Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

Japanese Flowering Cherry Tree

2009-09-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

By Elaine Friend

My timing was perfect, even if the place was not as I imagined. How could two cities be so different yet share something so distinct as to make them like sisters in a family? There was no doubt in my mind that it was the cherry blossoms that created the illusion before me - an illusion of something Japanese, in a place as American as New York City. Today was the annual Sakura Matsuri or cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where more than 200 cherry trees were in full bloom. I remembered the Japanese because of the cherry trees.

In this shimmering spring day
Ah, with ever anxious heart
The blossoms are falling...
Ki no Tomonori
Japanese waka poet

What could be more joyful than this moment, when all the Japanese flowering cherry trees or Sakura were bursting with pale pink and white blossoms? I could see the delicate blossoms falling to the ground even before withering out, as if someone had shaken the cherry trees and thrown the petals in the air. The scent of cherries wafted the cool breeze in the garden, blending like a symphony with the laughter of the people who posed under, besides or in front of the cherry trees.

The radiance of cherry blossoms
Their scent, ever fresh with every passing year,
So man grows old, eternally.
Ki no Tomonori
Japanese waka poet

Like any tourist, I admired the cherry blossoms for its aesthetic value, not knowing the Sakura symbolized something more profound to the Japanese. The falling leaves or blossoms are a metaphor for death in Buddhism. That's because the Japanese compared the short life of a cherry blossom to the life of a samurai or warrior who was fully prepared to sacrifice his life in the cause of his master. I thought the samurai was rather like a Christian martyr who was fully prepared to sacrifice his life in the cause of his faith in Jesus.

Myriads of things past
Are brought to my mind -
These cherry blossoms!
Basho Matsuo
Japanese haiku poet

A few days ago, we were at the Senso-ji Temple, in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan where I noticed the cherry blossoms within the courtyard of the famous Buddhist Temple. Our good friend Yachiyo explained a little about the cherry and Buddhism.

"Those are not real anymore but made of plastic," she said. "They are there all year round so that people could hang their prayer petitions under the trees. We don't have a mass like you do. We don't worship a God like you do."

Yes, I did notice several sheets of paper (with characters on it) hanging under the shade of the cherry trees. It was something that even I could relate to. The scene reminded me of how the Jews inserted prayer petitions between the bricks of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Even Catholics have prayer petitions thru lighted candles or written paper that are burned after praying.

From a Buddhist's perspective, however, the cheery tree is a deity and each petal of cherry blossom is a person who sacrifices himself for a certain mission or ideal. It is as simple as the flower will wither, the warrior will die, and the world will fade away.

The rains poured down as I sat to eat our bento lunch underneath a large tent. Surrounded by cherry trees, I understood how people see the world from the perspective of their own faith but regardless of faith, I sensed the connection of mankind to nature and to a higher power above. Yes, immortality was never meant for man on earth but how beautiful it is to know that we have a purpose to strive for and like the Buddhists, we could live well at the moment with eternal spring in our heart.

This year on, forever,
It's all gravy to me now-
Spring arrives.
Issa
Japanese haiku poet http://friendelaine.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Friend http://EzineArticles.com/?Japanese-Flowering-Cherry-Tree&id=2870868

3 Reasons It's Easy to Become a Web Content Writer

2009-09-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

FACT: Writing web content is one of the easiest ways to make money online.

Why is this so?

1.) Writers are in high demand. If you know where to look, native English speakers who can follow simple instructions can easily start out at ten bucks an article. In six months or less, you should be able to raise your rate to fifteen dollars or more. And with just a little practice, you'll be able to write an article every 20 or 30 minutes--how does $30-$45 per hour sound?

The Internet marketing crowd is the core market that's looking for writing services. 99% of their business models require constant, fresh content for their web sites. And most of them have learned their lesson from outsourcing to India for five bucks an article.

You do need to be able to write like you talk (forget your English classes as they likely did more harm than good in this department!). Aside from that, all you'll need is a good attitude and the ability to set and meet deadlines.

(Clients will take a solid writer who is easy to work with over a difficult-but-brilliant writer any day. Keep a good attitude and don't get flowery with your writing, and you'll be good as gold.)

2.) Content writing is a sustainable business. Unless every English-speaking nation on the planet suddenly gives up capitalism, you are assured web-writing work for as long as you want it. Why?

The short answer is that the web isn't going away any time soon! The long answer is that more and more people are doing their shopping and socializing on the web as time goes on. And this trend isn't likely to reverse itself.

Simply put, more and more commerce is moving from the offline world to the online world. Even the present online economy can support more good writers than it currently has. What's even better is that it will only need more writers in the future!

3.) You don't even need to know how to make a website--or anything else technical. You don't need to be able to program a computer to advertise yourself online. In fact, you don't even need to know basic HTML! There are several FREE online services you can use to create an online web presence that shows your writing abilities.

Sites like Squidoo, Blogger, and Facebook offer no-cost, cut-and-past ways for you to network and advertise your services. You don't need any special skills to use them--if you can use Microsoft Word, you can build a page at any or all of these sites.

If you decide you want your own .com (and eventually, you will), you'll pay about nine bucks a year for the name and seven dollars a month for hosting.

Sites like Hostgator.com come complete with several different programs that let you easily build a templated website in an afternoon--without any technical knowledge at all. The only things you really need to learn are how to market yourself, and where to find clients.

Learn more about: The Content Chef - How to Make Money Online as A Content Writer

Freelance Writing Tips - Suspense

2009-07-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Integrating Suspense Into Your Writing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jane_Sumerset]Jane Sumerset

You don't need to be writing fiction to integrate suspense into your work. In fact, a dose of this tension might be exactly what your essay needs to nail that "A" in class (apart from clean writing, of course, courtesy of your English grammar software).

Of course, you don't need to craft a whole tale of dramatic anticipation to make your writing suspenseful. Unless you're writing a piece of fiction, you aren't likely to be that interested in concocting a whole tale that rivals the best on-edge novel from Stephen King. With regular writing, you accomplish the goal of integrating suspense by adding cliffhangers, short bursts of sentences that keep the reader wanting more.

Cliffhangers

You're probably familiar with cliffhangers from movies and TV shows. For instance, one of the main stars is about to reveal his secret identity when the scene is abruptly cut off, panning over instead to another time line. It makes you wonder what the secret identity is, how the other characters will react and so forth. Whatever thoughts spin around in your head isn't really the point - the important part is that it's got you involved.

Writing cliffhangers is pretty much the same way. You set up a possible scene in a paragraph, but leave its actual resolution in another, drawing your readers in to proceed. Peppered across your text, you'll end up creating drama all throughout your copy, getting your readers more and more involved.

When writing cliffhangers, the best way to integrate them is right at the boundary where you will introduce a new topic. In many ways, it can be used as a replacement for a regular paragraph transition, one that's more interesting and noteworthy.

Watch how innovative Grammar Software instantly can improve your writing on a daily basis and learn how advanced NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, essays, letters or reports. Read more

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Sumerset
http://EzineArticles.com/?Integrating-Suspense-Into-Your-Writing&id=2658813

---------------------------
6 Figure Freelancer System

About the Poet - Adrienne Rich

2009-05-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Miracle Ice Cream Meets the Milkman - An Ode to Adrienne Rich
By Gerald Marchewka

Entering the private world of a master poet
is indeed a gift from God.

In her lonely room ...

Nuance, alliteration,
heroism, mettle, valor
bravery
and heart;

Colon's, comma's, apostrophe's, periods
exclamation points, question marks
and words.

Red ink is on the ribbon plate

A small blister on her thumb.

During the twentieth century one of the most influential poets is no doubt, Adrienne Rich. As a writer of considerable breath and scope, Rich became a recognized poet at the tender age of twenty-two.

