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Monthly Archives: March 2012
Writing – Game on!
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” — Edward de Bono Do you ever find yourself stuck in that “the only way to be a writer is to write” rut? Trying to follow the “write through it” rule when you feel frustrated and creatively stunned? Well, I absolutely agree that, most often, sticking to it is the best way to get through a lag in creativity. But sometimes we find we’ve “stuck to it” for so long that it feels like we’re looking into a bowl of alphabet soup. It’s a well known fact that at least 77% of writers experience writer’s block and 19% experience an absence of creativity and inspiration that leads to the absence of literary creation on their part. The remaining 4% experience what has become known as “denial”. Sounds frustrating, right? Well, have no fear, technology is here… just ask the internet! There are plenty of ways to catalyze writing inspiration, and they’re all easy to find with a search engine. … Continue reading
“Tom” – A short story (My salute to the first day of spring)
It was the first day of spring and Tom was sitting on his porch. Next to him was a fresh cup of coffee that was sending ribbons of steam into the air. He loved the smell of coffee. He never actually drank the coffee, but mornings just wouldn’t be the same without a few whiffs of that most curious drink. Sometimes with some cream and sugar and sometimes just plain old coffee. He sat waiting for the rest of the world to join him. Though he generally preferred the darker hours – that was just the way he was – he loved this part of the day. The sun peeked through the trees at the top of the hill and reached out to the small valley with soft beams of light. The lush greenery would surely turn to ash from the fire that appeared to be dancing on the leaves and branches. It was beautiful. He would soon fall asleep and leave the daylight to those living with the obvious need to be seen and heard, but … Continue reading
WRITING TWO WORDS FOR A DOLLAR?
Another wasted day from writer’s block? What if I told you that I would pay you $1,000.00 to write a two thousand word piece today about anything? Anything! No rules about subject, genre, style or purpose. Fiction or non-fiction. Would that pique your interest? Wait! That’s not all! What if I said that I would pay you that $1,000.00 – today, in cash, immediately after I had the 2,000 words in my hot little hands – for just the first draft? That’s right, the first. The one that came from that first session of your fingers flying across your keyboard to reach 2,000 words without regard for structure, spelling, punctuation, content flow, etc. Would you stop what you were working on and write something? I mean, that’s not bad pay, is it? Especially when you consider there would be no proofreading, editing, rearranging or rewriting. Just type ’til you hit 2,000! And, if you’re inclined to do the math, I should be somewhere around 200 words by the time I finish this paragraph, and I’ve only been thinking … Continue reading
Writer, Do You Know Your Job Description?
One of the most powerful fears a writer experiences is one of not being accepted. The fear that others will not like what we write. It’s what leaves us staring at our first line in terror. It’s what makes us tell the first person to read it “I’m not sure I’m done with it yet but…”. It’s what causes that stuttering pause as we position our mouse pointer over the “post now” button. And sometimes, it’s what makes us realize we have reached the end of our “work day” and have nothing to show for it but a blinking cursor. But, is fear really the culprit when “writing time” ends and you have nothing to show for it? I suppose, at some level, it is. But, I don’t believe that fear is always the most generous contributor when it comes to our days of distraction. I believe it is almost the opposite. Our enthusiasm to learn and hone our craft. Yeah, I’ve read a LOT of information and advice lately. And, as I mentioned in my earlier … Continue reading
@Jeff Goins – Creating another monster
You may have seen me lurking around some of the Twitter hashtags lately (#MyWANA, #amwriting, #writing, #writetips, and a few others) and quite possibly, you have not. You may have even been to this site before. If that’s the case, I sincerely apologize for the current lack of content . That will soon change. But that doesn’t answer the burning question. “Dude. Who are you?” I am Greg Bliss (GR Bliss). I am a writer. I have been a writer, of one sort or another, for most of my life. I won’t bore you with the details of each little jot-jog I’ve taken throughout my lifetime and I’ll spare you the odd list of professional endeavors altogether (though, if it’s tearing at you so badly that you just have to know right this minute, as I’m sure it is, just look up and find “about me” for now). But I have written. This and that, when my “real” job description called for writing to be done. I’ve always been one to take that opportunity. Copy for radio, ads … Continue reading
What it’s all about
3 Days. No Blogging (sorry folks!). No tweets. No time to proofread. Just the taptaptap of the keyboard. It’s been a great few days!
Site Building – Day 4
What can I say? I spent the day writing words instead of code. That’s all. Just didn’t want to miss my “day 4 update”. Nope. Wouldn’t leave you hangin’ like that. Don’t you just love people who can’t resist rambling or at least blurting now and then so they can avoid running their fingernails over the chalkboard with that “Lorem ipsum…” filler that everyone else uses when they just need content to fill in the spaces while they’re trying to figure out what they want their site to look like? I do. Well, I have to, or I would not love me. Ok, I’m finished.
