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 |   A blog to house my musings, curiosities, and fascinations. |
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When it came time for me to start blogging again, I found myself paralyzed. I was trapped by the belief that my blog had to be unique, that it had to have a defined theme, and that it had to be appealing to everyone. After some time scouring Google for advice, I realized that if all I did was worry and plan, I would spend forever worrying and planning and never get to writing. From that realization, I've decided to display my blog writing guidelines here for everyone to see, but especially for me to see when I come here to write. ~1~ Blog about what is appealing to YOU. Don't worry about anyone else. ~2~ Allow yourself to WRITE! Don't restrain yourself to one voice, one writing style, one genre, or one topic area. ~3~ Throw out the fear of maintaining a consistent theme. Blog about your passions, interests, fancies, inspirations, opinions, musings, curiosities, ramblings, and loves. ~4~ Explore, experiment, and have fun! So, this is my solution. A blog about anything and everything that sparks my interest.  The title is inspired by the quote at the bottom of this introduction. Everything you love, even for a short time, becomes part of you. Our experiences and perception of the world is colored by those things we love and have loved, whether those things are  or not. This blog will be a place to house those passions and curiosities. Please enjoy! "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -Anonymous ![Merit Badge in Aloha
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Only the most selfless, dedicated person would come up with an idea like an Aloha MB. But then, from all those things you do on WDC and we know you're doing out in the world, it's what we should have known you'd do. You've always been working to make things better and help people, animals, and places. Maybe the badge should have your picture so everyone knows a real example of Aloha.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Aloha-2171989_14.gif) Cover image by Jessica Woulfe
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Okay. I had to allow myself a day to process ... this. This color. This title. This recognition. This honor. This privilege. Honestly, a day was not enough because I'm still feeling completely overwhelmed and shocked. Happy, of course, but just ... wow. I can't stop looking at my portfolio  Emily   Isn't that wild! I keep catching a glimpse out of the corner of my eye and get this little surge of giddiness every time! I don't suspect that feeling will fade for quite a while. It's even more crazy seeing my handle under Bitem links like this one:
It doesn't look real! If I just glance at it, it looks like someone else's blog. That's been happening to me more than I care to admit ... I posted the prompt over at the "30-Day Blogging Challenge"  and had to scroll up and down the forum a couple times because I thought the post hadn't gone through!  I didn't immediately recognize my handle, but then came that euphoria again when I remembered ...  So, enough about that ... I have people to thank! First and above all others, thank you to the lovely The StoryMaster  and The StoryMistress  for ... everything. It sounds cheesy, but where would we all be without Writing.Com and the tireless work of the Story Couple? Keeping this place running for TWENTY years?! I mean ... enough said right there! That's absolutely ancient in internet time. And not only are they keeping WDC active, they are continuously evolving, adapting, and improving the site for all of us! I am in debt to you both for this second home  Next, I have to shout-out the brilliant group of ladies I'm fortunate to share this honor with. Lilli ☕  , Schnujo Wishes WdC Happy B'day  , Jayne no idea what I'm bluing  , ChocoHuf-flepuff  , 💙 Carly - BLUE!!💙  , Shaye  , 💎GeminiGem💎  , and Roseille ♥  . I'm so humbled to be included with these fine peeps! And also happy we get to learn the ropes of this new gig together!  Finally, thank you to all you generous folks for the rad celebration! All the newsfeed posts, C-notes, badges, emails, texts even! You know who you are  You really made my day so so special!  I did some portfolio cleaning today, and found it funny how many things I've written in the last few months related to the color blue ...  Maybe it was a sign or something? Anyway, since I don't really know how to close this gushy post, here's a list of some of the blue things in my port that were maybe my muse trying to prepare me for something, haha!
Thank you for reading and hit me up if you have mod-related questions. I need some practice! -Emily  |
Happy 20 Years, WDC! What a huge accomplishment! It hardly seems real that this site has been around for a full 20 years. That is AGES in internet time! Before we get to the monthly listing, I have to share a little bit about the big thing I just did. I ... got a tattoo! A big one on my thigh. It is a memorial portrait of my dog Buddy who passed away three years ago in August of 2017. Here are some of the things I wrote about him: "In Memory" , "You'll be Fine" , "Buddy" and how I felt when he died: "Kernel" . Anyway, I thought it was finally time to memorialize his memory permanently on my body. I had one other tattoo before, just a tiny one behind my ear (it's real, not a metaphor: "All the Things You've Given Me" ), but this one of Buddy is 10 inches tall by 7 inches wide, about. My original appointment was scheduled for March and April, but ... as we know, Miss Covid had other plans. So, my appointments were moved to August 1st and September 4th (yesterday!). It took two sessions to finish completely with all the color and such, and I am so pleased! Here are some photos. Keep in mind that the finished tattoo is still very red and angry - that picture was taken immediately after it was finished. I'll get a better picture after it has had a chance to heal.   I am smiling so big right now. I wasn't able to be there with him when he passed, but now he will be with me forever  In August, I wrote:
In September, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews"  "The Leaving" "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man"  Book ThreeEnter Contests: "Promptly Poetry Challenge" "The Lighthouse Poetry Contests" for "The Contest Challenge" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" 30DBC prompting and judgingHappy September! -Emily |
