Tag: wordpress

Choose Your Words

journal

Don’t act like these little black letters have no home outside the blank page. Like murder can’t come falling from your mouth. Like lawlessness can’t come ripping through towns like torn flesh from heavy winds. Choose your words as if the next phrase has the potential to destroy. Examine the shape of them as they exit your mouth. Taste the intention one syllable at a time, for corroded speech is too often praised these days and reveals the unpolished stains of the heart. Deception brimming the mind and falling from the mouth. A surge of power tap dancing in the air only to build nothing on the ground. No substance. No foundation. Just emotion all over the place. A melting pot of empty tongues. Be careful what you say least truth reveals the fairy-tale hopscotching around in your mouth. A collection of letters too light to gravity the ground. Too corroded to fly. Dare you pretend the taste of burnt ash that fell from your mouth and consumed a life did not first have a home in the heart. Choose your words but first guard your heart for out of it the mouth speaks. Amazing all this power in the tongue. This tiny member leaving bodies smashed up against the blog; the stench of bereavement emanating from the first sentence of a post. Choose your words as if the next phrase has the potential to destroy. Because it does.

Self-Publishing: Five Time-Saving Tools

Time saving tools for authors from The Writer’s Path Blog. I use Grammarly, Canva, and Mailchimp so I’ll vouch for these: )

theryanlanz's avatarRyan Lanz

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by Hope Ann

A writer’s life is filled with so much more than the mere creating of stories. There is editing and proofreading. Marketing and newsletters. Blogging and graphics. We can take any help offered, and here are five free tools which have helped me save time and work the best I can.

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7 Things You Fear Before Turning 30

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  • You can no longer blame the childish things you do on your youth. You think of ways to be as immature as possible before leaving the 20s club.

 

  • You’ll get fat. You’ll definitely get fat. You picture yourself grossly overweight with eight kids. You work out as much as possible before your birthday.

 

  • Kids will call you old. You try to say something hip to sound cool. You forget hip went out ages ago. You just said hip and ages in the same sentence. Your nieces roll their eyes. Your nephews shake their heads. You walk off in shame.

 

  • You wear a smirk at the possibility of catching up with your husband’s age. You’ll both be in the 30s now. You think you’re winning. You forget he’s nine years and four months older than you are and is on his way to the 40s club.

 

  • Speaking of 40, birthdays will never be the same again. You’ll have to wait ten years before getting the spark back. I mean, 31? No one is ever excited about 31. You consider ways to slow down time.

 

  • You fear you won’t actually sound 30 when it gets here. You realize you don’t know how 30 sounds. You consider asking your husband. You forget about the immature thing. You wonder what’s mature and what’s not. You overthink it.

 

  • You hide 20s memorabilia. You’re afraid you’ll miss it. You re-watch chick flicks and cartoons as much as possible before your birthday.

 

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The PBS Blog Award Page

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What a way to end the week! It’s been a long time since I’ve been nominated for a blog award. When I first began blogging in 2014, Blog Awards were a great motivation for me and a big part of helping to keep this blog going during those moments I felt like blah. Though I no longer participate in Blog Awards (Blog Award Free Since 1/20/16) I do acknowledge those who’ve nominated me and I have created a page for the awards. They are neatly stacked on the virtual shelf of The PBS Blog Awards page HERE.

Special thanks to Don Massenzio for nominating me for The Blogger Recognition Award. Every piece of support, every like, every comment, every re-blog, and every blog award gives this blog the fuel it needs to keep going. I still go through every like when I get the notification on my phone as if I don’t know who’s picture is coming up lol. They are just as important to me as the commentary and gives me the excitement I need to push onward.

Since I don’t actually participate in the Blog Awards I won’t go on to follow the rules but I would like to give the two pieces of blog advice, if I may.

 

  • Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers

 

  1. Make sure your blog is as easy to follow and navigate as possible. Keep it clean and the text easy to read (black text on white background always works). Be sure your blog has a Blog Follow button. Dashboard > Appearance > Widgets > I would recommend the one that says “Add an email sign-up form to allow people to follow your blog”
  1. Network with others. Comment back to comments left on your blog, visit the blogs of those who follow or liked you. Share content from other blogs. Carve out a day where you do nothing but read and interact with other blogs. Do for other blogs what you’d want people to do for you. Share their content across social media like you’d want them to do for you. Like their post and comment as you’d want them to do for you. Not just for the sake of trying to get something out of it but because good always comes back. Sitting on your hands wishing for more engagement won’t change a thing.

Now, go change the world.

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You Are the One

Malcolm X Shown with a Clenched Fist Speaking at a Rally

“The picture of the dry bones in the Valley, is talking about you. You are Lazarus. You are the dry bones. You are the prodigal son. You are the lost sheep. You are the people about whom the bible is speaking. Who will stand up in the last days when the trumpet is sounded. Black people are waking up. Black people are standing up. Black people are rising up.” – Malcolm X