Many people in different places believe writing is a nothing to do thing.

To some it may well be.

But to millions of people like me who write and work at it every day is a work of art.

For a disable person such as myself writing keeps me working.

Writing keeps my mind active and happy which makes for a great medium from depression and loneliness.

I really marvel at a lot of people who turn their noses up and laugh at people like me who write.

Writing comes in some many different forms and no two people are alike in their art.

Writing is my own oasis.

As for being published in the world of writing it takes more to actually be published and make good money.

Most people think when you have published something you should be rich.

These people know nothing about the publishing business and should not even go there without looking into it more closely.

Myself I have done much publishing of my works alone.

Many cost me nothing as my work is well liked in many circles of the business.

Of course I have made very little as well in Royalties as well.

I was approached several times by Lucille Ball’s publisher “Dorrance Publishing”.

I was found by them in the Library of Congress where I had filed my copyrights and, each time I filed a new works they were e-mailing me and calling me and so on and so forth.

But to get signed up with them you had to be ready to really put out an expense that many people like you and I cannot afford.

In fact if we could have we would have been a Best Seller tomorrow with our works .Mine alone would have maybe paid off and maybe not.

Writing is a hard job, but to get into the publishing business is much harder on just your credentials only.

I told one publisher if I had the money they wanted to publish me with I would not be seeking their money but watch mine and invest it more wisely.

Many writers live a poor but good life.

Writing makes the world go around for us in writing.

A bad review is sometimes a good review and should not deter anyone from writing on with their works.

You will find criticism everywhere.

You will also find people who will threaten you as well thinking your work means nothing for anyone anywhere as well.

Writing has changed from the “Dark Ages” and well it should have long ago.

In taking my Poet Laureate classes I found that the “Greats” would write Poetry and stories and then you had to place yourself in their minds eye and see all that they saw when they wrote something and it had to be correct or you were wrong and knew nothing about the arts.

Today it is more a free thing for a writer to write what ever takes their fancy at the moment.

I would not like everyone to see and view my Poetry as the same reading, but to expand and see and hear and feel what they wish to see , feel ,and hear ,

That is why I write in so many different ways to get all my works that I enjoy writing out there as there is a market for my works and it makes me feel great when I have succeeded at my works in one way or another. Many people write and tell me they like my works and wish more of it and I keep right on writing and give my one hundred percent to my works so they may enjoy or grasp something that works with their life no matter if it is heartache, sorrow, death, life, love or pleasure.

Rich is not always where life is about.

Yes money is good, but so is the Love of the Arts and making it sometimes poor and doing a good thing.

To many, yes I am poor, but to myself I am rich in my own soul and laugh many do, but only a fool laughs at nothing they know or cannot understand.

So write on everyone and seek your own pleasures and never let anyone put you down for being a person whom works and thinks and writes every day.

We are the rich one’s at heart

“Happiness is one who follows their own path and finds joy in all they do.”

This article shares with you five Triond masterpieces that stimulate me to love.  Click on each title to read the letter or poem.  Consider it a Christmas gift.

MJ Patrick - The Heart

MJ's portrayal of the heart is exact.  Vivid.  Brief.  Strong.  Scintillating.  Added bonus:  look at the bleeding heart beauties.

Melody Arcamo Lagrimas - Let Me Be

Melody's words touch me deeply, causing my heart to reach out.

Darla Smith - Hopelessly in Love

Darla's poem creates desire within me for my precious wife.

Virginia Morgan - My Friend

Virginia's letter makes me want to be a good friend.  A better friend.  A best friend.

Carolyn Garofalo - What is Love

Carolyn characterizes love with 14 different expressions.

(Honorable mention:  A Friend Worth Keeping by Jo Bingham - I could not find it again after going back to it, so keep an eye out for it.)

I desire to love more and to love better.  The Triond community enables me to love in fresh ways.

Eyeing the majestic grandeur of these five peaks has inspired me to consider five pillars that rock me to be a writer.  Before I share these pillars with you, I want to ask you a question. 

What Separates Your Writing from the Rest of the Pack?

We are all tempted to conform to the perceived needs of the publishing world because we all want to be published.  We seek to write popular content that drives the search engines.  At the same time, we attempt to offer our unique voice to a world screaming at our screens.

Want to rock somebody's world today?  Me too.  These five pillars reign over my writing just as the five peaks of Mt. Massive tower over Colorado.

