Inspiration to Write

Now that I’ve made the decision to write, where do I find the inspiration to write and WHAT do I write?

Well first I go to the forum threads at LinkedIn, my new hangout. Topics abound on many different subjects and many ideas for writing topics spring up in my head. I thought about heading into WVU to take some online classes but I’m not ready to immerse myself into that yet.

While Writers Village University is my first love, the dedication I had to the site was lost and I’m having a heck of a time in getting back there. I find I can’t concentrate too well there. I still have ‘friends’ there but getting into a class and writing is just not in me yet. Maybe one day WVU will creep back in like the writing bug? Maybe I’ll find delight in going to class and sharing my writing once again, but for now I think I’ll stick to blog posts and poetry.

I’ve been with LinkedIn for quite a few years now but never felt like a real participant in the community forums. On the site, there are so many writers there it kinda makes your head spin. I’m not talking about wannabe writers, many are published writers, editors, and anything you need to know about writing is found there.

I find great discussions going on way out of my league because these folk seem to have MFA degrees and Bachelor degrees, and slim pickings for the wannabe’s like me. At least at WVU we all seem to be on the same level trying to acquire knowledge and grow as a writer from what we learn there.

While I don’t find inspiration at WVU, there are many that have, if you’re in the right clique. As many of you know, I’m not into cliques and all they stand for. I find more isolation in cliques than inspiration and I think that may be what drove me away to begin with. I’ve always fit into my blogging experience. It’s my haven where I can write share and possibly inspire folk.

I’ve met some great people via the blogosphere and even though you don’t see comments from them all, I know they’re there. They’ll read whatever they can and when I write something that triggers a response, they’ll comment. Other than that, I’m in an isolation booth, the Cone of Silence if you will, where I do all the talking in silent mode, they do the listening in an audience mode and this, my friends, is where our minds meet.

Back to the topic: Inspiration. Where do you find it? For me at this juncture, it has been in the forum groups at Linked In. They ask a question, and people intelligently respond and I feed off of their knowledge. I have written because of them and it is because of them I jumped back in the saddle.

I normally don’t contribute to the topic because most of what is said are things I would have said, so my input isn’t necessary. But I do find it as inspiring as watching the sunrise over the treetops, or the wind bustling through the trees, or the rain (rare to see this year) but rain none the less is definitely an inspiration-filled day.

Inspiration can be found on many different levels; in words, nature, forums and discussions. You just need to see words for all they’re worth and to me words are hidden gemstones of inspirational writing.

What inspires you to write? You don’t have to answer, just mull over the thought for a bit, be inspired and WRITE!

The WINDS of Change

“The trouble is not really in being alone, it's being lonely. One can be lonely in the midst of a crowd, don't you think?”
~ Christine Feehan

Waving Hi, from the windy state of Nebraska. Sure Chicago can claim “the Windy City” but I am here to unofficially lay claim to the name Windy State of Nebraska! As weather forecasters will lie to you and say, it’s going to be breezy, I’m here to say, 25mph sustained WINDS with gusts to 45mph does not make it ‘breezy’; where I come from (Baltimore, Md.) that is downright WINDY!

The winds have been sustained for more than a week now, I’m sure of that, which hinders any time in the garden even though I’m loving the cool temps. Last week we had record-breaking heat with temps reaching 97 and in some places 100-104! A few days before that we had SNOWFALL and today it is struggling to reach 60!

These crazy weather shifts gives rise to tornadoes and some storm-wreaking havoc. It’s made me think of the winds of change sweeping over my life as well as this lovely state of Nebraska. Living out here in isolation – yes, a closed down turkey ranch with one other house is sheer isolation for me. While I love the beauty, solitude and quietness of the place, it sure can elicit a solid empty feeling of loneliness.

An overly friendly person I am, who sees the outside physical world maybe once every two or three weeks (that being a trip to the food store or church, twenty miles away from my house) can sometimes feel the isolation as smothering. This is where my writing garden comes into play. And to think ten years ago I never TOUCHED a computer, I have now taken up one of my beau’s famed addictions and that is, life on the computer!

