Daily scribbles on writing and living. How to get rid of cobwebs in my brain. CLOSED. |
I am over the moon with joy this morning, as I got an anonymous gift from a co-writer on WdC. I can set up a blog for the coming three months since someone paid for an upgrade. If you ever read this Anonymous One, thank you so much! Many thanks to "Request An Upgrade From RAOK" [E] I got an upgrade for two more months. That will enable me to write and review some more in order to earn my keep after that. I have to think about this for a moment. Don't want to rush it, don't want to solely vent or underestimate the value of a daily blog for my writing. So I will carefully try to explore what it will bring me. “All my life, my heart has sought a thing I cannot name. Remembered line from a long-forgotten poem” ― Hunter S. Thompson, Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga When I was a teenager, my little brother stole my journal out of my bedroom and read it. I was so disappointed and mad about his action, I destroyed my writing and have been struggling with the concept of conveying my inner thoughts ever since. So, I will send my daily scribbles to the world. On How to get rid of cobwebs in my brain. To let in some air and rejoice. For another clumsy attempt at writing, check out "All fingers and thumbs " [18+]. I am a Rising Star from Rising Star Program 2016-2017. Comments, scribbles, and notes welcome! Thanks, 🌕 HuntersMoon for the teal awardicon. Note ▼ |
"Invalid Item" The man in the doorway. Suddenly: he’s there! Out of the blue: he’s there! Standing in your doorway! Standing still in your doorway! The man that visited your dreams over the years, sometimes, not always but frequently. The unknown man who made you feel good, the man who was there to hold you, to have sex with you. The man out of reach for so many years has finally turned up in real life. You didn’t even notice him at first, just a common man, a simple man with a nice face and good manners. One of a kind but not extraordinary at all. Till you meet up with him and you get to know him better, you get to know him more. Then suddenly: all is well. You communicate as real people, you touch as real people, and you interact. And then there is this realization: this is him! The man you have been secretly waiting for all those years. The man you have been comparing your lovers with. The man you could not find before. The man that was not there before. Is here now. Is here to stay. Don’t leave him, don’t ever leave him. He is your other half, he’s your significant other, he is real and you can touch him, you can hold him close to your heart. You can be with him. Choose him; choose what’s good for you. Choose what’s there all of a sudden, within you reach. Choose happiness! Funny hat, crazy shoes, weird handbag, dazzling hair - I'm so ready for this interview! Have fun. (BCoFs) I want to take on this new position in Life as were it a new job! I am fully equipped to take on this new job. Funny hat, crazy shoes, weird handbag, and dazzling hair - I'm so ready for this interview! It’s a good day, it’s been what I have always wanted and now it’s within my reach…I am totally confident this is the position especially made for me to fill in. It’s mine for the take. I take it…I want it…I say YES! “The wound of not knowing," Ga said to her. "That's the one that never heals." Adam Johnson, The Orphan Master's Son. Is there something that bothers you because you know that you don’t have the whole story or have you ever created a character who was wounded by not knowing?(BC) I have no wound of not knowing. I am of the philosophy: Life is on a need to know basis. If you don’t know the answer it’s something beyond your scope, beyond your handling, beyond your reach of control and there is no need to be bothered much. Of course, in earlier years I have had my share of thinking what if…what if I didn’t experience this, would my life be different in the end and how would it have turned out if it was that way. But I learned to let go. Things have a way of turning up, of happening in your life for a reason. Try to figure out what happened and what you can learn from it in the here and now. Then move on. That’s not always easy, I know, but at least there is no (longer a) wound. I am grateful of that! |
"Invalid Item" Monkey steals groceries from walking lady. It sort of looks funny, but it is not of course because this ape is almost as big as a human being and shows no shyness towards the lady. In fact, it is a dangerous situation, it can turn ugly. Title Prompt: The Happy Holiday. Takes this wherever you want. (BCoFs) My holiday period has already started in a way. The weather was beautiful the last couple of days, and I have enjoyed the outdoors tremendously. Today, the second day of Pentecost I traveled with my stepmom, my cousin and her husband to three small villages near the waterlines. A lot of boats, old buildings, churches, and little quaint shops. We had brunch, tea, and dinner outdoors. It was a lovely day. At the end of this week, I am also visiting the fairytales theme park in my country. I feel blessed with the lovely company of my family and my new found lover. This is going to be a really good summer period, I can tell already. Kindness!! I think it’s one of the most important assets a human being can develop in her lifetime. It shows the bond between people and the love of one and other. It really, really makes the world a better place if we, the people try to be more kind to each other. |
"Invalid Item" Time in a turtle. The slow pace of Time. The tortoise is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge and is able to defend itself on its own. It personifies water, the moon, the Earth, time, immortality, and fertility. |
