Category: Writing for the love of writing

Cut and paste

Writing for my blog, I often come across prompts and topics that I have written about before.

If that former post was published more than a year ago and had had few views and comments, I find it a good option to repost it with the added statement that people may have seen/ read this post before as it is a re-share.

I have written more than 7000 posts in little over 4 years and it’s probable that I have written on many of the oft repeated prompts, and since I tend to write on similar lines, writing a new post seems a waste of effort.

So I search for an appropriate post, open it in browser view ( you cannot copy the whole of the post in block-editor mode if you open it on your site) and copy the parts I require and paste them onto my new post.

This serves a twofold purpose, one I re-share something written with effort and love, again and secondly, the old post gets a new airing.

Do you re-share/repost your older post ?

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In response to Six Sentence Story- Paste, hosted by Denise

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Hyphenated words

Making use of hyphenated words

We met the word count with ease

Be it 99 words, or merely 23 words

With clever use of this device we do

Write the shortest possible poems and posts

And are able to avoid disqualification

From the elitist club of bloggers

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Written for JusJoJan- hyphenated, Prompted by Sally, hosted by Linda

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Writing poetry

I must admit that when I started my blog, I discovered that writing poetry came very naturally to me but there was a hitch!

I cannot rhyme for the life of me or stick to the rules of certain poetic forms, in fact, I even don’t know the names of these forms, except haiku or acrostic poems.

What is a meter of a poem? I haven’t the slightest clue, nor do I know different literary devices or literary techniques.

I love to write out my thoughts in poetic form because I feel using fewer words, I can say what I want to say much more effectively, at least I hope so.

So I do call myself a poet ( of a beginner level) even though none of my poems rhyme, though some of them I feel have a certain rhythm to them!

You tell me am I justified in adopting this label or not?

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Written in response to Six Sentence Story- Meter, hosted by Denise

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Ideal writing conditions?

TODAY’S QUOTE 

” I like working among ‘creative clutter‘ . It gives me a sense of activity and achievement. ” — Fennel Hudson.

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I think I have a compulsive desire to have order around me. So when I sit to write I need my surroundings to be reasonably tidy. That would be the physical aspect of my writing surroundings.

Then there is the mental aspect of my writing environment! That just needs to be spic span. By this, I mean that there shouldn’t be pending tasks hanging on my conscience. I like doing things in a certain order, and regarding my writing, I like to be done with other important tasks that I do daily. It’s just a mental quirk but that’s how I like to do things. That is the reason why I write my posts for the next day, the night before. It’s my way of unwinding and being abreast of my blog posts.

I’m writing this post today, and it’ll be published today….. why didn’t I write it last night? The reason was that I was traveling yesterday and was tired. I didn’t even read all the posts in my reader and went to sleep early, promising myself to write this post early morning. So here I am writing this post, under less than favorable circumstances, so the point I’m making here is that I can do it this way too but it’s not my preferred way.

Blogging for me is a hobby, but also a way to express my feelings and thoughts. I like to keep my blogging stress free and yet I’d also like to have a meaningful real life. Meeting family and friends, have time with my grandchildren, all is a part of my day.

Since I don’t know what creative clutter is, I prefer an organized environment around me, where I am at ease so that I can write without stress.

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Written for;Blogging Insights NF # 57 : Creative Clutter VS Neatness, hosted by Tanya

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Friday Faithfuls – Writing for multiple prompts

This week Jim asks our opinion about writing a post using Multiple prompts;

“The whole purpose of a writing prompt is to inspire bloggers to write and be original and resourceful. If you write posts where you respond to multiple prompts, I would love to hear your thoughts on this”

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When I started to blog and discovered the daily prompts, I really enjoyed using as many of them as I could in one post/ poem. It challenged my imagination and often the results were admired by my readers.

Sometimes the prompts were so divergent that they wouldn’t go together no matter what I did so I’d leave the ones which didn’t fit in. Same challenge was faced when I used to do the wordle, that was posted twice on the weekend.

By doing these multi-prompt posts, I learned a lot about writing. I learned to use my imagination to think out ways to fit in all these prompts. But when one does daily prompts, it can be stressful as some of the prompts came in very late for me ( I live in a different time zone) and gradually I stopped doing them. Another reason was that I cut down my daily posts from 4 to 2.

These days I do weekly, monthly or bi-weekly prompts and usually pre-schedule my post the day before. That way I make my writing stress free. At times I use two images in the same post if they fit together. Or one of the prompt image with my Wednesday quote post. The reason for this is that I don’t want to post more than twice a day. I sometimes do post more but it’s not my regular schedule.

Another interesting,g point that Jim brought up was that do I feel obligated to respond to prompts hosted by those bloggers who are regular participants in my 2 challenges ( WDYS and Sunday Poser)? Yes that is a consideration at times. It’s sort of a courtesy that many bloggers show each other.

So that is my take on handling multiple prompts. What about you? Do you write in response to challenge or prompts?

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Written for Friday Faithfuls- Multiple prompts, hosted by Jim

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Waiting for the perfect conditions?

Dr Tanya has asked our opinion about this quote this week;

” A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word to paper.” E. B. White

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We all need to have conditions that are conducive to writing. They might not be ideal but they have to be such that writing comes easily to us.