In this windowed world, there is no wind! There is a collage of friendships to be had and thus I find myself clinging to the writing world and the sites that have anything to do with writing, and the daily dose of facebook, mind you.

THIS is why I chose to dive headfirst into f2k again. Even IT has taken on the winds of change. Once a free writing course, now a FEE writing course, which will enable serious writer’s to take the plunge into the writing frenzy that they so desire. F2K is the birth of a silent muse. That’s right folks, as your muse lay dormant, f2k can fire up the silence with seven weeks of active writing.

Whether it is making new friends, feedbacking and critiquing others, f2k is the place to put your money where your words are. You’ll suddenly feel the winds of change in everything from writing, confidence, all the way through to a finished short story.

You too will see why I find inspiration in a fallen tree (due to winds), sprouting seeds, flowers bursting forth, the aroma of newly fallen rain (when we get it) and the humming of tractors to the hissing of pivots making their rounds.

Isolation can bring about the winds of change, as well as a lost feeling of loneliness but that is why my only ties to the enormous outside world lay right here…at my fingertips.

“Lingering is so very lonely when one lingers all alone.”
~ Mervyn Peake

The Writing Garden

It’s been a while since I’ve had a post on writing. It’s because I haven’t watered my garden lately and feel since it is spring/summer, it is high time I get to watering.

Have you ever hit a writing slump, where you want to be writing but then nothing happens? You sit day after day tapping on the keys, then you realize nothing really makes sense of what you wrote? That could be considered writer’s block, but wait, no it can’t because you did write it just didn’t sound right or make any sense.

Here in Nebraska we get very little rain. That depresses me because I love the rain and cool weather. My whole body responds and I get a lot more writing done that makes perfect logical sense. When it’s dry and you go from winter and jump right into summer with ninety-degree days, my body shuts down. The sun is scorching the land and my body responds with aches and pains I didn’t feel in the cool crisp weather.

Here’s what I noticed: We recently got out and planted our garden. Seeds sprinkled here, plants positioned there and the garden now needs tending. Miss one day of watering and a droop falls over the plants as if hanging their head low wanting to be refreshed.

Writing is a lot like that; you’ve planted the seeds whether in your heart and soul, or on the blank page. You’re all set to sit down and tap away. Blank, you draw a blank. Water, you need water, you’re in the drooping phase of your writing garden, and you need nurturing.

Slap me upside the head with a wet rag, I’ve decided to spark my muse with a little watering from an f2k session again. F2K WAS a free course, but now it is offered at a ten dollar fee, a sixty day membership with WVU, and a book Pumping Your Muse, by Donna Sunblad, author and member of WVU.

It is free to members, which I am a lifetime member so it is free to me. It looks like a promising session since a lot of the people who signed up for the FREE course, really just came to see what it was all about and soon would leave when they knew there was work involved in writing. Yes people, writing involves work, just as tending a garden.

Writer’s Village University, WVU, is a writing school that I began studying at many years ago. It has helped me tend my garden of writing. Sure I’ve had ups and downs throughout the course of my stay but really there has been more ups than downs.

I am no longer a mentor which gives me hope in a promising course after being told I would be allowed full access to all the classrooms, not just sitting in a lone room, where visitors would pop in, and classmates would dwindle. This session when the class gets low, I can actually roam the halls and visit other rooms and comment and help writer’s as I’ve been known to do in years past.

There is always hope in the Garden of Writing. I’m sure I’ll keep you abreast of what is happening and how it’s all going, so stay tuned…the garden will soon be in full bloom soon.

A New Beginning

EmBARKing on something new...

Well tomorrow starts a new leg of MY journey. It’s kind of ironic being on this side of the fence, a student? Wow, I forgot about all the excitement and anxiety I felt before the first day of class. This is a new beginning for me and I’m off to a good start.

I’m still on the assistance end of the fence too. One leg hanging over the assistants’ side, one leg dangling over the newcomers side as a student. Can one be split in two and carry both, walking the fine line of student, assistant? Can I straddle the fence for the duration of the course? I know me, all to well. I am a mentor at heart so will I cross the line and help when I’m supposed to be a student in the learning mode?

