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Inspiration in the dead of winter – the beauty of old things

/ Ajmorse / Leave a comment

It’s snowing here in upstate New York, (which isn’t surprising) and I’m ringing in the new year slightly hung over, but with a positive spirit. This is going to be the year that I’m going to get published! Doesn’t matter what, and doesn’t matter where or when, I will see my name in print in some form of publication and that’s that!

And despite the cold, the winter reminds me that a writer can find beauty in the most stagnant things. I often chaff at being cooped up inside and whine about the air that bites and dries the skin, but some days the sun does come out and you see the snow, white against the trees…

1513858_10152133881965610_108019176_nYou notice the blue of a frozen lake or pond…find the joy in a bit of gurgling water in a creek…and you wonder why it always sounds louder when icicles are dripping nearby, as if the rest of the frozen woods are holding their breath…

1533876_10152133824645610_873393832_nThe sun came out the other day and I was able to go out walking and took these pictures. In the ravine next to my house, there is an old junkyard. And where there is an old junkyard, you will find old things:

1557651_10152133814770610_1412887091_n 1520772_10152133810520610_400098364_n1526651_10152133864400610_841668839_nLike the hood off a 1950 green Buick that my father says he remembers having as a child.

I was inspired by an article I saw that showed the beauty of abandoned places, how old things feel haunting, have a sense of mystery, a story of their own to tell.

1525469_10152133868015610_1987141748_nWalking in the woods, I often find inspiration in the beauty around me, the sights, the sounds, the fresh air and blue sky. (This might also be why I love fantasy novels so much.) But inspiration is all around us – even in the dead of winter! You just have to open your eyes and see it!

What inspires you? Share something if you got it! Any New Years resolutions anyone?

A kaleidoscope of Love – show your holiday spirit!

/ Ajmorse / 1 Comment

There’s been something on my mind lately and that is Love.

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Art done on Paint; by AJM

What is it exactly?

A discussion in one of my college classes about love suggested that love can be varying. We were talking mostly about the love that you feel towards someone – how someone described as being in love as a sacrifice of themselves, to be so consumed by another person, you forget who you are.

To love someone is to put that other person before you, to care that they hurt, to want to make their passage in this world as easy as possible.

So, the question on my mind is: How do you know when it’s real?

Even as I write this, I find it ironic that every other song on my Pandora station has to do with love, or even has the word in the song. Love is everywhere. It is in the very fabric of our being; to find that place where we belong, where we are appreciated, where we are needed.

In my opinion, it is simple, really. We seek to define love to understand it. We give it different meanings and write different definitions for it. But real love shouldn’t need to be defined, it is only felt. Whether it makes sense or not, is beyond the point.

With real love we risk real heartbreak, but it is a sacrifice that everyone must accept to find where he or she truly belongs.

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Me and my cat Milo, when he was a kitten. What a goofball!

On that note, I’ve decided to focus on something else this holiday season…and that is giving gifts to show the ones I love how truly thankful I am to be known by them, to love and be loved.

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Every year I struggle with Christmas and the fact that it is so commercialized! (I blame the years I worked in retail. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday!) I’d decided to do a few things to bring myself back into the holiday spirit and to focus on the love and selflessness that the holiday is meant to show:

  • make my own gifts this year; instead of focusing on buying, buying, buying
  • bake more!
  • cherish the memories, never miss a photo opportunity!
  • try more outdoor activities

What are you doing to get into the holiday spirit? Thoughts below if you got them!

What’s up buttercup? Copywriting?! Freelancing?!

/ Ajmorse / 4 Comments

Just got a notification that informed me that a year ago, I joined the wonderful world of WordPress!

Although I don’t have the thousands of admiring followers I would love to have, I’ve been thinking about the other benefits that blogging has done for me over the year:

  • Firstly, I’ve learned about blogging. Everyone has their own voice. And although I am still developing my own and learning as I go, I’ve learned it is very important to keep your posts to the point and accessible to everyone.
  • Don’t ramble if it’s not necessary and remember that everyone has the attention span of a peanut – it’s not very big.
  • Attract those readers with pictures, catchy phrases and good quality writing. Make them excited about what you’re writing, get personal with your readers.
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Me! Aww…

Essentially you are selling yourself to your readers and that’s another thing I’ve learned over the year:

  • How important it is to market yourself as a writer.

It’s important to sell yourself to your readers as much as it is to make your writing readable. Show this through your writing – through your posts, through your confidence, your ability to be versatile in your writing. Write what you know of course, but don’t be afraid to stretch the boundaries – to learn as you go.

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I might be preaching a bit here, but it’s something that I struggle with A LOT and I’d like to take this time to remind myself and anyone else who cares to listen:

Along the way, Don’t be afraid of failure.

Just don’t. It doesn’t do you any good and makes you procrastinate and not get the things done that you need to get done.

And on that note, it’s time to get to the point of this post:

I’ve decided to expand my writing knowledge and try my hand at Copywriting and Freelancing. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while now and for some reason this time I feel serious about it. Going to order my copy of The 2014 Writer’s Market now!

I’m not sure what will come of it, but maybe I’ll get a part-time writing gig!  🙂

Happy writing people!

PS: More posts to come on this new venture of mine – it might change the focus of how this blog started out, but I’ve decided to treat every new journey as a learning experience. There is always room to grow!

Between the raindrops

/ Ajmorse / Leave a comment

I sometimes forgot how much I love to lose myself in the setting of a book or a movie, the way it feels to lose yourself in a different world, a character’s emotions – to be swept away and return only when you need to…

when its time to face the music.

But this also reminds me of dreams, which brings me to the point of this post:  Last week I had a dream…

No, really I did.

I had a dream that…well, I don’t remember much, but in the dream was music. There was a girl running from something, she was full of emotion; longing, fear, desire…she was running to something and she couldn’t get there fast enough and she was worried that she was going to be too late.

Too late for what? I have no idea. I woke up with a song in my head that matched the beating of her heart and I could not figure out where I had heard the song or even what it was. I had a tune in my head, and didn’t even know if it was a real song.

Well, I heard that song on the radio today, jotted down some lyrics and through the power of google, the song has a name.

It is Between the Raindrops by Lifehouse feat. Natasha Bedingfield.

It always amazes me how a good song can sweep you up just as much as a novel, or a great movie. It is where I find some of my inspiration…and why I don’t always like to watch the music videos that go a long with songs. I like to create my own story.

There just might be something here, too. I can still see the girl running, the mud flying up on her t-shirt as her legs tear across the ground, as cold, water dribbles down her bare legs and her cheeks and eyelashes, mixing with muddy rain and tears.

Spring Continued

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Went for a walk this evening – I am enjoying this warmer weather so, so much! 🙂 Took a few pics that I thought were cool, so thought I’d share. Enjoy!

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Went for a walk in the woods next to my house…looked up and thought the trees looked pretty neat, the shapes of the branches and the twisty vines.

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Blue sky peeks through the dusky cloud cover and adds more color to an already beautiful sky, as a plane streaks through and leaves a trail of white.

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Taking a rest on a fallen branch at the edge of the ravine. Yep, that’s my shoe. Was thinking this would be a great place to do that writing thing that I like to do. 😉

  Over all, had a great day. Hope everyone had a great Sunday! Here’s hoping the rest of the week is just as warm and goes by just as fast!

Spring is finally here!!

/ Ajmorse / Leave a comment

Well, it’s already April and I realize its been almost a month since I posted last! Holy crap! Where does the time go?

Thought I take this lazy time on a Saturday night to do a quick update. Tired myself cleaning and doing errands today, so naturally it is time to relax, get on facebook, and write (theoretically). :p

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Me in Tampa, leaning against a palm tree. (From my trip earlier this winter.) I kinda wish I was there now!

Long story short: I started a new job, which has kept me occupied for the past month or so. It pays much more than the other job I had this winter, so here’s hoping I can start saving money this summer. I am basically a Collector, so if you have defaulted on your student loans – beware! I’ll be like: Give me your money, fool! 😉

It’s great to have a job where I can start saving money, but I haven’t written anything in about a month. (sad face) This new job has taken up all my energy and my focus. I’m hoping once I know what I am doing, the stress factor will go down and I won’t be so exhausted at the end of the day. :/

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More beachy scenes from pretty Tampa.

In the back of my mind though, I still dream and I still plan. My characters are still there waiting, the story still yet undiscovered. And then I remember all the short stories that I have started and have yet to finish. The short stories that I hope to see in print someday…Spring is all about new beginnings though, right?

Spring has arrived finally, even if there is still a chill in the air. And I’m thinking: Move out of the way winter, it is time for the fun stuff to happen!

Saturday Morning Food Post

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Saturday Morning yummyness of the day:

0216131132Strawberry-Vanilla pancakes garnished with whipped topping and sliced strawberries; with a side of fried egg with melted sharp cheddar cheese on top.

It’s important that writers have other creative hobbies, and I’ve decided making good food is mine!

What’s yours?

Vacationing in Tampa, Florida!

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

So I meant to post early this week to say that the reason I’ve been MIA for awhile is that I’ll be vacationing in Tampa, Florida for a week! I am here visiting some friends until Monday February 4th. Last week, I was ice skating on the pond next to my house and it was 10 degrees outside and the following week I am here in Tampa, Florida where it was at least 70 degrees today! Just wanted to share some quick photos that I thought were amusing.

Here’s the BEFORE:

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     And AFTER….100_1392Haha! I am having a very good time. Happy vacationing for those who’ve decided to escape to warmer weather for a while! It has been fantastic!! 🙂

Making good food, a boost to healthy writing

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

What’s for breakfast today? Or rather Brunch…(I never was a big breakfast eater.)

0119131139French toast with syrup, sprinkled with powdered sugar and orange slices. Yum!

Since I started this new job, I’ve been appreciating my weekends more and more, and lately it has become a Saturday morning ritual – where I’ve liked to make something special, something that I don’t normally get the time to make during the week.

My online creativity class emphasizes how important it is for a writer to have other hobbies and I agree! It’s refreshing, because it allows you to take a break from the pressure of writing, and all the anxieties that sometimes comes with it. (Writer’s block, time management, writer’s fear, etc.) Here’s how to start: find something that you find relaxing and fun and just do it!

Although I’m not the cook in the family, I like being creative and making food that looks and tastes good, well, what can be wrong with that? 🙂 This is my NEW hobby. What’s yours?

Happy Saturday everyone!

Can you guess what color I am?

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Dusk at Binghamton University’s wildlife reserve.

It’s early morning, and I really should be sleeping, but thought I would post my latest assignment from my writing class. It really is forcing me to stretch back into that creative mold and realize just because I’ve been to a few college classes, doesn’t mean that I am the expert that I think I am – sometimes I forget that we writers can get cocky sometimes. 😉

Anywho…the assignment was to describe a color and do this in the first person. (Pretend we are essentially the color.) The bit I wrote was a broad scope of how one color can be many, but I like the phrases I got here:

I am that periwinkle color of a forgotten sweater. I am royal, I am sweet, call me what you want; pop in your mouth grapes, a plum, hanging loose from the vine. I am everything that you want to go right in your life. Find me on the highway, stripped from its owner; a scarf blowing in the breeze. A dark, bleeding sunset, a midnight sky so inky. I am velvet, I am happy beams of ambrosia, lavender, freesia. The sparkle in a raindrop, no larger than a pin-prick. Find me soaring, the color of wind, grey and regal. Find me goofy. A bulky mauve dinosaur that everyone hates. Flowers in a field of straw, choking out the other plant life. Birthed by two colors, given life from two opposites, warm, cold, light and dark.

What am I?