Tag: blogger

Stop Being So Negative

Dear Bloggers,

You can learn a lot just by how people interact with you. You can discern if they are bitter people, upbeat people or extremely self-conscious. Believe it or not, this does not change when it comes to online writing / relationships. If every time you respond to others its in a way that is heavy, the spirit of negativity will emit from your pores faster than you can cover it up with a smiling emoji.

We all have experiences we’ve had to endure in this world and that we do endure and the abuse covers all angles. However, it is no reason to be lacking in compassion or rather consideration for the feelings of others. That said, stop being so negative in your interactions. By negative I do not mean standing firm on your opinions or just being open and honest. This isn’t about what you write on your blog; its your blog and I won’t tell you how to run your blog. I’m speaking more so along the lines of responding in general to those around you. We all have not so good days, but if every time I see your interactions you have this negative vibe then I’m just going to take you for a negative person. This, I might add, is a key destroyer of relationships. No one wants to be around people who are constantly complaining or speaking ill about everything let alone befriend them. Is there reason bitterness comes out of your mouth when you open it? Please, do not feed this to me. So I’m saying this not from a personal encounter or anything but just as a reminder that we should be more conscious of the things we say sometimes because energy invested comes back. You can at least be happy about waking up this morning.

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Now, I’m off to the kitchen. Raisin Brand Crunch is calling my name…

Throwback Thursday Jam – If I Ain’t Got You, Alicia Keys

I was looking for a nice inspiring quote but I decided to go with a song. I hope you enjoy this nice lil throwback jam to transition into your afternoon (or late night slumber). Alicia Keys was my girl back in the day. I dedicate this song to my love.

Best Lines Ever:

“Some people think that the physical things define what’s within
hand me the world on a silver platter
and what good would that be
with no one to share
and no one who truly cares
for me…”

Her Skin

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She has heard for too long now
that her pores bleed the color of slave ships
that chains have been seen in her smile
that her skin shines like a beacon of shame
sprinkled amidst Mississippi cotton fields
sometimes
her beauty sticks out
like a diamond in the ruff they notice her
and still
she is only pretty for a dark skin girl
Who does she think she is?
being darker than a brown paper bag?

The truth is that she is the color of the Goddesses
a dark chocolate kiss
neatly wrapped in silk
want to touch her face
just to see if it’s real
just to see if it’ll melt underneath my fingertips
Instead
I’ll keep my hands to myself
don’t want to be the stone
responsible for the wrinkles in her skin
this delicate rose petal of a woman
reborn in the spring
don’t want my touch
to taint her gorgeous
where not even the bite of Winter
dares to diminish
her light

Writing 101: Assignment #6- The Space to Write

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Step #1: The Early Morning Wake-Up Call

The best time to write is an hour or two after the sun has risen and the birds congregate on my windowsill with their songs. The sky is still a combination of yellows, orange, and reddish highlights, all tap-dancing on the clouds. I write best when the wind is still waking up and blowing lightly, just enough to sway the leaves. When the air smells like you just bought it from the store this morning. That first early morning wake-up, after morning prayer, and just when the creative juices are new and fresh. This is my ideal time of day to write.

Step #2: Coffee

Freshly brewed dark roasted Folders that grab my throat by its hinges and engulf my body before racing to the tips of my fingers. I arise to the occasion of the coffee cherry. After teaching and tutoring a few years back, I developed a love (addiction?) for coffee. Back when my daily routine consisted of chasing three and four-year-olds around the room and getting on my hands and knees to see which monopoly piece I would be. And now, the coffee bean must accompany me in the next phase of our adventure.

Step #3: Solitude

Give me neither food nor noise. Lock me away from society. I no longer live here. Put me inside a quiet place. Though I would much rather be somewhere in the country, swallowed up by trees and grassland, my home office will have to suffice. Where I shackle myself to solitude and feed from its delicacies. My fingers march to the beat of songs that can only be heard inside my head. I am not here in this office. I am in another place. That place where only writers go. I’m an introvert by nature, but writing is when I am the most adventurous. Let the rushing sound of my heart and the beating of keys be the only noise in the world worth paying attention to at this moment. Please, I beg of you, dare not shatter my concentration with the world and its worries, for I am not of the world.

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Before The Week Ends

Diversify your bookshelf

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I just want to share one final thought before I snuggle in for this week and that is to remember to diversify your book shelf. This can be a project we can all do over the weekend. Look through your books, do they repeat themselves? Are there three rows of Toni Morrison on a five row book case? Do you have 300 books and 250 of them are Chit-Lit? Are there 50 Sci-Fi novels all right next to each other? If you fit this criterion, I want you to take every last one of those books off of the shelf and re-evaluate your reading life. Then go to the thrift store, independent bookstore, flea market, library, Wal-Mart or Barnes and Nobles and buy a book that has nothing to do with your interest. That’s right; pick something you can never see yourself reading. Got it? Great. Now you’re ready.