In her last year of college, her first collection of poetry, A Change of World was selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Rich was selected by none other than W.H. Auden, the eminent poet who is often considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

Over the years Rich became noted for the exploration of topics related to gender roles and human sexuality. In 1976, Rich published Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution. This controversial collection of poetry which was hailed by some critics and harshly criticized by others was a declaration of her lesbian identity. A subsequent publication, Dream of a Common Language contained explicit references of sexual desire.

In addition to her poetry, Rich's work was combined with a spirited interest in the social and political issues of her day. She became actively involved in protesting the American War in Vietnam. And she was also a significant figure in the woman's liberation movement.

Rich was a contributing member of the Boston Woman's Fund, the National Writer's Union, Sisterhood in Support of Sister's in South Africa and the New Jewish Agenda.

Gerald Marchewka is an American freelance writer currently staying in Siem Reap, Cambodia. At the moment he is teaching language, literature, culture and social theory at the Cambodian University for the Specialties. He may be reached at geraldmarchewka@yahoo.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerald_Marchewka
http://EzineArticles.com/?Miracle-Ice-Cream-Meets-the-Milkman---An-Ode-to-Adrienne-Rich&id=2323817

Get your free copy of Online Freelancing Success at http://xtramoney4me.net/free_ebooks/Online_Freelancing_Success.pdf

Free eBook: Online Freelancing Success

2009-05-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Your Guide to Becoming a Successful Online Freelancer

Topics covered in this free 26 page ebook:

Freelancing – 21st Century Way of Making a Living

Freelancing Exposed! Discover the latest way of earning more bang for the buck for your talent, skill and expertise!

Cool Benefits & Drawbacks: The advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons of living the lifestyle of a freelancer!

How to Get Into The Freelancing Business: Want to convert your skills into cash? Strongly desire to be renowned for your expertise? Here’s how in a “step by step” fashion.

Where To Look For Customers In Masses Discover the “hiding places” and large pools of TARGETED prospects that are looking for expert services from you!

In Closing: Is Freelancing Really The Way To Go? Is freelancing really for you? Read on to learn why and how.

Get your free copy of Online Freelancing Success at http://xtramoney4me.net/free_ebooks/Online_Freelancing_Success.pdf

Two New Poems of Mine

2009-04-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

Actually, they are not "new" poems, as I scribbled them down in a notebook in 1999 and forgot about them. We were going through some old boxes and I came across them. Rather than put them here, I have posted them on a simple little poetry website of mine.

They are:

She was Only a Whore

AND

Get in the Game

Freelance Writing Tips - What to Offer

2009-03-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

Copywriting Beginner - Essential Service Offerings
By Angela Booth

Are you a beginning copywriter? If you're new to copywriting, you may be wondering which services you should offer. You can offer any service with which you're familiar, and which you can write with ease. Let's look at three very simple offerings any new copywriter can create for his clients.

Big tip: as a beginning copywriter, focus on just a few offerings. Displaying a laundry list of copywriting products, offering everything from brochures to product manuals, lacks credibility when you're a beginner.

1. Press Releases: Easy Fast Promotion for Your Clients

Press releases are very powerful. With the development of the web, these essential tools have metamorphosed into an entirely new product, the "web press release", which is aimed directly at the target audience, rather than at the media.

An online press release service is a simple and easy service you can offer to clients.

2. Blogging As a Promotional Tool

Strictly speaking, blogging is content creation rather than copywriting. However blogs can be used as promotional tools too, so promotional blogging is a great service you can offer your clients.

Start by creating your own blog to promote your copywriting services business.

3. Web Site Revamps: "What's in It for Me"?

As the web develops and more and more businesses find their customers online, it's harder for sites to get traffic. Any business website which was adequate several years ago no longer makes sales.

Website revamping is a great service you can offer; few businesses have any idea of how to sell on the Web. Revamp websites, so that they answer the vital question every customer wants to know: "what's in it for me?"

Beginning copywriters have never had greater opportunities than they have a right now. If you're wondering whether you should start copywriting services business, yes you should. Even as a beginner, you can make a great income.

If you're a beginner and want guidance to learn copywriting, top copywriter Angela Booth's "Copywriting Master Class - Ten Weeks to Copywriting Genius" at http://angelaswritingclasses.com/Class/copywriting.html helps you to start and run your own copywriting services business and/or write copy for your own business

For quick results, Angela's ebook "Seven Days To Easy Money: Copywriting Success" at http://abmagic.com/Copywriting/copywriting.html takes you from novice to pro copywriter in just seven days. This popular ebook has been turning writers into successful copywriters for five years. Packed with information, the ebook also includes exercises which become your copywriter's marketing processes and portfolio. You could be signing up your first clients within two days.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth
http://EzineArticles.com/?Copywriting-Beginner---Essential-Service-Offerings&id=2134645

Freelance Writing Online for Money

A Poem on Experimentation

2009-03-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

Experimentation
By Donovan Baldwin

Testing.

I don't know the answer,
But
I experiment.

The experiment creates answers,
Or creates more questions.

A senseless exercise it seems,
But yet,
I must do it again and again,
For I am Man.

Each new question means
That I
Must experiment again.

Senseless?

I am man and because,
Of experiments,
Questions,
Answers,
And endless cycles,
I have left footprints on the moon,
And made uncounted dreams come true,
Because...
Of experiments.

Copyright Saturday 2/14/2009

Freelance Writers - Choosing an Editor

2009-02-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

Getting Your Book Published - How to Choose the Right Editor For You and Your Manuscript
By L Murdock

There are a lot of things you should consider when hiring an editor to help you hone writing chops and polish your manuscript.

Experience/skill level/past successes (How did your editor become an editor? Who has he or she worked with?)
Pricing structure/total cost (Make sure you're getting what you're paying for!)
Personality (Do you click?)
Areas of expertise (Does the editor know your genre? If your book is too close in plot to another book on the market, would the editor notice?)
Business philosophy (Can you ask questions after the edit is complete? How accesable is the editor before/during/after the edit or eval is complete? Is this a person you can count on?)

The process can certainly be confusing, but following the 5 steps below should keep you on the right track.

1. Go with your gut. For a full-length book, you'll likely be working with an editor for at least a few weeks; I've worked with some of my writers over several years and several books. The editing and evaluation process works best and will be the most valuable to you if you can develop a friendly, easy relationship with your editor. Early conversation - whether by e-mail or phone - should leave you feeling confident that you're working with someone who wants to help you succeed. If you don't feel comfortable with one editor, move on to another.

2. Get a second opinion. I always recommend that writers ask for references, particularly when they're looking for an editor to perform a good deal of work (line edits, developmental editing, extensive copyediting, manuscript evaluations and critiques, etc.). Go ahead and ask an editor if you can talk to one of his or her previous clients - they'll be able to give you unique insight into the process and the value of the services you're considering.

3. Do your research. Google the editor's name and/or business name. Look for any complaints or warnings other writers may have published online. At the very least, ask the editor about any troubling posts. Of course, Google has its limitations - don't worry too much if you find that your editor's name brings up a whole cast of strange characters - there are at least 5 other Lindsay Murdocks that pop up on my GoogleAlerts - one of them actually lives only a few towns over!

Also, although I've mentioned it before, I have to reiterate - check any editor you're considering hiring against the Preditors and Editors database. Not all freelance editors are listed there - but if an editor does have complaints against him or her, chances are those complaints are documented on this site.

4. Take a taste. When you order an expensive bottle of wine at a restaurant, the server will have you take a sip before serving the rest of the bottle, just to make sure you like it. An editor should do the the same - offering you a sample edit so you can see precisely what you're getting for your money. I offer a free ten page sample edit or evaluation to ALL potential clients. Most editors I know will do the same.

