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Tag Archives: writing


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS June 28/14

It’s Friday (where did the week go?) and time for this week’s SoCS prompt! My inspiration this week – I can’t even begin to tell you where it came from. I don’t want to give you any ideas. Stream of Consciousness writing is all about just that – what comes from your ideas. So for this Saturday’s post, I’ll give you one word and let you run with it.

This week’s prompt word is “emote.” Feel free to add a suffix to it, or not, and just let it flow.

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at the prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Don’t hesitate to join in!

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 will come and read your post! The way to ping back, is to just copy and paste the URL of my post somewhere on your post. Then your URL will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. For example, in your post you can copy and paste the following: This post is part of SoCS: https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2814/  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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10 Random things that pissed me off today

1. People who argue on the internet, just because they can.

2. Bloggers who never ever reply to their comments, especially when they’ve written something controversial.

3. Looking out the window at a downpour when the “Weather Network” says it’s sunny outside. Don’t you people have a window of your own?!?

4. Over-sensitive people who love going out to socialize but who feel offended when strangers look at them.

5. Dog poo on the sidewalk.

6. My weeds. Not only are they choking my grass, but they keep growing, damnit!

7. My Sims Agents.

8. The pull of Camp Nano. It’s calling me, enticing me like a long lost lover…

9. Bacterial infections that live in hospitals – how do you weigh the risk vs. the benefit of going there?

10. When email doesn’t work! Please let me know if you requested my story the other day and didn’t get it – you should have.

What pissed you off today? And what made you smile? I could use one of those. 😉


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About One-Liner Wednesday

I invented “One-Liner Wednesday” mostly as an excuse to post something small – be it an inspirational quote or something humorous – that is equivalent to Facebook blather or a tweet. I often get more out of the comments on these sentence-long posts than other articles which take me minutes, or even hours, to write. It’s you, my amazing followers, who make it happen. Thank you.

And so I’d like to extend an invitation. Anyone who would like to try it out, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here or on my weekly “One-Liner” post to help your blog get more exposure. As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday, if you see a ping back from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

The rules that I’ve made for myself for “One-Liner Wednesday” are as follows:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

That’s it.

I’d be delighted to make this a “thing,” so to speak. At the very least, I’d love to give back to my lovely audience by connecting you all to each other.

C’mon – give it a try, and find some new, interesting blogs!


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One-Liner Wednesday – Bad Advertising

What’s stranger than standing in the bug spray aisle at the pharmacy and having to swat away a mosquito?


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If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the novel

As the temperature and the humidity rise, and the air gets harder to breathe, I find myself wanting to stay inside more. It’s like winter, only backwards – I’m looking for the ice inside and avoiding the furnace outside.

Therefore, I’ve been sitting on my ever-spreading derriere for the past couple of days trying to organize my writing. I’ve done some editing, and I’ve started jotting down notes for my next novel. (Yay!) I’ve had a couple of glowing reviews already for my A – Z novelette (which I still need a title for) and I’ve begun to look into the process of self-publishing. …and I have no idea where to start.

I have a couple of questions for anyone out there who has gone before me in this regard.

1. Do you have an ISBN for every piece of work you’ve self-published? If so, publish first or ISBN first?

2. Did you have to apply for rights in every country in which you sell?

I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg – actually an iceberg sounds nice right about now. Feel free to shoot me now for all the complaining I did in the winter. I deserve it, I know.

Tell me, how hot is it where you are? Make me feel grateful.


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Looking for Beta-Readers

I have decided to self-publish my A-Z novelette ahead of the major work, The Great Dagmaru, which I’m still editing. I’m going to do this for several reasons: one, to make any mistakes I’m bound to make on something that I haven’t spent years working on; two, to get my name “out there,” and three, for the experience.

The novelette comes out to 10,300 words and I’ll probably try to sell it for $0.99.

So I’m looking for beta-readers. Many of you read it in April as a series in 30 parts. I’ve made a few minor changes, but it’s pretty much as it sits in my fiction blog, only compiled for easier reading. What I’d like from my beta readers is no-holds-barred critique, for everything from typos and grammar flaws, to inconsistencies, redundancies, and general impressions on the story, structure, characters, readability, and whether it holds the interest all the way through.

I’d prefer to have five readers, at least two of whom haven’t read it before. Because it’s short, I’m hoping to get it back within two weeks.

It’s a fun little romance story with plenty of humour and even a little twist at the end. If you figure out the twist before you get there, let me know!

Anyone interested, please comment or write to me at bacamjoly at gmail dot com.

Thanks!


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Thanks for the Great Turnout!

I just wanted to say thank you very much to all of you who made Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week the biggest ever! We had so many great posts from amazing bloggers, both regulars and new participants.

