She hung from the church tower

Her hair the perfect golden color

Suspended in space far away from everyone

Sing for us

Tell us of your purity

And all at once she broke and fell

Shattering to a thousand pieces.

Nothing left to do but dispose of her

I write and yearn and write and dream

translating longing into words;

a world shaped by letters

alphabets arranged: building castles,

awakening dragons, creating dynasties.

Black upon white breathes life 

into a captivating reality,

mirage-like in property,

forever outside my reach,

yet only a thought away... 

A fleeting freedom, 

loosening the chain of ennui

life's routine bestowed.

Alas, friends, dreams are but dreams

and as the last period typed

and the T's crossed and the I's dotted

The fatamorgana fades and thus, I return

to writing and yearning and writing and dreaming...

Burn

Was the

Echo

In my

Head

Burn

Was

What

the Board

Had

Said

Burn

was What

the Candles

Did

As

the Room

Was Set

a Light

Burn

Is What

She Said

As She

Melted

In

the Night

Burn

Is What

the House

Did

All

In Flames

Burn

Is How

the Memory

Remains

–

Burn

Was

the Baby

In

It’s Bed,

Burn

I Would

Rather,

Than Not

Be Dead

–

Burn

Is

the Planchette

In

my Hand,

Burn

I Know

I Must

Be Damned

#B27321

Her name a chocolate, Mitzi Blue

Mice tormenting her favourite game

Cat-tree nest provides a good view

Cuddle stroking is her claim

Preparing to be caressed

Curling into a pose

Somebody is coming

Suddenly sticks up her nose

Twisting into a contorted ball

Meowing in a human way

Can’t miss her irresistible call

Trapped by her delicate sway

So all you cat lovers

Pay heed to what I say

Ignore manipulative cats

Or they will rule your way

Following this chapter we'll go through the benefits of:

- Reading more stories.

- Using dialogue within the action.

- Showing, but not telling.

- Writing what's on your mind.

- Reading aloud.

- Making sense of the material.

- Active/passive voice.

- Beats.

- Contraction rules.

11. Reading more stories. - 

   Until the characters in each story run from you in terror, a true writer is a true reader. Reading a variety of writing styles (fiction and nonfiction) helps you understand structure, tone, and story flow, painting a picture of how each aspect affects the others.

12. Using dialogue within in the action. - 

   Nothing is more boring than reading a long narrative with no verbal reactions or thoughts in between. Real people utter or mumble something in just about any situation, even if it’s one word. If they can’t talk (for example, the character is gagged or mute), you can at least have the character “say”a few words in their thoughts.

13. Showing, but not telling. -

   To “show” rather than “tell,” incorporate the five senses (touch, taste, smell, hearing , and sight) into your prose.

14. Writing what's on your mind. - 

   Worry about editing and polishing later. The important thing is to extract whatever’s clogging your head into a written format . Plus, you want to write down your great ideas before you forget them. You’ll have plenty of time to edit.

15. Reading aloud. - 

   When you hear your words, you are alerted to what sounds clunky or awkward. This is a good time to practice in front of the mirror . Public readings just might be in your future. Consider this your dry run.

16. Making sense of the material. - 

   As you continue to write, think to yourself:

Is what I am trying to say clear and to the point? Does it advance the story in some way? How could I write this differently?

17. Active/passive voice. - 

   With active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action (is acted upon). Active voice is less clunky and more direct. In active voice, you know “who did what” in the sentence. That’s not always the case with passive voice. For example: The body was carried. (Passive) The hit man carried the body. (Active)

18. Beats - 

   Answers the questions about the scenes, and or chapter of the story. Beating is a way to make a ton of decisions about your novel without the added pressure of making it "sound good."

19. Contraction rules. -

    A common mistake is confusing “its” with “it’s.” The dog wagged it’s tail? So, the dog wagged “it is” tail? Be careful, “Its” signifies ownership; the other is a contraction for “it is.”

  In this chapter we'll discuss the importance of: 

- Minimising your words.

- Reducing words per sentence.

- Limiting auxiliary verbs.

- Cutting out the obvious.

- Preposition ending rules.

6. Minimising your words. - 

  In the film Ocean’s Eleven, Brad Pitt summed it up: “Don’t use seven words when four will do.” That goes for writing. The fewer words, the better: In order to obtain a driver’s license issued by the state of California, you must be able to locate the nearest DMV. Becomes: To get a California driver’s license, find the nearest DMV. This should sum' it up! 

