My interrogator
was ruthless
casting doubt
on answers
lies
I had told
myself
I denied
denied what I saw
right
in
front
of
me
The rituals
repeated
my history
looking
me square in the face
Wringing
the facts from me
one
at a time
Finally
spent
and weak
from
validity
I stood
tall and erect
to face tomorrow
leaving
the past
behind
me
Copyright (C) 2020 Penny WilsonTag: learning
#WeeklySmile-Self Publishing
This past week has been a blur. I’ve decided to publish a book of poetry! Along that line, I sent out a request for Beta Readers. That effort didn’t pan out as well as expected, but I did receive some good feedback that I can use.
This effort is a real learning experience. I have NO idea what I’m doing. But that’s never stopped me before!! 🙂 heehee!!
I’m going the route of self-publishing through Amazon. So I’ve been researching as much as I can. I’ve gone through my stack of poetry again and again, eliminating some pieces and adding others.
I am now at the point in the project where I’m proofing and formatting each piece. It’s tedious. After you look at your own work for so long, you go blind. What I mean by that is that the piece loses its depth. You have to really concentrate and stay focused.
I’m excited about this project and am happy about the progress I’ve made. I’m especially looking forward to the long weekend so that I can concentrate on it.
I’ve decided on a title for the book, but don’t have the artwork for the cover yet.
Once I am further along in this process, I may post another request for Beta Readers, with a more finished possibility of the book. If you’re interested in being one of those Beta Readers, use my contact page and send me an email. I’ll be in touch!
All in all, I’m a very happy girl these days. I’m still loving my new digs, although I am having some plumbing issues. But that’s for a different post.
I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thank you for joining me on this journey! Penny ❤
*This is in response to Trent’s “#WeeklySmile” prompt. If you would like to join in on the fun you can find out all about it HERE.
I Didn’t Know I’d Live This Long #2
*This was originally inspired by The Militant’s Negro’s post which you can find HERE. You can view my first post on words of wisdom HERE.
If you’ve lived on this planet for any length of time and paid attention, then hopefully you’ve learned a thing or two. Below are some things that I’ve learned along the way and some of my points of view.
Continuing from my previous post:
#16. Internet Dating has ruined the world of dating. You are now a commodity. (a future post on this to come)
A Writer’s Conference Question
I know I’m a little ahead of myself here. But I’m excited and as a typical introvert I will pick this thing to death before it ever gets here.
I’m looking at attending a Writer’s Conference in my area in June. This will be my first one. All of the information on classes, speakers and agents that will be attending is still coming in and not complete.
I know that going to it will be incredibly inspiring and I’ll come back pumped with enthusiasm and ready to write the next Great Nationwide Bestseller. I’m am really excited about the classes and being able to pick the brains of those around me.
As part of the package with attending this conference, I will get a 10 minute pitch with a Literary Agent or publicist. My WIP is not finished. I doubt seriously that it will be finished in time for the conference.
Here’s my dilemma: I do NOT want to waste this precious opportunity to speak to an agent! Since my WIP is not complete, do any of you have suggestions for how to handle this opportunity? Should I pitch my unfinished novel anyway?
This is will most likely not be the only post that I will do on this conference. For those of you that have experience in this area, any tips you can give me on this will be appreciated!
Copyright (C) 2018 Penny Wilson
10 Biggest Mistakes I Made the First Year Blogging
Please welcome my new WordPress friend from gilesmeetsworld who has some terrific advice for all of us!
There are some people that take to blogging and smash it out of the park straight away, getting lots of followers and views in a very short time… But like most of us, I wasn’t one of those people. When I started out writing on my blog, I actually began to lose traffic as time […]
via The 10 Biggest Mistakes I Made in my First Year Blogging — gilesmeetsworld
I give myself very good advice … — Robbie’s inspiration
Please enjoy this delicious treat from Robbie’s blog. I’ve disabled comments here. Please visit Robbie’s blog to leave a comment.
My favourite Disney movie of all time is Alice in Wonderland. I feel I can relate to Alice who was so bored listening to a book being read by her sister that contained no pictures or conversations that she followed a talking white rabbit down a hole. My favourite song in Alice in Wonderland is […]
10 Tips For a Better Blogging Experience
I’ve been blogging off and on for about 5 years. During that time, I did not take advantage of the amazing community that WordPress has become to me until this past year. Don’t make the same mistake. I would like to share some of what I’ve learned with you. If you would like to expand your readership or enhance your WordPress experience, these points might be helpful. I do not claim to be any kind of expert. I just want to share my experience and possibly spare you some of the mistakes I’ve made.
- SHARE–The biggest lesson I’ve learned here is to share your knowledge. It will come back to you 10-fold. The bloggers on WordPress are incredibly generous with their knowledge. You should be just as generous.
- GIVE CREDIT–Be sure to give credit where credit is due. If you are copying an idea or using a photo, give credit to that person. They deserve it for their hard work!