I’m looking forward to the class with new expectancy. I won’t be sidetracked with the others immature behavior, I’d like to stay on track and be the professional that I’ve become over the years. The NEW site actually has THREE tabs to click, HOME, WORK, PLAY. Just as the tabs say, one is HOME, where info, rules and guidelines are. WORK, is where the classrooms are, FAQ’s and a Café! And PLAY is where you can play on a facebook style social wall.

As with EVERY session, people enter the site, never read the FAQ’s, and ask, “Where is my classroom?” I do understand that newcomers are new to the site and many times new to the writing world, but it seems to me, you’d look around and read all the pertinent information FIRST. It is where you’d find out 1) classrooms are not open yet and will be assigned when the course begins. 2) Where the profile pages are and how to go about getting an avatar. (google images) 3) That just by registering for the site, registers you for the course!

F2k has two sites. The old ugly brown beige looking one (on my screen), and the NEW site which is a light gray, clean-shaven looking page! People are sent an invite weeks before hand with a link to the new course beginning, and still people enter the OLD site, asking where the classrooms are and when do they begin. On that social wall, there is the link, over and over, to register for the new site, and yes it automatically registers you for the class. But you still get, on the new site, “where are the classrooms.”

A funny lot, inquisitive writers are. It’s as if they jump, without looking to see if there is a safe landing spot beneath them first. Jump into the water, without the curiosity of possible sharks wandering around? Really? Jump in, I say, the water is nice and warm, read first all you can, THEN ask a question that might not have been covered.

As I embark on this new phase, I have harpooned the sharks. I have made new friends and have met up with some dear old ones, that are true. I’ve learned an awful lot this year that has flew by and one thing I will never forget is that, you can always begin again. It’s like Tolkien said, There and Back again. But you knew that, right? Because you read Lord of the Rings? READ before jumping. Begin a new phase, not with blinders on, but with WINGS wide open!!!

Dialogue ~ To say or Not to say

Numbers 16:31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

***

“Excuse me, can you help me?”

No! I’m busy.

“But I need your help in understanding something.”

Okay, but make it quick, I have a lot of work to do here.

“What is dialog? And why can’t I use tags?”

Well, missy, you need to listen up. Dialog is a conversation between two people in a story. Like what we’re doing?

“Are we in a story?”

No, but your on my blog and I’m talking to you!

“Oh.”

Did you see that play on words up there? This weeks lesson at f2k is dialog. The word dialog can be spelled with the UE or without, just for those of you grammar checkers out there. I’ve looked  up the word and either spelling is acceptable.

Anyway, our lesson is for dialog with no tags. Tags are the cozy words at the end of who is speaking.

“Excuse me, can you help me?” she says in a timid way.

“No! I’m busy.” The lady behind the counter grumbles.

Practicing not using tags, really helps you see into the window of the characters. We have no backdrop, no setting up of the scene, we have words. Words that need to be read by the reader, and they need to follow who is speaking. If you can’t do a 500 word piece of dialog with no tags, then you need to strengthen the personality of your characters.

Something always stands out with your character, whether it is a strong accent, a southern belle type character, a farmer Bob type guy. In practicing no tags, we’re fleshing out our character and giving them personality and making them come alive.

Yes, in books we use tags. Novels are written with the dialog using tags, but take a look at those novels, any one of them. The dialog does not have a tag EVERY SINGLE sentence of a conversation. It doesn’t because once you’ve established who is speaking, you can really carry a conversation along a few pages with a tag here and there.

This is a tough lesson also. I never said that F2k was this easy, fly by night course on easy writing. No, it teaches important skills that are going to carry you through your writing and hopefully have you writing better with just one course. Maybe through all my blog posts on the matter of the free course, you can tell if it is something that you’d like to try when we offer it again in April.

Even if your not a writer, maybe this course will give you something to try for. Believe me, it will help when you’re jotting down a blog too. You’ll soon see that this course will have you using these skills without you realizing that you’ve drank from the knowledge pool and are now serving it to others.