Prompt: Let's talk genre-crossing...pick a WDC writer (other than yourself), and a famous author (past or present). But...they have to write in genres that are not the same as each other's most common or preferred genre. Team them up and tell us what you think they'd come up with. (BC) I’d like to pick Princess Megan Rose GOT Fox who writes romantic stories and Stephen Kong who writes horror stories. It would make an interesting cross of romantic horror. A new genre. It would be a challenge to see what they come up with in their teaming up. The beauty and the beast meet Jack Nicholson in a remote hotel? Everything is possible… |
Creation Saturday Prompt: "Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world because it's the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself." - Ray Bradbury, science fiction writer. Use this quote to inspire a story, a poem, or some other type of blog entry. (BCoFs) I love Science Fiction in movies. I am a big fan of Star Trek and I think it’s very commendable to watch all those episodes of worlds, people, places, situations and gadgets that do not exist other than by their mere invention. It’s awesome and thought-provoking most of the time because it forces you to think very much outside the box. Science Fiction in literature is a lightly other matter because I sometimes don’t understand the details of the technical stuff they put in there. But it gives rise to dreaming of other worlds and times in the future. A lot of this art has actually become the birth father of the things they invented in real time. “To boldly go where no man has gone before!” It's a creation Saturday and I have some interesting words from my favorite link on the internet, the random word generator. Appointment, hemlock, whisper, blade, drunken, fight, and desire. (BC) Max has an appointment today with a wizard. To please him he will bring hemlock for in Wizzard's Bare Bunker called home. He will whisper in his ear the word “desire” and get him drunk, or in a fight to distract him, and try to pilfer from him the secret of Life before he throws a blade in his heart to overthrow his power. |
"Invalid Item" The sun was shining bright, it was a lovely day. She was in the water. Her body underneath the surface, only her head showed. |
What's trending where you are? (BCoFs) There is only one thing trending on social media. And that’s the strange tweet of President Trump. Furthermore, I never been much interested in what’s trending or not. Only when there is a big disaster or breaking news of some kind I will look into the matter. All of us have slumps and getting back on track varies drastically among us so let's toss ideas around on how to stay motivated with our writing. What works best for you? (BC) For me, what’s working best so far is trying to write every day, without exception. Blogging is, therefore, the answer to writer’s block, for me. My Muse is active every day and that keeps her occupied and alive. Just the ritual of writing in the morning hours provides the right atmosphere for my writing daily. |
"Invalid Item" Two people on the road to nowhere and everywhere. It’s a fixed road, this railway track. Because they are together and will stay together if they are lucky and make that conscious choice every day, of every week of every month. |
Merit Badge Project. "Merit Badge Projects" [13+] Secret Admirer Project. Write a story or poem using the following prompt: You have been receiving romantic letters from a mystery someone for the last three weeks. Now they want to meet you face to face. What happens? Nice meeting you ~ out of the blue came a friendship request on Facebook Word count: 708 |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Prompt: If you could spend happy hours looking at a person's bookcase and their grocery cart, you would get a good idea of who they are. Do you agree? Write what you want about this. I think that is the case indeed. A bookcase is a very personal display of a person’s mind. And the grocery cart would give you an indication of personal eating habits. And we all know the saying: you are what you eat! So in this way you get to know a person real quick. This is, of course, a very shallow assessment. To really know a person you have to spend time with them, preferably in their natural habitat. Over a longer period of time. Prompt: Besides flowers what is the best thing about May?(BCoFs) The start of new things. May is always the month of the spring, of the excitingly new possibilities of Life. It is the month the birds are nesting and giving eggs and offspring. It is the month of the color green and of smells. With the sunshine on the meadows, everything is more powerful, more radiant, and more alive than ever before. I already spent an afternoon at the beach. Lying in the sand, playing with the grains of sand and hearing the roaring of the ocean in my ears while kissing the one I am in love with…ah…blessed month of May 2017. |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Talk Tuesday! Last day of the month! Assess your work this month...tell us what you think, and what you've learned- both about yourself and your fellow participants. I have created a story with Espero for the Rising Stars Program. It was fun and the collaboration worked really well for the both of us. What I learned from her is that she is really an inspiration to work with. She is soooo good at writing a story; I was flabbergasted as what her mind could come up with. It was awesome! How do you feel about the rising demand for audio books? Is this a good thing or bad thing for literature? As a writer, have you considered reading your work for audio books, podcasts or youtube?