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 |  January 2016 (30 Day Blogging Challenge) |
| LET THE GAMES BEGIN! |
| Design and write about what would be your ideal contest on WDC. I don't join many contests here on WDC, mainly sticking to those that help me with creativity in short story writing. So for my contest idea I wanted to make sure it focused on the promotion of writing daily, working in short increments, and in developing something bigger to be enhanced for some future potential publication. Some ideas: 1) A 6 week contest, where each week you provide a story under 1000 words on an incident in your life. You would need to think over your most memorable events and really take the reader to that point in time and your thoughts during that event. At the end of the contest you could have the beginning of your own biography! Or maybe you write about the experience of a person close to you and at the end you have a wonderful present of memories for that person. 2) I'd like to combine my favorite hobbies of writing and reading. A book is chosen and you have a month to read it. Each participant has to write a short story providing a back story on one of the characters, or an event that was not described in the book, or description of a location in the book. Any story that would add to the color of the book. 3) A scavenger hunt, every day or week a person is chosen to write a description of a place, thing or person. The other contests try to guess who or what is being described. The key would be to make it difficult yet doable. All these ideas are obviously just in the brainstorming stage. It could be fun to think it out and make it real. |
| "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." ~Bill Cosby Discuss the above quotation and whether or not you believe the same. I agree with this quote and feel that without laughter it is difficult to have hope and joy in your life. Everyone deals with tragedy or heartbreak in their lives, some more than others as we all hope that the sadness is minimized. Trying to continue on in the midst of that pain is where laughter can help. The question to me is not whether laughter can help you survive but more when you can begin to laugh. After the tragedy of 9/11 comedians struggled with the appropriateness of the time jokes could address this tragedy. We the public needed a release and laughter was essential. Comedians like Bill Mahr tried too soon while Saturday Night Live had more appropriate timing. Painful blows are rarely the source of any comedy but refusal to laugh is refusal to go on and that is not an acceptable answer. |
| Do you believe that incorrect spellings and grammar are acceptable in creative forms such as poetry? I wholeheartedly believe that creative forms of writing should allow for incorrect spellings and questionable grammer as that creative license can ellicit a feeling or response from a reader that the "correct" version may not be able to convey. However I do not believe that creativity should be accepted as an excuse of sloppiness, carelessness or indifference. (Short but sweet entry today as I am swamped). |
| If you could give any person in the world one gift (money and time are no obstacle), who would you pick and what would you give them? First let me say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Em! I remember 21 and wish you a decade of adventure, love and success. It is not easy to choose one person and one gift. But when I think of giving I immediately think of our son. He is my everything. He is almost 17 and there is so much I would like to give him. I could think abstractly and give him all the tools for success: empathy, charisma, fearlessness, wisdom, selflessness, etc. These tools will let him interact with the world around him and make a difference. But those are tools that you acquire through experiences and it is the experience that will make those tools most valuable to him. I could him the gift of time and let him learn to enjoy every waking minute for as long as he desires; to never feel the stress of lost time or the anxiety of wasted time. He would have enough time to visit every part of the world, to meet every type of person and to try every adventure. That may make him tired though and I wouldn't want him to be overwhelmed. I could give him enough money to make it a non-issue. Do what he wants and never have to consider cost. But no that would would be placing too much importance on money. Besides he needs to know that I have faith in his ability to be financially secure. I could give him friends and personal relationships, the gift of finding that someone special and of knowing that those around you care and love you. He already has good freinds and great relationships, and more importantly the understanding of how to develop relationships so I will not waste my gift on this. It seems so simple but the only thing left is to give him the gift of health: a healthy body and a healthy mind so that my baby will be able to experience all the joys his life has to bring. |
| Write about the area of your writing you would most like to improve Although my readers would most likely prefer I focus on grammar, spelling and technique, I'd like to improve my consistency in actually producing something. In other words, I need to write more, I need to write regularly, and I need to write continually. It was my junior year of high school when I first found my love of writing. Sister John Marie (I went to a private school for fine upstanding young women - look how that turned out) instructed the class that we would need to write in a personal journal at lest twice a week. Being the A type that I am, I vowed to write daily or more. What I found was that writing came easy and gave me an outlet I had not discovered earlier. In college, one of my first jobs was writing for a local ethnic paper. I actually used a type writer (yes I am old) and composed in the cold back room of a printing shop. Even with the questionable conditions, I loved that job and enjoyed the work. Since then my writing became more of a hobby than a career path. Like all hobbies, it took a back seat. Yes, I need to write in my job and I even entertain my friends and family with creative (at least I think they are) thank notes and invitations. But writing never produced income and therefore always came second. A few years ago I started a blog as a friend was starting hers. Well my job and family took precedence so my blog went with out nutrition and like a plant that receives no sunlight or water, it died. This quarter that friend is self publishing a book of her most entertaining entries. They are fabulous and even though I am a bit envious I am thrilled for her and inspired by her honesty in writing. So getting back to the point of this prompt, I need to improve or should I say rededicate myself to writing. This is probably a very good place to start. Bonnie14222 |
| I have not blogged on writing.com since May and am anxious to begin again! |