We all have those books we absolutely love, authors we cannot get enough of or just books we can never throw away. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about reading it is the importance of having books covering a full range of subjects. I have cookbooks, medical books, dictionaries, bibles, concordances, and textbooks from back in the day, encyclopedias, journals, literature, urban fiction, poetry, general fiction novels, how-to books and the list goes on and on and I just think you should kinda be like me in this respect.

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When you expand your readership to cover a range of subjects it broadens your perspective and opens you up to a whole world of experience right there at your fingertips. It also helps you to learn. Have you ever wondered how people can go to prison and come out scholars? It started by reading and reading and reading on a wide range of subjects. Sure I love history, specifically African American History. I also love poetry and black literature and literature in general but if these are the only kinds of books I have around my outlook is one sided. I will be limited in my way of thought and miss so much knowledge in regard to those other great topics out there and the information these authors have to offer.

6 Tips To Hook A Reader on Page One

This is really good advice. I’m going to print these bullet points out and check off a list 🙂

Carly Watters's avatarCarly Watters, Literary Agent

I’ve read thousands of “page ones.” Very often I don’t read page two.

Sometimes all I read is that first page and I make judgements based on what I see there. As an agent and a reader my practice is that if I’m not connecting with the material I move on–and quickly.

I wish I had time to give writers (and their books) more of a chance but I can tell a lot by one page: sense of dialogue, setting, pace, character, voice, and writing talent–yes, usually all from one page. Five at the most.

So how are you supposed to get us past one page?

6 Tips To Hook A Reader on Page One

1. Learn how to balance what readers need to know vs. what you, as the writer, want to tell us. I can sense a writer who is trying to show off very quickly. It really only takes…

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Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Jahnavi Chintakunta

This week has been great so far in the writing world. It’s my first week in Blogging U’s Writing 101 course! I’ve met a lot of new bloggers, followed a lot of them, and am really enjoying the process of networking the blogosphere overall.

Anywho, in honor of Writing 101, my Writer’s Quote Wednesday quote is from an Indie Author I met named Jahnavi Chintakunta at Recharge Your Day:

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I like this quote because there’s a duality about it. On the one hand its just funny and yall know how silly I am. I also like it because it’s real. It does not sugar coat the truth. Writing is hard work and without the motivation, the discipline, or the drive to keep at it, it can easily fall by the way side. The other side to this quote, for me, is that it’s a subtle reminder not to allow these things, TV, and social media, to become such a distraction that it prohibits us from writing. When it does, it becomes time to cut off or separate that distraction until the work is done. I do not believe it is an option, but separation is mandatory when something becomes a hindrance if we are serious about staying focused on our writing endeavors. Speaking of life, Chintakunta is also an Indie Author! You can find out more about her book at the end of this post. In the meantime, here’s more about her.

About Chintakunta

From https://jahnavichintakunta.wordpress.com/:

“I’m a stay at home Mom, a former IT professional, a writer, a toastmaster, a book worm and an Indian who moved to the United states. Above all, I am an eternal optimist who wants to spread good cheer”

Jahnavi Chintakunta is a stay at home mom with a wide range of expertise. Electrical Engineer turned Software Professional turned Author, Jahnavi Chintakunta, believes in simple solutions for problems, small or big.

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Gold medalist in Electrical engineering – Postgraduate degree holder from a prestigious university – Manager in an IT bellwether- Chintakunta is a Techie who traveled around the world. While trying to connect the dots of her life, she found that the one thing which encompasses all her diverse credentials is the vast experience she gained fighting against all odds to achieve her dreams. A bibliophile with a flair for writing, she sought out to share her knowledge with the world. Thus her first book ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ is born where she shares a simple remedy to all the maladies of life.

About Ctrl+Alt+Delete

414imolhodL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_When a computer is not responding, what do we do? We press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Similarly when your life is going nowhere, then do a Ctrl+Alt+Del. It is a 3 step process where you move from Controlling your emotions to Altering your perception to Deleting the problem.

This book contains the details of the Ctrl+Alt+Del process with simple practical tips to deal with any tough situation in life. It alters your perception of life and motivates you to get the best out of your life. You can thrive in your life irrespective of your current situation. However tough your situations may be, as you begin looking at the positive aspects of your life, you will not only begin to appreciate your life, but you will also find a way to emerge as a winner.

Ctrl+Alt+Delete is available now on Amazon.com.

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That’s it for me. Yall be great.

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