tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9690401221249236062020-03-28T05:59:43.567-07:00Writing CreativelyIf you're going to write, why not write creatively?Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-50566385334520264042019-10-24T17:16:00.001-07:002019-10-24T17:16:32.469-07:00Not So Niche –New YouTube Content Creator Asks Can You Sabotage YouTube ...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-kqZm8vjjMI" width="480"></iframe>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-24350832968876936532019-09-24T07:03:00.002-07:002019-10-01T04:50:13.193-07:00Gutsy Women Unite!Hey, World!<br /><br />Look at how many GUTSY and COURAGEOUS women steer the ship today! From women in politics where, in 2019, 127 women (106 Democrats and 21 Republicans) hold seats in the United States Congress to women currently running for president – Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, women are leading the way to a more peaceful and vibrant planet!<br /><div><br /></div><div>We have seen the repercussions of too much aggression – wars and mass shootings. Let's bring in a softer, less aggressive, more assertive way to address important goals that matter, like climate change, medical care for all, religious right, sexual identity acceptance, and upholding the Constitution of the United States!<br /><div><br /></div><div>When we look back to the Suffragette movement in the early 20th Century when women fought for the right to vote and into the 1960s when women fought for equal pay and equal respect, we've come a long way, thanks to all the many phenomenal women who courageously spoke up for TRUTH.</div><div><br /></div><div>While we still deal with sexual harassment, we now have the means to hold predators accountable for their actions. The workplace is a little more comfortable for women – and men – these days, thanks to these brave women.</div><div><br /></div><div>But we still have a long way to go and more and more women are stepping forward to take the lead in bringing us all to a more United States and a friendlier, more unified world.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hillary Rodham Clinton, who courageously, confidently, and calmly handled what can only be described as an insane presidential debate, along with her daughter, Chelsea, share with us in <b><i>The Book of Gutsy Women</i></b> (see below), many gutsy women who inspired them.<br /><br /><br /> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thejoyfulec0a-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1501178415&asins=1501178415&linkId=659ab1b18ec69c4339c4809229a3acf4&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thejoyfulec0a-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07Y5W47R7&asins=B07Y5W47R7&linkId=0534de7c2b508a902298b42afa484fd7&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> </iframe><br /><br />Sometimes you have to stand up to stand out. Speak up for your beliefs! Be confident! Be Gutsy!<br /><br /><i>Thank you for visiting my blog. Today and always please find a little joy and sprinkle it everywhere!</i></div></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-18877312886766943142019-08-29T14:11:00.000-07:002019-08-29T14:11:43.689-07:00A Country of Cowards and Heroes<div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">I didn’t hear her name, but she was an eight-year-old child from Honduras. I didn’t understand her native language, but an interpreter told me that she was praying for the people of the United States to follow the teachings of their own religions – the teachings that commanded them to love others as they love themselves. </span></div><div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Maybe what happened next was a coincidence or maybe it was serendipitous, but two weeks later the entire United States halted when what looked like mini bullet-shaped jets landed in fields everywhere. </span></div><div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Anyone who tried to attack the aliens was met with weapons the size of cocktail straws that instantly paralyzed their targets. While everyone stood impotent, the beings who emerged from those jets claimed the earth as their new home base, seizing property and children whose parents agreed with the separation policy of alienation from their parents.</span></div><div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">As the paralyzed victims of substantial loss tried desperately to assess the situation, a voice permeated the crowds and caused everyone to assimilate her powerful vision and wisdom as she drew forth her weapon and insinuated herself into the souls of everyone around her. Her name was Conscience.</span></div><br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-53384355331959444042019-08-27T15:57:00.000-07:002019-08-27T15:57:08.885-07:00Hilarious Old People's Embarrassing Senior Moments <style type="text/css">p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Georgia} </style> <br /><div class="p1"><i>Instead of writing, I've been creating videos. I am inviting you to check this one out:</i></div><div class="p1"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k_XeUn66l4g/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_XeUn66l4g?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><br />Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-33928910905144383982019-08-23T09:20:00.002-07:002019-08-23T09:21:00.680-07:00Opportunity for Creative Writers with a Short Attention Span to Make Money!If you're the type of writer who likes to write short blurbs, like those found on greeting cards and t-shirts, this blog's for you!<br /><br />Back in the 70s I created about a hundred greeting cards. The only types of cards available back then were sappy, sentimental types. <i>My</i> greeting cards were sarcastic. When I sent my ideas to about 100 different greeting card companies, of the ones who wrote back, variations similar to, "There is no market for these kinds of cards," filled my mailbox. I wanted to scream, "I KNOW! I'm creating the market!"<br /><br />Fast forward to shortly after that time, sarcastic greeting cards proliferated at an exponential rate – and now – they're everywhere. While I love researching for long articles and now for YouTube, I'm more of a Reader's Digest kind of writer. A get-to-the-point kind of writer. A say-it-and-move-on kind of writer.<br /><br />So when I started designing cups, t-shirts, tote bags, and more, I found my niche! And how did I discover this new avenue of expression? Through YouTube, where I also decided to start my own channel, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0g5TV_PpWQ5ESHEbDRaXkg" target="_blank">Youthful Aging for REAL Women</a></i>.<br /><br />By watching YouTube videos, I discovered a variety of ways to make money, one of which, besides my YouTube channel (brand new – I'm not making any money yet), was by designing items for sale, through a company called <a href="https://teespring.com/" target="_blank">Teespring</a>! So I revved up my brain and started creating. I have a designing background, so that helps, but all you need to know is how to manipulate fonts and text sizes if you're eager to start. And some programs, like <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a>, will allow you to create designs for a small fee.<br /><br />I was fortunate to find a couple of artists on Facebook who agreed to draw some ideas for me and wait for payment until those items sold, but I'm so excited to begin this new chapter of my life, I can't wait to share what's happening to me with other writers who enjoy short, to-the-point, sayings.<br /><br />As an example of the types of wording I'm using, samples below appear in these stores on <a href="https://teespring.com/" target="_blank">Teespring</a>:<br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/halloween-items-2" target="_blank">Halloween Items</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/women-empowerment-8" target="_blank">Women Empowerment</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/the-love-joy-laugh-shop" target="_blank">The Love Joy Laugh Shop</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/craft-lovers" target="_blank">Craft Lovers</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/eclectic-mugs" target="_blank">Eclectic Mugs</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/the-creative-soul" target="_blank">The Creative Soul</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/pregnancy-baby-items" target="_blank">Pregnancy and Baby Items</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/proud-american-15" target="_blank">Proud to be an American</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/crochet-lovers-2" target="_blank">Crochet Lovers</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/totes-to-tote" target="_blank">Totes to Tote</a><br /><br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/the-writers-write-shop" target="_blank">The Writer's Write Shop</a><br /><br />And here is an example of one of my totes available in The Writer's Write Shop:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdmT8sP7guE/XWAL6bAQtnI/AAAAAAAAH1s/pNezBtxQEyEtGy-ZIZAo8bGIo8xpUJl1wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-08-23%2Bat%2B10.47.34%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdmT8sP7guE/XWAL6bAQtnI/AAAAAAAAH1s/pNezBtxQEyEtGy-ZIZAo8bGIo8xpUJl1wCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-08-23%2Bat%2B10.47.34%2BAM.png" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Interested in getting started? Write up several comments you'd like to see on the fronts of t-shirts or tote bags. If you're good at design, you can also design iPhone and Samsung cases. Head over to Teespring.com and start placing your items. The site is simple to follow. Just pay attention to what you're doing. You can get lost – only because you have SO MANY OPTIONS! With one simple design, you can create t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, hoodies, tote bags, cups, and more! With ONE design!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're artistically creative, Teespring offers leggings, pillows, and other items to design, too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For instructions on how to use Teespring, if you have difficulty maneuvering through the site, please watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIurOTqcE1C22gAVewTjuYlL30yTF-hly" target="_blank">Greg Gottfried</a>. His instructional videos will walk you through the process. They helped me immensely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you become successful with Teespring, please let me know in the comments below!</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-17220762094058754362018-11-14T10:35:00.000-08:002018-11-14T10:35:53.837-08:00You Are Enough!<div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>The following post is an entry for a contest being held by </i><b><i><a href="http://positivewriter.com/writing-contest-you-are-enough/?fbclid=IwAR1dTpg7U3CGvkk5sk57VsA3BWa1CMmxThS_O7x_dlO9m81cfbwlilkKqoY" target="_blank">You Are Enough</a></i></b><i>, hosted by </i><b><i>Positive Writer</i></b><i>.</i></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WLb6xlYbkLY/W-xqFijJhpI/AAAAAAAAHww/Qk7XuO8jDIwAUHjB1dfqJDEeAHvS8h7aACLcBGAs/s1600/YouAreEnoughjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="1161" height="103" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WLb6xlYbkLY/W-xqFijJhpI/AAAAAAAAHww/Qk7XuO8jDIwAUHjB1dfqJDEeAHvS8h7aACLcBGAs/s320/YouAreEnoughjpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">I noticed her from across the room and I recognized the pain that emanated from her face. I wanted to save her from the burden of knowing that the support and encouragement she craved would never come from the people who meant the most to her. She reflected all of my own doubts and fears that I have held for most of my life. </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The love and emotional support she sought from others she couldn’t find even from herself, and I found myself being drawn to her. If nobody else could hug her and comfort her, I, somebody who cared about her, wanted to be the one to give a warm embrace. </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The pain that welled up from the bottom of her soul stretched out beyond her arms and spilled onto each page. The release was palpable and voluminous. I tried to tell her, “Can’t you see that you are not an empty vessel? Look what you’ve achieved!” </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">But she could see only blood splatter and with nobody other than me to tell her she was worth the words she wrote, she climbed inside herself to protect herself from the pain of knowing she could find comfort only from herself. </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">As I wrapped my arms around her and wiped away her tears, I said, “You may never be able to rely upon the people you want to believe in you. You might have to look to me for comfort.” </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Those were harsh words for her to swallow. Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered. </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“So you have to find faith in yourself.” I hoped my words comforted her. But maybe she needed more. Maybe she needed, not only <i>to know</i>, but also <i>to remember</i>, that she was worthwhile.</div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">I asked her to reflect on words of encouragement she received from former English teachers, who applauded her writing skills and enjoyed them so much they read aloud some of her work to the class. I asked her to pay attention to the little joys in her life and to be proud of her accomplishments. I asked her to look into the eyes of people who truly made her feel loved, to see in their eyes what I wanted her to see in herself.</div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Did I just see a glimmer of hope? </div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Maybe it didn’t matter that the people she wanted to believe in her couldn’t or wouldn’t. But <i>somebody</i> did. <i>Other</i> <i>people</i> believed in her. And maybe that motivation and a belief in herself was enough.</div><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">As I neared the mirror, I looked more deeply into her eyes. “You are enough,” I told her. “You are more than enough.” And with that I wept with gratitude. </div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-30050704018189183672017-02-28T08:43:00.001-08:002017-02-28T09:44:39.678-08:00PayPal Account Holders BEWARE!<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">If you receive ANYTHING from ANY source claiming to be PayPal, DO NOT RESPOND unless the address shown for the sender is actually from PayPal. I recently received the following email from a source that CLAIMED to be PayPal, but was not. It came from this email address: dnyvfabt@qukypjoc.vpulk. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">ALWAYS check the address and REMEMBER – PayPal will NEVER ask you for your password – EVER!