Write Anyway

Wow, talk about a stressful day. I don’t know what I’d do if it wasn’t Friday as well. Maybe declare some sort of holiday or take a sick day… Wow. So glad it’s Friday!

And…here we go!

1. When I heard that the two undefeated footy teams of this season are going head to head on Sunday I promptly suggested beer and pizza (for the husband) and other nibbles (for me).

2. Chocolate and sex - apart or together - are the best medicine.

3. It’s late, but worth the wait.

4. Some people let the crap in their past influence the quality of their future, but despite all the shit I have gone through, I appreciate where I have been always.

5. My eyes have seen over the twin cities in Minnesota at sunset, the lights of Denver as it’s beginning to snow, the bright lights of LA, the Pacific ocean lit only by the moon, Sydney and Melbourne from thousands of miles up… and more...

6. I need a drink - strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a drink and some time with the husband, tomorrow my plans include things like work, work, and work and Sunday, I want to enjoy the St. Kilda vs Geelong footy game!

I never got into football (known as gridiron over here) in the States, but I love cricket and footy over here. I love footy above all sports. I can’t imagine any other sport capturing my attention like footy does…

Anywho, hopefully I’ll get all my work done so I can truly enjoy the game. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. Imagine you now, you from five years ago, and you from ten years ago sitting together in a room…
2. “You confuse me. That’s all.”
3. Write a scene with the theme of desolation.
4. Imagine what life would be like if people didn’t have pets…
5. “Why don’t you try living instead of just existing for once?”
6. Have you ever had to solve a mystery?
7. Write a scene with the theme of quiet.
8. “What’s wrong with a few margaritas between friends?”
9. Imagine a storm you think is never going to end…
10. If you could have one ‘do over’…
11. “Shut up and eat your beans.”
12. Write a scene with the theme of courage.
13. Imagine where you are financially now being as rich as you want to be…

Hello once again everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. (Don’t worry if you can’t quite use all the words; eight or nine is great!)

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
Alone
Cross
Explain
Politics
Thin
Promise
Soul
Place
Two
You

Second Word Bank
Part
Invisible
Berry
Cry
Return
Away
Tied
Done
Date
Moon

Third Word Bank
See
Away
Know
Sense
Fear
A lot
Side
Gasp
Out
Sigh

***Remember to leave a link to your responses!

Heading to the beach with nothing to read? Now you can head out in style with a book from one (or more!) of your favorite authors!

Pump Up Your Book Promotion is hosting our very first Summer Beach Reading Giveaway. Four great authors with 4 chances to win!

All you have to do is head on out to one of the blogs listed below and follow directions to win. It’s that easy!

As the Pages Turn is giving away a copy of Dorothea Hover-Kramer’s Second Chance at Your Dream!

This is the first book to apply the breakthrough insights of Energy Psychology to healthy aging. Energy Psychology is an exciting new healing method that changes the vibrational patterns in the energy fields to produce rapid emotional healing and a sense of well-being. With the help of the over fifty exercises for rebalancing yourself offered in this book, you can face the challenges and opportunities of later life to create a time of energy, abundance and joy.

You can visit Dorothea online at www.secondchancedream.com.

Click here to enter!

Fiction Scribe is giving away a copy of DCS’ Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening!

Thirteen bloodlines, The Brotherhood, fanatically loyal to their gods, the Anunnaki, have controlled the planet since his-story was written. In 1925 Stefano Vasco Terenzio, head of the Terenzio crime family makes a deal with the Anunnaki to solidify his control over the American Mafia. Clever and manipulative, Stefano’s true goal was to put his family in a position so one day they would be able to turn on their masters. Two generations later, the shockwave he ignited was still being felt. Now, as the world inches closer to 2012, time is running out.

The only thing in the Brotherhoods way is Terenzio, a family now divided as a truly epic battle begins that will determine whether mankind continues existing in a world of lies, or shatters the chains that have held it prisoner since his-story was written. Shocking yet hopeful, Synarchy slowly unravels the tightly laced reality we have created for ourselves. Blending the metaphysical with conspiracy, fact with fiction, debut author DCS has opened up a world that will force you to rethink everything you believe about your own. The knowledge within provokes the question; do you really want to know?

You can visit DCS on the web at www.synarchynovel.com.

Click here to enter!

The Book Stacks is giving away a copy of Dr. Ronald J. Frederick’s Living Like You Mean It!