F2K Begins

Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed. ~Ray Bradbury
***

The exodus has begun. People flocking to the Social Scene, f2kers all lined up outside waiting for the classrooms to open so they can make their way in to begin the writing journey of a life time.

F2K is the free writing course that I’ve mentioned over and over throughout the years. Monday was the last day to register, so if you’ve missed registration, I’ll have to see you next time around. And since the course happens four times a year, the likelihood that I’ll get to read you and your writing is pretty good.

F2k Stands for Fiction 2000. It is a free course offered by R.J. Hembree and is a child of Writer’s Village University. Some are afraid to sign up because they think there is a hidden fee? There is no hidden fee. Free means just that, FREE! I had quite a few people from here (my blog), and Face book friends take the course, and they loved it.

Can you imagine a writing course making a writer out of you? I’ve seen people who have never written a thing in their life take the course, and come back time and time again because of what they learned the first time around. They were never writers before but they loved the course so much, that they came back to learn and seek out that writer hiding within.

The lessons never change so if you take it once, you’ll get to see the same lessons the second time around, but they are so flexible, you can have numerous characters and plenty of story options to work with, with each session. Don’t be afraid of opening a vein to a new character, or peeling back layers of yourself and finding that you’ve always wanted to be a writer. And most of all, never tremble at the sight of writers who’ve been here before you, plunging into the course right along with you.

Sometimes it can seem intimidating working with long time writers, but soon you find out, that we are learning and growing with you. We don’t know everything and there is always a portal of knowledge that we need to climb through to make us better writers.

You can join the F2K Social scene, free, but you won’t have access to the classrooms if you didn’t register. But you can hang out and learn, what with all the discussions on the board, blog entries, fun and camaraderie, you’ll be glad you did.

Blog-o-sphere

Job 17:12 They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.

***

Blog Catalog

What happened to the friendly, easy to maneuver place where links were at the click of a mouse. Blogs were found easily and you could SHOUT OUT to a blog you liked and visited with an effortless flow. It was bright, congenial, new friends were made, blogs of importance were easily noted, and I visited often, to see what was new in the blogosphere.

Well one day I clicked and could have sworn I hit the wrong button. I thought I hit some kind of stock photography site, with all the pics and chosen links.  The also have an, ‘expose yourself’ option where you can, here’s the catch, PAY to have your blog front and center. Isn’t that sweet? You can pay to have your blog front and center! Before the upgrade, the expose your blog annoyingly appeared in your shout box whether you liked it or not. I couldn’t tell you where it is now.

A nice little box at the bottom, of all the PLUS members, showing just who paid to upgrade, and next to that is a list of links of POPULAR  BLOG CAT, I can’t read the rest because I have a big black stripe down the entire right side of the page, on both firefox AND my Internet Explorer.

So while I’m enjoying discovering new things about Blog Catalog, and see this catalog of blogs advancing into the future, I’m not tech savvy to where I can understand why half of my screen is obliterated from being seen.

On the list of topics, I see Arts, Entertainment and such, along with WRITING, and when clicked, my blog is fifth from the top! Woohoo! Now I’m LOVING blog catalog because many of my followers have found me through them, and commented and went on to join the Free Writing Course (f2k) that Writer's Village University has in session right now as I write this.

Am I giving Blog Catalog a bad review? By no means at all. They have taken the needs of the blog writers, given them a display case, and allowed them to shine and stand on their own merit. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that. I just want the black strip down the right side of my page gone so I can leave friends a comment, shout out to them, let them know I’m reading and enjoying their work.

I told one of my students the other day, after we at the F2K have been upgraded to a new site, “It’s all about clicking in this cyber world.” And I’m finding with Blog Catalog, the more I click, the more I learn. I might not be a tech savvy woman, but I certainly am a click happy one.

Happy Writing...and Happy Blogging!

What happened to the friendly, easy to maneuver place where links were at the click of a mouse. Blogs were found easily and you could SHOUT OUT to a blog you liked and visited with an effortless flow. It was bright, congenial, new friends were made, blogs of importance were easily noted, and I visited often, to see what was new in the blogosphere.