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">Here was the letter:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><img alt="unknown.gif" src="webkit-fake-url://EA7197EB-6E0C-4CF9-A0F4-C13D7574D239/unknown.gif" /> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia";">(the hacked PayPal logo went here)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 580.0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 12.0px 12.0px 12.0px 12.0px; width: 556.0px;" valign="middle"><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;">---------------------------------------------------------------------- </span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;">Case ID Number: PP-023-145-320-5676.</span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;">---------------------------------------------------------------------- </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0.5px 0.5px 0.5px 0.5px; padding: 12.0px 12.0px 12.0px 12.0px; width: 556.0px;" valign="middle"><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>Dear Cilent,</i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>Recently, there's been activity in your PayPal account that seems unusual compared to your normal account activity.</i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>To help protect your account, you can't :</i></span></div><ul><li style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Send or receive money</i></span></span></li><li style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Withdraw money</i></span></span></li></ul><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>Also, you won't be able to:</i></span></div><ul><li style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Add or remove any bank accounts</i></span></span></li><li style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Add or remove any cards</i></span></span></li><li style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Dispute any transactions</i></span></span></li><li style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Close your account</i></span></span></li></ul><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>You have to </i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><i>verify</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> your information in order to continue using our service smoothly. </i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>You can resolve this by following these simple steps: </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>1. Click on the button below. </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>2. Log in by entering your email and password </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>3. Provide the information associated with your account. </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Click </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b><i>Log In Here</i></b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> rights </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">(I removed the link.)</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>Beef up your security </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>This is part of our security process and helps ensure that PayPal. Continue to be safer way to buy item. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>Thanks, </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>PayPal </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: yellow; font-kerning: none;"><i>Copyright © 1999-2017 PayPal Inc. All rights reserved. </i></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">###</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">Beyond the fact that the word, Client, is misspelled, the grammar and punctuation is atrocious – (i.e.. “This is part of our security process and helps ensure that PayPal. Continue to be safer way to buy item.”)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">If you get a suspicious email like the one I received forward the entire email to spoof@paypal.com. I just did.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-15336718218540257292016-10-02T06:17:00.002-07:002016-10-02T06:17:28.061-07:00How Do You Unsubscribe from 0xb93ebd8b? Impossible to Get Rid of This Spam? So Far, YES!<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Every week I get numerous emails from 0xb93ebd8b. When I attempt to unsubscribe, I get a page that looks like this:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pf5Seerew8/V_EHkaG8BhI/AAAAAAAAHm8/lHebFcGSC-olIZ22z7Q1927j8wOHoOy7gCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B1%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pf5Seerew8/V_EHkaG8BhI/AAAAAAAAHm8/lHebFcGSC-olIZ22z7Q1927j8wOHoOy7gCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B1%2Bcopy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">But when I put my email address into the white box, and click the Unsubscribe button, NOTHING happens. And when I send this email,</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iaptTrhk49c/V_EHqlU4UVI/AAAAAAAAHnA/aj7m9AfaShUj0EOrHZ6pH0vE_Dr43HpEgCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iaptTrhk49c/V_EHqlU4UVI/AAAAAAAAHnA/aj7m9AfaShUj0EOrHZ6pH0vE_Dr43HpEgCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2%2Bcopy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">I get a warning that asks me to check the recipients. How can anybody end the relentless month-after-month-after-month deluge of emails that come from a site that obviously hides behind a very weird combination of numbers and letters – 0xb93ebd8b? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">By contacting the <i><a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0038-spam" target="_blank">Federal Trade Commission</a></i>! They will help! That’s their job, right? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Maybe. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Since the email address doesn’t link to an actual email address, they may <i>not</i> be able to help. I gave it a try, but because I get <i>so many</i> emails from 0xb93ebd8b, I seriously cannot spend hours every day sending ALL of them to the FTC, which is why I’m asking for your help. Maybe you get inundated with emails from this ghost site, and you’re getting just as sick of it as I am. Let’s work together to end the deluge of emails from this annoying site!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">If you’re having difficulty extricating yourself from voluminous spam emails from 0xb93ebd8b or any other spammer, forward the unwanted or deceptive email to spam@uce.gov. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">By the way, my yahoo and gmail accounts seem to be safe from the deluge of unsolicited 0xb93ebd8b emails. The unsolicited and annoying emails appear only in my mail.com accounts. </div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-10119719485627973112016-04-28T04:56:00.001-07:002016-04-28T04:56:55.036-07:00How to Dissuade People from Reading Your Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vVZaYmCQLeQ/VyH5JgK9CqI/AAAAAAAAHhw/5iQMkpaOh18echnmSkKSLiXLUxDq-m8IwCLcB/s1600/river_monster_dregon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vVZaYmCQLeQ/VyH5JgK9CqI/AAAAAAAAHhw/5iQMkpaOh18echnmSkKSLiXLUxDq-m8IwCLcB/s400/river_monster_dregon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Every day, hundreds of new emails sit in my inbox, many of which provide links to blogs written by people who belong to various writing groups where I am a member. I cannot possibly read through all of them, though, and honestly, because I get so many of them, I fall behind to the point that at one time I had close to 60,000 unread emails in my inboxes (yes, I have more than one email). </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Over a period of several days, I managed to dwindle the number down to a comfortable few hundred and today as I write, because emails come so frequently, I’m at nearly 6,000 again. So when I get a chance to look through my emails, I search for the most interesting topics and I click the links.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">The other day I found a blog that looked very interesting, but I was pestered with so many popups, I finally left the blog in exasperation. The last thing a reader wants after expecting to read what promises to be a fascinating blog is to get interrupted numerous times with popups. And what happened when I tried to leave the blog? Another popup!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">I understand the need to monetize a blog, but if you’re more interested in making money than you are in enticing people to read your blog, why bother writing anything at all? Just slam your readers with a bunch of popups.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Another annoying advertising technique is to interrupt your readers with a video they can’t see. Your readers are already interested in your content, but a couple of sentences in, voices suddenly emanate from their computers and, instead of reading your blog, they are now searching your page to find out where the annoying interruption is located. Sometimes the video can’t be found or readers give up, because your page is packed with so many ads they can't locate the source. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">But the voice continues. A minute may not seem like a long time, but if you don’t believe how long a minute feels to the person who is trying to read your blog as they listen to the voice they can’t find, try this experiment: Click <a href="http://www.online-stopwatch.com/online-clock/" target="_blank">THIS CLOCK</a> and sit for one full minute as you watch the second hand return to its original position.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Now imagine that every ten seconds, a popup explodes onto your screen. How attractive is that blog you want to read now? Does the blog persuade you in any way to continue reading or to revisit the blog?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">I’ll never know what that blogger tried to convey. The topic lured me into her blog, but the popups were so annoying, they managed to distract me to the point of leaving her blog before I read anything beyond the first couple of sentences.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Bottom line: monetizing your blog is perfectly fine, but please don’t distract your readers with numerous popups or videos they can’t find unless you don’t want them ever again to visit your blog. One or two cute popups is fine, but too many and your readers may miss some amazing content.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><i>Graphic provided by <a href="http://classroomclipart.com/" target="_blank">Classroom Clipart</a></i></div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-23134690868831947662016-01-23T04:37:00.000-08:002016-01-23T04:37:44.403-08:00Latest PayPal Scam<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Here is the email I just received from “PayPal,” or, as is indicated in the suspicious email, ?ay?al:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxbAdBO-aQs/VqNze_4bQlI/AAAAAAAAHb8/mj9WamDgWXs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-01-23%2Bat%2B6.07.56%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxbAdBO-aQs/VqNze_4bQlI/AAAAAAAAHb8/mj9WamDgWXs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-01-23%2Bat%2B6.07.56%2BAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">One thing I’ve mentioned before in other blogs I've posted referring to various scams I've encountered is that no reputable company will EVER ask you for important personal information in an email, nor will they ask you to click a link to respond to the email.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Notice at the bottom of this fictitious email that you are NOT to respond to the email, but instead to click the link. I didn’t. I could just imagine my computer being wiped clean or important information about me being stolen and used for the hacker’s(s’) financial gain. Had I clicked the button they asked me to click, I might have found hundreds of credit cards being taken out in my name.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Instead, I immediately forwarded the criminal(s) directly to PayPal’s spoof department and decided to write a blog that I hope will spread like wildfire so other more vulnerable individuals won’t be victimized. If you receive the same or similar email from “PayPal,” FORWARD it to: </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">spoof@paypal.com</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">How did I know the email didn’t come directly from PayPal? For a number of reasons, one of which was obviously the glaring mistake in the email, and when I checked the email address, I found, not a PayPal address, but something completely different:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXXYYKDhR4g/VqNzl02tcII/AAAAAAAAHcE/LbgWTxVLHRg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-01-23%2Bat%2B6.08.22%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PXXYYKDhR4g/VqNzl02tcII/AAAAAAAAHcE/LbgWTxVLHRg/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-01-23%2Bat%2B6.08.22%2BAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Bottom line: if you find a suspicious email, report it to the company it proclaims to represent. And then tell your friends about it and ask them to tell their friends about it, and so on, and so on. Let’s STOP these crooks before they rob you or your loved ones. </div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-27806185639836823532016-01-04T04:59:00.000-08:002016-01-04T04:59:03.455-08:00Writing the Scholarship Application!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JvZ1v0uDj4Q/VoprfByP01I/AAAAAAAAHbI/plw_-5RzbM0/s1600/MoneyForSchool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JvZ1v0uDj4Q/VoprfByP01I/AAAAAAAAHbI/plw_-5RzbM0/s400/MoneyForSchool.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Many years ago, when I was an English tutor at a local community college, a student asked me to help him fill out his scholarship application. He also asked one of the English teachers for her help. The scholarship he wanted offered an astounding $50,000! You might think he had been competing with thousands of other students for this opportunity, but he was only one of two students who applied.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Yes, the scholarship was for somebody who wanted to work in the field of geology, but the fact that only one other student applied mystified me. It shouldn’t have, I learned, because every year hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship money fall by the wayside. Why? Because students don’t take advantage of them. Scholarships take time and effort and some students don’t want to expend the time and effort it takes to get one!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">The problem with scholarships is that so few people know about them. Colleges don’t announce them, so most people don’t even know they exist. But your chances of getting one are pretty high, considering that so few people apply for them.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">How do you find scholarships? ASK! Talk to a guidance counselor or a college financial aid counselor, or if you’re still in high school, talk to a high school counselor. Find out which scholarships are available and which ones could apply to you snd your situation. Scholarships are targeted to a specific audience. Whether you’ve just graduated or you’ve been out of school for 20 years, you should be able to find a scholarship that applies to you.