Poetic Memoir: A Stutterer’s Lament — My brain swirls with new hope each time I struggle to speak, but my words get stuck in my throat. My stuttering may cause some hesitation, but I beseech you to remain calm and don’t rush me. Please, my friend, don’t tell me to slow down because I’ve heard it all before…

31-Days BYOB Challenge: Day 159 of a Self-Published Poetry Book I asked my beta readers for feedback. Here are some of their comments. Is the message clear? Overall it has a heartfelt message, but it needs more variety in its execution. Try using elegy or haiku. 2. Is punctuation working? Do you want a simplistic effect between the poems written…

Day 2: Writing Your BYOB Book Introduction — On day 1, I shared my BYOB Project Framework in the Daily Cuppa. I used 6 basic questions to draft the components of my BYOB introduction. The same questions I used as a teacher: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Why write an introduction? The framework helped me lay the foundation…

Poetic memoir — Daddy lost his job, and we lost our home. We pack our belongings into our station wagon in the back alley. In the night’s quiet, we move across town into Grandma’s small back bedroom. It’s the summer my daddy lost the tip of his finger working at the old brickyard…

Positive Ideas for 2023: #64 Giving Can Teach You About Caring!💗 A few years ago, after much hard work, I finally achieved a childhood dream. It wasn’t just any childhood dream. It was a dream I needed to accomplish to honor my parents’ legacy. They were children of The Great…

Positive Ideas for 2023: #63 Take Time to be Thankful!💗 As I reflect on this past year, I find myself thankful for the simple basic pillars of life that make my life special. First, I’m thankful for the unwavering support of family and friends like you. Next, the countless lessons…

Dee, I appreciate the basic points you shared in this post. It is a good guide for new and seasoned writers. So often I have run across some posts that lack these basic foundations. Well done.

Positive Ideas for 2023: #62 Writing Doesn’t Need to be Perfect!💗 Waiting for the perfect story to become a writer seems to be what holds many writers back. This approach to writing only keeps writers on a holding pattern, and it may never allow them to reach their dreams. The…

Positive Ideas for 2023: #61 Celebrate Anyway!💗 I’ve always looked forward to celebrating family birthdays since I was a little girl. Even now, for some, I continue to celebrate their memory. Sometimes I look at old pictures and write a favorite remembrance. Since yesterday, I’ve been thinking about my daddy’s…