Literature--like visual art--can take on many forms and be appreciated by some, but not by all. Every artist tends to have a particular style that they prefer to express themselves through. Sometimes art is seen as crude or inappropriate at first glance. Then reveals a masterpiece as time passes and minds expand.

My intention:
I hope to reveal unique pieces of written art. Those writers who put their hearts and souls into their literature, but don't have an extensive fan-base. This spotlight is to allow some exposure for the "under-dogs" of dA literature.

To those who view these artists work:
If you plan to critique follow the rules of criticism. Being rude is not a critique that's appreciated by any artist. Some of the pieces I select may not have perfect grammar, punctuation, etc. I did not choose them for their grammatical prowess. I chose these pieces for the stories behind the words. I myself do not hold a lot of weight on grammar when selecting pieces, because not all writers are English majors or even fluent in the English language here in dA.

The plan:
On the 7th of every month I'll share a collective of 10 pieces from writers that I've found on dA to be exceptional. If I can't decide among their collective efforts I'll select their featured piece as the feature to represent them. Who better to know what work is their best than the writer him/herself?

The club:
I've arranged a special section in my new lit club, *ScribeSanctuary to give members the exclusive rights to select feature-worthy scribes in the dA Community. When members participate in this aspect of the club they're granted points for suggesting a scribe that meets the "Scribe Scout" Rules criteria.

I encourage members of the dA community to join in on this search for talent so unknown scribes in the community get their time in the spotlight. Please do not submit your own work, explore dA and enjoy the talents of other writers.

_{For more information on *ScribeSanctuary see the bottom of this article}

-----



Scribes Spotlight for May (v.03)

Mixed Features this month (meaning not all are brand new writers to dA), see Reporters Notes for more information.

Prose:

Feature One: Love by ~sympathy220

Love…

There’s many different kinds of love to give. Love as in peace for the world. An expression of something you enjoy such as a ring or a favorite movie. Brother/sisterly love.

The type of love I wish to speak of is that feeling you get deep down inside you for someone very close in your life. For some, it is easy to make their love known for someone. For others, not quite as easy.
Love can be very complex depending on the person or the one they wish to be with. Such as myself.

Read more...

Feature Two: My Self by *Rynnay

<No Preview Image Available>

Have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror until the person you see slowly begins to look like a stranger? Until the angles and down-curves and up-curves no longer look familiar to you in the arrangement that you see? As if you’ve never seen the person before in your life and you wonder where the hell they came from, and why the hell are they staring at you with such accusing, piteous, tired eyes as if you are to blame for why they look so shattered. So haggard. So utterly…

Read more...

Feature Three: Boys will be boys by ~Braveheart-Ancestral

<No Preview Image Available>

The child scrunched his nose at his feet. his mother had tied the shoes on perfectly, right shoe on right foot, left shoe on left foot with a nice double knot to keep it from getting undone. or to keep him from his mischief. He waited in his seat patiently, since his mother ordered him to greet his grandparents when they came. And to behave. Though there was small chance of the latter occuring for this little lad.

Read more...

Feature Four: All Was Golden In The Sky by *sweet-symphony

<No Preview Image Available>

He swore she was an angel. Of course, even after they both grew old, he still swore to it.
She was beautiful, just sitting there on the low brick wall, her hand idly drifting in the river below her. Her blonde hair shone even in the pale light of the morning sun, her lavender dress show off her curves in all the right ways.
Why, if he had enough money for a camera… he looked around, running a slender hand through his long black hair. He spotted an old man sleeping next to an easel and a few charcoal pencils and paints, and grinned.

Read more...

Feature Five: A dragon mask tf story by *Transryu

<No Preview Image Available>

“Hmmmm…a package…could this be it?” Chris said to himself as he picked up the box that had just been dropped on his steps. It was hard to tell, it didn’t seem to have a return address or any sign of whom it had come from. Choosing to ignore this oddity, he took the box inside. If this was the dragon mask that he was supposed to get, it had come pretty fast. Set it on the table and began putting away his belongings, shoes, and socks.

Just three days ago, he had been talking online with another dragon fan. They spent several minutes discussing how wonderful the creatures were, and the different artists that they liked. They quickly became came to like each other, and to Chris’s amazement, the guy even offered to make a dragon mask for him. Of course he did, so Chris said yes, and asked how much it would cost. It had turned out that it was free!

Read more...

Poetry:

Feature One: The Curse of DeviantART by *wyldflowa

There are a lot of artists better than me
And a few who are much worse.
I'm somewhere in the middle
Which in itself is a curse.