July was a huge success for me. First, I paid off a big chunk of my student loans so I only have about $4,000 left to pay. I also got a raise at work, lost 10 pounds, and wrote A LOT! I mean ... WAY more than I normally write in a month. The things I wrote in July are listed below  Looking back, I wanted to reflect on how and why I had managed to write so much more than I’m normally able to write in a month. I think the partial answer is that I’m trying to catch up with the Contest Challenge, but also I’ve honed in my poetry writing process so it is easier for me to start a new piece. I always find it interesting when others share their writing process, so here’s a quick overview of mine (for poetry only, stories are a whole other beast).First, I open my little book, grab a pen, and write the prompt or topic of the poem. Whatever it is that I’m supposed to be writing about. Then, I start doing some word association and word vomiting everything the prompt makes me think about. Often, interesting phrases emerge in this stage, but nothing concrete. When the word vomiting is finished, I read through the random phrases I’ve jotted down and underline things I think are good. Sometimes I’ll draw arrows between different thoughts that might connect. Then, I’ll usually write the lines I liked on a new page in my book and add more structure to the thoughts. If new phrases come to me at this stage, I include those as well. Usually, at this point, the theme and story of the poem starts to emerge. I’ll start writing numbers in the margins to indicate if the line should belong at the beginning of the poem, middle, or end. I’ll also draw arrows and add more connecting words to start stringing the poem together. At this point, I’ll rewrite all the lines again in their new order and including the additional words. Now, the poem is nearing its final stage. I’ll type it on my computer, adding line and stanza breaks where appropriate and punctuation. Usually, I’ll let it sit for a while (few hours) before coming back to re-read it. I’ll edit my punctuation and word choice at least twice before posting to WDC. With this method, I feel less pressure at the beginning and it allows me to start writing even if I don’t know what I’ll write about. It is also a fairly fast process, quite different from how I used to write, laboring endlessly over a single line to make it perfect before moving on. How I write now allows the full picture to come out first and then find order on the page. And it’s working! Here’s what it helped me write in July:
In August, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "Emma in the Night: A Novel" "Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality" "Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion" Enter Contests: "Promptly Poetry Challenge" "The Taboo Words Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" Contest Challenge Catch-Up: June 2017 "Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest" March 2018 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Be proud of yourself! -Emily |
| I don't understand how half of 2020 is over already. I must be getting old. Before getting into this, I need to take a moment to thank the entire Quills team for putting on the 2019 Quill Awards ceremony last month (read the ceremony notes here: "Quill Ceremony Notes" ). It was my first time listening in live, and it was so impressive all the work Elle, Kit, and the panelists do to keep the thing running. Thank you!! If you're reading this, remember to keep the "2020 Nomination Form for Quill Awards" bookmarked so you can nominate worthy items for next year's Quills Ceremony!I was blessed to receive 3 Quill wins, 3 Honorable Mentions, and place as a finalist in 2 additional categories. Notably, "Callused Hands" won two Quills for Best Medium Length Poem and Best Medical/Health!  Wow-oh-wow! Much thanks to "The Daily Poem: Closed for September" for supplying the winning prompt for that poem! I'm very happy that contest is back for July "It's a Journey" won Best Single Person Activity.  "The Winning Color" received Honorable Mention in the Action Adventure and Short Story categories. "30-Day Blogging Challenge" received Honorable Mention as well for Best Contest. Go Bloggers!  I was also very happy to be selected as a finalist for my Portfolio and for my poem "All the Things You've Given Me"  And this shiny is pretty sweet too   In June, I managed to keep up with the "Promptly Poetry Challenge" - woohoo! I'm really enjoying taking the prompts and making them my own. I know I will not feel inspired by all the prompts (that's just a given), so I'm glad I can find ways to spin the prompt to something that does inspire me. I always want to write things that make me feel something. I don't want to share a poem on here that is an intentional "throw-away." That is, if I struggle on a poem and it comes out poorly, that's okay. But what I don't want to do is intentionally put something out onto the internet that I didn't even try to make good. Anyway, here's what I was able to write in June:
In July, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "The Book of Longings: A Novel" "Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor" "Wow, No Thank You.: Essays" Review: Complete PPC "July Mini-Challenge Reviews" Enter Contests: "Promptly Poetry Challenge" "The Taboo Words Contest" "Christmas in July Poetry Contest(CLOSED)" for "The Contest Challenge" April 2017 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" Open in July. Prompt: Write a poem about having a "wild" animal as a pet. May 2017 "The 4 Controversies Contest" (Round open: June 17-July 17) non-fiction, at least 1,200 words, subject: COVID-19) September 2017 "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contest" January 2018 "Write from the Heart - Poetry (CLOSED)" October 2017 "The Daily Poem: Closed for September" Open in July only!Catch-Up: April 2017 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" Open in July. Prompt: Write a poem about having a "wild" animal as a pet. May 2017 "The 4 Controversies Contest" (Round open: June 17-July 17) non-fiction, at least 1,200 words, subject: COVID-19) June 2017 "Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest" July 2017 "WEIRD TALES CONTEST" September 2017 "Stormy's poetry newsletter & contest" Due Aug 8: lighthouse hope seagull waves sand power crashing clouds October 2017 "The Daily Poem: Closed for September" Open in July only! January 2018 "Write from the Heart - Poetry (CLOSED)" March 2018 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" (try to enter in August (see Joy Word Doc) April 2018 "Poetic Traditions Poetry Contest" May 2018 "WEIRD TALES CONTEST" or "Science Fiction Short Story Contest" Contests to use if nothing is open ▼ Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Prompting and judging for "30-Day Blogging Challenge" Do something that inspires you, -Emily |