5. Get it in Writing. Some editors use written contracts, some don't. At the very least, get a detailed description of what you're getting for your money, what your options are, what deliverables you can expect when, how much it's going to cost, and when payments are due. Ask questions and get answers. Remember, your editor is a professional who will be working for you.

BONUS: Be nice, and expect the same from your editor. We're all in this together!

Good luck!

Lindsay is a freelance editor and publishing consultant specializing in Manuscript Evaluation and Manuscript Critique. Read more on her blog at http://www.murdockediting.blogspot.com or her website, http://www.murdockediting.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=L_Murdock
http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Your-Book-Published---How-to-Choose-the-Right-Editor-For-You-and-Your-Manuscript&id=1983345

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Any Freelance Writer Can Have an Online Business with Article Marketing

2009-02-13T05:34:00.000-08:00

By Donovan Baldwin

One of the best known, and commonly used, methods of Internet marketing is known as Article Marketing.

In article marketing, once the product has been selected, the marketer drives traffic to the selected website and heightens interest in the product by writing and publishing articles relevant to the product or service.

For example, if someone is selling AMSOIL synthetic motor oil, such as I am at lube2005.com he or she can drive a ton of targeted traffic to the site by publishing articles on automotive subjects, such as I have been doing for quite some time at EzineArticles.com.

Just a few of the great things about Article Marketing is that it is free, works great to increase site ranking as major article directories are regularly indexed by major search engines, and can be used to drive targeted traffic to ANY website.

Articles also stay up for years, leaving a constant link in place.

In the last few years, a new market has emerged for freelance SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Copy Writers, many of whom have their own business(es) on the side while providing copy for other Internet marketers as well.

If you are not certain how YOU can use article marketing to build an Internet business, you can click Here to get a free copy of The Fast and Simple Guide to Article Marketing in PDF format.

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Freelance Writing Online for Money - Try Medical Writing

2009-02-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

Breaking Into Freelance Medical Writing
By Cyndy Kryder

When I speak at freelance medical writing seminars, I can always count on someone who is just getting started in the business to come up to me and ask, "Now what should I do?"

I'm delighted to give up-and-coming freelance medical writers a little personal advice. And my first tip always is to join the American Medical Writers Association, AMWA for short. I know when you're just starting out, annual dues to a professional organization might not be in your budget. But the value you'll get from an AMWA membership will outweigh its cost. Besides, you've got to spend money to make money, and membership in AMWA is an investment in your future success.

AMWA and its regional chapters sponsor workshops where you can learn different aspects of medical writing. These workshops, and the annual national conference, aren't just for newbies, though. You'd be surprised by what even an experienced writer or editor can learn in a basic AMWA workshop! Plus, when you attend regional AMWA meetings, you'll meet other medical writers as well as prospective clients. This face-to-face networking will go a long way in getting freelance work. And you'll get a feel for the writing needs and the competition in your geographic area.

As for the next step, anyone considering freelance medical writing needs to decide what type of medical writing to pursue, and whether to be an employee or a freelance. In my opinion, medical writing can be divided into 3 broad categories: Regulatory, promotional, and educational.

Regulatory writing is highly scientific and involves creating documents that are often submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration. Promotional writing is any writing created for the purpose of selling or promoting a drug, intervention, or medical device. Educational writing includes any materials created for the purpose of educating health care professionals or the general public. This includes writing content for continuing medical education programs, as well as creating patient-education brochures.

Once you decide what type of medical writing you want to do and how you want to work, the next step is to identify the companies that employ writers or purchase that type of writing. They include pharmaceutical companies, CROs (contract research organizations), medical education companies, medical communications companies, and medical advertising agencies. Of course, you could also decide you want to write for a medical journal or a hospital, or even start a health column in your local newspaper. There are lots of avenues to explore.

For anyone who decides to become a freelance, one final suggestion is to begin a targeted promotional campaign to reach prospective clients. An easy way to do this is to join an online social network for professionals, such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn is just one such network, others exist. Use it as a tool to enable future clients to get to know you. Create a profile, seek out contacts, and join groups in your industry. Once you've become a group member, start discussions and respond to discussions that are already ongoing. Prove to group members that you have valuable information to contribute.

I can't stress enough the value of networking, especially virtual networking. But it takes a lot of time, and you need to be consistent in your approach. Make sure everything you put out there looks professional and portrays you in a positive manner. That means inserting a real photo rather than an avatar, using proper grammar and punctuation rather than "text-speak," and responding to contacts in a timely manner. Once you start your virtual networking, keep at it. You'll soon find that it pays off.

About the Author

Cyndy Kryder, MS, CCC-Sp, has been a freelance medical writer for more than 16 years. As one-half of the Accidental Medical Writer writing team, she offers advice and writing tips for aspiring medical writers at: http://www.theaccidentalmedicalwriter.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cyndy_Kryder
http://EzineArticles.com/?Breaking-Into-Freelance-Medical-Writing&id=1948959

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Freelance Writers - Plan Your Next Project

2009-02-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

Writers - How to Plan Your Next Writing Project
By Melinda Copp

Like any endeavor in life or business, in writing, a good end result is often attributed to a good starting plan. Just to sit down and to start to write can be effective as a jumping off point to figure out what your ideas are. But once you've put your main ideas into words, take some time to plan how those ideas relate to your main point and how the relate to each other. This process will help to ensure the composition flows from one sentence, one paragraph, or one chapter to the next.

To plan your next writing project, ask yourself the following questions.

What are you REALLY trying to say?

Look at your main ideas and try to sum up each point in a sentence. Consider what purpose each scene or section serves. What is each scene or section really about? What meaning do you want the reader to gain? How does it move the story forward?

When you know the main point of each section in your composition, then it's easier to determine what needs to go where, what to keep and what to cut, and how much time to spend on each topic or scene. Everything that doesn't move toward the main idea can go.

What arrangement is most effective?

One of the first questions to ask yourself when planning a composition is: what is the best way to present your main ideas? Or in a narrative work, such as fiction or memoir, where are your main scenes and how do they best come together?

In an instructional or academic work, you might dedicate a chapter to each main topic you want to cover. For example, in an article about types of military jets, you use a section for fighter planes, a section for interceptors, and a section for bombers. Then once you've explained what fighters, interceptors, and bombers are, you can then explain how a fighter's characteristics differs from an interceptor's or how some jets have the characteristics of both bombers and fighters.

In a short narrative work, you might only have one main scene. But within that scene you can break away from the narrative to explain the action. In a longer work with several scenes, you can dedicate a chapter to each main scene. Putting them in order will depend on chronology and dramatic effect. Keep in mind that your order will likely change as you write and revise.

How much space do you need?

Another important question to consider is the length of the composition. How much page space do you have to work with? Although you want to communicate your message in as few words as possible, some ideas need more space than others. If you write too long, you risk stretching out your ideas so much they become too diluted to be relevant.

The amount of page space you need is directly related to your topic and focus. For instructional works, you need enough space to introduce the subject, outline the main points in brief, explain them with examples, and then summate your purpose again in conclusion. In a narrative work, like fiction or memoir, you need enough space to thoroughly flesh out a scene, portray the action, and communicate your ideas and themes.

Planning Your Next Project

A well-planned composition will ensure each idea is explained and each scene is developed. And writing will become easier when you work from a plan, even if you adapt and change the plan later. Using these questions to plan your next composition will help solidify your message and save you time during the revision stage.

About the Author

Melinda Copp is a writing coach, book editor, and ghostwriter who specializes in helping aspiring authors achieve their writing goals. Sign up for Melinda's free e-zine, and learn the top ten mistakes aspiring authors make and how to avoid them!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melinda_Copp http://EzineArticles.com/?Writers---How-to-Plan-Your-Next-Writing-Project&id=1950211

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Tips to Getting Rid of Writer's Block

2009-02-02T04:04:00.000-08:00

By Lyn Mok

I have a lot of writing projects including zillions of articles to write, several novels-in-the-making and tonnes of blog posts to put up but I also frequently get hit by writer's block and this will be the death of me at the rate of I kept getting this most dreaded condition. It is like the worst 'disease' ever to hit any writer, author or blogger. I mean, here I am with tonnes and tonnes of things to do but I am stuck. Literally. I could not even string a sentence together. Well, at least, not a very clear sentence that could fit into any of my writing projects.

