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Catching the little critters that scurry through my mind and showing them to the world. |
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I think I was playing some twisted game with myself to see how long I could go without making a blog post. Rebellious much?  My mom and I have been playing poetry games with each other to see who can write the best (read: cheesiest) poems in a short amount of time. Here's the poem I wrote on her birthday card tonight: Deep down in my heart of hearts, I know that we will never part. You're my mom and here to stay, Our love is like the month of May. I channeled the full force of my inner Shakespeare on that last line. She laughed, which is what I was going for. |
| Invited to a party where I didn't know a soul, I checked the mirror one last time And powdered up my mole. A yellow sign stood by the gate with letters two feet high: "The Birthday Bash is down the road and past the dog--he's shy!" I bravely put my best foot forward and hoped it wasn't far; A scruffy cat came close behind And eyed my chocolate bar. At last I reached the pathway's end and tried to find my host; The guests lay 'neath a cottonwood, a party full of ghosts! They greeted me with winsome cheer while floating 'round my head; 'Twas then I grasped the awful truth: that soon I would be dead. |
I had a dream last night (probably brought on my this WDC birthday mayhem): everyone from WDC got on a cruise ship together and participated in various writing workshops and activities. I'm really hoping this is a prophetic dream.  (Since I'm not going on the Walking Dead Cruise.)This dream also featured a horde of mischievous puppies and kittens. Interpret this as you wish. |
| What can you do just 1% better today? For me it's choose slightly better words when I revise my poem. When I revise my story, I'll spend that extra minute lowering myself into the character's mindset, or looking up synonyms on Google. Think of what could happen if you improve 1% every day!  |
Ideas are the hardest part about writing for me. No matter what I think of, it feels stale and like it's been done a million times before. How do you people do it? Anyway, I just had a (huge) flash of inspiration and came up with ideas for six of the songs for my Musicology Anthology stories. For me, that's like having everything half-written! Yay, I might actually make it to the finish line.  Now if I just knew how I did it, I could harness this magical power... |
| I went bowling today with about seventy of my coworkers. On my lane were two men old enough to have daughters my age, who were probably captains on their volleyball teams. Bowling gave me the perfect opportunity to display why I never tried out for sports in high school. While their balls whispered down the lane as softly as angels kissing babies, mine bounced. They performed a swaying dance of beautiful form, and I shuffled up and dropped the ball in a stiff curtsy. My form has stayed the same since age ten, like a broken bone that healed crooked. And when people make an excuse for missing a roll by saying "I'm warming up," well, I really was warming up. My score went from 80, to 108, to 137 (I was thinking of going pro at that point), to 67 (getting tired), to a mercifully unknown number from an unfinished game. I'm going to keep my day job, and save my delicate fingers for typing. |
| This blog's title is a major reason I'm on Writing.com. I could write a lot about James Altucher, but for now I'll keep it short. (For now.) James Altucher self-publishes books on money and success and writes a blog you can find here: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/ (As of today his most recent entry was titled "The Horrible Things About Being A Full Time Writer"  )He has a roller-coaster backstory, but what I really like about him is that when I read his daily blog entry, I get the sense that I'm reading someone different and crazy, but wise. He talks honestly about his wife and daughters, and spouts heretical ideas about why you shouldn't go to college or buy a house or go the traditional publishing route. A lot of people hate him for his ideas. He tells us not to bow down to "The Gatekeepers": corporations, publishing companies, universities, record labels, and so on. He interviews people who have used the digital age to make it on their own, by taking MIT's entire courselist online, becoming a Youtube star, and self-publishing with Amazon. Where does the blog title come in? James Altucher hosts a Twitter Q&A every Thursday, where he answers any questions that his (Twitter) followers ask him. People ask all kinds of things, from questions on business to personal matters. I just looked at some questions from two days ago and they included how would you homeschool your child, advice to college students, and how to energize yourself. Not that he's some internet guru with the answers to every question, but he does give simple, good advice. I've only ever asked one question, but it was enough for now: What's something you read in a book today? He replied, Look fear in the face. Smile at it. Dance with it. Then leave it and do what you're afraid of. Let's see, how does that apply to me? Well, writing. Sharing my work. Writing a blog. Entering contests. Taking criticism. Looking at email. I've always been a worried little bird, flitting out of the way of perceived danger (criticism, failure, disappointment). I still do that in some areas, but at least I'm here on Writing.com, making friends, and growing as a writer. Thanks James Altucher, and everyone here on WDC! |
