Do You Love Your Car Enough to Write it a Love Letter?

So, I'm taking a college writing class this semester and one of the assignments was to write a love letter to an intimate object. Now there's a thought-provoking idea. WHAT do you love enough to presume to tell it so? I considered the matter and then wrote the following letter -- to my car:

 Love Letter to My Shinny Blue Toyota Camry

Dear Toyota Camry,

I was thinking about you the other day and how you have always been there for me. I realized that I’ve never told you how grateful I am. You’re the best, you know that? You make my life so much better.

Sweet Camry, you transport me safely from one place to another. You even cool the car down on hot Arizona days. I love that. All I have to do is push a little button on my key fob and you unlock the door for me. You’re so thoughtful. You offer me a variety of my favorite music at the touch of a button, and you even do so in stereo. You seem to have enjoyed the books on CD, LDS Conference talks and all my Christmas CDs. Remember when I listened to all five of the Fablehaven books by Brandon Mull on my way to and from work? You were so patient.

Fablehaven Series

I’m not sure if you know how much I appreciate what a confidante you are. You have endured my private rants, listened to me sing off key, and witnessed many of my most sincere prayers. Of course, I have to keep my eyes open, but while I’m alone in the car, without other distractions, I can go over quite a bit with my Father in Heaven.

We have made beautiful memories together. Some of my best grandparenting moments have been shared with you. Our grandchildren are so much fun, and you have transported them on numerous occasions, even to far away destinations. Remember the road trip you and I took with Jim and two teenage granddaughters in July of 2013? We went to Sigurd, Utah for the Dastrup Family Reunion. We played all kinds of word games and laughed a bunch. The girls got to see a silly side of grandma and grandpa they might have missed. Remember when Rebekah asked, “When is the next reunion?” That was a great trip. We made precious memories. You took us there in comfort and safety. Thank-you, sweet Camry, for being a part of our lives.

 Oh my goodness, last summer we had that blow-out on the way to Nevada. You helped Jim safely guide us to the side of the road where we took out the spare tire, for the very first time. It had been there for years. Yet, by some miracle, you had preserved it, and we made it safely back to Kingman where we ended up replacing all four tires. I’m sorry if I neglected you.  You have certainly been mindful of us. The tire guy was shocked that the spare tire was in such great condition. He called it a miracle. Your support gave us a happy ending.

Yes, I really do love you, sweet Camry. I love your shiny blue color (and how well you have retained it). I love your ease of handling and your safety features. I love that you seem to enjoy being part of our family. You’ve taken me to nearly every important place I have needed or wanted to go during our years together. Whether it was to church, the temple, to the grocery store, to visit family, or to go to the movies, you have been there.

You are one of a kind. In writing you this little love letter, I have come to appreciate your service to me and my family even more. You are a marvel; a cute, smooth driving, shiny blue marvel. You hold a special place in my life and in my heart. I’m really grateful. I think I’m going to treat you even better from now on. We can look forward to a future that holds more road trips, more giggles, and perhaps a few tears, but definitely more memories . . . together.

Thanks for all you have done for me. I love you.

Love,

Stephanie

Day 6 - 2015 How to Write a “Poetweet”

Fun stuff and a contest ~ check it out:

Ever heard of a "Poetweet?"  
  

"I think that I shall never meet / A poem lovely as a Tweet..." * (see link at end of post) 

 
Short and Simple: "Poetweet" (AND VERY TRICKY)!!

Our ever-changing digital age continues to create new modes of communication. Have you heard of “poetweets” yet? It you are on Twitter then you most likely have but if you haven’t ventured into Twitter Land yet, then it might be new to you.

What I love about limited poetry (those that are specific as to the number of words or syllables you can you use) is that they force us to “tighten things up.” The surprising thing is that, usually, when you manage to say what you mean with fewer words, it packs a lot more power.  

A fun little contest: #PoetweetNYC New York City is hosting its sixth annual Twitter poetry "Poetweet" contest as part of National Poetry Month ~ Contest is only open to residents of the United States and runs from April 6^th to April 13^th, 2015. Contest details can be found here: #PoetweetNYC  

According to the “Urban Dictionary” a “poetweet” is a form of poetry which consists of exactly 140 characters. There is no reference to rhyme or rhythm, only 140 characters exactly. All words must be spelled out, no short cuts such as "ur" for "you are" or "b4" for "before." And definitely no "lol"! Normal contractions are allowed.

Here’s the example of a poetweet offered in the “Urban Dictionary”: Of all the sights I see, there is none so beautiful as your shadow. Knowing you're near, and the sun is shining is enough for me. Beautiful. 
                      

Here’s my attempt:

We met through a writer’s group. Sharing our love of the written word, our families, our heartaches and our joys. Thanks, my writing friend.