| I don't know what to say. I feel nauseated. If you know where I live, you know what I'm talking about. I have no words and feel gut-wrenching pain and horror at the state of everything going on right now. I'm overwhelmed and terrified. And that's all I'll say about that because I've already cried enough these last few days. In May I wrote:
My emotions are clearly fueling my writing. In June, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "Defending Jacob: A Novel" "Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It" "Becoming" "The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here" "The Handmaid's Tale" Enter Contests: "Promptly Poetry Challenge" "Inner Strength Contest " for "The Contest Challenge" "Second Time Around Contest " May 2017 "The 4 Controversies Contest" (Round open: June 17-July 17) non-fiction, at least 1,200 words, subject: COVID-19)Catch-Up: April 2017 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" Open in July. Prompt: Write a poem about having a "wild" animal as a pet. May 2017 "The 4 Controversies Contest" (Round open: June 17-July 17) non-fiction, at least 1,200 words, subject: COVID-19) June 2017 "Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest" July 2017 "WEIRD TALES CONTEST" or "Zodiac Contest/CONTEST CLOSED" September 2017 "Write from the Heart - Poetry (CLOSED)" October 2017 "The Daily Poem: Closed for September" Open in July only! January 2018 "Write from the Heart - Poetry (CLOSED)" March 2018 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" or "The Dialogue 500" April 2018 "Zodiac Contest/CONTEST CLOSED" or "Poetic Traditions Poetry Contest" May 2018 "WEIRD TALES CONTEST" or "Science Fiction Short Story Contest" Contests to use if nothing is open ▼ Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Take care of your mental health. -Emily |
Entry in the contest:
Character Count: 137 It's dawn when I drift to sleep to the quiet patter of rain. Her shivers finally still, she rests - a warm fur nest in my lap after the storm. |
| Hello hello hello! I've been working from home for seven weeks now and honestly .... I'm settling in fairly well. Besides the fact that I have less work to do, I still have enough to keep me occupied, and I'm making good progress on long term projects that would have otherwise been put on the back-burner. I have my standing desk set up in the house, which I absolutely love. I also love that I don't have to put on "work clothes" to go to work. I can get out of the shower and immediately go to my desk and start working. Okay ... head out of the gutter, people. I have PJs on! My dogs are also thrilled I'm home all the time now. I don't know how they are going to cope when I have to go back to the office. My job has been very accommodating with allowing everyone to work from home, and I think it might be the new normal for many of us. I can do everything I need to do from home, it saves me time, and I'm still productive, so what's the harm? I think many good things will come out of this crisis including more virtual meetings (less wasted travel time and carbon emissions) and more lenient remote working policies, especially for people with young kids and new parents. I also think there is opportunity for many folks to pursue activities that will better themselves. With so many "bored in the house, in the house bored," new hobbies could be formed, new workout routines, new family bonding activities, and so much more. We can still be productive during this time, and I hope we take advantage of it. Anyway, let's get into the goals: In April, I only wrote one thing and didn't get to enter all the contests I had planned to:
In May, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "The Power" Book Two Book ThreeEnter Contests: "The Bard's Hall Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" November 2017 "The Humorous Poetry Contest" (allows old poems) December 2017 "Rebel Poetry Contest" February 2018 "The Taboo Words Contest" I need to make a plan for catching up in the "The Contest Challenge" , so here's the months I have left to do (I won't finish them all this month, of course, but this will make it easier to copy and paste into next month) Schnujo Wishes WdC Happy B'day would be proud!: April 2017 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" May 2017 "The 4 Controversies Contest" (Round open: June 15-July15) non-fiction, at least 1,500 words, subject: COVID-19) June 2017 "Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest" July 2017 "WEIRD TALES CONTEST" or "Zodiac Contest/CONTEST CLOSED" August 2017 "Tweet Me a Story" September 2017 "Write from the Heart - Poetry (CLOSED)" October 2017 Everything closed, use: "The Bard's Hall Contest" November 2017 "The Humorous Poetry Contest" (allows old poems) December 2017 "Rebel Poetry Contest" January 2018 "Write from the Heart - Poetry (CLOSED)" February 2018 "The Taboo Words Contest" March 2018 "The PET NEWS CONTEST BIRTHDAY EDITION!" or "The Dialogue 500" April 2018 "Zodiac Contest/CONTEST CLOSED" or "Poetic Traditions Poetry Contest" May 2018 "WEIRD TALES CONTEST" or "Science Fiction Short Story Contest" Contests to use if nothing is open ▼ Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Prompting and judging for "30-Day Blogging Challenge" Take care! -Emily |
| Well... the world certainly has changed since my last entry. I've been working from home for the past 3 weeks due to the stay at home order in my state. COVID-19 pandemic is still ramping up, and the uncertainty is really hard to deal with. Anyway, I don't want to go on a rant ... I'm still doing well, but this new normal is very strange overall. Let's talk about some good things. In March, I wrote:
In April, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" Post last month's book review as PR "Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone" "Untamed" "The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store" Enter Contests: "Prince Challenge Writing Contest 2020" or "Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" "Oriental Poetry Contest" "Anchor & Wheel Message Forum - (Contest)" "Poetry Topic of the Month Contest~Closed" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Judging for "30-Day Blogging Challenge" Take care! -Emily |