So many of us long to feel more alive, connected, and secure in our lives, particularly now, in these challenging and difficult times. Why is it so hard? Part of the problem, says Dr. Ronald J. Frederick, has to do with a fear of our feelings—a feelings‐phobia—and the consequences of expressing our feelings to others. It’s this fear that keeps us stuck, detached from the wisdom inside us and distanced from the people around us. And yet positive emotional experiences can actually “rewire” our brain and free us up to experience ourselves and our lives more fully. LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want by Ronald J. Frederick, shows how we can overcome our feelings phobia in order to enjoy more satisfying lives.

You can visit Dr. Frederick on the web at www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com

Click here to enter!

Zensanity is giving away a copy of Richard Aaron’s Gauntlet!

Six hundred sixty tons of Semtex is detonated in a massive explosion in Libya – the last of a deadly stockpile. The operation seems to have gone smoothly, but within minutes of the explosion, CIA agent Richard Lawrence discovers that one shipment of the explosive was hijacked en route to the destruction point. Days later, a glory-seeking “Emir” broadcasts to the world that he is planning a massive terrorist strike against a major U.S. landmark. And he gives a timeline of one month.

You can visit Richard online at www.richardaaron.com.

Click here to enter!

Four great authors, four chances to win! Hurry before contests end!

My husband and I were recently talking to the man who married us, and the topic came on to how we were ready to move - anywhere in Australia. I think our friend was a bit concerned, as most of my husband’s and my social ties are to people in our current location and people Mr. JM works with.

Without much thought, I said, “We do love it here and the people here as well, but I think Mr. JM and I are wanderer souls. We’re happiest when we’re on the road. We love exploring new places. We love Victoria, but we’ve been over most of it - and more than once. I think we’re ready for a new place to start exploring.”

Thinking about what I had said later, I realized that, if Mr. JM and I had the money, we would be travelling all around the world. Not so much to live the high life but to discover the great mysteries and beauties the world has to offer.

Are you a Wanderer Soul? Are you happiest when you’re going somewhere new? Do you like exploring new places? Do you know anyone you would describe as a ‘Wanderer Soul’? Did you use to be a Wanderer Soul and now you’re not? Why?

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you heaps of creativity, a generous muse and heaps of time to write. Feel free to check in here with your progress for the day/week/month/etc.

Hello and welcome to another Musical Monday.

This week I am turning it down a notch in the peppy department (a department I hang around in way too much) because writing - and life - is not all happy and sunshine.

The videos I am featuring this week will help you tap into the darker places in your mind. Anger, rage, fear, tears, regrets… All of these themes are present in Breaking Benjamin’s videos, music, lyrics, etc. If you need to get into a darker place for your writing, then Breaking Benjamin is a good place to get started.

That being said, the last video - Rain - isn’t quite as ‘dark’ as it is a sad melody. Rain is the first Breaking Benjamin song I ever heard and is one of the songs I listened to repeatedly during some bad times in my life a few years ago. It’s definitely good for getting into the less pleasant parts of your mind for writing, so I wanted to include it.

Enjoy.

And there you have it! Your musical inspiration for the week.

There are a lot more songs out there, so do some hunting! I hope you find this music inspirational.

If you have any suggestions for singers or bands you’d like to see featured, let me know in the comments. I won’t promise to put all selections up, but I do promise to take a look. Besides, I’m always open to falling in love with a new band or singer and adding more music to my massive collection.

Have an excellent week filled with inspiration, time to write and a very generous muse.

Heading to the beach with nothing to read? Now you can head out in style with a book from one (or more!) of your favorite authors!

Pump Up Your Book Promotion is hosting our very first Summer Beach Reading Giveaway. Four great authors with 4 chances to win!

All you have to do is head on out to one of the blogs listed below and follow directions to win. It’s that easy!

As the Pages Turn is giving away a copy of Dorothea Hover-Kramer’s Second Chance at Your Dream!

This is the first book to apply the breakthrough insights of Energy Psychology to healthy aging. Energy Psychology is an exciting new healing method that changes the vibrational patterns in the energy fields to produce rapid emotional healing and a sense of well-being. With the help of the over fifty exercises for rebalancing yourself offered in this book, you can face the challenges and opportunities of later life to create a time of energy, abundance and joy.

You can visit Dorothea online at www.secondchancedream.com.

Click here to enter!

Fiction Scribe is giving away a copy of DCS’ Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening!

Thirteen bloodlines, The Brotherhood, fanatically loyal to their gods, the Anunnaki, have controlled the planet since his-story was written. In 1925 Stefano Vasco Terenzio, head of the Terenzio crime family makes a deal with the Anunnaki to solidify his control over the American Mafia. Clever and manipulative, Stefano’s true goal was to put his family in a position so one day they would be able to turn on their masters. Two generations later, the shockwave he ignited was still being felt. Now, as the world inches closer to 2012, time is running out.

