Picture this ... Write that

Being a great lover of art, whether it be pictures or words, I am always on the look-out for a site that offers great graphics for little to no money or superb tips on writing.  I have recently fallen madly, deeply in love with a site called Smashing Magazine. They provide graphics, fonts, how-to's, CSS, tools & tutorials for just about everything web. The best part is that these are premium graphics, fonts & templates for free. Yes, you heard me correctly ... no credit card needed. I subscribe to their RSS feed and get absolutely giddy when alerted about a new post.

In Memory of Jonah W. Sanders

When a parent dies, you lose your past; when a child dies, you lose your future. - Anonymous

Random poetry

Sadness

Brain Teaser Time

What nine letter word in the English language is still a word when each of the nine letters is removed one by one?

A Puzzle by Lewis Carroll

John gave his brother James a box:
About it there were many locks.
James woke and said it gave him pain;
So gave it back to John again.
The box was not with lid supplied
Yet caused two lids to open wide:
And all these locks had never a key
What kind of box, then, could it be?

Read more to find the answer.

Reading test

I stumbled upon a very interesting reading test that I thought I would share.  See how well you do.

1 down, 99 more to go.

I can now cross #70. Research my family tree, off of my Life List.

You’ll love this conference!

Whether you’re an experienced writer or just starting out, the DFW Writers’ Conference is a great opportunity to learn, network and socialize with other authors. It’s also a great way to meet with literary agents from across the county!

WHEN: April 10 – 11, 2010

WHERE: Grapevine Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas.
Nearby hotels and restaurants.

REGISTRATION FEE: $185 until January 31, 2010; $235 after that

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Best-selling Romance Author Jodi Thomas

AGENTS: We’ve added more agents for 2010, covering almost every fiction and nonfiction genre. Register early for the best chance for a one-to-one appointment with the agent of your choice.

Anne Hawkins | John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.

Gina Panettieri | Talcott Notch Literary Services

Joshua Bilmes | JABberwocky Literary Agency

Laurie McLean | Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents

Lucienne Diver | The Knight Agency

Melissa Shultz | Jim Donovan Literary

Paul S. Levine | Paul S. Levine Literary Agency

Victoria Horn | Liza Dawson Associates

Colleen Lindsay | Fine Print Literary Management

CONTEST: New for 2010! Hook ‘Em Writing Contest. Win an Appointment with an Agent. Details coming soon. Enter the first five pages of your novel with a two-page synopsis, or the first five pages of your nonfiction book with a proposal. First place in each category will win a 10-minute appointment with an agent. Open to all writers, ages 16 or over, regardless of conference attendance. Details coming soon.

OneWord

It's been a while since I have done a OneWord writing. I really do enjoy them. Writing is just like everything else ... practise makes perfect.

Oak

Not kicking the bucket anytime soon ... my life list

Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. -- Gandhiji

Calling All Poets & Writers - Let's Compete

Here's a list of writing and/or poetry contests that I've compiled. I cannot guarantee the validity of each and everyone of the contests, so do your research before entering. Good luck and happy writing.

Judging a Writing or Poetry Contest

When I was younger writing contests were so exciting. My high school English teacher did all of the leg work so all I had to concern myself with was creating a written work of art. Now that I am much older and definitely wiser, I have to wonder if writing contests are worth my time and energy.

Being away from writing for several years I thought I should try my hand at a writing contest.  Not intent on winning the contest per say, but to use it as a means to see where I stand in today’s writing society. The critique alone would be well worth it. The decision made to enter a contest was easy, finding the right contest would not be.

There are hundreds of literary contests, online and off. Most are legitimate contests for writers; some are even prestigious. Unfortunately there also seems to be various questionable competitions developed to "scam" aspiring writers.

Personality Profile Basic - The Color Code

Newlyidentified , one of the many blogs that I follow, posted a blog about a basic personality profile offered by The Color Code . Of course I only took the basic test, as it was the free one, but I after I received my results I am considering getting a full report.  It seems that I am a BLUE. Oddly enough, the results are close to being spot on. Interesting ...

Fear is the path to the dark side.

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." ~ Yoda