Yesterday was February 29th - Leap Day! The reason we have this monthly extension of our shortest month is to synchronize the Gregorian calendar with the solar year – without it we would lose six hours every year. In your entry today, write about the phenomenon of leap years and any facts you want to share. Here’s mine: People born on Leap Day are called Leaplings. Do you know any Leaplings? How did you spend the bonus hours of 2020? Did you make the most of them?"30-Day Blogging Challenge" Happy March, all! It really felt like February flew by! Or maybe it leaped by I can't believe it's already been a month since we were in Hawaii, chilling on the beach. Since I got home, it's been go go go at work and stressful at home too with dog illnesses and everything else. I haven't had a relaxing weekend since we got back because I've been using my weekend time to catch up on work stuff that's been nagging at me. I really don't want to work on weekends, but here's the thing: I like being productive, and it seems weekends are the only times I can be really productive and get shit done. While in the office during the week, I'm constantly interrupted by my boss or email pings or loud conversations from the conference room, it's all very distracting. I feel like I'm treading water during the week trying to keep myself from falling even more behind and then actually doing the hard work on the weekend when I'm able to focus. So, you can probably get the hint - yesterday, during the extra hours of leap day, I spent it working.I took my headphones and plunked myself in a corner desk in the library facing a wall and tuned the whole world out for 5 hours. And I did get a lot done! I'm almost done with this grant I'm writing, but it's all feeling a little fruitless because I'm not even sure we'll qualify for it. I was somehow looped into writing it on behalf of 5 or 6 of our partners, but the deadline is March 11th, and so much needs to happen before then, that I'm not sure we'll get it done. So I fear the work I put in will all be in vain. All that extra stress I put on myself to follow through and keep in everyone's good graces even though I think we don't have a chance to get the funding. It's more about not failing than actually succeeding. Anyway, I still have the deliverables and budget spreadsheet to do today, so I'll put at least a few more hours into it and then be able to pass it off on Monday. Get it off my plate. In summary, my leap day was spent facing a blank wall for 5 hours getting ahead on work tasks that I think won't amount to anything. At least the day doesn't count, right? ~ ~ ~ Now, let's talk successes and goals. In February, I managed to write a few things:
It took me a long time to be able to write that second one, but I think I did a lot of healing while in Hawaii that was helpful to let that pain go. In March, I will: Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" "The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World" Enter Contests: "Lucky Limerick Contest " for "The Contest Challenge" "Verdant Poetry Contest" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Prompting and judging for "30-Day Blogging Challenge" Take care! -Emily |
Hello WDC! This start of the month blog post is a little late because I just returned home from a two week vacation to Hawaii! It was my dad's and grandfather's big birthday bash, so my bf and I spent a long time there with family, which was really rejuvenating.  I even got a tan! We got back earlier this week, and then I had to go right back to work, so this weekend I'm planning to decompress from the flight and maybe even catch up on WDC stuff ! Shocker! Oh, and I've kept up with my daily personal journal writing as well - it's a nice way to start my day and feels a bit like meditation. So, rest assured - even though I'm not writing much on here, I am writing! While in Hawaii, I jotted down a few good starts to poems as well, so maybe those will make an appearance soon.Okay, moving on to your regularly scheduled programming. In January, I wrote a few things (one of which already won something cool ):
As always, I have a few goals for February Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "Endurance: My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery" "Love Warrior" "Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii" Enter Contests: "Love is in the Air! (Month of February)" for "The Contest Challenge" "Kit'z Higher Ratings Contest" for Feb 2017 of "The Contest Challenge" "Rebel Poetry Contest" for Dec 2017 of "The Contest Challenge" "Journey Through Genres: Official Contest" "Shadows and Light Poetry Contest" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" Yay! (I think I'm still on island time...  )-Emily |
| I'm 25! Woop! It's the start of a new decade and I'm excited to see what the years ahead will bring! Outside of WDC, I've started a daily personal journal. I hope to write just a page in that every day about whatever is on my mind minus the stress of trying to think of what I want to say. Freewriting, I guess you could call it. It'll be a simple experiment to see if I can keep it up. I've done two days so far and haven't failed yet! First, a reminder for myself of what I wrote in December:
I also realized that I did not list the books I read last year in my "Decade Review" post from a few days ago. A la Jeff, the list of books I read in 2019 is in this little dropnote: 2019 Reading List ▼ And now, my goals for the first month of the new year! Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating" by Alan Alda "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker "Devotion: A Memoir (P.S.)" by Dani ShapiroEnter Contests: "The Contest Challenge" "Rebel Poetry Contest" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" "30-Day Blogging Challenge" January prompting and judgingHappy New Year! -Emily |
| Hey hey heyyy!!! There are only three days remaining in this decade. Let me say that again. There are only THREE days remaining in this DECADE! I mean ... what?! I don't know quite what to say .. so much has happened since January 1st, 2010! I was 15 years old in 2010. I had not found WDC yet. I was still in high school for Pete's sake! Let's take a little walk down memory lane at some of the milestones over the past 10 years: June 12, 2011 (clearly nothing note-worthy happened in the first year of the decade if this is the first event I thought of...) I joined WDC! I was 16 and a half years old and thought I was such a prolific writer because I had written a story about a unicorn and a rat in an invisible kingdom in the back of my Gifted and Talented class instead of paying attention like I was supposed to be doing. Then I moved on to a novel about something I knew nothing about - a Secret Service agent in the White House. I taped two composition notebooks together and filled them both with purple-ink scrawl. When I finally got access to a computer, I laboriously transcribed my flawless story and threw it online for the world to see. The anonymity of WDC was kind of cool. I didn't have to be a child here. I could pretend I was the character