Rattling Things Up

If you write poetry then you've certainly heard of Rattle. (If not, rush over to the website and learn more about them by CLICKING HERE.)

Did you know that Rattle has started a new feature? It is called Poets Respond. Every Sunday they publish one poem online that has been written about a current event that took place the previous week. "This is an effort to show how poets react and interact to the world in real time, and to enter into the broader public discourse."  I think that is an excellent idea.

Several have been posted so far and I simply love After the Memorial by Megan Collins. You don't want to miss this one. READ IT NOW. 

Today I came across this article about a man being fired for writing a post about homophones. I was horrified. Having taught EFL, I know the importance of clarifying the different meanings and spellings of homophones. Teaching them is a must. Even more shocking is the fact that the owner of the language school had to look up the meaning of homophone. Really?!!!!! I am not sure where he was educated, but I do remember learning about them in my school....in the third grade!

No. Homophones have nothing to do with sexual orientation, and saying that posting about them on a language learning site is "inappropriate" is like telling a swim instructor that he cannot call the breast stroke the breast stroke because it uses the bumpy B word and people might think you advocate topless sun bathing. It's like not allowing a teuthologist to talk about the tentacles of an octopus, because some moron might confuse it with testicles.   

The breast stroke is the breast stroke and can't be called anything else. The tentacles of an octopus are tentacles and aren't called anything else. And guess what? Homophones are homophones and nothing else.
 Thinking about this gave me a great idea for a haibun (you know how I love haibun), and I decided to sit down and write it for Rattle. However, you know how that funny bone sort of does a sneak attack on me from time to time? Well, my beautiful and clever haibun never saw the light of day, and this silly little rhyme in the form of a epistle came shooting out of my finger tips and onto the screen. Rattle features awesome work, and this silly rhyme (which is written on a 4th grade level...oh, my mentality at times) will certainly not be qualified enough to grace their pages (or screen), but since one of my readers might need a laugh, I am sharing it with you.

An Epistle for Clark Woodger

 Deer Mr. Woodger,

Eye am a cereal misspeller

and I don't no what two due;

my school didn't teach hire skills

so I just don't have a clue.

Eye wood like to get a job

so I won't always bee pour

but know matter how eye try

I can't get my foot in the door.

Now Ide like to brake into righting

since I can due that from home

and take my work with me

wear ever I may Rome.

But sum tell me it's a waist

of thyme when eye cannot spell,

They say isle never make a prophet

'cause the books will never cell.

No one wants to reed a tale

when the words are knot spelled write,

but spelling isn't like won plus won;

spelling isn't all black and white.

You sea, even though eye worked hard

and this letter hear is spell-checked,

my deer friend, Mr. Torkildson, claims

properly-spelled words aren't always correct.

He said he understand my dilemma,

because English doesn't always make cents.

“Homophones can be confusing,”

he kindly said in my defense.

He posted about them on the web sight

to help people every wear.

Because he did it yew fired him.

This dismissal simply is knot fare.

Know instructor introducing homophones

should ever lose his position

just because the owner of the language

school doesn't no the definition

and worries the word will be misinterpreted

and make the school sound pro-gay.

Would you rather have your language learners

end up spelling this weigh?

No. It is not literary genius, but I hope you got a laugh out of it (even though homophones are some very serious stuff.)   :-)
 
The deadline for submitting to Rattle's "Poets Respond" is midnight PST every Friday so you still have time to pen something and send it in. If not, there's always next week.

Haiga, Golden Shovel, Billy Collins and Plath

In case you missed it, the winners of the June haiga contest were announced. To read that post CLICK HERE. Congrats to Patricia and Nurit.

