One of my annual habits is to give the house a thorough clean every summer. It is an exhausting yet relaxing and thought-provoking process. In particular, cleaning a certain areas helps me to gather my thoughts. A few days ago, a friend shared a youth magazine from 2011 on social media. As soon as I saw it, I recognised it. Like me, she cleans at this time of year, so she must have come across the magazine while rummaging through her old belongings. We talked about it and lau

Poems Penned by Peace, Where the Mind Is at Ease Everyone's idea of a holiday is different. For me, it's about leaving Istanbul. No matter what I do, not being there feels like a mini escape. I'm glad I finally left temporarily after a few years. I was especially glad to be freed from the constant noise, traffic, and meaningless chatter of those around me. I realised that this also helped me relax. On top of that, the ever-changing sky and scenery are refreshing, too. In fact

As of 20 June, I had been writing regularly for two years. Although I had previously written for various blogs, columns and forums, it was when I started writing on Medium that I established a regular writing routine. During this time, two of my accounts were closed for unknown reasons, despite my best efforts and those of the Medium 'authorities' to find out why. Fortunately, I also upload my writing to my own website, even if it is only in English. Of course, I keep offline

After every book club event, I reflect on how it made me feel, what I learnt, and which aspects have stayed with me. This train of thought occurred to me when I considered the wide variety of stories in our fiction club. I wondered what approach could be taken to generate story ideas. You may find some of these helpful as well. Since I’ve organised my notes under headings, I’ll present them in the same way. Let's get started. · Generating random headings and brainstorming id

Before I started reading Kemal Tahir's novel “ Sağırdere ”, I was struck by the following sentence on the back cover: "Every artist takes the people of the society they come from as their subject; for them, the greatest truth is the truth of their own people." I couldn't start reading because I kept thinking about it. It made me think about the values I incorporate into my own characters. When approaching the issue from a fictional perspective, I find it helpful to divide it

When was the last time you wrote or read a poem? Was it dedicated to someone, or was it a reflection of your own abstract emotions? Let’s explore together how personal and social dynamics might shape our poetry. I realised that I hadn't written anything about poetry for months. This, combined with the fact that I hadn't written any poems or prose recently, made me feel uneasy. I usually carefully archive every piece I write, but I hadn’t recorded anything recently. Strangely,

Take a moment to pause wherever you are, whether that's at home, in a café, or anywhere else that feels special to you. Look at the objects around you. They could be works of art or crafted items. How old do you think they are? Are any of them new? Do the patterns, shapes or colours evoke an emotional response? I enjoy reflecting on this topic whenever it crosses my mind. The subject is broad enough to be explored through almost any physical object. I intend to focus on items

May we celebrate our holiday, which was first named “Gazi Day” in 1926, then “Atatürk Day” in 1935, “Youth and Sports Day” in 1938, and finally “Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day” in 1981, the centenary of Atatürk's birth. The departure of the Bandırma steamer from Istanbul to Samsun on 19 May 1919 marked the beginning of the War of Independence. In 1926, celebrations were held in Samsun in honour of “Gazi Day”. On 24 May 1935, also known as “Atatürk Day”, sports

You have turned the final page of the book you have been reading, finally finishing it. You close the cover and start to think about it. Perhaps it was an impressive novel, or maybe you just wanted to get it over with — a book you wouldn't want to read again. Now it's time for some of you to review it. How will you rate the book? What value will you place on it? Which criteria will you pay attention to when rating it? I sometimes organise the novels on my bookshelf by the dat

Loading New Simulation Everyone's talking about artificial intelligence, and mankind is making rapid progress in this field. But is this development always positive? As the negative aspects come to light, we realise that this technology is both a curse and a blessing. It is very boring to talk about the issues on the agenda. To be honest, I can't bear to read another article about artificial intelligence. But when I read personal experiences or little-known experiences of oth

An aesthetic and statistical approach via “Herland” The perception of literature is abstract and intellectual. At least most of us have this attitude. Moreover, we do not find this strange. Analytical and rational form is hardly expected. But poems can have layers, can't they? If we write with certain forms or restrictions, we can enjoy different styles. We can create a completely different image and structure. As another example, at the end of a book we can make logical enqu

Reading or writing every day can be really difficult if we haven't made these habits a priority in our lives. And even if we love to write, we may not always want to pick up a pen. This is natural. But what if we imagine the opposite? Imagine that you wanted to write every day. What do you think would be the ideal time? Would you be more drawn to the freshness of the morning, the chaos of the day or the silence of the night? Everyone has some constants in their daily routine.

When we think of a character in a novel, the first thing that comes to mind may be superficial. Then we can go into more detail and try to give them a personality. Sometimes we can multiply our examples with different characterisations. Most of the time, however, our priority is not the setting itself. Well, can the setting really be enough to influence the novel? Most of the time the setting is a figurehead, an object in the background. It is like an actor whose name does no

Colours are powerful phenomena, both scientifically and psychologically. Whether we are aware of it or not, we feel them in almost every aspect of our lives. Sometimes they give new meanings, sometimes they make existing meanings more visible and understandable. In science, this subject is known as “colour theory”. Isaac Newton's studies of colour spectra and Goethe's colour wheel are the cornerstones of this field. Since then, various colour wheels (primary, secondary and te

If I had asked you exactly one year ago what you were doing, what you were thinking or what situation you were in, would you have been able to give me a definite answer? Probably not. But there is a way of knowing. There is an idea that I have adopted as a principle, and I do not hesitate to express it often, both in my writings and in conversations with my friends, when the subject comes up. A person's life can change completely in at least 6-12 months. Let's scale that up.

Literature is not only a means of aesthetic pleasure; it is also a weapon, a mirror and a rallying cry. Throughout history, writers have used their words as a sword against oppressive regimes, social inequalities and all kinds of forces that shackle the human spirit. Victor Hugo's glorification of the poor on the streets of Paris, Nazım Hikmet's chain-breaking verses or George Orwell's exposure of totalitarian darkness show how literature becomes a transformative force when i

When a writer changes his name, it is not just a matter of putting on a mask; sometimes it is a matter of completely rebuilding his literary identity, and sometimes it is a matter of creating a whole new soul. Becoming a completely different person, finally expressing what was inside and diversifying it with the roles he takes on, helps to create literary value. Pseudonyms (or pen names in literature) have often been used in the history of literature to conceal the identity o

When you want to write fiction, you can sometimes get lost in the struggle to find a subject. Then everything starts to seem absurd and meaningless, and the last shred of inspiration slips away. You resort to desperate procrastination or wander a few more streets in your mind, knocking on the door of other dreams. It will be a rare discourse, but this time I am not on the side of the victim. On the contrary, after a long break, I started the new month more sociable and creati

Writing science fiction has become a puzzle. It feels like every idea has been written down, every dream or assumption has succumbed to the speed of technology. How satisfying or original can ideas be in such an age? I thought about this question again after receiving a note some time ago. The reason was to write a story in a genre I had not written in recently. The first thing I did was to read to get a good understanding of the genre. Then I tried to remember exemplary lite

Choosing books is a complex process that can be shaped by both personal and social influences. Whether we are aware of it or not, we often make choices based on different criteria. One of these may be a preference for experienced, well-known and successful authors. This is actually quite understandable, as one might think that “if the work has been widely read, if no one has ever stopped talking about it, if it has been mentioned in the media, it cannot be that bad”. Dependin