Life in progress

Category Archives: Blogging


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SoCS – On English and Taking a Break

The English language amazes me. I’m sure many other languages are equally amazing, but English is the one I’m most familiar with, so it’s the one I’ll talk about.

When I came up with this week’s prompt, “degree(s),” I had one thing in mind. The temperature. But then I thought about how many different things it could mean and I was astounded. So many words in the English language are like this. It must be so confusing for people learning it. At the same time it opens up so many possibilities for things like the SoCS prompt.

In my mind right at this moment is the worry about what will happen with SoCS when I take some time off from my blog in December, and since this is stream of consciousness, that’s what I’ll write about.

I won’t be around for perhaps three weekends in December. I can handle this in a number of ways: I can just not put up prompts and let SoCS go for that time; I can pre-schedule the prompts and let SoCS run on its own, or I can get someone to guest-post for me. If that is the case, I can either leave it up to the guest poster to come up with the prompts or I can leave them myself for the guest to put up.

I suppose I need to know if anyone would be interested in doing it. I’m leaning toward this way of doing things, as sometimes participating bloggers need a helping hand with the pingbacks, and because I like to ensure that everything is being read. It’s a big job.

I realize that it’s still a long way off, so if you want to let me know that you might be interested, I won’t hold you to it. I merely want a feel at this point if there’s anyone at all who’s interested. Please comment below.

Thanks!

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

This post is part of SoCS – click the link and join in now! https://lindaghill.com/2014/10/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-october-2514/


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS October 25/14

Friday is here and with it comes your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt! I’m hella tired today – two mornings in a row of being dragged out of bed by a grumpy kid with a sore throat at 4am will do that. So no preamble or explanation today, just a prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “degree/degrees.” Have at it!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use the SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

socs-badge

Badge by: Doobster @ Mindful Digressions

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” or “Begin with the word ‘The’.”

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. Have fun!


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What has Stream of Consciousness Done for You?

It’s been an amazingly successful week for SoCS! We’ve had a record number of participants and quite a few new bloggers join us, which makes me very happy. 😀

After months of writing stream of consciousness posts, I’m finding that it has loosened me up in most of my writing. I’m not quite as anxious when I begin to write a blog post. I’m wondering if anyone else who participates in stream of consciousness writing (whether here on WordPress or elsewhere) has discovered the same thing.

What is the best part for you about writing this way? For me I have to say it’s the speed in which I can get a post out. Not having to edit–something I usually do to a fault–makes it much easier to write a blog post on Saturday, which happens to be one of my two busiest days of the week in most cases.

I’d love to hear from everyone who has tried writing a stream of consciousness blog post! I’m still working on getting caught up with reading everyone’s posts from yesterday and replying to comments. I’ll be reading though, and will reply as soon as I can.

 


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SoCS – When Things Go Pear-Shaped

I like circular. What comes around, goes around and what you give, you get back. Rectangular things are better than trapezoids, but not better than squares. I suppose I’m a little obsessed with order, though you wouldn’t know it looking at my house. Tidying up is at the bottom of my list of things to do.

Order in the way of plans are also important to me. When things go pear-shaped I get stressed. Not that I need to stick to a schedule – it’s more for my kids than me. Both of them are obsessed with schedules.

Today will be a busy day. If things don’t go as planned it will result in a late night.

This post sucks.

But that’s Stream of consciousness for you. Pear-shaped indeed. Show, don’t tell, right? Haha.

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

If you’d like to participate in Stream of Consciousness Saturday, click here to get the details! https://lindaghill.com/2014/10/17/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-october-1814/


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS October 18/14

Would you look at that – it’s Friday again! And that means it’s time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt! It ‘s been a fun week for me in blogland, though I’m still trying to catch up with last week’s SoCS posts. I’ll get there though! Have no fear. I did want to mention to everyone, since the pingbacks aren’t always reliable, to check to make sure your link is in the comments after you post. And don’t forget to visit the other participants! Getting to know one another is what it’s all about! So, without further ado:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “shape.” Use it as a noun or a verb, put the word in your post or simply use it as your theme – whatever comes off the top of your head!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use the SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

socs-badge

Badge by: Doobster @ Mindful Digressions

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” or “Begin with the word ‘The’.”

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. Have fun!


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A Rose by Any Other Name…

cropped-rose-sky.jpg

It took me a long while to decide to use my real name on my blog, and a little while more before I really felt comfortable with it. To start with, this blog was about me “coming out” as a writer. You may think it silly to equate it to announcing one’s gender preference (granted its nowhere near as traumatic as all that) but in a way it was the same. I’d seen, after all, the way people looked at me when I told them I was writing a novel. The word “flake” might as well have been stamped on my cheek for all the lack of praise the confession got me. It seems if they can’t see the finished product, the product will in their mind never be finished.

