments').show('', change_location()); jQuery('#showcomments a .closed').css('display', 'none'); jQuery('#showcomments a .open').css('display', 'inline'); return true; } else { jQuery('#comments').hide(''); jQuery('#showcomments a .closed').css('display', 'inline'); jQuery('#showcomments a .open').css('display', 'none'); return false; } } jQuery('#showcomments a').click(function(){ if(jQuery('#comments').css('display') == 'none') { self.location.href = '#comments'; check_location(); } else { check_location('hide'); } }); function change_location() { self.location.href = '#comments'; } }); /* ]]> */ [...]

]]> Comment on Sinnerman by Fashion/Fiction: Sinnerman | Kitchen Music & Words. http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1088#comment-141 Fashion/Fiction: Sinnerman | Kitchen Music & Words. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:47:44 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1088#comment-141 [...] :: PUBLISHED: 2011 Raymond Carver Short Story Award Editor's Choice | Storychord Issue #25 | Bluestem Magazine | The Rumpus FORTHCOMING: Word Riot, January 2012 | Little Fiction, February 2012 :: Pinterest . [...] [...] :: PUBLISHED: 2011 Raymond Carver Short Story Award Editor's Choice | Storychord Issue #25 | Bluestem Magazine | The Rumpus FORTHCOMING: Word Riot, January 2012 | Little Fiction, February 2012 :: Pinterest . [...]

]]> Comment on Sinnerman by Sinnerman | The Blind Hem http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1088#comment-140 Sinnerman | The Blind Hem Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:04:32 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1088#comment-140 [...] Cross-Smith on Jan 6, 2012 • 4:00 pm No Comments You can read Leesa Cross-Smith’s story Sinnerman at Bluestem Magazine. She was gracious enough to share snippets and moments from her story, showing [...] [...] Cross-Smith on Jan 6, 2012 • 4:00 pm No Comments You can read Leesa Cross-Smith’s story Sinnerman at Bluestem Magazine. She was gracious enough to share snippets and moments from her story, showing [...]

]]> Comment on Stay Tuned! by admin http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1#comment-139 admin Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:41:02 +0000 http://www.bluestemmagazine.com/?p=1#comment-139 No, we can't. But you can certainly purchase a copy of that issue. No, we can’t. But you can certainly purchase a copy of that issue.

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