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Some counselors might point you in the direction of a computer and let you run your own search, but they probably know which ones would be applicable to you personally. A little polite prodding might help.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">When you get the application, read VERY CAREFULLY what is required of you. If the scholarship committee asks your opinion on something completely unrelated to the classes you want to take, ANSWER the question anyway. BE SPECIFIC. By avoiding what is requested of you, you eradicate your chance of getting the scholarship. If you don’t address every single issue raised in the scholarship application, YOU WON’T GET THE SCHOLARSHIP!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Make sure you use correct grammar and punctuation. If the scholarship wants your name centered on the first line in a 14-point bold font, center your name on the first line in a 14-point bold font! Seek the help of an English teacher or tutor if necessary. Above all, present a professional-looking application. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">When that student who wanted the $50,000 scholarship came to me for editing, I paid attention, not only to his grammar and punctuation, but also to his responses. Did he address ever issue raised in the scholarship application? Was he specific? Yes! And guess what? He got the scholarship!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Can you use a little financial help with your education expenses? You might not get $50,000, or even $1,000, but just the process of applying for a scholarship increases your chances of getting one. And don’t forget to apply for grants too. Both are resources for money you won’t have to pay back!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Run a scholarship search today for the current year and the state in which you live. And don’t forget to ask for scholarship information from the school you want to attend. In the past, getting those applications completed by February 1st increased a students’s chances of getting a scholarship.</div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-24716933006109661152015-12-03T05:14:00.001-08:002015-12-03T05:14:23.520-08:00Holiday Season with HOPress-Shorehouse Books<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;"><i>Looking for a book to read or share this holiday season? Here are 10 books to get you started! A special thanks to Donna Cavanagh of <b><a href="http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/" target="_blank">HOPress-Shorehouse Books</a></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> for the love of her authors and for sharing the following books with me, so that I can offer them to you. </span></i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">Each year, <b><a href="http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/" target="_blank">HOPress-Shorehouse Books</a></b> highlights the titles published in the last year. Our authors are talented, creative, funny, scary, educational, and inspiring. Please support our authors who gave their all to make their writing dreams come true. Please stop by <b><a href="http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/" target="_blank">HOPress-Shorehouse Books</a></b> and see our full catalog of authors too. Our goal is and always has been to help writers get their work to book lovers everywhere, and that is why our mantra is <i>Independent Publishing with a Traditional Flair.</i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/More-Scripture-Scribbles-Cartoons-Choir/dp/0692582886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448890854&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Scripture+Scribbles" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff; text-decoration: underline;"><b><i>More Scripture Scribbles: Cartoons from the Choir Loft</i></b></span><b><i> by Phillip Dillman</i></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRhLnrDJVsw/VmA7MHdR7rI/AAAAAAAAHZI/zHDuIyEI1A4/s1600/More%2BScripture%2BScribbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRhLnrDJVsw/VmA7MHdR7rI/AAAAAAAAHZI/zHDuIyEI1A4/s400/More%2BScripture%2BScribbles.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;"><b><i>More Scripture Scribbles: Cartoons from the Choir Loft</i></b> is Phillip Dillman’s second book. The first book of cartoons clearly tickled the funny bone in people of all faiths. His drawings might at times be irreverent, but they always demonstrate that Dillman is above all a man of faith. Dillman sings in his church choir and sketches cartoons about the day’s sermon. His scripture scribbles, which are conceptualized and drawn in a span of about 15 minutes, add a humorous twist and perhaps a bit more appreciation to the traditional Bible stories.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 51, 255); color: #0433ff; text-decoration: underline;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Plan-Bring-Chapter-Lives/dp/0692513167/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448890643&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Promise+in+Plan+B" target="_blank">The Promise in Plan “B”</a></i></b></span><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Plan-Bring-Chapter-Lives/dp/0692513167/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448890643&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Promise+in+Plan+B" target="_blank"> by Mary Farr</a> </i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mm-3Afsw7PI/VmA61EbGePI/AAAAAAAAHZA/hGH2TTQfTzo/s1600/Promise%2Bin%2BPlan%2BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mm-3Afsw7PI/VmA61EbGePI/AAAAAAAAHZA/hGH2TTQfTzo/s400/Promise%2Bin%2BPlan%2BB.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px;">Life offers us plenty of opportunities. We construct our life plan—our Plan A, but life is never so simple. It tests us with setbacks, dead ends, hellos, and good-byes. To put it simply: Sometimes, we get stuck. However, <i><b>The Promise in Plan B</b></i> confronts fears about these changes and obstacles and encourages readers to develop a new life path. This book is grounded in the reality that life tends to be a series of interruptions, and we each possess a wealth of resources to initiate, investigate, and recreate the way we travel through our shifting courses. Unlike predictable job skills, these resources emphasize resilience, courage, imagination, humor, curiosity, and more.<br /><br />Author Mary Farr includes personal stories and profiles of people from all walks of life who have faced challenges, despair, and unforeseen obstacles, but in the midst of the turmoil recognized their Plan B. This book explores themes of grace and gratitude seasoned with a generous dose of wit. Each chapter includes a <b><i>Consider This</i></b> section which contains questions and observations designed to encourage readers to open their hearts to new ideas. Farr also added journaling pages at the end of the book for those who would rather explore their reflections solo.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Opera-People-Who-Dont-Like/dp/0692553851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448890940&sr=8-1&keywords=Opera+for+People+who+don%27t+like+it" target="_blank">Opera For People Who Don’t Like It by Kathy Minicozzi</a></i></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1brWF136ZmI/VmA6crBT-RI/AAAAAAAAHY4/kW2outSJkss/s1600/Opera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1brWF136ZmI/VmA6crBT-RI/AAAAAAAAHY4/kW2outSJkss/s400/Opera.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">Opera might be one of the greatest of the performing arts, but it is also inherently funny. Who is more qualified to find the humor in opera than someone who has sung it for many years? Kathy Minicozzi strips away the boring, stuffy dignity and false glamour that people have imposed on opera for centuries and, like someone poking innocent fun at a good friend, spews plenty of knee-slapping, eye-watering hilarity. In between the laughs, the author manages to drop real information, not only about opera itself but about the lives of the singers who perform it.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Debate-Israel-Hater-Effectively-Neighborhood-ebook/dp/B016CNRSIU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448890967&sr=1-1&keywords=winning+a+debate+with+an+israel-hater" target="_blank">Winning a Debate with an Israel-Hater by Michael Harris</a></i></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZ0xb1FZscc/VmA6ItEY9II/AAAAAAAAHYw/fkkj16XI148/s1600/Debate%2BWith%2BIsraeli%2BHater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZ0xb1FZscc/VmA6ItEY9II/AAAAAAAAHYw/fkkj16XI148/s400/Debate%2BWith%2BIsraeli%2BHater.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">It often happens in the middle of an otherwise pleasant day -- you’re shopping, or walking across a college campus, and you encounter <i>them</i>. They’re holding signs that claim Israel is an “apartheid state” and charge Israel with committing “genocide” against Palestinians. They’re calling for boycotts against Israeli products and divestment from companies that do business with Israel.<br /><br />You know supporting Israel is the right thing to do. And you’re not alone. For decades, polls have shown a large plurality, usually a majority, of Americans back Israel. But here’s the problem: you don’t know how to respond – or if you even should – to these Israel haters.<br /><br />That’s where this book comes in. Imagine some of the key points from Alan Dershowitz’s authoritative volume, <b><i>The Case For Israel</i></b>-- as it might be delivered by Bill Maher. All the information you need in this street fight of words, but delivered in a light and accessible way, with satirical humor. So the next time you encounter a group of Israel-hating extremists, you’ll be armed with the facts – and the techniques to apply them with skill and confidence.<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Do-Lutheran-Hunks-Eat-Mushrooms-ebook/dp/B00YT1LH2G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891013&sr=1-1&keywords=Do+Lutheran+Hunks+Eat+Mushrooms" target="_blank">Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms? By Paul De Lancey</a></i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2oCYAhLFRvs/VmA5w9K55UI/AAAAAAAAHYo/m-vSrb9wtKA/s1600/Lutheran%2BHunks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2oCYAhLFRvs/VmA5w9K55UI/AAAAAAAAHYo/m-vSrb9wtKA/s400/Lutheran%2BHunks.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">A grocery store can’t expect repeat business if its checkers unleash Armageddon. This truism governs Debbie Devil, dedicated supermarket checker and horny, estranged wife of Satan. Debbie sets her sights on Joe Thorvald, a God-fearing, Lutheran. If she can get him to eat a mushroom, his soul and his hunky body will be hers.<br /><br />Debbie tells her sidekick, Bertram, a British cook, to change Joe’s memory, body, circumstances, era, and life, until the Lutheran becomes a man who will eat mushrooms. But there will be only so many attempts on Joe’s soul before she unleashes Armageddon out of spite.<br /><br />God sends the angels General Lee and Pedro Erickson, a Mexican-Swedish chef, to protect Joe. They fight back with Heaven’s culinary weapons, tacos and Swedish meatballs.<br /><br />Along the way, Joe changes into a fun-loving dinosaur and a Greek warrior with an ass harder than bronze before being sent to Hell for nonpayment of his hospital bill. Can Lee and Pedro Erickson save the soul of a Lutheran hunk and prevent Armageddon? <i>Ja caramba.</i><b><i> </i></b></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; min-height: 15px;"><b><i></i></b><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Our-Bodies-Shelves-Collection-Library-ebook/dp/B00VEZE268/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891037&sr=1-1&keywords=Our+bodies+our+shelves" target="_blank">Our Bodies, Our Shelves by Roz Warren</a> </i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SXQog17FYB4/VmA5cNi6IWI/AAAAAAAAHYg/5nea-74lhZw/s1600/Our%2BBodies%2BOur%2BShelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SXQog17FYB4/VmA5cNi6IWI/AAAAAAAAHYg/5nea-74lhZw/s400/Our%2BBodies%2BOur%2BShelves.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">There are eight million stories at your local public library – and not all of them are in the books! Join humorist Roz Warren (“the world’s funniest librarian”) for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at library life. What really goes on behind the circulation desk? And in the stacks? Roz, who writes for everyone from the <b><i>New York Times</i></b> to the <b><i>Funny Times</i></b>, tells all! What’s the single most stolen item in any public library? What’s the strangest bookmark ever left in a library book? What’s the lamest excuse ever given for not returning a DVD on time? And what does your favorite librarian REALLY think of you? In twenty entertaining essays, you’ll meet librarians fighting crime, partying with porn stars, coping with impossible patrons, locating hard-to-find books, and saving the world. The most closely guarded library secrets will be revealed. You‘ll never look at your local public library the same way again!<br /><br /><i>“Hilarious!“ Gina Barreca, author of <b>They Used To Call Me Snow White, But I Drifted</b>. </i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Above-Fries-John-Chamberlin-ebook/dp/B00R9H721M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891059&sr=1-1&keywords=above+the+fries" target="_blank">Above the Fries by John Chamberlin: USA Books Finalist in Humor</a></i></b></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zd_glxks8ys/VmA5Ap1qXqI/AAAAAAAAHYY/kanV1Hv8AFw/s1600/Above%2Bthe%2BFries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zd_glxks8ys/VmA5Ap1qXqI/AAAAAAAAHYY/kanV1Hv8AFw/s400/Above%2Bthe%2BFries.jpg" width="266" /></a></i></b></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">Everything "Pittsburgh" has fries on it…salads, sandwiches whatever! This book is a culmination of silly, stupid and ign’ernt stories of jagoffery from the Pittsburgh blog, YaJagoff.com. For those who are not familiar with term Jagoff, it refers to stupid politicians, awful sports officials, dumb criminals, bad drivers, ignorant people, and so on. However, it is not a swear word, and in fact, it is sometimes used as a term of endearment. Through this series of rants about “Jagoffs” from all walks of life, Chamberlin writes with passion about Pittsburgh and his love of “The Steel City,” and he has even developed a cadre of worldwide "YaJagoff Catchers" who submit their own rantings from wherever they live, which he posts on his site. If you live in Pittsburgh, lived in Pittsburgh, or just love anything Pittsburgh, this is the book for you!