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Writer's Digest editor and writer of the Poetic Asides blog, Robert Lee Brewer, announced the winners in his latest poetry form challenge. This time writers were asked to write golden shovel poems. I'd never written one before and had never even heard of the poetic form until Robert posted the challenge. How do you write a golden shovel? Simply take a line or lines from a poem and use each word as the end words of your poem, keeping the words in order. Give credit to the poet who originally wrote the line(s). The new poem doesn't need to be on the same subject or the same style of the old poem. For more information, you can read a bit more and see an example at Robert's earlier post HERE. I wrote six to post. My favorite of them was about trees and youth and love.

As usually, the competition was fierce. Robert had to pick the top ten from over 700 and from the ones I read there was some excellent work. I was lucky enough to make the top ten list again. This time I placed fourth with my poem, Not Everybody Appreciates My Lit Humor, which used lines from Billy Collin's poem Aristotle. Yay, me! Unfortunately, only the first (and sometimes second) place poems are published in Writer's Digest. Darn! So close but yet so far. Maybe next time. (or maybe not. Winning one of these poetic form challenges is like winning the lottery. Yet, I still keep trying.)

The winning poem by Margie Fuston is lovely. If you'd like, you can READ IT HERE. Congrats to Margie.
When she posted her poem I knew it was a winner. The wording is excellent, good imagery, thought-provoking lines. A deserving win.

My fourth place golden shovel was the last one I wrote and the one Ispent the least amount of time on writing. I almost didn't post it, because to me it was more of a funny thing than a poem I would send out anywhere. Boy, am I glad I did post it. Here it is:

Not Everyone Appreciates my Lit Humor
      after Billy Collins
 
Setting on the counter, the boom box reverberates verses as it
plays back poems recorded for class. The new theme is
compare and contrast women poets past and present. Sylvia
begins as I am chopping onions, and I joke I’m a Psycho-Plath,
stopping to hold the meaty, long-bladed knife up in the air in
Norman Bates' style. Hubby just shakes his head before leaving the
room. Alone, Sylvia and I shed our tears in the kitchen.

(using the line “It is Sylvia Plath in the kitchen” taken from Billy Collin’s poem Aristotle)

The poem is complete fiction but I'm a joker and my husband doesn't get all my literary jokes so it is something that definitely could have happened. I am hoping that Collins might appreciate my humor (if he ever comes across post). A friend told me, "Plath would dig this poem...if she were alive."  I'm not certain of that but I know that I dig Plath (even if some of her work makes me sad.). However, whenever I need a little cheering up this video of Billy Collin's reciting The Lanyard always makes me smile. Enjoy!

It's Time for Shorts

As you may have noticed, an announcement has not yet been made regarding the winner(s) of the haiga contest. There were so many lovely haiku submitted to go with my photo that the task of narrowing them down has proved a bit more challenging than expected. Claudette and I have both made our shortlists of five. We agree on about half. So we will be cutting the lists down more and hope to post the winner(s) but the end of the week. Sorry for the delay.

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If anyone is interested in taking part in a poem-a-day writing challenge, it is not too late to join in on the fun over at Creative Bloomings. For this year's summer challenge Walt has already created some great prompts for the "Granada Camp for Wayward Poets". As school is still winding down here, I am a bit slow on the draw and have only written two so far (and posted none.) I hope to post all of my work at a later day. In the meantime I enjoy reading the other work and you might enjoy the posted poems, too. To check it out, go to Creative Bloomings BY CLICKING HERE.

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My friend Ina is the next participant in the Virtual Blog Tour. To read about her and her writing life, visit her blog, In Our Books, BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE. At the bottom of her post she has links to several friends who are also participating. Be sure to check them out.

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I have a Poem in the latest edition of Mouse Tales. Want to read it? To go to MOUSE TALES CLICK HERE.

I also have a haibun on page 27 of  Issue 13 of  Prune Juice. READ MY HAIBUN HERE.

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Lastly, this is not poetry-related or dealing with writing or language but...

WOOHOOOO! Germany advanced in the World Cup!!! This makes me hopeful. We've come so close the past few years and this team, which has trained together for several years now, might actually go that extra mile and take the cup. I am keeping my fingers crossed. The last game is going to be a hard one.