So, of all people, I truly understand when it comes to writers block and getting rid writers block isn't easy. It is worst than having your wisdom tooth removed. I would know since I suffered the indignity of a swollen face for several days complete with a throbbing gum after the wisdom tooth was forcibly dug out by the evil dentist out to make me poorer and torture me at the same time. Yep, getting rid writers block is definitely akin, if not worst, than having your wisdom tooth removed. It is almost literally like a big huge boulder blocking your way mentally and physically.

Like someone placed a lock and vice on your computer (or typewriter or notepad - whichever writing instrument you use). It is like having our pens taken away. Our notepads destroyed. Our computers hacked and wiped out by some evil virus. Our typewriters incinerated. Well, you get my meaning. That's why I say I am almost an expert when it comes to writers block. I have very vast experience in it. Instead of completing my articles, I get veered off course by a big huge boulder landing on my computer. Okay, so, not literally but it is bad enough.

What do I do to get rid of writers block? Well, there are some ways to getting rid writers block and here are some of the methods I use:

1. I start typing nonsense and string nonsensical words together continuously for about an hour or so. Somehow these words will suddenly make sense and before I know it, I am writing one of my writing-project-in-progress.

2. I surf the net and check out other writers' websites and blogs and turn green with envy over their progress while plotting an evil takeover of their written works - okay, so I'm joking bout the taking over of their written works but blog hopping and website surfing on other authors' and writers' blogs do help as they sometimes do offer loads of inspiration to chase away your boulder-sized writers block.

3. I sing a song and do a silly dance - okay so, maybe I don't do that but what I meant was that I simply turn off the offending blank-screen and go do something else. At least, I am getting something done and not forcing any leftover braincells to try to work when obviously they are on vacation.

Getting rid of writers block is all about mind power, so try it and you will see.

There are plenty of other writing tips here and more tips to get rid of writers block here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lyn_Mok http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-to-Getting-Rid-of-Writers-Block&id=1936100

Freelance Writing Online for Money

How to Get Your Reader to Commit

2009-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

By Ambrosia Quirion

When it comes to poetry do you find yourself sitting looking at a blank page and eventually giving up?Well that tends to happen to us all. There's hope! What I have found that works well for me is thinking of things that relate to experiences in your life. Poetry is about writing "all emotion" Happiness, love, loss, heartache, etc. If you've ever found yourself so full of emotion writing is a great way to release those feelings. Here are some tips on getting started.

Pick a topic that interests you, write a sentence for "Example". If I wanted to write about flowers, Basic sentence "The red flower I hold in my hand" by me writing this sentence all you know is that I have a red flower in my hand what I want you to know is how I feel when I hold this in my hand.

"Example" inserting meaning "For my red flower lay softly in my hand covered by the tears I shower upon this land" Not only are you now writing how you feel your reader has the ability to understand you.This can also be very rewarding for yourself by giving your reader the opportunity to commit to your poetry.

So now you have a few tips on how to write poetry and how to interpret meaning from it.Remember be creative, try different things, do what works best for you. I hope my way of understanding poetry will be of value to you good luck.

To view poetry by Ambrosia. Please click on link below to visit her miles of poetry page. http://www.milesofpoetry.blogspot.com

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Freelance Writing Online for Money

Become an Author to Prospect For Leads - Easy and Effective

2009-01-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

By Bill Broich

Why not write a book? When you think about it, it really isn't that hard to do. What is hard to do is sell a book, so don't sell it, give it away!

I know there are several marketing companies who will "ghost write" a book for you and put your name on it. You write a few lines and it is disclosed so you are not an imposture and the book is yours. Don't do it!

I have a better idea, why don't you actually write a book? It isn't hard and you will find it extremely enjoyable and amazingly easy. Plus it is authentic and it will actually mean something to you. Here are a few simple tips:

· Write in generalities, the simpler the better
· Create an outline
· Have at least 12 chapters
· Keep the book 70-90 pages
· Use at least 14 size fonts
· Use the internet for ideas
· Do not plagiarize, simply use numerous ideas and write it yourself
· Make sure your picture is on the cover, family members also will add credibility
· Think of a great title that will show you off

Here is another secret; almost no one will read it! Reading it is not the idea, giving it to a prospect is the idea!

When you give a prospect your book you are elevated in their eyes. Where can you go to get your book published? This used to be a problem but it is no more and it couldn't be easier. A simple internet search will provide numerous options for publishing your book.

Bill Broich is a leading expert in the field of annuities. He has helped many people use and understand the benefits of annuities. Want a financial product that is immune from a faltering economy? Want to protect your savings and retirement funds? Look at an annuity. Get a free annuity booklet from http://www.Annuity.com - Free Annuity Book.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Broich http://EzineArticles.com/?Become-an-Author-to-Prospect-For-Leads---Easy-and-Effective&id=1898978

NOTE from Donovan Baldwin - I have seen a similar technique used on three separate occasions. The authors gave free seminars related to their subjects, one was how to get free PR, and then, after the presentation, sold several copies of a small, inexpensive book which they had written on the subject. I do not write books, but use free articles to promote various products and services.

Become a Freelance Writer

Freelance Writers - Claim High Rewards For Precious Little Effort

2009-01-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

By Avril Harper

Writers specialising in fillers and readers' letters receive much high fees, word for word, than virtually any other writing genre. Fillers are small pieces, often just 100 words or so, and they can generate hundreds or even thousands of dollars in writing awards or for what editors pick as the week's best letter or filler. But writers have to be constantly on the lookout for unusual subjects for their fillers and they must always be hot on market research. These tips will help grow your income from filler writing:

* Keep your eyes and ears open for anything remotely interesting to use in your letters and fillers. Look for unusual household tips, try your hand at writing poems, look for press errors and other popular filler types.

* Study other published fillers, especially those in magazines you'd like to write for. You can't, of course, copy other people's work but there is no copyright on ideas, so what you see in one magazine can be borrowed to form the basis of a filler you write for another. Other things to watch out for include recipes, jokes you can change a little, recipes you might alter slightly, crossword and puzzle grids you can adapt to use in your work.

* Study at least a dozen or so publications of the type you would like to write for. Rank these in order of preference, according to filler types, payment, subject matter. Start writing and submitting material for those highest on your list.

* Think pictures. Think illustrations. Instead of sending just words to your target publication, include a photograph, maybe a cartoon or line drawing. As always, careful study of your target magazine will establish editorial preferences.

* Search your own experiences for material ready to be written up as it stands or amended to suit.

* Always have a notepad and pen at hand, and preferably a pocket camera and mini recorder. It's amazing where inspiration and ideas strike and how often there is nothing handy to record the incident. My best ideas come when I'm in the bath, ironing, gardening, or walking the dog! Those notepads pinned to every wall and popped into my handbag have repaid their cost many times over!

Once that's done you can look forward to regular high rewards for just a few minutes' easy work.

Avril Harper is a highly successful freelance writer and the author of HOW TO BE A FIVE MINUTE WRITER

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avril_Harper http://EzineArticles.com/?Freelance-Writers---
Claim-High-Rewards-For-Precious-Little-Effort&id=1884265

How to Write Fillers, Writing, Poetry

The Shooting of Dan McGrew

2007-05-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Shooting of Dan McGrew
by Robert Service

A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou.

When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave
and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar,
and he called for drinks for the house.
There was none could place the stranger's face,
though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.