Pure Passion

My passion to write is unpretentious.  It has grown over the years and is as hot as it has ever been right now.  I'm not sure where the passion comes from.  I do know that if it wasn't present, you would not be reading this article because I would not have written it.

What drives you to write well?  Deep down there is something within you trying to find its way out.  Explore your passion.  Taste and see by trying different genres, various topics, and varying writing styles. 

I want my passion to influence the world.  Similarly, my world will be better when your passion touches me through your blooming writing.

These flowers remind me of our writing:  the author is the bush and the flowers are the works of the author.  Notice that Mount Massive serves as a background (like the pillars) to the fruit of the bush.

Ultimate Purpose

I know what I want in life:  to make a difference in the world, to influence others for good.  I know from where I have come and where I am going.  My writing expresses my interests but it also is an avenue for me to touch your heart and to seize your brain.  I enjoy life and have a lot of fun.  I also want my very next breath to matter eternally.

Why do you write?

Tested Experience

I have been around the block a few times.  My life experiences are mounting up and significant they have been.  I am married with three children.  I have lost a child to heaven.  Three different continents have called me resident.  Both victories and losses hang on my wall of history.

The power of the pen (keyboard, ha, ha) is that we discover as we write.  We learn when we teach.  We conquer as we empower.  We prosper as we propagate.

What is the foundation of your writing?

You are unique.  There is no one on this earth like you.  Put yourself on display for the rest of us to see.  We want to know who you are, how life has impacted you, and how you are turning your blessings and curses into a life worth sharing.

Emerging Talent

Today separates my successful future from my less than fruitful past.  My hands contain some writing ability.  My limited success has not limited my ability to grow my talent as a writer.

The boulevard named Good Writer is still around the corner from me, but I am headed in the write direction.  Isn't it cool that as writers we can only get better?

How gifted are you as a writer?  What tools do you need to enhance your God-given talent?

Just as Mount Massive emerged from behind this hill into my sightline, I know that your writings will appear before our very eyes.

Insurmountable Hope

One sentiment enables me to move forward in touching my communities:  every article I write is better than the last one.  Wow, stop and think about that for a moment.  If I get to wake up tomorrow, and the next day, then the future is as bright as the opportunity that I give myself to make an impact.

I call this hope insurmountable because I truly believe that my writing will become better and better and better.  History shows that.  My heart tells me that.  My earnings page reveals it as well.  

My future is hope-filled because I want to become a better writer.  I want to use my passion to show my neighbors around the world, including you, that life is good.  As a writer I will turn my life's tragedies into triumphs, instilling still more hope.

What keeps you going as a writer?

The Tallest Peak is You

Pure passion.  Ultimate purpose.  Tested experience.  Emerging talent.  Insurmountable hope.  These five pillars lead us back to the computer screen day by day.  But one peak stands taller than the rest. 

You are you and no one else is. 

You are a real beauty.

But after a couple of nights of working with my keyboard, I made one article at last and submitted on the online editor.  When I received the first publication notice it was an unexpected great feeling.  As if I started a new journey, not greater than life but as exciting and even more challenging. 

The skill I thought I don't have was there all along in dormancy and perhaps with constant practice and lots of dedication I would be able to improve my writing skill even if it would take a little longer.  I believe I have all the time I need.

It's a liberating experience to write what your heart wishes to express.  Letting out the thoughts in one's mind through writing is a mental exercise which gives respite in the mind's restlessness.  It can be just throwing a question you longed to ask for so long but you do not know when and whom to ask.  For self expression, Triond offers one of the best frame.

The wide range of category even encourages and inspires the neophytes as well as the seasoned writers to write more and more articles as much as they can while enjoying at the same time the lack of restrictions to choose and discuss the topics they want.  The expectations of monetary benefit on this task is but a natural anticipation but the know-how it brings could mean more than the value of money can give.

I am very grateful for my friend who invited to this spot.  Triond is like a bundle of freedom that comes in a dot.

Chan Lee Peng

CHAN has been a consistent, strong writer on Triond. He continually inspires me with the wide array of diverse “hot content” articles he manages to successfully produce. While some of his work may come off as controversial, I admire the courage it takes to write about topics that can produce passionate emotions. It is partially because of his courage that helped me hit the “submit” button on my recent article:

Why Deleting Comments Does a Writer Good 

Because he stood up for me and made me feel better regarding a recent incident, I had the courage to publish the above article. And surprisingly, by risking my heart more in this piece, I feel I have already grown so much just in a single day by the invaluable responses I have received.