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divorce-After-Death-Widows-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00NMZU0PU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891082&sr=1-1&keywords=Divorce+after+Death" target="_blank">Divorce After Death. A Widow’s Memoir by Concha Alberg</a></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VeAd6NSYUJ4/VmA4qrVbQHI/AAAAAAAAHYQ/IcXpCXxGcCo/s1600/Divorce%2BAfter%2BDeath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VeAd6NSYUJ4/VmA4qrVbQHI/AAAAAAAAHYQ/IcXpCXxGcCo/s400/Divorce%2BAfter%2BDeath.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">Concha Alborg didn't think that anything could hurt her more than the death of her husband from cancer, but hours after his death she learned how wrong she was. Within days of being made a widow, this Spanish College Professor discovered that her marriage and her husband were not what she had envisioned. With a unique point of view, due to her bi-cultural background, and a self-deprecating humor, she takes us on a personal journey. Her strength and determination to build a new life led her down a path that allowed her to reject the veil of widowhood and instead embrace a life of happiness, love, and acceptance.<b><i> </i></b></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Showering-Nana-Confessions-Serial-Caregiver-ebook/dp/B00WYCXKVS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891134&sr=1-1&keywords=Showering+with+Nana" target="_blank"><b><i>Showering with Nana: Confessions of a Serial </i></b><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: line-through;"><b><i>Killer</i></b></span></a><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Showering-Nana-Confessions-Serial-Caregiver-ebook/dp/B00WYCXKVS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891134&sr=1-1&keywords=Showering+with+Nana" target="_blank"> Caregiver by Cathy Sikorski</a></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3yugV8qdhTU/VmA4UOAZZVI/AAAAAAAAHYI/BDfYypCU1OA/s1600/Showering%2BWith%2BNana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3yugV8qdhTU/VmA4UOAZZVI/AAAAAAAAHYI/BDfYypCU1OA/s400/Showering%2BWith%2BNana.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">What happens when a two–year-old and a 92-year-old join forces and conspire against their primary caregiver? The picture is at times not pretty, but it’s always heartwarming and witty. Elder care attorney Cathy Sikorski penned this memoir about her days as a stay-at-home mom whose life is turned upside down when her Nana moves in. In between the adventures and misadventures that ensue when the toddler and grandmother become allies, Sikorski learns about patience, the importance of humor, and the joy that results from a well-deserved nap.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scooter-Skipper-Blow-Things-Up-ebook/dp/B00RYANEPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448891164&sr=1-1&keywords=Scooter+%26+Skipper+Blow+Things+up" target="_blank">Scooter and Skipper Blow Things Up! By Con Chapman</a></i></b></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><b><i></i></b><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NBGT1n5rWgY/VmA32L9gMTI/AAAAAAAAHYA/3DAsG5l4QRI/s1600/Scooter%2B%2526%2BSkipper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NBGT1n5rWgY/VmA32L9gMTI/AAAAAAAAHYA/3DAsG5l4QRI/s400/Scooter%2B%2526%2BSkipper.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">There is no stronger tie than that which binds a father to his sons. Well, maybe the one that connects sons to their mother, but that’s different. The father-son relationship is one that hums to mystic chords of foolishness and bravado; a mother comes into the room and suddenly a strain in A minor is heard, and it’s time to take a bath and go to bed.<br /><br />For men like me who grew up without brothers, sons are another chance at a boyhood we never knew; a chance to punch your sibling in the arm and not get double-crossed by a two-timing broad or the first time in your life as your sister yells “Mom—he hit me!” down the stairs after she told you to do it!<br /><br />These stories are an account of my journey through my sons’ first childhood as I experience my second. I’ve changed my kids’ names to the all-purpose generic monickers “Scooter,” the older of the two, and “Skipper” his younger brother, to protect their innocence. The statute of limitations on what some would call arson is apparently quite long.<br /><br />These tales of youthful hi-jinx under one dad’s semi-adult supervision will demonstrate for you the truth of the age-old adage:<br /><br />You’re only young once, but you can remain immature—forever.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">Want more? Visit <b style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/" target="_blank">HOPress-Shorehouse Books</a></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">!</span></div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-14075952351310717372015-10-08T08:50:00.000-07:002015-10-08T08:50:18.021-07:00No Small Potatoes – Greeting Card Message in a Bottle! <div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Back in the 70s I wrote about a hundred different greeting cards, some of which were unlike anything anybody had seen on card racks during those years. Cards back then were sweet and sentimental or mildly humorous. You wouldn’t have been able to find a sarcastic card no matter how hard you looked.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">My ideas included more than just sarcasm, though. I created genres that never before existed – <i>Pregnancy Announcements</i> – <i>Congratulations, Daddy</i> cards – <i>Grandparent Announcements</i> – <i>Happy Birthday Twin</i> cards – all of which I sent to 100 different greeting card companies. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><i>Every single one of those greeting card companies rejected my ideas. Every single one.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">The reason?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Well, most of them didn’t respond at all, but for those who sent more than the generic, “sorry, we can’t use your material at this time” note, I received, more than once, this comment, “We have no market for these kinds of cards.”</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Not one of those companies recognized that <i>I was creating the market</i>. Ironically, at the same time I sent those messages, two women from New York, where I was living at the time, created a line of sarcastic greeting cards that eventually garnered a lot of attention. A couple of years after I moved back to Illinois, they appeared in <b><i>People Magazine</i></b>, which showcased their sarcastic line, <i>Bittersweet</i>, a company they had created a couple of years before the article came out. Oh, well.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Because I knew nothing about advertising (no Internet back then either), I tucked away my messages. In the 90s I decided that my messages might fare better inside bottles. But again, with no advertising expertise and no Internet knowledge, I floundered and reluctantly put them aside again.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><i>Inspiration and prompts, however, sometimes come from very strange sources. </i>Because when Mr. Potato man appeared on the Steve Harvey Show, he lit a flame inside me that incited and invigorated me to rethink my Message in a Bottle idea. You haven’t heard of Mr. Potato man? He puts messages on potatoes and sends them out anonymously for people willing to pay $10 + postage and handling to get their message read – on a potato! I know. I seem jealous. But in my defense, last month Mr. Potato Man made $20,000 – from potatoes! </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><i>My first thought (after I shot upright and thought, HOW)? Where are my bottles and messages?</i> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">So I rummaged through the garage, grabbed my bottles and corks, listed all my messages and made them easily accessible so that I can put them in a bottle when 2,000 people request my services (positive thoughts, please) this month. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">Want to visit my new business and read some of the messages? Just click the logo below!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crystalbutterflycreations.org/2015/10/coming-soon-to-crystal-butterfly.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hzsb5bM-QXI/VhaQB5WeACI/AAAAAAAAHSE/mL6EhGiZNvw/s400/CBC%2BMIB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-47038504216653803502015-09-06T09:00:00.002-07:002015-09-06T09:00:57.647-07:00How to Use Commas for Three or More Words, Phrases, or Clauses<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So often, I see a number of people omitting the last comma before a conjunction, because somebody somewhere changed the rules one day and said it was okay to omit it. The argument <i>for</i> omitting the final comma is that the word, “and,” is supposed to suffice for the omission, but as I note in examples posted below, that supposition doesn’t always work.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Most of the time, readers can easily understand sentences written without the added comma, but sometimes the sentences make no sense – or they are hilarious – so in a comedic sense, the omission of that last comma could, if intended, be humorous.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Some punctuation rules have to change to accommodate changing times. The comma usage rule, however, is not the same type of rule as the omission of the second space after a period. Arguments continue over whether or not to press the space bar once or twice after typing a period.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">In the days before computers, when everyone used typewriters, the rule was to press the space bar twice. The reason was because it allowed for easy reading; the reader would temporarily pause before heading on to the next sentence. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">When computers were invented (YEARS ago) inventors factored in a reasonable space between sentences, allowing typists to press the space bar only once. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So let’s end the argument right now about whether or not to press the space bar once or twice after a sentence. The answer is – if you still use a typewriter, press the space bar twice; if you use a computer, press the space bar only once (caveat – some fonts and font styles, including italics, cause letters to space unevenly, and in those cases, adding an extra space after a period might look better).</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYTWBgAeEAo/VexjJoIY6XI/AAAAAAAAHGs/hL0_kyg8ofg/s1600/WhenInDoubt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYTWBgAeEAo/VexjJoIY6XI/AAAAAAAAHGs/hL0_kyg8ofg/s400/WhenInDoubt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Now on to the question of whether or not to place one last comma in a series of three or more words, phrases, or clauses. I found a great example in the following sentence, showing why we need to use commas appropriately (found on <a href="http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000070.htm">EnglishPlus.com</a> in the Grammar Section on Commas):</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span style="color: #ff2500; font-kerning: none;"><i>Incorrect:</i></span><i> The street was filled with angry protestors, shouting spectators and police. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><i></i><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>(Leaving out the last comma makes it look like the police were shouting, too.)</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><i></i><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span style="color: #0433ff; font-kerning: none;"><i>Correct:</i></span><i> The street was filled with angry protestors, shouting spectators, and police. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><i></i><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>(Makes it clearer.) </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">I found another more humorous example on <a href="http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/412/should-i-put-a-comma-before-the-last-item-in-a-list" target="_blank">Stack Exchange</a> (also located on wikipedia):</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Sentence: To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Correction: To my mother, Ayn Rand, and God.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">If you wrote the first sentence, readers would deduce that God was one of your parents (yes, I’m fully aware of the argument that God <i>is</i> the father). By changing the word, “parents,” to the word, “mother,” your sentence makes even more sense.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">However, separating three items with commas may not always provide <i>enough</i> clarification. From Stack Exchange, we find the following sentence: </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>He currently lives with his wife, a ferret, and a cat who thinks she is a ferret.</i> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">The implication is that “his wife” is a ferret. Also, as one commenter in the thread beneath the article noted, the word, “currently,” causes the reader to wonder if his wife is only temporary. So in addition to placing commas correctly, we need to also look at the structure of our sentences. Do our readers understand what we’re trying to convey?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Ambiguous writing jeopardizes our credibility as a writer. Some people argue that if the sentence or phrase can be clearly understood with or without the comma, we can choose to leave it out. But why force our readers to work so hard at understanding our work? If our goal in writing our blogs, articles, or books is to express ourselves eloquently, the best way to help our audience understand our words is by using them correctly. We need to follow the rules of grammar or learn how to restructure our sentences so they will make sense to our readers. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">In addition to writing coherently, I’m also a believer in continuity in writing. If a writer posts a series of three words in one sentence and leaves out the comma, but then several paragraphs later leaves in the comma, readers may note the inconsistency. The saying, “when in doubt, leave it out,” doesn’t, in my mind, apply to commas.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">For more on English and grammar rules, please visit <a href="http://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp">GrammarBook.com</a>. </div><div><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-61233553654142567862015-08-28T05:59:00.001-07:002015-08-28T06:03:01.310-07:00Is Your Blog Mobile-Friendly?<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Most bloggers use either a computer or a laptop to compose their blogs, books, articles, and screenplays. Rare is the person who uses a mobile phone to write his or her blogs. So if all you ever use is a computer or laptop, do you have any idea how your blog looks on mobile devices?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>And if somebody runs a Google search for something you’ve written on your blog, would anybody be able to find <u>your</u> blog?