This is a writing blog

This is a writing blog. I have two goals for this online journal. The first goal concerns writing ads. Some of the ads are obvious and some are not this is why I have a disclosure appearing at the end of each post. The second goal is writing about writing; therefore, I am going to devote each day of the week to a different aspect of writing.

The topics I intend to cover on a weekly basis are writing types, genre, contests, research, websites, book reviews, and writing tools. In addition, I will continue to write and post ads among the regular entries. The minimum word count goal for each entry is 200 words. Since I have seven subjects and there are seven days in a week, I want to focus on one topic for each day.

The subject for each day are Sunday (writing types), Monday (contests), Tuesday (research), Wednesday (websites), Thursday (book reviews), Friday (genre), and Saturday (writing tools). I plan to make one entry each day, more entries if I receive ad opportunities. This is a writing blog; therefore, all of the regular entries (non-ad) will cover a writing topic of some type.

Washing Cloths on a Cloudy Day

Clouds hide the blue sky
Baskets of dirty cloths wait
For a sunny day

I do not have an automatic dryer; therefore, I have to hang cloths outside to dry. Wet cloths do not completely dry on cloudy days. I cannot wait for a sunny day because the laundry baskets will start to overflow. Today I will hang the cloths inside on a drying rack. It takes longer for them to dry, but at least I can empty one basket before it begins to overflow.

Clouds move to the west
The sun smiles on Las Vegas
Partly cloudy day

The clouds are beginning to clear. The sun is casting shadows on my garage roof. A slight breeze blows through the neighbors’ oak tress. I am not going to hang cloths outside today; instead, I will finish the today’s loads and move on to something else.

My Mother Used to Write Poetry

I found two of my mother’s poems. I do not know when she wrote them because Mom never dated creative efforts, but I think she wrote them before 2007. Since Mothers' Day is Sunday, May 8, 2011, I think I will compile the poems I have and print them for Mom.

Mom did not write very many poems. I think perhaps a dozen or so. I have some of them on my computer’s hard drive. I also found a few she wrote in long hand, so I will type them into a manuscript and send them to my brothers and sister. I will also print some for Mom, she will be happy that I found them.

Mom does not write poems any more. Short-term memory lose is one of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. There are other effects, but the short-term memory lose prevents her from writing poetry. I miss Mom writing poetry because it kept her mind active. Mom enjoyed writing poetry, she remembers she wrote poems, but she does not realize that the Alzheimer’s disease is the reason she does not write any more.

My mother used to write poetry. Mom remembers she wrote poetry, but she does not know why she stopped.

Easter 2011 and Chocolate Bunnies

This year Easter Sunday is April 24; this gives me time to buy two chocolate Easter Bunnies. Every year Mom and I eat a chocolate bunny on Easter Sunday. I am not sure when we began this tradition, but it was several years ago. I usually buy the chocolate bunnies a couple of weeks before and put them in the freezer until Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday, I make a pot of coffee and then Mom and I eat chocolate bunnies for breakfast while we watch television.

That has been the routine for several years. I suppose it will be the same this year, but I am not sure. Mom has Alzheimer’s disease, so she forgets things and she gets angry. Last year, Easter Sunday went well; however, this year the Alzheimer’s disease is a little more advances. I never know when I get her up of a morning how she will react or what her mood will be. Sometimes, Mom’s day goes smooth, sometimes she cries, and sometimes she gets angry.

I do not know how Easter Sunday will go this year. I hope it will be a good day. I pray it will be a good day. I will just have to wait and see. In the mean time, I think I will write a story about a chocolate Easter bunny.

This week’s Poetic Exploration Challenge

This is week 12 of the Poetic Exploration Challenge on writing.com. The challenged is to write a shaped poem. This is a poem that takes the shape of the subject or object it describes. Writing a shaped poem is a challenge because it takes a little more planning then an ordinary non-shaped poem. When you write a shaped poem, you have to know the shape of the subject.

