Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Beast of the Seas

Happy Holidays to all of you! I was watching the movie, "Beauty and the Beast today, " with my darling daughter and was reminded of many things.  Here were my thoughts on the movie in a few words:

Simplicity
Character
Kindness
Ego
Books
Libraries
Chances
Roots
Mars and Venus
Settling
Choosing wisely
AND Being who YOU were born to be in the writing seas...

Simplicity-be mindful of the people around you and what they bring to the table. Is it joy, laughter, knowledge, wisdom, and grace?

Character-in business, you should never alter your character, meaning who you truly are inside, to get ahead; that is when you run into the next problem, lacking kindness, because you forgot about simplicity, didn't you?

Ego-are you an egomaniac? If you are, good luck to you, as you will be a shark that bites, and I will hence steer clear of you, and that is the truth!

Books and Libraries-now this is interesting for you to hear and remember. Bell in the movie, " Beauty and the Beast," was characterized as, "Different, " and, "Peculiar, " and, "Strange." Why? Because she educated herself, put her head to the books and, look who she attracted-an EGOIST!
Now I ask you this, did she know? Go back and study it before I answer that one, my friends. Did Bell have humility? Watch the movie and find out for yourself :) I challenge you today.
Libraries-she loved books, someone noticed this, and did something beautiful for her. Did you notice who it was in the movie? The Beast. He saw her, and immediately recognized that she was not so strange; she had something to offer even him, a beast. And he knew it too! Now, tell me, how often do you see this in the corporate world? Where a beast, an egoist will really take what you have to say out loud to heart?
 Me-not very often. I hung up on a Hollywood Producer. His ego took over his life, and he could not offer me a thing, and yes, I told him that, jet, show, or not, he had not a morsel of decency in speech, humility, simplicity, knowledge-base, nor in being a multi-millionaire, did he offer anything on Thanksgiving to Brooklyn, NY, where he was stuck for hours. I suggested he pass out some Butterball Turkeys. His words to me, "I have done enough." Do I have contact with him? No way! Why? Because he has done enough to help others, and it was all about what he wants, what he didn't get, and who owes him. You got it, and CLICK! Hung up on him. Blocked him, and asked for no contact.

Libraries-they are SO very crucial. They are free. Many are closing. Help to save them. How? By donating your own books and getting lists. I have started to do that, with my Publisher, Don Odom, as I do not want my local libraries closed. FY 2011 has NO BUDGET for the libraries. So where is the money going is my question to the people. Where? Do your homework on that one and get back to me, okay?

Chances-well, my friends, they surround you today. Hence, I ask you this, are you afraid to take a leap of faith and put your writing out into the world. Why? Why have regrets? The worst thing someone can ever tell you in life is the word no, and when that happens, I know what to do and will help you out, okay?

Roots-go back to where you first began in the writing seas of your life. Who aided you? Where are you now? Where would you like to be right now? What are your goals? Are you writing every day? Remember this, your roots, and who aided you along the writing seas, and never forget that, and thank them if you have not done so in a while. Help someone out that is struggling-why? Because someone did it for you, and because it is the right thing to do in life. It is people helping people.

Mars and Venus-focus on your career before you get involved with someone, as if your insides do not match your outsides, truly, what can you offer? If you are not working on your own goals, who do you think you will attract in your life? Hmmm...think about that for a second will you, please. Why do you think I am single, my friends? I want to attract a good man, a library man, a book man, a man that can appreciate me for what I bring to the table. So, I wait for that man. He will find me one day. No rush. Don't settle, ladies and gentleman. Happiness starts within you! Are you happy enough to give yourself completely to another person? I am, however, he has not found me yet. Again, as they say, "Patience is a virtue."

Choosing Wisely--what is important to you in your career today? Do you prioritize your schedule? I have a planner that I am working on this week that I will be sticking to, as it is my New Year's Resolution. If you have no plan for your goals, how will you ever achieve them in life? Choose a plan, make a schedule, and stick to it.

I end with this today..

 Being who YOU were born to be in the writing seas...

Tell me, who were you born to be in life? Do you even know that today, my dear friends? Let us share the writing seas together, as they do get rocky at times. Be who YOU were born to be in the writing seas; a writer.

