Amore

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Photo Challenge by SYLVAIN LANDRY
A response to Sylvain’s challenge theme of Love, Amour

&
Writing 101, Day 19: Feature a guest

An homage to my dear sister and her one true love
Photo credits Miranda Kuusisto, Jessica Solingius

“Love isn’t always as straight and narrow as you’d like to think” Gun Roswell

Amore

Oh L’amour
The word itself, pure glamour

Love
If it fits like a glove
Like the two proverbial doves
On a branch busy at tweet
Generating more heat
Than a red glowing stove

Love knows no gender
Love knows no age
Love is always tender
Love knows no hate

Related posts:
Me and My Shadow, Repost

Writing 101, Day Twenty: Wrap it up

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Gun Roswell

PART ONE:
Writing 101, Day Twenty: Wrap it up

“I do like to wrap things up and leave some things to the readers’ imagination” Rick Riordan

Writing 101, Day Twenty: Wrap it up

Congratulations! You’ve reached the final day of Writing 101. We hope these prompts have encouraged you to brainstorm and write in new ways and introduced you to new tools and resources.

As we wind down the course, let’s wrap things up and look forward. Some final prompts to choose from, if you’d like:

Publish a course wrap-up:

* What did you enjoy or dislike?
* Describe a day, assignment, or Commons exchange in which you experienced an “aha!” moment.
* In December, I plan to . . .
* 5, 10, 20 years from now . . .

Thanks so much for joining us this month! You can continue to post and comment on the Commons for another week. Next Friday, December 4, we’ll disable posting/commenting access, but you’ll always be able to view and browse the site in the future.

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Writing 101: All Wrapped Up

Writing 101: All Wrapped Up

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Gun Roswell

PART TWO:

Writing 101, Day Twenty: Wrap it up

“It’s always hard to wrap up a series. The longer I spend with the characters, the more they become like friends” Rick Riordan

Writing 101: All Wrapped Up

* What did you enjoy or dislike?
* Describe a day, assignment, or Commons exchange in which you experienced an “aha!” moment.
* In December, I plan to . . .
* 5, 10, 20 years from now

* What did you enjoy or dislike?

I plead the fifth on this particular question:P

We all have our different point of views to writing and blogging, what is fun or interesting to another blogger, may not be “all that” for someone else. All and all, I posted something each day, even though it might not have been right on the topic 😉

“Never give up, never surrender, full speed ahead!”

* Describe a day, assignment, or Commons exchange in which you experienced an “aha!” moment.

For me personally, every day is an “aha!” moment day. Ideas can be found in music, news, books and yes, even television. Of course given a direct prompt is even better!

* In December…

I plan to take three more courses for WordPress Blogging University. I have already registered for the open courses. That being said, I also plan to go on a one week trip and possibly run another set of Travel blog posts. The other option is to just lay by the pool and close my laptop all together!

* 5, 10, 20 years from now?

Bollywood or Hollywood, which ever comes first 😉 Seriously though, despite my long career in IT and customer service before that, I would like my third career to be somewhere in the arts, preferably writing, snapping pix and even some videographic endeavours.

“Madam Producer, did you pick up on that and take a hint… an aspiring writer looking for a gig!”

A great big thanks to the trainers and fellow bloggers!
And remember: Keep calm and keep on blogging Ya’ll!

Writing 101, Day Eighteen, Compose a series of anecdotes

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, Day Eighteen, Compose a series of anecdotes
Part One

“I’m not funny in person. I mean I’m really not. I’m one of those people who always screw up anecdotes” Bill Bryson

Writing 101, Day Eighteen, Compose a series of anecdotes

The spectrum of moods you can create with this format is extremely wide. You might aim for a warm, lighthearted vibe, like a travel blogger channeling her love of the road through a string of portraits of the people who took her on as a hitchhiker. Or tackle a serious, tough issue like discrimination through the fragmented lens of anecdotal storytelling, as shown in Teri Carter’s sobering piece enumerating the instances of racism she’d encountered in her own family.

Not sure how to approach this assignment? Here are some ideas:

* Tell a story composed of scenes in each of which you eat your favorite dish, or enjoy your signature drink.
* Build a narrative of your own personal growth (or your attempts at achieving it) by evoking some of your past birthday parties.
* Write a post in which each section begins with the phrase “You may never believe this.”
* Recount the same anecdote several times, but do it from a different POV, style, or genre each time, so that each retelling exposes something new in your tale.
* Other examples include “Twelve Ways of Looking at Water” (common element: water), “The Bride Was Gone” (common setting: wedding), and “The Yellow Bus” (common thing: yellow bus).

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Anecdote Time

Anecdote Time

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, Day Eighteen, Compose a series of anecdotes
Part Two

“As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer” Robert Quillen

Anecdote Time

Never judge a book by its cover. A paperback can be just as entertaining as hardcover.

If you want to dwell in the past, buy yourself a time machine.

You have to learn how to walk before you can run. I found out that the hard way after my hip-surgery.

Looking into a mirror is like… Well, you obviously need to take a selfie!

Time, time, precious time, where have you gone? Don’t tell me, you lost your watch again?

In my youth, the grass was always greener, food tasted better and life was much happier… Then we woke up and put the dog out to pee.

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes… Be damned sure they are the same size as your own ones!

Today, I woke up, the day was stormy, the skies were gray, my mind felt dull... Well, you can’t always expect to be in the tropics, now can you Dearie?