</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">If your blog is not phone-friendly, what people see when they visit your blog might not be what you want to present to them. If you’re racing to your phone to pull up your content right now and you’re not happy with the results, don’t worry. You can change the way your blog looks by following the instructions I’ve linked below.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Here most of my blogs and what they look like on mobile devices (fortunately, I’m happy with the results):</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jCuMoxSkZoE/VeBZBJb0jUI/AAAAAAAAHDc/2l-UUkVdqk8/s400/ACC%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crystalbutterflycreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dj7SWXxhEuQ/VeBZBaJbDyI/AAAAAAAAHDg/sM6A9cK3TQo/s400/CBC%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4guh6xEUYb0/VeBZBbDJY_I/AAAAAAAAHDk/9qXOg7c1ANY/s400/HFSP%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lJ2_VQ3zCSM/VeBZBplf5eI/AAAAAAAAHDs/Qq2zBIAbxzk/s400/MHBTY%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://productfavorites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CN3f4f3QWg8/VeBZB8pFavI/AAAAAAAAHDw/Eu3LsXmlbuY/s400/PF%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw3-4b0CapM/VeBZCA7WXUI/AAAAAAAAHD0/kcportDpag0/s400/PM%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://productfavorites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EMq-jyvTGfo/VeBZCTvmmmI/AAAAAAAAHD4/cmO9d486QVY/s400/PMI%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://theresawiza.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8BTQnNM_aSg/VeBZC3KpIbI/AAAAAAAAHEM/rP1ZhgxdweM/s400/TWB%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.writingcreatively.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GSrCfETuHRE/VeBZDI3XOfI/AAAAAAAAHEE/zqjkOOPwQlc/s400/WC%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://yourblogconnection.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jsp6IJTuDic/VeBZDPplzwI/AAAAAAAAHEI/12DBXbEZNNA/s400/YBC%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://yourweirddreams.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D80TgNSbYOI/VeBZD43TReI/AAAAAAAAHEY/ClisrMy6ETM/s400/YWD%2BMobile.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So are you ready to take the <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/" target="_blank"><b>Mobile-Friendly Test</b></a>? Just click the link and if your blog is not mobile-friendly, follow the instructions offered in the <i>Mobile Guide</i>, the <i>Get Started</i> section, or the <i>Documentation</i> section to fix the problem.</div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-82871750479200747082015-08-18T09:39:00.002-07:002015-08-18T09:39:41.479-07:00What is Meant by High-Concept Stories?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4bAYLpbPBzU/VdNe9XRCH_I/AAAAAAAAG_U/vX8dJCIuhL8/s1600/Monkeyfile0001535568481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4bAYLpbPBzU/VdNe9XRCH_I/AAAAAAAAG_U/vX8dJCIuhL8/s400/Monkeyfile0001535568481.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">You’ve been reading guidelines for story submissions and you come across one that asks for, “High Concept Stories.” How do you create one? Where do you begin?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Jeff Lyons, guest poster at <b>Writer’s Digest’s</b> <b><i>The Writer’s Dig</i></b>, hosted by Brian Klems, answers that question for you. Lyons is a story editor and story development consultant at Kensington Entertainment, Burbank, CA, who also teaches story structure and story development through Stanford University’s Online Writers Studio. His publishing resume is lengthy, so he is more than qualified to help us understand what editors mean when they ask for <i>High Concept</i> romances, mysteries, popular fiction, and more.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Here is a link to help us all understand what editors want when they request high-concept stories – <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black';"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/write-better-the-7-qualities-of-high-concept-stories?et_mid=776908&rid=239672255" target="_blank">7 Qualities of High-Concept Stories</a></span>! </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">But wait! There's more, because in that blog, Lyons directs you to other helpful articles, one of which is <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black';"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-ways-to-create-a-killer-opening-line-for-your-novel" target="_blank">7 Ways to Create a Killer Opening Line For Your Novel</a></span> (written by WD contributor, Jacob M. Appel).</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So if you’re curious about what high-concept means and you want to improve your chances of getting published by incorporating a high-concept scheme into your writing, click <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/write-better-the-7-qualities-of-high-concept-stories?et_mid=776908&rid=239672255" style="font-family: 'Arial Black';" target="_blank">7 Qualities of High-Concept Stories</a>. And click some of the other links in that blog.</div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-1145824787803274262015-07-23T05:23:00.001-07:002015-07-23T05:23:07.165-07:00Caitlyn Jenner, President Obama, Weird Illinois, National Crazy Day, Murder, and The Case of the Humanoid Alien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q7Ni9iVBnyM/VbDcSqxAEgI/AAAAAAAAG3c/orgtwOrvwps/s1600/BlogConnectionResurrection%2Bjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q7Ni9iVBnyM/VbDcSqxAEgI/AAAAAAAAG3c/orgtwOrvwps/s400/BlogConnectionResurrection%2Bjpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Over these past few weeks I've been busy resurrecting an old blog that I've neglected for quite a while. My original intention in creating <a href="http://yourblogconnection.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><i>Your Blog Connection</i></b></a> was to promote other bloggers, but what happened as a result of promoting that blog was that I got enmeshed in a paid-to-blog site that provided links to web sites that sometimes appeared to be scams. I refused to write those types of blogs any longer. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">As a result, I lost out on a lot of paid blogging jobs, but the pay was dismal anyway, so parting ways was no big loss. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><i><a href="http://yourblogconnection.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Your Blog Connection</a></i></b>, the blog that promotes <i>your</i> blog, has kept me busy lately – ever since I put out feelers to members of one Facebook group asking them if they wanted me to promote <i>their</i> blogs. What a great response I got! So I've been busy collecting questionnaires, writing blogs about their blogs, and promoting them on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">But I've also managed this past month to squeeze in a few other blog posts on some of my other blogs. If any of the following titles interest you, please click the links to read them:</div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/07/transjenner-bruce-jenner-caitlyn-jenner.html" target="_blank">TransJenner – The Bruce Jenner / Caitlyn Jenner Controversy and What We Need to Understand</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/yay-illinois/" target="_blank">Yay, Illinois!</a></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Illinois may have its weirdest governor yet!</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-to-detect-scammer-when-you-get.html" target="_blank">How to Detect a Scammer When You Get a Reply from an ad You Placed on Craigslist</a></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Help for anyone who advertises on Craigslist!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-case-of-humanoid-alien.html" target="_blank">The Case of the Humanoid Alien</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/dear-president-obama-why-arent-you-attending-every-funeral-of-every-united-states-citizen/" target="_blank">Dear President Obama – Why Aren’t You Attending Every Funeral of Every United States Citizen?</a></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">That's the question media want Obama to answer! And I give my opinion!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><b><a href="http://humoroutcasts.com/2015/july-21-national-crazy-day-the-lighter-side-of-the-moon-child/" target="_blank">July 21 - National Crazy Day</a>: </b><span style="color: #414141;">The Lighter Side of the Moon Child</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://yourweirddreams.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-killed-man.html" target="_blank">I Killed a Man</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #757575; font-family: Arial; font-size: 17px;"> </div><div><div style="min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Don't forget to visit </span><a href="http://yourblogconnection.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;" target="_blank"><b><i>Your Blog Connection</i></b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"> for the latest showcased blogs. Also if you want me to showcase <i>your</i> blog, request the questionnaire from me at writingcreatively@cheerful.com. Please be patient though, because a lot of bloggers are ahead of you awaiting their turns to be promoted.</span></span></div><div style="min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>Thank you for visiting!</i></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-58529132418108833582015-07-08T04:41:00.000-07:002015-07-08T04:41:05.067-07:00Writing Contests 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfsHAae-uCk/VZ0KbIIDO4I/AAAAAAAAGxY/2kKU8C1EaBw/s1600/2015WritingContests.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfsHAae-uCk/VZ0KbIIDO4I/AAAAAAAAGxY/2kKU8C1EaBw/s400/2015WritingContests.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Every month several writing sites around the web post contests for writers. You may want to enter some of them. Whether you’re a wannabe, a newbie, or an established writer, writing contests can help you publicize your writing and establish your name. Though many writing contests require a fee, some are free. And because so many of them exist, prizes vary. </div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Maybe you’re interested only in name recognition or maybe you just want to know if your writing is capable of winning a prize. Whatever your reason, entering a writing contest could result in a win. And while one win may not seem like much, as a contest <i>winner</i>, you can add your wins to your resume. And who knows – one win may lead to another and then to another. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black';">WARNING!</span> Make sure you read the contest guidelines and follow the directions. Some people have lost simply because they didn’t follow the rules. If a poetry contest, for instance, requires you to write a poem with less than 24 lines and your poem exceeds 24 lines, even if the poem is Maya Angelou beautiful, you will lose, because you didn’t follow the rules. So pay attention to what is asked of you in each contest.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Here are several contests broken down into various categories.</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">MAGAZINE CONTESTS</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.writermag.com/writing-resources/contests/" target="_blank">The Writer</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions" target="_blank">Writer’s Digest</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">MISCELLANEOUS CONTESTS</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.stageoflife.com/Writing_Contests.aspx" target="_blank">Stage of Life 2015 Summer Writing Contests</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.fundsforwriters.com/contests/" target="_blank">Funds for Writers</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.fanstory.com/page/writing_contest/writing_contest.jsp" target="_blank">FanStory</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.freelancewriting.com/creative-writing-contests.php" target="_blank">FreelanceWriting</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">MEMOIRS & ESSAYS</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://womensmemoirs.com/contests/" target="_blank">Women’s Memoirs</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://scholarshipmentor.com/essay-contests" target="_blank">Scholarship Mentor Essay Contests</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">UK CONTESTS</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.prizemagic.co.uk/html/writing_comps.htm" target="_blank">United Kingdom Writing Competitions</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">POETRY</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.pw.org/content/writing_contests_0" target="_blank">Poets and Writers</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.poetrynation.com/contest_entry.php?ad=poetrycontest&gclid=CNOb_tuMycYCFVg8gQodUpoOyw" target="_blank">Poetry Nation</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">SCRIPTWRITING</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><a href="http://scriptapaloozatv.com/" target="_blank"><b>Scriptapalooza</b> <b>TV</b></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 18px;">SONGWRITING </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://jlsc.com/" target="_blank">The John Lennon Songwriting Contest</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Hope you found the list helpful. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Thank you for visiting!</i></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-87993371345547823672015-06-15T04:22:00.000-07:002015-06-15T04:22:08.651-07:00The Guilt of an Online Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yvAlmLoznJc/VX6z0t_X6OI/AAAAAAAAGr0/2LhN0U0FdqM/s1600/BOOKS%2BRead%2Bfile0001763049421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yvAlmLoznJc/VX6z0t_X6OI/AAAAAAAAGr0/2LhN0U0FdqM/s400/BOOKS%2BRead%2Bfile0001763049421.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">For just a moment, I want you to go back in time, to the days before the Internet. As a published writer, you laboriously sent query letters to publishers and agents and waited sometimes as long as six weeks – or longer – to hear from those agents and publishers. And you waited. And you waited.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Always, in the back of your mind or sitting in front of you – on paper – was that next book, that next article, or that next screenplay. As you finished one project, or even before you finished your current book, article, or screenplay, you directed your attention to a new one.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">You frequented your local library or book store to purchase and read your favorite authors. Occasionally, you might even send a letter to your favorite authors. But never once did you expect those authors to read your material. You probably wouldn’t have even asked. Most writers back then wouldn’t have considered writing, “Enjoyed your work. Now read mine.”