There's men that somehow just grip your eyes,
and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,
As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.
Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,
And I turned my head -- and there watching him
was the lady that's known as Lou.

His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands
-- my God! but that man could play.

Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could HEAR;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green, yellow and red,
the North Lights swept in bars? --
Then you've a haunch what the music meant . . .
hunger and night and the stars.

And hunger not of the belly kind, that's banished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;
But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowned with a woman's love --
A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true --
(God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, --
the lady that's known as Lou.)

Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean
of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil's lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a heart's despair,
and it thrilled you through and through --
"I guess I'll make it a spread misere," said Dangerous Dan McGrew.

The music almost died away . . . then it burst like a pent-up flood;
And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.
The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,
And the lust awoke to kill, to kill . . .
then the music stopped with a crash,
And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then his lips went in in a kind of grin,
and he spoke, and his voice was calm,
And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;
But I want to state, and my words are straight,
and I'll bet my poke they're true,
That one of you is a hound of hell . . . and that one is Dan McGrew."

Then I ducked my head, and the lights went out,
and two guns blazed in the dark,
And a woman screamed, and the lights went up,
and two men lay stiff and stark.
Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,
While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast
of the lady that's known as Lou.

These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.
They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch",
and I'm not denying it's so.
I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two --
The woman that kissed him and -- pinched his poke --
was the lady that's known as Lou.

********
More poems by Robert Service at http://ravensong.4t.com/robert_service/

The Call of the Wild

2007-05-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Call of the Wild
by Robert Service

Have you gazed on naked grandeur where there's nothing else to gaze on,
Set pieces and drop-curtain scenes galore,
Big mountains heaved to heaven, which the blinding sunsets blazon,
Black canyons where the rapids rip and roar?
Have you swept the visioned valley
with the green stream streaking through it,
Searched the Vastness for a something you have lost?
Have you strung your soul to silence? Then for God's sake go and do it;
Hear the challenge, learn the lesson, pay the cost.

Have you wandered in the wilderness, the sagebrush desolation,
The bunch-grass levels where the cattle graze?
Have you whistled bits of rag-time at the end of all creation,
And learned to know the desert's little ways?
Have you camped upon the foothills, have you galloped o'er the ranges,
Have you roamed the arid sun-lands through and through?
Have you chummed up with the mesa? Do you know its moods and changes?
Then listen to the Wild -- it's calling you.

Have you known the Great White Silence, not a snow-gemmed twig aquiver?
(Eternal truths that shame our soothing lies.)
Have you broken trail on snowshoes? mushed your huskies up the river,
Dared the unknown, led the way, and clutched the prize?
Have you marked the map's void spaces, mingled with the mongrel races,
Felt the savage strength of brute in every thew?
And though grim as hell the worst is, can you round it off with curses?
Then hearken to the Wild -- it's wanting you.

Have you suffered, starved and triumphed,
groveled down, yet grasped at glory,
Grown bigger in the bigness of the whole?
"Done things" just for the doing, letting babblers tell the story,
Seeing through the nice veneer the naked soul?
Have you seen God in His splendors, heard the text that nature renders?
(You'll never hear it in the family pew.)
The simple things, the true things, the silent men who do things --
Then listen to the Wild -- it's calling you.

They have cradled you in custom, they have primed you with their preaching,
They have soaked you in convention through and through;
They have put you in a showcase; you're a credit to their teaching --
But can't you hear the Wild? -- it's calling you.
Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us;
Let us journey to a lonely land I know.
There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us,
And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go.

I just like this one. Actually, I like almost anything by Robert Service. I have started a site with his poetry at http://ravensong.4t.com/robert_service/index.html

It will take me a while to get all his poems on the site, but thought I would go ahead and set up the link now.

Have a great day...

Don

A Place to Hear the Last Silken Sighs of a Dying Art

2007-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

It is a small gallery on a side street in Carmel, California. There are more prestigious and glamorous sites in town, such as the Hogs Breath Inn Restaurant and Bar, owned by local resident Clint Eastwood, and it may be easily passed amid the maze of galleries of various arts.

My wife and I would never have seen it except for a sequence of failures, and we never would have met the lady who ran it had we been there one minute earlier, or if my wife had not loved embroidery and needlepoint.

Whatever the events, had we not encountered problems finding what we HAD been looking for, or had we not had trouble navigating the narrow streets of Carmel, and finally decided to park and search on foot, we might never have been introduced to Lu Luo, owner of Lu Lu Silk Art Gallery of Chinese silk embroidery. That would have been a shame, for then a certain macho dude, i.e. yours truly, would never have stood gazing in awe at what might be the last examples of a dying art.

We were actually looking for a scent shop when my wife, a lifelong devotee of various forms of needlepoint, glanced in a window. One more gallery in a sea of galleries, we commented on the beauty of the "paintings" and almost walked on. As we were about to leave, however, she realized that we were seeing for the first time in our lives exquisite examples of an art she had only read about and I had never even known existed...Chinese silk embroidery.

She called me back and I took another look at one of the "paintings" in the window. As I looked more closely, I realized that what had appeared to be tiny brushstrokes were actually threads, some of which seemed much smaller than a human hair. Using tiny silken threads, some of which actually are finer than a baby's hair, the hands that had held the needle had created a masterpiece equal to those of any brush wielding artist. In fact, as we gazed through the window into the closed shop, we saw that many of the works were almost of photographic quality!

Sadly, the shop was closed and we began to walk away, but as we left, we heard someone calling out for us to please wait. We turned and saw a diminutive oriental lady, who, as it happened, owned the gallery.

As one interested in art and needlework, my wife was in awe of all she saw. As a writer, I was in awe not only of the artwork, but of the story Lu Luo had to tell.

What we saw before us in her gallery were perhaps some of the last examples of an art begun a mere 2,800 years or more before. It was an art form developed for the pleasure and adornment of Chinese royalty, but modern times were drawing a line it could not cross.

Developed in Suzhou, China, this form of silk embroidery begins with a finely woven silk cloth as the "canvas", and the finest silken threads as the "paint". They are the finest threads because the artist must split each silk thread into as many as 64 smaller threads as one of the first steps in preparation for the creation of the work. This is the first stumbling block, as the artist must begin learning her craft when still a child, when eyes and hands are still keen and nimble enough to do this well. Attempts to teach even this apparently simple task to older women have failed.

Once threads have been split, each and every pass of the needle must be perfect as the artist employs approximately 40 different techniques to create effects such as fog, smoke, water, texture, or play of light. Should the artist falter in her stitches, there is no way to recover the work. She must begin again.

The effects produced with silken thread can be amazing. From the fine skin of a maid to the whiskers on a tiger's face, the range of effects is stunning...and unbelievably realistic. In one example on display in Lu Lu Silk Art Gallery, we were able to watch the morning light change to noon and dim back to the dusk of evening as we walked across the room in front of a work showing a scene in Suzhou. A skilled artist can create an original work in traditional Chinese motifs, duplicate or emulate the most famous works of western art, or convert a favored family photograph into a silken masterpiece.

As alive and vibrant as this work seems to be, its days may be numbered. The artists must begin training as children and dedicate their lives to their art. As China joins the commercial world, children learn other things and seek careers that seem more rewarding. The skills needed demand the lifetime attention and devotion of the artist, and it has become harder and harder to find those to take on the task. It is estimated that the artists working today may be the last, and the end of the art may be as little as twenty years away.

Each work demands time or artists. The larger or more complex the work, the longer it will take, and the only way to shorten the time is to assign more artists to the task. As an example, Lu Luo pointed to a beautiful picture entitled "Tang Dynasty Polo". It is a vibrant work showing Chinese girls on horseback playing polo for the entertainment of the Emperor and his court. It is approximately four feet by five feet in size, and a similar work would require a team of five or six artists a couple of years to complete or one artist several years.

