Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Using Art To Overcome Writer's Block

Writer's block is an inability to write due to a variety of circumstances. The blockage of writing can have a short life-span or a lengthy life-span.

Next, through my travels along the WWW path I have encountered two unique activities that I would like to share with you in hopes of eliminating or lessening your writer's block. In fact the first is an activity where you can create a colourful piece of artwork. The second activity is dragging and dropping to create another masterpiece. If while doing the activities you still are blocked than you could perhaps write on the topics of what were you thinking while doing the activities? What is your favourite type of art? Who is your favourite artist? Which landscape painting could you see yourself in? These are just some of the art topics you can write about to aid in the stressful writing period. Finally here are the links:

1. http://www.mind-art.fr/mind-art.html

2. http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html

Also during my travels I found a very animated video highlighting things you can do to overcome writer's block. Here is the video:

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Weeding Out Said

What do gardening and writing have in common? Both contain weeds. Both need to be cultivated.

“That is well said, replied Candide, but we must cultivate our garden.” (… il faut notre jardin.) Voltaire, Candide

Appearing below is one example of wilted writing:

Example 1.

Turning to him she said “How’s Bobbi?”
He smiled and said “Bobbi let Daddy know he wanted his treats. He looked at me and said “Meow, meow, meow.” Daddy said “Bobbi’s a good boy isn’t he?”
Her eyes illuminated. “Aw.” She said.

The above snippet of he said she said is flat and monotonous. Writers definitely do not want to write said repeatedly. So how do you the writer shear, trim, or pull said and change the landscape? Simple. Let us take a look.

Revision 1.

Turning to him she questioned, “How’s Bobbi?”
He told her “Bobbi let Daddy know he wanted his treats. He looked at me and announced “Meow, meow, meow.” Daddy exclaimed, “Bobbi’s a good boy isn’t he?”
Her eyes illuminated. “Aw.” She remarked.

The flow is better. The writer is not redundant. Said is a dandelion – a weed, but a useful weed as dandelions can be used in salad making. Use said sometimes.

Planted below in alphabetical order is a list you can use to create your own written lush garden with. Water it – use it and watch your garden grow!

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List:

Added
Admonished
Asserted
Agreed
Answered
Argued
Advised
Assured
Announced
Admitted
Barked
Bawled
Beamed
Bellowed
Bemoaned
Bemused
Breathed
Bubbled
Burbled
Buzzed

Cackled
Cajoled
Cawed
Chagrined
Challenged
Chanted
Chatted
Chattered
Chided
Chirped
Chortled
Chorused
Chuckled
Clipped
Clucked
Complained
Concurred
Confessed
Confirmed
Continued
Cooed
Coughed
Countered
Cried
Cursed

Declared
Demanded
Demonstrated
Denied
Directed
Drawled



Echoed
Ejaculated
Emphasized
Enquired
Examined
Exhausted
Expelled
Explained
Exploded
Expressed

Fidgeted
Fizzled
Flamed
Flared
Flirted
Fumed

Gasped
Gathered
Gestured
Giggled
Grated
Grilled
Gritted
Groaned
Grumbled
Gushed

Harassed
Hinted
Hissed
Howled
Hummed

Implied
Included
Informed
Injected
Interrupted

Jeered
Jested
Joked

Kidded


Lamented
Laughed
Lied

Managed
Mentioned
Mimicked
Mirrored
Moaned
Mocked
Murmured
Mused
Muttered

Nagged
Nattered
Nodded
Noted
Nudged

Offered

Panted
Parried
Pealed
Pitched
Prattled
Prayed
Pressed
Pretended
Prodded
Proffered
Prompted
Pronounced
Protested
Purred

Qualified
Queried
Questioned
Quipped
Quizzed


Ranted
Rasped
Rebuked
Rebutted
Rehearsed
Reiterated
Remarked
Replied
Requested
Returned
Revealed
Roared

Sang
Scoffed
Scolded
Screamed
Screeched
Shrieked
Shrugged
Shuddered
Sighed
Sizzled
Slung
Slurred
Smiled
Snapped
Snarled
Sneered
Snickered
Sniffled
Sobbed
Spat
Specified
Spewed
Spoke
Sputtered
Squawked
Squeaked
Stammered
Started
Stated
Suggested
Supplied
Swore

Tested
Told
Trailed

Urged

Vented
Voiced

Wailed
Whimpered
Whined
Whispered
Whistled

Yelled
Yodelled

Bit out
Blew out
Blurted out
Bore out
Burst out
Called out
Charged out
Checked out
Chiselled out
Choked out
Crammed out
Dropped out
Drove out
Fished out
Flung out
Forced out
Ground out
Hammered out
Harpooned out
Piped out
Pounded out
Raked out
Rang out
Rapped out
Rumbled out
Shot out
Sprang out
Spun out
Threw out
Thrust out
Thumped out
Tossed out
Tumbled out
Whooshed out
Wrestled out



Carried on
Cut in
Nailed down
Touched on

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day From Island Whispers Blog!



Flash Toys


Psst. Wanna know how to have a green party then read this article I found and throw an awesome green party for your friends, co-workers, or family.

Throw A Green Party

Perhaps you just wanna send an e-card instead.