The only thing in the Brotherhoods way is Terenzio, a family now divided as a truly epic battle begins that will determine whether mankind continues existing in a world of lies, or shatters the chains that have held it prisoner since his-story was written. Shocking yet hopeful, Synarchy slowly unravels the tightly laced reality we have created for ourselves. Blending the metaphysical with conspiracy, fact with fiction, debut author DCS has opened up a world that will force you to rethink everything you believe about your own. The knowledge within provokes the question; do you really want to know?

You can visit DCS on the web at www.synarchynovel.com.

Click here to enter!

The Book Stacks is giving away a copy of Dr. Ronald J. Frederick’s Living Like You Mean It!

So many of us long to feel more alive, connected, and secure in our lives, particularly now, in these challenging and difficult times. Why is it so hard? Part of the problem, says Dr. Ronald J. Frederick, has to do with a fear of our feelings—a feelings‐phobia—and the consequences of expressing our feelings to others. It’s this fear that keeps us stuck, detached from the wisdom inside us and distanced from the people around us. And yet positive emotional experiences can actually “rewire” our brain and free us up to experience ourselves and our lives more fully. LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want by Ronald J. Frederick, shows how we can overcome our feelings phobia in order to enjoy more satisfying lives.

You can visit Dr. Frederick on the web at www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com

Click here to enter!

Zensanity is giving away a copy of Richard Aaron’s Gauntlet!

Six hundred sixty tons of Semtex is detonated in a massive explosion in Libya – the last of a deadly stockpile. The operation seems to have gone smoothly, but within minutes of the explosion, CIA agent Richard Lawrence discovers that one shipment of the explosive was hijacked en route to the destruction point. Days later, a glory-seeking “Emir” broadcasts to the world that he is planning a massive terrorist strike against a major U.S. landmark. And he gives a timeline of one month.

You can visit Richard online at www.richardaaron.com.

Click here to enter!

Four great authors, four chances to win! Hurry before contests end!

I am so ready for it to be Friday. I’m sure plenty of you know exactly what I’m talking about!

And…here we go!

1. She had a great way about her. Open and yet with a hint of mystery that kept you wondering how a woman like her could keep it going for so many years. That endless kindness. That generosity. That blatant disregard for herself when others had need. It made you wonder, really. What made her tick? Why did she do it? No one will ever know.

2. My husband is by my side, always.

3. I know this: nothing in this life is given. The things that matter are the things that must be earned. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, what you were or weren’t born into… Not even a parent has ‘the right’ to be loved by a child. These things must be earned. Take any of the important things for granted and you’ll likely find you never had what you thought you did.

4. Sometimes I just need to stand still.

5. These words apply to me: perseverance and love.

6. I just couldn’t resist putting off work for a while today because the sun was shining.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going out for a nice meal with my husband, tomorrow my plans include relaxing, trying a new recipe and Sunday, I want to have everything done that needs to be done!

I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful weekend. Enjoy to the best of your abilities.

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. “Keep on dancing.”
2. Write a scene with the theme of spying.
3. You have been granted the position of leader of your country…
4. “You didn’t tell me you were still seeing him!”
5. Write a scene and then convert it to a poem.
6. “You have five minutes.”
7. “Some people are idiots. Some people are daydreamers. I haven’t decided what you are yet.”
8. Go to your local cafe and write character sketches about the people you see.
9. Write a scene with the theme of loss.
10. “You either join me or you get out of my way. Either way, it’s not going to be pretty.”
11. Meditate for five minutes and then free write for five minutes.
12. Write a scene with the theme of paradise.
13. “Could you be any more inept?”

Hello once again everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. (Don’t worry if you can’t quite use all the words; eight or nine is great!)

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
Last
Need
Magic
Kiss
Sky
Rumor
Water
Tight
Life
Compassion

Second Word Bank
Feeling
Dance
Dream
Can’t
Beat
Lover
Star
Desert
Laugh
Together

Third Word Bank
Quest
Path
Dirt
Hard
Boots
Tear
Worn
Sigh
Move
Give

***Remember to leave a link to your responses!

I had a feeling when 2009 started that this would be a year of change for me and my husband. Call it instinct. Call it intuition. Either way, things are looking just like I thought they would.

Within the next couple of months, my husband and I hope to move. We also hope that he gets a new job (or better conditions in his current one). After the house and job are settled (and my health is settled, too), we hope to start trying for a baby…

Before I moved to Australia, there was a period of about six months where I was in a very bad place. I felt like I was alive, but frozen. I felt like I was just barely cruising around and not actually living my life.

After I moved to Australia, everything changed.

