Success Saturday: What Did I Accomplish during the Week of May 11 to May 17, 2014?

What did I accomplish during the week of May 11 to May 17, 2014? My negative thoughts want me to writing Nothing Accomplished, however, that is not true because I entered one contest on writing.com and created several blog entries. I did not work on any stories last week except one I put in my writing.com blog, so I have to change that next week.

I achieved my review goal on writing.com. I also managed to achieve my word count goal five days out of seven. This coming week I will change my focus to writing and editing rather then simply word count because I have a tendency to get lazy by responding only to blog prompts and some of the prompts have nothing to do with stories. Most of the prompts are daily slice-of-life writing, which I need to do, but in essays rather then blog prompts.

Another thing I accomplished was setting a schedule for making entries in this blog. At this point, the schedule is every-other-day unless I get an ad or video opportunity. In which case, I may write an entry everyday. I also succeeded in writing down the daily themes and the schedule for entries rather then relying on my memory. Memory, like technology, is wonderful when it works properly.

Writing Prompts, Blog Themes, and Posting on a Regular Basis

I have difficulty posting on a regular basis, some of my readers already know this. Sometimes I will post several days in a row and then I will stop posting for several day. Part of the problem is finding subjects to discuss in my blogs. The other part of the problem is time and stamina, I get very tired and have to sit down for an afternoon nap. If I do not post before the nap then I will not post that day.

After giving some thought to the problem of posting regularly, I have to decided set the goal to post at least every other day. This means that sometimes, I will need to respond to a prompt, find subject I can discuss, or use a theme. I have come up with seven themes that should work in conjunction with different prompts. This should solve the issue of posting on a regular basis, now all I have to do is manage to write two hundred words on whatever subject or prompt I choose.

These are the themes I have chosen (1) Free Write Sunday, (2) Quote of the Week Monday, (3) Haibun-Haiku Tuesday, (4) Midweek Reflections Wednesday, (5) Thankful Thursday, (6) Poetry form of the Week Friday, and (7) Recyclable Saturday.

Participating in the March blogging challenge

I am participating in the March blogging challenge on writing.com. I also participated in the January and February blogging challenge. I like the blogging challenge because it stretches my creativity and helps me focus on a specific subject.

Sometimes I have difficulty when it comes to finding subjects to cover in a blog entry. Even when I have a specific theme such as a poetry form, I have problems writing more then 100 words on the subject. It is easier for me to respond to a prompt then to begin writing without a prompt.

When I sit down to respond to a prompt, I start writing and the words come without much of a problem. The biggest issues I have, when it concerns prompt responses concern syntax problems. I stress over commas, colons, and semicolons rather then what to write. I also stress about the words “then” and “than” because I always get them confused.

Some writer’s have trouble with “there”, “their”, and “they’re”, I have few problems with these words, except when it comes to typos. If I get those three words wrong it is because my fingers it the wrong keys. This happens because I think faster then I type and it causes me to strike the wrong letter on the keyboard.

Responding to a writer's prompt

Several different website have writers' prompts. These are single words that the writer responds to by writing whatever comes to mind for five or ten minutes. It is a good idea to have some type of timer to sit so that you can write without looking at the clock.

The writer can write anything in response to the prompt. I prefer to write in a Word document, but a pen and pencil journal works just as well. When responding to the prompt do not worry about spelling or grammar that is what rewriting is for, the prompt is to get the creative juices flowing and generate story or poem ideas.

Prompts are great ways to come up with flash fiction stories. They are also good for finding story ideas and slices of life pieces. After responding to the prompt let the writing sit for an hour or more before going back to rewrite.

Write about a recurring dream

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for Friday, July 18, 2008. This is a day early, but it was the first one in the Daily Writing Practice Prompt folder, so it is the prompt I am responding to.

Write about a recurring dream

My recurring dream concerns my Grandparents' house in Blackwell, Oklahoma. In the dream Mom and I have returned to Blackwell and are staying in the house. The reason we are in Blackwell varies with the dream.



The constants in the dream are my grandparents' house, Mom and me, and the fact that we are about to leave and return to Las Vegas. Usually we are in the kitchen, but sometimes we are in one of the other rooms of the house. All the rooms look the same as they did when I was growing up.



There are usually other people in the dream. Sometimes relatives I have never met, sometimes my brothers or sister, and sometimes cousins who grew up around me. In one dream, there were even strangers who I knew in the dream, but had never met in my waking life.


In the last dream, which occurred two or three months ago, Mom and I had returned to Blackwell to attend my Grandparents' memorial service. We were getting ready to leave and had packed up everything we were taking back to Las Vegas. My cousin wanted to know what to do with the house and everything we were leaving behind. We told them to go ahead and sell the house.

The interesting thing about this dream is when it occurs. It usually occurs right before something changes in my life. The change does not have to be a change of address; it can be a situation change or a change in mental attitudes. The dream always occurs right before some type of important change in my life.

Website Wednesday: Lots of Writing Websites

Istiqlal (Majesty), 18 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Wednesday, January 16, 2008 about 7:49 PM PST


There are numerous writing websites out there. Some of them specialize in one genre of writing and some cover the range. Many of these websites have contests and give writing advice in the form of articles. A writer should look at all the writing related websites she or he encounters. Read the article and even try the writing prompts.

I enjoy the writing prompts they give me good ideas to write about. Writing prompts also give a writer a chance to work in other genres. They give a writer a chance to get out of the usual rut and find a new voice. Trying something new keeps the muse running. It never hurts to attempt something new once in a while. I enjoy looking at new writing websites.