Hello everyone!
It feels great to return to the blogging world after having been away for a few months. Now that it's summer, I'm hoping to post more frequently, both here and in my Book Reviews blog. Feel free to contact me anytime through either one of those two blogs!
Lately I've been working on a relatively new project. It started out as a short story, but has been slowly expanding and will become either a novella or a short novel by the time I am finished. The project title is "Sweet Carnation, Tallahassee" and I hope to have a full-length manuscript finished by the end of this summer.
"Sweet Carnation, Tallahassee" is the story of Karina, an aspiring writer. In her new hometown of Dallas, Texas, Karina feels like an outsider at her high school. One of the few people that can comfort her is Matthew, a guitarist who captures her heart from the day they first meet. When their lives start to take them separate ways, Karina does everything she can to hold onto him, but realizes that doing so just might be impossible.
To learn more about this project and other ones, keep up with my blogs and follow me on Pinterest! I'll be posting more photos and additional information very soon!
I hope you are enjoying your day!
<3
Courtney
Monday, June 20, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
What poetry means to me
“Poetry matters because it saved my life and those of others that I know. Whether we realize it or not, every poem contributes something meaningful to existence. It reminds me that life is worth living. Writing and reading poetry made me realize that there are numerous ways of viewing our experiences, and it is up to us to find the beauty in everything that happens to us.” --Courtney Justus --> https://poems2go.wordpress.com/poets-3/
I started writing poetry back in the fourth grade. At the time, I thought that my poems had to rhyme in some way. I wrote about animals, magical creatures, nature, and other things I thought would be good topics for poetry that rhymed.
Flash forward to high school. I took my anger, bitterness, wistfulness, and joy, and splattered them all over the page. I wrote about frustrated crushes, faraway dreams, and my hopes for the future, among other things.
My work has evolved a lot since the fourth grade, and I'm so grateful for all the support that I've received. Writing really does save lives. It's up to us to spread positive messages to others. If we work enough towards our goals, then we're bound to achieve great things.
Tell me: what does poetry mean to YOU? Please comment! I'd love to talk about it.
<3
Courtney
I started writing poetry back in the fourth grade. At the time, I thought that my poems had to rhyme in some way. I wrote about animals, magical creatures, nature, and other things I thought would be good topics for poetry that rhymed.
Flash forward to high school. I took my anger, bitterness, wistfulness, and joy, and splattered them all over the page. I wrote about frustrated crushes, faraway dreams, and my hopes for the future, among other things.
My work has evolved a lot since the fourth grade, and I'm so grateful for all the support that I've received. Writing really does save lives. It's up to us to spread positive messages to others. If we work enough towards our goals, then we're bound to achieve great things.
Tell me: what does poetry mean to YOU? Please comment! I'd love to talk about it.
<3
Courtney
Friday, March 25, 2016
Newspaper publications
Hello all,
As I may have mentioned before, I'm an opinion columnist for my university's newspaper, The Trinitonian. Here are links to some of my work:
http://www.trinitonian.com/running-for-happiness/
http://www.trinitonian.com/pleasure-in-difficulty/
http://www.trinitonian.com/dont-compare-or-even-try/
http://www.trinitonian.com/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-no-more-drama/
It's been a pleasure to write for The Trinitonian these past several months. Before getting this job, I had a lot of doubts as to whether or not I would be good enough for it. I wondered what I'd be able to contribute to the paper that others would find valuable and insightful. As it turns out, writing opinion columns has been a great way for me to open up and discuss a wide variety of concepts in an open way. I've been hearing more and more people say that they've been reading my columns, which feels wonderful. The other day, when I was introducing myself to someone, they even asked if I wrote for The Trinitonian, to which I replied with an enthusiastic "Yes!" He said that he liked my columns, which felt very reassuring. It's a great feeling to know that people can put a name to a face and start to associate you more with your writing.
Being an opinion columnist for The Trinitonian has also made me consider writing for other newspapers in the future, as well as additional magazines and journals not directly affiliated with my university. Of course, I'll continue to submit my creative writing to various publications, but I'd also like to keep writing columns. It has really helped me to open up and be more honest about my opinions.