(BCoFs) I never considered writing for audio before. I love the possibilities of audio books, podcasts, and YouTube, though. But during the Rising Stars Program we were asked to write a stand-up comedian piece "An introduction" [13+] and slam poetry "My voice" [E]. It was the first time I had to consider writing for sound and performance. I was a little apprehensive at first. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the means to put it to the test of airing it or performing live. But the effort was there in writing those pieces. It was a different approach in writing. I liked doing it. It will be a great asset to Literature I think since it allows a whole new generation to listen and experience and create themselves the wonders of the written word. Literature is now not only about reading and imagining the words inside your head, but also as part of an experience with more senses, eyes, and ears in sound and live performance. Prompt “It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.” John Green, Paper Towns. What were some of the things or people that were difficult to leave for you, for someone you know, or for a character in your story, and what were the results of leaving those things?(BC) Leaving boyfriends in the past, it was what I did frequently in my younger years. When I wasn’t happy in a relationship I tried working on it, obviously, but if it didn’t work I was the one who left. Therefore, except for three years of living together in my twenties, I never had long relationships. I wanted out most of the time after a while. And I am very good in living alone and being on my own, so there was no need for me to stay while unhappy with the way things went. I got bored? I left. I fell out of love? I left. I was upset or angry for a longer period? I left. That way I could stay sincere with both my partner of the moment and of myself. I never lost my integrity. But I often wondered if I was suited for a life with someone else. I hope to have the chance to find out! |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Motivational Monday! Comedian {x-link}https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope{/x-link}, born on this day in 1903, once said: "If I have to lay an egg for my country, I'll do it." He was a proud supporter of the US military and would often do comedy shows for troops stationed overseas. When have you "laid an egg" or lent your talents to a greater good, be it writing or life in general? I am in the middle of the process of laying eggs. Since my meetup with a very inspiring man and poet, I have written three poems in the Dutch language again. That is extraordinary since I wrote solely in English now. I haven’t written a decent Dutch poem in years. Thanks to this wonderful team-up I am totally inspired. It is hopefully the start of a wonderful collaboration of spirits and souls. I am eagerly looking forward what the Muses will provide for this period in time. Prompt: I read an article earlier today that said many people have forgotten the meaning of Memorial Day. Do you think this is true? What does Memorial Day mean to you? Do you have a family member or a friend, who served or died in a war? If so, does this impact the meaning of Memorial Day for you?(BCoFs) I’ve written about my uncle Frits, who was a soldier and died very young in 1961. See: "Uncle Frits, waiting and full moon" . He got a plaquette posthumously awarded for his services. The whole family was there to receive the award. It was very memorable to honor him so many years after the fact. Prompt: “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” Joseph Campbell. What is the difference between everyday heroes and heroes who gain fame? What are your thoughts on being a hero?(BC) Everyday heroes are not in the public eye. They perform their heroic act and remain almost anonymous. They are a strong force behind a lot of random acts. Heroes who gain fame are noticed by a larger audience and gone public. |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] The Sunday News! This week, legendary disco act KC and the Sunshine Band returned to the Billboard Pop Chart with their first single in decades...and quite a few groups whose heydays have long since passed have seen varying degrees of success in recent years. Which 60's, 70's, or 80's singer (or band) would you like to see make a successful musical comeback in the next year? I am not sure if they perform still, but I loved The Talking Heads back then. I would love for them to make a comeback… PROMPT: How do you feel when someone you otherwise enjoy talking to starts quoting from a questionable non-"tv talking head" news source? I don't mean a source with a slant you may disagree with perhaps, but (for example) a study done with an obvious bend meant to prove a certain political or religious point of view? How do you inform your friend that the information they may have received could be tainted with half-truths and outright misinformation while maintaining positive discourse?(BC) In my country, there are the questionable views of right-wing politician Geert Wilders. He got high up in the last elections, unfortunately, but a lot of people voted for him. Also in my town, in my own neighborhood, a lot of people agreed with his views on immigrants, Europe, banning Muslims and generally have similar ideas as President Trump in the USA. I would gently ask my friend to reconsider his views and be more positive about necessary changes that are inevitable in the world of today. I think their views are fueled by fear and refusal to change with our multi-cultural society. Half-truths and misinformation and simple gut-feelings are very dangerous these days! They divide groups of people from one and other and are a menace to present and future of our planet! |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Creation Saturday! Create a backstory