There’s always something that needs to be said. Some perspective that sheds light on a subject that matters to us know. Writing can be our best source of unadulterated honesty.

Why can’t you write it?

It’s impossible nowadays to live without knowing the problems everyone is talking about. Racism, gun violence, sexism, body image, or just politics, it’s all fair game and it’s all important to talk about.

With creative nonfiction, the inward reflections can speak to a moment in time for our nation. In a recent issue of Brevity, a flash piece called Saftey accomplishes this by ruminating on personal safety. In today’s climate of gun violence and international upheaval, it speaks volumes.

Sometimes as writers, we hesitate to approach huge topics as they happen in real time. We don’t want to overstep, or to leap and say something wrong. Worst of all, why should I write about these things?

The truth is, these are the moments when we have to write.

We can only really find answers when enough people join the conversation. As writers, our best mode for creating change is our writing. Really, we can’t know how enlightening our perspective is until we send it out into the world. When Joni Tevis spoke with our editing team, she mentioned exploring, collecting information. In turn, she herself has managed to bravely write about death, fear, and mourning in new and profound ways.

At Runestone, we look for those pieces that have something to say about current events. As an online literary journal, we have a very short turnover time which makes it the perfect vehicle for timely writing.

So, start writing.

We know you have opinions, things you have said in private or in class that you can get down on paper. You can add your voice to the current debate on whatever matters to you.

Then, of course, send it to Runestone. (Editor’s note: We are open now to your submissions and look forward to reading your work.)

Literature and punk music, at first glance, seem to be two mediums that are completely unrelated. Look a little closer and I think you’ll find that the two actually have a lot in common.

Consider some of these incidents: In 1843, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was arrested because his works supposedly criticized Russian religion and politics. Emperor Nicolas I feared a revolution partly because of Dostoyevsky’s writing. In 1968, Detroit-based proto-punk band MC5 was arrested in Michigan for disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct after their concert got out of hand. MC5 was strongly influenced by Marxism and the writing of the Beat poets. In 2012, two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were arrested on charges of “hooliganism” and sentenced to two years in prison. Russian President Vladimir Putin saw their arrest as fair and deserved. All over the world, authors and punk musicians have been arrested or censored because of what their work has to say.

Hopefully, after considering these incidents, you’ll see the similarities these two mediums share. Literature and punk have often been used as a way for marginalized or disillusioned voices to be heard. Both mediums have thrust into the spotlight things that people have been unhappy about, and both mediums have given identities to people that aren’t in power; people that aren’t a part of the majority.

This is important to note for two reasons:

1. Since the mid-1970s, when punk first came around, people have often thought of the genre as simple and unintelligent. However, many punk bands have been very literature-oriented, intelligent, and well spoken.
2. It shows the power that literature can have, not only in affecting a whole music genre, but also in affecting change.

To celebrate this relationship between punk and literature, here is a list of five punk songs inspired by novels or authors.

Disclaimer: Some of the bands and artists listed may not be considered pure punk, but, in their own way, they all have dabbled at some point or another in the genre, if not musically, then stylistically.

  
David Bowie “1984” — From his album Diamond Dogs. This song by the late David Bowie was inspired by, you guessed it, George Orwell’s 1984.

You’ve read it in the tea leaves, and the tracks are on TV
Beware the savage jaw
of 1984

Patti Smith

Patti Smith “Land” — Often called “The Godmother of Punk,” Patti Smith is also a poet and a visual artist. She based the 9-minute song “Land” off William S. Burroughs’ novel, The Wild Boys.

When suddenly Johnny gets the feeling he’s being surrounded by
horses, horses, horses, horses,
coming in all directions

Dead Kennedys “California Über Alles” — The late 70s political punk band Dead Kennedys were also inspired by George Orwell’s 1984, and used the novel’s setting as a framework for this song.

Now it is 1984
Knock-knock at your front door
It’s the suede/denim secret police

Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack “Invisible Monsters” — This Minnesota-based band was inspired by Chuck Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters for this 2005 song on their album, Commit This to Memory.

Whoa whoa, are you listening to anything I’ve said?
It’s hard to admit, my weakness can consume me.
I search for the cure in the bottles of varied volumes, yeah

The Blood Brothers “The Salesman, Denver Max” — The Blood Brothers were more of a hardcore band then a punk band, but their experimentation and smart, often weird lyrics made it so they fit right in with other punk bands of the time. This song was inspired by Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Yeah, it tastes like metal in my mouth like rusty Listerine.
Yeah, my name is Denver Max please excuse the mask,
Yeah, running down my face, bound by tacks and paste.

If you have any favorite songs or albums inspired by literature, we’d be happy to hear about them in the Facebook comments. I think it’s a fantastic thing when two mediums that we know and love converge and create something new and fresh.

My living situation recently changed and a room opened up for me to use. Right away, I knew what I was going to do with it. I was going to make a dedicated space to do my writing…. Well, a few solid weeks passed and the room sat empty. I had a lot of ideas on how to set it up, but I haven’t done anything yet. What I needed was to do some brainstorming before I got to work. I needed to approach this project just like a writing project. I needed some kind of outline or guidelines to drive the progress. Here are some things I think are important:

Keep it Neat & Tidy

This will look different for everyone, but in general too much visual clutter or a shuffled stack of papers can distract you from your writing. Use the tools that work for you. The fancy desktop organizers and expensive office supplies will do no good if they don’t ever get used. I have the box of office supplies gathering dust to prove my point.

