Great Articles on Great Blogs

Today’s list has to with writing and I’m listing these in no particular order. Well maybe a kind of order -lol – listed in the order I found them. Enjoy.

1. Kristen Lamb’s blog Warrior Writers has a very interesting article ref publishing and the role of Amazon and the Big Six.

2. Matthew Turner posted this over at Jane Friedman’s blog – 100 tips to alleviate Self Doubt

3. T.S. Bazelli’s article about child hood lessons is priceless. I think a lot of people can relate to at least one of those items on her list. – Ink Stained

4. Mark Nichol’s article at Daily Writing Tips – The Winning Formula For Writing Success. Read the article and then wander around a bit, there are a lot of other good ones to peruse.

5. Over at Writer Unboxed Carleen Brice has some wonderful insights into improving writing in her article – What I Learned About Writing From Watching Basketball. When I first read the title I was intrigued to see how the two related. Now I’m going back to reread and bookmark it.

 

That’s it for today. Short and sweet list. Have you run across any interesting articles you’d like to share? Leave a link in the comments.

Have a great evening.

When You Change…

The world never looks the same after you’ve had a monumental shift in perception and awareness.

Your family and friends look the same but your reaction to them is different and their reactions to you are different too.

It’s almost as if you are seeing through different eyes. That somehow a veil has been lifted from your eyes and seeing clearly is the only way you can see now.

A shift of focus occurs. A shift of thought occurs. A shift of emotion occurs. You are irrevocably changed. The catalyst for this change can be something simple or a catastrophic event.

It’s odd at first because you almost feel as if the world changed instead of yourself. As if the world shifted its focus.

This changing of perception is a natural event in everyone’s life. It occurs at different times throughout your life.

In any case…

Change is inevitable and the world around you never looks or feels the same.

The only thing you can do after such an event is – move forward. Embrace the new or reawakened feelings within yourself. And acknowledge that you are on the right path for yourself.

Change is about moving forward and moving forward changes you. This is life.

Purple Prose, Rose Colored Glasses, and Stardust Umbrellas

Walking around outside today I saw a few things, but I dare not say what they are or perhaps what they were trying so hard to become.

I dare not say because if I did that, they might become that, and I would have halted their forward momentum of what they were trying so hard to become.

And if I halted their forward momentum, that would’ve been bad because then it would’ve been me, myself and I that would’ve dictated what they were trying so hard to become.

So I just watched from the corner of my eyes and found delight in their imaginings of the flying things that perhaps they were trying so hard to become.

No not quite right, not exactly flying things because now they are changing their imaginings and in changing those things they are changing so many other things that they are trying so hard to become.

The air around seems to breathe in and out of its own accord (but still in its own accordance) and the sun seemed to stimulate their innate inward insistence that they truly know what they are becoming.

The earth seemed to shift, supporting their new bodies, shift to support their new changing, shifting and surprising them with the shifting in support of they have now become.

And last but not least, the wavering water, that they are walking on, weightlessly and wondrously, whisks them away into the final stages of they have become.

I watched this dance, by pure happenstance, and inward felt a joy radiating out from the center of everything that I am, it catapulted and cajoled, twisted and turned, until I nearly felt drained of everything that I am, then -

It settled, the world around me settled and I became more than what I was a moment before.

First Interview is Finally Posted.

The first interview of this new feature is with Randy Bell co-founder of local open mic group – Creativa.

Randy is a local poet who organizes and performs poetry at Creativa.

I emailed some questions to him about Creativa and his role within that group.

1. What is Creativa?

I envision Creativa as a community built around art; relationships forged and nourished because of mutual passion for creating. In these, we find artist from all genres (poetry, comedy, music, visual arts, dance, theatre, etc..) as well as those who simply enjoy the fine arts.

Creativa is a free and empowering experience. By offering a no-charge, safe, venue for sharing one’s creativity, we assist artists in finding and offering their talents. We invite everyone to be a part of this experience, so our community promotes an intimate exchange between the artist and the observer.

We have been fortunate to have had artists from all walks, both amateur as well as seasoned professional alike.

2. How and When did Creativa Start?

Creativa started four years ago. It began as a wild spin-off of aUCCChurchplant called Nexus.

A motley crew of us decided that Art might bring people together better than religion. At first we simple called our event “Free Slam” and latter coined the name Creativa: A Convergence Of Creative Visions to more fully encompass the wide range of arts that we would be hosting, rather than simply poetry, or music. It also stressed one of our missions, which is to promote collaborative efforts between our artists.

3. What is your role in Creativa?

My role in Creativa: Emcee, Organizer, Promotions, Consumer of anything that you bake! (I bring in baked goods to the monthly open mic events)

4. Where is Creativa?

Initially, we met at Tanze dance studio but, in September, 2011 moved into our current home of Studio B 224 at Cincinnati Mall.

5. Why the name Creativa?

Why the name?

Our name captures the idea of artists coming together, developing/nourishing relationships around art, in community. and in doing so, actually, intentionally making art happen. this is our vision.

Tuesday’s Creepy Photos

Getting some great inspiration at the parks. These photos capture the mood of a few scenes that I’m currently writing.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

Don’t Give Up – Reach Out and Talk.

A recent tragedy in a friend’s life has prompted me to post this video today.

Please reach out and talk to someone if you get so low that you cannot see a way up again, there is always hope. Just talk to someone. Reach out. Problems are temporary, death is a permanent state.

Bored with the blog – Not with blogging.

I’ve gotten bored with my blog, not blogging. I love to write. I love to write little snippets of everyday ordinary things and then share those things with the world. But…

This place needs some changing, pruning, sprucing up, rearranging, and perhaps a snigglet of fine tuning. It’s time. It’s needed. I must do it.

So that is on my agenda for the rest of this week. And I’m still working on getting the new feature going too. I thought it would be up this week at the latest, but…..

Not so. Life threw a few things in the way again. Nothing bad, just things that needed my attention outside of the cyber-sphere. So it looks like next week I will launch “16 Questions”.

Anyway……

This week I feel the need for some early spring cleaning activities. Even though it’s a little bit white and cold outside at the moment, I’m already thinking of Spring. And thinking of Spring makes me want to get up, clean out and get ready for new beginnings. So that is what I’m doing here too. Beginning new things, cleaning out the old junk and refreshing the air.

So bear with me through the fuss,muss and disorderly dust that will most likely pop up. It’s all for the bettering of the blog and my brain.

When in doubt – clean it out. 

Have a great and wonderful Wednesday.