Well one day I clicked and could have sworn I hit the wrong button. I thought I hit some kind of stock photography site, with all the pics and chosen links.  The also have an, ‘expose yourself’ option where you can, here’s the catch, PAY to have your blog front and center. Isn’t that sweet? You can pay to have your blog front and center! Before the upgrade, the expose your blog annoyingly appeared in your shout box whether you liked it or not. I couldn’t tell you where it is now.

A nice little box at the bottom, of all the PLUS members, showing just who paid to upgrade, and next to that is a list of links of POPULAR  BLOG CAT, I can’t read the rest because I have a big black stripe down the entire right side of the page, on both firefox AND my Internet Explorer.

So while I’m enjoying discovering new things about Blog Catalog, and see this catalog of blogs advancing into the future, I’m not tech savvy to where I can understand why half of my screen is obliterated from being seen.

On the list of topics, I see Arts, Entertainment and such, along with WRITING, and when clicked, my blog is fifth from the top! Woohoo! Now I’m LOVING blog catalog because many of my followers have found me through them, and commented and went on to join the Free Writing Course (f2k) that Writers Village University has in session right now as I write this.

Am I giving Blog Catalog a bad review? By no means at all. They have taken the needs of the blog writers, given them a display case, and allowed them to shine and stand on their own merit. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that. I just want the black strip down the right side of my page gone so I can leave friends a comment, shout out to them, let them know I’m reading and enjoying their work.

I told one of my students the other day, after we at the F2K have been upgraded to a new site, “It’s all about clicking in this cyber world.” And I’m finding with Blog Catalog, the more I click, the more I learn. I might not be a tech savvy woman, but I certainly am a click happy one.

Happy Writing...and Happy Blogging!


Job 17:12 They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.
***
What happened to the friendly, easy to maneuver place where links were at the click of a mouse. Blogs were found easily and you could SHOUT OUT to a blog you liked and visited with an effortless flow. It was bright, congenial, new friends were made, blogs of importance were easily noted, and I visited often, to see what was new in the blogosphere.

Well one day I clicked and could have sworn I hit the wrong button. I thought I hit some kind of stock photography site, with all the pics and chosen links.  The also have an, ‘expose yourself’ option where you can, here’s the catch, PAY to have your blog front and center. Isn’t that sweet? You can pay to have your blog front and center! Before the upgrade, the expose your blog annoyingly appeared in your shout box whether you liked it or not. I couldn’t tell you where it is now.

A nice little box at the bottom, of all the PLUS members, showing just who paid to upgrade, and next to that is a list of links of POPULAR  BLOG CAT, I can’t read the rest because I have a big black stripe down the entire right side of the page, on both firefox AND my Internet Explorer.

So while I’m enjoying discovering new things about Blog Catalog, and see this catalog of blogs advancing into the future, I’m not tech savvy to where I can understand why half of my screen is obliterated from being seen.

On the list of topics, I see Arts, Entertainment and such, along with WRITING, and when clicked, my blog is fifth from the top! Woohoo! Now I’m LOVING blog catalog because many of my followers have found me through them, and commented and went on to join the Free Writing Course (f2k) that Writers Village University has in session right now as I write this.

Am I giving Blog Catalog a bad review? By no means at all. They have taken the needs of the blog writers, given them a display case, and allowed them to shine and stand on their own merit. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that. I just want the black strip down the right side of my page gone so I can leave friends a comment, shout out to them, let them know I’m reading and enjoying their work.

I told one of my students the other day, after we at the F2K have been upgraded to a new site, “It’s all about clicking in this cyber world.” And I’m finding with Blog Catalog, the more I click, the more I learn. I might not be a tech savvy woman, but I certainly am a click happy one.

Happy Writing...and Happy Blogging!

F2K ~ FREE Writing Course

New and Improved F2K!

The art of writing is not a skill you just stumble upon. It takes awhile to master all the things that go into writing and sometimes we need a course to help move us into the next level of our journey.

Writer’s Village University offers a seven week FREE Writing Course, to refresh your muse, if you’re already a writer, or to dapple in the craft if you think it might be something you’re interested in; either way it is FREE and you have nothing to lose.