I prefer an environment free from distraction of people talking. Be it real people or on tv. That just distracts me so much that I cannot form a thought to put in writing. I like to be by myself and with some soft music playing in the background when I write.

Good writing is much more than our environment and surroundings. Good writing is basically a good idea. And a good idea can come to us at anytime. The trick is to write it down so that we don’t forget it, which is often the case with me.

And writing needs commitment. Without commitment, writing a short post isn’t easy. If we are serious about writing, we need to follow through our resolve to write.

I’ve known bloggers who post sporadically, because there is a lot going on in their lives. But basically it comes down to how committed they are to their writing. I find time to write on days even when I’m very busy because I am committed to my blog. If I know I’ll be unavailable, I pre-schedule posts for those days. And I do try to keep my posting streak unbroken.

In conclusion, I think that writing needs a basic level of comfort where one can write without interruption, a good idea to write about and a commitment to o writing.

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In response to Blogging Insights- NF # 47, hosted by Tanya

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What is writing?

This week Tanya has asked our impressions on this quote;

TODAY’S QUOTE;

isaac asimov writing quote

” Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.” 

— Isaac Asimov.

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It’s a quote by a wonderful writer.

I don’t fall in the category of a writer in the traditional sense. But I do write mostly from instinct and not by plan.

Perhaps that is the best way to write the first draft. To go where your instincts lead you and after you’ve written that first draft, you then go back and neaten it up.

People who write stories, write them because in most cases, they story already exists in their mind. They have thought about the characters, how they look and behave and they know what will happen in that story. That’s why when they start to write, the story pours out of their fingertips and onto the paper/screen.

The next step is admittedly the most difficult one; editing this story so that there are no loopholes, no plot holes, and no grammatical errors. Even a few spelling mistakes can ruin the experience for the reader.

Previously, people did things in a proper manner by hiring an editor, and that editor would mercilessly cut out the offending parts of the writing and streamline it.

Now, however, we all can be our own editors and do everything ourselves. The result is a cost-free venture but often full of mistakes as we seldom catch all our blunders.

Yet, as they say, we learn and grow from our mistakes, so I think it’s okay to go this route, especially since the other one is too expensive and is only for people who make money from their writing.

I plan to do this one day too!

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Written in response to Blogging Insights- NF # 45, hosted by Tanya

Thanks to Tanya for keeping this conversation going.

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Reading list

Today, Dr Tanya has asked our opinion on this quote by George R R Martin

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“You need to read everything. Read fiction, non-fiction, magazines, newspapers. Read history, historical fiction, biography. Read mystery novels, fantasy, SF, horror, mainstream, literary classics, adventure, satire. Every writer has something to teach you, for good or ill. (And yes, you can learn from bad books as well as good ones — what not to do).”George R.R. Martin,

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I think if one wants to be a good writer, it always is a good idea to broaden one’s horizons. Reading from all genres and different types of authors gives a wide reading experience. This prepares us to write well-balanced stories. Poetry, similarly needs to be read from a variety of sources. Different poets have different ways to express their feelings and when we read through multiple platforms, we expand our expressions too.

I have gained a lot by reading not only books from my favorite authors but also my blogger friends. Some write fiction, some love horror while others write humorous stories. This has enriched my knowledge and made me aware of how I too can write in different styles and genres.

In conclusion, I’d say that this quote is very apt, especially for aspiring writers and bloggers. Reading from multiple genres and authors allows us to use the knowledge to better our own writing.

Thanks Tanya for the prompt.

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Blog promotion

This week Dr Tanya asks our opinion about this quote;

TODAY’S QUOTE:

Gary Vaynerchuk

“What you do after you create your content is what truly counts.

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This is something that I have experienced firsthand. Wonderful content on a blog which has no public engagement will not be read by many.

There are over 600 million blogs in the world today, this number has grown over the last 2 years, exponentially.

So how to decide which blog post to read and whom to follow on the blogosphere? The answer lies in engagement by the writer with other bloggers.

Unless you’re a celebrity or selling something that everyone wants or needs, no one will know you when you start your blog. You will have to build up your readership by interacting with other bloggers and by reading their posts. Leaving thoughtful comments on posts by others, often encourages them to visit your blog. Here the quality of your writing or the uniqueness of your ideas will make them a frequent visitor to your blog.

If you aim to attract a large following to your blog, then you will have to work not only on your writing, which should be of good quality but also on interacting with your fellow bloggers to build your community.

On the other hand, if you’re here just for the sake of expressing yourself and putting your thoughts out in the world, carry on as you feel comfortable because, at the end of the day, it’s always your choice.

Written in response to Blogging Insightful-NF # 36, hosted by Tanya

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Rena’s Exploration Challenge # 97

`PROMPT

This week, we will play around with 

QUOTES – PREFERABLY AROUND WRITING, CREATIVITY OR WRITER’S BLOCK 

I eagerly await your responses.

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In response to this Prompt, I found this wonderful Quote from Sylvia Plath.

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

Whoever writes almost always derives Inspiration from real life. We take events in our lives or those of people around us and base our writing around them. The characters come from real life, their quirks their way of talking and thinking all have a seed of real people in them.

It’s just up to us to make good use of the inspiring material life has provided for us.

 

 

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In response to;

Reena’s Exploration Challenge # 97

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