| Yesterday, I attended a charity meeting for United Way at the company where I work. The speaker said something that stuck with me: I'm here to give you that gentle push to be a hero in your community. (Well, him and the 55" flat screen tv we could win if we gave!) That makes me think of being pushed to write. Sometimes I've thought that it's wrong to need a push to do something you enjoy so much or are so talented at, but now I think that's silly. As humans, we need pushes to do everything! Hunger pushes us to eat, fatigue pushes us to sleep, and annoying relatives push us to move out of state. Writing.com has pushed me to write. Contests are a huge part of that push, but also the pleasure of slowly filling up my portfolio, and looking forward to the emails I get when I make a new piece. Thankfully, this push isn't too hard like school was. School pushes you to read and write, but I hated it because getting the grade was life or death for me. When there is balance in life, and going to work or cooking dinner is just as important as writing, then I can enjoy it, and thrive. So thank you, WDC, PDG, and all the wonderful people here, for your gentle pushes! |
| I played The Sims 3 obsessively several months ago, a computer game which allows you to control your own personalized cast of characters. Due to its quick cooking time and high level of hunger satisfaction, Mac & Cheese was my Sim family's most common meal. They ate the creamy, gooey dish at any time of day or night, and rejoiced at its yumminess. After playing the game for a few weeks, I noticed a change in myself. I had already been a huge fan of my mother's baked macaroni and cheese recipe, to the point that I judged any other version of the cheesy noodles to be "fake" and "nasty." However, after feeding my Sims mountains of this golden fare, I began to crave it in every form. Quick-cooking Kraft, gluten-free Amy's brand, a side dish in a Stouffer's fish filet meal, it didn't matter. Pale yellow or radioactive orange, it all found a home in my happy stomach. I still possess this addiction months after moving on from The Sims. In fact, I just ate some now, and I'm doing my best to scrape every last bit of cheese from the tray. So be careful what you play, and if you play The Sims, at least have them eat Autumn Salad. For your own sake.  |
| Hello! My name is Julie. I actually found Writing.com around several years ago when I was in my preteens. I loved it and spent a lot of time here, but then for some strange reason I stopped showing up and allowed my account to eventually be deleted. I didn't write in my free time for a long time, excepting the monthly teen column I wrote for my local newspaper for a year. I recently began working on my singing voice, and became entranced with the unique songs by artists like Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michaelson. I wanted to write my own songs but was intimidated by my lack of experience. (Which of course is nonsense; everyone starts out with no experience!) Desiring some outside motivation to practice writing songs, I remembered the contests I used to enter on Writing.com and signed up. As soon as I saw the familiar beige webpage, a feeling of nostalgia washed over me, and I knew I was home. I entered a Newbie poetry contest and the Dialogue 500, and then I found The Writer's Cramp. I happily started writing short stories for the prompts I liked, and rediscovered my love and talent for fiction writing. I've written several stories so far and won a few Writer's Cramp prizes. What I'm really looking forward to is filling my portfolio to bursting with stories and poems. Eventually I want to write some novels, but I'm holding off on that. For now, my focus is on PDG! As to how I found PDG, well, it found me! One day I received an email stating that someone had nominated me to join the class, and I agreed. I love it so far. I like seeing the stars fill out next to my name in the Navigation classroom and completing each Playground challenge. I'm looking forward to review class and the Poetry and Short Story workshops. Not to mention all the lovely people who are part of the Paper Doll Gang. Thank you so much, guys!   Thanks for reading. Check out my welcome page for more information about me and to leave your name.
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