My wife and I are grateful that we have had the chance to see this wonderful art, but we are saddened that in a few years, no new works will be available to the world.

For your opportunity to see this art while it is still available to the public, you can visit Lu Lu Silk Art Gallery on Mission Street in Carmel between 5th and 6th streets. You can phone Lu Luo for more information at (831) 620-1122, or visit her gallery online and view examples of the works on display at http://www.lulusilkartgallery.com.

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, life and the arts. He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/.

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My Little Rock of Ages Past

2007-04-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

In 55 BC, Julius Caesar beheld the cliffs of Dover from the deck of a Roman ship in the English Channel. In 1982, I beheld the same sight from the deck of a ferry that held my car within its bowels.

I had problems with the subject of history all through school. It was so dry, so boring, so lifeless. It wasn't until I "grew up" and got to go wandering around the world that I began to see history in an entirely different light.

To me, "history" is not just treaties, or battles, or the names of famous men. For me, understanding, or at least feeling a kinship with history, means standing on the spot where those men have stood, seeing the sights that they saw, looking at the instruments they touched, the cup they drank from, the clothes they wore.

In the 1960's I was stationed at a U. S. military base in Bavaria at Bad Aibling, Germany. Almost every day, I walked over several insignificant flagstones set in the ground in a pathway beside one of the barracks. One day, one of my friends showed me some photos he had just printed at the post photography shop.

The post had been a Luftwaffe air base during World War II. When the allies had taken over the post in the 1940's at the end of the war, they had found several hundred negatives. Many of the negatives were still there, and the gentleman who ran the photo shop would help people print up photos. Several of the photos my friend showed me depicted Hitler reviewing the troops at the air base...standing on those insignificant flagstones in the dirt pathway!

To me, that was history.

Years later, a friend took me to the place in Nuremberg where Hitler held his huge rallies. I stood at the exact spot where he had stood, and took photos of my children playing there.

Whether it is Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the White House, the White Cliffs of Dover, the labyrinth of corridors within the bowels of the aircraft carrier Lexington, or driving over Boulder Dam, history comes alive for me when I see what others have seen or the marks they left of their lives.

My love of history taken in this way does not end with the famous and the grandiose, however. In fact, when I recently went to see an exhibition on Queen Hatshepsut, I spent more time gazing at a wooden chair and wondering about the workman who had made it, than I spent on the wonders of the Queen. I spend several minutes looking at simple pots and tools while others ooh and aah over jewels and statues. Lost in reverie, I wonder more about the craftsmen who carved the statue than I do about the ruler it portrays. That's the man I would want to talk to!

Maybe I will get to touch history even a little more intimately. I just bought a little over seven acres of land in central Texas, near where the Comanche used to roam. It is undeveloped and includes a small hill with a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. I hope to learn a little more about rocks and artifacts, and scout through some of the overgrown cliff face that forms a portion of the land.

I'm still clearing trails through the brush on my land at the moment, but the other day, I picked up a rock of interesting appearance and stuck it in my pocket. That evening, safe and warm in my easy chair as a small storm blustered outside, I picked up the rock and began to examine it. As I turned it in my hand, it suddenly slipped into a comfortable position. There was a smooth spot for my thumb and each of my fingers found a perfect place to rest. As I looked at it in my hand, it reminded me of crude stone knives I had seen on the Discovery and History channels and in innumerable museums.

As I looked carefully at it, I realized that it more closely resembled stone scrapers that had been used to work the hides of animals. It looks as if spots have been chipped away, by man or by nature, to make the comfortable grooves that fit my fingers so well and to form the sharp edge that could have scraped a deer hide many years ago.

It is worn with time...perhaps with use as well?

I will probably never know, but I will have to learn a little more about rocks and artifacts, and roam around my little hill on the edge of Comanche country some more. In the meantime, my link to history...my rock of ages...sits on my desk beside my computer reminding me not only of the passage of history, but of the fact that I am only here within a pool of that huge river and that someday perhaps someone will wonder about something that I have touched or seen.

I am sure that my little rock of ages past is just an accident of nature, but wouldn't it be nice if...

About the Author:

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, and life. He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

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Can We Keep Her?

2007-04-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

It was 1994. I had just gone through a divorce after several painful and tumultuous years that had resulted in my becoming distanced from my children...or them from me.

I had met and married a lady with two children...twin teenage daughters. She, and they, had been through their own trying period as mommy and daddy's marriage fell apart, and their father dealt them all blow after painful blow.

My new wife and I had agreed that I was not to even try to raise her children. She saw that as an unfair task to place on me considering my experiences, their experiences, and their ages...they were thirteen. We did agree that I was the adult male in the house and, with her, was a co-head of the house and would act as father in all such events.

That's how we got Diamond.

We had just moved into our first real home together after a few months in a small apartment. We found a house for rent just around the corner from the girls' grandmother. It was great because they had visited there many times, and had even lived with her for a while, so they had grown up with many of the kids in the neighborhood and knew many of the families.

One of the families had a dog, and this dog had a litter of puppies. As my wife puts it, they were part Australian Shepherd and part fence-jumper. Some would say "Heinz 57".

I am sure that you have guessed what happened next! In marched the two of them carrying this little black bundle of fur. They went straight to their mom and asked the inevitable question, followed up by the inevitable selling point, "Can we keep her? They said we could have her. We'll take care of her. You won't have to do anything."

Shhh. I have to be careful how I handle this. Diamond's laying on the floor outside my office door looking at me.

My wife did what I guess was the right thing. She knew that the girls had still not accepted me completely, and not as someone who had a say-so over what they could do. She also knew what the eventual outcome of this was going to be, and she knew that I had a right to be involved. She told the girls, "I'm not sure about this. You'll have to ask Don."

The girls really wanted that dog, and they were ready to deal with the devil to get it, so they turned to me and gave me the same pitch. I knew that while this might not be a "make or break" situation in our relationship, what I did in the next few minutes was going to color the next few years in some way. This was the first real family decision that hinged on the girls' wants and needs, and I didn't want to blow it.

I was also falling for the puppy and could see my wife, who refused to admit to such emotions over animals, getting a "what a cute little thing" look on her face.

To stall for a minute, I asked what her name was. "She doesn't have one yet," they replied. As I looked her over and petted her a little, I noticed a small star of white among the coal black fur on the back of her neck. "That looks like a diamond", I said, and then I knew what to say next.

"Let's call her Diamond."

It took a second for that to seep in, but then they realized what that meant. She was going to be ours and she had a name.

She's got a little bit of arthritis now, but she is still the champion beggar of central Texas. She is the only dog I have ever known who taught herself to play dead so that she could be "revived" with treats. We have to spell in front of her, and my wife complains because the words are getting longer and she's having trouble catching them. The girls long ago taught Diamond to carry messages and small objects back and forth between family members. Although as she aged, she quit putting her toys away on command, she learned that she could barter for treats by picking up dropped objects such as the pieces of paper I tend to let fall around my desk. We had to stop her the day she tried to bring us the remote, however.

She is somewhat psychic and knows when we are about to go somewhere and might just take her along. When she realizes she is being left behind, she retreats to her "pouting spot" on the couch. If we are gone too long, she complains under her breath when we get back, and there is no way she can be enticed to go outside if she believes we might be bringing in people food.

She protects us diligently from all intruders including passing cars or helicopters that are a bit too loud, or kids playing a half a block away. She bravely and boldly attempts to terrify all visitors until they reach down to pet her, and the puppy of several years ago reappears, and they are friends for life...until the next time they come to the door.

The girls who were "going to take care of her"?

Oh, they live about 160 miles away. One is a new mother and has two cats and two dogs of her own, and her sister has two dogs. She recently got rid of her killer attack cat, but that's another story. They still love Diamond, and fuss over her when we come to visit and baby-sit her when we have to travel, but somehow she has become our dog...my wife's and mine.

