Triond has confessional writers, conversational storytellers, article writers that amuse and inform and sometimes astound us. We should not forget the Poets… (Maybe we do have them by the bucket load! but there are so many different types of poetry and the great thing about online publishing is there is room for all tastes and everyone, as far as I can see. Poetry should not and doesn’t belong to the snobbish ‘academic’ type. I remember being told a good poem is like a lovely juicy onion it has layers…A good poem has also got heart and honesty and I have read quite a few heartfelt poems on Triond.

So there are really excellent and ‘professional’ writers mingling with the maybe not so good or the ones that have room for improvement. (Personally I have tons of room for improvement)

I think that can only be a good thing for all of us. Some peoples ‘work that I try to follow gives me glimpses into their personality …and more even into their lives. I have even noticed how some peoples’ confidence has really grown and they have branched out to try different styles of writing that they probably at one time would not have thought of trying. I attribute this to the inspirational aspect of Triond. It is a place were ideas and feelings are expressed and shared. I can’t say that I am ever disappointed by peoples’ efforts. Some people may say that’s because I haven’t got any taste or that I don’t know very much about the creative process. I know this; it takes a brave person to put their work out into a public forum for others to read. There is always the concern or worry that people will not like anything that you do.

I am the sort of person that snatches moments to pop in and read the odd piece; I don’t always leave a comment maybe that is a failing in me that I need to work on. I read an article the other day by Will Gray and I found it upsetting to hear that someone had actually ‘shouted’ at him about his work because they did not like it. I know criticism can be a good thing if it is offered in a generous spirit and of a positive nature but negative criticism is most definitely of no use to anyone, not to the person making it, it just shows them to be nasty and not to the person receiving it.

I know this is just another one of my rants but I would like to say to Will take no heed to people like that they are not worth it! I know Triond is a very supportive community one that is in a sense a privilege to belong to because not only do I get the opportunity to enjoy other peoples’ creative endeavours but I also share my own.  Anyway I think that is enough ranting for one day. Good luck to all triond members with their writing. (See what you started in me Will?)

I am a case in point. Six years ago I suddenly lost someone very close to me in front of my eyes. I am a very “take charge” type of behavior style and a “fixer”, and for the first time in my life I couldn't do a thing. When it was over, there was no way for me to change it, to fix it, to make it different and better. I had to remember to breathe.

I went to grief therapy with a therapist who knew me well from a divorce and family issues. She told me to journal. She knew I was a writer at times, and suggested I start by listing all of the things I wanted to remember. Then she told me to take my emotions day by day and pour them into a journal.

Eight months later, I was able to accept a transfer with my firm and successfully move across the country. I wasn't healed. But the intensity of the pain and the impact of the loss were lessened enough that I could function at the level I was used to.

I journal at night. I close my day with thoughts on what I saw, what I felt, and what I hope it all means. I write down perspectives that I didn't see while things were going on. I write down ideas and things I want to act on. Most of the time, I can then go to sleep feeling as though I have spent a productive day, and that the next day will be at least as good.

Here are some of my insights on journaling:

1. Start small. You don't have to fill the page every day.
2. Journaling is private time, even if you do it on a crowded bus
3. You don't need a fancy journal. A notebook works just as well.
4. Journaling provides the “ah ha” moments of a day
5. Even on a bad day, journaling can make the day feel productive
6. You don't have to be a writer to journal. Even children can keep a journal.
7. Journaling doesn't have to all be done at one time. You can break up your entries as you have the time to devote to them.
8. You don't need a set amount of time to journal. Five minutes one day, an hour the next, no time the following is fine.
9. Journaling is an affirmation that you DO have a life
10. Journaling can make you feel good even in the worst of times

Getting published on Triond is a snap.  I've been a contributor to Triond for one week.  It is a blast!  It is so easy to use.  I'm having so much fun.  I've had five articles published, focusing on baseball, the debates, and the election.  So far I would rate Triond a thumbs up.

With Triond, all you need is a computer, a few ideas, and a bit of patience.  Back in the day, you needed pen, paper, ink, and eraser.  No more.  Today's tools are the Internet, modem, and God willing, a reliable DSL connection.  Don't forget your camera .