</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">And yet, as we fast forward to today, the message seems to be that if you write online, you must also read everyone who reads you. This task can become daunting and can cause a lot of guilt if we just want to write for a living. The number of people who call themselves writers has proliferated to the point where anyone who posts a comment considers him- or herself to be a writer. If thousands of people comment on your work, must you then comment on each of theirs? And if you don’t comment on theirs, does not commenting constitute a betrayal of sorts? By not commenting on their material, are you jeopardizing your own future?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">I think of Stephen King and J. K. Rowling – just two examples of prolific writers who have fans that number in the millions. Can you imagine writing to them in Blog Land? Yeah. “Um, hi, Stephen King, I just read your book and now I want you to read mine” (multiply that comment by at least a million commenters). Who would expect Mr. King or any famous writer, for that matter, to comment on anything an unknown, fledgling writer wrote?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">But that’s the problem. We aren’t famous. Nobody knows us - well, except maybe for a select group of other writers who want us to read their blog posts and articles and where the relationship is consensual. Even famous bloggers, like ProBlogger, Darren Rowse, can’t possibly comment on every blogger who posts a comment on his site.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So what do we unknown writers do – we write, we read, we comment – and we feel guilty if we can’t get to everyone who reads and comments on our work. I guess that’s the price we pay for not yet making it to the “Writers Readers Love To Read” level. But we’ve learned one Golden Rule – don’t beg people to read our work! We can, however, plaster our posts all over Facebook and Twitter and hope that somebody finds us amusing, delightful, informative, profound, or any of the other adjectives people use to compliment amazing writers.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>For some of my latest posts, I’d like to direct you to the following</i>:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/06/are-you-responsible-for-your-childs.html" target="_blank">Are You Responsible for Your Child’s Unhealthy Lifestyle? Fight Fat with Food!</a></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/06/miracle-on-rock-miracles-do-happen-and.html" target="_blank">Miracle on the Rock – Miracles Do Happen and Prayers Do Get Answered</a> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/06/13/one-simple-way-for-women-to-become-more-assertive/" target="_blank">One Simple Way for Women to Become More Assertive</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/2015/06/farrah-fawcett-and-michael-jackson.html" target="_blank">Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson – Something in Common</a> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/06/protect-your-childrens-skin-with-more.html" target="_blank">Protect Your Children’s Skin With More than Just Sunscreen</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://humoroutcasts.com/2015/sometimes-life-hands-you-lemons-sometimes-you-are-the-lemon/" target="_blank">Sometimes Life Hands You Lemons – Sometimes You Are the Lemon</a> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Thank you for visiting!</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><i></i><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Image by click on morgue file</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-24786958610104936112015-05-27T04:53:00.001-07:002018-11-19T03:50:12.883-08:00When The People You Love Don’t Support Your Writing Career<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRw_nGEXHAw/VWWwFh5O5bI/AAAAAAAAGpE/9PO_5_o1060/s1600/LoveSupport%2Bjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRw_nGEXHAw/VWWwFh5O5bI/AAAAAAAAGpE/9PO_5_o1060/s400/LoveSupport%2Bjpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Previously published last year on and then removed from Persona Paper.</span></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I didn’t know I could make a living by writing, because I was guided down a different path, but from the moment I could hold a pencil in my hand, the urge to write was overwhelming. And when I got a typewriter for Christmas one year (some of you are probably asking, “What’s a typewriter?”) I was elated. But Mom and Dad didn’t encourage me, because, according to my mom, writing wasn’t a secure profession. Secretarial work, on the other hand, was a worthwhile profession, so though she told me I could be anything I wanted to be, even president, she pushed me toward secretarial work, because it was more secure. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">I hated being a secretary.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Eventually I worked as a designer at a newspaper and I was given an opportunity to write my own column, but I still longed for some kind of acknowledgment from my mother. Dad never read anything I wrote. I never even thought to ask him to read my work, but my mom didn’t like anything I wrote. She preferred fiction and I wrote nonfiction. She always told me I should write children’s stories because of my vivid imagination. I should have been J.K. Rowling, I suppose, but I doubt she would have read those types of books, either.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Interestingly, she forwards nonfiction emails to all of her friends and family members; however, when I asked her to send my blogs to her friends, she refused, because she didn’t want to “bother” them. My fiction, however, didn’t work for her either.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">My screenplays were fictional, so in the 1980s when I had written what I thought was a humorous screenplay, I let my mother and two of my friends read it. My friends laughed out loud in certain parts. My mother, on the oner hand, found not one sentence funny. She even said out loud, “I didn’t find it funny at all.” I found her comment weird considering that when I worked for several hours on my 4th grade homework assignment, after my mom read it, and <i>while</i> she was reading it, she laughed so hard she cried.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">When I read that same assignment years later – 5 chapters of words scrunched into 5 paragraphs – I could see why. I was a child who took everything literally (I still do), so when my teacher instructed me to write one paragraph using every single word in the spelling chapter, and she had taught me that a paragraph was one central thought, I forced a relationship between words that were so different, I called upon every creative faculty in my brain to force them to connect. The results were hilarious, but not intentionally so. I found out later that the teacher meant to say “paragraphs” – plural.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Having no emotional support forced me to rely upon myself. But how can anyone accurately assess themselves by themselves? Friends would tell me I was creative and talented, but I found it hard to believe them. So I attended college in my late 30s – not to get a degree, though I got one – but to find out if anybody there thought I had any writing talent. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">When I received glowing comments on all of my assignments, I felt that maybe I really had some talent, and when my assignments were chosen by the instructors as examples for how the class should write them, I beamed. When I became a tutor in the English lab, I felt that maybe I was worthy of calling myself a writer after all.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">But I still didn’t have the admiration of my mother. My sisters were more supportive. I don’t think my father ever knew I wrote anything, and unless I wrote encyclopedias, which were the only books I ever saw him read, he wouldn’t have been interested anyway, but I wanted, and never got, the support and encouragement I needed from my mother. I vowed that when I had my own kids I would encourage them to become whatever they wanted to be and I would help them in any way I could. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So when I asked my oldest daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up, I was surprised when she responded, “A mom.” She got her wish – she had five children. My next oldest daughter wanted to be a fashion designer. She works for an engineering firm, but she still has her eyes set on fashion. My son had no idea what he wanted to be, so in March, 2001, he joined the Marines. My youngest daughter decided to open an upscale consignment boutique and is doing very well. I still think kids flourish when they get support and encouragement from the people who matter most to them. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">I’ll be 63 in 3 days (<i>remember this was written last year</i>). I have written hundreds of blogs and have received thousands of views. I’ve received numerous compliments on my writing ability, too. And I have received awards, so why is getting some encouragement from my mother so important? Why can’t I just let it go? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">I’ll tell you why. Because no matter how old we get, we still long for acceptance, specifically from our parents or maybe from a mentor. If you write and you don’t get the support and encouragement you need from the people who love you, where can you find motivation to continue writing?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">For me personally, my need to write surpasses my need for acceptance, so I’ll continue to write and will probably die wishing I still had my mother’s support.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><i>Afterword</i>: Over the past year, on a couple of my blogs, my mother has commented. Above all other comments I receive, I value hers the most.</div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-84532845571277514342015-05-01T06:33:00.000-07:002015-05-01T06:33:20.886-07:00Want to write a movie or TV show, but can’t afford to take a class? Watch this one video and you might not need a class!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w5hWnSo2uDk/VUNzhN8jdvI/AAAAAAAAGHA/Ytvz6piPnDM/s1600/TVWriter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w5hWnSo2uDk/VUNzhN8jdvI/AAAAAAAAGHA/Ytvz6piPnDM/s1600/TVWriter.png" height="86" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">The basis of any movie or television show is </span><i style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">the story</i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">. I think we can all agree on that. But what makes the story compelling are the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">characters</i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"> in the story. We want our audiences to be able to identify with those characters and root for our protagonist. We want believable characters that audiences care about. We want an emotional response from our audience and we want to see physical manifestations of those emotions – from tears to laughter. Above all, though, we want audiences to walk away from our story with a sense of awe and a desire to share their thoughts and emotions about the movie or television show </span><i style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">we</i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"> wrote with their friends and family members and even with casual acquaintances. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">So how do we create characters and story lines that audiences love? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">We may have studied a lot of screenplay writing techniques and read a lot of information about how to make an outstanding movie or TV show, but what we’ve written so far can’t even win us a contest or a few minutes with a producer to explain our movie or television ideas. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><i>Well, here’s help for all fledgling television or film writers. </i></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">When I watched the video I’m about to present, I felt as if I could have gone to school for four years and not learned as much as I learned in this one hour and sixteen minute presentation offered on Larry Brody’s <b><a href="http://tvwriter.net/" target="_blank">TV Writer</a></b> web site. What the video on the page linked below explains are the most important basics of television and movie writing. In a condensed version of what could have been an entire semester’s worth of classes, you will learn how to capture an audience’s attention and create lovable and empathetic characters audiences will love.<span style="font-size: 18px;"> <b><a href="http://tvwriter.net/" target="_blank">TV Writer</a></b>, by the way, is packed with useful information about television writing.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Because I feel so strongly about this video, I could go on and on about it, but why not just send you right to the source? I think you’ll agree with me that this video is packed with important information any writer venturing into the television or movie industry would need to know. Have a pad of paper and a pen within reach! And ENJOY!</div><div><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://tvwriter.net/?p=26502&utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=TVWriter%28TM%29+Weekend+Report+4%2F13%2F15&utm_campaign=20150412_m125287848_TVWriter%28TM%29+Weekend+Report+4%2F13%2F15&utm_term=Writing+Terrific+Characters+for+TV+_26+Film" target="_blank">TV WRITER – Writing Character for Film & Television</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-9041080804784075182015-04-16T08:24:00.001-07:002015-04-16T08:27:01.658-07:00Dreams, Crafts, Death, Karma, Asthma, Honesty, Grudges, Television, Blogs, and More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu91c3RZPvY/VS_RMBGXVCI/AAAAAAAAC7s/t33NOMfde4w/s1600/BlogShare%2Bjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gu91c3RZPvY/VS_RMBGXVCI/AAAAAAAAC7s/t33NOMfde4w/s1600/BlogShare%2Bjpg.jpg" height="116" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">The following links connect to blogs I’ve been writing lately – if any of the topics interest you, I hope you’ll read them. The titles should be self explanatory and I’ve placed them into as few categories as possible.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #ff2c31; font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">CRAFTS</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; min-height: 26px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/2015/04/the-queendom-of-yarn-yarn-hoarders-tale.html" target="_blank">The Queendom of Yarn – a Yarn Hoarder’s Tale</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/2015/03/looking-for-different-crochet-stitches.html" target="_blank">Looking for Different Crochet Stitches?