  Noticing Newbies
This week: Edited by: laurencia
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N0TICING NEWBIES NEWSLETTER
Noticing Newbies Newsletter is geared to help members get acquainted with Writing.com. There are many things to do and learn. Our goal is to help you make your time here more fun and manageable.
Each week we select and showcase new items (poetry, lyrics, short stories, essays, campfires, polls, etc.). Exposure for an item (your writing) helps to bring you more rates and reviews by fellow members and the general public...of course depending on how much exposure you want your item to have. Some writers like to keep their work private. When your work does receive exposure, it helps bring more member interaction, which will give you the opportunity to build new friendships. Remember, it is a two-way street...try to make an effort to reciprocate reviews.
"There's someone that you haven't already met, go introduce yourself to him or her. Walls and labels can't keep you from the people who are so similar to you in spirit. There's a friendly face behind every door if you pick the right moment to knock. Once you start your wave of creative outreach, it turns into a contagious force. People are waking up and smiling at each other, sharing their dreams without hesitation. This community is worth something."
-- Author Unknown
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If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.
~Toni Morrison
Hello Newbies!
Write what you know OR what you want to know......OR better yet, write what editors want and at the same time write what you can learn about! There are writers who are smart enough to figure it out as they go, they learn what works for them. Generally, I feel that writing what you know is a safe start, allowing a writer to get in a writing groove....develop a good writing technique, produce at a steady pace and become a writer with your own voice. But, if you want to make a good living, especially with freelance writing, you have to do the work and write about subjects you know absolutely zero about. Challenge yourself, do the research necessary to become an expert on a foreign subject...you not only add to your resume, it also forces you to think outside the box and that is a valuable skill.
Remember, no matter how you go about writing and no matter what you write...just write.
HALLOWEEN EXTRA!!
** Image ID #1020278 Unavailable **
BUBBLE, BUBBLE, BOIL UP TROUBLE!
Round and round the caldron they go
words of poetry the story goes
day and night the members bestow
imaginary characters we come to know
creativity turns and takes shape
in the caldron boil and bake
DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE!
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays...an occasion that allows us to have fun and be goofy! I thought it would be interesting to educate all who do not know about the history of Halloween.
HALLOWEEN 101
As history indicates, there is much more to Halloween than candy, costumes and so-called devil worshipers. Many individuals identify Samhain as a Celtic Death God, which is one of the most tenacious errors associated with Halloween. Almost all stories about the origin of Halloween correctly state that Halloween had its origins among the ancient Celts and is based on their "Feast of Samhain." But many conservative Christian authors which are critical of Halloween, Druidism, and/or Wicca have stated that Samhain was named after the famous Celtic "God of the Dead." No such God ever existed. By the late 1990's many secular sources such as newspapers and television programs had picked up the error and propagated it widely. It is now a nearly universal belief, particularly among conservative Christians.
History:
The Celts in Britain had festivals for two major gods - a god of the sun (summer) and a god of the dead (winter), which was called Samhain. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in" (where "ow" rhymes with "cow"). Samhain is Irish Gaelic for the month of November. Samhuin is Scottish Gaelic for All Hallows, NOV-1.
A special festival named after Samhain was held each year on November 1st, the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The festival lasted for three days, marked the end of the season of the sun (summer) and the beginning of the season of darkness and cold (winter). The eve of the festival was a time for settling bills. Workmen were given their wages and rents were expected to be paid.
On October 31st, the eve of Samhain, after the crops had all been harvested and stored for the long winter, the cooking fires in people's homes were extinguished. The Druids (Celtic Priests) met on hilltops, among sacred oak trees, where they lit bonfires and offered sacrifices of crops and animals (yes, Priests, not devil worshipers). The Druids would also parade in costumes made from skins and heads of animals.
The next morning, the Druids handed out embers from their fires so people could start new cooking fires in their houses; these fires were meant not only to keep the homes warm, but also free from evil spirits.
The Romans invaded Britain in the first century, brought with them many of their own festivals and customs. One of these was the festival known as Pomona Day, named after their goddess of fruits and gardens, and celebrated around November 1st.
After hundreds of years of Roman rule, the customs of the Roman Pomona Day and the Celtic Samhain festival became integrated. The rituals of Pomona Day included apples, nuts, and a celebration of the harvest rituals, while some of the festivities during Samhain included magic, evil spirits and death (coming of winter).