This session was the most exciting in all of my years mentoring. We have 8 classrooms, 8 volunteer mentors, and over 200 hundred students divided into those rooms. Now that may sound like a lot of people and a little intimidating, but believe me, after the first week, the students have either lost interest, life intervened, or find that this is just not for them. But this session, it was as if all the students stayed around to finish the course.

Our first week, the Master Administrator, Bob Hembree, switched the format of the board on us. The mentors were learning the boards as well as the students, but we adapt quickly. Why the switch? The old format was dated and Bob wanted to move us into the 21st century. Apparently these things take time to build and it wasn’t ready until we had all started in f2k. It went smoothly, like butter on bread.

New doorways were opened; we had a Social Scene, in a facebook like setting, where students came and introduced themselves, made friends, and uploaded avatars. Groups were formed, discussions were broached, music and photos were shared and we rode into the sunset of newness with a finesse that rattled the world of writing. The classrooms remain private and professional!

A bonus this session was that of a certificate of completion! If you posted your six lessons, gave ample feedback in these seven weeks, then you were rewarded with a Certificate of Completion. You could not just post the lessons and get a certificate. We are a peer to peer feedback course and if you don’t participate in giving feedback then you have not completed the requirements of the course.

We also produce people seeking publication and one woman had her lesson six accepted by an online magazine. Although we require your lesson six to be something NEW that you write FOR THIS COURSE, she had obviously written and submitted the story weeks prior to this course. Everyone was like, “I helped critique that!” But lo and behold, it had already been in the hands of the publisher before your crit.

That’s okay. We take pride in seeing one of our own publish ANY work! :) Congrats Kriti Bajaj on her work The Dream Catcher!  
 

We will have new doors opening again this session come October 6th. Possible publication in our new f2kzine? Bait bait bait... lol I don’t need to bait anyone, this course stands alone on its strength in producing writer’s. It sure doesn’t need me bragging about the course. 

Hope to see you then!

Important: Lessons and Classrooms will not be visible until course start date.

Whacky Wednesday

1 Thes.1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
***

Hello my friends in the blog world!

Is everyone doing okay? Well that’s great. I haven’t heard from a few of you in a while and I’m wondering if you’re still out there lingering in the background, just waiting for me to post something of some use to you.

Well I have to announce the beginning of F2K’s free writing course! That begins next Wednesday and it might just be a lot of fun for everyone. Yes I plan on being a mentor, but when you sign up, you don’t get to choose whose room you’re in, but if you join, feel free to visit me and let me know you’ve arrived.

I’ll visit you all too. :) You know, to keep an eye on you? And remember, signing up does not grant you access immediately. You have to wait like the rest of us for the seventh to arrive, to gain access. Sometimes folk think that by signing up that they’ll gain access to WVU and all it’s 250 courses. Sorry, but they are separate sites.

I’m feeling a little on the off kilter side today. Don’t know what has got a hold of me, but I’m sure it will pass, as all the other off kilter days. Been doing a lot of thinking about my future, where it is heading and where I want to go. Maybe that’s what has me down, I have no direction. I feel like I’m wandering aimlessly out in this world.

Oh well... I’ve had worse happen to me to knock me off my high horse. Maybe I need to go visit the horses up the road, and have a little talk with them. They always seem to understand. It is always a serene moment when even passing the horses. They nod their heads in recognition of me, a stranger passing by, and sometimes they come to the fence, you know, just to chat and whinny in my face. Beautiful creatures they are.

Now the cows aren’t as chatty, they like to graze and be left alone. They huddle together like ju-ju bees on a hot summer day. Sometimes they crowd around the trough, drinking water then go back to grazing. Yes, I find cows amazing. Gee, I’m a city gal placed out here in cow country and all the fields of glory before me, and what? Am I not supposed to sit in awe of the beauty?

I think I’ll drink from the trough of life and see what else the farmers place out here for me, to make me feel a little better.

As for you, you need to keep writing, keep the chin up and remember that God loves you, even on days you don’t feel very loved.

