The free promotion of my book, “The Suspect and Other Tales” ends on 8 June 2015. To read reviews or to download “The Suspect” free please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U (for the UK) or http://www.amazon.com/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U (for the USA and rest of the world).
Kevin
They washed filthy linen in a public place. The people blanched at their disgrace.
Those two hung soiled garments in the town square. The populace sniggered. The couple didn’t care.
They left their unclean washing with the garbage to be taken away. The binman said, “the rubbish can go but your dirty laundry must stay”.
I am delighted to publish the below announcement from fellow author Victoria (Tori) Zigler regarding the availability of her books in print from Createspace:
“My name is Victoria Zigler, and I’m a blind author of children’s
fiction and poetry.
In April 2012, I began publishing my books as eBooks via Smashwords,
who then distribute them to multiple eBook retailers, including – but
not limited to – Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
Since then, I’ve received several requests to make my books available
in paperback format.
I’m pleased to announce that I am finally able to grant these requests!
The first two of my books are now available to buy in paperback from
CreateSpace and Amazon, with the rest of my backlist of books
following as soon as it can be arranged.
The paperback versions will also be made available to request from
other retailers and bookstores, as well as from your local library,
though this will take a little longer to arrange.
“The Great Degu Round-Up” and “A Very Degu Christmas” are the titles
already available to buy in paperback.
~*~
Victoria “Tori” Zigler
(Children’s author and poet)
*~*~*
Website:
Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/toriz
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/toriz
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/tori.zigler
Facebook author page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Zigler/424999294215717
Twitter:
Blog:
http://ziglernews.blogspot.com
You have spent eons polishing that poem. Read it through until the words swim like spectres before your eyes and, finally, being satisfied with the results of your labour pressed publish. What a feeling of satisfaction at a job well done flows through one when one’s perfectly crafted words our out there for the great reading public to pour over. A few days later you sit down and reread your pearls of wisdom. Oops your writing which seemed to constitute perfection personified suddenly reveals imperfections.
To take an example from my own work. Below is my poem “Fire” rendered twice. The first rendering appeared on this blog, newauthoronline.com and the second (polished) rewrite can be found in “Dalliance; A Collection of Poetry and Prose”.
Fire As It Appeared On Newauthoronline:
“I have felt the fire at midnight’s hour
It kindles brightly and sinks within the hour.
I have gazed at embers dying fast
Looked into the future and gazed into the past
I have raked the ashes cold, felt the bleakness in my soul”.
Fire As Published in “Dalliance: A Collection of Poetry and Prose”:
“I have felt the fire’s power;
It kindles brightly and sinks within the hour.
I have watched the embers dying fast;
Looked into the future and gazed into the past.
I have raked the ashes cold, felt the bleakness in my soul”.
In the first rendering the word “hour appears in the first and second lines while, in the second (rewrite)it is replaced by “power” in the first line. Again, in the original version the word “gazed” appears in lines 3 and 4 while, in the poem as published in “Dalliance” it is changed (in line 3 to “watched”, with “gazed” shown in line 4 only. Word repetition has a place in poetry. However in “Fire” the utilisation of “hour” and “gazed” so close together served to render my poem less than perfect, hence the rewrite.
Most of my writing takes place during daylight when my brain is firing on all cylinders. “Fire” was, if memory serves written during late evening which may explain in part at least the excessive repetition employed in the poem. The lesson I draw from all this is the importance of writing when one’s brain is at it’s sharpest or, if writing does take place when sleep is calling put one’s creation to one side and revisit it when the mind is fresh. Finally reread, reread and reread again.
For “Fire” as it appeared on my blog please go to (http://newauthoronline.com/2015/03/14/fire/). For “Dalliance; A Collection of Poetry and Prose” please visit (http://www.amazon.com/Dalliance-collection-poetry-prose-Morris-ebook/dp/B00QQVJC7E).
Kevin
A blackbird, as dark falls, singing in the park. Each note a dagger thrust into my heart.
His voice carried on the darkening air, still he trills without a care.
Oh tis to profound, cease your song lest I drown.
The below poem was inspired by Ernest Dowson’s “Cynara”, (http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/mar/14/non-sum-qualis-cynarae-dowson). I am a huge Dowson admirer. He does, in my view deserve far greater recognition than is generally accorded to him.
Love And Wine By K Morris
The night is fine.
The women divine.
The wine is sweet.
Lovers embrace beneath the sheets.
The morning’s cold.
Good time girls count their gold.
Man contemplates his soul.
Thank you to Kristy Megan for the below post.
(Disclaimer: I have no association with Coursework Writing Service UK or Coursework Buzz. Inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement by me).