Don’t do as I do, do as I say! Apparently, you can get away with murder?

People who are smart, beautiful and talented… Really piss me off!

Writing 101, Day Seventeen, A map as your muse

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, Day Seventeen, A map as your muse

“I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as he finishes the book” Roald Dahl,

Writing 101, Day Seventeen, A map as your muse

But the truth of the matter is, there are more maps in the world than anyone can count. Every person draws a map that shows themselves at the center.

— By Catherynne M. Valente, The Boy Who Lost Fairyland

With maps, we tell tales about ourselves and the places we come from, that we miss, that we’ve reshaped in our minds. We use maps to identify and explore locations and points in between, to track movements, and to make sense of our lives — past and present.

Today, let a map be your muse. Select an area anywhere in the world on Google Maps (or your preferred online map tool), or a section on a paper map, and use this as inspiration for your post.

Some ideas:

* Tell us about your connection to a place.
* Pen a poem inspired by the area’s topography.
* Write a piece of memoir in the form of directions from point A to point B, in which each item reveals something about you or the area, like in Anna Fonte’s “How to Get There.”
* Use this geographic map as a model for a mental and more imaginary map, like this map of the lyrical essay from Nina Gaby.
* Switch to Street View and write a story based on what you see.
* Write an essay set in this location, like Dinty Moore’s Google Maps piece, “Mr. Plimpton’s Revenge.”
* If you don’t want to include a map, you can approach the assignment without one, like this personal essay by Maggie Messitt.
* If possible, include a photograph of your paper map, a screenshot of the online map, or an embedded Google Map in your post

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“X” marks the Spot

“X” marks the Spot

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, Day Seventeen, A map as your muse

“Gold is a treasure, and he who possesses it does all he wishes to in this world, and succeeds in helping souls into paradise” Christopher Columbus

“X” marks the Spot

Looking for the pirate’s treasure
Nothing really can measure
The excitement and pleasure
And the feelings of pressure

An adventure for a lifetime
A tale before bedtime
A passage through time

When you finally reach
That one specific beach
And the day you siege
It is time to do as you preach

The treasure you found
Was right on the ground
What was once lost
Is now once more found

If you want to know
Come on, I will show
Your mind it will blow
But let’s take it slow

Maybe you were blind
But, look and you shall find
Finally without a strife
Only with, the purpose of life

After all
The X always marks the spot!

Quote A Week Tuesday #3, Part One

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Posted in Quote A Week Tuesday & Poetry

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship” Thomas Aquinas

Quote A Week Tuesday #3, Part One and Two

Today is time for two of my favourite quotes, and as usual, quite something to relate to:

The old adage “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” (Sun Tzu) can easily be translated into “With friends like that, who needs enemas” (The Adventures of Ford Fairlane).

In my youth, yes, believe it, I did have one, it was often hard to know whom to trust and I grew a shell around my person, trying to keep disappointments outside. As I have aged, no not grown old, rather wiser (if even possible :P) the protective exterior has somewhat cracked and trusting people a little more has become easier. Not too much mind you, but just enough! That being said, a little mistrust never hurt anyone?

Meanwhile, enjoy my “little lesson in life” in part two:

Mistrust is such an Ugly Word

Mistrust is such an Ugly Word

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Gun Roswell

“Trust dies but mistrust blossoms” Sophocles

Mistrust is such an Ugly Word

My poor little mistrusting thing
Think ,what joy a friend may bring
Together sharing your precious blings
Laughing when playing in the swing

Trust is a difficult thing
You say quicker than the clock could ding
I am afraid of the sting
Even if it means alone I would sing

Your world may not always be on a string
And you may not always be the king
But if you want that bell to ring
Spread out far your wings
And in the chorus you may sing

Writing 101, Day Sixteen: Mine your own material

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Gun Roswell

Writing 101, Day Sixteen: Mine your own material

“Mining is like a search-and-destroy mission” Stewart Udall

Writing 101, Day Sixteen: Mine your own material

The physical artifacts of our lives act as our raw material: hardbound journals, photo albums, newspaper clippings, belongings handed down to us. But these days, we also document and live online, so we can treat our blogging platforms and social spaces in the same way.

I like looking for post ideas in these places. I once used phrases from a forgotten draft in my dashboard to create almost-poetry. I’ve searched my social accounts for old Facebook posts and tweets and written blog posts about my social media behavior. I’ve experimented with creative content generators, like Poetweet, which uses your tweets to create poems.

Imagine a shopper searching for vintage items at a flea market, or an artist using recycled materials to build a sculpture. Can you dig through your online treasures and build upon old stories and existing writing? Here are more ideas:

* Take a peek in the drafts section of your dashboard. Can you use unpublished copy in a new way?
* Scroll through your Facebook wall and see if any posts catch your eye. Do you feel the same as when you first posted it? Can you comment on how you’ve evolved?
* Look at the stream of tweets you’ve favorited over time. Why did you favorite a particular tweet? What does your list of favorites say about you?
* If you use the Tag Cloud Widget, scan the terms in your tag cloud. Can you write prose or poetry that uses most of these words?
* If you have trouble finding ideas this way, think about the things we leave behind. Tell us about a time you’ve left an object, place, person, or even an idea behind — and had to move on.

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Work in Progress, the Series

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Anecdote Time