A New Day

Deut. 26: 16 This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

***

I’d like to thank all my friends and followers for putting up with me last week. Many may have stayed away because Joni went off topic, but it is okay. I only get like that about twice a year, Easter and Christmas, so you’re safe to come back and read about writing now. :)

Now if I have a major upheaval in my life, for certain I will blog about it because writing is my life, whether I, or anyone else for that matter, likes it or not. You’re definitely stuck with me and my ramblings. ha ha

Today I’m going to tell you about WVU, and in my terms, that’s Writers Village University, not West Virginia University. With all this talk about basketball I’ll be glad when football begins. Until then, I’m writing!

WVU is the best place on the net for writing courses. Bob Hembree has come up with some really tough courses that you pay for individually but WVU in and of itself offers over 200 courses for a one year membership fee. I think $99 for a life altering experience is well worth its weight in gold. The site won’t let you down.

Then we have F2K, the 7 week FREE writing course, that begins on April seventh. Oh dear, that's this Wednesday! We’ve had registration for a month now, and maybe it’s not too late for you to sign up. But please note, that when you do, you can not enter until the seventh. I don’t know why people have been trying to get in there for well over a month, they think the sign up, they get access to WVU, which they don’t.

F2K is a FREE course, WVU is a paid for site. Maybe Bob needs to change some of the offerings to show that more clearly in the sign up because people are complaining like there is no tomorrow! They want access to WVU now!

Hold on people! F2k is FREE, WVU is not. Bob and his assistants handle the demanding folks in an extremely cordial manner when they say, “You gain access on the 7th”, but these people are ruthless in their pursuit of writing.

“You said free! Why is it asking me to pay?”

Because clearly WVU is a paid for site, F2K is the FREE writing course offered. I see many come in from different countries, so maybe there is a language barrier somewhere, but even the English speaking folks, want in now. Patience my precious, patience.

We’ll begin with a week long orientation to get you familiar with the site, but will these people have the patience and perseverance to stay for seven weeks? We’ll see. It is always a fun experience. A learning experience for me and for them, the wannabe writers, or  the ones getting a refresher in the craft. 

Enjoy F2K for all it is worth. You’ll walk away a changed person, in your writing and in life for the new friends that enter your life.

F2K FREE Writing Workshop!

It's none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.
Ernest Hemingway
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What is f2k? Allow me to tell you. It is a seven week free writing workshop that teaches you the basics of writing. F2K stands for fiction 2000, but the concept isn’t just for fiction it spans all writing!

To put it simply, you will learn all the basic steps in writing a short story that will carry you onto writing a novel. With these elements in place you can write your heart out, whether it is blogging, a thesis paper, or even a magazine article.

You’re asking, “Is it really FREE?” YES!

Hundreds of students are divided up into six or seven ‘classes’. Each room has a mentor who oversees the seven weeks. The mentor comments on the first week but sits and watches new writers take shape and form, from the sidelines. We have ‘mentor support’ for a $25 dollar fee, but most students receive their critiques happily from fellow writers who are usually well crafted returnees to the workshop.

Mentor support is one on one with the mentor of your room. PLUS the students get to give you feedback. You get the best of both worlds!

You see, Bob Hembree, a brilliant man, thought that people should have access to free basic lessons in writing. He’s the brains behind this gem of a course. You’ll learn characterization, plot, conflict, point of view, and one of my favorites, the senses!

F2K signup link

Above is the sign up link. We are blind accessible. I know because I had a student last session who had been blind from the age of six years old. I didn’t understand words like JAWS last year, I thought it was a big fish that ate people. But JAWS is a voice system that reads content for the blind.

I have another friend who is quadriplegic and it is accessible to his Dragon Naturally Speaking. I just call her Dragon Lady because she don’t like me! lol

Seriously, if you like to dabble in writing, want to become more concise or at least look like you know what you’re doing, this is the course for you. It will tighten your written words up so that you no longer babble! ha ha.


Now this is an IMPORTANT note: You will NOT gain access until January 6th of 2010.
I repeat, YOU WILL NOT GAIN ACCESS, until 1-6-10. I repeat myself because lots of folks have joined already and want access NOW. They want to look around. But there is no one there so there is nothing to see! Or hear! ;-)

Be patient and I hope to see you there!