| Spring has obviously hit the Buffalo NY region as we have been looking at high 70 degrees and sunny days. It seems the weather has a profound affect on my mood and days. I enjoy the change of seasons. The first cold crisp snowy day in winter is energizing. The newly sprung flowers and 50s in spring put me in a jovial, lighthearted mood. The sunny warmth of summer makes happy and introspective. The colorful leaves and sweater wearing weather of fall is my favorite. Scientific proof exists that the Vitamin D from sun rays is essential to our well being. There was even I time that I was lacking in Vitamin D and the increase in sun (plus a supplement) really made a difference. A friend of mind in Detroit used to get physically ill if he did not get enough sun light. He would have headaches and become lethargic, grumpy and uninspired. I always wondered if people who live in sunny areas all year round are happier or if they experience a change when the seasons change, even if its a change from rainy season to warm season. The rest of the week is expected to be warm and sunny. So it look like a good week for me. |
| I find no expression more cliche, yet more true than Time Flies. Obviously we cannot make time move more slowly or more quickly but it also seems to me that controlling our perception of time is just as difficult. When I was younger I thought I had all the time in the world. Seemed time moved too slowly. I couldn't wait to grow up and out; to have my own life and spend my time doing whatever I wanted. What a fallacy to believe you can spend your time any way you want or to think you will have as much time as you want or need. You have no real control. Right now I am very angry with time. I try to pack my days accomplishing more and more so I don't run out of time. But the next day comes only to find that I have more to do, that I have not done enough and that time just continues on. I hate the time that has passed and the fact that I just didn't appreciate the time when I had it or when I was in the moment. I remember and miss so many things that will never come back. More than anything I resent time for appearing so abundant yet never being enough. I dread time. I know I shouldn't and like many of you I am trying to live in the moment. It's not that I am not hopeful and looking forward to events with my hubby and baby, but I know that time treats me differently now. I know too much and I know days are fleeting and my time is limited. Sometimes the moment you are trying to live in suffers when you realize you wont have it back. How can you enjoy that moment fully knowing it will be son be gone? I am kind of rambling I guess. It's just that time and aging go hand in hand for me and I am not going gently into that dark night. Something small but overwhelming happened to me today and coincidently it made me think of the past and the future: time. My son and I had a conversation. Happens all the time but this one was so real, honest and unexpected. As a teenager he brings me much worry and stress but today I saw him as the man he is becoming. He spoke eloquently about his future and his happiness. Fifteen minutes later we were back to prom dates and erg scores. But I had that glimpse. He is beautiful, intelligent, interesting, funny, sensitive and he is not really my little boy anymore. He slips away into adulthood everyday and it is harder to see the toddler I adored. In a couple of years he will be off to college but I don't want this time of my life to end. I want to keep going to sporting events to cheer him on and to keep making him meals and driving him around. If it's so hard now with him living at home and not yet driving, how ever will I survive him leaving for college? Time sucks. |
| I enjoy doing the blogging challenges however this format is not really my "cup of tea". It's a great idea and I am happy to be involved but I have a tough time if the prompts are not announced early. Additionally I struggle with the topics, sometimes not really knowing how to proceed or at times I come in late and really having nothing to say. That being said, I think it is terrific to be reading and writing with such talent and I appreciate the hard work of Earl and the judges. Other News: Saw doctor today. Good news is the hard cast is off and it does not look like I will need pins in the foot. Bad news is the bone fracture is still obvious on the xrays and I am now in some soft cam walker air cast for the next FOUR weeks. Doctor stated that it is not healing quickly probably because of my age. Really? I need to be called old and be told I have another 4 weeks of a freakin' cast. Happy that I could finally groom the leg and foot but the damn thing still hurts and I have another month. Trying to stay positive... |
| So here I sit, awake since 3 am and immersed in WDC. I was just about ready to call Brother (you know I have his cell on speed dial) and then the Blog Monkey caught me. Instead I will focus on his prompt. I cannot seem to recall the first thing I wrote as an adult and that was not mandated by either a class or work assignment. How can this not be one of those things that are remembered forever? I recall writing a paper contrasting (at that time new concept of) The Effects of Social Media and Professional Networks on Career Movement. It received a strong A but sincerely won't find any following any time soon. I have written numerous business plans, technical training documents, newspaper articles, project review papers, term papers, analytical essays, emails, thank you notes and especially To Do lists but I sincerely cannot remember anything written for pleasure prior joining WDC. Hmmm tough to call myself a writer when I rarely write. Anyway, let me pick the inspiration that brought me here. It was a few years ago. My brother was staying with and we had just come back from a coffee run. I thought about it all day. I was overwhelmed with emotion and just had to write the experience down. The words just flew out of me and landed on the page. At that time I wanted to show it to everyone to convey what I was going through and because I thought it perfectly described my feelings. Then I thought about it and decided not to show anyone I knew. What if they didn't get it? Fear, embarrassment, self criticism took over. So I searched on line, found this amazing community and posted it. The few reviews I received (good or bad) were inspiring. Just to think that people read it and responded was such a thrill. The piece is still in my portfolio titled "A Walk for Coffee". I am a little afraid to touch it. Maybe any change would alter that time and emotion. Maybe it would be trivialized now that time has brought perspective. It still is the most honest thing I have written and I do hope one day to create a story around it and publish it. Ahh there I go with that fantasy again. Funny just talking about that makes me want to revisit it and write, write, write. Well I have to get moving. Big day at work. Believe it or not I have a Business Opportunity recommendation to write, projections and all, as well as a quarterly project review. Have a good day my cyber friends! |
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