  Contests & Activities
This week: Disconnect Challenge! Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week!
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A True Challenge - No Social Media for 24 hours
I'm a big fan of getting outside my comfort zone. I think it can really hope you grow and find new things, but it can be tough, of course. As I was trying to avoid a certain recent holiday, I thought about staying off a certain major social media website for the day. I didn't need the constant reminder that everyone else was celebrating something I'd rather not think about. I mentioned it to my husband, and it somehow turned into me staying off the internet for an entire day.
 I know!
Although I think the internet is a wonderful tool, I thought it might be fun to stay way for an entire day. No social media, no connecting with online friends and acquaintances! Just spending time with myself and my husband for an entire day. Here's what I experienced:
 It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. My husband and I came up with some rules, like it was okay to google, (I feel compelled to look up things that come to mind, such as "Do centipedes sleep?") so I wasn't totally disconnected, though I did spend the majority of the day outside doing some gardening. Actually, preparing to do some gardening. I ended up googling "How do you get rid of a shrub?"
I didn't miss much. I had 51 emails waiting for me, none of which came from "real people," just mostly subscriptions and notifications of sales. I probably would have been okay checking my email, but I stayed away just in case.
(By the way, I'm using cat emoticons because they're the universal symbol for the internet, right?)
The internet gets slower over the weekend, which I think explains why I didn't seem to miss much. What do you all do over the weekend? Maybe you were all gardening, like me!
I didn't feel more connected to my "real" life by disconnecting with my online one. I spent time with my husband, but I always do that. I spent more time outside connecting with nature, which honestly just left me sneezing and sore. What was the point of this experiment again?
In conclusion, I have to disagree with the people who think the internet causes a lack of communication. All those people who say it's sad to see people on their phones and computers instead of talking face to face? Yeah, I don't think they get it. For me, computers and phones are just more ways to communicate, to connect with other people. I feel far more connected through technology than I ever did before I had the internet. I know not everyone feels the same or has had the same experience as I have with technology. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the feedback section below! 
I think it's good to challenge yourself, whether it's in writing or in everyday life. It's good to push yourself to show you're capable of incredible feats (even if they're as simple as staying off a computer for 24 hours). It gives you a different perspective and when you complete something you weren't sure if you could do, you get the satisfaction of victory. Sometimes challenges don't quite turn out the way you think, and you might end up learning something totally different than what was expected.
Challenge completed!
Always keep on writing!
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| | | Poetry Terms [ASR] #1145017
How well do you know the poetic language? Test yourself with 10 questions at each try.
by Joy  |
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My last newsletter, ("Contests & Activities Newsletter (April 17, 2013)" ), discussed coming back.
Thank you so much for adding my activity. And about the question, I try to force myself to join contests and writing continuous groups or activities to keep me writing The only thing I would say is that write write and write and get reviews as well so that you can know how to improve and maybe at first you wont do good but then it will get better and you will be glad with the results. also not to get offended or really depressed by harsh reviews 
~ ~ Aqua ~ 
You're welcome and that is some great advice!!
I am guilty. I need to get back to revising and I can't seem to find time. I'm moving this month and every evening I am packing or transferring boxes to new house. I will watch for feedback. I will say this my characters keep tapping on my mind that they need attention. ~ Quick-Quill 
Best of luck to you, and at least you know that WDC and your characters are here for you when you're ready to get back to writing!
I read poetry to inspire me. I check out contests and prompts to see if one "rings my bell." Once I find something that calls to me, I sit down and write. Sometimes I'm drawn to a certain form of poetry. Sometimes I just write. Writing in my journal is another good way, but I'm really negligent of that.  ~ warriormom
Reading is a great way to get inspired!
Questions to think about:
Do you think the internet keeps people from interacting? Or does it help them interact more? |
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Contests & Activities: May 15, 2013 Issue [#5670]
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