in my story, a strong, confident, beautiful agent of the secret service sharing my real life story. Needless to say, I learned more than I bargained for. May 18, 2013 I graduated high school - there's a video of it online I think if you search hard enough. The whole graduating class performed a hula to thank our parents and teachers for supporting our journey, but there weren't enough boys in my class to go around so I was one of the girls without a partner who danced alone on the sidelines. September 4, 2014 After a tumultuous first year of college, I found my soulmate. This was the date we first saw each other in person, though I can't say I loved him at first sight. That came later. But we've been together ever since June 2, 2016 While I was studying abroad in Australia, my man bought our house! It was in a horrific state when we bought it. The walls were caked in cigarette smoke from the previous owners and the carpet was basically one huge hairball. Luckily, I was diving on the Great Barrier Reef while my man cleaned the place up and made it a home for us. I officially moved in in July. Late 2016? Sometime after we bought the house, we adopted our first dog together! We took Roo the shih tzu in when my man's aunt could no longer care for her and she's been our little snuggle bug ever since.  May 21, 2017 I graduated college! Woop! The ceremony was outside and I was boiling in my black gown, but it was all worth it A very special day, but even now, it seems so long ago!September 19, 2018 Since graduating college, I got my foot in the door of local government with an internship, but on September 19th, I was officially hired! My pay tripled from my internship to my real job, and for the first time, I felt stable. I was on the right track and doing a job I loved. I was also saving money finally, which made me able to contribute to the household and not feel so guilty that my man was holding us up financially. November 2018 I bought my first car! A black Jeep Cherokee 2019 Limited Her name's Rosie, and she's a beauty!May 2019 I finished my Environmental Education Certificate! A year long process involving online classes and several field trips, but worth it because it will help me in my career.May 18, 2019 We made another big decision and adopted another dog! Joy was from a local rescue - you can read more about her here: "A Happy Home" She was a handful at first and I wasn't sure she would be a good fit for our home. But then she and Roo started playing and chasing each other in the yard, and I knew she had to stay. Since we first brought her home as a foster, she's settled into our routine and is a cuddle bug just like Roo!October 1, 2019 My job went from 30 hours a week to 40 hours a week! Woohoo! This meant I was able to save even more money and have real vacation days!  Those dates sum up the important milestones I can think of at the moment. I'm excited to see what the next ten years will bring! Every month this past year, I kept up with posting my monthly writing accomplishments in this blog as well for the sole purpose than when it came time to write this post I'm writing now, I will have a timeline of what I wrote throughout the year and something to remind myself of what I can do when I put my mind to it Let's take a look:January 8th: "The Winning Color" , short story, 1407 words,  Grand Prize, 2019 Quill Awards NomineeJanuary 8th: "Grandmasters Through History" , non-fiction, 1233 wordsJanuary 17th: "Anxiety" , double acrostic, Winning EntryJanuary 21st: "Red Wing" , free verse, Winning EntryFebruary 7th: "Vestiges of Life" , free verseFebruary 9th: "Kona Coffee" , free verseFebruary 16th: "The Symptoms of Repression" , non-fiction, 1295 wordsFebruary 17th: "Follow Me to the Horizon" , free verse, Winning EntryMarch 5th: "Perspective" , haikuMarch 10th: "Enlightenment" , free verseMarch 10th: "The Age of Enlightenment" , non-fiction, 2182 wordsMarch 17th: "Winter Glass" , haikuMarch 19th: "The Raucous Song of Spring" , Lady's Slipper,  Honorable MentionMarch 28th: "Body Memory" , free verse, Winning Entry, 2019 Quill Awards NomineeMarch 29th: "Fleeting Moments" , haiku seriesApril 1st: "Callused Hands" , free verse, Winning Entry, 2019 Quill Awards NomineeApril 4th: "Mud." , free verse,  Third PlaceApril 9th: "He Was Too Young" , short story, 1998 wordsApril 27th: "The Golden Age" , short story series, unfinishedMay 12th: "Home Again" , free verse, Winning EntryMay 12th: "As Hard As Soft" , free verseMay 14th: "Sanguinaria canadensis" , free verseJune 7th: "The Cast" , haikuJune 20th, "Belonging" , non-fiction, 1633 wordsJune 20th: "In the sea, I leave a piece of me" , free verseJuly 4th: "All the Things You've Given Me" , free verse, Winning Entry, 2019 Quill Awards NomineeJuly 21st: "Over the Coral Jewels" , free verseAugust 25th: "How Often?" , free verse, Winning EntrySeptember 2nd: "Patches of Red - Rewrite" , free verse, Winning EntrySeptember 2nd: "Diptera's Prize" , short story, 432 words,  Second PlaceSeptember 5th: "Can't Stop The Feeling" , short story, 1917 wordsOctober 20th: "Fall in Focus" , Imayo, Honorable MentionOctober 26th: "A Happy Home" , short story, 999 words, 2019 Quill Awards NomineeNovember 24th: "Attention Seeker" , flash fiction, 75 wordsDecember 27th: "Another Year Gone By" , MarianneDecember 28th: "Eulogy to the Place that Raised Me" , free verseNot bad I was definitely more productive at the start of the year, but still managed to write something every month.Alrighty! I think I've written long enough. I'll see you again in 2020! Here's to the next ten years!  Em |
Happy December! There is now officially one month left until my quarter century birthday! It seems this year went faster than the last. My job is hella busy, and winter is supposedly my slow season! My boyfriend and I are going to visit my parents and grandparents in Hawaii at the end of January, so I'm really looking forward to that I'm going to focus on getting things squared away at work before our trip, so I'll probably not be writing as much, but I'm looking forward to a cozy December and holiday season.  I only wrote one new thing in November. It was for the 75 word contest and dang! So hard to cram a whole story in 75 words! I wrote the first draft of this on my phone thinking I couldn't possibly have more than 100 or so words, but then got it on the computer and found out it was 375 words! Editing it down was hard, but good practice. You really have to trim it down to only the bare essentials necessary to tell the story, so there wasn't room for all of the description I usually like to add. Anyway, I haven't gotten any reviews for it yet, so I'd love to hear what you have to say. It's short and sweet after all!