</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://crystalbutterflycreations.blogspot.com/2015/02/colors-that-represent-each-type-of.html" target="_blank">Colors That Represent Each Type of Cancer</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/2015/02/how-to-crochet-striped-hat-and-hide.html" target="_blank">How to Crochet a Striped Hat and Hide Only 4 Strands of Yarn!</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/2015/04/how-to-embellish-your-crochet-projects.html" target="_blank">How to Embellish Your Crochet Projects With French Knots</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/2015/04/polymer-clay-fun-with-premo-sculpey.html" target="_blank">Polymer Clay Fun with Premo! Sculpey Accents</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #ff2c31; font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HEALTH</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; min-height: 26px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/04/youre-very-lucky-i-saved-your-baby.html" target="_blank">“You’re Very Lucky. I Saved Your Baby.”</a></b><br /> <div style="min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></div><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/03/ingredients-to-avoid-for-allergic-baby.html" target="_blank">Ingredients to Avoid for an Allergic Baby: How to Choose Hypoallergenic Products</a> </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/04/asthmatics-with-mold-allergies-beware.html" target="_blank">Asthmatics with Mold Allergies – Beware of Toxic Reaction: Asthma & Mold – a Potentially Deadly Combination</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/in-honor-of-sexual-assault-awareness-month/" target="_blank">In Honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/04/smoking-how-bad-is-it-really.html" target="_blank">Smoking - How Bad is it Really?</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-alcoholism-affects-loved-ones.html" target="_blank">How Alcoholism Affects Loved Ones</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #ff2c31; font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HUMOR</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; min-height: 26px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/2015/03/kid-cons-tooth-fairy.html" target="_blank">Kid Cons the Tooth Fairy</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://www.writingcreatively.org/2015/03/how-to-make-lots-of-money.html" target="_blank">How to Make LOTS of Money</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/2015/04/when-other-people-think-youre-crazy.html" target="_blank">When Other People Think You’re Crazy</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://humoroutcasts.com/2015/i-was-at-risk-for-becoming-a-child-criminal/" target="_blank">I Was at Risk for Becoming a Child Criminal</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/mystery-of-the-roadway/" target="_blank">Mystery of the Roadway</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://yourweirddreams.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-won-date-with-mick-jagger.html" target="_blank">I Won a Date With Mick Jagger!</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #ff2c31; font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">PARANORMAL</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; min-height: 26px;"><b></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/2015/03/three-weeks-in-hospital-two-near-death.html" target="_blank">Three Weeks in the Hospital – Two Near Death Experiences: A True Story</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/2015/03/karma-cosmic-justice-or-cosmic-joke.html" target="_blank">Karma - Cosmic Justice or Cosmic Joke?</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/2015/04/dead-man-talking.html" target="_blank">Dead Man Talking</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/2015/04/do-you-sometimes-feel-that-youve-been.html" target="_blank">Do You Sometimes Feel that You’ve Been Cursed?</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #ff2c31; font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">PHILOSOPHICAL</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/03/justice-vs-vengeance.html" target="_blank">Justice vs. Vengeance</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/03/philosophical-debate-on-minimum-wage.html" target="_blank">Philosophical Debate on Minimum Wage</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/cheating-do-you-tell-your-best-friend/" target="_blank">Cheating - Do You Tell Your Best Friend?</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/2015/03/day-care-providers-beware.html" target="_blank">Day Care Providers BEWARE!</a> <i>(Of Accepting Payments from a Child Care Resource Service)</i></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-philosophy-of-common-sense.html" target="_blank">The Philosophy of Common Sense</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/03/are-we-still-crucifying-jesus.html" target="_blank">Are We Still Crucifying Jesus?</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/grace-forgiveness-and-thankfulness/" target="_blank">Grace, Forgiveness, and Thankfulness</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-grudge-wall.html" target="_blank">The Grudge Wall</a></b> (<i>Holding Grudges</i>) </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/2015/04/coping-strategies-stop-using-habits-as.html" target="_blank">Coping Strategies – Stop Using Habits as Excuses and Start Using Them as Reasons…</a></b> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/can-you-be-too-honest/" target="_blank">Can You Be TOO Honest?</a></b> </div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-55519002006681646272015-03-30T03:00:00.000-07:002015-06-20T10:42:43.682-07:00How to Make LOTS of Money<div style="font-size: 17px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPKJyprzw0o/VRgDs1T7ujI/AAAAAAAAC0w/CUunrdng0I4/s1600/Money%2Bmorguefile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPKJyprzw0o/VRgDs1T7ujI/AAAAAAAAC0w/CUunrdng0I4/s1600/Money%2Bmorguefile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Previously published on Yahoo Contributor Network and then stolen by one of those plagiarized sites I mentioned in the following linked blog: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.writingcreatively.org/2015/03/writers-this-site-is-stealing-your-work.html">WRITERS! This Site is Stealing Your Work!</a></b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Rather than change the whole thing to past tense, I kept everything in the present and mentioned in various places certain changes that have taken place since I first wrote this article. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;">Ah, money! Who doesn't love money? We are in love with the sound of it, the smell of it, the feel of it - and, oh, yes, the everything of money.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Georgia; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We even write songs about it, like </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Money</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <i>by Pink Floyd</i>, </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't Buy Me Love</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <i>by The Beatles</i>, </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can't Always Get What You Want</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <i>by the Rolling Stones</i>, and </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the Love of Money</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> <i>by the O'Jays</i>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Money, money, money, money - what a melodious word. And oh, what we do for the love of money. With all the romanticism surrounding money, though, you would think money was the answer to every problem. It's not. However, money can be problematic, though usually more because of its absence than because of its presence.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The biggest problem with money, as I see it, is our relationship with money. It's all so one-sided. We love money, but money doesn't love us back. And though we want money, some of us can't seem to find it. When we get money, some of us lose it.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Some of us save it for a rainy day; others lavishly spend it. Some of us give our money away, and some of us hoard it. But more often than not, many of us hunger for it. We need money and money seems to know it.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But money doesn't care, and money doesn't realize its worth. We realize its worth, though, because in our quest for money, some of us resort to illegal activities to obtain it. Money from drugs and gambling can build empires. The trade-off is the constant threat of losing every dollar (and more) we steal, or going to prison - not a risk I'm wiling to take.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The most common way to get money, other than to receive it as a gift, through inheritance, or through any of the methods mentioned above, is to work for it. For instance, right now, because I work as a writer, I make my living writing blogs and articles.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I use the term, "living" loosely. At $1.55 for every one thousand people who read my Associated Content/Yahoo Contributor Network articles, if I wanted to make $2,000 a month, I would have to snag at least 1,290,322.58 readers each and every month. I have been on AC/YCN since June of '08 and as of this posting have received less than 85,000 total reads. (UPDATE: AC/YCN has been kaput for a while now.)<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Another way I make money is through Adsense and Amazon (no longer on Amazon). I also write for Xomba where they (used to) share their Adsense revenue with me.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But so far, I haven't even made the minimum $100 needed for a payout. Until I reach $100, I receive nothing, so I check my Adsense growth for some sign of income. So far, since March of 2009, my Adsense earnings from my blogs and, more recently from Xomba, have reached a staggering $43 (in 2010 when I wrote this post).<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Writing is obviously not supporting me, so what if I were to change jobs?<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If I were a star athlete for the Chicago Cubs in 2010, I could make $2,125,000. Not bad for a season's worth of work.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But with a bad back, a horrible history of asthma, breast cancer, absolutely no athletic skills whatsoever, and, did I mention how old I am (59)? - I can't count on making even a nickel playing sports.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Georgia; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">So what about acting? If I were Mariska Hargitay or Christopher Meloni (of </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Law & Order: SVU</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">), I could expect to make $395,000 per episode. I could live on that.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Georgia; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">However, if I were Charlie Sheen (of </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two and a Half Men</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">), I could command $1.25 million PER EPISODE (less than the $2 million he supposedly made the year before). Hey! If I were Charlie Sheen, I could even be the philanthropist he is and help those poor prostitutes who have to work hard for a living.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I wonder, though, how Jon Cryer (of <b style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two and a Half Men</span></b>) feels. He makes less than half of his co-worker's salary, a mere $550,000 per episode (poor man), but I could hone my acting skills if I thought I could bring in half a million dollars.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I don't see myself as an actor though, nor would I ever wanted to be an actor.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Georgia; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Maybe I should report the news. Matt Lauer (of </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">) makes more than $16 million a year. Or I could host my own reality show. Ryan Seacrest (of American Idol) makes $15 million a year.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Georgia; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yes! That's it! I could gather all of my grandchildren together, start my own family show, and, like Kate Gosselin (of </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate Plus 8</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">), bring in $250,000 per episode.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-family: Georgia; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, who am I kidding? I'd probably do better as a talk show host. Contrary to comments I've heard people say, such as, "I wouldn't know what to do with all that money," I would really like to try living on Oprah</span><a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/topic/18077/oprah.html" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #4860e9;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Winfrey's $315 million salary. I'd even settle for Chelsea Handler's (of </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chelsea Lately</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">) meager yearly income of $3.5 million.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Alas, I am only a writer. So what can I expect to make? Well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Median annual wages for salaried writers and authors were $53,070 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,150 and $75,060. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $106,630."<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I've decided I would like to be in the top 10 percent, and I would like to have a more fulfilling relationship with money.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So - I have a request to make of you, my readers: Please contact 69 million of your friends and relatives and ask them to read my articles. To help my Adsense growth, please read my blogs and invite your friends and relatives to read them as well. (For convenience sake, I have included links to all of my blogs and articles at the end of this article.)<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lesson to be gained from reading this article: if you want to make lots of money, prepare for yourself a career in the entertainment field.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>By the way, if you are interested in learning the salaries of various sports teams and their stars, click <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team"><span style="color: #4860e9;">THIS USA Today LINK</span></a>! Pick a sport, choose a player's name or team, decide which year you would like to investigate, and discover what salary your favorite player made. The site goes back only so far though, so if you're expecting to find Michael Jordan's salary from the 1980s, you're out of luck.