I wrote a shaped poem several years ago. I found the exercise challenging and rewarding. It was difficult and challenging because I had to visualize the shape before I put the poem on paper. It was rewarding because once I accomplished it I felt great. I felt relaxed even though I felt stressed during the process. I enjoyed writing a shape poem. I will enjoy writing a shaped poem. Now all I have to do is figure out a subject.

Writing about the wind and the cold

The wind is blowing in Las Vegas. I went out to get the paper this morning and it was cold. I felt cold because of the wind chill factor. It is spring and wind gives the air a feeling of early fall. It is chilly, which means I feel cold. It is not cold, of course, but I feel cold.

I am tired of feeling chilly; I am tired of feeling cold. When the weather gets into the triple digits, I am not going to complain because this winter has been very difficult because of the chilly and cold weather. I think the way I feel has more to do with my body’s internal thermostat then anything else.

The older I get, the more the cold and chilly weather effects me. I am 64 years old, I live in Las Vegas, and the wind chill factor is getting to me. I notice the temperature more today then I did when I was a child. I know there is a story or poem in this experience because there is a story, poem, or article in every experience a writer encounters. I simply have to find an approach to the subject.

Gratitude while printing one page at a time

My printer does not work properly. It prints only one page at a time. I need a new printer or I need this printer serviced. Since both options a difficult, I will continue to print one page at a time until I can figure out what is wrong. I suspect it is something simple and easy to fix, but I could be wrong about that.

Printing a novel page by page is time consuming. It can be irritating and tedious. Since I have no other choice for the next few weeks, I will print one page at a time and be thankful that I have a printer that works. I have found that no matter what difficulties arise, there is always something for which to be thankful.

Gratitude is something one learns as the years pass. I am thankful I have a printer that works because for a while the printer did not work. I solved that problem, so now I have to solve the paper feed issues my printer is having. Eventually, I will figure out a solution. Once I solve issue with the paper feed then I can print out entire chapter of a novel without worry. In the mean time will remain thankful that the printer works.

Getting back into my routine

I used to have a routine, a series of actions I did each day when I got online. I would check the bank accounts, PayPal, writing.com, SocialSpark, Sponzai, PayPerPost, InPostLinks, and Goviral Network. After checking those websites, I would make one or more blog entries. Somehow, I got out of that routine and, as a result, I am having difficulty making blog entries.

I did not always check those websites in the morning. Sometimes I checked them in the afternoon. Sometimes I checked them in the evening, but I always logged into each one at least once a day. I need to get back into the routine of checking them everyday. If I check each website everyday, I do not miss opportunities and I make a blog entry everyday.

In some cases, a routine is a good practice. It helps keep me in touch with my finances. It helps me find moneymaking opportunities. It helps me achieve my word count goals because it encourages me to write everyday. A routine helps me the goals I at the beginning of the year. A routine helps me focus on achievement rather then on worrying. A routine helps me remember where I left off when I encounter interruptions.

Week 11 Poetic Exploration Challenge

This is week 11 of the Poetic Exploration Challenge. This week’s challenge is the septolet. The septolet, created by Jack Huber, is a fourteen-word seven-line poem divided into two stanzas of three and four lines. The Septolet should describe or tell two different aspects of the same subject or scene; however, the second stanza is not a continuation of the first, but should add or enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject.

Win an Ipad2, Range Rover, Pulse of the City

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I need a new three-hole punch

I attempted to use my three-hole punch to put some hard copies of a chapter in a notebook today. It is a good thing I attempted only five pages because that paper punch does not work. I only ruined five pages, I am not happy about it, but at least it was not more. I have to get a new three-hole punch.

I knew my printer prints only one page at a time, so it takes a bit to print out one chapter. I will continue printing even if I cannot put the pages in a loose-leaf notebook. I am not going out of the house after anything this evening. I am not buying a new three-hole punch before I compare prices online. There are no office supply stores close to my house, so I have to find one across town.

I do not know why I did not try that piece of equipment before. I presumed since it worked the last time I used it, it still worked. I am not going to attempt to fix it because I am not sure where to start repairing the item. I will buy one new and get some printer paper while I am at the office supply store.