- CONNECT–Step out and connect with other bloggers. As you develop relationships with these people, you will learn from them.
- ASK QUESTIONS–If you have questions about blogging or writing, ASK! If your recipe for bread dough is falling flat and you want help, ASK! Your fellow bloggers are more than willing to help!
- DO THE WORK–Your blog will flourish, depending on the amount of work you are willing to put into it. This is a mistake I made for a long time. Not only do you need to write and post here, but get around to other blogs. Read, comment, follow!
- SPREAD THE JOY–If you see a post that makes you laugh, or expands your knowledge, tell that person. Leave a comment! Reblog! It’s important!
- USE WORDPRESS–Wordpress has a ton of tutorials. There are also awesome WordPress blogs that will give you ongoing information if you follow them. Take advantage of this free information. WordPress wants to help you!
- BE ACTIVE–Be sure to respond to comments. Visit other’s blogs. Read, follow and comment.
- BE THANKFUL–Be gracious. Thank those that help you. Return the favor. Spread the love!
- BE ACTIVE–This was probably the biggest mistake I made. I do not post on a set-in-stone routine. I try to post a few times a week. If you do not post often enough, people will lose interest.
If you are not following the people on the list below, you should be. Please check out their blogs and Share the Love. In No Particular Order, this is a PARTIAL list of bloggers that have been incredibly helpful, supportive and encouraging during my journey on WordPress. (I say this is a partial list because I’m sure I will forget someone and for that oversight, I am truly sorry!)
Everyone Else Has the Best Titles
THANK YOU to each of you and those that I missed!!
Copyright (C) 2017 Penny Wilson
Writing in May 2017
I set out to write a post every day this month and so far I’ve been able to do that. I don’t know if the “exercise” has strengthened my writing muscles, but I’ve had a good time doing it anyway.
Since I’ve been spending more time on WordPress, I’ve been poking around and looking at different tutorials & things. I’ve submitted some writing to other bloggers and I added a Contact Page to my blog. Just in case you wanna chat. 🙂
So I guess my exercising has done me some good after all.
I’ve been looking at different Themes and Headers. So you May see more changes to my blog coming up. Don’t hold me to that. I like what I’ve got and the last time I made a major change, it was like turning your back on a friend! So we will see…
I thank each and every one of you that spend a little of your time here. The WordPress community is filled with a lot of wonderful people and I’m so glad you’re here! — Penny Lane
On Writing-NaNo Challenge
Ok, it’s December 1st. Wow….
Well, the NaNoWriMo Challenge is over. I didn’t make the 50,000 word goal, but I did accomplish a lot. I learned a lot during the process about myself and writing in general. So I’m glad I took on the challenge. I’ve got the hero of my story written into a corner and I’m not sure how to get her out! 🙂 But I’ll figure it out!
Thank you all for your support along the way!
For the Love of Books
I love books. I love the look of them, the feel of them, I love their smell. I love the excitement I feel when I crack open the first page and the adventures that await me within those pages. I love the shiny, glossy book jacket and reading those tantalizing, teasing words on the jacket.
Needless to say, I do not own an e-reader. I have no use for one. I love books. Real. Books.
I learned to read and developed a love of reading at a Very young age. I could read long before I started school.
Whenever the family would take a trip I was always reading the billboards aloud to everyone on the car. Loudly of course! 🙂
The first time I met my grandparents, on my mother’s side, I drug my Grandpa over to the couch and sat him down and read to him. I was very proud of the fact that I could read. I think I was about 3 years old.
My mother raised 4 of us kids mostly by herself. She didn’t have an education to speak of, so money was tight, always.
But when I opened a book, I was transported to another place and time. It was a fantastic way for me to entertain myself.
I would walk to the library in the summertime and bring back an armload of books every few days. During the summer, I averaged reading about a book a day.
No matter what you read, you learn something. I kept a dictionary handy when I was reading. If I came across a word that I could not figure out the meaning by the context of the sentence or paragraph, I would look it up.
I still love to read, but don’t take the time to do it as much anymore.
I think my life has been much more fruitful and accomplished because of my love of reading and my learning along the way.
I used to read everything from Shakespeare to Poe to Sci-Fi to love stories. I love biographies. I love learning about people like Abe Lincoln, or my favorite artists.
My 2 older brothers always had comic books in the house, which I read. But those comics would spark my interest in people like Sherlock Holmes or Isaac Asimov. So my taste in books has varied widely.
I have some old books that I have packed around with me for years that I just cannot part with. One is a favorite from the 1970’s, which is beautifully illustrated about the life of Gnomes. Another is a book, also from the 70’s called “Shut Up and Eat Your Shoe Shoes!” It’s a hilarious true story about a couple that homesteads in Alaska. I also have some rare, old Tarzan books that I may pass down to my eldest grandson some day.
These books evoke wonderful memories of a simpler time for me.
I still have a stack of books on my night stand that are gathering dust. Maybe it’s time to crack open one of them and make a new friend….
