Life in progress

Category Archives: Blogs


by 42 Comments

Writerly Procrastinations

In all honesty, I have to say I don’t believe Candy Crush Saga is a procrastination tool. It’s a way for me to escape my story for a few minutes and do something mindless that allows my imagination to wander.

When I’m not hungry but I get up to get myself something to eat anyway, that’s procrastination. Candy Crush Saga keeps me in my chair.

When I check my WordPress stats or my email, that’s procrastination. Candy Crush Saga takes far less time than that, especially if I have comments on my blog.

When I post a new blog to ask other people what they do to procrastinate, that’s procrastination.

So, how do you procrastinate?

Oh look, I have a new life on Candy Crush Saga! Gotta go.

 


by 87 Comments

Getting views is like pulling teeth

Has anyone else noticed that their view count has gone down? I’m blaming it on the new pop-up window in the reader that allows people to read a post without going to the site.

While this new feature is sometimes handy, it discourages other WordPress users from clicking on the actual post. When they don’t look at the post, they don’t see our site, and when they don’t go to our site, they don’t see what else is on our site.

Just think about it this way:  One of the people you follow may have found the cure for the clap yesterday, but if you only read about how his or her cat looked cute rifling through the cantankerous neighbours trash bin today, you’ll never know! That’s valuable information there you’ve missed out on!

So tell me, is it just me? Or has your view count gone down too?


by 51 Comments

My 200th Post! (and I need some advice)

I can’t believe I’ve been this wordy in the space of nine months.  🙂

So to celebrate my 200th blog post, I’m going to do a few random things.

First, a pretty picture. I took this about five years ago, in Gatineau, Quebec:

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Second, I’m going to ask anyone who is participating in Nanowrimo this year to join me as my writing buddy. I’ve never had one in the ten years I’ve been doing Nano and I already have three this year. It seems a good idea to have as many as I can – I’ll need all the encouragement I can get with all I have going on. If you’d like to join me, look me up. My user name at Nano is “schvell”.

Third, I need some advice. I’m thinking about changing my theme, but I was wondering – does it throw you off when someone’s site looks drastically different all of a sudden? Will you still visit if you don’t recognize the decor?

That’s all I can think of at the moment. So, dear friends, and readers I haven’t met yet, enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and thanks for visiting!


by 20 Comments

3/16 – Yesterday’s News – Opinions

Opinions. We all have them. As bloggers we put ours out there for the public to scrutinize every day, and scrutinized they are. Some of us know more intimately than others how harshly our opinions can be crushed by a troll. But still, the strongest of us brush it off and persist.

Is it possible to write without, in some capacity, revealing an opinion? Even in fiction there must be a part of our lives, our experiences, in what we say. So we write and we hope that people out there will find something of value in what we say. If we didn’t feel passionate about what we do, or what we have to share, we wouldn’t do it, right?

After all, we could just stick to posting pictures of flowers…

Flowers

The posts in the category “Yesterday’s News” reflect inspiration found in the previous day’s edition of my local newspaper. They are not a retelling of the news. This is a challenge to post a blog entry once a day, every day until Hallowe’en, and possibly beyond.


by 17 Comments

A Deep Well of Inspiration

ID-1004781

freedigitalphotos.net

Every once in a while I feel the need to reach out to my fellow writers, and I consider it a gift to have, here at WordPress, so many friends who are sailing along with me in this boat. Up until I began my blog, writing was a solitary endeavour if ever there was one.

So, I’m here once again to see if anyone else out there shares my experience.

Inspiration comes to me from everywhere: from an unusual sight; from people I see when I’m out; from music, art… you name it. But only once in my life have I found someone who could inspire me to write an entire novel. His face, his movements, his physique, his voice – there is nothing about him which doesn’t inspire me. And without fail, every time I see him I am compelled to write the character I have found through him.

I can’t imagine I’m the only one who has felt this seemingly unlimited amount of inspiration from a single person or thing.

So tell me. What has been your boundless inspiration in the past? What, or who, is responsible for giving you the excitement necessary to write tirelessly, and on occasion, effortlessly?


by 75 Comments

Paralyzing Perfectionism

I’m too hard on myself. I know this. I think it’s a common condition in artists of all disciplines – of course, we want to put our best foot forward. What is the use, after all, of showcasing mediocre work?

