Poetic Happiness

Don’t you just love it when something wonderful happens to you out of the blue?  I had something wonderful happen to me and it was totally unexpected.  I stopped here at the site to check my stats.  Personally, I didn’t think anything exciting would be waiting for me, but boy was I wrong.  I noticed that there was a linkback that needed either approved or deleted.  I almost hit delete out of habit, but something told me to check it out first.  Good thing!

I found that a gentleman by the name of Ollie Lind had read one of the poems I’d posted here and not only liked it, but offered up the link to his own readers.  How cool is that?  So, I spent a little time at Mr. Lind’s site and was amazed at what I found.  Ollie Lind is quite the poet in his own right, and has even released his first book of poetry titled Reflections of Life.

Now mind you, I was a little intimidated about reading Ollie’s work.  Several years back, I’d posted some of my poems to a critique group and almost quit writing poetry all together.  I write in rhyme.  One of the people in the group had told me that it was a sure sign that I was nothing more than an amateur.  I was devastated.  I’ve tried my hand at free verse, but I have to say that I totally SUCK at this form of poetry.  Everything I wrote in free verse sounded forced, so I just gave up.

Anyway, I decided to read a few of Mr. Lind’s poems and fell in love with his writing style.  He’s a rhymer.  His poems come together in a magical way that dances across the heart.  It gave me hope that my poems might not be dead after all.  It also caused me to pull out my dusty old book filled with the poems I’d written so many years ago.  And, it made me realize that just because one person in this world didn’t approve of my style, someone else out there might enjoy it.

Thank you, Mr. Lind.  You helped put a spark back into my soul that’s been silenced for a very long time.  They say that all things happen for a reason, and I believe that you reading my goofy little poem was no accident.  May all your writing dreams come true.

How To Write A Cinquain

In the world of poetry, there are several different types of poems.  I personally like to write in verse, or rhymed poems.  Then there is also free verse, which is a highly stylized poem that has no rhyming words, but lots of imagery and descriptions.

Then there are all the styles of poems.  One of these styles is known as a Cinquain.  The cinquain is a very simple style of poetry, based on syllables instead of stanzas.  Cinquains are made up of 5 lines of verse.  It will look something like this:

Line 1=2 syllables
Line 2=4 syllables
Line 3=6 syllables
Line 4=8 syllables
Line 5=2 syllables

The thing about cinquains is that they can be based on any topic or theme.  They can be totally silly:

Pork Chops
Each night at six
Father demanded them
Just once I wished we could have
Fish sticks

Or they can be completely serious:

Soldiers
Freedom fighters
Sent to lands far from home
Protecting the lives of millions
Bravely

Cinquains can have a nature theme to them:

It’s cold
The winter storm
Creeps in without a sound
Laying down a blanket of snow
Frigid

Or they can have a love theme to them:

For you
The one I love
I’ve never known just how
To tell you of my true feelings
For you

They can even have an artsty feel to them:

Moments
Like living art
Each person around you
An actor in an unknown film
Captured

The cinquain is one of the easiest poems you can write, and they can be written by anyone.  It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a creative writer, or just looking to release a few pent up emotions.  The cinquain is a great way to let your emotions flow.

Prevent Writer’s Block With Word Association

Over coming writer’s block can be harder at times than others, and even rummaging through other venues may not work.  That’s when working with word association can help.

Word association is one of the easiest ways of coming up with ideas that I’ve ever personally used.  In a nutshell, it goes like this.  Write down any word that comes to mind.  Doesn’t matter what, just write it down.  Now, write down 3 or 4 different ideas that come to mind from that first word.  Keep going from one idea to the next until you see an idea begin to form.

Another idea I created for myself is a little thing I call N.A.V.A.  These stand for Noun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb.  I just write down one of each, not thinking about how they go together or anything like that.  Then, I work at trying to find a way to link them to each other.  For example, my page would look like this:

N=Basketball
A=Globular
V=Crash
A=Sensationally

Now, I’d try and get each of those words to coincide with each other in a story or an article.  For instance, I could write a story about a basketball player in a car crash.  Or I can write about the sensation exploits of professional basketball players.  There are several ideas that can be obtained from just these four words.

Mind you, these are only a couple of ideas to help you get over your writer’s block.  One of the best ideas, though, is to create your own ways of overcoming this obstacle.  If you can create your own ways of beating writer’s block, there will always be something to talk about.

Get Paid To Write At Bukisa

I found a new site where you can write for money.  The site is called Bukisa, and it seems pretty good so far.  It’s a lot like Helium, as you get paid based on the number of views to your work.  However, through this site, your earnings are also based on the site’s rating index.  For example, if the site’s index is at 4 and you’re content receives 1,000 unique views, you receive $4.