Stay tuned for more in the near future! In the meantime, check out my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/courtneyjustuswriter/
<3
Courtney
As I may have mentioned before, I'm an opinion columnist for my university's newspaper, The Trinitonian. Here are links to some of my work:
http://www.trinitonian.com/running-for-happiness/
http://www.trinitonian.com/pleasure-in-difficulty/
http://www.trinitonian.com/dont-compare-or-even-try/
http://www.trinitonian.com/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-no-more-drama/
It's been a pleasure to write for The Trinitonian these past several months. Before getting this job, I had a lot of doubts as to whether or not I would be good enough for it. I wondered what I'd be able to contribute to the paper that others would find valuable and insightful. As it turns out, writing opinion columns has been a great way for me to open up and discuss a wide variety of concepts in an open way. I've been hearing more and more people say that they've been reading my columns, which feels wonderful. The other day, when I was introducing myself to someone, they even asked if I wrote for The Trinitonian, to which I replied with an enthusiastic "Yes!" He said that he liked my columns, which felt very reassuring. It's a great feeling to know that people can put a name to a face and start to associate you more with your writing.
Being an opinion columnist for The Trinitonian has also made me consider writing for other newspapers in the future, as well as additional magazines and journals not directly affiliated with my university. Of course, I'll continue to submit my creative writing to various publications, but I'd also like to keep writing columns. It has really helped me to open up and be more honest about my opinions.
Stay tuned for more in the near future! In the meantime, check out my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/courtneyjustuswriter/
<3
Courtney
A Talented Drummer & More Work Getting Published!!
Hello all!!
I'm very excited to say that another one of my poems is getting published, as well as one of my short stories!! My poem "Five a.m. and a new friend" will be published online and distributed at select physical locations through the journal poems2go in late April. Then, my short story "Just Rhiannon" will be published in The Trinity Review in print and online in early May (maybe late April). I'm very excited for you to read both!! As always, many thanks to my family, friends, professors, and everyone who has supported my work and helped me to improve it, whether through workshops, advice, or encouragement. :)
"Five a.m. and a new friend" is about a late night, early morning kind of experience that taught me about loving others and myself. "Just Rhiannon" shows a young girl dealing with a tragic event in her family, and how it shapes her in the future.
Just to recap: I've had two of my poems published so far. If you haven't read them yet, check them out at these links:
https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/petition-on-a-concrete-bench-saturday/
http://arseniclobster.magere.com/archive/issuethirtyeight/380301.html
I'll post the links to my forthcoming story and poem as soon as possible!
I've really been getting into nonfiction writing lately, so I'm looking forward to hopefully getting my essays published. It's been such a pleasure and release to be writing about my life. My writing has helped me to make sense of a lot of things, especially in this genre. In the near future, I'll post some snippets of my nonfiction, as well as some of my poetry and fiction.
While you're reading, I'd also like to ask you for a favor on behalf of a very talented friend of mine. Her name is Pauline, and she is a multi-talented, perseverant, and utterly amazing human being. She has been making some wonderful music in her native Argentina and is now in this year's Hit Like A Girl contest. Here's her entry video:
http://www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com/under-18/entry/pauline-roberts-2016
As a writer and musician, I'm always in search of inspirational music, and I've found Pauline's work to be outstanding. She is young and energetic, full of potential and innate talent. I hope her story will inspire you to pursue your dreams.
More entries to come in the near future!! In the meantime, you should like my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/courtneyjustuswriter/
<3
Courtney Justus
I'm very excited to say that another one of my poems is getting published, as well as one of my short stories!! My poem "Five a.m. and a new friend" will be published online and distributed at select physical locations through the journal poems2go in late April. Then, my short story "Just Rhiannon" will be published in The Trinity Review in print and online in early May (maybe late April). I'm very excited for you to read both!! As always, many thanks to my family, friends, professors, and everyone who has supported my work and helped me to improve it, whether through workshops, advice, or encouragement. :)
"Five a.m. and a new friend" is about a late night, early morning kind of experience that taught me about loving others and myself. "Just Rhiannon" shows a young girl dealing with a tragic event in her family, and how it shapes her in the future.
Just to recap: I've had two of my poems published so far. If you haven't read them yet, check them out at these links:
https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/petition-on-a-concrete-bench-saturday/
http://arseniclobster.magere.com/archive/issuethirtyeight/380301.html
I'll post the links to my forthcoming story and poem as soon as possible!
I've really been getting into nonfiction writing lately, so I'm looking forward to hopefully getting my essays published. It's been such a pleasure and release to be writing about my life. My writing has helped me to make sense of a lot of things, especially in this genre. In the near future, I'll post some snippets of my nonfiction, as well as some of my poetry and fiction.