If any of you have been following along and want to write a poem about the World Cup games, feel free to post it in the comment section (or on your blog and then post a link in the comments section.) I haven't seen many soccer poems and think it would be pretty cool.

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As always, thanks for stopping by Lind-guistics.

Contest Reminder

Hey, everyone.

This is just a reminder about the haiga contest. All you need to do is write three lines. Three little lines. The inspiration is my photo (below); the words are yours.

If you need the link again to Claudsy's post CLICK HERE.






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Wednesday Hodgepodge - June 4, 2014

It's been a while since I've taken part in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Joyce at From this Side of the Pond always lists the questions and participants supply the answers and add a link to their post on her list. If you are interested in taking part, head on over to Joyce's blog by CLICKING HERE for more information.

Now, for my answers to the eight questions.

1. I've read several posts and status updates recently describing end of year school field trips. Do you remember taking school field trips as a kid? Where did you go and do you recall a favorite? For any parents responding today, have you ever chaperoned a school field trip, and if so where?

There were lots of school trips. In elementary school we took day trips to places like the Franklin Institute and Longwood Gardens and took extended trips to Fellowship Farms and to the Poconos. In later grades we went to the United Nations and to Disneyland.

I'm never good at picking favorites but if I have to I'd say the 4-day trip to a camp in the Poconos with my fifth grade class was most memorable.

Have I helped to chaperone a school field trip? Certainly have. Quite a few, in fact. To the zoo, the dinosaur exhibit, the nature museum, etc. I was always willing to tag along when they needed extra people.

2. What's something you're tired of seeing online?

Pop-up ads. 

3. June is the month for roses. Which of the following expressions would you say could most recently be applied to your life-'everything's coming up roses' 'there's no rose without a thorn' came out smelling like a rose' or 'wearing rose-colored glasses'? 

I think the expression "there's no rose without a thorn" always applies. I follow the philosophy that nothing is perfect. All people are flawed in some way, relationships have their ups and downs, each career/job has good and bad points. Some thorns dig deeper than others and some are bigger challenges to overlook, but we need to accept them and deal with them the best we can. On the flip side, just because things are flawed doesn't mean we shouldn't see the beauty in them. Take time to smell the roses when you can. It's those good things that keep us going.

4. When grilling outdoors do you prefer gas or charcoal? Who does the grilling at your house? What's the last thing you ate that was cooked on a grill?

Both are fine but I love the flavor of  food cooked on a charcoal grill. I tend to marinade/prepare the food for the grill and my husband does the grilling. The last thing we had on the grill was Schweinehals (pork shoulder steaks) marinated with garlic, mushrooms stuffed with feta, and vegetable skewers (cherry tomato and zucchini), but one of my favorite things to make on the grill is eggplant marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.    

5. Are you afraid of the dark?

No, just what lies within it. :-)  

6. Share a favorite song with a number in its title.

This was the hardest of all the questions for two reason. Firstly, I LOVE music. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I am always bad at picking favorites, so deciding on one song to highlight is torture. I started a list. It included songs like Green Day's 21 Guns, Kylie Minogue's 2 Hearts, Fleming and John's 6,570, Jason Mraz's 93 Million Miles, and Lou Bega's Mambo Nr. 5. I mean, seriously. Pull out some of your cd's or go through your MP3 or wherever you have your music. It seems everyone has a song with a number in it. One of the most well-known old songs in Germany is Nena's 99 Luftballoons. And if we include songs with the word ONE in them, the possibilities are endless--Colbie Caillat's One Fine Wire, Robbie Williams' She's the One, Jamie Cullem's Just One of Those Things, Sara Bareilles' One Sweet Love. The list could go on and one.  So I am not going to pick just one. Here are two that I like. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to insert the video so I've included links. Just click on the song title. 

My husband's favorite artist is Trombone Shorty. Not only is he an excellent musician but he sings, too. All his CDs are good and he puts on a great concert.

