How Do You Publish? #AmWriting #Publishing

24 Apr 2018 66 Comments

by Ritu in RiNoWRiMo, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #AmWriting, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Choices, Publishing

I’m still staying away from that first re-read of my legendary WIP…

#AmWriting

But it doesn’t stop me from having plenty of questions about what to do next.

I know I need to give it a once over, or twice, or thrice… you get the gist.

Ideally, then I will have a couple of Beta Readers check it out and see whether it is actually worthwhile and if it makes sense.

Then the next BIG decision is the whole publishing malarkey.

With Poetic RITUals, my poetry book, I went totally self-published. It was almost on a whim that I collated my poems, and got a great cover designed by Chris Graham of The Story Reading Ape Fame, stuck it on Createspace and KDP and bam! I had a book out there!

Poetic RITUals by [Bhathal, Ritu]

I didn’t go too crazy with my promotions, but then I was just happy to have something with my name on it, in print!

(But it’s available here of you want! myBook.to/PoeticRITUals)

Now I want to know which avenue to take with my fiction book.

Authors out there, please tell me… are you independently published, self-published, vanity or traditionally published?

What is your advice?

If I was to seek traditional publishing, who are good publishers to target?

Thank you in advance Peeps!

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Senryu #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #198 Beat & Party = Pops And Mum’s Anniversary Special

23 Apr 2018 23 Comments

by Ritu in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #MicroPoetry, #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Beat & Party, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Challenge, Haiku, Pops And Mum, Senryu, Wedding Anniversary

Lovely Ron with his Haiku Challenge prompt words this week:

Beat & Party

Thinking of the date today, the words Ron chose fit quite closely with what’s happening in our family, as today we are celebrating the 46th wedding anniversary of my parents!

These two, seriously, they have been my rocks. Looking at them, I feel that if anyone had half the love they share, they’d be lucky!

Love you to the Moon and back, Pops and Mum!

Two heartbeats entwined
Celebrating huge milestones
Time for a party!

Ritu 2018

Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge Image 2016

Making The World A Smaller Place

23 Apr 2018 131 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Countries, International, stats, World

I love looking at my WordPress stats map once in a while, trying to see where in the world people have been ‘smiling anyway’ along side me.

Screenshot (35)

It’s pretty impressive, I think! Not too many white spots left!

I love that, with the use of a few words, I have been able to reach people in all corners of the world, literally!

So, where in the world are you from, if you are reading this?

Sing It! We Are Blogily #BloggersBash

22 Apr 2018 67 Comments

by Ritu in #bloggers bash, Music, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #bloggers bash, Anthem, Awards, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Singing, Soundcloud, We Are Blogily

The bash is fast approaching, and Bash Fever has hit fever pitch with me!

What with gently reminding folks to vote (I’ll do that again at the end 😉 ) researching places to stay, and what to bake, it has hit the less than four-week mark now until the day we gather to celebrate our Blogs!

I feel it is the right time to share my especially tweaked version of We are Family, the now infamous We Are Blogily, to any new subscribers, and remind my existing blogily of our anthem!

The words are like this:

We are blogily
I got all my bloggers with me
We are blogily
Sit up ev’rybody and type
We are blogily
I got all my bloggers with me
We are blogily
Sit up ev’rybody and type

Ev’ryone can see we’re together
As we walk on by
(Hey) and we write just like bards with a feather
I won’t tell no lie
(ALL!) all of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We’re blogging posts in a blogily dose

We are blogily
I got all my bloggers with me
We are blogily
Sit up ev’rybody and type
We are blogily
I got all my bloggers with me
We are blogily
Sit up ev’rybody and type!

Living life is fun and we’ve just begun
To get our share of the world’s delights
(HIGH!) high hopes we have for literature
And the books we write
(WE!) no we don’t get depressed
‘Cause here’s what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
You won’t go wrong
This is our blogily Jewel

We are blogily
I got all my bloggers with me
We are blogily
Sit up ev’rybody and type
We are blogily
I got all my bloggers with me
We are blogily
Sit up ev’rybody and type
We are blogily
We are blogily
We are blogily
We are blogily
We are blogily

And just so you know how to sing it… here’s a snippet!

There is a week left to vote for your favourite blogs. Voting for the ABBA’s closes on Monday 30th April.

Be sure to get your vote in!

In case you happened to miss it, But I Smile Anyway has been nominated…

Best-Overall-e1519401734212

Be sure to cast your votes, on all nine of the awards!

Click here to vote!

Thank you in advance Peeps!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 166 – Smile!

22 Apr 2018 43 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charlie Chaplin, Positivity, Quote, Serene, Smile, Spiderman, Spidey

“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.”

Charlie Chaplin

This, Spidey, just encapsulates what I am about.

I truly believe, and you will have ~~heard~~ read me ~~say~~ write this before, that pretty much everything can be turned around with a smile.

Sure, there are times when even the thought of turning the corners of your mouth upwards seem like an impossibility, but sooner or later you will be able to do it, and when you do, just feel the difference to your day.

When times are bad, sometimes a smile lightens your load.

A supportive smile can help another more than you know.

Smiling is good for your health. You can exercise a good few muscles, just by flashing a grin at a passerby – see, good feelings and calorie burning in one go!

Creativity is also meant to be affected by smiling.

A smile can help reduce stress.

Training yourself to smile actually trains your brain to react more positively rather than the natural instinct to take a negative stance.

Did you know smiles are contagious? If you smile at someone, something inside their brain wants to mirror you… just think, your smile could start a chain reaction of smilers all around you!