Since I started on Triond, I have watched less television.  That is good.

Since I started on Triond, I have read fewer books.  That is not so good.

Since I started on Triond, my cell phone bill is lower.  And that is very good.

Speaking of money, my articles have yet to earn enough cash to pay off my writing snack debt pictured here.

 

But I have an idea for Triond.  Let's do some effective product placement around the Triond Network.  I'd like to submit M & M's, Samsung, and the authors John Townsend and Henry Cloud as our first clients.  We can call it triondvertising.  Triond, what do you say? 

I feel the cash piling up every time I check my dashboard for views and earnings reports (okay, I have to admit I am a bit obsessive compulsive with the frequency that I check the dash, like checking my email a bizillion times a day).  One day it will pay off and I'll be moving from peanut M & M's to Starbuck's frappuccinos.

I take heart because my writing juices have been flowing.  The ideas for articles are bouncing around my brain, flooding my heart, and surging through my fingertips, into my Dell (whoops, sorry about that, I'm only trying to attract Google) keyboard, and on to your computer screens.

Yes, the key to success on Triond is creativity.

Take the Triond test-drive.  Triond.  Where hope and creativity become content and viewership.  Triond.  Where writers get published.

Thank you to all a Triond for all you do - for such a worthwhile place for creative people!

Even if you are a writer at heart and would spend long hours writing for no money at all, there is something rewarding about getting paid for your labors. When I write it truly is a labor of love. Researching, verifying information, looking for just the right picture to clarify or illustrate my point is all part of the enjoyment. Having someone else read my point and understand where I am coming from is bonding. I have bonded with many writers at Triond. I feel as if they are a part of my family and they have grown to mean a lot to me. Triond was a place to get my feet wet.

You Don't Lose Your Work at Triond

I've had a short story published and a couple of poems, but this was different. I did not feel like I was selling myself and filling out a job application. I felt/feel validated and appreciated. My poems were published with no renumeration (prior to Triond) and the story garnered me $.03 a word. When they bought it, I lost all rights to it. They could change anything they wanted. It was no longer my story, but theirs. And once they paid me for it, there was no more pay forthcoming. They could use it as much or as little as they wanted. At Triond we not only get our work copy written, but we still own it.

You Get Paid Royalties at Triond

At Triond your articles continue to garner you an income. Your audience is limitless and timeless, unless you delete the story. You own your story. They do not alter your wording. It is still as personal or impersonal as you want or as true or fictitious as you desire. You have the internet at your finger tips to use to your full advantage. If you want to bookmark it any number of sites, it is your right, and Triond even makes it easy for you by placing a number of them within easy reach of your content. What if you don't want to? It's up to you also.

The Sky is the Limit on Topics

If you have submitted one of your articles to a bookmarking site you know how inconvenient some of the categories can be. I was trying to submit something to Digg the other day and there just was no available category to cover my topic. Triond does not limit us. Our topics can range as far as our imaginations can stretch, and they are always striving to add new areas for our content. This is the dream home for any writer.

Triond is Always Innovative

Triond has added a new layout, new skin, and even an area to save our drafts of articles while we work to complete them. They work with our articles and place our pictures just so, then insert our links so that they are not the awkward long strung out one we copied and pasted from our browser. They update our earnings each day so we know just how much we have earned daily, and which article is making the most revenue, and post our comments where we can save or delete them. I like the community where I can message other writers outside the viewing public in case I want to ask advice or offer any one on one (more likely ask).

Triond is Global

Triond allows people from all over the world to contribute and get paid. Triond provides us with a cultural exchange like no other I have ever known. I studied sociology in school and took two classes in college but it never gave me the perspective available from actually getting to trade information directly from someone across the globe. It has created a unique sharing with people from all walks of life.

As I have noticed that my earnings at Triond is slipping, for whatever reason, I have tried different bookmarking and networking sites, and then found another writing site, which pays for articles. While Triond still remains my favorite for all of the reasons listed above, here is a quick overview of eHow.

