How sweet it is
How sweet it is to get paid for one’s writing!
I received the cheque in the mail today for the prize winning poem I entered in a recent competition. Nice to be acknowledged in a competition – and get paid for it. It has inspired me to write more poems and stories and send them off to publishers. It has also spurred me on to get the many manuscripts of books ready for sending off too. I have a nice little collection of texts for picture books and novels for children just waiting for a final edit and a cover letter.
In addition to the cheque I also received a lovely certificate as the winning poet. Nice.
Good writing.
Prize Winning Poetry
Yahoo – I’m doing the writer’s jig again and again and again.
I just received notification this morning that I have won first prize in a Literary Competition. It was for a suite of poems in sonnet form and was entered in the Traditional Rhyming Poetry section. The competition was conducted by Freexpression magazine here in Australia, though entries were received from a number of countries.
It was hard work – a labour of love I guess. But getting recognition like this is very encouraging, especially seeing some of the place getters are frequent competition winners.
And the cash prize is very nice.
Check out some of my poetry here.
Good writing.
Playing with words
The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to
take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or
changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s
winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one
letter altered to form a real word.1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until
you realize it was your money to start with.2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops
bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows
little sign of breaking down in the near future.4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the
subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the
person who doesn’t get it.7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
9. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
10. Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these
really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s
like, a serious bummer.11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day
consuming only things that are good for you.12. Glibido: All talk and no action.
13. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when
they come at you rapidly.14. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after
you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into
your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in
the fruit you’re eating.And the pick of the lot:
17. Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an a__hole.
Thanks to Desire Hendrick’s for posting this on her blog A conservancy of one: exploring the craft of writing and life.
Postscript: A few days ago I wrote about the problem of bloggers merely copying the writing of others without bothering to add any value to the original. I’ve just broken my own rules by posting this list without comment.
I really couldn’t add anything to this list.
It’s completely brilliant.
One day I may come up with a few new “words” of my own.
I am a S.O.B.
I have just discovered that I have been given the official badge of recognition as a S.O.B. over on Liz Strauss’s Successful and Outstanding Bloggers‘ site.
What does S.O.B. stand for? Successful and Outstanding Bloggers.
Aaah! That nice warm feeling one gets when one’s achievements are recognised in some way.
Thanks Liz.
The badge can be seen by scrolling down the left hand side of this page.