Good morning, or afternoon, and welcome back to Artistry With Words. My name is Bill and I’ll be your host during the next ten minutes while you walk our aisles and see if you spot anything worth keeping. Enjoy yourselves and please, take the free samples that are available to you all.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies.”~Ray Bradbury
Oh my God, read that quote again. Good writers touch life often…bad ones rape her. There is not much room for doubt in that quote. It is pretty obvious where Mr. Bradbury sits regarding good writing, and I so agree.
As a writer on HubPages I have access to hundreds of thousands of articles, and at least 100 new articles pop up daily. After sixteen months on that site I am still amazed by the number of bad articles I see. They are lifeless and undeserving of the term “writing.” Then, just about the time I want to throw up my hands and scream, someone will come along with an exquisite piece of writing that makes my heart soar…and I am relieved and grateful.
Writers have a rich tradition to uphold. I believe that and so should you. J
TIP OF THE DAY
From Alice Schroeder, author of “The Snowball”
- Do some living so you have some interesting experiences to write about
- Become an expert
- Seek out, listen to and beg for criticism.
A three-for-one sale today. Do some living….if we can refer back to Bradbury’s quote, that good writers touch life often, then we have to conclude that good writers have experienced life.
For those of you finding your niche…once you find it, you must portray yourself as an expert in that niche.
And last but not least, we will never improve if we are not willing to listen to criticism. It’s all well and good to have your family and friends tell you how good you are, but what will really move you to the next level is honest criticism.
SITE OF THE DAY
I love the site Funds For Writers by Hope Clark. You can find it here. I have followed this site for over a year now, and it offers many opportunities for fellowships, workshops, contests and opportunities to find available funds out there. Sign up for her newsletter and have it delivered to your email. I think you’ll like it.
WRITER OF THE DAY
Say hello to Melanie Chisnall. You can find her blog, Scribbles and Smiles, right here
Why do I recommend Mel? I guess the main reason is because she writes with her heart. She cares deeply about animals and healthy living, and I love her passion for life. Like me, she quit her full-time job to become a writer. She made the commitment, followed her heart and chased after her dream. How can you not root for a person like her?
BOOK OF THE DAY
The title is simply “Love,” and it is written by the late Leo Buscaglia. Get it….you will not be sorry. Mr. Buscaglia was a world-renowned author who wrote about relationships and yes, love, and also taught classes about those subjects. His perspective is delightful. This is a small book, only 205 pages in paperback, and you can find it online for a buck or so. It is well-worth reading.
PROMPT OF THE DAY
This is the sign (mural) that welcomes people to our neighborhood, the Northeast Neighborhood of Olympia, Washington. What do you see? What do you feel when you look at the picture?
SEE YOU AGAIN MONDAY
That’s right, I now take weekends off, so I’ll be back with you on Monday, April 29th, for more tips and suggestions. Have a great weekend!
Bill
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 
Oh I love all the inspiration here jam packed in one place. Also love the shout out to Melanie and totally agree with you. Have a great weekend and yay for having weekends off now!! 🙂
Thank you Janine! If you get anything out of this then I am happy. Hooray for weekends indeed my friend.
Again many thanks for all the info. I too love Leo Buscaglia and have many of his tapes as well as books. Truly a beautiful man who left us way to soon. I continue to read and learn much as always. Have a great weekend my friend.
Thank you Larry! Any friend of Leo Buscaglia is a friend of mine. 🙂
You know, I wasn’t feeling so great – a bit down this morning really – because my cold/flu/whatever you want to call it is refusing to get lost and payday is just too far away this month….things are a little tighter tan usual, but then I came across your blog and my bad mood’s all gone. Thank you for the shout-out Bill! That means a lot to me, especially today :)) Loved the post today, as always. Have a great weekend!
Mel, I have done my job if this made you happy. I’m glad and I hope you feel better soon my friend.
Bill, I am going through your old blog posts because I wanted to start from the beginning and see how much I can learn. I plan to comment when I feel moved and I am moved to comment on this one. If this is what I can expect, your frankness, and I know that it is, I picked right when I started following this blog. I have not given it the attention that I wanted to in the past trying to catch up on Hubpages. Bill, you are the expert in your niche. I appreciate the time and effort that you take the prove that every day.
Rodric, frankness come with a price, as I’m sure you know, but I just don’t have the time left in this life to sugarcoat things of importance.