• To get paid you must be a U.S. citizen, and have a PayPal account.
• This is strictly a place to write “how to” instructions
• You can write one article in about 20 to 30 minutes

• There format is such that you simply fill in the steps, save, edit, preview, and submit. They even spell check it for you.
• Writers are friendly
• They send you an email message when you have a comment on an article or friend request
• You get points for each article you write, and can quickly climb to “Authority”
• You can gain extra points for writing about a “requested” topic
• You get paid after reaching $10.00.
• eHow will publicize your article so there is little need to bookmark
• As soon as you select the “publish it” button, it's published
• You can edit any time you like
• You can place links to your profile here at Triond on your profile page there, and even place links to your articles at Triond in your article there, so here is another means of increasing your revenue

If you decide to meander over to eHow for a spell, don't forget your family and home are still at Triond. It's a nice place to visit but there's no place like home.

• Keep a small notebook handy and jot down observations.
• Be on the lookout for a "haiku moment" in your daily life.
• Jot down images and moments to be worked up into a haiku later in the day.
• Be disciplined and write an observed moment each day.
  
• Use simple language. Focus on the moment.
• Begin looking and recording the simplest things; as you get into the habit these will become a wide range of observations as you become more attuned to your environment.

Remember, haiku are grounded in your senses.

Try not to use western-style literary techniques such as metaphors, similie and use adjectives and adverbs sparingly.

When you are ready to sit down with a fresh sheet of paper or a notebook or at the computer, work up several versions describing these images in three lines.

Brevity is desirable in Haiku. Use 17 syllables or less across the three lines and use everyday expression of language.

Look for the fundamental truths.

the first leaf
drops onto another
sunset

the focus of a leaf dropping suggests autumn and the first two lines could be read that a leaf falls onto another (falls) … it could also be read that the leaf drops onto another sunset. Sunset too could relate to the "sunset" or "autumn" of a life - the sun setting on the life of a middle aged person.

midwinter
weeds reclaim
the picnic bench

Let me know what you think of this one and how it reads to you.

As a result of writing haiku, you will find you are more alive to the moment and your appreciation of nature and your place within it will deepen as will the profundity of moments observed.

See article 1  here and article 2 here

First of all ... what it is not is -

haiku is NOT 17 syllables in 5-7-5 format
it does not have a title - the first line of an haiku is the title
it does not contain punctuation apart from a pause or ceasura
it does not contain poetic device (this is not a hard and fast rule - we will tackle this later)
it is too short a form to carry any padding whatsoever.
Haiku is not a list poem
it is not about "I"

What is Haiku?

Haiku is a maximum of 17 syllables, generally presented in short/long/short format over three lines
its a wonderful way of looking at the world and once you begin, you actually begin to "see" your world.
Haiku provides a way to your own truths, giving them substance by writing down, each day, what you see, think, feel, touch, smell. Once you start on this journey you find yourself listening to your own breathing and if you write from a truth without hesitation you will find your poems keep you centered and within the smallest moment that is magnified into a whole truth within this small poetry form.

And truths, often, speak to others.

Senryu is a form of haiku ... Haiku speaks of nature and Senryu of human nature.
Some publications and well renowned poets separate the two genres, others see them both as one and the same. I don't distinguish between them ... for me, if it is obviously human nature then it is naturally Senryu and if it is obviously nature then it is Haiku. The rules and everything else about both forms is the same.

Although it CAN be written as a 17 syllable format in the 5-7-5 this is not a requirement, because you will find (when you begin reading) that Haiku that sticks to the rigid 5-7-5 is mostly padded out to achieve the syllable count. Every word within haiku counts so make it work. The maximum syllable count is 17 but my advice would be not to count syllables. Write the poem and in the editing process you will find it finds its own syllable count and if you remain within the haiku guidelines this count will be under the maximum.

You will also find that some of the shortest haiku give the maximum imagery utilising the senses showing how such a short from can provide a whole story in just three lines, 6 words and 8 syllables as an example -

~

bike trail --
a dog walker
running

~~~

Both Haiku and Tanka, beautiful short concise forms that can be kept in the mind all day long are poetry for today and our fast-paced lifestyles. They are accessible observations of everyday life and when well written can become a profound, timeless moment - the essence of us.

What Not To Do

Watch television or read. I don't know if this works for some people, but I know when I watch TV or read, all the ideas I get are a copyright law suit waiting to happen. It prevents you from being original and tempts you to steal ideas.