I was also blessed to have received a sweet award on this piece, another short story I wrote a few months back:
Oh! And I completed my goal of reading 40 books this year thanks to the WDC Reading Challenge! Breaking the task into monthly chunks was really helpful and made the reading not seem so daunting. Oh, and the Libby app is a life-saver! It means I can be productive during my hour in the car every day Thank you Cubby ~ Huffle-puffing!  for the recommendation last year! My goals for December are really trimmed down because I have a bunch of pesky end of year reporting that needs doing for my real world job. I am looking forward to the holiday festivities though! Holiday Stuffs! "Secret Santa - CLOSED" Enter Contests: "Rebel Poetry Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" "Verdant Poetry Contest" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" "30-Day Blogging Challenge" November judgingHave a great day! -Emily |
Holy cow, October went sooo fast! Here we are in November, and before you know it, it'll be December, and then 2020! In 2 months I'll turn 25, which is like ... a quarter century old!  Life's happening, dudes ... Here's to another month  I wrote a few things in October:
One of the items I wrote during the WDC Birthday Celebration was also recognized with a beautiful award. Thank you, Kit!
And now, my goals for November! Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "After the Flood" by Kassandra Montag Product Review: "After the Flood: A Novel" "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie Product Review: "How to Win Friends and Influence People" Book Three Product Review: {prEnter Contests: "The 75 Word Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" "30-Day Blogging Challenge" November prompting and judgingTake care! -Emily |
| Woohoo! It's October! It's the start of my favorite quarter of the year! I'll be playing Miss Emily Scissorhands for the month If you see more cool members playing dress up for Halloween, remember to recognize them here: "The Witch's Garden" In September, I wrote a few things:
I'm pretty pleased about getting those short stories out - I have a killer time getting my thoughts in order enough to complete one, let alone one as short as "Diptera's Prize" . I'm trying to work on getting better though And now, my goals for October! Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "Within Arm's Length" by Dan Emmett Product Review: "Within Arm's Length: A Secret Service Agent's Definitive Inside Account of Protecting the President" "Home Deus" by Yuval Noah Harari Product Review: "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow" "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo Product Review: "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate Product Review: "Wishtree" Enter Contests: "Oriental Poetry Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" "SugarCube's Monthly Random Contest!!" "'SCREAMS!!!' HALLOWEEN CONTEST!" "SENIOR CENTER FORUM" "Honoring the Dead" "Holiday Short Story Contest" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" and "Anniversary Reviews" "30-Day Blogging Challenge" September JudgingTa-ta for now! -Emily |
Write a detailed description of how your significant other has made you a better person.  Write a detailed description of how your significant other has made you a worse person. So, I put the first half of this prompt for the "30-Day Blogging Challenge" out into the world last night and immediately fell asleep, only to wake up to find it had been defiled altered via Elle  and the "JAFBG" . At first I laughed, and then I thought to myself… How could I not take on this challenge? I don’t talk very openly about my SO online, but there are several pieces in my portfolio and this blog about him and our relationship. (side note, one of those items just won a cool thing, so woop!) First, some background… Anyone who’s known me on here for a long time knows that I opened my account in 2011 when I was 16 years old. Oophta. That’s a tough age. I was in high school then. Met another member on here and, because WDC was basically my entire social life, he and I became close. I went to college, still considering myself in a relationship with this bro from across the country, and then my world split wide open. I wasn’t alone on a literal island anymore. I wanted freedom, and then the “relationship” revealed itself to be controlling. I won’t say that the relationship turned controlling, because of course it always had been, but I was just stupid and naïve. Shit went down, I rebelled, he threatened to reveal things about me to my grandparents, I cut him out but he flipped it as if he were the one separating himself from me who he said had suddenly become “destructive.” I was finishing my freshman year of college then. Summer that year was … bonkers. Self-destructive, chaotic, fragile, dangerous (there are items about that time in my port as well). That’s when I went MIA from WDC. For four years I was “away.” I say “away,” because I wasn’t really gone. I did check in. Every day. The newsfeed was always open in a tab on my phone and it was part of my morning ritual to check the WDC happenings. Anyway, life went on, I enjoyed being a rebel while it lasted, but then I was done. It was as if I remembered who the girl was that I had been before all this. Thinking about coming back to WDC left me with a bitter taste in my mouth because of the person I had found on here who had so radically changed my life. It felt too soon to go back in case something wrong about me still lingered there. So I stayed away through the rest of my undergraduate degree. It was probably a good idea too – I focused on my studies and set myself up for the career I am in now. During my rebellion when I began to realize I was hurting myself and wanted it to be all over, I found the man who is now my SO. He’s the one who pulled me out of that life and gave me stability and a place to retreat to when I wasn’t feeling like myself. It started with him bringing me Target bags filled with DayQuil, Ibuprofen, candy, and stuffed animals when I was sick. He took care of me, showing genuine concern rather than something self-serving and fake, and made me feel safe from myself. With him, I didn’t have to be as strong as I was pretending to be. I didn’t have to tough it out or prove how capable I was to anyone. We dated while I finished school and then I moved in with him. I was starting my new job about that time. We got a dog together. Only then did I start to feel safe and confident enough to come back to WDC, which I did in August of 2018 (just over a year ago). In