While you're reading, I'd also like to ask you for a favor on behalf of a very talented friend of mine. Her name is Pauline, and she is a multi-talented, perseverant, and utterly amazing human being. She has been making some wonderful music in her native Argentina and is now in this year's Hit Like A Girl contest. Here's her entry video:
http://www.hitlikeagirlcontest.com/under-18/entry/pauline-roberts-2016
As a writer and musician, I'm always in search of inspirational music, and I've found Pauline's work to be outstanding. She is young and energetic, full of potential and innate talent. I hope her story will inspire you to pursue your dreams.
More entries to come in the near future!! In the meantime, you should like my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/courtneyjustuswriter/
<3
Courtney Justus
Friday, January 15, 2016
Nothing should stop you from doing what you love
Hello fellow bloggers,
I return to this familiar site with a new perspective on quite a lot of things. Over the past several months, a lot of things have happened to me, good and bad. There will be descriptions of some of the more significant events in later blog posts, but for now, I think I'll focus on the idea of doing what you most love, and making sure that nothing stops you from doing it.
Now let's establish some boundaries here. I understand that we all have our obligations, and have to give time to these menial (or not so menial) things that we have to do. What I'm referring to here is that we keep these things in mind, but also pay particular attention when we're coming up with a lot of excuses for not wanting to do the thing (or things) you most want to do. In my case, I sometimes tell myself that I'm too tired to write, or that I don't really want to open up my computer and start typing. In fact, that's exactly what was happening to me exactly before I powered up my computer a little while ago! I had trouble sleeping last night, and felt myself getting a little drowsy as I lay in my bed, checking emails on my phone. But I got an idea or two, and remembered some passages I'd written in a notebook while on vacation that I needed to transcribe to my laptop. So I started doing that, thinking that I could put on some music in the meantime if I needed to. I ended up getting work done on a long story, then writing a cover letter, and now, blogging for the first time in months.
It's great to be back, I must say.
There will be distractions. It will be hard. Sometimes you will want to give up. Just press on. That's what I'm hoping to do. You could even call it my New Year's resolution, though it's a bit late to mention that and the idea of New Year's resolutions has started to seem cheesy to me. I once came up with around 8-10 resolutions when I was an elementary schooler. While I did achieve some of them, I just don't want to think in those terms. I am achieving everything I set out to do, and I'm simply going to try to maintain that trend. But I will be gentle with myself. I will love myself.
Be gentle with yourself. Love yourself. Now go and achieve your dreams. I know you can do it.
<3
Courtney
I return to this familiar site with a new perspective on quite a lot of things. Over the past several months, a lot of things have happened to me, good and bad. There will be descriptions of some of the more significant events in later blog posts, but for now, I think I'll focus on the idea of doing what you most love, and making sure that nothing stops you from doing it.
Now let's establish some boundaries here. I understand that we all have our obligations, and have to give time to these menial (or not so menial) things that we have to do. What I'm referring to here is that we keep these things in mind, but also pay particular attention when we're coming up with a lot of excuses for not wanting to do the thing (or things) you most want to do. In my case, I sometimes tell myself that I'm too tired to write, or that I don't really want to open up my computer and start typing. In fact, that's exactly what was happening to me exactly before I powered up my computer a little while ago! I had trouble sleeping last night, and felt myself getting a little drowsy as I lay in my bed, checking emails on my phone. But I got an idea or two, and remembered some passages I'd written in a notebook while on vacation that I needed to transcribe to my laptop. So I started doing that, thinking that I could put on some music in the meantime if I needed to. I ended up getting work done on a long story, then writing a cover letter, and now, blogging for the first time in months.
It's great to be back, I must say.
There will be distractions. It will be hard. Sometimes you will want to give up. Just press on. That's what I'm hoping to do. You could even call it my New Year's resolution, though it's a bit late to mention that and the idea of New Year's resolutions has started to seem cheesy to me. I once came up with around 8-10 resolutions when I was an elementary schooler. While I did achieve some of them, I just don't want to think in those terms. I am achieving everything I set out to do, and I'm simply going to try to maintain that trend. But I will be gentle with myself. I will love myself.
Be gentle with yourself. Love yourself. Now go and achieve your dreams. I know you can do it.
<3
Courtney
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Arsenic Lobster poem! + Writing Happiness + Music!