Trombone Shorty - One Night Only  

Another great artist, who I admire for his versatility, wordplay, and sometimes poetic lyrics (like in Bella Luna), is Jason Mraz. I already mentioned 93 Million Miles, which is an excellent tune, but I really dig this song from his Love is a Four Letter Word cd. 

Jason Mraz - 5/6 

I was going to add a German song (1000 Fragen by Silbermond) but couldn't find a good video for it. Most of them were covers. Oh, well. So it goes. 


 7. "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding about ourselves."(C.G. Jung) Do you agree? Why or why not?

I'm not sure it's true in every instance, but it's certainly true some of the time.  If something irritates me about someone then in most cases I am the opposite. For instance, I am a very patient person and it bothers me when people complain the whole time they wait in line or they refuse to wait like everyone else. On the other hand, sometimes the things we have in common with people cause the irritation. If both Jane and John are confident and always want to be the one in charge, they are certainly going to be irritated by the other's desire to lead the pack.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Note for the creative readers. This week I am guest host over at Creative Bloomings. Today's prompt is to write a quintella. To take part, CLICK HERE. Also, don't forget to back-track to Monday's post for the earlier prompt.  

Also, I am co-hosting a contest this month with Claudette at her blog At Home. I won her photo contest and thought it would be a bit of fun to see who could write something nice to go with it. The winner gets a copy of my photo with their poem on it. To learn more about it, CLICK HERE.


Thanks for stopping by today!

Virtual Blog Tour Today!

Virtual Blog Tour

I was asked by my friend and fellow creative, Kathryn Dyche  Dechairo, to participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented bloggers and have them share insight into their writing and creative process. You can visit her tour post at The Edge of Silence - See more at: http://confessionsofalaundrygoddess.blogspot.com/#sthash.fZmpB1Dk.dpuf

 

I was asked by Laurie Kolp to participate in a virtual blog tour. Its goal is to introduce talented bloggers as they share insight into their creative process and current projects. I' have known Laurie for several years and have seen her blossom as a writer.  You can visit her blog tour post at http://lkharris-kolp.blogspot.de/2014/05/virtual-blog-tour.html.

Here's Laurie's bio (but to really get to know her--which you should because she is amazingly talented--you should check out her work in journals online and visited one of her blogs). 

  

Laurie Kolp lives in Southeast Texas with her husband, three kids and two dogs. She serves as vice-president of Texas Gulf Coast Writers, and contributes monthly to the online communities dVerse Poets and Poetry Jam. Laurie’s first full-length poetry collection is Upon the Blue Couch, published by Winter Goose Publishing in April 2014.

I've already received and read my copy of Upon the Blue Couch and hope to write a post about it in the future but if you can't wait (you know what a lazy Blogger I am lately) then just go out and buy it! I recommend it.

 

Now, on to answering the four questions.

 

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What am I working on?

One too many things. I have so many ideas and notes jotted down that I often don't know where to start. The next piece I hope to start is a creative non-fiction piece about a gift my brother gave me to me when I was little. The idea came to me while sorting through old things in the attic. It will be fun writing this story, and since it is one that is dear to my heart I hope that when I've completed it that I'll be able to find an editor who will publish it. I also have a great idea for a picture book and have just begun plotting it out.

I've also been experimenting with haibun lately and find that it is a form I like very much. I've only written three of them but one has already been published and my latest will be featured in a journal in July. I'll post a link then. The third—well, that one needs a bit of work, but I think this form is a match for me. I'm looking forward to writing more of them.

 

Visually I am making a jump from photos to artwork and am creating a collage for a writing friend's upcoming chapbook. I sure hope it turns out okay and that he likes it. It's been a while since I've done something crafty.

Now, if we want to focus on only this current week, I am guest hosting over at Creative Bloomings. I needed to write a sample poem for the Sunday prompt (more on that later) and will need to write my poem for the in-form prompt on Wednesday. I'll give you a hint on the form. It starts with a Q.