that four year break, I had barely written anything creatively, so it came as a great surprise to me when I found how much my writing style had changed and improved. When I was young on this site, I believed I would always be a “novice” writer. Of course, there is still a TON more to learn, but now I feel happy to share my writing. I’m not embarrassed by it and I’ve had the experiences that lend themselves well to emotional writing. That’s what I’ve found I excel at. When an emotion begs to be written, that’s what I write about. Often, those emotions are tied to the worst and best times in my life so far. As I have grown as a person, my ability to capture emotions in writing has improved and I am now able to use my writing as an outlet, but I would not feel comfortable enough to do so if I wasn’t in the stable place I am now. I’ve learned how to release my emotions through my writing to keep myself sane and happy instead of letting everything build up inside to the point of breaking (or rebellion). Gee… this is such a long explanation and I haven’t even answered the prompts yet, so … let’s try to get to that. Also, everything you read above was originally written in one huge paragraph. I’m going back now to fix it Okay … onwards!My SO has made me a better person by allowing me the space to be calm. He’s given me the stability I couldn’t build for myself. He’s kept my mind still when it would have raced without his guidance. His presence in me takes away stress and quiets my internal chaos. When I worry, he holds me and says it’s okay. He says that we will figure it out. He reminds me that I am capable and smart. He trusts my abilities when I do not. He builds my confidence in myself and assures me that my “end of the world” isn’t as bad as I think. He allows me to laugh my obnoxious laugh, smile with all my teeth, snort, burp, and fart without embarrassment. He makes me giggle just being around his humor. He knows how to make me happy, and if I’m happy, I can’t be the sad/destructive person I was before. He taught me the value of generosity and selflessness. He makes me eager to be the best person I can be, if not for myself, at least for him. I want him to be proud of me and therefore seek to be proud of myself. I am driven to succeed for the benefit of us rather than just me. He’s shown me what it means to be a good daughter. He reminds me to call my mom (because he calls his every day), and reminds me to take my grandparents to dinner while they are still around. He cares about my family and gets me out of my head enough to remind me to care about them too. I suppose I could go on and on in this way about my SO, but I don’t want to forget about the second prompt from Elle. Already, as I’m thinking of the ways I’m a worse person because of my SO, it feels silly to describe them after the floaty and joyful paragraphs preceding this one… but, I can’t go back now! Before meeting my boyfriend, I was very willing to see the best in people. Now, I’m more cynical in that I can easily imagine ways that people aren’t who they say they are. I tend to believe people will lie, cheat, and steal more often than I believe they will do the “right” thing. It takes me longer to trust people, but I believe this is partly due to my own experiences and growth rather than solely due to my SO’s influence, if that makes sense. I may have gotten this way with or without him, but he’s still seen more of the world than me and doesn’t hold back when sharing his opinions, biases, or stereotypes. The other way I believe I have changed for the worse because of my boyfriend is that I’ve become more isolated. By that I mean that I have few people I can call “friends” and never “go out” as someone else my age might. I dread get-togethers or other “parties,” unless I am with my boyfriend. If we are going together, that’s a whole different story. But now that I have him, I don’t have the desire to meet other people to hang out with as friends. His friendship is all the friendship I need. I want to be alone or I want to be with him. I think having friends might be nice, but I don’t want to put in the energy to make them if I already have the one I want. I know this is partly my introverted nature, and I’m cool with it, but I wonder sometimes how my life might be different if I had hobbies or friends outside of my relationship. That said, I’d be more at risk of getting into trouble, so maybe lacking friends is for the best. Whew … Well, that was a journey. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! See ya! -Emily |
| Help! I think I might want to change my username... Currently, it is “hawaiifoeva.” This was the first username I ever had on a kids social website called, Club Penguin (anyone remember the Puffles?) The name kind of stuck to me after that and I used it everywhere. Now, it’s been a year since my return from hiatus, and my username is feeling a little... childish. I like what it represents - a reminder of where I came from - but it’s getting a little stale. If I changed my username (that’s a big IF, this isn’t set in stone), I would want to change it to simply “emily.” Emily  doesn’t currently exist and I’m kinda eager to snatch it up. Also, a bit jealous of Elle who has such an iconic and memorable one word name. Like Beyoncé or Oprah.I’d love to hear anyone’s comments, thoughts, advice, but I’d be most interested to hear from those who have changed their username in the past. What was the biggest hassle? When is the best (or worst) time to do it? Hit me with your thoughts in the comments Thank-y thank-y!-Emily |
| Happy Birthday, WDC! I'm so loving all the activities - I gotta write this fast so I can go play some more Since my last entry, two more of my works were nominated for the 2019 Quill Awards They are:
 In August, I wrote:
...aaaannd ... that's it  Not a very productive month.And now, my goals for September! Record some "Poetry Readings" (did 8 )Read: For "The Monthly Reading Challenge" , "Writing.Com Reading Challenge" and "Angel Product Reviews" "The Bees" by Laline Paull Product Review: "The Bees: A Novel" “Educated” by Tara Westover Product Review: "Educated: A Memoir" "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed Product Review: "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" Enter Contests: "The Taboo Words Contest" for "The Contest Challenge" "SugarCube's Monthly Random Contest!!" Birthday Festivities! "The Great WDC Lucky Bag Giftaway!-CLOSED" !!! "Pop-Poetry Contest - closed" "Sing a Song Contest" "The Bard's Hall Contest" "Fabulous Fantasy Contest " "Angel-Witch Bingo! " "WDC Birthday Arcade" "What Have You Learned On Writing.Com?" Continue Regular Commitments: Normal review crediting for "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" "30-Day Blogging Challenge" September WDC Birthday activityI'm off to play more party games! -Emily |