So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I signed up with WordPress using my own name. I was tentative – worried people I know would see my efforts and laugh. I still worry about that. But, having said that, I have gained a certain amount of confidence in myself. I started a Facebook page recently with the title “Linda G. Hill, Author” (you can find me here: https://www.facebook.com/lindaghill.fiction?ref=hl Like me!!) and that felt weird particularly when it asked me if the person I was making the page for approved. I think I actually yelled at the screen, “It’s ME!”

I still think about blogging under a pseudonym, even now that I’ve been blogging consistently here with my real name for a year and nine months. There’s a freedom in not using your name; what stops me is not being able to see the point. I’m quite happy here this way. I feel relatively secure in that I don’t disclose my precise whereabouts; I post pictures of my children knowing that they can’t be identified by their surname. (It isn’t “Hill.”) I find it easier than trying to keep up a facade. I don’t need to be careful not to give myself away… and I’m so close to being ready to get published that I’m no longer shy about calling myself a novelist. You’ll get your proof, damnit!

I would say the majority of blogs I follow here are anonymous. I realise there are many reasons for wanting to remain that way. For those who don’t use their real names, have you ever been tempted? And for those who do, was it a difficult hurdle to get over? Please share your story.


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I Haven’t Forgotten!

Dare I say it? My eyesight seems to be back. On Saturday it was horrible, then Sunday it was better and I thought to myself, ‘Oh great! I’m on the mend!’ but yesterday I could barely see again. I got some Lutein from the local pharmacy and have had two doses so far – it seems to have helped but I don’t want to push it too hard and strain my eyes before they’re ready.

All this to say, I haven’t forgotten about all the great bloggers who participated on SoCS on the weekend. Usually I’d have read everyone’s posts long before now, but it’s hard to read when I can’t see, unfortunately.

I did manage to get through all the answers to my questions on “10 Random Whats.” If you want a really good laugh, go read some of the witty responses I received! Great fun! Thanks to all who were kind enough to join in the silliness!

My other good news is, I’m finished the 4th edit on my novel, The Great Dagmaru! I just have to print it off and read it one more time and, as long as I don’t find any major problems, it should be going out to beta readers within the next month! I’m so excited!!

I hope to be able to get around to everyone’s blogs soon. Feel free to fill me in in the comments if I’ve missed anything important in the last couple of weeks. It’s been so hard not reading you all!!


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WordPress Wonderland

Stop me if this sounds familiar:

You turn on your computer on a weekend morning and sit down with your coffee to check your WordPress stats. You see not much has happened since you dragged yourself off to bed the night before so you open your reader. And there it begins. One great post by that blogger whose posts you never miss, followed by reading all the comments and then on to the next post, or the next blog…

What seems like an hour later you’re turning on the light because it’s gotten dark outside and … where did that empty chocolate wrapper come from? You get up to waddle to the kitchen for a glass of water and realize it was actually a pound of chocolate you consumed after you fell down the rabbit hole that is WordPress Wonderland and got lost in the maze of fascinating posts, pictures, recipes and laughter.

It never ceases to amaze me how much unique content can be found here on WordPress. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, something even better, more interesting, more inspiring and always time-consuming comes along to pull me in and keep me seated. And it’s hard! – really hard to stop sometimes. Finding the willpower to walk away from the computer and tidy up my house… It’s almost a no-brainer, for me anyway, which I’d rather be doing. Even editing my novel gets put aside for that post that just popped up…

…so shiny…

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

 


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS October 11/14

It’s Friday, and time for the Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday! It’s been a while since I really left the prompt up to you so I’m going to make this one of those weeks. I hope you enjoy the challenge!

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: the letter “s.” Write the first thing that comes to mind when you sit down to compose your SoCS post!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use the SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

socs-badge

Badge by: Doobster @ Mindful Digressions

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” or “Begin with the word ‘The’.”

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. Have fun!


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Compulsion

There are some things I just can’t help. Eating the last few nuts in the tin even if I don’t want them, straightening out a crooked picture on the wall, … writing a blog post even when I’m too tired to write a blog post…

It’s been a hell of a few days, and the next three aren’t going to be any better. Last week I had two days off (meaning the kids’ dad picked them up after dinner one day and brought them back after dinner two days later) but the one in I should have had a full day off had an appointment for Alex smack-dab in the middle that only I could take him to, so I didn’t really get a day off at all. August was the last time I had one of those. All this to say that I don’t have the energy to write … anything, really. I suppose this is what being a writer is. Compulsion.

Unfortunately for all of you, it means listening to me whine about how tired I am. So here’s a consolation. A pretty picture. (Hunts for picture.) Ah, here’s one from the spring:

CAM00270-EFFECTS

and look at that – it’s not even straight

What are you compelled to do, no matter what? It’s okay, go on. Admit it. We won’t judge.