<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you've made it all the way to the end - to this paragraph, I want to personally thank you for taking the time to read the entire article. Don't forget to tell 69 million of your closest friends to read my blogs and articles each month - I'm aiming for that top earning status for writers!<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So, how can we make LOTS of money? We have to become coveted actors, sports players, or talk show hosts!<br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><i>Sources </i>http://www.bls.gov/ <br />http://www.usatoday.com/ <br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold;">What follows is a list of my blogs. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">If you see anything that appeals to you, I invite you to click the link and read some of the blogs. <i>Thank you for visiting!</i></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.writingcreatively.org/">Writing Creatively</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://philosophicalmusingsandinsights.blogspot.com/">Philosophical Musings & Insights</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/">My Heart Blogs to You</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://helpforsingleparents.blogspot.com/">Help For Single Parents</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://paranormalminds.blogspot.com/">Paranormal Minds</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://yourweirddreams.blogspot.com/">Your Weird Dreams</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.allcraftconnection.org/">All Craft Connection</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://productfavorites.blogspot.com/">Product Favorites</a></b></span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://crystalbutterflycreations.blogspot.com/">Crystal Butterfly Creations</a></b></span></div><br /><div style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://theresawiza.wordpress.com/">My Wordpress Blog</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-7159339853892370872015-03-12T05:35:00.003-07:002016-08-28T05:02:01.508-07:00WRITERS! This Site is Stealing Your Work!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayETlKUsxAg/VQGHgytSyeI/AAAAAAAACvA/fOQue6ngEdg/s1600/StealingWork%2Bpng.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayETlKUsxAg/VQGHgytSyeI/AAAAAAAACvA/fOQue6ngEdg/s1600/StealingWork%2Bpng.png" width="580" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Sadly plagiarism is alive and well in so many places on the web that every time I am alerted to one web site that has stolen my property, I discover another one. I’ll be honest – I’m INFURIATED! I just found some of my work on a site that calls itself <a href="http://wettub.com/" target="_blank">Wet Tub</a>. Absolutely no credit whatsoever is given to the original writer – they just steal what isn’t theirs! And a LOT of articles appear on that site.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">So be forewarned – your work might be there too. If you can get the word out, I would appreciate it. Some of us are trying to post our work on other sites, but Google will see this as “duplicate content,” so even if you’ve protected your work, thieves will still steal it from you and you might not be able to post it on venues where YOU could be making money from YOUR writing!</div><br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;">To find your work, just Google either the title or a line from your writing. Let's <i>try</i> to stop plagiarism together!<br /><br />Interesting observation – these sites all look eerily similar to each other.<br /><br />UPDATE: Thanks to Tony Payne bringing another one to my attention, I'd like to add <a href="http://tinyjump.com/" target="_blank">Tiny Jump</a> to what I'm sure will be a list of plagiarizers. If you find any more, please let me know.<br /><br />UPDATE 2: <a href="http://superblinky.com/" target="_blank">Super Blinky</a> has also stolen my work.<br /><br />UPDATE 3: From Tony Payne on how to report your stolen work: If you view one of your articles on the site and there is a Google ad on the page, at the top right of the ad is something that looks like a small triangle. Click on that and it opens a Google page. At the bottom of that page you can leave feedback on the website. Add as much as you can to verify yourself as the author/owner, like url's etc.<br /><div style="min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br />UPDATE 4: From Davida Chazan: If you get them to remove your article, take the URL to this site and <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/removals" target="_blank">have Google remove it</a> from their archive. That way they can't use a catched version of the article. Oh, and some of these sites also have a place where they note their DMCA policies. If you click on that, they sometimes have an email address (written like "admin at sitename dot com") that you can write to them about it. That way you can send them screen shots to prove that the article is yours (if you have them). Then check the URL again in a few days. If its gone, use the above webmaster removal tool.<br /><br />UPDATE 5: I just discovered that superItchy.com has also stolen my work.<br /><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE 6: Today, March 17, 2015, I discovered another thief – superpeachy.com and, as I have for the other plagiarizers, I reported this one as well!<br /><br />UPDATE 7: Today, March 25, 2015, I discovered yet another plagiarized site – beefycow.com. While I've noticed that Google has removed ads from sites I've reported, they have <i>NOT</i> removed the articles! How disappointing!<br /><div style="min-height: 20px;"><br /></div>UPDATE 8: Will this list never end? Here’s another one that has stolen my work: rustybee.com. Again, ALL of these sites look similar – or exactly the same. Could they be the work of one person?<br /><br />UPDATE 9: Egg Van is another thieving site brought to my attention by one of the commenters below. Thank you, Kim.<br /><br />UPDATE 10: I just discovered another thief – Bogbit – that has stolen at least one of my articles!<br /><br />UPDATE 11: And then there's SuperForty, another site I reported to Google.<br /><br />UPDATE 12: Another plagiarist found showcasing one my most important articles, an article that took many hours to research, stolen by TreePony!<br /><div style="min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><b>Come on, Google, don't just get rid of the ads – get rid of these plagiarists!</b><br /><div><b><br /></b></div><br /><br /></div></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969040122124923606.post-18607366856444446572015-03-03T09:58:00.002-08:002015-03-03T09:58:34.621-08:00Factors That Contribute to Creativity – Do You Have to be Brilliant to be Creative? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DxxwNr8DH3I/VPXx3LDONvI/AAAAAAAACs8/36xp8jEFIEw/s1600/BeCreative!%2Bjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DxxwNr8DH3I/VPXx3LDONvI/AAAAAAAACs8/36xp8jEFIEw/s1600/BeCreative!%2Bjpg.jpg" height="328" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Some people believe that creativity belongs only to talented composers, architects, artists, literary geniuses, and multi-billionaire entrepreneurs. But guess what – we are ALL creative. We might not use our creative talents, because we might not recognize that we have them, but we are all filled with creative <i>potential</i> awaiting the right moment, the right exposure, or the right spark to coax that potential into something extraordinary.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">During the summer months of my early years, I spent many days on one of Lake Michigan’s beautiful beaches. My mother would take my sisters and me to Lake Michigan’s southwest side near the Museum of Science and Industry nearly every day during the summer months. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Memories wash over me of that time – sitting in the sand building my little castles and looking out on the water, daydreaming. I can still feel the kind of peace that calmed my soul and allowed me to become one with the Universe. All of the sights, smells, and sounds around me combined in such a way that my mind could drift into territories previously unexplored. Unbeknown to me back then, there sat my muse, awaiting my recognition of her. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Even today I find my most creative (and peaceful) moments are the ones that involve water. Water in the form of rain brings on a melancholy mood that allows my mind to quiet and to relax enough to entertain the thoughts my muse introduces to me. Sometimes just the memory of being near water is enough of a catalyst to invigorate my creativity.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">My creativity didn’t stop when I grew up, however. Though children are innately creative – give them any medium such as crayons, paints, blocks, or even boxes filled with string and large beads, and you can almost see their minds connect dots where none existed before. And though some people believe they're not creative, we should learn to understand that we are ALL creative <i>IF</i> we allow ourselves to pay attention to what arouses our curiosity, sparks our imaginations, and allows us to recognize relationships we never knew existed. The ability to create comes down to three important factors: curiosity, imagination, and the ability to connect two or more seemingly unrelated ideas.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;"><b>Curiosity</b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">One of the most important phrases for anyone seeking to create anything is, “What if?” Take an ordinary skein of yarn. Ten different people will look at that one skein of yarn and come up with ten completely different projects, just by asking themselves that all important question – whether they are aware or not that they are asking it –“What if?”</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Give a paint set to a child and without the child consciously thinking, “What if?” that child will intuitively ask him- or herself that question with each stroke of the brush.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Give a thousand writers a topic to research and write, and you’ll get a thousand different papers showing several different viewpoints that draw several different conclusions. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;"><b>Vivid Imagination</b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">We all dream. Whether we know it or not, we do. And in those dreams we find remnants of our imaginations. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">I was once given an assignment when I was 9 years old. That assignment required me to write one paragraph for each of five chapters in my spelling book. As a child who took everything literally and who was already very interested in writing, I took this assignment very seriously. A paragraph, I had learned, was a section of writing that dealt with one central thought.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">The spelling words in each chapter, however, were completely unrelated. Tying them together took a vivid imagination and I think the seeds of my creativity were planted during that assignment. I saw connections I’d never made before, because I was forced to create them. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">And that takes me to the next factor that contributes to creativity.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;"><b>Ability to Connect Two or More Seemingly Unrelated Ideas</b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Movies provide a great example of the ability to connect two or more unrelated ideas. Juxtaposition, oxymorons, opposites – creative minds can make connections that others don’t see until somebody points out the relationship between two seemingly unrelated ideas.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">How does this method work? Try this writing experiment. Look around you right now and choose one thing in your line of vision. Now close your eyes, turn your head to your right, and open your eyes. What do you see? How can you connect those two things? Now look straight ahead. What do you see, and how can you introduce that third subject into your piece? </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">When I look around, I see snowfall. When I close my eyes and then look to my right, I find a beloved picture of a puppy celebrating a birthday with a cake and 2 candles. Coincidentally when I look ahead, I see a refrigerator magnet of a snowman. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">In this situation, the relationships seem obvious. My mind settles on the snowman magnet after viewing the snowfall. I had forgotten the magnet was on my refrigerator, but because I saw the snow, and I knew my mind was going to connect whatever I saw, my eye ignored all of the other magnets on the refrigerator and focused instead on the snowman. </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">A dog playing in the snow isn’t a stretch of the imagination, but putting a white cake trimmed with gold and holding two candles into the picture takes a little thought, so I imagine a family of 5 climbing out of their car on a wintry day. The mom carries a birthday cake for their puppy who runs out of the doggy door to greet them. Mom trips and lands belly down on the snow. The dog leaps onto the birthday cake and attempts to devour it, but Dad rescues the cake.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">But let’s go further with our creativity – let’s introduce a fourth element, current events. And here’s how my story played out.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Poochie stood by the doggie door when he heard his family’s car approach. After the final door was closed, he raced outside and tripped Mommy. A beautiful white cake trimmed with gold, perched with two candles, toppled out of Mommy’s hands and landed in the snow – upright. Still time for Poochie to devour it! Too late. Daddy swooped it up and brought it into the house where it somehow miraculously changed into a chocolate cake with blue icing. (I took liberties with the change of colors, because I can sometimes be dyslexic. The reference is, I'm sure you've heard, the current debate between the white and gold dress vs. the blue and black dress.)</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">Once you look for relationships between things you never noticed before, you’ll find them everywhere. They will sometimes seem absurd, but you may find humor in the absurd. Other times, those relationships will be so obvious, you’ll wonder why you never noticed them before.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px;">So have fun! Ask questions! Use your imagination! Be adventurous! And allow yourself the luxury of examining your interests and exploring your skills to discover where your talents lie and where you can be most creative! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thank you for visiting!</i></div>Theresa Wizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09991340792082953965noreply@blogger.com2