What rites of passage have you experienced that you think everyone will experience at some point in their life? In other words, tell us about your notable experiences that are key to the human experience. From the "Mental Health Writers Alliance" This is a great prompt for this week. Talking about experiences is a bit nebulous, but forcing one's self to think about the key experiences vital to being human is a whole new challenge. Let me see if I can get a list going here:  Loving another being more than yourself.This is actually the second thing I thought of to add to the list, but I moved it above the first thing because this needs to happen before the second bullet can have the full effect. When I say "loving another being more than yourself," it is inclusive of all beings on Earth. I know a person is still a person even if they never love another human being (and the question asked for things "everyone" will experience), so a "being" in this case can include animals, plants, people or anything else outside of yourself. Loving another is vital to the human existence. We are designed to love and receive love. We crave connection and need love to develop appropriately. Care and compassion for another living creature is something everyone should experience. It manifests in many ways, but for me, love is when I care first about their needs over my own. The pain of losing a loved one.Now, having something/someone you love taken away from you is a fact of allowing yourself to love them in the first place and is thus inextricably intertwined with the first bullet. Fear of loss is not a reason to forbid yourself from loving another. Both emotions (love and loss) are necessary to the human existence. Feeling true sorrow is obviously painful, but reminds us of the fragility of life and why we should make the most of every moment we have. Being truly comfortable in your own skin.This is one I can only speculate at and refer to role models in my own life because I haven't reached this point yet. Being able to love your body, inside and outside, without worrying about what other people think of you, is a rite of passage that I hope everyone will experience at some point in their life. As I said, I'm not there yet, but I'm using my mother's experience as an example. She is unabashedly herself. When you meet her, she exudes fearlessness, honesty, joy, and safety. She is content with herself and her abilities. She embraces her flaws and leans on her strengths. She is not self-conscious. I know this because I've witnessed the change in her as I've grown older. She used to be down all the time and concerned about her body, hair, career, etc. Now, she loves herself first and foremost, and that allows her freedom to develop her passions without the need to impress anyone else. She's a woman I admire and hope one day to be the same figure for my own children. |
Have you ever felt like you're missing out in life? Describe a time when you missed an experience that you believe would have been rewarding. What can we do to make sure we're not missing out on important life experiences? From the "Mental Health Writers Alliance" Okay, Char. I have a sinking feeling that this prompt is going to get me upset in some way or ranting about a pent up emotion I’ve hidden from myself. I’m saying that right out of the gate because I haven’t blogged in a while and you’ve hit us right away with a killer prompt. Anyway … I’ve missed out on so many things in life, but most of those were a conscious choice I made. In high school and college, I willingly and purposefully isolated myself from my peers by always saying “no” to parties, study groups, walks down to the river, every school dance (including prom), and basically anything else you can think of. When there was a school function I simply couldn’t avoid, I would show my face for the absolute minimum amount of time just to prove I was there, and then peace out. I told myself this was all in service of my studies – I would be the damn best student in the class even if it killed me – but I’m certain there was plenty I missed out on. But truth be told, I’m not upset about missing those experiences at all. Let me explain. Don’t get me wrong, I tried fitting in. I tried going to those parties, getting dressed up for those dances, being the awkward lanky girl with the downcast eyes in the middle of the mosh pit. I tried. And I always left feeling worse than when I went in the first place. I know my comfort zone and I know the distinct situations that threaten that space. I learned, through trial and error, that those situations that are meant to be a fun time amongst friends are downright torture for me. I’m forced to put on a happy face and pretend to enjoy myself when all I would rather be doing is cuddled on the couch with a book or a bowl of popcorn watching some true crime show on Netflix. In those situations, all I can think about is how to graciously extricate myself so I can get back to doing something I truly enjoy. What it comes down to is this: I know what makes me happy. I don't miss out on things that make me happy. Things that other people classically fear missing out on are of no consequence to me, and thus do not make me sad when I miss them, usually on purpose. Now I know these to be the traits of a classic introvert. I recharge my batteries by being by myself rather than with other people. And I am totally at peace with this. I purposefully choose to "miss out" on experiences because I know they will bring me more discomfort than joy. So in that sense, I’m not missing out at all. In my life now, I am no longer in school, and so the scenarios described above no longer apply. My "friend" group is my co-workers and my home life consists of my dogs and bf. I suppose I fear missing out on classic life experiences such as getting married (low-key only, no celebration) and having kids, but those things are coming. I hate even saying it because it seems so wife-y and petty, but I do want those things one day and fear I'm somehow "losing time" by having to focus on my career and blah blah blah ... Maybe that's a topic for another entry What I would say to myself to ensure I don't miss out on things that are important to me in the near future is to stand up for your desires, voice your concerns and fears, and don't let your happiness take a backseat. |
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