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This item is in your Recycling Bin |   ...there you will find me. |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **   A fascination for the stars, a friendship with the darkest night; a search for adventure, a longing for the light; a journey to the edge of the universe, a wonder in my eyes... I have strong convictions, I love to sing and dance, I hate sham, lies and guise. I love life, people, oceans, pens, dreams, cats, chocolate, and I'll stand for what is right. You can tell me what I should be, Everything I lack. But at the end of the day just take me back to where the stars still shine at night.  Warning: Contains pert opinions, illogical thoughts, unrealistic dreams, ridiculous rants, irrelevant links, un-profound philosophy and "conservative" religious beliefs.You're welcome to read, follow, comment, listen, laugh and cry.  I can't promise any emotionally-tranquil content.  ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ® Bragging Rights Reserved |
| Q. If I "un-fan" a member (remove a member from my list of favourites), do they receive notification? A. The answer is no. Elle  and I tried this, with her removing me from her list of favourites, and I received no notification. (She made sure to fan me again.  )I can't find anything "official" on WdC that addresses this, and I haven't found any other members sharing their experience except through newsfeed notes, so I thought I'd write a quick blog entry. |
| For the last few days I've been trying something new, getting up at 6am and writing to start the day while it's quiet and private, usually for an hour before breakfast, but sometimes longer. I've read a lot of good things about this method from writers who do it. And it's certainly refreshing. There's something about the dawn, the stillness and solitude, that's deeply inspiring. My word count is steadily rising and I still have time to research and write poetry later in the day. It's like two days in one. It makes me feel...worthwhile, actually getting somewhere, looking at something that's mine, something I've achieved. Writing is placing words where words could not be. Writing is something that is yours. Something powerfully, individually and inexhaustibly your own. Something that no one can ever take away from you (plagiarism aside, of course). Writing is expressing the part of you that will never belong to anyone else. So write. Write selfishly and not for anyone else. Write until you have nothing left, until the words empty you and burn into every soul that reads. Writing is the only thing they can't take from you, that can only be lost if you give up. If writing is, as it should be, like breathing to you, then write as if your life depends on it. Because, in a way, it does. So write, write, write, and never look back, never give up and never erase. |
| I am deeply shocked and grieved by the terrible news from Pakistan. My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families, and with the government as it tries to handle this new crisis. Peace is a struggle. Sometimes I wonder if our world will ever win. "But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." ~ Amos 5:24 My heart goes out to Australia. Our nations have been through a lot together, as neighbours Down Under, so the recent tragedy - no, horrific crime - in Cairns feels painfully close to home. And it's especially difficult so hard on the heels of the Sydney siege. I hope our Aussie WdC friends are all okay (or as "okay" as you can be, dealing with all this)? I am left stunned and disheartened by the violence and ignorance we are capable of. And why the children? Why the children? God save us.    It also hurts that all this conflict is so near to Christmas, a time we are supposed to enjoy, a season of peace and joy, for reflection and good memories and new beginnings. But aren't we just living the same griefs, similar struggles, painful consequences, over and over again? "Too long has my soul had its dwelling With those who hate peace." ~ Psalm 120:6 |
| After reading Divergent, by Veronica Roth, I'm getting discouraged about my own novel. You see, I've been working on editing it and after a busy two or three months of almost nothing I was trying to get back into it to finish it off for good. But now I see that it has a lot of similarities with Divergent and I feel like I'm just rehashing old ideas (which I didn't realise were old until I started reading Divergent). I can just picture the critics rolling their eyes and saying Edge Of Glory (my novel) is just a carbon copy of Divergent, or a mish-mash of Divergent and The Hunger Games. And now I'm not sure if I should try to change that by introducing revolutionary alterations to my story or if I should ignore it and write what I feel like writing in spite of copyright and cliche. Here are some of the major similarities between Divergent (  ), The Hunger Games ( ) and Edge Of Glory ( ):Key... YA Dystopian sci-fi Trilogy  16-year-old badass heroine Hot, hunky 18-year-old male romantic interest  Soft, sensitive 16/17-year-old male romantic interest Love triangle Dead parents Some form of totalitarian government control Organised resistance Heroine figurehead/leader of resistance Civilization divided into (factions/districts/establishments) Evil capitol/capital city  Antagonist(s) are evil for the sake of being evil Vain people who dress weird Fence around perimeter of nation Symbols Tattoos  Trains Protagonist trained to become member of fighting force  Everyone likes heroine (especially guys) Heroine is rescued (usually more than once) by hero Heroine rescues (usually more than once) hero Heroine is "different" Zombies :-[I'm weighing up between taking a break from writing this summer or carrying on -- maybe with just poetry, or maybe I should just keep editing my novel, writing it however I would like to. Or maybe I should work on a new novel for a while, a summer holidays treat, like I usually do, and come back fresh in the new year. Or is that just me making lame excuses to give in...?  Ugh, I wish, I wish, I wish writing was straightforward.  |
Congratulations to our very own Peter Jackson who has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  |