Your Starfish friend,

Meg Collins

Thursday, December 9, 2010

My personal journey in the writing seas

Good Morning Everyone! How are you today? Thank you for your participation in my blog site. I feel that as a new member of the writing seas, having been a writer for the majority of my life, I come up against obstacles, choices, conversations that make me ask questions on if I am making the right decisions in certain situations. I have a wonderful group of artists in which I network with on a daily basis, hence today, I am blogging more because I have the worlds SMALLEST FONT on facebook-can you imagine? How can I get any work done on facebook today when my font is size 1? So here I am with you wonderful people? :)

My struggle some days is this-which book do I work on now and do I go back to my novel? I have written 26 children's books and 11 have been edited so far and awaiting publication and illustrations. So I continue to write, yet I am not able to draw more than a stick figure, so with that being said, I really cannot help my illustrator at all! If I did, I highly doubt any of my books would be published.

Journey of a Starfish #1---

Journey #1--AGENTS--If you need one, you should not be paying them a penny. Do you know why? Because you are talented and they have the money and the means, if they are legitimate, to get your published. Research your agent, check blogs, check who they have worked with, get their CV, make calls, and then, decide. I would recommend taking at least 6 months to make a decision on an agent. That is just my personal recommendation. Why? Because an agent steal  from me personally, found me on my space, and used the money I gave her to publish herself. True story. I will never release her name, because it simply doesn't matter anymore. Lesson learned? Definitely! Will I ever make that mistake again? No way! Should YOU pay an agent to do anything for you-NO WAY! I would have had 15 books published by then. How did I find out she was not legit? A website people created that she had stolen from appeared after a multitude of research and many non-returned phone calls from her on business. Did I try to get my money back? No. Why? Because it was energy that I put towards something more positive. Self Publishing and getting a Business Partner and a Creative Team together. That was my next journey.I went from guppy fish to fish at that point in the deep seas of writers.

Journey #2---I then went with self-publishing-spent thousands on self-publishing in which they could not even get my book title right when my book went live for purchase on a Nationwide site-talk about your embarrassment, right? It got fixed after several hula hoops that I jumped through, and then, my next book came out and guess what happened? Yes! The same thing-an entire page missing when the book arrived via Fed Ex to my front door. It took me ten calls to get it taken care of and it took weeks for me to get the real copy, meaning the copy that I could actually show people. So that was my journey in self-publishing. Did I learn from it? Yes-absolutely! Will I do it again? Never. Why you ask? It is simple. Because time is valuable and you should not have to pay anyone for a service, a fee, that is astronomical. And it was astronomical! I had to get published and I knew that. I had a radio show the next month that was Nationwide. So I paid for express payment. Take a guess at how much I paid and how much money I lost in the process? I will leave it at that, folks. Still a guppy fish.


Journey #3-Get business cards, no matter what, because you never know who you will meet.
I was at Staples. I was getting my very first business cards. It was exciting. I had a table being featured where I had been volunteering for a few weeks locally. It was Career Day Tomorrow. My first official table for poetry and writing prompts with 4th and 5th graders was May 28, 2010. May 27, 2010, changed my life. I was at Staples and all the systems behind the desk shut down for nearly 30 minutes, so it was like an MVA line. There were only three of us there. I was exhausted and had been working on my Career triWenger at Staples and now, I am Co-Writing and have been editing for Dr. Win Wenger, the 1% of the smartest people in the world of Mensa since May 2010. He is a dear friend of mine and quite humble. We will be Co-Writing a book on listening together in 2010.

Journey #4 and Journey #5 will be upcoming tomorrow....Thoughts? Comments? Feedback? Post away my friends! :) Today, enjoy your journey as a new fish in the deep blue seas...we will travel it together on this site! Beware of sharks-some do bite! :)

My live post on Angie's Diary this week

http://angiesdiary.com/poetry-and-lyrics/poem-stories/fast-writing-poetry/

Writing Prompt on GOT POETRY

This prompt is for the poets here on Got Poetry who want to tackle something other than what you may be used to writing. This prompt is instructional, and tells you what to do and how to do it. Please follow the instructions. <s>

Imagine yourself being in a place the day after a disaster and you have no idea what happened the day before. So use ordinary people. For some odd reason you could walk into a place where you feel alone in a crowd? Perhaps, walking on a beach - and how will you learn about what happened? Remember this is poetry - and the tone and pace is important. Read it aloud, once you are finished, listen to the words, all the words should move as if in motion.

USE real people, no one famous. Pick somewhere, anywhere. You know nothing, and you are faced with a mystery, how will it end? Ordinary REAL life - something like this can happen.