Even in blogging – maybe especially here on my blog – I tend to wait until I have the best idea before I post. It has to be not only interesting, but worth at least a hundred words (more if possible, but not so many that no one will open it in their reader), and it has to be something that other people can relate to. The grammar and spelling must be as close to perfect as I can achieve, the wording has to be right and with any luck it will evoke at least one emotional response from my readers.

So many requirements! So many, in fact, that often my posts never see the light of day because I don’t deem them good enough. In essence, I paralyze myself with my self-imposed need for perfection.

What is the alternative? Write articles and blog posts that no one wants to read? Put out such drivel that I lose followers?

I think I need to find a happy medium somewhere. There must be one, right? Maybe I should stop proofreading fifteen times – that would certainly cut down on the hours I spend writing only a few lines. It would also allow me more time to work on my course, edit my novel, and – hey, here’s an idea – do housework! Ha!

Nah!

So here’s a question or two: How many times do you proofread your posts? And are you, like me, a perfectionist? Is it a thing artists do, do you think?

Okay, that’s three questions. Maybe I’m not that much of a perfectionist after all. 😉


by 20 Comments

Works of Fiction and Poetry

Hello!

I’ve decided to post some of my older works of fiction and poetry over at my fiction blog. If you’re not already following me there, and you enjoy reading short stories and poems, please click here have a peek.

Love,

Me


by Leave a comment

Riddle of Keys

Reward: For the one to solve this puzzle! Come on, check it out and put your smarts to good use! 🙂

vozey's avatarMy First Fantasy Novel

riddle

worth a Dollar more than money.

dawn comes at Exclamation’s Point

if there it is at, At shall follow.

Asterisk’s Mark

dotting in Number, 1, 2, then 3

only in darkness my Percent of value may be

And Per Se And I be:

bright as a Caret.

—————————–

If you think you know what I am,

Prove you don’t know a d… turkey from a ham!

Oh! And if you “like” this without guess

you are a poser at best!

Might I add that whomever solves me first

for them will I add another verse! (IE a link to your blog)

 

Rewards for winner:

50,000 word critique of book or blog.

Link to blog.

by James Hall

View original post


by 13 Comments

Erotica Week

It’s Erotica Week over at the Community Storyboard! The “Submission” post can be found here http://neverendingstorydepository.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/erotica-week-submit-to-us-he-he/

I’m finding myself rather distracted by all this. I know what I want to write, so I should probably just go ahead and do it. I’ll probably submit more than once before the week is finished anyway.

So check it out! A few things have gone up already, so to speak. Come and join us, won’t you?


by 18 Comments

The Versatile Blogger Award

versatile-blogger-award

Thank you so very much to the lovely  Amara for this most prestigious award. I’m honoured to accept and do so happily and humbly.

I must share seven things about myself. I’ll try to make them as interesting as possible. After all, no one wants to know the boring stuff, right?

1. I’m finding this extremely difficult.

2. I’m not very interesting.

3. Okay, that was cheating.  I’m a cheater!  HA!

4. I hate Windows 8. Now I’m waiting for my laptop to blow up out of revenge.

5. I love and appreciate my fellow bloggers!  Yes, let’s make this about you too! 😀

6. My second favourite fragrance is that of roses.

7. Is this 7 already. My, where did the time go? I’m scatterbrained sometimes.

Yay! I did it.

Finally I have the great pleasure of offering this award to fifteen bloggers. This is going to be difficult!

1. Kira, at Wrestling Life

2. Maniniyot, at A traveling programmer from The Philippines

3. Eyagee, at Eyagee’s Blog

4. Steve, at Heed not Steve

5. Franny Stevenson, at Dr. Franny and Mrs. Myself

6. Lights of Clarity

7. Little Bird’s Dad

8.  Wilson K.

9. Beth, at A Thousand Journies

10. Julian Froment

11. MJ Poetry

12. Paul Davis

13. Amanda Hart Miller

14. Elenia, at Kaffee und Kuchen

15. Dori Hartley, at Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Please make a point to visit all these wonderful sites – you’ll be glad you did!

For the blogs nominated, here’s what to do to accept the award:

The Rules and  Requirements for The Versatile Blogger Award

1. Add The Versatile Blogger award photo on a blog post

2. Thank the person (or mythical being) who presented you with the award and link back to him or her in your post

3. Share seven things about yourself

4. Pass the award along to 15 favourite bloggers. Contact the chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Cheers all! Happy blogging 😀