Do you have a journal? I have been writing a journal since I was seven years old. I recently came across one of my journals from when I was 15. Oh the mentality of a teenager. I thought I knew everything when I was 16. But don't we all?
I had so many wishes and desires back then. I had confidence no one and nothing could shake. I was the queen of my own world, and what an imagination I had.
It was such a precious time though. So young, innocent, and naive. But sometimes I think I would trade that for the cynicism, bitterness, and regret I have developed along the way to adulthood. When you are young, you wanted to be trusted, you want your parents to give you some responsibilty. When you get older, you wish you could sometimes give the responsibility away.
It is a good practice for a writer to keep a journal. It helps me to sort out my feelings when they are too intense to voice. It can help you to organize your thoughts. I like to argue or discuss my point about any issues I have with someone after I have left the "moment". Writing your feelings gives you the release you need without causing pain to someone else due to saying things aloud that you can't take back.
Whatever way you choose to use your writing abilities, whether it be to write for entertainment or personal therapy, it all helps you to put words together to better hone your skills and make your reader share in your experience.

The following poem I wrote in 1998 when I broke up with my husband. Some of you may relate to the way I was feeling.

I'll Always Remember
I'll always remember your smile,
And that wicked twinkle in your eye.
The way my heart would skip a beat,
When you'd look at me and sigh.
I was your wildflower
That blossomed in the sun
But too much rain then drowned me
And made me want to run.

I never could figure,
Just how I really felt.
My feelings all were jumbled
My head sore like a welt.
You had so much pain inside of you
I didn't know what I could do
I always made it worse for you
Instead of only staying true.

But you scared me with the depth of pain
A depth I'd never know.
We both had all these feelings
We didn't know how to show.
But I do know that I love you
And that I always will.
No matter how our lives go now
I will always love you still.

I'm sorry we couldn't share our lives
The way we really needed
To just let go and forget the pain
Let our hearts just run unheeded.
You need a stronger person
To help you through your pain
To give to you the help you need
To learn to trust again.

And so I have to be contented
To know that you are there
Still in my life, with our children
And that you do still care.
I am really sorry
So much you'll never know
That we couldn't work it out together
So our lives and love could grow.

No more placing blame
For all the wrong been done
No more sleepless nights
Or the need to up and run.
And so I thank you kindly
For all that you have been
For all the good that we shared,
And the things that we have seen.

by
Melanie Bremner Doran

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Today I had the joy of attending a Pampered Chefs party. For those of you who don't know what that is, I will tell you.
Pampered Chef products are cooking ware that is made to last, has a lifetime warranty,and is made from stoneware, stainless steel and other such solid materials.
Most of us have been to a tupperware party right? Before the event I was classifying this excursion as a glorified tupperware party and didn't see what the big deal was.
It was very nice. The host of the party had a cute navy blue Pampered Chef's apron. She had one of every item in the catalog that she was promoting. Then she cooked us a wonderfully tasty veggie pizza. When I sat down before the show, I was chuckling to myself thinking that this seemed like such a waste of time and preparation for most likely a sale or two from the nine of us that managed to show up.
Kathleen was marvelous. She wove us into her spell. Enticed us with aromas, her confidence in the products as she used them, the finesse as she layed out the beautiful array of veggies, cheese, and crust baked to perfection.
Two hours later I, along with every other person there was writing out an order. The prices I had thought a little steep in the beginning now seemed quite reasonable after the display. What do they say? "The proof is in the pudding."
This got me to thinking about some of my favorite things and how one could make some money incorporating them. Food, good customer service and writing. Could I make that equal money? You bet. Others do. There are food critics making a living out there all over the world. Since I wasn't quite sure how to get involved in that I had to think of something I could do on my own.
Mini sites are becoming popular all the time these days. They are quick and easy to set up and don't require any hassle to maintain. So, I thought I would go out and critic some places on my own, write and review, post it on my site, contact the company and inform the advertising or media department, and see what happens.
I live in a small town now where I am sure there are plenty of restaurants that would love to get the exposure to bring in new customers. Not only would I be making people aware of the geopgraphy, but I would also be promoting their business. That should count for a few bucks shouldn't it?
I would love to make money writing about anything I can that I experience in life. If there is a will, there usually is a way. It just takes a little bit of thought and creativity.
What do you love? Is there a way you could put it all together to make a few dollars? I am not saying try to make a living off of it. I am merely trying to imply that there could always be a way to add an extra bonus to what you already enjoy. You never know unless you try.