from the strangest thing you've seen at a garage sale. I only once went to a garage sale in my former hometown Leyden. I was walking down the street on a Saturday morning when I passed this house with a sign that there was a sale. It turned out to be a painter from Australia, who had lived there for a number of years and was returning back to his home country. He sold the lot. So I entered his house: a lot of books and paintings. I choose this wonderful colorful painting, signed at the back for 10 bucks as I recall. It’s been 30 years since, but that painting is still hanging in my living room. I absolutely love it! Prompt: Pick any subject and answer the questions What, Why, When, How, Where, and Who. (BCoFs) What? I am going to take a quick shower Why? Because the man I am in love with is visiting this morning. We are going for a bike ride. When? On this beautiful Saturday morning. How? He is going to rent a bike at the station and I have my own bike here. Where? In the Hague, my city in the Netherlands. Who? His name is Martin, and he is sooo cute! Have fun with these random words: lonely, hate, narrow, fear, cobweb, silly and evanescent. (BC) To narrow it down, I was a little bit lonely sometimes because I was always alone, writing. I hated that for the long run so I decided to do something about it. A little bit silly but it worked: I met a lovely man. The cobwebs in my brain disappeared overnight and I don’t have to fear any longer my life will be evanescent. I am building sacred memories as we speak. |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1959, the word "Frisbee" became a registered trademark of Wham-O. What is your favorite memory of a childhood summer outdoor toy? My outdoor AND indoor toys as a child were the same: books! I didn’t play with dolls or anything, I was reading ALL the time. When I was 3 years old, I already held the book my father read to me at bed times out loud. Others were amazed I could read at such young age! Till my parents put the book upside down back in my hands and I could read it again…I memorized the book of course… didn’t know how to read at all. Think of a memory in a beautiful landscape—maybe from a family vacation, or your favorite childhood destination. Now think of a scene from a story, novel, or movie that describes a landscape, and that has stuck with you. What makes these moments special?(BCoFs) Perhaps it’s that feeling of recognition that sticks in your mind. As if you’ve been here before and recognizes parts of that landscape or the emotion of how it makes you feel sticks with you for some apparent reason. Did you visit before in that landscape? In a dream? In a former life? Choose a local celebrity from your city, region, or state, and explore the intersection of the pop icon’s cultural context and your own memories of time spent in this locale. (BC) I was just wondering the other day how come nobody from my past had grown into a celebrity of some sorts. Until this week when I discovered an old friend from my primary school years was starting a new career as a politician in the town where I spend my childhood. She was starting as an alderman in the city’s town hall. That was a fun surprise. I wished her all the best at Facebook of course! |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] One big thing versus lots of little things...take that in any direction you'd like. I love this guy; I am also in love with this guy. It’s one big thing and lots of little things why I feel this way about him. We met online (Fivesixer and Kit of House Lannister I am following in your footsteps!) and are communicating online as much as possible and we have had a real date in real time two times now. This morning will be our third date. I am so thrilled, glad and honored to have met this wonderful man who brings the best of me out in the open. In the past 25 days everything has changed, and yet everything is still the same…the ideal combination for me as a writer and a person who have to stay also focused on everyday writing and living. This is one of those rare things that can happen in life and I am experiencing it now! The Vessel: Write about a ship or other vehicle that can take you somewhere different from where you are now. (BC) I am totally comfortable where I am right now, but if there were an invisible ship that would take me some place I would like to be transported right now to Java, Indonesia. There, only yesterday evening my time, another terrorist bombing took place in Jakarta. A double bombing this time that took a few lives and got a few people injured. I would like to pay my respects to those affected since Indonesia is where my roots are. My late mother and the family were born in Indonesia and brought to the Netherlands by ship in the 1950s. I have visited that great country twice and I absolutely love it. I was sad this happened again in Indonesia. Prompt: "Living is like touring through a museum. Not until later, do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book and remembering because you can't take it all in at once." Audrey Hepburn. How do you feel about this? Write your thoughts on this. (BC) Audrey Hepburn was a great actress, model, and humanist! A wise grand old dame of the big screen for so many years. I loved her. This quote is almost spot on for me. I would add: Now and much later you start absorbing what you see, thinking about it, looking it up in a book and remembering because you can’t take it in all at once! |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Would you rather be a sailor or a shipbuilder? I would rather be a sailor and sail the waters of the world. With my hair in the wind, the sound of water against the boat and freedom in my heart and ears! Long ago I tried to get my sailing license