It has been a long, long week.  I'm sick of Christmas hype. It really effects my job, and apart from an increase in work and money, I get a lot of problems to deal with day to day which wouldn't be so bad if this holiday hadn't become an orgy of consumerism.I love Christmas, its origins, the family focus and the giving side of it. But I hate the greedy, frantic, money-making mood which has infiltrated one of our most beautiful and precious celebrations. (Makes me wonder...what if, instead of buying gifts, we made them?) Currently soothing my nerves with a song: [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] |
HemingwayApp.Com is bad for my ego. It's a great tool for writers, though, so check it out.  |
| All things politics: Voting fever here in NZ. Looks like National won the election again. Thoughts on Scotland? I don't know much about it, but I was hoping they would get their independence. Something in me says they deserve it, so I was a bit disappointed. What about you? How do you think we can/should/shouldn't tie politics in with our writing? |
Just found out about journalist James Foley  , kidnapped in Syria in 2012 by the so-called "Islamic State" and brutally murdered last week. This makes me angry and upset - why, after thousands of years on this earth, are people still killing each other so needlessly? - but even though this situation was meant for evil it has still brought out a lot of good - people flock to support Foley's family, the families of other victims and the hostages themselves, and even the government is taking action. It also raises awareness from people all over the world about what is happening in Syria, the Middle East and other Islamic nations. It is also a reminder of how religion can be used for good or evil. Foley was a Catholic, and he is an inspiration to me as a tragic but uplifting example of how faith can help us in the darkest times of our lives. There is still hope.Just before his execution, he wrote his last words to his family in a letter which he helped a fellow hostage to memorize so that she could dictate it to his parents after her release. You can read his letter here .View the Facebook page dedicated to his memory.RIP, James Foley You made the world a better place. |
| So excited! I just set up an Audible.Com account. :-[ Now all I need are some books to download. Do you have any suggestions? I am currently interested in books in the sci-fi, dystopian and zombie genres, but I'm also after good books, not just any old new release (there are so many out there ).To start off I've found: After The End, by Amy Plum and Blood Red Road, by Moira Young and We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin .I appreciate any recommendations!  Thank you.  |
From To Charles Cowden Clarke by Keats:  "Oft have you seen a swan superbly frowning, And with proud breast his own white shadow crowning; He slants his neck beneath the waters bright So silently, it seems a beam of light Come from the galaxy: anon he sports,— With outspread wings the Naiad Zephyr courts, Or ruffles all the surface of the lake In striving from its crystal face to take Some diamond water drops, and them to treasure In milky nest, and sip them off at leisure. But not a moment can he there insure them, Nor to such downy rest can he allure them; For down they rush as though they would be free, And drop like hours into eternity. Just like that bird am I in loss of time, Whene’er I venture on the stream of rhyme; With shatter’d boat, oar snapt, and canvass rent, I slowly sail, scarce knowing my intent; Still scooping up the water with my fingers, In which a trembling diamond never lingers." ...If only I could write like that. |
| I'm feeling very philosophical, listening to Beethoven's 1st Symphony while reading Dante's Inferno. All I need now is a glass of wine. :-[ |
| I feel like my life is going nowhere right now. All I want to do is write, but the inspiration is lacking and I'm losing grip on my discipline. I need a change, a refocus. Sometimes I just want to shoot myself and end this miserable existence. What is there to live for, really? Day after day I confirm my status as a failure. Yeah, I know, morbid thoughts and I'm sorry. I'm tired of existing. Maybe I should just go and have a good cry. Maybe it will help me feel better. I could save the bullet for a better (well, worse) time. I thought writing was my therapy, but my therapist seems to have abandoned me. #whereareyoumuse? |
| Worst guts-ache I've had in a long time. Ugh. Hurt so bad for over an hour (I lost track of time), then, after swallowing multiple painkillers, I managed to get to sleep. Woke up three hours later feeling much better, but I'm still feverish – all hot and cold and shivery. And I'm hungry but I don't want to eat anything because I think I'd throw up. I hope I'll make it to work tomorrow. Today wasn't the best day.  Maybe I'll just take it easy for the rest of the day and do some more editing on my book and maybe some reviewing, and listen to my favourite artist, Passenger. |
(Rated) Grammar: the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit |
Lexis  Did you know there's actually a word for the flow of tears? It's called lachrymation. (Sounds more like the cremation of tears, don't you think? :-[)Are you a laic person? And have you ever seen a purling river? Or heard someone speak laconically? Don't languish in the languor of your lack of language! Make your vocabulary lively, lapidary, lissom and lambent. It's time to lexicalise the lacuna between your ears! What's the meaning of all this? :-[ Well, recently I had an idea, inspired by all the interesting new words I'm learning while reading through the dictionary: a group with the purpose of expanding the writer's vocabulary. This would involve regular emails (weekly or twice a week?) with a new word to learn, perhaps some extra information, and a contest with prizes to those who write something that includes the word of the week. (Or maybe this could be a branch of an already existing group? Or one of the WdC newsletters?) What do ya'll think? Is anyone interested? Does anyone have a better idea (or any ideas at all!) for improving our vocabulary together?(No, we're not talking about Lexus, beautiful cars that they are   ) |