As Christianity took hold in Britain, the festival of Samhain was gradually incorporated into Christain ritual. In 835 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church declared November 1st to be a church holiday to honor all the saints. It was called All Saint's Day, also known as Hallowmas, or All Hallows' Day: in Old English, the word "hallow" meant "sanctify". Years later, the Church made November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls' Day and was a time to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades and dressing up as saints, angels and devils.
Over time, October 31st became known as All Hallows' Eve, or Hallowe'en; Halloween is the modern spelling of the word.
The history of "Trick or Treat" came about through incorporation of the Samhain festival (explained in 1st and 2nd paragraphs) It was common practice in Ireland to knock on doors collecting money, bread, cakes, nuts and apples. Another Irish custom was to beg for "soul cake" in exchange for blessings and promises of prosperity or protection against bad luck.
The Irish believed that fairies (little people) were about on the night of Halloween, playing pranks and causing mischief; many people would leave an offering of food or milk on their doorstep. This gesture meant they would be blessed with good luck for the coming year.
Emigrants from Ireland and Scotland took these customs across the Atlantic, and today "Trick or Treating" is more prevalent in the United States than anywhere in the world.
References:
Religious Tolerance.org
http://www.encyclopedia.com
The Book of Halloween, Susie Johns
Until next time...
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 NEWBIE SHOW ITEMS SUBMITTED FOR NEWSLETTER:
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Is this going to be the scariest story you read this Halloween?
Hi I am hoping for some feedback on this item, or at least some suggestions on how, perhaps, I can make it a bit more appealing and garner some interest.
Thanks
One of my reviewers was surprised that there could be poetry in a homeless woman. What there was, was empathy. Where there is empathy...there is poetry.
I'm not sure how to access the forums, apart from going on my newsletters T_T this here thing with the numbers contains my DIFFICULT and IMPOSSIBLE quiz, that requires much concentration to do. Have fun. >:}
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It's imperative to educate people about CFS, and I'm trying my hand at doing so with this piece. I would be ecstatic to know that a lot of people (or even just some) read this piece and learned the truth about CFS. Thank you!
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can u please take my submitted item? i'd much appreciate it because i want to know how much people would rate me.
thank you =)
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#1332350 by Not Available. |
This is an autobiography I did for school, please check it out
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Thanks for featuring my contest forum. I always wait this newsletter weekly.
Keep up the good job!
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I am very honored that you chose to include the Character Development Contest in this week's newsletter. I appreciate the plug very much. Thanks again! Great newsletter, by the way!
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Wow, I totally love the ideas. In fact the list solves the one big writing problem I face--what to write???
Thanks so much!
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We Called Them Our Maids
I loved the suggestions for writing in this newsletter. Very helpful. Gonna hang on to this for future reference.
thanks! |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Great List! 
Acme 
This is a great newsletter!! the prompts were all great and I was really inspired by some of them
Thanks!! 
Brit-Girl
Em
Hehe - some of these are fun to put together... like "67. Write a prayer. & 68. Write a rap song." or "74. Win's someone's love. & 75. Write about a miracle." or "17. Reasons why people lie. & 18. Write about someone who has enriched your life." Thanks!
Tigger thinks of Prancer
Great writing prompts, Laurencia! Now no one should have an excuse for writer's block!  Great ideas!
~Cubby ")
Cubby 
This newsletter sparked ideas! And made me laugh! Thanks!
Eva
I find your tips inspiring. It can soemtime be hard trying to find soemthing to write about. And wanting to write but not having anything to write about is torture, so thank very much.
Bri
Hello Laurencia. Thank you so much for your newsletter. Always enjoyable. What a great list (100 Writing Ideas). Surely we all can find something to write about now.
katherinerose
Fallser
Laurencia,
As I sit here at the computer at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday night and know I should write something, I am thrilled that I opened this newsletter with 100 things to write about. Of course! There are many, many things to write about.
Thanks!
Fallser
Just the prompting I needed! Thank you, Laurencia! 
keeshlon
Gen
This is GREAT!!! "100 Writing Ideas" Well done, dear Laurencia!
I found my topic in the Top Ten, #6, to be exact; "persuade somebody to go to bed with you". Watch for it. Thank you very much!
The 100 Writing Ideas were great! I'm saving this email for when I need ideas to write about. Thanks!
cashworth
Love the feedback!! I'm glad many of you found the list of "100 Writing Ideas" helpful and entertaining. Thank you for your support of this newsetter!
See ya November 28th!
laurencia |
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Noticing Newbies: October 31, 2007 Issue [#2037]
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