If something doesn’t work, is broken, or doesn’t fuel you, get rid of it! Ask yourself a few questions if you’re unsure what needs to go. Does it inspire you? Does improve your focus? Does it keep your space functioning smoothly? If the answer to any of these questions is no, the item in question does not belong in your writing space!

Light it Up!

In basic scientific terms, light is energy. The best light for your writing space is the natural light from a window. Unless you’re ready to saw holes in your wall, you’re pretty much stuck with the windows you have. I am fortunate to have a window in the room I’m setting my creative space up in. However, the window looks out at the house next to mine. It wouldn’t be so bad, but the house is six feet away from mine. It’s less than inspiring and all I can see.

There are other strategies you can use to make your light work for you. Overhead lights, particularly fluorescents can kill the mood, so to speak. Opt instead for using lamps and soft, diffuse light sources. Candles can offer an ambient glow (and can do double duty if you choose a focusing, energizing scent). Another option that may help energize you is a full spectrum light, which simulates natural daylight.

Make it Personal

This is your space. Make it yours. Fill the shelves with your favorite books. Your favorite authors were once like you, trying to find the time and space to write. Their books are proof that success can be achieved. Along the same line, surround yourself with quotes and art that inspires you. Hang something motivational where you can see it when you’re writing. Fresh flowers or potted plants bring the outside in and energize the space.

Have your favorite tools at hand. Sure, you could write with that crummy ballpoint you accidentally stole from the checkout counter, but why would you want to? Stock up on your favorite pens or pencils. Have a big stack of paper or your writing journal nearby. Write on your computer or laptop, but don’t let it become a distraction.

Keep your space clean and make it yours, but don’t make it into a lounge. If you’re anything like me, the last thing you need is another place to relax and watch Netflix. There’s a reason I don’t get anything written in my living room. As soon as I sit on my couch, I am in chill mode. Your writing space should get you ready to write from the moment you walk in. To put myself in work mode, I had knew I would need a few things. The room I have to use is small, so the desk and shelves had to be custom made.

Luckily, I know a guy and that guy happens to be my dad. With a few coats of paint on some old chairs alongside my new custom set-up, I am well on my way to a usable and inspiring work space. Check out these photos of my project, and use the comments section on Facebook to let me know what is essential in your work space!

Ellen Hopkins writes mostly young adult novels dealing with tough subject matters. She tells these stories through poetry, which ensures no word is wasted on the page. Hopkins’ books combine fiction and poetry, which are two genres that aren’t often put together. This makes her books stand out. Her books are beautifully written, even though the subject matter is often anything but beautiful. Whether you are interested in reading these books or writing YA yourself, here is a list of five books to get you started:

Impulse is about three teenagers who have tried to commit suicide, and this book shows their recovery process as well as what led them to the decision that suicide was their only option. This novel shows three teens from very different backgrounds who have all hit rock bottom, and it shows them bond together as they work through their problems and form relationships with each other.

While the novel is mostly about the characters getting better both physical but especially emotionally one of the characters actually ends up getting worse by the end with being unable to find a way to move past the issues that led to the original suicide attempt in the first place.

Perfect is a companion novel to Impulse and it deals with four teens trying to live up to the impossible ideal of perfection. This novel is one that deals with what the concept of being perfect means to each of the characters and it shows how much a character is willing to do to achieve their version of perfection.

By the end of this novel some of the characters have figured out that being perfect is impossible and that trying to achieve happiness is a better way to live their life but then there are other characters who leave the novel still believing being unable to let go of the impossible ideal and are willing to destroy themselves in order to achieve that ideal.

Tricks is a novel about five teens who end up in situations in which they are forced to sell themselves in order to survive. These five stories are only very loosely connected, and for the most part these five stories don’t overlap with each other. They all just seem to deal with the same type of subject matter.

The five characters all come from very different backgrounds, and even the way in which they end up having to sell themselves is very different but despite all these differences in their stories they all seem to fit well together in this novel. All five of the characters stories work so well together because all of the characters are different people and from different backgrounds but they all end up in the same situation which shows how easy it is to get mixed up with something like this.

Identical is about two identical twin girls coping with their dysfunctional home life in two very different but equally destructive ways. The focus in this story is on the girl’s family and the coping methods that girls have for dealing with their parents. Since the girls are so different when it comes to their opinion about their parents, you are able to see both the good and the bad in both of them even when you’d rather just see the bad.

Tilt is about the lives of three teenagers whose lives are only loosely connected dealing with very different things. Mikayla spends all of her time trying to please her boyfriend; Harley is trying to grow up way too fast; and Shane who ends up dealing with a crisis of faith and a lot of grief.

For more about Ellen Hopkins, visit her “For Students” page, where she’s kindly taken the time to answer a lot of questions aspiring writers may have including: