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His wedding ring and tag I wear around my neck |
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Emotional...
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Bullied
Can it be? My first high school reunion is next year? Dare I go? I'm not sure. I wasn't very popular in school. In fact, I was bullied and looked down on since elementary school. I wasn't weird, I was different. I wasn't stuck up, I was shy. No, I never had intentions of blowing up the school for those of you who actually asked. People now find my geekiness part of my charm. My bookworminess helps me in my writing.
School was tough for me. Only a handful of people befriended me, and of those only three truly understood me. It was easy for people to bully me both physically and verbally simply because I wasn't like them. They took advantage of my kindness, and made my days miserable. So why should I go to my reunion?
So that I can show them that I forgive them for how they mistreated me and many others simply because we didn't conform to some unspoken rule of how we should behave, what activities we should be in, or what clothes we should wear. I'm glad to have been an individual. It's shaped me to be who I am today. I've served my country, and have been around the world. I've made a family of my military brothers, and lived life to its fullest. I've dreamed big, and put that dream into words. I'm a mother to the two most wonderful kids, and a proud wife to a military man who continually gives up time with his family to serve overseas. I am proud of who I am!
Were you a bully, or were you bullied? Where did you stand on the social ladder? How did your time in school shape you into the person you are today? I'm curious! Leave a comment below or a link to a blog post about your school years.
Ta!
A.McBay
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Google+ and Writer’s Write Ins
So you've heard me raving on Facebook about Google+, and hangouts, and how awesome it is, but have the slightest clue what it is? Well, Google+ plus is the next step in social networks. It's so new, it's still in beta. So, how do you get in? You have to get an invite from a member. Yes, it still has a few bugs, and crashes, but that's beta for you!
Google has always been a writer's best friend, helping us research topics, places, and anything else we need for our writing, and now they have made it even more fun to be a writer.
Yesterday, the TPR Crew gathered on Google+ for our first official writing hangout. Hangouts are when we all join a webcam chat. How can this help a writer? Well, it's a lot harder to procrastinate when other writers are working… and watching.
We started out with greetings and chat for a few moments until Tina cracked her whip and sent us all into typing frenzy. Having eight other people right there working alongside me really motivated me. I didn't want to get up and move around because I knew it would be a distraction to everyone else. Of course, there is that law that states if you are writing and actually accomplishing something in your work, there will be distractions. For me it was my husband and kids. So I would take care of their need as quickly as possible, and slip back in my seat as quietly as possible.
After writing, we chatted some more. What did you work on? How did your scene go? After chat, we all agreed to another write in.
Yep! Write ins are so much fun and so productive.
I have been thinking of hosting Write Ins with Pomodoro. How many words can we plug in before the timer? Would anyone be interested in joining me?
I think online crit-groups are going to get a lot of use out of Google+ too.
How can you see Google+ being used in the writing community?
** If you are interested in starting a hangout for Pomodoro Writing, e-mail me or comment below so we can set something up. If you don't have Google+ and want an invite, send me an e-mail.
Ta!
A.McBay