And a very Happy Tuesday to you all! I hope the weekend was good to you, and you are ready to dazzle the masses with your words.
This marks the first of the expanded format here on Artistry with Words. I hope you find it helpful. If not, we’ll change it again.
I spent the weekend working on our urban farm, and we also went to the Northeast Neighborhood Street Fair. What a great community we live in. What great neighbors! I am feeling quite blessed today.
Let’s get this show on the road. Hop in my jalopy and buckle up. Let’s find out what this engine can really do on the open road.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“But I think beautiful is simple and elegant, like a ballad with simple harmony.”
John Fogerty
How often do you visit a site where John Fogerty is quoted?
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Let’s talk a moment about the elegance of writing. We writers are communicators. I heard once that we are the storytellers of our generation, and I believe that to be true. I want to put in a word about practicing elegance when you are writing.
There is a beauty in words when they are used perfectly. It really is quite remarkable what we are capable of saying with a few simple nouns and verbs, mixing and matching, tossing in and tossing out. It would be a shame, wouldn’t it, if we did not do our best to find all of the elegance we could with those words?
Metaphors….similes….themes…..voice….tone….we have so much to use as our tools.
Don’t shortchange your readers. Give them your best. They deserve it. Make each of your writings elegant, and at the end of the day you can step back, look at your words, and smile.
TIP OF THE DAY
Try a new approach to your writing this week. Even if it is just one article, or one flash fiction exercise, try writing in a different point of view, or toss in a metaphor you have never used….something that stretches you as a writer.
SUCCESS OF THE DAY
A shout out to my dear friend Sha, who shared the following with me on last week’s blog:
“I’ve been fortunate this week to have change come to me. I had just purchased a course on how to double your freelance earnings. This was Tuesday. No sooner had I downloaded the program (which I’ve yet to look at and now don’t have the time) that I was sent a short assignment writing meta descriptions. Later that day I heard from an author in need of an editor who was referred to me. Then I heard back from CopyPress who had sent me a couple of (paid) test assignments for Rocky Top Log Furniture. They also have a DIY reality show on DIY Channel and American Country Channel, called Logheads. They loved my copy and now I have 29 product descriptions to write for their website. Whoo hoo!
On top of that, the author has accepted my rates and I’m in the process of drawing up the contract.
These times they are a changin’! Finally!!”
Hooray to Sha! Perseverance and hard work led to that success. She never gave up and finally good things are coming to her. That, my friends, is human elegance.
PROMPT OF THE DAY
A picture prompt today. What does this picture say to you? Could you write 100 words on it for a little warm-up exercise? Well then do it!
WRITER OF THE DAY
I’m going to give another shout out, but this time to a new writer who just started following me on HubPages. I’m all about community among writers, and helping one another out, so I’m asking you to show some support for this writer. Comment on her work and tell her how you heard about her. Let her know that this community idea works if you work it. Say hello to Iris Draak from Boise, Idaho. You can find her here.
CONTESTS OF THE DAY
The Hollis Summer Poetry Prize Contest can be found here
The Aura Estrada Short Story Contest can be found here.
SITE OF THE DAY
I discovered a new blog from an old friend. I invite you to visit…it says it is a website for women, but that didn’t stop me from signing up….say hello to Jo at her site, found here.
AND SOME SELF-PROMOTION
If interested, you can buy my latest novel, Resurrecting Tobias, on my website at www.williamdhollandauthor.com.
And because my friend Sha asked about my ebooks, here is one of them available on Kindle.
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY
Thanks for the visit. I hope you found something worthwhile. I’ll see you again on Thursday.
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 
Loving the new version and think that this totally suits you and your site perfectly. Congrats to Sha and also wishing you a wonderful Tuesday today, too!! 🙂
Thank you Janine. It’s appropriate that you were the first to comment on the new, expanded version. You are appreciated my friend.
Thanx for the shout out, Bill. I’ll have to come back. I’ve been battling computer problems all day. 😦
Same here, Sha. No internet for two hours this morning. Anyway, you are welcome.
I was out of commission until about 2:30 this afternoon. I had one article left yesterday to complete my 29 PD assignment (Rocky Top Log Furniture) and came across (another) duplicate for which I had to be sent a new link. Unfortunately, my project manager was off yesterday. Fortunately, I was sent the alternative link after I resolved my Google problems, so I still met my deadline date, just not the deadline time.
Needless to say, I’m a tad burned out. I’ll be back to check out the links you’ve provided. I briefly checked out Iris and she seems to be someone I’d like to get to know.
Have a good evening. I hope your computer issues have been resolved and the stress level has been reduced.
All is well here, Sha. It took a couple hours but they got the internet back up. It was a good reminder, though, that I need to have a backup plan of some sort. I’m just not sure what that will be.
Relax and enjoy your evening. You deserve it.
Mmmm…i can feel the positive energy emanating from this post, Bill! VERY elegant indeed!
Congrats Sha!!
(John Fogerty, Bill??) lol
There’s a bad moon rising, Sis! Of course John Fogerty! Are you kidding me? That man was a god when I was in college. 🙂
Hugs to you dear lady, and thank you.
Amen! I wasn’t in college, but John Fogerty was huge in the era!
I hear ya, Bill
elegance sparks an interest since it has poise in what the writer is trying to convey!
I was missing your blogs, until now 🙂
Thanks, Ruchira. It’s nice to be missed. 🙂 Have a great week.
I’m enjoying the new format as well. Once again, the info is on point and so useful. Thanks for all you do, Bill!
Thank you, Musu, and it is my pleasure.
Hi Dear Friend Billy Buc…a hectic day, just taking a minute to get online…one of those days, LOL…stepped in dog poop on the way to taking our mischievous cat to the vet…but this too shall pass…my shoe has been disinfected, run thru the machine – scalding hot water, Clorox, lots of detergent…drying like new on the deck. LOVE your format…and huge congrats to Sha…don’t know if I have mentioned your background here of the hills, grass, trees…I know it is not your property…don’t see any quails and I know you do not like lawns lol 🙂 Thank you for wonderful advice as always. So good to sit down and read a “billy buc” write…as you share what you know, we grow! God bless always, Sparklea 🙂
Lea my friend, thank you! I’m sorry but I was laughing over the dog poop incident. Not a day goes by that I don’t step in some sort of poop in our backyard. You would think I would be smart enough to wear rubber boots, or at least be careful where I put my foot, but oh no! Every single day! LOL
Have a wonderful evening, Lea. You made my day.
Well this was a fun jam-packed article today! 😉 I just wrote a long 1000-word article on my personal site today and feel elevated, LOL! Writing 100-word articles on losing weight and fitness, and then up to 300-word only posts on health and wellness get a little boooooooring. Hope you’re having a great day that side… we’re having a real winter’s day and rain and snow on the mountains. Hopefully the last before spring. Have a good one!
Thank you Mel. I appreciate the kind words on the expanded version. Having said that, now I have to post a small one because I ran out of time. LOL