Flowgo Earth Day E-Cards

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter Everyone From Island Whispers Blog!



"For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born."
~Alice Freeman Palmer~

"Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not
simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals."
~Charles M. Crowe~



Enjoy my Easter poem
*Needs*

Purple basket sits empty
longing to fill its womb
suddenly the seed planted;
colourfull, shapely, speckled
babies appear appeasing
the lone baskets needs.



A thoughtful, inspiring, and well-read Easter poem for your enjoyment!


Needs Poem copyright Michelle Kafka

Quotes from: Quote Garden

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Poetry: Neon Nightlife

Hello, I enjoy reading and writing poetry. This post is dedicated to all the freelancers who have quit their jobs to pursue the writing life. Enjoy!


provided by: www.myspacesupport.com


myspace layouts

myspace layouts



Neon Nightlife

Never using the ceiling light
cutting the sandwich with the across-the-street hotel’s flashy neon lights
sipping coffee past his bedtime
flipping calendar pages
counting down the days he quits his dead-end job
giving the nine-to-five obituary
only to resurrect a relevant invitation with much serendipity
to working at home instead!

myspace layouts

myspace layouts



Poem Copyright Michelle Kafka

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Junk Mail Jellie

Jellie Jardine’s ears tingled. Rolling over in bed she recognized the loud clank. Rising out of bed she tossed on her fluffy green robe and walked to the front door. With the husky-wolf pup just behind her she opened the door, reached around and slipped her hand into the box. Quickly she snatched up whatever the mail carrier brought her for the day. The stack in hand, Jellie closed the door and immediately begun sorting the mail. Bills, personal letters, junk mail. The bills and letters carted to the kitchen table while the junk mail got tossed into the trash with no further thought. Jellie went over to put coffee on so she could sit at her cherry wood table and read her newspaper and her mail.

The above scenario is common. Perhaps it’s even you. Jellie hates junk mail. You hate junk mail. But somewhere amongst that heap of junk mail is a stamp ahem “gem.” Interesting factual information can be gleaned from the pile o’ papers. Fashion trends, hairstyles, makeup applications, business opportunities (such as the new company not yet online who could use a web designer or content writer,) pricing, advertising how to, and new products for review can be pulled from the “ waste of paper and ink,” which can lead to a whole package of article ideas.

I gave you the beginning of a story. You can fill in your own middle and end. As a forethought though, just how will the story end? Will Jellie continue to throw away or recycle the flyers/unwanted mail without even glancing at them or will she take a closer inspection one day and find something no matter how small or seemingly insignificant she thinks it is file it away and put it to another use later?


Friday, March 27, 2009

What Key Factors Can Inventors Teach Freelancers?



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Thomas A. Edison said, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” Edison also acted upon this statement by relaxing in a chair while holding ball bearings in one hand he would doze off. Upon entering his hypnagogic state (being the point between waking and sleeping;) he would encounter vivid visual and auditory hallucinations. Hand muscles relaxed, the balls loudly plopped to the floor jolting him awake. What followed next? Thomas carefully wrote down ideas and thoughts that drifted in his mind while under the “dreamlike spell”.

Furthermore what Willard Boyle a physicist stated is, “Any creative person - whether inventor, painter, author, or other - is a dreamer in a larger sense.” Bizarre, outrageous, outlandish, unique ideas do not deter inventors. Additionally dreams are embraced and emphasized.

Inventors consistently ask what if… What if I try this? What if I did this? What if I did it this way? What if that happened? What if I combined this and that? Inventors are out to experiment and get results. It is the process of being curious and wanting to know more. Sometimes the results are even more spectacular than one can imagine.

Inventions like the art of writing can take years to perfect and even the written project itself can take several minutes or years to form into a whole, however does the payoff come at the end of the invention or written project? Not necessarily unless that is of course the only focus, the only goal.

Each step of the inventing process is a reward, is a chance to make mistakes and learn similar to the writing process. Both inventors and writers ask themselves, how can I make it better? How can I improve what already exists? Intellectual curiosity. Both make necessary revisions.

Looking at the world through a child’s eyes is what inventors do. Ask questions and always see new possibilities. Think outside the box. Dreams, faith, determination, patience, and risk-taking are all qualities of an inventor.

Discouragement and rejection may bite inventors on the backside but keeping ideas flowing and experimenting will usually result in an attractive end product that the public will appreciate because it is the end product that the public will be able to hold and use.

How inventors get to the end product is through the process of discovery; there is a beginning, middle, and an end just like in a short story or novel. Looking further at Thomas A. Edison, he also stated, “ The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.”

So what key factors can inventors teach freelancers? Inventors teach us:

1. What if?
2. Stay in it from beginning to end
3. Look at objects/the world as children do
4. Keep dreaming and jotting down ideas and thoughts
5. Stay focused and encouraged
6. Experiment, experiment, experiment to perfection!


studio still life of four cog-wheels photo

Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!


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May all the writer's receive all their writing wishes come true this year and let it be a happy, healthy, plentiful writing year!


May all the luck roll in everyone's favour!


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Please feel free to share some of your writing wishes/resolutions or any 2009 wishes here. Will you be bold and daring and try something new?