New Artist Highlight

Jul 12, 201412 min read

Deviation Actions

Published: Jul 12, 2014

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Hello, darlings, Sylvia(draecana) here, and before we begin, there is an exciting

announcement! The lovely Kaelyn (SurrealCachinnation) will be joining me as an admin for the New Artist Highlight! Party

Let's give her a huge welcome! We shall be the Dynamic New Artist Highlight Duo! Elatedly seeking out new deviants and deviations for our monthly article! :eager: by darkmoon3636

Now, with that excitement dealt with, let's carry on with the show!

Welcome, once again! Or perhaps this is your first visit? Well, welcome, all the same! Will you step into our parlor? 'tis the prettiest little parlor that you ever did spy. The way into our parlor is up a winding stair, and we have many pretty things to show when

you are there.

This month, we've chosen the wonderful Echolalic-Ellie for our feature and interview, so without further ado...the feature and the interview! High-five!

for rhyming! *ahem*

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_{A cleverly written story in which the writer provides just enough detail for the reader to piece together a sinister secret without directly stating it.}

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_{Stark, yet beautiful, and as sharp as the swiss army knife she describes, this piece is most certainly arresting.}

First and foremost, thank you for being our next ~~victim~~ featuree, Ellie!

We have a few questions we'd like to ask you for the article ~~und ve haf vays off~~

~~~~making you talk~~, if you don't mind.~~

How did you come up with your username?

My username is based on the word echolalia, which means to habitually or pathologically

repeat others' words or remarks. To me, that's what it means to be a writer. You take phrases, thoughts and feelings that others have thought, that others have felt, and put them to paper in the best way that you know how to. And when you're gone, people will take them from you and do it all over again.

Why did you start writing?

I didn't have the best childhood. I was often sick, and there were some issues at home as well as at school. So when I was five years old, my mother gave me a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It sparked a love of reading, and when I was seven, a family

friend allowed me to borrow his copies of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I remember being told to be very, very careful with them because they had belonged to his mother and she had passed away. I read them and returned them before the week was out. I remember getting quite upset because I had fallen in love with them, with their old pages

and their fresh words, but also being quite proud that I hadn't broken something that mattered so much to someone. But instead of taking them and putting them away, he pushed them back into my hands and told me to keep them, to look after them, to love them. And I did. It was these books, this man and my mother that made me realize that I had been given more than a book. I had been given the written word, and it was mine to do what I wanted with it. I wrote my first story the very next day. And to this day, I still have those books. They're older now than they were then, and they're falling to pieces and I cannot read them because they're so fragile, but I keep them anyway. They were my ticket into the written world.

What is your inspiration?

I've been inspired by many things throughout my life. My experiences, my thoughts, my books, my mother, the colour of the paint on the walls, the scent of grass in summer. No one thing has been more important than another because they've all helped me to create, to

live as a writer, and that is a little inspiration in itself.

What is your favourite piece in your gallery? And why?

Oh, this is a hard one. I have a few favourites, but I would have to say that out of all of them, crow feathers on his eyes would have to be my top pick. As for why, I'd have to say that it's because it was one of very few pieces that made me feel brave when I wrote it.

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What is your impression of dA and DailyLitRecognition so far?

I am constantly in awe of the kindness within the literature community here on dA. I used to believe that there was some heirarchy, that deviants were divided by popularity and skill. But now? Now I believe that most deviants here don't believe in that rubbish, that

people are kind because they genuinely want to be that way. This community has provided me with some of the best friends that I have ever had, and for that I am eternally

grateful. As for DailyLitRecognition, I think it's brilliant. I know that it came about because of less than gracious deeds, but it doesn't show.

And lastly, our silly question! Let's say you're a brand spankin' new Crayola crayon.

What colour would you be, and what would you be called?

I'd be a delicate blend of rich purple and subtle blues, and my name would reflect the way

books smell and the sound of tea as it cools.

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_{An excellent personification of winter, filled with beautiful language and effective imagery that gives the reader chills.}

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_{Stunning from the first stanza, this piece is yet another example of how striking a writer Ellie truly is. She pulls no punches and cuts right to the heart of things.

-----------

What's new, little boy blue?
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_{From a talented poet trying her hand at prose, the reader will delight in the masterful use of poetic--but not cliché--ocean imagery.}

Dragging Diamonds Down My SkinI wanted someone to call
me at midnight, out
of breath (out of
luck). Telling me they
need to talk.
But not you.
"This probably comes
three hours too late
but please,
listen anyways."
You placed your tongue
on my throbbing heart,
eager to nurse off
the life of another.
You said: "Shred skin to find the bone",
I had shed my skin, lulled my
bones into a weeping silence
and I still tasted disappointment
in your kiss.
I've heard your eyelids creak
when you open and shut them.
I know what hides behind the glass
and I do not plan
on coming back.
_{A beautifully wrenching piece from a very new member of dA's lit community. The formatting adds to the poignancy of this already intense piece.}

Courting FantasyLike many young children, Asha had dreamed of running away and joining the circus. The obsession began when her father took her to a Ringling Bros. show. Her father pointed out the elephants and told her they came from Africa, where her grandfather had once lived. She giggled through mouthfuls of popcorn and roasted peanuts as the clowns went about their crazy antics. But fun as they were for a child of four, those memories would fade. The act that Asha would never forget was the acrobats.
Strong and lean men and women soared through the air, bedecked in sequins and glitter, catching the brilliant spotlights that followed them as they performed fete after daring fete. Asha watched in awe, her mouth hung open as her eyes followed a woman dressed in gold who leaped into the air and into her partner's outstretched arms.
"It was beautiful!" she exclaimed after the spectacle had ended. Even better than dancing. Did you see them, daddy? T
_{A lovely little piece from our own SurrealCachinnation that imparts not just one, but two, very important message fantastically; you can be anything you put your mind to, and never lose your passion, your spark.}

Elvis Presley FFM5Debbie squealed, seeing “Hound Dog” by Elvis on the jukebox. She popped in a quarter and began, “Did you know...”
I rolled my eyes. Elvis Presley fact #33775 of the day, and it was only noon.
“That Elvis recorded his first single ‘That’s All Right’ on July 5 at Sun Records in Memphis two years ago?”
“No, I did not, but frankly, I don’t care.”
“Well!” Debbie fake pouted and crossed her arms. I glared at her. She giggled and took my hand, “Oh, come on Grouchy Pants! Dance with me!”
“I don’t dance. You know that.”
“Oh, but you can dance! I’ve seen you. Remember the talent show back in fifth grade?”
“When I embarrassed myself in front of everyone by splitting my pants while doing the splits? All too well.” I sighed, cringing at the memory of the entire school laughing at me.
“Oh come on! Just once?”
“Nope.” I crossed my arms
_{_{A fantastic bit of flash fiction, this piece just grabs you from the get-go, and leaves you smiling, if not giggling by the end of it.}}

And there you have it lords and ladies, this month's New Artist Highlight! As always, feel free to note both Kaelyn(SurrealCachinnation) and I(draecana) with any new artists or freshly submitted lit pieces you'd like to see featured here!

All our ,
Kaelyn and Sylvia}

Skin by SimplySilent