Alix is a teenager who dies in a car accident at the age of 15 and goes to heaven.

She hadn't had the chance to travel too much in her short life, so God decides to make her a wandering angel. A wandering angel has to travel from place to place and help people in distress. Alix adores her new job, because she likes helping people and there are so many places in the world she's never been to while she was alive. However, angels have their own strict rules. They mustnt interfere in the lives of the people who are not on their daily list, and they mustnt fall in love. A rule that Alix breaks. After all, shes a teenager. Alix can fly over green fields and sparkling rivers, over dark woods and white mountains, over blue oceans and seas. Everything is great and she feels very happy and free. But as she comes closer and closer to the house of the boy she loves, happiness turns into butterflies and freedom into longing. It is her daily ritual. Everyday she flies past his house on her way back to heaven, hoping she will catch a glimpse of him through the window, knowing it is the most she would ever get. She lives with the hope that one day God will put his name on her list. And He does in the end, but in tragic circumstances.

Imagine life and death are two compartments separated by a crimson curtain. The reason why we can't see this curtain is that it wasn't designed to be seen by human eyes. We were given eyes so that we cannot really see. Because if we had been able to see the curtain, we would have torn it to pieces by now. M. has this revelation in a dream. He sees the crimson curtain and tries to rip it off but then he wakes up and realizes nothing has

changed. The dream becomes recurrent. He's having it night after night. Everytime, he manages to destroy the curtain but in the morning he wakes up and everything is just the same. Then one day he has the revelation of why this is happening. What he can see in his dreams is not the real curtain, it's just a mirror image, a false copy of the original. The only place where he can find the real curtain is exactly where it is meant to be: at the borderline between life and death. But how can he get there? And if he fails in his mission, will he be able to come back?

THE BUS JOURNEY How about a bus that doesn't take you where you want to go? You pay for the ticket, you take your seat, and the journey begins. But something happens and all of a sudden you realize the bus didn't go on its usual route. The places you can see when looking out of your little window are not the places you knew, the places you used to be familiar with. A whole new scene displays in front of your eyes and you're starting to realize that this is not a common journey - this is a journey that is going to change you forever. Imagine the things that could happen on this journey, the things you could learn, how your old beliefs and ideas would be shaken and your whole mental universe reshaped. It could be like a dull black and white dream, on an overpowering greyscale, or like one of your most colorful dreams. Let your mind wander. And remember... Never trust a bus driver. Submitted by Silentia

Fear of blank page Creative writing is a very rewarding activity, once you get into it thats what the professionals say. But how do you get into it? How can you overcome the existential terror that paralysis your will every time you have to confront the cold, uninviting blank document? When the terror creeps in, dont worry. Youre not the only one. Welcome to the club. The first question that comes to mind is: why? I could think of several reasons for this irrational fear: because (1) we are scared of the unknown, (2) we like to cling to familiar things, (3) we are never quite sure whether we can do it or not (even if weve done it before) (4) we feel the pressure of having to do it well, (5) we feel we have a responsibility to ourselves and to our readers (and responsibility is always a burden), (6) our subconscious interprets the blank of the page as a reflection of the blankness in our mind, (7) we feel our head is full of ideas but that well never be able to organize them in writing, (8) we think weve got to get everything perfect from the first attempt, (9) we have the almost superstitious belief that getting the first sentence right is of paramount importance, (10) we are scared of making mistakes. After all, writers are humans, too. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you conquer the fear of the blank page. 1. Before even starting, go to the best passage youve ever written, read it carefully (not necessarily aloud) and say to yourself: See? You can do it. Youve done it before. There is no reason why you cant do it again. 2. Dont start with a blank page. Create a special document you can open every time you want to write something new. Start it with an inspirational or motivational quote, a writing prompt, a favourite saying, a message to yourself, a prayer, a mantra, a magic spell, even an embedded picture anything that makes you feel better and turns the blank page into a comfort zone.

3. Start by writing keywords instead of whole sentences (preferably in a column rather than a row). Once youve got the first words on the screen, the page is no longer blank, so the logical reason for your illogical fear is gone. 4. Experiment with formatting. Its a little trick that may sound childish but it works. When Im going through a bad inspiration crisis, I play with the formatting like a child with his toys. It goes like this: write a few keywords or phrases - you can even copy and paste one of your old passages - with the sole purpose of getting something on the page. Start experimenting with different font types and sizes, change the color of the background, add a bit more content, try different styles and headings, change the colors and the fonts again, add a bit more content, and so on and so forth. There comes a stage when you find yourself writing just because your page looks so good you can hardly believe its yours. 5. Use a Dictaphone or another recording device. Then all youve got to do is transcribe your own words without worrying about being creative. Once its written down, its much easier to go through all again and edit the original wherever necessary. 6. Train your mind to give up the idea of getting it perfect from the first try. Dont worry about the form, the grammar, the punctuation, even the spelling. You can rectify all those in the editing stage. Thats what editing is for. Write with the sole purpose of pinning your ideas down. Worry about nothing else but unleashing your creativity, exploring your imagination and expressing yourself. All the rest will come later. 7. Think about what youre going to write before you open your word processor. Actually, you can start planning it in your head even before going online, while having your breakfast, taking a shower or even in bed at night. Come with a title and/or a few lines. If it helps, write them down on a piece of paper. It is much easier to face a blank document if youve already repeated in your mind what you want to say.

8. Talk to yourself in your head. I know that sounds crazy but sometimes writers do crazy things and this tip is a last resort when you are completely drained of inspiration. Ask yourself questions and answer them, then write it all down. Imagine you are interviewing yourself. Something like that:
Q: What are you going to write about today? A: I have no idea. Q: Hmmm... That sounds interesting. Im sure many people will appreciate this topic. Did you think of a good title for it? A: Nope. Q: Well, theres no rush. Did you dream last night? A: I cant remember. Q: We arent getting anywhere, are we? So how about surfing the net for a bit of inspiration? A: Whats the point? Q: How about looking for some writing prompts? A: Too much hassle. Q: How about checking the weird news online? A: Leave me alone. I just cant write today. Dont you understand? Q: How about watching cute puppy videos on YouTube? A: What? Q: Youve heard me... A: How about keeping your mouth shut? Q: Im the one who asks the questions here. A: Whats your problem? Q: No, whats your problem?

A: Ive got no problem. Q: Yes, you have. You are a writer. Youre meant to write. Thats what writers do. So why dont you? A: I dont know... I think its the blank page. It inhibits me... Q: What blank page? A: The one youre just staring at. Q: I see no blank page. All I can see is a page thats got our conversation on it. A: Hmmm... Youre quite right. I havent thought of that.

Youve got the idea. You can turn anything that goes on in your head into writing material. Split yourself in two: the one who asks questions and the one who gives the answers. In order to create, God had to invent number 2. Creation begins with two. (There speaks the Gemini in me.) ONE contains all the probabilities, but only TWO can make real things happen (e.g. an electron needs a proton, a man needs a woman, yin needs yang, etc.) Once youve grasped this truth, youre on the way to enlightenment.