My little sketches are left to rot,
My masterpieces ignored;
I envy those other artists
Who are globally adored.

Read more...

Feature Two: Shades of Grey by ~crimsoncourreges

<No Preview Image Available>

Life hasn’t always been about arguing and dissing and
Breaking other’s hearts. It was once about sugar and butterflies and
Lemon gumdrops falling as rain. We’d stand in the field with our
Mouths open wide, hoping that our parents wouldn’t catch us before we found that elusive gumdrop
And when they did
We would smile at each other because we knew it was
Inevitable.

Read more...

Feature Three: Waste Away by ~somewhatdead

<No Preview Image Available>

Ropes of immaculate thoughts
bind themselves around these wrists
As you sit for days on end,
blue smoke coiling out of your cigarette;
a translucent blanket hanging over your head.
And you are high on emptiness,
jittery on this pain - -
anger reeling through your flesh (or is it fear?)
Come waste away with me, you say
I'll suck you into this perpetual void of nothingness,
this vacuum of trepidation.

Read more...

Feature Four: Escape by ~sleepymoogle

<No Preview Image Available>

I can't help the way I feel.
I can't help the things I say.
All the walls I have built
can't keep away this pain.

[chorus]
Can you help me break away?
Can you free me from this cage?
Can you help me find a key?
Can you save me?

Read more...

Feature Five: Your Song In My Heart by ~bloodyteardrop08

<No Preview Image Available>

Good night,
Farewell,
Good bye,
Good day,

After so many long years
You still will not go away.
In my mind you frolic
In my heart you play.
It's as if my emotions were a melody,
Or my heart strings a harp,
Upon which you strum,
To the beating of my heart,
To the rythm of my breathing.

Read more...

-----

A place to hang your hat:
Here are a few of the dA clubs and Projects around the dA community that writers can join to help them get some exposure, helpful critiques, and prompts to help them improve their writing skills. (Please note: Most of these organizations are willing to help any writer that seeks assistance, all you need to do is ask.)

Poetry Clubs:(Poetry Only)


Prose Clubs:(Prose Only)



Proetry Clubs: (Accepts Poetry & Prose)




Resource Clubs: (Writing tips and tools)


An additional list of literature clubs in dA created by ~Lit-Source explains what each club represents, the url to their dA, and the last submission made by the club.

-----

Writing Clubs I've found on dA that seem to be inactive...
These clubs are not available to join--that I know of--If you know something about their status please let me know. Thank you.

~original-fictions - staff: ~damned-warrior, ~angelofplottwists, ~BlackDove42
~PoeticPath - founder ~KGee owner ~Eyes-S
~poetrycafe - manager ~SilverMidnightCross co-manager *CrustyMuffin
~ShatteredVerse - owner ~lostko
~PoeticWind - owner ~thedrakestir
~PoeticParadise - founder =crazynloveless manager ~SpiritoCustode admins =crazynloveless ~Jeslica666
~LyricsWriters - founder ~pennylanelives
~Wordsculptors - founder ~Cypher4000 ~jayfp09
~TheWord - admin ~mdvbilt =sunstarmoon
~Writers - founder ~rainvine admin ~TragedyDemised
~written-from-within - founder =silverwolf71190 admin ~baby-buddha ~Kung-fu-girl90
~fictionwriters - founder ~calenure owner ? ~Therony
~literatureODD - admin ~iheartpirates
*Emotional-Writings - admin =diamond281

-----

Reporters Notes:
I'm in the middle of moving to Germany so I didn't have the time this past month to really sort through literature to pick out features from our unknown writers. I took from my past Lit Features and a few of my favourites to share for this month instead.

Input from the community would be greatly appreciated. No matter how known of a writer you are today, we all start off being "just another writer" in the crowd. Help me give our new members a reason to stay in dA for the long haul. Let them see how supportive our community really is.

My trip to Germany begins officially on Sunday, May 11, 2008. My next spotlight may be late also, depending on when we have internet access and when all of our furniture arrives, but I will have one spotlight a month, every month.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article.

Wishing you all the best,

-LK

-----

Show your support for Scribes Spotlight:



Join the club: [link]
*ScribeSanctuary is a club designed to give its members an all-in-one place to share their literary work. Three main gallery categories allow members to share a piece for sharing sake, write a piece from a weekly theme, or ask for critique from fellow members.

The points system in place allows members a way of gaining promotions within the club and receive additional exposure for being committed to the small community that is *ScribeSanctuary.