                  © 2015 by Stephanie Abney  

 

The TRICKIEST part is getting 140 characters (with spaces) EXACTLY – have fun!! See ya’ tomorrow. YOUR TURN!

* Here is the link to an article about the Poetweet contest to celebrate National Poetry Month, held by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (@NYCulture) where I snagged that clever little: "I think that I shall never meet / A poem lovely as a Tweet..." (Social Media: Poetweet and More)

Let's try a "If You Were" poem

“If YOU Were” poem

This is a fun little poem that is actually a quatrain (4 lines) in which the last sound of lines 2 and 4 rhyme. It also has two metaphors (remember, a “metaphor” is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to draw a comparison). It is not the same as a simile. A simile uses the word like or as in order to make a comparison, whereas metaphors use is or are. So if you say “If I were” or “If you were” and named the thing (noun), it is a metaphor.

A simile: Your hair is like golden flax.

A metaphor: Your hair is golden flax.

 

So, there’s a little grammar lesson for ya’ – sorry, it’s the teacher in me. OK, back to the instructions: one metaphor is for the “I” part of the poem and the other metaphor is for the “you” part of the poem.

 

Here are some instructions taken from Charles Ghinga’s site (with his permission - he gave me permission last year - I'm assuming he's still okay with sharing his wonderful link) – I suggest you GO TO HIS SITE for more details and other fun stuff pertaining to poetry: Giggle Poetry Class with Charles Ghinga

Instructions: Think of a person you like. Compare that person to some thing (inanimate object). Now compare yourself to some thing associated with the first object.

Here's a couple that I tried to write:

If you were a king

And I were a queen,

We'd live in a castle,

Ya' know what I mean?

If you were the sand

And I were the sea,

I'd ebb up so very close,

And whisper, "Come away with me."

Yeah - they're not that great but go to the link above and get some good ideas and try it out for yourself. (I never promised to be any good at all of these - just willing to give it a try). Now ... it's YOUR turn!! Have fun!

Na Na November!!

So, November is busy month for writers who want to make themselves a little crazy!!

It's "National Novel Writing Month"~ NaNoWriMo ~ the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, by the end of November. The RULE here is that you have to be working on a totally NEW novel.

So, for those of you who want the challenge of a monthly goal but want to continue writing your WIP (work-in-progress), you can do so with ANWAWrite. Although it is sponsored by American Night Writers Association (which I have been a member of for 23 years), you do not have to be a member to do ANWAWrite - they have a "BIAM" (Book in a Month) goal each November. The rules are more lax: you can work on something you have already started and set your own word count goal. However, you CANNOT EDIT that work during the month. If this one interests you - it is done by email - anyone can join in - no fees or memberships required. Just sign up at: ANWA Write Yahoo Group ~ Report as often as you can, cheer the others on, and write!

There is also a National YOUNG writers program National Novel Writing Month site: YWP NaNoWriMo ~ complete with prompts and helps

Then, there is "National Blog Posting Month" ~ NaBloPoMo ~ the goal is to post something on your blog every day during November (I'm thinking this might work for me - even though I am writing this on Nov. 2 and PLAN TO POST IT AS NOV 1st - so, not REALLY cheating, just a slow starter... hee hee ~ but the one time I managed to post EVERY day on my blog was in April of this year when I hosted a Poem a Day challenge for "National Poetry Month"). So, we'll see how I do.

"Picture Book Idea Month" ~ PiBoIdMo ~ the challenge here is to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days during November.

Not to be outdone, the National Association of Memoir Writers uses the month of November for their "Memoir Writing" month; celebrating "National Life Writing Month" and "Write Nonfiction" to parallel the National Novel Writing Month  ~ here is the link to their website: National Association of Memoir Writers

There are plenty of people and groups doing a "Gratitude Month" where you journal about and/or post on your social media site or blog, something that you are grateful for each day in November. This one seems like a no-brainer for the month we celebrate Thanksgiving.

November 1st is always "National Authors' Day" and "National Family Literacy Day" - both worthy days. 

So, whether you feature yourself as a writer or not, everyone has a story to tell. Find a way to use this outside motivation and give it a shot!! You might wind up on the best seller list. Who knows?

Enjoy!! And .... WRITE WRITE WRITE!!

Day 2 ~ Let's write a Triplet

How to write a Triplet Poem ~

Triplets are 3 lined poems that rhyme:

BUT ~ HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART ~
EVERY LINE HAS THE SAME NUMBER OF SYLLABLES!

Fun times ~ it helps to think of a topic first, any topic (nature is usually the easiest to get an idea about).