I don't regret that. I am sure that everything would have turned out all right, but I think it all started to get a little easier for us to become a family the day we added Diamond to it.

You know what? She just got up and went into the bedroom. I bet she’s going to tell my wife I’ve been ignoring her. She’s long ago learned the fine art of going to Mommy if Daddy can’t be swayed.

About the Author

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as yoga, writing, nature, animals, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, health, fitness, and weight loss. Pick up some free information on cats at http://cat-and-kitten.com/ . He has also collected several of his articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

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4 Tips For Writers On How To Create Some Creativity

2007-04-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

Many people watching a writer at work probably wouldn't even realize that he or she was actually working. While the physical act of putting words on paper or into a computer is easy to recognize as "work" one of the hardest parts of any writer's task is not always coming up with the words to express an idea. For many of us, the most difficult part is coming up with an idea to write about!

While creativity is generally believed to be something that someone is born with, and maybe it is, everybody has some sort of creative streak within...no matter how well hidden. The trick is to find ways to tickle that creativity so that it produces at least the germ of an idea. Once many writers, and other artists, have that germ of an idea, the article, or statue, or poem, or painting will almost produce itself.

Below are 4 tips on how to wake up the sleeping giant of creativity within and put it to work.

1. Yoga and Meditation - Alternative Routes to Creativity

Most people want to attack a problem head on. For the artist or writer, however, that approach often just creates another problem. Do the words, "writer's block" mean anything to you? Hmmm? It seems that the harder we try to attack the creativity problem the harder and thicker the wall becomes between the conscious mind and the ideas that may be lurking just on the other side.

Yoga, meditation, long walks and other such physically relaxing and sometimes demanding activities actually tend to dissolve the barriers and allow us to access the ideas that have been hiding behind them. To express it another way, think of ideas becoming frightened and curling up like porcupines when they know we are looking for them. When we appear to be ignoring them, they uncurl and expose themselves to our subconscious which in turn puts them on a fast elevator up to the conscious mind where they seem to appear out of nowhere.

2. Creativity Is Your Job - So Show Up For Work

Back in school, we were given study tips that often included this one; study at the same time and in the same place. That sounds a little like "showing up for work". Freelance writers in particular often fall prey to not having a place to go to and a time to be there. Obviously, if the idea comes at half past midnight, in the middle of your morning shower, or while having sex, that's when you should get it down. Okay, delay that last one a little bit.

On the whole, however, to produce a somewhat steady stream of creativity, not to mention the output which should result there from, it is important to prepare an "office", even if it is a table on your patio. That's where you show up and expect your creative muse to meet you. Dock its pay if it is late.

3. Ideas Are Everywhere - Be Prepared For Them

In this crazy business of writing, or painting, or sculpting, ideas are all around. The trick is to catch them and keep them. The chance comment of a friend, a sound bite on a TV news show, an obituary, the neighbor's new car, the local high school football team, your spouse's opinion on the TV sound bite, a paragraph in a chapter in a second hand book you bought for $2.99. These can all hold the germ of the idea that later becomes the article, the poem, the short story, or the book.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that once you catch on to this, you will find yourself with more ideas than you can remember or develop at any given moment. That's why you want to have a notebook, diary, or journal to jot down the basic idea and a quick development if that's available. You might also want to invest in a small recorder so that you can dictate ideas while driving or at other times that writing might be difficult. This is a great suggestion if you have ever awoken with a great idea in the middle of the night and found that you have completely forgotten it when you wake up in the morning.

4. Your Brain Is Already Full Of Ideas - Put Your Built-In Search Engine To Work

Your subconscious is a brown-noser. It just can't wait to show you what it's done for you while you were sleeping or busy with another problem. As you lay in bed at night waiting to fall asleep, tell it forcefully and directly to come up with some ideas while you're asleep. This is not 100% perfect, but it will produce fruit from time to time. Unfortunately, the ideas often appear in the middle of the night (see tip #3) although you will often awaken with a great idea.

By the way. Have you ever heard about great discoveries being made while people sleep? Many of these stories are true.

It often happens that concentrating on a problem and then letting go of it to work on other things often produces the same effect as "sleeping on it". More than one cognitive flash has come about after the thinker let go of the problem. During sleep, your brain is at work replenishing neurotransmitters that organize neural networks essential to remembering, learning, performance and problem solving, and this activity includes tracking down and organizing seemingly random pieces of data into ideas!

There you are! Four tips just like I promised.

Oh! Where did I get the idea for this article?

Well, I was reading some notes I had made about a year ago, and....

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as yoga, writing, nature, animals, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, health, fitness, and weight loss. He has collected several of his articles on health and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

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How And Why To Find New Friends

2007-04-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

If you are someone wishing you could find new friends, I have some good news for you, even though the fact that you are reading this means that you might not agree with me.

There are millions of people who would really love to be your friend!

I am assuming that when I use the term "friend", we both understand that a wide range of relationships may be encompassed. You may find a thousand acquaintances, five hundred close acquaintances, one hundred friends, ten close friends and one love of your life. Or, you may find twenty acquaintances, fifteen close acquaintances, five friends, no close friends and no love of your life. The results will depend on time, the pool of contacts you are diving into, your particular goals, luck, and other factors often, at least momentarily, beyond your control...such as time and place.

Many people who are seeking friends actually limit their opportunities to come in contact with these people and join with them in friendship because they are not following one or more of the following tips.

1. Go where your new friends are to be found.

2. To find a friend, be a friend.

3. Friends keep in touch and show they care.

As you read the above, you will notice one common thread. All of those statements imply action or effort of some sort. How many of us in high school had the "friend" who never seemed to have many friends and often complained that..."nobody likes me"? Thinking back from a slightly more mature viewpoint, how many times do we realize how often that particular person never went anywhere, never did anything to be a part of the group, and often stood on the sidelines taking potshots at those who were having a good time with their friends?

I know that I personally fit into that category. I was in the U. S. Army before I realized that I wasn't "popular" in high school because I fit precisely into that category. I can see now how many times people tried to include me in their activities and circles as I wandered in and out of these events and passing relationships trying hard to show everybody that I was just fine without them!

However, this sort of behavior is not limited just to high school. Sadly, I saw my father follow this same path throughout most of his working life and into retirement (although he WAS careful not to mock other peoples' beliefs)...where he died several years before he should have in a state of self-imposed isolation with the belief that nobody liked him or cared if he lived or died.

Who needs friends?

Over the years, several studies have shown a strong correlation between one's length of life and level of health, and the structure of their social network, i.e. the friends and acquaintances with whom they remain actively linked. In fact, sites such as Dr. Thomas Perls' "Life Expectancy Calculator" (www.livingto100.com), are including questions about the size and strength of an individual's personal network of family and acquaintances as part of the process they use to estimate life expectancy.

Okay, so where are your friends to be found?

Well, that is one to answer for yourself. Many people try to find "friends" in bars. However, while chance encounters in alcoholically fueled environments certainly accounts for some true lasting friendships, genuine friendship is often better based on shared interests and activities. Getting smashed regularly might not be the best way to search for someone you can trust and rely on...no matter how much fun they are at the moment. If you are religious, go to church regularly. If you are athletic, join an exercise group or sign up for a gym membership. If you are a stamp collector, join a stamp collecting club. Even if you do not find someone within that group who really excites you, those people of similar tastes and life views may have friends who would love to have you as a new friend. The key here is to circulate, but circulate within spheres where you are likely to find people with similar (not necessarily the exact same) interests and attitudes.

Somebody has to take the first step.

