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5 Hacks to Increase your Writing Productivity

Have you found yourself in that writing desert where you feel all dried up and ready to just throw in the towel on that final draft? Well hopefully not...but if so here are five simple hacks that some of the most respected writers follow.

1.  When you sit down to write, set a goal for yourself; whether that goal is to have a specific word count by the end of your drafting or a specific page number. Set that goal and stick to it...if you can live by your own deadline then you certainly can become accustomed to meeting your deadline in a situation that demands it. This is key to the encouragement of growth in your writing if you are in a writing rut. 
2.  Learn new ways to write faster or a quicker way of getting your ideas down before they flee you. Most all phones now have a voice recorder which comes in hand when you are on the go or in a situation where you just cannot get a hold on your pen. If you can write in longhand then I suggest trying that and it works wonders for your first draft. 
3. This seems to be something that every successful writer would recommend and that is taking a notebook with you everywhere you go and writing in five minute intervals and just truly writing whatever comes to mind. This will help you to hone your thoughts and eventually streamline all of your ideas. 
4. Try writing down 30 challenges on your calendar and commit to finish one challenge per day for the next 30 days. It can be anything from a writing prompt and a goal to write 2000+ words based on your prompt to simply writing down conversations you may have overheard throughout the day and your thoughts on that. 
5. REMOVE all distractions; if the television is distracting you then remove it, if you spend to much time then limit yourself to only 30 minutes a day, or less. Write down where your time goes and then whittle away those things you can live without, until you have enough time to devote that creative time to your manuscript.
   

1 Reason we should continue living! The Children!

Pardon me...But are we not here for a reason

Pardon me...But isn't love for any season?

Excuse me...Are you having fun with the arguments?

Excuse me...Do you see the World is at a detriment?

How can we?

Spread a message of love, when we cannot even tolerate our neighbor?

Spread seeds that grow without in return seeking a financial favor?

Whose head have you stepped on, while reaching for the top?

When in the end no amount of money can stop...

Stop this madness that seems to persist...it is all because we
argue and bicker instead of insist

Insist on reaching, sharing and building knowledge coupled with
wisdom

This is the only way of defeating such a broken system.

Our children are truly the future and in that we should share
realistic messages of hope, love and giving

In order that our humanity may not fade into the distance...let us stand up
and continue LIVING

5 Tips To Perfecting Your Poetry

Writing poetry is one of those things that often times plagues the writer...where do I start, how long should it be, to punctuate or not to punctuate...these are questions that all become easily answerable with 5 simple and effective tips.

1. Get out that pen and pad and start taking notes on your subject matter. Whether you are writing about a tangible object or a deep intense feeling, you need to know your subject. Write down all that you can to truly describe the subject. Such as if it is a feeling of angst then make sure you describe this feeling of dread using words that present a picture to the reader. (Think dark, sullen, mood shifting, overwhelmed) 
2. Take Shape-Try different forms of structure which you can read about here, you may want your stanzas to have shorter lines or longer lines...they key is to write it several different ways and decide on which one works best. Never rush a beautiful thing such as poetry you will be glad you didn't. 
3. Meter-Make sure that you read each line aloud, that way you can truly see if the reader will stumble over your words. You want to use perfect meter if you truly want your poem to flow effortlessly across the readers mind. 
4. Impressions-When seeking to impress the reader we often use words that are merely there to impress versus there to improve the visualization of the feeling that the piece brings. So remove anything that will not fully envelop the subject. 
5. Rhyme-To ensure that you are producing a poem worthy of a read aloud go and read other poems aloud and see how they flow from the page to the lips of the reader. That way you are able to gauge whether or not you have created a melodic flow (think music to your ears) in order to truly entertain and engage the reader. 

Here is another interesting take that will have you craving to learn more about the art of writing poems of interest and quick effective ways to get you going with Robert Lee Brewer's Five Ways to Write a Poem.

Below is a list of links to help you get started on your journey.

Rhyme Zone

The Dictionary

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Dumb Down

Come one, come all as I welcome you to the dumbing down of society

No longer a nation considered a standard of sobriety

Come and let them entertain you to the point of boredom

Losing quality gaining quantity a trade of decorum

Your senses are lost and have failed you miserably

No longer using your mind, just thinking visually

Turn off the automated mode and come back to reality

Unless you are happy with your life floating away at sea

Growing up I was raised in the south in a very diverse household, as I am sure many of you born before the 90's can attest to this was not accepted with kindness. So now apart of my mission is to help children feel welcome that come from all cultures. I have done extensive research on the origins of race and would like to show children that we are all one. Before we can learn to embrace one another we must first embrace the truth that we are all apart of humanity and that we are only separated by cultures, religions and beliefs. Even the Bible states that we are to become all things to all men...in that I know that we are to embrace all people with love and show that all children deserve to feel like they can dream, imagine and embrace our image.www.TheAtlantaIllustrator.com

Humanity in Bloom

Flowers bloom where no man dare cross

birthed into a world thought of as dross

Enveloping the full colors of life's arrays

Yet never to be seen, only counting the days

Sun rays beam across the petals of their life

Beating and burdening unto the ends of their strife

Humanity is so large and yet most are unnoticed 

Barely do we comprehend the scope of our focus

Embracing a world full of the light of love

Then and only then can we see the flowers from above

La Tay 

Lesley Taylor