Hey everyone!
Arsenic Lobster just published one of my poems: Check it out here: http://arseniclobster.magere.com/380301.html
A huge thanks to Arsenic Lobster for publishing my work. It's a great journal, so you should definitely check out some of their other entries. I have a lot of respect for their quality and creativity. It's also just a lot of fun to look at the artwork and layout of the journal. It means a lot to me to have my work featured there, and to see all the wonderful things they have published :)
I'd also like to take a moment to say how happy I am right now, with both my writing and my life in general. I'm now officially writing as a columnist for The Trinitonian, my school's newspaper, while also continuing to work on my poetry and fiction, plus some plays. There were some very rough moments, but in the end, pushing forward made all the difference. Inspiration has nestled itself in the palm of my hand, and I don't think it will be leaving anytime soon. Just keep on writing! Everything you want is within your reach. What matters is that you go and get it. Reach for it, work for it...and it will be yours.
To end for the day, here's some music. I'm starting to open up more about the kind of music that I listen to, and it's been so rewarding to find other people who respect, and even share, my tastes.
https://youtu.be/clKAdQnwJ7A
Feel free to share your musical inspirations! Rob Thomas and Matchbox 20 have given me some amazing inspiration for my writing. There are other bands which have also inspired me greatly, such as Lifehouse, Goo Goo Dolls, James Blunt and Christina Perri. Simon and Garfunkel are pretty awesome too. Getting back to the piano -- to Scarlatti, Lyadov and more -- is also nice. It's been a wonderful past couple of weeks. :)
Have a great weekend!
<3
Courtney
Arsenic Lobster just published one of my poems: Check it out here: http://arseniclobster.magere.com/380301.html
A huge thanks to Arsenic Lobster for publishing my work. It's a great journal, so you should definitely check out some of their other entries. I have a lot of respect for their quality and creativity. It's also just a lot of fun to look at the artwork and layout of the journal. It means a lot to me to have my work featured there, and to see all the wonderful things they have published :)
I'd also like to take a moment to say how happy I am right now, with both my writing and my life in general. I'm now officially writing as a columnist for The Trinitonian, my school's newspaper, while also continuing to work on my poetry and fiction, plus some plays. There were some very rough moments, but in the end, pushing forward made all the difference. Inspiration has nestled itself in the palm of my hand, and I don't think it will be leaving anytime soon. Just keep on writing! Everything you want is within your reach. What matters is that you go and get it. Reach for it, work for it...and it will be yours.
To end for the day, here's some music. I'm starting to open up more about the kind of music that I listen to, and it's been so rewarding to find other people who respect, and even share, my tastes.
https://youtu.be/clKAdQnwJ7A
Feel free to share your musical inspirations! Rob Thomas and Matchbox 20 have given me some amazing inspiration for my writing. There are other bands which have also inspired me greatly, such as Lifehouse, Goo Goo Dolls, James Blunt and Christina Perri. Simon and Garfunkel are pretty awesome too. Getting back to the piano -- to Scarlatti, Lyadov and more -- is also nice. It's been a wonderful past couple of weeks. :)
Have a great weekend!
<3
Courtney
Thursday, July 30, 2015
First Poem Finally Released!!
Hi everyone!!
"Petition on a Concrete Bench Saturday" was just published in the Eunoia Review!! Check it out:
https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/petition-on-a-concrete-bench-saturday/
I am so grateful that this wonderful magazine decided to publish my work. A huge thanks goes out to Ian Chung, the editor, and the rest of the staff, as well as the other wonderful contributors and our supporters. Thank you!!!
While you're on the site, you should also check out the poems "E" and "A", among other entries. The style conveys beautiful stories with elegance and grace. I'm in awe of the talent displayed in this journal.
Hope you are doing well. I will post more updates soon!
---Courtney
"Petition on a Concrete Bench Saturday" was just published in the Eunoia Review!! Check it out:
https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/petition-on-a-concrete-bench-saturday/
I am so grateful that this wonderful magazine decided to publish my work. A huge thanks goes out to Ian Chung, the editor, and the rest of the staff, as well as the other wonderful contributors and our supporters. Thank you!!!
While you're on the site, you should also check out the poems "E" and "A", among other entries. The style conveys beautiful stories with elegance and grace. I'm in awe of the talent displayed in this journal.
Hope you are doing well. I will post more updates soon!
---Courtney
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