If you meet someone that you would like to be friends with, that should mean that this potential relationship is valuable enough for you to invest a little personal effort. That person may be sitting at home wondering why YOU don't call! When I attended my 20th high school reunion, I learned of two girls who had once had crushes on me while I had sat at home never contacting them or anyone else because I was sure that they didn't like me!

Okay, so your feelings get hurt, or you find yourself with a friend that you wish you had never hooked up with. Well, there's not much I can tell you except that is a normal part of life and is likely to occur whether you are actively seeking friends or not. However, no matter how much it may hurt or upset you at the moment, it definitely does NOT define your worth or value, and it will fade in time unless you choose to keep it up front with genuinely important things.

Take the first step. It doesn't have to be a declaration of undying friendship or a date. Include the person in an activity that you think they might be interested in. Sometimes just the invitation is enough. Call or send a card on their birthday. Yes, make the effort to learn their birthday. If you are in a used book store, just go whole hog and spend the $2.99 to pick up a used copy of the book they said they wanted to read. Even if they have bought the book new in the meantime, the thought will be important to them. If not, they probably are not someone you would want for a friend anyway.

Do not let true friends "fall by the wayside".

"No man is an Island", said John Donne. When we let friends drift away, we are allowing a part of our "island" of self to erode. True, not every friend or acquaintance is going to maintain the same level of importance in our lives as we and they change, move, ripen, or sour. However, it doesn't hurt to drop a line, an email, or to make a quick phone call just to keep in touch. Their friendship was valuable to us at one time and will probably retain a value throughout our lives, You never know when the guy you used to go on business trips with turns out to be the one who shows up to help you through a particularly difficult period in your life.

I don't know about you, but simply from a selfish point of view, better health and a longer, more enjoyable life are good enough reasons for me to go out and make some new friends or renew old friendships.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as yoga, writing, nature, animals, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, health, fitness, and weight loss. He has collected several of his articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donovan_Baldwin

So You're Thinking About Becoming a Freelance Writer

2007-03-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

You would think that writing is writing. You would think that just because you are doing it in freelance mode rather than under contract to a publication or advertising firm, for example, that it's the same thing. You would think, huh?

Well, like many things in life, when you step away from the beaten path and eschew the warmth and comfort of schedule, office, guidelines and are forced to do all that that implies for yourself, things change.

Anyone who is good at their job and decides to go out on their own...start their own business...very rapidly learns a bitter truth. Along with all the obligations to the boss, the kowtowing and dog and pony shows, the J.O.B. did provide some things that it can be hard to get along without.

Take that scheduling thing a couple of paragraphs ago. For many people striking out on their own, including freelance writers, a first dash of cold water from the fountain of freedom is the realization that they are not as good at scheduling their own time as their boss or office was.

Oh, it's great not to hear the clock go off in the morning, but at some point, if you want to be successful, you have got to get out of bed and go to work. The boss expected you there by a certain time and kept you there a certain time for a reason. Requiring a certain amount of time out of your life insured that a certain amount of work got done. With no boss to stand over you or glare at you as you come in late, it can be easy to cut the routine and suddenly find that your output has dropped off.

For a freelance writer, low output can mean low wages.

In the routine of the office, you knew that certain jobs had to be done in certain cycles and to certain rhythms. Many times, those rhythms and cycles were there when you came to work at that company. You may have modified them somewhat, but there is a chance you did not create them. As a self-employed individual, i.e. freelance writer, you are going to have to discover and create the cycles, rhythms, and schedules which will help you be successful.

At your job, you had to develop and grow. Maybe they provided training for you, maybe they didn't, but at some point you probably realized that if you wanted to advance, or at least keep your job, you would have to figure out how to work the new machinery, fill out the new form, or placate the new boss. A freelancer has to stay abreast of what's going on as well, only now, there is no one standing by to make sure you get the message.

Additionally, your job provided incentive for you to keep working even if things weren't going well. As long as you came in and did your work, you got your paycheck. For many, that, and the chance of losing a job, translates into a certain incentive to be creative. Often, when writers go freelance, they find that without any guidance and expectations from outside, their creativity dries up. Then, it is up to them to force themselves to produce.

Bosses also set expectations, and you knew as an employee what those expectations were. Many people who decide to freelance feel that they will now be able to call the tune. However, often what they want to write is not what others want to read, and they find that the boss had certain expectations because he or she knew what the market was demanding. Many a freelance writer, and others who take the self-employed route, find themselves doing many of the same things they did, but for less money and with no benefits.

The list can go on. There are a myriad of things that anyone leaving the work force and striking out on their own will realize need to be done. They will also realize that usually somebody else did them when they had a job. Now that they are self-employed, again, i.e. freelance, they are responsible for it all...from bookkeeping to sanitation. It is their responsibility not only to be a good employee but a good employer as well.

Going freelance in any profession can be daunting, and sometimes the rewards are not monetary. Many self-employed people make less than they did at their last job, but would never go back now that they have made the break. After all, where else can you quit work to watch the game or play with your kids, take a couple of days off because you feel like it, and do your work with a beer on the desk?

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

You can find a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss and related subjects at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

I Got Paid Today

2007-03-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

Recently I wrote an article in which I tried to point out that consistent effort was needed for success in many things. Persistence paid off, in other words. Shortly after posting that article on MySpace.com, a nice lady named Toni sent me a message about the article. She was not only kind enough to compliment the article, but in her message, she told me that she had been about to give up on something, and my article kind of pushed her back on track.

I have been paid in various ways for a lot of things in my life, but that has to be one of the nicest "checks" I have ever received.

You know something? Not only was Toni kind enough to say nice things about my article, but she took the time to let me know the impact I had had on her life.

Isn't that a great feeling? Years ago, I had the good fortune to train individuals in a new career. Many of these people had never had a job that paid as well, many had been going through a string of misfortunes, and I got to help set them on the road to success in a new career. A few came back to see me later and let me know how grateful they were for the difference I had made in their lives.

There, you go! Yet another "check".

You might be wondering why I put the word "check" in quotations.

Well, it's because Toni's response, and those of my ex-students, was not only a feel-good thing that brightened my whole day...and a payment of sorts...but it also reminded me of something we sometimes forget. It was a "reality check"...a reminder. One of the reasons we tend to forget is that we often don't get messages back telling us how we have done, what we have or have not accomplished, or the impact that we have had on someone else's life...for better or for worse.

You don't have to write an article to impact someone's life in such a way that they incorporate your message into their life. My wife has family members who are missionaries in foreign lands. She was telling me that in one country where they were missionaries, they were not allowed to preach or even tell others about their religion. They had to pass on their teachings and beliefs by being living examples of their faith.

We impact each other's lives almost every day, often without even realizing it. We may say one thing and five minutes later show our children, coworkers, or family members what our real core values are. Sadly, we sometimes say one thing and teach another through our actions. Often, our children, and others, may incorporate those values into their own lives. That's great as long as we have shown them the best lessons in life that we can muster.

Unfortunately, many of us continue teaching the wrong lessons and sending the wrong messages because we never get any response that lets us realize our mistakes and improve ourselves and our messages. Many motivational professionals and success coaches agree that to improve performance and achieve success, it is very useful to have some sort of feedback so that we can recognize our strengths and weaknesses, thus gaining an understanding of what we need to work on. Also, if we have been doing well, the positive message we get back from others can be a great reward while strengthening us in our determination to keep on doing the right things.

Several times in my life, I have received a "thank you", a compliment, or just a word of encouragement at just the right moment so that I was able to take hold of my life as it veered off track and put it back on the proper road.

That's why I say, "Thank you, Toni," for letting me know that I have made a difference in your life. I thank you also for reminding me that someone is watching and that my words and my life can have an impact, and it is up to me to determine what sort of message I wish to send. Your reality check not only rewarded me for my efforts, but brought back to my mind the need to write what I believe and live my life as it should be lived.

That sort of payment is worth a lot more than money.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory .