10 Great Tips For Success As A Creative Writer

Posted on April 28, 2013 by pittsburghflashfictiongazette
  1. Writing is not a destination.  It’s a journey.
  2. Don’t expect to make a living at writing.  Make a living so that you can keep writing.
  3. Writing is a craft.  Study the craft of writing in the same way you would study any other craft.
  4. Write about what you know.  Then make the rest of it up.
  5. A writer learns how to write by reading and writing.  The two cannot be separated.
  6. Success as a writer is made up of 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
  7. A writer needs talent, self-discipline, perseverance and luck.
  8. Writing is a lonely business.  No one else can do it for you.
  9. Every writer must find his or her own level of success.
  10. A writer’s life is the best source material he or she will ever have.

    Woman As Art

    Woman As Art

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This blog publishes erotic poetry.

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This short story blog is published for readers and writers who appreciate creative writing and brazen sexuality in the same publication.  This blog is published near Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

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“A writer must survive in order to get his work done.” –Hemingway

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A Writer’s Blog Published Near The University Of Pittsburgh

Posted on April 27, 2013 by pittsburghflashfictiongazette
Cathedral of Learning

Cathedral of Learning (Photo credit: AxsDeny)

Today is a sunny day, around 70 degrees.  I walked to the Carnegie Public Library and then walked around the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

Such memories.  The Old Soldier got his MFA in fiction writing from Pitt in 2006.

But today, people walked around in black-graduation gowns.  Graduates stood on the statue of The Panther in front of the student union building to have their pictures taken.

A five-man brass section entertained a crowd in front of the Carnegie Museum in celebration of the opening of a small play area for children right in front of the museum.

A few people were stretched out on the grass of Schenley Plaza.  I looked around at all the buildings that belonged to the university. 

English: Homecoming reception inside the Cathe...

English: Homecoming reception inside the Cathedral of Learning Commons Room at the University of Pittsburgh on October 29th, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And above it all towered the Cathedral of Learning, 44 stories high against the bright blue sky.

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Andy Warhol grew up near the main campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

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This magazine (blog) is published for readers and writers who appreciate serious writing and brazen sexuality in the same online publication.

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Karaoke And A Late-Night Addiction To Talk Radio

Posted on April 5, 2013 by pittsburghflashfictiongazette
Woman As Art

Woman As Art

The Old Soldier made sure to sleep in his bed last night and not doze on the sofa drinking beer and listening to talk radio from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.  This is a bad habit that I need to break.

It seems to me that talk radio is divided into two political agendas: conservative and liberal.  The talk-show hosts love hitting the latest hot-botton issues in order to get their listeners fired up so that they call in.

The listener who agrees with the host is made to feel welcomed.  The caller who does not agree with the host is put-down.

For a little while, I thought I might learn something from late-night talk radio that would help me to build the readership of this blog; but I don’t want to be divisive.  That’s not my nature.

I want to bring together people who can appreciate serious writing and brazen sexuality in the same publication.

English: , American political pundit and radio...

English: , American political pundit and radio talk show host (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Karaoke

Well, the Old Soldier has money in his pockets and it’s a sunny, mild (a high around 53) Spring day in the city.  That means karaoke tonight at Del’s Bar and Italian Restaurant in Bloomfield (Little Italy) which is only about a 15-minute walk from my apartment building.

I’ll be gathering material for the “Karaoke As Performance Art) series.

See everyone tomorrow.

*****

The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a blog for readers and writers who appreciate serious writing and brazen sexuality.

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Flash Fiction: Tiptoe Through The Tulips by Lexy Brown

Posted on April 4, 2013 by pittsburghflashfictiongazette
Woman As Art

Woman As Art

He was only 22–strong, sexy and sweaty—and only 22.  I was…older.  Much older.  But that didn’t stop me from staring as he mowed my lawn and so lovingly weeded my flowerbeds.  It all seemed so cliché—the wealthy older woman swooning as she gazed out the window to gawk at her much younger gardener.  It was all so Desperate Housewives. But I didn’t care.  I had been alone for far too long. Though I was much too old for a luscious landscaper, I was also far too young to be a widow.  For five long, lonely years I’d remained faithful to my husband’s memory.  But it was becoming more and more difficult. 

I moved outside, eager to see what new flowers he was planting in my sprawling garden.  I carefully moved along the rock path until I was close enough to smell the sweet scent of sweat.  He looked up at me, his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.  His back bulged with muscles and his soft skin glistened with masculinity.  A playful smile curled his lips as I knelt down beside him in the dirt. 

“What are you planting today?” 

He stopped digging and looked into my eyes. “Tulips,” he replied, wiping a trickle of sweat from his forehead. 

I don’t know if it was the floral fragrances, the warm sun beating down on my shoulders or my close proximity to such a young, virile man, but suddenly I felt a strong pull from deep within me.  It was a yearning I had not felt in many years.  I felt droplets of sweat begin to form beneath my breasts and heat rise from in between my legs.  I cleared my throat, trying to regain composure, but as I began to stand I felt a hand grasp my wrist.  

Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives (Photo credit: OwenBlacker)

With gentle firmness he lowered me back to the dirt, his other hand moving to my bare shoulder.  I said nothing.  His hand moved up my shoulder, along the curve of my neck and then began caressing my cheek. 

“You are so beautiful.  Sad but beautiful.”  I felt a smile curl my lips.  Before I had time to assess the situation his mouth was on mine.  Our tongues hungrily devoured one another as I breathed in his strong masculine scent.  The heat between my legs turned into passionate flames as my hands groped along his muscular arms and broad chest. Moments flew by, melting together into one entangled haze of ecstasy and desire.  But as I laid wrapped in his arms, my chest heaving with labored, exhausted breaths, I looked heavenward. The sky was cornflower blue without a cloud to be seen.  And I knew that somewhere, my departed love was looking down.

The End

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Lexy Brown is an American writer who dabbles in nearly every genre imaginable.  Though lately her erotic stories have gained the most attention. Won’t her parents be proud!

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a blog for readers and writers who appreciate serious writing and brazen sexuality.

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Andy Warhol: I’ll Be Your Mirror

Posted on March 28, 2013 by pittsburghflashfictiongazette
Woman As Art

Woman As Art

I don’t remember when I realized Andy Warhol grew up in Oakland here in Pittsburgh and attended Carnegie Mellon University.

But it wasn’t until last summer that I went looking for his childhood home on Dawson Street.  There’s nothing special about the house.  It didn’t even look as if anyone lived there.  There wasn’t even a plaque with his name on it.

The Old Soldier was still inspired.

I’ve been to the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore.  I’ve read biographies about him.  I read the book he co-authored.  I’ve seen a few of his films.  I’ve seen his photos, drawings and his art (I’ve never heard the Velvet Underground).  I was one of the original subscribers to Interview, the magazine he founded and which I still read every time a new edition hits the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh here in Oakland where I live.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol (Photo credit: vpickering)

Andy was supposed to have said, “I’ll be your mirror.”

The Old Soldier thinks that’s a fine philosophy for an editor to live by.

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WJAS/1320/A.M./Tom Jones/Barbra Streisand/Lulu/Tony Bennett/Frank Sinatra/Nat King Cole/Perry Como/Johnny Ray/Connie Francis/Dusty Springfield/Petula Clark/Dionne Warwick/Johnny Mathis/Johnny Cash/Sammy Davis Jr./Elvis/Gordon Lightfoot…

English: Andy Warhol's childhood home located ...

English: Andy Warhol’s childhood home located at 3252 Dawson Street in the South Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2010. “Andy lived on Dawson Street from 1934 until he left for New York City in 1949. These fifteen years were the most formative years of his life.”http://www.warhola.com/warholahouse.html (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a blog of serious writing and brazen sexuality.

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