Additionally, I am co-hosting a haiga contest this month. If you follow my blog or are a Facebook friend or friend in the real world, you might remember my winning the photo contest by Claudette at the blog At Home. This is my winning photo.

 

 

 

After being notified I suggested that it might be need to extend this and offer a short form poetry contest with the winner getting a haiga of my photo and his/her poem on it. She whole-heartedly agreed. The contest runs the whole month of June, so go check it out HERE.

Those are just a few of my creative ventures. Of course, I still have a family life and that keeps me busy, too.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

To be honest, I have no clue. I just write what comes to mind. Many people have told me they like my “voice”, that I write in a easy-going style that makes them feel as if I am actually there talking to them instead of just reading my words on paper. Okay, if you say so. As far as I am concerned the only thing that sets it apart from what others write is simply the fact that I wrote it. Haha. Maybe you can tell me what makes my work differ from others.

Why do I write what I do?

I write because I think typing is good exercise for my fingers and I don't know how to knit! But seriously, I write because I want to. Ever since I was about 7 years old I've enjoyed writing. It is just part of who I am. I've gone through long periods where I didn't write—when I was a new mother, when I moved to a foreign country and needed to learn a new language—but I've found that I am never completely satisfied with life unless I am writing. I am like a junkie who needs a fix on a somewhat regular basis. And if I am not writing, then I am either out taking photos or, more likely, reading.

How does my writing process work?

Well, folks, that is a loaded question, because I don't have a typical routine. I tend to get most of my best ideas while lying in bed at night staring into the darkness, while in the shower, or will riding the bus around town. I've learned to keep a tiny notebook nearby to jot down ideas and phrases, sometimes general plots. But sometimes those ideas come at times when I least expect them.

The writing part? That seems to work best late at night when my husband and daughter are asleep. Quiet and no chance of interruptions is the key for me. Though I must say that when I am having difficulty working out a story or finding the perfect description or wording, I often ask my husband the next day. He's quite helpful. His input might then start new sparks and before you know it I am writing in the afternoon. There is just no consistency to what or how I write.

Then the "why" part of writing comes into play. Often my writing process is spurred by a prompt or deadline. In April many of my poems were written due to April poetry prompts at Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides and other sites with April challenges or contests. Plus, there are opportunities, such as my guest hosting at Creative Bloomings. Each Sunday a prompt is posted and Walt and his co-host post an example poem for the prompt. This week the prompt is: Think of some reasons we wouldn’t be totally truthful to someone. Choose one and write a poem debunking that reason.

I received the prompt on Tuesday or Wednesday, collected a few ideas up until Friday and then finally sat down to write on Saturday. My muse was active but not giving me any good lines. Then I had what I thought was an excellent idea for a haibun. It just came pouring out of me. I made a few changes and knew it was close but not finished. I was completely satisfied with the prose but that darn haiku/senyru at the end is always the hardest part for me. Then I did something that is often part of my writing process. I sent it to a writing buddy of mine.

I have a few writing and critique groups—one for children's lit, one just for rhyming work, one for any type of writing, and also individual friends who write that I know can help every now and then if the need arises. I chose this person because she specializes in Japanese forms and is the editor of a journal which publishes such work. AND she is a totally awesome and loving friend. She looked it over, suggested a simple fix for the end, and then said, “It's good. Email it to me and it will be in the July issue.” My heart did a flitter. I've tried twice to get into her journal without success, and this time I wasn't even trying. I immediately sent a reply notifying her that it wasn't available, that I needed it for a guest post which would go public in less than 12 hours (and I had to go to bed soon).

Then I rethought things. I sent a message saying “If I can come up with something else for my guest post within the next hour, this piece is yours. If not, I'll have to try my luck with something else at a later date.”