I would also like to add that it is important for readers to understand that sometimes cultural and language barriers can make a message more difficult to convey with the exact intent that is meant to be conveyed. The written word is actually neutral when you think about it; it only develops meaning when a reader places his/her interpretation on it. In my experience with CHAN, I believe he has a heart of gold and I am proud and honored that he is not only a writer I admire, but one I can also genuinely call my friend. He recently wrote me an email stating that he does not think he is as great as I think he is. This is yet another reason why I admire him. Humility is among the most beautiful traits I admire in other people.

image source 

Darlene McFarlane 

There is something about this lady that continually warms my heart. She writes and publishes a wide range of high quality work as well. From amazing pictures like:

Chipmunk Eating Peanuts

I have loved seeing the wide breadth of work she has been able to create. I am constantly challenged to expand my writing endeavors by people who produce interesting, timeless work. In addition, I believe that animals are drawn to true beauty and goodness, and for this gifted lady to have been able to get so incredibly close to these chipmunks says volumes about the type of person she is.

She is also a lady that stands up for what is right. Even without asking for support, this lady has given it to me at times when she may not realize, I needed it the most. I am limitlessly grateful to her for the kindness she has shown me. Words will never be able to fully express the depth of my appreciation.

Image Source

Anne Lyken Garner 

This beautiful and multi-talented lady reminded me one day with a simple email how important it is to help support fellow writers and people in general. Because of her, I have been even more diligent in my efforts to contact and thank people who have added me as friends/fans and answer questions that are sent to me as effectively and with as much care as I can. Her kind email reminded me that people in this world truly care and share the same vision as you, just to make this world a more beautiful place to live for everyone. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, she is highly intelligent with a strong character and confidence that is bold and undeniably admirable.

Now, after writing this article:

I doubly understand why some people continue to “rise to the top” and others do not. Through time and experience I have come to learn that life is not about a competition, it is not about trying to be better than anyone else. You discover, ironically, the more success you manage to enjoy the more humility knocks on your door; and, the more you realize how all fears, insecurities, desires, dreams, and thoughts are shared by everyone you meet, all those who read your work, and so forth.

Image Source 

(The picture above says: “Love Anchors Knowledge”)

So, then it becomes understandable that people who “rise to the top” do so because life is essentially about a continual circle of giving and receiving love. Anytime you impart knowledge and teach others how to live a happier, healthier life, you are lifting up the world. Thus, those with the most knowledge are typically the ones who are most prominent in the eye of the public; because, I truly believe, knowledge is the greatest form of love.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Life is also about teaching others how to love themselves more and how to learn to allow them to do the same for you. We need each other in this world to thrive and ultimately survive. Without understanding, acceptance, sincere endless gratitude for the kindness of others, we cannot continue to grow and realize our full potential. I will never be able to thank these writers and countless others enough for teaching me lessons I will remember and cherish the rest of my life.

Read on for More Inspiration:

• Answers to My Triond Success and Income 
• A Parable to Learn From - Sometimes we ask for help and then do not recognize which hand to take that reaches out to help us.
• How to Remain Inspired - When working on your dreams there will be highs and lows, but you can and ARE making them all come true!
• How to be a Triond Super Star - Believe 100% in you.
• What is Your Biggest Fear? 

Most times I write the emotions that I am feeling that day; I write happy things when I am feeling luck and on top of the world and I write love when I feel like the only person that has discovered what it is to really be in love. Let's not talk about those days that I feel sad or angry or just plain blue (I try hard not to show what I have written).

Writing poems for me is all about love and laughter and tears and fears and fairy tales that you dream about at night that you most put to paper and share with the rest of the world.

Free-will opposing Norms and Principles

As educated individuals, it remains our primary obligation to pay tribute to our nation by being objective and by utilizing our writing skills to address features and stories most important to our country. Creative Writers do not adhere themselves to the norms of their society and literary standards. They are more like day-dreamers who sketch their visualized castles on paper and are repeatedly accused of irrational themes, deconstructive thoughts and notions. Remarkable as it may seem, their work arises much curiosity, fame and prosperity as opposed to a traditional writers predictable context. They tend to break all rules and free themselves from daily constraints of reality. Their theories may seem neurotic in pattern and mystic in nature simply because they have merged visionary faith into their literature. Such an example is prevalent in William Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which chants creative imagination empowered with the supernatural world.