Why is the cat staring at me?

“Why is the cat staring at me?” sounds like a good title for a flash fiction story. The cat I am referring to is Midnight, who is sitting on a wooden stand by the window. Once I noticed him staring at me, turned his head and began staring out the living room window.

I do not know what he sees outside because there are no birds in the yard this morning. Even the pigeons that usually pick olives from the ground are missing today. The only thing for him to see is the wind blowing through the weeds and the olive tree. He could be looking at the sun, which sometimes shines through the clouds.

Midnight seems content to sit by the window and stare outside or stare at me when I am at the computer. I still do not know why Midnight stares at me when I sit down to compose something. I checked the food and water dishes to make sure that I filled them this morning.

The only other cat items I have to check are the litter boxes. Perhaps Midnight wants me to clean them this morning instead of waiting until evening. Cats are mysterious creature and one never really knows what is on their minds.

Writing about night and darkness

It is night, not dark because I live in Las Vegas. It is seldom dark in Las Vegas or any other city. Sometimes the lights go out because of a power failure, but that does not last long. The streets are lit, perhaps not as well lit, as some would like, but there are always streetlights.

In the modern world, darkness is rare even at night. I live in an area where I can look up and see a few stars. Sometimes I see Venus shining in the evening sky, especially when it is high above the horizon. Sometimes I look straight up and see stars twinkling.

There are always lights on in my house and around the house. It is dangerous to have complete darkness because it attracts intruders. It attracts unwanted guest who enter without knocking on the door and take whatever valuables they can find.

Darkness is not safe. There is safety in well-lit areas because a person can see all around and knows what is happening, but you never know what is going on in the dark.

Darkness if fear because you hear noises, but you do not know who or what is making those noises. We fear the unknown in the dark. We fear the unwanted intruder in the dark.

The night sky is beautiful because of the starlight. Humanity finds the light of the stars beautiful and not the darkness that surrounds them.

Attempting to write

I am attempting to write this after a long and difficult afternoon. I cannot think of anything else to write. It has been a difficult afternoon and it is going to be a long difficult night. I hope to complete at least 200 words, but I am not sure that is possible.

I think this whole thing started with the walker. Mom does not want to use the walker, but she has to for safeties sake. Mom wanted to go to bed, so I convince her to use the walker and she goes to bed. Once in bed, she decided that she was hungry, but she did not want to get up to go into the breakfast room to eat. I finally convinced her to get up, go into the breakfast room (using the walker) and eat some fruit.

Mom then decided she wanted to go back to bed. We went through the issue with the walker again; she agreed to use it and went back to bed. Once she was in bed she decided she did not want to stay in bed, but she did not want to get up either, especially if she had to use the walker. She finally decided she wanted to go to sleep.

I think she is asleep now, but I am not sure. I do not know how long Mom will sleep if she is asleep. I suspect the only ones in this house who will sleep tonight are the cats. I have dishes to do and more words to write, so I am going to close this entry with a “Good night” to anyone who can sleep tonight.

Thoughts about Spring

The sun crosses the vernal equinox occurs on March 20 about 23:21 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) this year. That is approximately eighteen or nineteen days from now. At first glance, that seems like a long time, but it is not. The time will pass quickly; we will wonder where March went and begin worrying about April 15.

Spring is a wonderful time. It is my favorite season. I look forward to hearing the newly hatched birds chirping for their dinner. I look forward to the warmer days and turning off the heat. I look forward to the beautiful flowers and the leaves sprouting on the trees. I look forward to getting out of the house and sitting on my patio.

On the first day of spring, Mom and I usually go out to eat. I am not sure about going out to eat this year. Mom has Alzheimer’s disease and it is difficult to get her to leave the house. Mom does not want to go out anymore and I cannot leave her at home alone, so she goes to the store with me. Mom goes with me, but she gets angry which is the reason I am not sure about taking her out to eat on the first day of spring.