Just in case you missed some of the later blogs, here they are in the reverse order of when they posted:

Footfalls and Forays: http://footfallsandforays.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/910/

Jessica: http://paintedturtleshells.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/stream-of-consciousness-saturday-june-21/

The Bee: http://riverflowing572.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/socs-likes-it.html

Traces of the Soul: http://tracesofthesoul.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/like-haibun-socs/

Just something I was thinking about: http://justsomethingiwasthinkingabout.com/2014/06/21/what-i-dont-like/

Shanjeniah: http://shanjeniah.com/2014/06/21/socs-i-like-flike/

Some Kernels of Truth: http://somekernelsoftruth.com/2014/06/22/do-i-sound-like-the-goldilocks-of-the-job-world-stream-of-consciousness-saturday-like/

Rose B Fischer: http://rosebfischer.com/2014/06/21/random-post-of-randomness/

My Leaky Boat: http://myleakyboat.com/blog/?p=489

Tony Leon: http://tonyleon13.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/what-i-like-in-a-girl-stream-of-consciousness-saturday-like/

The Dragon’s Lair: http://raphsodibreece.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/ill-look-to-like-if-looking-liking-move-socs/

Irene: http://irenedesign2011.com/2014/06/21/life-quality-this-post-is-a-part-of-socs/

Me: (yes, a shameless self-promotion) https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/youre-not-just-like-me-stream-of-consciousness-saturday-like/

Forty, c’est Fantastique!: http://fortyandfantastique.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/like-socs/

Jeanne Owens: http://jeanneowensauthor.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/of-music-and-writing/

Books, Music, Photography, and Movies: http://booksmusicandmovies.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/socs-about-this-and-that-likes/

Mindful Digressions: http://mindfuldigressions.com/2014/06/21/whats-not-to-like/

Youth of a Nation: Bent Not Broke: http://darcsunshine.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/when-there-are-no-words-music-will-speak-for-you/

Trying to make things right: http://mommyx4boys.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/things-i-like-for-my-husband/

Pavorisms: http://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/why-i-like-like/

People, Places, and Perspectives: http://minahmisteri.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/like/

Each and every one of the above posts are wonderfully written, and entertaining – I highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t already.

Thanks so much again, and I sincerely hope to see you all back next week!


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You’re Not Just Like Me – Stream of Consciousness Saturday (Like)

If I take all the things I like, and all the things I dislike and put them all, say, into a box, my box will be filled and devoid of a unique number of things. Some people in the world would need really big boxes, and others would fit all the things they like into a shoebox. I tend to try to avoid both types.

The types of people who make me suspicious, however, are the ones who tell me they like everything I like and dislike everything I dislike. How can they? Our boxes, after all, are as unique as our fingerprints. And so when I come across someone I seem to have a lot in common with, I try not to tell them I like the same things they like – at least not too many – because it kind of freaks me out. I don’t want them to get suspicious of ME.

Sometimes I think we should have a sheet that we can check off things we like and don’t like and hang them around our necks for other people to see. No wait, that’s just stupid. Can you imagine how many people would look at your sheet and not want to associate with you because you, for instance, enjoy eating peanut butter with cheese? I’d never have spoken to my best friend if I’d known that up front.

The point is, I like what I like and you like what you like. If we all liked the same things, how boring would the world be? What would we have to argue about? We’d all be one big happy world without conflict and we’d all sit around smiling all day because the things we don’t like wouldn’t even exist. I don’t think I’d like that. Would you?

This post is part of SoCS: https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2114/ Check it out and join in the fun!


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS June 21/14

After my much-needed little rest, I’m back with this week’s SoCS prompt! During my couple of days off, not posting any articles myself, I found I had a little more time to wander around and read some of the blogs I enjoy. It was fun! I probably hit the “like” button more times in the past forty-eight hours than I usually do in four days. In celebration of that, I’m going to ask you bloggers out there to write your Stream of Consciousness Saturday posts based on that one word.

This week’s prompt word is “like.” Any way you want to interpret it, “like” always. 😉

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at the prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Don’t hesitate to join in!

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 will come and read your post! The way to ping back, is to just copy and paste the URL of my post somewhere on your post. Then your URL will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. For example, in your post you can copy and paste the following: This post is part of SoCS: https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2114/  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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Overwhelmed and Underlively

Underlively. I just made up a new word. But it’s exactly how I feel. I have a rotten summer cold with an itch between my throat and my ear that’s driving me nuts. You know, the one that makes you want to thread a handkerchief through your skull between your earholes and give your sinuses a shoeshine.

Between that and the kids staying home soon and running around for my mother, I’m too wiped to even answer my own comments here on WordPress. So I’ve decided to take a break. I’ll be back for the Friday SoCS prompt, but until I get a break from everything, cold included, I’m afraid the best I may come up with is a disjointed story on my fiction blog.

So take care everyone. Watch for the prompt on Friday, and I’ll see you hopefully on the flipside of this bug in my head – as long as I don’t scratch my brain too hard.