Get The Most Out Of Your Workday With These 7 Productivity Tips For Writers
You open up your favorite word processor to write a piece that should take you only an hour but ends up taking the whole day;does that sound like you?If so, read on to find out how you can increase your productivity as a writer and do away without any distractions:
Yes, you are highly in demand and your clients and your employers continue to email you regarding something else that needs to be done. But, donot answer your email until you have finished what you are doing. Switching back and forth between tasks will switch your focus and it will take you time to bring yourself back in swing. This can also cause you to lose track of ideas and your writing will suffer eventually.
You may think that you do not have enough time for exercise but you will find that taking out twenty minutes for exercise will actually help you accomplish more. Exercise has the effect of helping you stay focused, keeping you relaxed and improving your stamina, all of which increases your output and productivity.
Take all the time you need to complete your research before you start writing. If you have multiple articles to finish in a single day, try to carry out all your research in one go before you begin writing. That way you will have everything in its place before you start with it. Keeping all the facts in front of you will help guide the flow of your article beforehand, saving the need for edits and rewrites.
It is very easy to open Facebook “for a bit” and end up spending hours browsing the Internet randomly; there is nothing in there that cannot be checked at a later time. If it is possible, disconnect your laptop from the Internet to minimize the distractions caused by social media, chat software and random Internet browsing. Make it as difficult as possible to re-connect – for instance, switch off the router. The easier it is to re-connect to the Internet, the greater will be the chances that you will do so.
Motivate yourself to stay focused with mini-rewards. For example, tell yourself if you can write non-stop for twenty minutes, then you can take a five-minute break or enjoy that favorite chocolate of yours that you have refrigerated. Remember to make sure the five-minute break does not extend to ten minutes though.
They may be touted as productivity-enhancing apps but in reality they have the opposite effect. For people with extreme focus problems, these timers turn you into “clock-watchers”, who can then no longer think about anything else except when their “time is up”.
Work in an environment that is free of distractions. Set up your working gear in a remote corner of the house, away from the television and where the activities of the other members of the household will not disturb you.
Last but not the least, cut down on your dependency on alcohol and caffeineas writing requires you to be in a completely fresh state of mind. Alcohol numbs your mind so that you will not be able to write as much as you should. Caffeine may give you a temporary boost in productivity but it will cause you to crash, ruining your productivity in the long run. Watch yourself become highly productive by following the mentioned tips while writing.
Author Bio:
Kristy Megan is the editor in leader at Coursework Buzz, a platform that’s been offering coursework writing service uk for years. Her passion includes writing creative, fictional materials and someday be able to write like her favourite stimulation, JK Rowling.
Thomas Hardy is not generally known for his humour. However, in his poem “The Ruined Maid” we discern wry amusement. Perhaps there is also the unspoken question as to who is better off
“the ruined maid” or her friend,
“O ‘Melia, my dear, this does everything crown!
Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town?
And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?” —
“O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?” said she.
— “You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks,
Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks;
And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!” —
“Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,” said she.
— “At home in the barton you said thee’ and thou,’
And thik oon,’ and theäs oon,’ and t’other’; but now
Your talking quite fits ‘ee for high compa-ny!” —
“Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,” said she.
— “Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak
But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek,
And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!” —
“We never do work when we’re ruined,” said she.
— “You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream,
And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem
To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!” —
“True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,” said she.
— “I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown,
And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!” —
“My dear — a raw country girl, such as you be,
Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,” said she.).
“If you are proud of your book… judge your success not by how many copies you have sold, judge it instead by what you have achieved. Every Indie author who
has pressed that publish button is a success”. Sue is absolutely correct. A great post. Kevin
Hans Christian Andersen by Anne Grahame Johnstone
There are a lot of articles and reports out there giving various and often conflicting figures about the Indie book market. All seem to agree, however, that the percentage of Indie writers and publishers is huge and growing. You only have to read a few Indie books to realise there is some seriously good stuff out there and marvel at the ingenuity and diversity of the imaginations from which they were born.
Yet there is still a stigma attached to independently published work. There are those, it is true, who see it only as a way to make a fast buck and churn out little more than rubbish. These are not writers in my opinion and it is not of their books I speak, they are little more than opportunists; marketeers who, seeing a potentially lucrative product churn out a cheap imitation that…
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My book ‘The Suspect and other tales’ will be on free promotion from the 4th – 8th June. ‘The Suspect’ is a collection of tales of the unexpected, ranging from stories of crime and vengeance through to ghostly happenings in an ancient mansion.
For ‘The Suspect’ please go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Suspect-other-tales-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 for the UK or http://www.amazon.com/Suspect-other-tales-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 for the US.
If you read ‘The Suspect and other tales’ I would very much appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review on Amazon.
K Morris - Poet 