Reading widely

Writing can be developed as a craft through perseverance and eagerness. Reading can invoke your inner most thoughts. You need to read as much as possible to identify and personalize your writing style. Initially you may read only non-fiction or mystery but exploring diverse genres of literature opens your minds to accept different styles of narration. People all around tend to evaluate your potential based on which you may excel as a writer. Expose your work to masses and consume their reaction. Be sensitive to other readers and soon you will win yourself a dedicated crowd of readers.

Reaching out

If you work for a local newspaper, you need to reach out to the people all around you by stimulating them to react and response to your writing. Don’t limit your writing to concerts, latest fashion or upcoming events or movie reviews but explore audience reactions and what your readers are looking forward while trying all the while to answer the following similar questions. What Event, Why is it happening in your state, why so late or why it is delayed/ rescheduled, When is the event, who is free to attend, is the event on a weekend or does it coincide with another gig? Where is the event and why it is staged there, how do you expect the crowd to be? These questions surely get your audience involved- While you wait for your article to get published, they search your article to catch a glimpse of their remark. You need to contribute your efforts to the society you live in. Look around you and what do you see: Famine, Drought, Corruption, Immorality, Rapes and Abuses. Through your Poetry or articles, you can depict the horrors your society confronts or detail the excellent infrastructure of your city.

Rewriting and Recreating

At times you may feel a strong urge to rewrite a paragraph or verse in a poem or story. In your own solace, you may want to pen down your thoughts upon finishing a certain chapter. Various ideas may flash through your mind as you summarize a chapter or note down your reactions. When you finish, your inspiration will stare back at you in big bold font. Don’t worry yourself with Ethics and Norms. As a free will writer you gradually learn the art of expressing your personal heart-felt, provocative and intrusive ideas and are never afraid to take on an opponent in your game of words. Rest assured your logic will one day be evaluated, preserved, and dignified.

Is there soul in their writing? Does their heart drive the words onto the page? Do they use their hands, the instrument of their craft with heart and passion? Do the words flow freely like a pianist moving their hands over the keys?

I believe if someone loves the craft, it will be reflected in the writing. A person can work on structure and technique all their lives, but if the heart isn't in it then it becomes a fruitless effort. Put some soul in your success. It will leap off the page and into the hearts of your readers.

Truly great art is eternal, beyond the here and now, It will touch generations long after the person who put it to the page is gone. Thus a part of them, will be immortalized in the souls of everyone who reads their work.

Jump in with heart and passion, it will be worth it

As a thank you to some of the writers and photographers who have touched my heart and inspired me by their great talents, generosity and work, I wanted to post some links to my favorite pictures and one article that hopefully you will enjoy as much as I did.

Enjoy!

1. Cici Rivera: This is truly a Must See! It is a white, black, and red spider! You will be amazed!
2. Lucy Lockett: The beauty of an up close Monarch Butterfly.
3. Darlene McFarlane: Another Must See, Chipmunk Eating Peanuts!
4. A.King: This is a well done article. Simply from viewing the great layout and pictures that were added taught me much on how to make an effective article.

Everyday, I continue to try to view more work from my fellow peers. If you ever think that you may run out of things to write or take pictures of, look toward those around you to continue to be inspired. Their work, as well as the work of many others on this site has added to the enjoyment and beauty in my life and my creative energy.

Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart for sharing your beauty with others. When you do and continue to do so, you add and multiply to the beauty, happiness, and joy that exist in our world! You have inspired me and I am beyond grateful to you all!

Poe also uses time to create suspense in the story. He sometimes makes time go slower to emphasize how slow and carefully the insane man is doing something like when the man saw him and he did not move for a long time “I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle…” (pg.204). He also sometimes makes time go faster to emphasize how fast the insane man is doing or thinking about something.

Poe repeats words and uses evil and dark words in the story to scare the reader and to create more suspense. For example, one of the times Poe repeated words was when the insane man thought he could hear the old man's heart beating. The insane man says, “…the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker and louder and louder every instant.”(pg. 205) In the story, Poe uses dark words to describe the intensity of the insane man's crime and to show how crazy the man was.

Poe gets the reader involved in the story to create more suspense, too. He has the reader involved in the story by writing quotes directly to the reader to explain some of the things in the story to the reader so they don't have to figure out what he is talking about. In the story, the exact opposite thing happens in the end because the insane man confesses to his crime, which was unexpected because he had planned it so carefully and Poe did this to have the reader thinking about what would happen in the end of the story even though something totally different was going to happen.