This has been an incredible week for me. I’ve been honored with two awards; an essay that I posted to The Community Storyboard was Freshly Pressed; and then I was invited to be an editor on The Community Storyboard. It’s perhaps a bit ironic that, right around this time, I had responded to a post by Victoria Grefer on the milestone of considering yourself a writer. Part of my comment was: “I’m still hesitant to call myself writer, but I’m getting there.”
Well, after all that has happened this week, I want to announce that “I’m there.”
I AM A WRITER.
It feels good to put this in writing. It feels so damn good.
I have to pinch myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m dreaming. I am a shy, sensitive introvert: someone who doesn’t make friends easily, someone who feels more comfortable with furry four-legged critters than people. I’m often inclined to think that people have more reason to not like me, than to like me. That’s just part of who I am. But since I’ve been blogging, I’ve been showered with awards from people I have never met. All I’ve done is commented on and liked your posts, followed your blogs, and tried to give support for your writing and other ventures when I can. And in return I get these awards.
Super-Sweet Award
Earlier this week, RunningToHerDreams honored me with the Super Sweet Blogger Award, my second one! And she is herself a super sweet and inspiring person, so please visit her blog.
Then Briana Vedsted created a new award and I’m among the first to be honored!
Now for the Rules:
Post a picture of the award somewhere on your blog.
List five things that make you happy.
Choose 5 people to nominate who have been a virtual shoulder to cry on, checked in on you when they knew things were rough, or has always been there for you.
Comment on their blogs to thank them and let them know you nominated you.
Things that make me happy:
1. My husband (OK, he’s not a thing but he’s the first and last and in-between in my happiness)
2. When any of my cats curl up on my lap
3. Giving hand-knitted gifts to friends
3. Writing
4. Reading
5. This community of bloggers
Briana already gave the award to two of my favorite bloggers, so here a few more of my favorites.
I’ll never tell you how she caught my attention by asking for my attention.
I’ll never tell about how she looked so cute and beautiful and amazing and wonderful and outrageous all at the same time when I first saw her, whenever I saw her, whenever I see her.
I’ll never tell you how my name never sounded the same after she said it.
I’ll never tell you of the songs that I could only sing because of her.
I’ll never write about the letters and the notes I sent her every day.
I’ll never show you the poems I wrote because of her.
I’ll never tell you about the heaven that she revealed to me.
I’ll never show you the universe that she opened for me. I’ll never write about the paradise that she…
Lewis Carroll (1832-98) is celebrated around the world as one of the great purveyors of ‘literary nonsense’: his books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) have entertained countless readers since they were published nearly 150 years ago. For many, the name ‘Lewis Carroll’ is synonymous with children’s literature.
But ‘Lewis Carroll’ was really a man named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematician at Christ Church, Oxford. As such, he led something of a double life: to the readers of his Alice books he was Lewis Carroll, while to the world of mathematics and to his colleagues at the University of Oxford he was (Reverend) Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a man who formed his pen name by reversing his first two names (‘Charles Lutwidge’ became ‘Lewis Carroll’).
There is a famous anecdote about Carroll and Queen Victoria. Victoria enjoyed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland so much that she requested a…
Inspiring post from RunningtoHerDreams: “You can do anything you want to do. So set a goal and just keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep moving forward. It may, or may not take a while, but I promise you, you will reach that goal.”
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post, hoping to find a bitter rival out there on the Internet. I got a lot of response from eager goody two shoes wishing to make this a nicer place to live. Bunch of weirdos. I fought and defeated many nice rivals. Then, all of a sudden one of the my long time followers from the early days of my blog(a few months ago), some weird lover of grammar and good manners, told me that she was going to start an online magazine for nannies. She calls it Nanny Magazine. Ugh. I know what kind of magazine for nannies calls their magazine “Nanny Magazine”? Anyway, she told me that she needs some publicity for her magazine and she is doing a Kickstarter to raise money for it. The first thing I said was, “Kickstarter? I’m in. I love starting kick fights. It…
I have exciting news, and I could really use some Goodreads help!
My novel, Minutes Before Sunset, was nominated for Book of the Month for July, and it’s in the initial voting process. If you have a Goodreads, I’d love if you could follow this link and second Christie on message 19. It’d really help me out, and I can thank you and your blog on my next post!
Speaking of blogging, Thursday (June 6) will be my last blog post for one week. I’ll be back June 12th (the next Wednesday.) I am going on vacation! So I might send a picture or two from my phone, but it’ll be difficult to post writing tips or publishing tips while I’m gone. I appreciate the patience, because I’ll come back with a whole list of new websites, tips, and encouraging posts to support your novels and other…
Yes, I’m dancing on my toes ( alternately literally and metaphorically) because the day has finally arrived. There were some glitches — the paperback won’t be available on Amazon for a few more days — and some scary moments, but it’s done.
I’m free to read other people’s books and I don’t have to revise it again!!!
As most of you know, 25% of the sales of this book will go toward helping another author or artist achieve his or her dreams. All you have to do to be entered to win is help promote this book.
For those of you who have already said you want to help, it’s time to rock and roll.
Here are some talking points:
If you like Margaret Atwood, you will love Pipe Dreams.
Support other authors and artists. Buy this book. #pipedreams
What the world might look like next year. #pipedreams
Marie at 1 Write Way 