Then another common part of my writing process kicked it...pressure. I can be a serious procrastinator at times so having deadlines and knowing, in this instance, that I MUST send something off and soon, my brain suddenly started throwing around a million ideas. I started and scrapped a few then my funny bone kicked in and I decided to let loose a bit and go for humor instead of depth. After all, who doesn't need a good laugh. In the end, I had a new piece within the hour, explained the situation to Walt and asked if the silly rhyme would work and, being the great guy that he is, said “by all means let the journal have the haibun and we'll run with this.” Thank you, Walt!

Now don't think that things always work out like the example above. Writing a haibun and having it accepted the same day is not the norm. There are times I have no good ideas to even begin with, times I begin and never finish a piece, and times I finish but it is so bad I can't send it off anywhere. There are times I have brilliant ideas and plots but can't seem to put the words on paper in a way that expresses the idea clearly or in an interesting fashion. Other times I revise and revise and revise and never make progress. There are plenty of time I fail. That's part of being a writer. 

In fact, I did a major fail with this post. I am supposed to find other writers to whom I pass the torch to in this blog tour. I asked over 20 people and came up short. Not a one! The majority of my friends have already taken part so the playing field was limited. Others just don't have the time. Either they are busy with other writing ventures (like making final edits on their upcoming books),  are focusing on matters in their personal life, or they just weren't interested. SO...

if you want to take part in the blog tour let me know. I will add you to the list and you can answer these four questions on your blog next week and put a link back to this post. And if not, I thank you for reading until the end of this long post. You are wonderful!

 

As another alternative, here are two links to others who are participating.

 

If you like wordplay and enjabment, check out De Jackson HERE. She's a great PoetPiratePrincess.

 

A great nature writer to check out is Hannah Gosselin. And she is such a sweety that many of us call her "sweet Hannah". Read her blog post HERE. 

 

 

 

Long time, no type

I've been having some problems commenting on other's blogs and just found out that a few people tried to comment on mine and couldn't. I never had any of these problems before Blogger made changes, and I find it frustrating. I have changed a few of my settings in the hopes that this will enable more of you to post comments on my posts. As for being unable to post on some of the other blogs...well, I guess they either need to change settings or if there is another issue then I need to figure it out.

I only posted once in April, because I was busy with writing challenges. I may post about them at a later date. For now I have two things to share. Firstly, I have a poem in this months issue of the Poetic Pinup Revue. Here is the tear sheet.

Doesn't that look beautiful? The editor at PPR always does a nice job of pairing the written work with visual work.


If you'd like to be able to read the poem, it is included at the end of this interview. Yes, can you believe Marie Elena at Creative Bloomings interviewed me? ME? I don't feel as if  I've come far enough with my writing to be interviewed and she made me feel very special. Thank you for that, Marie Elena.

Two things I'll need to clear up regarding the interview post. Firstly, the picture of the vineyards are not in Michelau but in a nearby town. There are so many vineyards in my area, and my husband and I often go strolling through them, especially on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

The other thing I need to clear up is my faulty math skills. I said 40% acceptance rate but I've recalculated and it is only 31.7. Even so 31.7% is still very good. I have been very lucky to find a market that is a match and I had a piece in every issue last year (not just poetry but also flash fiction and/or photography). That really increased my success rate.But I don't think I am "all that" because I am really still learning the craft of writing and have a looooooong way to go.

I know many of you also participating in writing challenges in April. Polish that work and send it out!!! And if you are already ready to do so, you can take part in the Submit-o-Rama over at Our Lost Jungle. Khara gives several options for participating. Go check it out.

For those of you who aren't writers (and therefore wouldn't take part in Submit-o-Rama) may I suggest you read a book instead? If you need a book suggestion, you can hop over to Nancy Posey's blog, The Discrimating Reader. She writes book reviews on books she's read and I've found a few good books by following her recommendation.

That's all for now. I hope to be back here or at Linda's Life on the Other Side again soon. Thanks for visiting.