7. Reducing words per sentence. - 

  Auxiliary verbs are forms of the verb “to be” such as: is, are, was, and were. “To be” words have their place. I’ve used a few but try not to use too many. Be careful when starting a sentence with “there were” or “there was.” Nine times out of ten, you can delete them by figuring out where the action in the sentence is and replacing “there is” with a strong action word. Strong nouns and strong verbs are the building blocks of strong sentences. There was thick smoke in the room. There was a hit man standing by the door holding a gun. Becomes: Thick smoke darkened the room. The hit man stood by the door holding a gun.

8. Limiting auxiliary verbs. -

  Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. That doesn’t mean adverbs make the words they modify better or more intense. Find a better word to replace the adverbs or just take them out. Action and dialog can often kill the need for an adverb: She walked quickly out of the bedroom to escape the boiling rage her husband provoked. Becomes: “You bastard ! I hate you!” She slapped her husband and stomped out of the bedroom. Instead of “walked quickly,” the strong verb “stomped” gives the reader a sharper picture. Through her actions and the dialog, you feel her rage.

9. Cutting out the obvious. -

  Shrugging and nodding are movements exclusive to specific body parts. When you nod or shrug, we all know which body parts are doing the action. No need to say “he nodded his head” or “she shrugged her shoulders.” To simplify, just say “he nodded” or “she shrugged.” In the same way, “he thought to himself” has too many words. Who else would do the thinking? “He thought” will do.

10. Preposition ending rules. - 

   You can break this rule with dialogue because some people talk this way, but not so much in the narrative. Ending a sentence with “at,”“to,” or, “of” may indicate poor writing, according to prescriptive grammarians, 

but not everyone agrees and they do have a point. Winston Churchill despised this advice and quipped, “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”

  In this chapter we're going over the fundamentals of:

 - Creating a Freelance Writer's spreadsheet.

 - Outlining your story.

- Carrying out research for useful information.

- Setting aside your manuscript.

- Getting a professional edit.

1. Create a Freelance Writer’s spreadsheet -

  I have many interests, such as writing, art, history, film, music, and several more. We all have various skill sets we can draw from to create “how to” articles. Maybe you’re a writer who’s found unusual but effective ways to hold book signings. Or maybe you’re a parent who designs fun activities to entertain kids without the Xbox, computer, phone, or TV. The more you know a topic, the better you can write about it.

2. Outlining your story. - 

  What your story is about.

Keep it simple, but interesting. Don`t add unnecessary words, and/or sentences that will throw your writing off balance. 

3. Carrying out research for useful information. -

  It's your friend. We can’t always be in the places we write about. Even if you live in the city that’s prominent in your book, you still want to research all the little things that make your city special: food, festivals, how people talk, their history, and culture. After buying your book, readers will definitely call you out for misstating a historical fact that anyone can check. For example, you’d probably feel foolish if a reader pointed to a riot scene in Los Angeles that you set in 1995 instead of 1992 when the riots took place.

4. Setting aside your manuscript. - 

  If you stare at your work for long periods, your mind can play tricks . You might miss grammar and punctuation errors. Put it away for a while (some writers say a week; others say put the project on hold for at least a month). A fresh pair of eyes will help you see your words in a new light.

5. Get a professional edit. -

  This is arguably, the most important step in the book production process— and the one that inexperienced writers often skip. Some think self-editing is enough while others go a little further and have friends “edit” their work. I’ve been guilty of it. Hire an editor. Editors are not only trained to spot obvious errors, such as misspelled words and weak verbs and nouns, but also character flaws, weak plots, and boring dialogue. No way around it, editing can be expensive, but without a doubt, it is crucial. Editors who write need the services of other sharp editors to see what they have not.

  Writing is a beautiful craft, with much to explore whether you're a beginner or advanced Writer. 

Every piece created is another story ready to be told. 

It can take a lifetime to make something out of your work, but with the time you have, try to make it worth every moment - good or bad.

If you're wanting to make a change, change the way you see the world. If you're wanting to make a mark, change the way you feel the world at its entirety.

There's a chance out there that you just might find the opportunity of your lifetime; hidden away, luring your wondering mind into a pit full of failed attempts, but a rope and word to support you until the end.

It is a great way to improve and stay focused, because with better writing skills you can reach more opportunities and it can bring you more pleasure in everyday life - with the help of 

"TWENTY-THREE WRITING TIPS"!