With everything happening, especially now, I finally feel like I’m living my life to the fullest. I have my wonderful husband, soon we’ll have a house, a baby (hopefully) and a dog… We’ll be living my idea of an ideal life.

I can say with all confidence that I am truly living my life now more than I have ever lived in the past.

Define life. Is there a difference between life and living? Can someone be alive but not living?Are you ‘living’ your life or just alive?

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you heaps of creativity, a generous muse and heaps of time to write. Feel free to check in here with your progress for the day/week/month/etc.

If there was ever a song that I would love to have the nerve (and the singing voice) to sing in public, it would have to be ‘Open Arms’. I have been well and truly in love with that song since I was a young girl.

Ah, dreams are lovely things, aren’t they?

This is another random pick from my music player on shuffle, but it is a very happy random pick. Journey hasn’t been a big part of my life, but there are definitely songs I can remember hearing at specific points in my life that will always stand out to me. Especially with the songs I am featuring today.

I’m not going to put up a biography or anything like that because I’m sure most, if not all, of you know plenty about Journey already. To all the ‘true blues’, I did include one song with the ‘new guy’, so forgive me for that.

Enjoy the music.

And there you have it! Your musical inspiration for the week.

There are a lot more songs out there, so do some hunting! I hope you find this music inspirational.

If you have any suggestions for singers or bands you’d like to see featured, let me know in the comments. I won’t promise to put all selections up, but I do promise to take a look. Besides, I’m always open to falling in love with a new band or singer and adding more music to my massive collection.

Have an excellent week filled with inspiration, time to write and a very generous muse.

“There is a lot of talk these days about vision. What do you think about it? Do you create vision boards? Do you have 20/20 vision? Have you seen a vision? Is there a ‘vision of loveliness’ in your life? How’s the view from where you are?”

Vision is such an interesting thing. I think a lot of people don’t take time to think about vision and exactly what it means for their lives.

Relativity says that the observer is important in that the frame of reference for the observer will change what the observer actually sees. Quantum theory says the observer or consciousness creates the reality.

Now that is food for thought, isn’t it?

You may think the whole thing very strange, but I think the power of the mind or the consciousness to be a great tool.

When I was younger, quite young, I had dark brown eyes just like my mother. Very dark. My father had blue eyes. While I didn’t want blue eyes, I absolutely hated having brown eyes. I didn’t have anything against them specifically, but it just seemed like me having brown eyes was somehow wrong. A mistake.

Above and beyond all, I wanted green eyes. I felt convinced that I should have been born with green eyes. I would look into the mirror sometimes and will my eyes to turn green, but that seemed so impossible given how utterly dark brown my eyes were.

I grew older. I got glasses because I’m nearsighted. Life went on and I forgot about how much I had wanted green eyes.

That is, until they started changing color.

I can’t tell you how long it took, but I can tell you that I have had hazel - not quite the green I was after as a child, but close - eyes since I was about fourteen years old. They turn a more vivid green when I cry.

Sometimes I wonder, if I wanted it enough, if I could turn my eyes blue. But part of me feels I can’t. Partly because of the cynicism brought with age. Partly because I know my eyes are supposed to be green. Or, at least, nearly completely green

It’s a beautiful Friday here in Melbourne and the sun is actually shining, shockingly enough. Unfortunately, I can’t get out and about because I have work to do, but I am fortunate enough to have my desk placed in front of very big windows, so that’s something…

Since I’m recovering from surgery today, this week’s questions are from Tamy at 3sidesofcrazy; thanks, Tamy!

And…here we go!

1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting something different to what actually happens.

2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a Ghandi.

3. Subjecting yourself to food torture is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.

4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy trying to get by on meager salaries and are almost always the people who don’t want to be politicians.

5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine food and sex.

6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without an animal product or veggies in it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to zoning out a bit, tomorrow my plans include shopping and Sunday, I want to take a long, relaxing hot bath!

And there you have it. I hope you all have an incredibly wonderful weekend filled with all your hearts’ desires. Personally, I would go with a seven figure lottery win as my heart’s desire, but I’ll settle for six figures…

Ha.

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. “I tried to keep it from you.”
2. What if you could tell the future?
3. Write a scene with the theme of secrets.
4. “When the rain falls…”
5. What if rain fell from the ground up into the sky?
6. Write a scene with the theme of lies.
7. “Just another day in this place.”
8. Write a scene describing you, where you are and what you are doing right now.
9. You’ve been give your orders…
10. “Get out. And take your talking cat with you.”
11. Write a scene with the theme of hunger.
12. What if you were told you would never have to work another day in your life?
13. “What was that?”