My Early April Update

It's April, so I am doing writing challenges. Some are working out better than others. I did manage to send off a submission this week, something I haven't done in quite a while. One was a sonnet, the other free verse.  

I also heard back from the editor of a print literary magazine regarding a photo I submitted. She says, "I like how it looks online, but I will have to make my final decision once I see the proof copy, so please keep that in mind." I am hoping this one works out. It is a journal I've been wanting to be published in, so wish me luck. I'd also like to have written work accepted here in the future which means I'll need to polish some work and send it in.

In March I submitted to a photo contest, and this week I was notified that I won!!! To read about it and see my winning photo, CLICK HERE.

My last bit of news today is for all my writer friends. I just found out that the talented Khara House and two of her friends are starting their own literary journal called Bloodstone Review. The first reading period begins on May 1, so go check it out (LINK HERE).

For my non-writing friends I'll share a pretty daffodil photo I took.

If spring hasn't arrived in your part of the world yet, you can look at it and imagine that the flower buds are bursting open and coloring your world with bright yellow, forget-me-not blue, ruby red, and shades of pink. The sun is shining down on the green grass. The birds are nesting in the trees and singing joyfully.  Ah, don't you just love spring!

No comment!

I've been trying to post a comment on a person's blog to no avail. I write in the comment box, then in the "comment as/select profile" space I click on "Google account" and hit return. Then the comment disappears and nothing happens. No message saying it needs to be reviewed first before being posted. Nothing. Gone. I've tried countless times to let this person know that I enjoyed his post. I've sometimes had this trouble when trying to post on a few Wordpress blogs but this is a Blogspot post. Can anyone give me an idea what the problem might be? It is driving me crazy.

So crazy that I wrote a limerick. It's been a long time since I've written a limerick but the form seems to fit for this situation.

Limerick for Emmett

Though I'm not the dumbest chick,
today I feel totally thick.
The comments I'd make
on your blog wouldn't take
so instead you get this lame limerick.

Sorry, Emmett. It's not as cool as a blog comment and definitely not an exceptional limerick, but it is an effort made. Please partake of my humble offering even if I am capable of better work. Lately I have a bad case of Spring fever that has me riding bike and walking and grilling instead of writing. This silly one was just for fun (and de-stressing).

To see the post I am referring to, CLICK HERE to read Emmett's poem "Of What Lesser Men".

In the future, I'd like to post more links to poems, stories, or other work that I like and want to share with you. I am thinking of doing this on a certain day. What do you think I should call this....Saturday Shares? Sunday Shouts? Lazy Linda? Hahaha. Some people might look at it that way, as if I am too lazy to write something myself that day so I just share another's work. (However, I prefer "busy" to "lazy".)  Perhaps I could even use Friday Finds (cool stuff I find for you to read). Of course, the heading doesn't need to use alliteration. I could just title the posts Wednesday Links or Thursday Tag. Do you like the idea? And what would you call it? I know several bloggers who do this. My favorite is at Poets United. Rosemary posts such things under the title "I Wish I'd Written This". I think that is the perfect title. Darn you, Rosemary, for thinking of  it first.

Please let me know what you think, and if anyone might be able to help me with the commenting dilemma it would be greatly appreciated.

Last Week and Tomorrow

Hey, everyone! I've been so busy. Busy with writing challenges (Start the Year off Write! and other writing challenges). Busy with my family (long walks with hubby, long chats with daughter). Busy with every day tasks (cooking, cleaning, exercising). Just busy with life and not often taking time to blog.

Today I thought I'd take time to share a few things with you.

Firstly, have you heard of Poetic Bloomings? Each Sunday P.B. Posts a poetry prompt. You write a poem, submit it, and on Sunday two winners are chosen. At the end of the year a book is usually published of the winning poems. On Wednesdays, a poetic form prompt is posted.

Well, Poetic Bloomings is now called Creative Bloomings, because Walt has expanded to include Flash fiction prompts, photography, and more. Also, there are guest hosts who help each week.