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I want to ask you a question. The reason I was thinking about it was because it is my grandma's 81st bday today and I had to go looking for a card.
I always feel silly looking for greeting cards when I used to make them. I am a writer after all! Why am I going to look for a card with a generic saying on it when I can write something so much better(not to mention personal!)
It is the quick and easy way out. This society is getting so caught up in the quick and easy mentality of living, that way too many important things are getting lost.
One of my personal favourites is the microwavable bacon. It only takes 7-8 mins. to begin with. Why do we have to knock it down to 2 mins? Come on! Are we really all in that much of a hurry every day? I refuse to believe that.
Okay so this is not sounding like anything to have on a writers blog, I know.
I started off with the thought to ask you if you have ever wanted to get into writing greeting cards work. Greeting card writing is quite fun. You can make a good living off of it if that is your goal.
You would be a freelancer who has a business of your own. To me that is a 2 for the price of 1 deal. I love business, and I love writing! Can't go wrong there.
Go check out this site and see if maybe this could be your niche. http://www.absoluteclasses.com/Louden/greetincards.htm"

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So, you have a story all written, edited and ready for publication. With the modern technology available today you no longer have to send out tons of query letters to publication offices looking for the one place who will agree to try you out. Now, don't get me wrong, I still suggest doing that, but you do have options for the mean time that you can take part in to better feel like you are helping yourself more.
What I am talking about is the sites available for print on demand and ebook publications. There are two sites that I have found to recommend.
Cafepress.com is a site where you can upload your document(pdf form), and pics as needed. They have a complete online learning centre which helps you to setup your book format as required. Also this site is beneficial if you are also an artist and would like to promote your work. There are tons of products you can put your designs on and sell at a price you choose over the cost of the base price(which by the way, you don't pay until someone buys your product).check out all the site has to offer. You won't regret it. http://www.cafepress.com
The next site I would like to tell you about is Lulu.com. This site is along the same lines as Cafepress.com except you have the option of having your book developed as an ebook as well as hard copy. That way you can have the extra benefit of two income streams from the same product idea. Go compare layouts, and prices at http://www.Lulu.com
The great thing about these sites is that you retain all rights to your work and can have both sites set up for sales, as well as even on your own site, if you have one and the software to create an ebook. We can get into Ebook compliers and the best on the market at another time.

This is a poem I wrote for my mother on her birthday some years back. I am sure some of you out there will be able to relate to it in regards to your own mother.

The Little Woman

She cooks and cleans and scrubs the walls
With never a word of dismay
She mends and irons and washes the clothes
She toils all through the day.

The children come home with a shout and a holler
She is down on her hands and knees
They want a snack with no concern for her back
Just grabbing with no words of “please”

When the children are sick and up in the night
She tends them and rocks them to sleep
No thought for herself or the sleep she will miss
She sings softly so they don’t weep.

The children all grow and move out on their own
And the little woman can rest.
She can smile and be glad in her heart
For she knows she has done her best.

by,
Melanie Bremner Doran copywritten 1996

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I come from the big city of Toronto, Ontario Canada. A city I watched grow from 2 million people to almost five million in 30 years. Toronto is a great place to live for a writer. There are so many things to see, hear, smell and touch.
I love to watch people. I used to sit for hours at various coffee shops throughout the city, absorbing all the speech and actions of those around me.
I would pick out a couple of people and develop an imaginary life for them. Picture their homes, their families, their jobs. It is a great exercise for those who need to create characters for their storylines.
I came across this article on ways to help you develop your creative mind. I thought this was a good read with useful tips.

The First 3 Secrets to Boosting Your Creativity
Copyright 2005 Inez Ng

I have professed to be the ultimate left-brained nerd. For
years I saw myself as the analytical automaton, sorely
lacking in creativity. And creativity is something that I
really valued. Think about it - being creative is defined
as “having or showing imagination and artistic or
intellectual inventiveness.” Who wouldn’t want that
quality?

As I am also a professed personal growth addict, I have
worked hard on boosting my own creativity. And I am happy
to report that I do consider myself much improved in that
area. If you can identify with me, don’t despair. It
really was not as hard as I thought. How did I do it?
Here are some of my secrets to help you get started.

