#WritePhoto – Avenue

17 May 2018 42 Comments

by Ritu in #WritePhoto, Fiction, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #WritePhoto, Avenue, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Burial, Cinquain, Death, Flash Fiction

Sue’s #WritePhoto Prompt this week:

Edith looked down the avenue of wooden sentries to the solitary, blossom-covered tree at the end.
Twenty years ago, she’d planted that with her young family, it was like nature’s headstone.
A reminder that he was there, waiting for her when her time came.
It would be like walking down the aisle to her beloved once again, but this time she’d be carried in a box, and lowered to the ground.
Her children had already been instructed to plant another sapling there, next to her Peter, so they could grow old together, if not in life, but in death.

#writephoto

https://scvincent.com/2018/05/17/thursday-photo-prompt-avenue-writephoto/

Monday Meh! Post Bash-Blues #BloggersBash2017 #ThrowbackThursday

17 May 2018 80 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, grateful, Monday, Post-Bash Blues

It’s Monday… again.

Comes round so fast, doesn’t it?!

And I’ll be back to my usual routine, after a pretty epic weekend,

Saturday, as you all know, saw me win a rather prestigious award at the ABBA’s, and my, was I high on the achievement, the compliments from my other blogily, the sugar in the cakes…!

Then came yesterday.

And I sunk.

Oh, the exhaustion! I don’t know where it came from, but once it hit, it manifested itself fully, and I was prone on the sofa for the best part of Sunday!

I guess I had been on a true adrenalin rush on Saturday and needed to come down, so to speak!

Posting about my Post-Bash Cold Turkey blues to other bloggers on the Facebook group, it appeared that I was not alone! ( I promise, I put nothing unusual in the cakes! Can’t speak for His Geoffleship though ;P )

I guess the enjoyment we all got from the build up to the event, followed by the excitement of the actual Bash, was more draining than we had expected!

Of course, seeing as I was laying low all day, I had plenty of time to browse blogs, read posts, answer the huge amount of comments that had flooded in… and I truly felt humbled.

This Blogosphere is a wonderful place. The support everyone has given, the congrats, the excitement from them. It really makes me wonder why?

Why me?

I’m not that special. I’m just your average working mum, who likes to talk and write.

I don’t give fantastic practical advice on blogging/writing/money-saving etc. I don’t profess to be an expert on anything (except smiling – I’m good at that!). I’m not endorsed by anyone. I may have a book out but I’m no Poet Laureate. It’s taken me 17 years to write 15,000 words, and my WIP is still not finished…

And yet you all still voted for me.

What makes a good, all-round blogger?

Well, what I have had said to me over the last 48-odd hours is maybe something for us all to take into consideration, so we may all be Best Overall Bloggers, going forward.

Be supportive
Be honest
Be willing
Be consistent
Be yourself

So, I start this week with a spring in my step, a buzz in my brain and hope in my heart.

Thank you all so much for making me feel like I matter, and that I belong.

I seriously love you all!!!!

Happy Monday Peeps, enjoy your week!

COLLEEN’S 2018 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY POETRY CHALLENGE #Haiku #84: Dignity & Success

15 May 2018 32 Comments

by Ritu in #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, #MicroPoetry, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Dignity & Success, Poetry, Synonyms, tanka

Colleen’s back with her synonym poetry challenge!

The words to (not) use are:

Dignity & Success

Google Image

An invitation
Would be classed as a triumph
Elevated pride
Seen at the royal wedding…
Now that’s one for the Grandkids!

Ritu 2018

https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/05/15/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-81-dignity-success-synonymsonly/

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #200 Body & Art

14 May 2018 14 Comments

by Ritu in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #MicroPoetry, #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Body & Art, Challenge, Haiku, Nature

Lovely Ron with his Haiku Challenge prompt words this week:

Body & Art

Liane, Climber, Strand, Wound, Twisted

A twisted body
Presented like fine sculpture
Nature’s art shows rock

Ritu 2018

Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge Image 2016

Was It Worth It? First Draft Feedback #AmWriting

14 May 2018 60 Comments

by Ritu in #AmWriting, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #AmWriting, Alpha Readers, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Feedback, First Draft Wins, Rewriting, Titles

I shan’t lie to you.

Much as I thought I’d be able to keep myself busy whilst waiting for feedback from my two wonderful alpha readers, that little niggle stayed there…

What if it makes no sense?
What if they don’t like it?
What if I don’t get any feedback because it was that bad?
What if I’ve totally wasted eighteen years of my creative life working on a project that wasn’t even worth it?

One had already told me it would take a little time to get through reading, due to their own writing commitments, and as I really value their feedback, I was fine with that. I’ve taken eighteen years to get here, after all, a few weeks more shouldn’t matter!

The other said they’d get to it as soon as they could but it would take a few days.

That’s okay.

I could wait a few days…

And I got my first ping in my inbox just a day or two after, with some initial observations.

Maybe think about changing the title, it doesn’t do justice to what has been read so far.

Okay, I get that. Wedded Stress was a working title that I came up with all those years ago, and I was prepared for the fact that I may have to change it if it didn’t suit the end story. It’s just so hard to stop thinking of my WIP as Wedded Stress, but old habits die hard. So, I’ve been thinking of other titles…

More show and less tell.

Again I expected that, especially at the beginning of the story, as my writing was pretty immature back then.

A few bits to mull over…

I waited with baited breath for the full feedback, and this morning I got it.

I celebrated with a rather naughty breakfast!

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A post shared by Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 (@ritubhathalwrites)

And the reason for my elation?

Let me use my reader’s own words…

“Ok, finished it and I think its ACE! Bags of potential and you need to do something with it because the world needs to read this. Fabulous novel idea.”

It was followed by some really constructive feedback about where I could tighten things, add descriptions, develop some of the characters further, and there is a niggle with POV (Point Of View) but the reader loved the characters!

“They come to life and I don’t think you need to get rid of any.”

And the end statement just made my day…

“I think its an excellent story and as a first draft it’s stunning. A lot of it is written really well so I don’t think you have huge rewrites.”

Relief, that I haven’t wasted my time!, and hopefully I don’t need to rewrite it all
Gratitude, as my reader used precious time to read my WIP, and gave such helpful feedback
Pride, that my writing has been given such praise, even in its rawest form
Impatience, as I wait for my other reader to let me know what they think

So the folder came out, the post-its and new erasable highlighters too! I am prepared for the next stage of changes, which I will start after the Bash this weekend!