Saturday, June 24, 2017

A Small Gang of Authors: Goofy Post Day at #OurAuthorGang

A Small Gang of Authors: Goofy Post Day at #OurAuthorGang: By Erika My idea of dressing up had always been comfi, faded jeans and t-shirt since I was a very young child. My mother's idea, ...

Goofy Post Day at #OurAuthorGang

By Erika
My idea of dressing up had always been comfi, faded jeans and t-shirt since I was a very young child. My mother's idea, on the other hand, was fluffy dresses, adorned with lots of lace, and huge bows in my hair. Gosh, I hated those bows! I remember the day when this picture was taken in the photographer's studio.

I felt miserable, and it shows in the picture. No matter what my mom promised or even threatened to take away, I refused to smile.

Mom didn't give up to have a perfect picture taken of me dressed in her favorite outfit, so when we got home, she made me pose under the acacia tree that was filled with flowers. Unnoticed by her because she was busy setting the camera, I inched my way closer and closer to the tree branches.

To my great satisfaction, the hated bow got caught and tangled in the branch and when I yanked my head, the sharp thorns ripped the silk bow to shreds.

One glance at mom's angry eyebrows told me I was in big trouble, so I started running toward the front porch to reach the safety of my dad's embrace that always saved me from my mother's wrath. But in my haste, I stepped into the dog's water bowl, skidded, and fell into the muddy flower bed that dad just finished watering. My fluffy dress was ruined but the pitiful look on my face must have softened mom's anger because she quietly put the camera away and never again forced me to wear the enormous bows and fluffy dresses.

By Rick
Here I sit, all alone on our faded cream sofa. 
My feet are hanging over one of the dark wooden arms, as my hand grasps the tumbler ever tighter. 
The half-empty bottle on the coffee table speaks volumes, as my eyes shed droplets like the whiskey tears running down the outside of the glass.
Was it only last week that she packed her bags and left, clearing out the bank account on her way to meet her new lover?
Someone I knew so very, very well; my mate and my best friend. 
I really, really . . . miss him.

 
"I wonder what's closer. The moon, or China."
"The moon."
"How do you know?"
"Duh! I can see the moon!"














Picture credit: the author's own photos, and created by the author using purchased Adobe or Fotolia photos

COMMENTS

Joe Bonadonna via Google+

1 year ago  -  Shared publicly
 
And now, for something completely different, it's Goofy Post Day today on our A Small Gang of Authors shared-blog!
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2017/06/goofy-post-day-at-ourauthorgang.html
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Great story, Erika! My Mom used to dress me into pretty dresses when I was younger, too, and I absolutely hated it as well. I don't own a single dress now.
 
LOL, I have one evening gown that I wear once or twice a year when I really must. My favorite outfit remained jeans and t-shirt, but I wear slacks and simple blouses when I need to "dress up" :)
 
My mom too made me clothes she took patterns out of a sewing magazines called Burda. To her defense, back in the day you couldn't find jeans and such in stores. Many people would buy them at the smugglers. It was a big business to smuggle jeans in from Italy. After the borders were opened and trade resumed, you could find anything and everything in stores. Love watching funny cats videos. All in all it's great to break away from the everyday posts and be goofy for a day.
 
I agree. When we do serious work such as writing, we need a break once in a while to have some fun :)
 
Love this, made me smile. My Mum tried to force me into jeans rather than dresses (which I loved). I hated having school pictures taken and would usually be found staring at the floor or sulking in a group pic.
 
Maybe we were switched at birth Stella. You would've make my mom's dream come through having a daughter who loved dresses :)
 
ROFL! Great post!
 
Laugh is the best medicine ;)
 
These are too funny! Funny dresses? In a way, I can related. My Mom dressed me some outfits, stylish at the time for little boys, that now look like something some weird rich kid in those old, Our Gang/Little Rascals comedies of the 1930s would have worn. Stories, jokes, funny pictures and comments, and a hilarious video? This is great!
 
Thanks Joe! I thought it would be nice to take a day off from serious posting about books and writing and have a fun day. Today is like a dress-down day for the blog. That bow and dress traumatized me as a kid, probably that's why my favorite outfit remained faded jeans and t-shirts :)
 
Your mom was big on pretty dresses too? It is amazing how easily a child could be influenced to love or hate things.
 
I never made my daughter wear an organza dress or something that she did not like
 
Me neither! I remembered too vividly what it felt like when I was forced to wear clothes I didn't like.

 
Very funny. Your article reminded me of my organza dresses.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Computer software for authors… #amwriting #amediting #OurAuthorGang

In this competitive market, your manuscript has to shine, regardless of how you hope to publish it. An agent isn't going to look twice at a manuscript full of school-boy errors, and if you are thinking about self-publishing, then your book needs to be at least as good as those produced by the big publishing houses. A Copy Editor (Line Editor) is a must, but there is also a great deal of software out there that states it can help you with the writing process, but also with the editing as well — a bold claim indeed.

So today, I thought we would look at some of the software that is out there for purchase. Please feel free to write in the comment below if you have had success with the software I am going to show you today.





*Please note. I do not endorse any of the companies or software below. The blurb under the logos are the companies own words, not mine!*



Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.










Our software helps turn your good writing into great writing.
Improve readability and eliminate errors.







Grammarly makes sure everything you type  is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free.






Communicate quickly and accurately with Ginger Page's one stop writing shop – writing tools that help you express yourself better. 







Meet your new critique partner.

The fresh set of eyes your manuscript needs.
Instant, unbiased feedback without the hassle
Save time and take control of the editing process.
Polish your manuscript and write better fiction.







Expresso is a little tool to edit texts and improve your writing style. It will teach you to express yourself through writing more efficiently and help make your texts more readable, precise, and engaging.







 

Scribophile is a respectful online writing workshop and writer’s community. Writers of all skill levels join to improve each other’s work with thoughtful critiques and by sharing their writing experience.







StyleWriter will make you a better writer – we guarantee it. A bold claim we know, but that’s what our users tell us. Thousands of people download StyleWriter every month and use it to edit advertising copy, business reports, contracts, manuals, newsletters or web pages. Even professional journalists and novelists use the program to polish their writing style.








If you're working on contracts, proposals, reports, technical documents, articles and books, PerfectIt saves time on copy-editing, so that authors can pay more attention to what matters most: the words and their meaning. 







Hemingway makes your writing bold and clear. It's like a spellchecker, but for style. It makes sure that your readers will focus on your message, not your pose.





So there we have it. A list of software that claims they can help you with your writing and editing. Which software, if any, do you use? Let me know below.
Thanks for reading!

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