1. Exercise your creative muscle regularly

There have been lots of studies on the human brain and
evidence shows that our brains works very much like a
muscle, which means that the more we use it, the stronger
it becomes. In order to boost your creative muscle, start
using it every opportunity you get, especially when it is
just for fun.

Here are some things you can do:
• Pick up some brain teaser puzzles and work on those
• Instead of reading from a book, choose a toy from your
children’s collection and make up a story about it at
bedtime
• Play games that engage the mind such as mah jong or chess
• Approach things differently – instead of writing down a
list of words, try using pictures or symbols

2. Identify your Creative Environments and Schedule Time
There

Do you know where you do your best thinking? For most of
us, it is not sitting at our desks. My best ideas come to
me in three places: the shower, on my long walks, and in
the car. There is something about the isolation and the
relaxed state I’m in while engaging in these activities
that allow my mind to come up with solutions to problems.
So your assignment is to figure out where your best
creative environments are and schedule yourself to spend
time there.

A word of caution though – once you have identified what
these environments are, don’t spoil it for yourself by
expecting that you will be doing creative thinking every
time you are there. Look for it as a special bonus, like a
prize you get when you open up the right bottle of Coke.
If I went for a walk specifically because I need some
creativity, it doesn’t come as easily. But if I just let
my mind wander to whatever it wants to think about, the
ideas start to come. Learn to relax into your creativity.

3. Adopt a “the more the merrier” attitude

One of the books that has helped me develop my creative
muscle is “A Whack on the Side of the Head” by Roger von
Oech. It is a fun little book and I highly recommend it.
In it, he talks about the “right answer” and the “second
right answer”, and the next right answer. His point is
that while we are in school, we are trained that there is
only ONE right answer to test questions. And we adopt that
same approach to everything else in life.

In order to boost our creativity, we have to remember that
there is often more than ONE right answer. So, don’t just
stop after you have one answer, keep going and see how many
other ones you can come up with. Make it a challenge. It
doesn’t matter how outrageous it is. The most significant
inventions seemed completely preposterous at the time they
were first considered. Don’t start judging when you are in
the brainstorming phase. That can come later.

When you start using these suggestions, I think you will
notice an improvement in your creative ability, as I have.
I must admit that now I really enjoy my creative
activities, like writing these articles, brainstorming with
clients, and just letting my imagination run wild. And if
you stay tuned, I will have a follow up article on this
subject as there is much more great information I want to
share with you.


----------------------------------------------------
Are your business results suffering due to an ineffective
leadership team ? Find out what coaching with Inez Ng can
do for your leadership team at
http://www.Realizationsunltd.com You can receive helpful
articles like this each month by joining her list. Want to
know about saving time handling emails? Check out her ebook
at http://easymailstrategies.com

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Well, you know your idea is good for your next book. But you still have concerns about the best way to put the sentences and paragraphs together to draw the reader in.
I have started reading quite a lot of books in my time that I am sure are good story lines, but I just couldn't get past the authors style of writing. I am sure you can relate. So, how do we go about making sure we can write the stuff that keeps the readers attention and gets them wanting to turn the next page?
If you are concerned with setting up proper paragraph form and eyecatching sentence structure you should check out the following site for tips.www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/contents.htm

I thought I would share a poem with you that I wrote when I had finished school and found out that society had a different agenda than I did.

The New Age of Despair

I remember when I was young and free.
I used to dream of all I could be.

I thought it would be fun to teach
Of all the students I could reach.

And then I thought I’d be a nurse
But hating blood was to be my curse.

Then I thought I could be a shrink.
Helping people to feel and think.

All these things took much time and care,
And lots more money than I could spare.

And so I took a computer course
Paid for by a government source.

Now I’m looking for a job.
Now I’m just an unemployed slob.

I have training, but not the skill
No experience, just the Will

The will to succeed isn’t enough.
You need the chance to show your stuff.

So I wait, day in and day out
For someone who’ll come and give me a shout.