Here’s an example (count out the syllables and you’ll see each line has the same number) by Sally Clark, found in “The Highlights of Homeschooling: How to Write 30 Forms of Poetry about Horses”

Through the waving grass we glide,
through the morning mist we ride,
galloping the prairie wide.                          
                         © 2007 by Sally Clark  


Here’s my efforts:

We’ve been together forty years,
through laughter, joys, and all the tears,
now, only you, can calm my fears.
                                 © 2011 by Stephanie Abney
                        

I pray my words today are sweet,
in case there’s some I have to eat,
it makes friends easier to keep!
                                      © 2011 by Stephanie Abney


Now, it's YOUR turn :) HAVE FUN!!!

April is NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!! 30 Poems in 30 Days

So, APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!! And there are 30 days in April and I invite you to try writing a poem a day -- (or just a thought, a blog, whatever) - but there are SO MANY KINDS OF POETRY out there, that not only could you give it a try, you could actually write a DIFFERENT style of poem each day. I did this with my creative writing students last year and it was a blast! It was amazing to see what they came up with. (I'm doing it on our closed writers group online but I thought if I also did it here, others might want to join in).

I thought it might be fun to post the poem I come up each day here on my blog - you are welcome to do the same in the comments (or fire up your own blog)! Everyone should remember common courtesy - if someone writes something/anything - THEY ALSO OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO IT THE MOMENT THEY WRITE IT - so don't go using something you read here that someone else has written unless you give them proper recognition (and better yet, seek their permission to use it). Always include the name of the author of any story, poem, blog post or anything that you share. Thanks. [Drives me crazy when I read something wonderful that is flying through everyone's email and no one bothered to include the author's name]. :) 

Ok, so, if you want to join me - I think I'll post a different style with an example of it each day. Then, I'll make up my own poem and post it. 

Feel free to share your creations. You might really surprise yourself!!

Here is a link that you can use on your own for ideas and inspiration:
poets.org - info on National Poetry Month & more

So, this will be fun!!! WHO'S IN????

DAY 1 ~ Let’s write a couplet:

A couplet is a two-lined verse. Both lines rhyme and usually have a rhythm to them.
Try expressing your complete thought in two mid-sized poetic lines. The last words should rhyme. It can be spiritual or silly – couplets are great to write for children or with children.


It is possible to string a bunch of couplets together to create a longer poem, but for our first day – just try one 2-line couplet.

Here’s an example from "Nature's Shows," found in Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose by Charles Ghigna

Nature puts on little shows
Every time it rains or snows.
                            © 1994 by Charles Ghigna

Anyway, here are my two offerings, for what their worth (one is simple; the other is silly).

~~~~~~~ I was thinking about the Lord's tender mercies and came up with this:

I know the Lord is mindful of me,
And it makes me happy as can be.
                             © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

~~~~~~~ then, in a moment of frustration, I thought a little on "getting one's nose out of joint" and came up with this:

Writing this little assignment
Puts my nose out of alignment.
                               © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

Did you think of a couplet? Just look around and think on an object, or an emotion and give it a shot!!

Enjoy!!

Woo … woo … woo … woo … (to the tune of "The Twilight Zone"

You are OUT THERE... more than you think!!!!!

My writer friends and I frequently talk about the need to create an "online presence." I'm guessing that IF YOU ARE READING THIS, you are already present… more than you know.

Have you ever “Googled” your own name? You should. You might be surprised. You are "out there" more than you realize. Perhaps, even, more than you want to be. I have a charming friend, Mary, who is fond of posting photos online… so when I googled my name and THEN CLICKED ON "IMAGES" rather than just search, you can imagine I wasn’t overly thrilled to find a picture of myself at a recent baby shower we attended (for Deirdra Coppel) "sniffing" poopy baby diapers ~ it wasn’t real poop, of course; just blended chocolate in a baby diaper and we were supposed to identify which candy bar it came from. (Just kidding, Mary ~ it's totally fine that you posted it).

I found myself listed in lots of places, even my own blog, and also blogs I have commented on. I also tried "Googling" various writer friends: Marsha Ward, Kerry Blair and Janette Rallison, among others, using the "IMAGES" button each time. It’s pretty fun. You have to wade through people who are not even closely related as well. But you are in there… I mean, OUT there. You should try it. Be sure to try clicking on "IMAGES" as well as just doing a search. You can also try putting in the names of your ancestors and clicking in "IMAGES" ~ you might link up to something useful.

Now, if you happen to share a famous name, like my friend, Cindy Williams, you can pretty much guess that every image will be of Cindy Williams, the TV star. So, I added Arizona to the end of Cindy’s name and that’s when I got a picture of her. However, I couldn't help but wonder when it was that she got into body building? You should SEE the body builder who shares her name!!! YIKES!!

I put in my kids’ names, etc. and lots of images came up, especially with all the blogging everyone does these days. So, it’s great to be visible, but it bears a warning of some caution. Be careful what (and who) you post about and how many personal details you include; because once you hit the SEND button… it’s pretty much a done deal. And well… cyberspace has no secrets.