| So...my creative mind is coming up with a lot of ideas that I don't know what to do with. Primarily: 1. A group mailing out weekly writing prompts and "new" words (that are useful, not those weird ones that no one cares about ). The problem with this is people might get tired of the frequent emails, especially if they're not using the prompts.2. A group reviewing newbies only. Nothing more. Just rewards for those who review newbies, aimed at giving newbies pretty much the only thing they want when they sign up to WdC: feedback. Would anyone be interested in joining one or both of these groups if they did exist? |
| I've been reading back through old writings and just now I read the opening paragraphs of the first chapter I wrote after dreaming up and thinking about what a few years later became my novel, "Invalid Item" : What had I become? The man lying dead at my feet was the result of my marksmanship, the neat little hole in the centre of his forehead boasted my accuracy—but I did not feel proud of it. I did not feel. I was a hollow shell of what I had once been. How could one afford to feel in a dark, evil world, surrounded by enemies, always on one’s guard, scavenging for food and protecting oneself? No, one had to learn complete control of the nerves, to ignore emotions. For six months I had survived without loving or being loved. It had destroyed me. I knew it and I felt the emptiness. I remembered how the first person I had killed had nearly killed me; how I was shattered and broken; how I had spent a week on my knees, without eating, praying to God in heart-broken sobs that He would forgive me for the ‘cold-blooded murder’ I had committed. I scoffed now to think of it. Makes me laugh! Fond feelings of nostalgia and embarrassment and a little tender contempt for my old self, the beginner writer.   But then, have I really improved?  Probably not much, but I am prouder of where I'm at now. Check out the first paragraphs of my current novel, just because you can: :-[I slung my rifle over my shoulder and tossed the rusty old toaster back at the pile of junk. There was nothing here worth keeping. The day was dying, leaving a bloody smear across the horizon. The sun fought a brilliant orange battle with the glowering clouds that sucked it down into the vacuum of the west. Fluorescent shadows cast in its wake snaked along the walls and rooftops of the dusty, dilapidated buildings of the city. Not even the spectacular colours of sunset could redeem it from dragging the world into darkness. I hated sunset, for it meant death and despair and another night of screams and bullets and bites. Another night that could cut the puppet strings of any life and and send you plummeting into the pit of hell. Another night, like the countless ones before it and the endless ones beyond it, to cling to survival until the bliss of a dawn that would not last peeped timidly over the east – a dawn that would bring a day that would only bring another night. A cruel circle that failed purpose. I hated the black of night, for it carried with it through the empty air the sounds of a gradually expiring world. What do you think? Is there any improvement? :-[ |
Are you a Giver or a Getter? In your activity on Writing.Com, do you feel like you give more of your time to the community (i.e. reviewing, rewarding, hosting and supporting contests and activities, etc.) or take more from it (i.e. receiving/requesting reviews, getting rewarded, entering/winning contests, etc.)? If you would call yourself a Giver, do you feel that you get enough recognition, or do you feel that the work you do is a reward in itself? Do you sometimes wish you could just sit down and...get for a while? If you would call yourself a Getter, do you feel that you are satisfied or are you always wanting more? Or do you wish you gave more? Are you appreciative towards the Givers or do you often take them for granted? And, Giver or Getter, do you think Givers need to receive more recognition and appreciation, or does that take away the point of giving? |
Recently I was discussing with someone if there is a way to make MBs smaller. I asked around, even at the Tech forum, but no one seemed to think you could. Ah-ha! You were wrong! Thanks to Jeff  for the information, I now know how to do it: {badge:}, {mbadge:} and {sbadge:} returns:![Merit Badge in Symposium
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[Link To User shelleya] has purchased this gift for you from [Link To Item #1982536] with the following personal toast: "To Kasia. May your house always be too small to hold all your friends. I lift my glass to you, my friend. Cheers!"](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Symposium-1957399_14.gif) , and And on that lovely note, thanks to everyone for all the wonderful MBs (even though I feel like I don't deserve them *entering contests like crazy to actually start earning some*). I can't believe I'm so close to 300 CRs!  Looking forward to clocking over another 100. Makes me feel all...warm and fuzzy. :-[![Merit Badge in Newbies Academy Group
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Thank you for your support of newbies. Warmest Regards, Sisco. *^*Heart*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Newbies_Academy_Group-1949660_11.gif) ![Merit Badge in Overachiever
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Thank you for your recent participation in [Link To User support] 's most recent "36-HOUR "Reward Our Reviewers" MISSION"! We love overachievers and you definitely went that extra mile to achieve just that! *^*Smile*^* Way to go! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Overachiever.gif) ![Merit Badge in Slave Drivers Mastered
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Thank you for including [Link To Item #1967503] as a recipient of your fundraiser activity [Link To Item #1993491] . We really appreciate the support.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Slave_Drivers_Mastered-1967507_14.gif) What else has this busy girl been up to, besides editing more of her novel, procrastinating working hard (of course! ) and playing with labouring dutifully for her secret birthday project (note keyword "birthday" ) and trying but magnificently failing to do some reviewing? Here are three of my latest creations (you likee? :-[):
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