This one should be interesting to write - and to read. Thanks Nancy


Meg Collins writing Prompt on Dec. 8, 2010

I was walking along the beach
the same beach I walked on yesterday
I think it was around 1pm
the beach was swarming with people
children playing
many bright colored buckets of sand and
water and sandcastles were being made
and children digging for sea crabs
remember those tiny little guys in the bottom of the sand?
children playing merrily
digging and digging for sand crabs
laughter and smiles and
the ocean waves crashing amongst the
many granules of sand on the oceans shore
the life guards were watching 
wearing their zinc oxide on their noses
I remember there were ten stands
20 people total in the stands
and a vendor selling food and drinks because
it was 90 degrees
many umbrellas
 mostly blue and yellow and green
I walk the beach today and
the sands are there
the seas are roaring
louder than I have ever heard before
people are scattered, buckets flying to and fro and
lifeguards running
the beach is empty now
it is me
and the ocean
and the sea of blue angry waves
roaring
growing bigger
and bigger
and bigger than I have ever seen before
i am alone
but am I?
I see buckets yet no people
 no sand crabs
stands
but no guards
I walk the beach of the roaring seas
no smiles
no laughter
no people
buckets
blankets
picnic baskets left behind
and a net up for volleyball
and the castles
the sand castles that I viewed before
in the contest
there were 15
they are all gone!
who am I by this sea?
do I matter?
and if I do matter..
why did all the people run
and where do I stand now
among a world of silence
and roaring seas
with no smiles to see today
only that of the angry and roaring seas
only the roars
where did you go?
and why,
why did you leave me here, all alone?

Saturday, December 4, 2010

First Christmas without William....by Larry Humphries

First Christmas without William...



Is it William or Bill?
I don’t know William,
and, I suppose, neither do you.

William R. Foster, Jr, died on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
Home going service will be at House of Day Funeral Service,
Tuesday, August 31, 2010.  Wake hour at 10 a.m. with
funeral hour at 11 a.m.

I noticed this on the obituary page
filled with life stories,
only because it’s one paragraph.

A lifetime in 36 words.
It’s not enough.

Perhaps it was written to catch my attention.

I see his mother holding him at birth.
Lovingly naming him for his proud father.
Does he have a wife?  Children?
Are his parents now heartbroken?

Who will attend the wake?
Will I?
Probably not.
Will I think of Bill on Tuesday at 10 a.m.?
Probably not.

But, we’re thinking about him now.


L. Humphries
© August 2010

Graham Nash-- Poem--Creative Utopia



In the moments I find happiness
Transitory gifts of enchantment
From sweet kitten play to prominent prose
Divine happiness is truly in the moments
More and more frequent they appear
Inviting me to willingly bathe within silent pools of wonderment
Beckoning glittering reflection of myself
Bringing enlightenment
Realising potential
Delivering future of what once seemed past
In the moments there is truth
Within each one is limitless hope
Endless possibilities of realisation
Eager to be woven into a grand tapestry
Dressing my life in regal flair
Adorning my crown of scarlet ribbons
Displaying my crimson cloak of serene fulfillment
In the moments you will find me
Pure in essence
Rejoiced in reassurance
Blessed in self contentment
Naked reality laid bare for all to see
No hidden complexities
Mother Natures barefoot daughter
In the moments I am free
To run free
To laugh and whoop with glee
To be me
To be the me that I am
To be the me I long to be
In the moments.................

Audrey and Gray 2010 

Wings by Peter Doyle

Wings

I am going bush
to make some wings
from tallowwood.

The chainsaw stays at home today;
they must be hewn by hand
or the angels will not wear them.

I will find the tallest tree,
then, begging mercy,
fell it blow by blow;
hacking from the living heart
interlocked and wavy grain
of greasy yellow-brown;
hard as unforgiveness,
heavy as regret,   
riddled with      
the black-lined burrows
of Ambrosia beetles.

(Did I specifically mention    
the black-veiled sorrows       
of the locust and weevil,
left over from past plagues?)

Measuring by eye
I will cleave them
with my naked hands,
scrape them smooth with brokenness
and burnish them with prayer.

There on an altar
of rounded, mossy stones,
to offer them until the fire falls
and smoke arises,
carrying to heaven
every hint of bitterness.


Peter Doyle  20/07/2010
 ·  · Share

Poem By Anthony Lodesto



As the snowflakes fall
And the cold settles in,
Jack Frost’s bitter chill;
Brushes against cheeks
Adding a peppermint rose glow.