but I flunked it, unfortunately. I didn’t quite understand the practice of sailing, although I got my theory exam. Years later I was on a sailing holiday trip in Friesland, a province with lots of water. It was on a big sailing ship with ten or twelve others and the crew. It was a lovely experience until I stepped off board on a slippery path and sprained my ankle. Aww. . Luckily for me, one of the others was a physiotherapist who knew how to treat this. But I had to sit aboard for the remaining days and couldn’t do much. It was beautiful weather and I sat at the railing enjoying myself, watching the beautiful landscape passing by. The young captain and I had a wonderful chat. He was lovely! It was a great 10 days of spiritual moments. I love being on the water. My family has boats and my uncle and cousin were sailors, captains on big ships. They sometimes invited me on a trip out on the waters. Prompt: “I am realistic – I expect miracles.” ― Wayne W. Dyer Write a story, poem, or your opinion about expecting miracles.(BCoFs) This is certainly true for me. I am sure miracles do exist. As a matter of fact I am experiencing one right these weeks. Miracles are unexpected situations and moments where everything is glorious and wonderful. Dreams are coming true in real life. The things you want and expect secretly are turning out to be actually happening in real life. These moments and situations are rare, but when they do happen everything changes in a way. Miracles have to do with wonders and marvel. It makes you feel so good and leaves you flabbergasted and in awe! Prompt: "Pick the day. Enjoy it to the hilt. The day as it comes, people as they come." Audrey Hepburn. Does this sound like words to live by? Write anything you want about this.(BC) I try to live in the moment and take the day as it comes, one day at the time. It’s a Zen mentality I like very much. It’s stress-free, I am in the flow and I am enjoying life to the fullest. |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Talk Tuesday! What's the greatest fast food indulgence no longer available that you wish would come back and be something you can get at any time? While I am reading this I am finishing a burger . I am not supposed to eat it since it’s actually not very good for my health since I am a diabetic and have to be careful with what I put into my mouth. But I am also a little bit lazy so it’s just convenient food for me while needing lunch. If I want to do the right thing I know burgers and the lot are no longer available for me and I have to avoid it. I will start tomorrow. “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” ― Lois Lowry, The Giver. With Memorial Day approaching, I was curious what do you do in remembrance of those no longer with us? “Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.” ― L.M. Montgomery, The Story Girl. (BCoFs) I think of my late mother, who died in 2000 and my late father who died in 2015. It is good to remember them so the chain of the family, of my personal history, is not broken. I talk to their photos in my house, perhaps, and light a candle in their remembrance. And I have some burning scent. That's about it, really. Prompt: "When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it." Criss Jami, Diotima, Battery, Electric Personality. What is your opinion on entitlement? Are we systematically entitled to some things we haven’t worked for, and what do you think about people who feel they are entitled to stuff automatically?(BC) It’s not okay to just assume you are entitled to something. In a way, you have to earn it, by working for it or enabling it to happen. But you must put an effort in it to own up. |
"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+] Motivational Monday! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, born on this day in 1859, once said: "Any truth is better than indefinite doubt." How do you relate to this?
I do not agree with this statement. Any truth? There are some ugly truths out there in the world I don’t want to be associated with. Indefinite doubt is highly unpleasant, but it surely gives room for searching, for contemplating, for creating. I’d rather be a stumbling searcher than a fixed fascist! Prompt: We live in a time when science is validating what humans have known throughout the ages: that compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, resilience, and survival. Joan Halifax. What do you have to say about compassion? What is your opinion of this quote?(BCoFs) Compassion is the link between the self and the other. It is indeed highly necessary to evolve this trait since it binds us together as a people. Without it we don’t socialize, we don’t have empathy; we are not capable of loving another. It is the glue that holds us together. In this day and age with technology taking over a lot of the social interaction like through social media networking, it is paramount we keep finding ways to make real meaningful contact with one and other. Compassion fuels that desire. Prompt: “Burnout isn't being overworked or not getting enough rest. Burnout is job-induced depression.” Eric Barker, Barking up the Wrong Tree. What does job-burnout mean to you? How can a person deal with it? (BC) Burnout is a big signal something is out of balance. You probably put too much into the job and get too little out of it. It drains energy, and it is highly dangerous for your well-being. To beat this you have to re-evaluate your priorities and ask yourself how to change things, be it in amount of hours you put into the job or your job description…is the job suited for you? Is there a way out of the status quo? If you don’t tackle the problem you can get very ill with all sorts of complications. You have to be aware at all times to avoid this. |