Incurable Curiosity

In-cur-able: (adj.) Not likely to be changed. Cu-ri-os-i-ty: (n) A desire to know.

Category Archives: projects

Photo Series 1: Macro Photography

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When I was planning my year-long photo project, I thought it would be a good idea to start off with a style of photography that I’m already familiar with: Macro. I got really used to shooting in macro with my point-and-shoot, and I thought it would be much the same with the new DSLR. In fact, the opposite was true; due to a lack of understanding of flash vs. natural lighting, I actually gave up on learning the macro mode right off and ended up utilizing the Creative+ feature for most of the last two weeks.

My subjects ranged from flowers to clock keys to my mother’s quilting project, and everything in between. Day 1 was a shot of sheet music – the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme, quite appropriately. On day 4 I found myself doing a photo shoot of a bush in my front yard. Day 9 is an antique clock key. Day 10 features what I’m still reading, a Christmas gift copy of ‘The Hobbit’. I had kind of given up on day 11, hence the poorly-lit fabric detail. However, that is immediately followed by the awesome day 12, when I got to photograph a baby shower. Macro series ended with a close-up of a needle and thread.

Next Up: Still Life.

This gallery contains 14 photos


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What I’ve Been Up To

Hello readers, I know there’s been a lag of posting since NaNoWriMo, but I have been working on some new ideas. Now I need to get the ideas into words. Here’s what you can expect to see in the next few weeks:

  • MBTI-related research. I’m currently working on applying personality theory to literature: writing style, character development, and what it can tell us about historical context.
  • Writing sketches. I’ve found a really cool blog for writers who need some prompting. Check it out.
  • More book reviews. I have a pretty awesome list of books to go through, and I’ll share the highlights.
  • Stories worth telling. I know, this is an old project that has been neglected, but there are some fascinating stories begging to be told.
There’ll be lots of random things thrown in as well – photos, cool quotes, maybe even something about learning how to play disc golf.
Stay curious!
-Ashley


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Preparing for An Adventure Into the Unknown: NaNoWriMo 2011

In the spirit of adventure, I have signed up for the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge, which dares writers to create a 50,000-word novel between November 1 and November 30.

It really will be an adventure for several reasons:

  1. This is my first NaNoWriMo.
  2. I have never tried to write a fictional work beyond short-story length.
  3. Writing fiction in general is a foreign thing to me.
  4. I have no plot line (though I do have several potential stories scattered around).
What I hope to gain from this experience:
  1. An understanding of the basics of story writing. I have read a few things on the topic, but why not test the sink-or-swim theory?
  2. An expanded writing horizon. It may fail miserably or exceed my highest hopes, but I won’t know until I give it a try.
And I might be trying to satisfy my habit of going after ridiculously unrealistic goals, too.
In any case, I’ll try to post some of what I’m writing here. As always, feedback is a beautiful thing, and I’d welcome some accountability. Until the 1st, I’ll also be finishing up some drafts that have been idling, so expect several posts over the next few days.