The mistletoe is hung high,
As the dreams of babes
Turn to a man flying by.
Gingerbread smells,
The ringing of golden bells,
Aromatic, tinseled glow
Of the evergreen pine,
Dressed to impress
Shaded presents lie below
Marked hers and mine;

There’s only one gift
Where one wonders about,
When love and holiday come together
Sparked by a scented candle’s glow,
Cherry Chap Stick lips
Meet in the falling snow
Consented underneath the mistletoe.

The Eve of dreams
Are alive and sweet
Making the kissers
Light on their feet,
The one gift
Not wrapped nor topped with a bow,
The magic of the holiday spirit
Brings the truest of gifts
That of the Christmas kiss.

Anthony Lodestro

Friday, December 3, 2010

Brainstorming Activity

Writing challenge and brainstorm activity #1

How do you brainstorm as a writer? I have found the book by Beth Baruth Joselow over the years to be quite helpful in my writing prompts. There are so many different games you can play as a writer. Here is one you can try and share on my blog freely. List fifty words that come to mind right now and post them without pausing. Simply write what comes to mind-ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, AND, GO!!

**If you complete writing challenge number 3, there will be a prize in it for you for the holidays from me!**

Writing Prompt for you on Fishy Friday!

FISHY FRIDAY WRITING PROMPT #1: 


A new sea creature emerges today in the deep blue sea....

The Diary of a Starfish by Meg Collins

Hi!  My name is Meg Collins and welcome to my new blog, "The Diary of a Starfish." 

Here you will experience and be able to discuss freely the roller coaster ride of being a full-time writer. What do you struggle with as a writer? Do you get writer's block and does it truly exist for a writer? Where do you go for inspiration? Who are you networking with these days? Are you published? Here, you will hence, feel inspiration from myself and many other writer's, his or her journey's and struggles. Rome was hence not built in a day, and neither was I, however I am learning as a new member of this big sea of writer's that I am a Starfish! As a Starfish, I coast, travel around, network, and study other writer's and artists. Every once in a while I get stuck, really stuck on a coral reef and get pulled off of the coral by a kind soul! 

Are YOU studying other writer's and artists?
If you are not doing that, I encourage you to START TODAY! Join my sea of writers today and tell me, what kind of sea creature are you today and why are you that sea creature? What do you aspire to be in this big sea of writer's? Share that with me and a bit about yourself, and together, we will travel the ocean seas together, as friends, and sea creatures, and as aspiring writers. Namaste*


Fast Writing Prompt on GOT POETRY

Daily Chores

the first two lines are in a childs voice, thoughts etc. and the grown up is a grown up, the way your grown up person would act.
NOTE: The child doesn't know what the grown up is thinking and the grown up doesn't know what the child is thinking. If you read this out loud in two voices it gives you the feeling of both. TRY IT!

A day in the life of a Mother :)


DAILY CHORES BY MEG COLLINS


I want to paint again
I know that I have been painting all day long and
I made a mess on the cheap rug and didn't throw the
paints on the red rug. I am sorry.
Please, there are two things of paints left and I am crying for more!
Drink your coffee and bring them to me. I will use my manners.

Laundry, cat needs to be fed, paints first, then dishes, trash, out of creamer,
using her milk for my second cup of coffee, then more laundry to be folded. Sigh.
and now there is a call again, click button, voicemail.
Now I have ten to call back.
Don't they know I am busy? We are doing phonics and painting.

Painting! Woo Hoo!
I could paint all day long!
I twist and turn my brushes to make squiggle marks and
now... dot dot dot dot dot and swirl! Happy!!
Ugh oh! I spilled again all over the wrong carpet. (she looks around to see if Mommy noticed).

Emergen-C 4 packs today, worn out but so much to do and so little time
I need to buy expresso roast again, seem I get more done
and the whole house is clean within an hour! Why is it taking me 4 hours today to do a few simple things?
There's the maid who doesn't know how to clean my house again for $65 dollars-and click! Voicemail. I am at 11 now. Coffee is so good. I could live on this stuff, forget food.

la dee da dee da! blue and green and yellow and brown and purple and black
so many colors and look at all that paper that is left over there how do i get to Hmmmmm...
unstrap and up..ugh oh here she say me again-busted
hopped back in my high chair really fast wonder if she found the 10 crayons I stashed in the high chair this morning and the marks on the wall...she has been running around today. maybe I should help her out later.