AND the big News is...last week I took part in the weekly challenge AND MY POEM WAS CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE WINNERS!!! (insert my silly happy dance  here)

Here is a link to the post announcing the winning poems:

http://poeticbloomings.com/2014/02/08/brilliant-blooms-prompt-140-and-renga/

So that is my writing news for today.


Secondly, I'd like to talk about tomorrow. You all know what tomorrow is, right? Valentine's Day. It's not really a day I look Forward to. I find it very commercial. The prices of roses (or flowers in general) are outrageous for the 14th, and I don't think I need a day to remind my husband I love him (or for him to remind me he loves me). After all, we do have our anniversary. After all, we do try to express that as often as we can throughout the year (in ways others than buying something).

Last year my daughter called the 14th the "Forever Alone Day". This year she has a boyfriend and is all gung-ho for Valentine's Day. But there are plenty of others out there without a husband/ boyfriend/wife/girlfriend who just want to forget the day exists.

If you are one of those who say Bah-Humbug on Valentine's Day, for whatever reason, I offer you these alternatives:

1) Spend the day with a elderly widow/widower and bring chocolates. They will enjoy your company and chocolate makes everything better, right?

2) Spend the day with your dear old friend Jack. Drink until you forget it's Valentine's Day. (But do this at home so you don't need to drive anywhere.)

3) Spread the love in some other way. Volunteer at a food bank. Give free hugs. Whatever. Just be nice in some way. Show people that kindness still exists.

4) Get a bunch of friends together and sing love songs all night. Really loud. Until you either pee yourselves from laughing too hard or lose your voice. Just be silly and have a good time. Life is too short. Maybe dance a funny dance, too. Let your inner geek come out. Just be a lovable weirdo for once.

AND one of my favorites...the 14th is also International Book Giving Day. I think this is great and I'm taking part. If you want to find out what it's all about and how to become involved, CLICK HERE for all the information.

Whatever you plan on doing tomorrow, I hope you have a day that turns out exactly how you want it to. Enjoy!

I think I might make another heart-shaped cake.

I am Start(ing) the Year Off Write

Hi, everyone and HAPPY 2014! I hope you all rang in the new year having a blast with friends and/or family.

We have a brand new year with new adventures and challenges awaiting us. We have new goals and hopes and dreams. Some people have made resolutions. Many of my writer friends have decided to finish that novel, submit more flash fiction or poetry to literary journals, or blog more frequently. I've decided to write more of what I like. Over the past two years I've written mostly poetry and flash fiction for adults and a tiny bit of non-fiction. I really miss writing for children, so I hope to concentrate on that a bit more this year. In fact, I have several ideas for magazine articles and pictures books and even a chapter book. AND this year I am going to start the year off write. Yes, I mean write and not right, because I am taking part in Shannon Abercrombie's Start The Year Off Write Challenge.

You might be thinking Oh, a writing challenge. Who can take part? Bloggers? Children's writers? Poets? Anyone? And how does this challenge work?

WHO?
This challenge is for picture book writers, middle grade writers and young adult writers.  Everyone is welcome to participate and it’s FREE.

WHAT?
For 21 days, beginning on January 5th, a talented array of authors and illustrators will be sharing insights into their writing practices and providing a writing prompt/exercise to complete. Each day you complete the given exercise, you earn an entry to win one of the grand prizes.  Yes, I said PRIZES!!! Some of these prizes include a critique of your work by an agent or editor, proofreading by a copy editor, and tons of other cool stuff. Plus, there is a "super secret grand prize"... Nothing like a little mystery to add more excitement.

Now you should be asking yourself How do I sign up?

HOW?
CLICK HERE to go to Shannon's blog for registration information. It's as simple as that.

I am ready to get the creative juices flowing again and am sure Shannon's line-up of literary professionals will give me the kick I need. And then, folks, I can kick it up in 2014.

I've also signed up for a few other challenges this year. More details on those in a future post.