Fourteen poems for Valentine

My main focus recently has been job hunting as I was made redundant on 13 February 2017.  I didn't want to lose touch with my writing so I set myself a challenge for Valentine day. 

The Challenge

Starting from 14 February 2017, for fourteen days, I would post a love poem.  It involved reading some of my old work and editing to publish one each day.  I posted the poems to Wattpad. 

I discovered poems I had forgotten about.  Some of these, I am really proud of and others just needed a little editing (and some were so cringe worthy that we shall not speak of). 

Next year, I plan to set myself the challenge again and I plan on creating more poetry books in future.

Click here if you'd like to read the 2017 Valentine edition.

Organising Writing

The unexpected reward was how amazing it felt to organise my work.  I've written so much, in various stages of edits, it is hard to keep track of it all. Sorting them into a novel and posting online not only enables me to get the feedback I need but also is an easy way of organising my work.

I have written so much that my MS Office OneDrive has exceeded the space limit!  I remember my IT Department thinking I was nuts when I said I need to buy a 128gb USB to free up space on my computer by moving my writing. 

If anyone has any tips on how to organise writing (with multiple versions), please let me know. 

Blogging

Blogger

 

Over the years, I've tried a range of websites and blogs. This is my most current and most up-to-date blog.  Over the past two years I have had various different blogs & websites. These are listed below:

 

Mar 2012 to Current	Blogger	http://allyaldridge.blogspot.co.uk/
Jan 2012 to Feb 2013	Webpage	https://sites.google.com/site/aldridgeally/Blogger/blog
Dec 2011 to Jan 2012	Webs	http://www.alisonaldridge.webs.com/
Mar 2011 to Dec 2011	Wordpress	http://redfae.wordpress.com/
Jan 2010 to Mar 2011	Weebly	http://redfae.weebly.com/

 

Blogging Advice

Tip 1: Write about what interests you, that way if nobody else wants to read it then you've at least enjoyed writing it. In addition, if you are writing about what interests you then when you do get followers it'll be easier to maintain their interest as it'll be the same as yours.

Tip 2: Blog frequently to show that your blog is maintained and up-to-date. This also provides your readers with fresh news and will encourage them to check back more frequently.

Tip 3: When relevant, promote your blog. For example, you could direct someone to an article in your blog that you think they'll find of interest. This will be recieved much better than if you spam forums or social sites. You could tweet when you have a new post and what the post about to enable people to find you.

Tip 4: If you find another blog that is of intererst then share it. Bloggers tend to be supportive of each other so by promoting someone else there is a good chance that they'll promote you back to their readers.

Tip 5: Take you're time to check that your blog is well written. Check and amend any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes. If it doesn't make sense then people will be instantly turned off and not take your seriously.

 

Blog Site Reviews

Blogger: I currently use this site and would recommend it. It alows a wide range of sharing options for your readers (email, facebook, twitter, blogger, google+). There is a mobile app so you can blog on the go and you are able to email posts to your blog. It is very easy to use and shows you how many views you've had.

Tumblr:I currently use this site for personal use and would recommend it. Tumblr has a strong community of "follow back" so you can obtain a good number of readers and find people with similar interests. The site allows people to share posts (reblog) meaning your article can be read by their followers. There is a mobile app so you can blog on the go and you are able to email your posts to your blog. It is very easy to use and very social.

Webpage: Writing a blog as a webpage is very cumbersome, I would not recommend it. It basically meant I had to edit the website. This did mean the blog was nicely intergrated into my website, however, it was not easy to keep up-to-date. It did allow RSS feeds.

Webs:I created this as a free website after Weebly. However, I did not like the appearance and the free ads all over my site. The ads were part of the freeservice but seemed to take over. It also wasn't very user friendly either.

Weebly: I loved this website and it was free too (the ads were not that bad). The blog was easy to use, update and I like the way it looked. The only problem is that I got a few hits from "robots" placing odd comments on my posts. Otherwise, I would have happily stayed here forever.

Opuss - Featured Authors

Wow! Just found a new page on Opuss. It lists the featured authors and the Top Author Pic - and it... http://opuss.com/s/1qq1

Download the Opuss app FREE on the App Store
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opuss/id473948939?ls=1&mt=8

Giddy News

Struggling to think straight. My hardwork writing has paid off:

1. I get asked to be a regular... http://opuss.com/s/1jfj

Download the Opuss app FREE on the App Store
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opuss/id473948939?ls=1&mt=8

Driven

Obviously, I don't know but I honestly believe that being a writer is harder than being an author.

At least as an author you've achieved your goal and you've had your work valued, recognised, printed and read.  Maybe when I become an author I'll find that untrue.  Maybe once you've made it the goal posts move and suddenly you find yourself needing to achieve more and work harder to maintain your position.  I won't know until I become an author, so for now, I will share with you why today I feel hopeless.

Some days the need to be read is overwhelming, almost as if the air has been taken from my lungs and I'm suffocating with the need to breathe, the need to be read.  I can't settle at my desk to write, I'm pacing around with tears in my eyes frustrated that there is very little I can do about it but wait.

The voices in my head want to be heard and the worlds I've created need to be seen.  It sounds crazy but its something that only those who've truly been there have experienced.  I know my characters like real people and I've visited my worlds like true places.

Luckily, I am a good self motivational speaker.  I tell myself that I am good which I know I am.  I remind myself that I'm not NEVER going to be published it's just a matter of time.  Whilst I wait I should be entering competitions or submitting stories or articles to magazines or anthologies and continue working on my novels.  I have a plan, I just have to stick to it and be patient.

It's okay that sometimes I don't want to be patient, we all have moments.  We all sometimes need reassurance that we are good, that we're not delusional.  I network with other writers who share my experiences, my feelings, my ambition and for no reason they encourage me and help me no longer feel alone as I wait in line for luck and fate to find me.  I want to see them do well, they have so much talent and people are missing out on experiencing their words.

One day I will make it into print.  I know this because I will never give up.  I will never stop believing, dreaming, imagining and it is this drive that what will carry me to success.