Not too long ago (that is sometime in April 2009) I had a personal revelation, one of those precious moments of sudden clarity when dozens of little cogs in a complicated lock turn at once and the door opens, revealing a long sought answer to a rather complex question: who am I? That answer for me turned out to be: a storyteller, a poet. I’ve been writing ever since I was a child but it wasn’t until that pivotal moment that I fully realized what exactly it is that makes writing so appealing to me: I love the flow of words, the rhythm of carefully orchestrated sentences, and the imaginary worlds that can be painted with them in such eloquent ways. Writing, however, is a rather intimate process for me. I need the right atmosphere, a place and time where I can stretch my senses beyond common reality. At that point words start flooding in and I grab hold of as many as I can, diverting them onto the virtual or physical pages in front of me.
The above description may reveal that I am also very visual. Indeed, I enjoy drawing and painting, but more so photography. My camera is an essential instrument of creative expression. It allows me to capture a moment in time, not just for preservation but to explore it afterward so that I may find the poetry within. I thoroughly investigate each picture, usually through Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, until it reveals its “true” appearance and nature to me (which, of course, is always a matter of interpretation).
I am often accompanied by music when I write or work on my photos, usually music with poetic quality itself (see exemplary list further down). If at times I can’t find the right music I’ll create my own. I may do so purely in my head thus listening to the melodies in my mind, or I sit down and compose using my rather extensive library of virtual instruments and melodic phrases which I arrange in a sequencer (more specifically I use Ableton Live). At other times I may sit down and play a few notes on one of my Native American flutes or my Ocarina for inspiration.
To me the world is full of beauty and mystery, of light and shadow, of adventure and danger, all connected in a poetical dance of rhyme, rhythm and harmony. My writings reflect how I feel at a given moment, how I perceive the things around me, how I personally see and experience “the world”. I’ve learned over the years that despite all of us inhabiting the same planet we do not all live in the same world – physically, emotionally and spiritually. I enjoy exploring different worlds and look for connections and intersections between them.
In light of the aforementioned all posts on this blog are divided into the following categories:
a) Musings – my personal thoughts on a specific subject matter, usually something I have read, observed or talked about with someone.
b) Sentiments – my purely poetical writings concerning personal feelings, nature, life, emotions as well as occasional spiritual thoughts.
c) Storytime – poetical stories I’ve written with a younger audience in mind. While generally lighthearted some tend to go a little deeper.
I am a creative person and I perceive creativity as a fundamental principle of life. I am, therefore I create. I’d like to encourage you to walk through life with open eyes, seize the moment and turn experiences into creative approaches and projects.
Please keep in mind that despite the blog format there are no ‘old’ posts due to the nature of the topics so exploration is encouraged. I am also interested in hearing your thoughts. While all posts are open to comments I understand that many readers feel rather shy about it (I do too) hence you may certainly email me directly if that feels more comfortable to you.
If you are interested in learning more about poetry I highly recommend this Wikipedia article, it explains in great detail how poetry is much more than just poems.
In closing I’d like to say thank you for taking the time to visit and I hope that you enjoy your stay.
Sincerely,
Thorsten
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Since inspiration comes from various sources I’ve compiled a list of people and topics that often inspire my writings (which is by no means complete):
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Note: Alternate:Words is the place where I primarily share my personal feelings and thoughts in various poetic forms. Occasionally I write short stories, flash fiction and vignettes. Due to the range in genre (mystery, suspense, science fiction, etc.) and mood (a bit darker at times) these stories are published on my other blog titled Fabula:Brevis.
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Disclaimer: All pictures are made available under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons license. However, all stories, poetry and musings written by me are not licensed under the aforementioned license. Reasonable quotes are permitted but no entire post shall be republished or printed without my written consent. Thank you for respecting these terms of use.