There are a lot of different topics to choose from, as well as different publication choices, such as text articles or videos.  Text articles must be at least 250 words in length, but no more than 1500 words.  Videos should be no more than 100mb in size.  If you’d rather add an audio clip or a slide show presentation, these options are also available.

Due to the fact that this site is still rather new, there are still some bugs that need to be worked out here and there.  For the most part, however, I’m pretty happy with this place.  I have read some negative press about Bukisa, like you have to give up your rights to your work once published on the site.  According to the site’s CTO, Simon Gelfand, this simply is not true.  Everything you post on the site remains your property.

Minimum payout is set at $10, and is paid through PayPal.  Payments are sent within 30 days of whatever month you reach payout level.  Basically, it means that if you reach payout on the 14th of December, you’ll get paid by the end of January.  Site revenues are made through a wide array of venues, including text ads, banner ads, and email marketing, just to name a few.

I can’t say whether this site is going to last or not, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’m pretty excited.  I’ve published 2 different articles on the site and have already had quite a few views.  As time goes by and I add new content, I’ll be able to tell if this site is worth the time or not.  For now, I’m happy with everything I’ve seen.

Creating Your Own Writing Style

The one thing that sets each writer apart from the rest of the world is they’re own unique style.  Some write with an authoritative voice, much like a teacher would speak to a class.  I, personally, try to write as though I’m sitting with my readers, chatting over a cup of coffee.

In order to really make your writing stand out in the crowd, you need to find your own style.  If you try to write like anyone else, your work will may have a stale feel to it.  By putting your own personality into your work, you make it fresher and more exciting.

There will be many experts who will tell you that you should write in a certain tone, depending on your topic or chose genre.  This may work for them, but that doesn’t mean the same is true for you.  The best writing comes from your heart, not from what youve learned from the experts.

I learned this many years ago, when I had some of my poems critiqued by poetry experts.  I’ve always enjoyed writing verse poetry, or poems that rhyme.  According to these experts, my poems were clearly written by an amateur who had no business writing poetry, simply because they rhymed.  I was so devastated that I didn’t write another poem for nearly a year.  That’s when it hit me, I needed to write for me.

I decided to keep writing in my own style, no matter what these experts thought.  I felt that if I changed my style to fit their ideas of what a perfect poem, it was no longer mine.  Since that time, I’ve written my poems in my style and though the experts may hate it, they make me happy.

Don’t let anyone else out there tell you how your work should sound or be written.  Always write in your own unique voice.  Your readers will know the difference and appreciate your efforts.

Rewards Of Blogging

There was a time when everyone wanted their own website.  Anyone who had a few bucks in their pocket could take that leap and become one with the Internet.  There were also tons of places that would help you create your first site for free, but you had to let them put their ads on your website.

Then came online weblogs.  Digital diaries where anyone and everyone could talk about what they had for breakfast, their Aunt Sally’s birthday party, and even discuss all the evils that the world had thrust upon them.  Since then, blogs have become an online phenomenon.  Nearly everyone has a blog, and many of these people are using their blogs to make money.  But, more than that, they’re delivering real information to the world.

There are still plenty of blogs that give people a place to let off steam, but most of them are strictly used for the purpose of informing the reader.  Plus, nearly all of these sites have taken on the purpose of talking about specific topics, or niches.  If you know a lot of stuff about any topic, you can create a niche site.

You don’t have to be a genius to run a successful blog, but you do need to remember a couple things.  First of all, keep your blog updated on a regular basis.  By adding more information, you’ll keep your readers coming back.  And secondly, take the time to spell check your posts.  Just because you’re running a blog doesn’t mean you can let this part slide.  Your readers will notice lots of mistakes and may decide to look elsewhere for their information.  Running a blog is easy, and with a little work, can be very rewarding.

Make Money Writing Short Stories

There are literally thousands of great writers around the Internet who have written some amazing articles and powerful stories, but seem to have trouble getting their work published.  I’ve found a place where you can publish your work and earn money each time your work is read by others.

Triond.com allows writers to publish their work, free of charge.  There are a few guidelines, but they’re rather easy to follow.  Each piece you publish must be your own work and cannot have been published anywhere else, either online or in print.

All items must be approved by the site’s admin and each writer receives 50% of revenues generated by their work.  Payments are sent out via check or paypal.  Payout is $0.50 if paid through Paypal, or $50.00 if sent by check.

Unlike other sites, Triond.com allows writers to publish either fiction or non-fiction and still receive payment.  Also, every piece published is able to receive royalties for as long as it remains on the site.  One article could potentially earn the writer for several years, as long as others are stopping by to read.

Triond.com is a global company, meaning that anyone can join, and submissions may be published in any language.  There are a few content restrictions, however Triond tries to allow room for creative license.

If you’ve got a drawer full of old stories or poems that you’d like to publish and earn a little money from, then sign up with Triond.com and add a new chapter to your earning story.