To let me have the chance I need.
So I can prove that I’ll succeed.

by,
Melanie Bremner Doran

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It's funny sometimes how the mind of the writer works. I have several other blogs on this site that I post to on a regular basis with no problems at all. The reason is because I get articles come across my desk and then I pick one out for the day that appeals to me, I research, sometimes test it out and then post it along with my own opinion or experience. In this way, I allow myself to be a writer as well as a publisher.
All writers have writers block at one time or another. We all tend to have our own way of dealing with it as well. There was a point in my life where I was so wrapped up in misery that my writers block lasted over two years. I was so disassociated with myself that I couldn't think or act properly. It was a perpetual circle really. I was miserable because I couldn't write, but I couldn't write because I was so miserable. Stop the insanity! Let me off!
It wasn't until a chance meeting with a wanna be writer in a bar one day that I realized that I was the solution to my own dilemma. I needed a change of perspective. By now though I had gotten so out of practice of writing I still didn't know where to start. I reviewed all my old stories, in their various stages of completion to see if I could get the creative juices flowing. No luck. Then I came across this site that seemed like it was made just for me.
If you are stuck for ideas to write, maybe you should go and check out this site. It is quite fun actually. You just click on a number and it gives you an idea to work with. Before long you will find that your creativity has a life and mind of its own again and your own ideas will once again flow. www.creativewritingprompts.com

I would like to share another poem I wrote on life and society.
Hope

I look outside my window
As far as I can see
The children are all playing
With each happily.

There is no black and white
No rich against the poor
No anger, and no hatred
As I have seen before.

I wonder if there’s hope for us
To go against the odds
To live in perfect harmony
In one we all our God’s

But only time itself will tell
If men can overcome
To find in them the pure of heart
Loving all, and not just some.


By,
Melanie K Bremner Doran

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Do you often wish you had more time in the day? I do. Even though I am self employed and don't have to leave home, I still find myself lost in a mound of "paper" work. I swear the battery on my laptop is going to permanently burn out one day. On an average day, I am online working for 8-12 hours. There are a few days,especially near the end of a deadline, that it is not unusual for me to put in 16 hours in a day online.
Do you like to travel? Have you ever dreamed of being a travel writer? I found a course that gives you all the help, support and guidelines to pursuing that dream. This course even gaurantees you will have a job by the end of it because part of the whole course outline is preparing a proper layout, query letter and article ready for publication, with the connections to do so. I thought it was fantastic. I can't find the time right now in my busy schedule to indulge in that line of work, but I may very well do so in the future.
Go check out Jennifer's site if this is appealing to you. http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/travel.php
Now I would like to share another poem I wrote with you. This is a lesson I learned about love.

The Truth

As I stood in my room feeling completely alone,
I wondered what happened to the world I had known.
The truth in your eyes has burned right through me,
Gone are the lies, my soul's been set free.

But the truths I have learned along this precarious way
Have left me gasping and weeping, rueing the day
That day that I met you and all things were fine
I didn't see the thorns on the rose that was mine.

Now I can see with my journey all done
The truth I have learned will not make me run
A strength I have gained, and a courage my own
Will allow me to face this new world I've been shown.

by Melanie Bremner Doran

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I love blogs! I love writing! I thought I would create a new blog site for my writing passion. I would like to post little tid bits of writing info whether it be publishing tips, or just creativity options. I will post some of my writing for others to critique or just enjoy. I could put a book together but I don't have enough material yet(since I lost my life's work in a fire a few years ago) and I would rather work on actual stories to publish. Kind of makes it worth the time and paper. Poetry I think gives you a little taste of the authors style and skills yet is short enough it should be given for free. Call it an entree.
I have written most of my poetry on love and life since emotions usually bring out the voice in most people. I have had a hard time saying what I feel yet it flows so smoothly out on paper. I'm sure alot of you out there can relate.
There will be no specific topics or boundaries on this site, although all I write is strictly clean and not anything racy or adult content.
I do have children's story ebooks I am working on selling so if you find you like my writing and would like to see what my books offer I would love for you to contact me. The poetry I share with you on this site you have permission to use as you would like. Just remember they are all copywritten as my material and my name attached needs to remain intact.
So, on to the first poem I introduce to you:
A Lesson Learned

In a long, dark alley
With the world full of noise
A little boy cries
As he holds close his toys.
He watches in horror
As the smoke billows 'round
His house is still burning
All the way to the ground.

His world is in shambles
His clothes are a mess
His mother stands screaming
In complete utter distress.
The sirens are all shrieking
The policemen all yell
The boy stands there shaking
With his story to tell.

His mother had told him
So many times he knew
Not to play with those matches
For this is what they would do.
The boy shivered in fear
At the punishment unknown
The look on his mother's face
When the truth would be shown.

A lesson is learned
For the boy on this day
Fortune has saved him
And not made him pay.
For if a life had been taken
With his careless play
His own life would be lost
In the debt to repay.

Never would he be foolish
Never would he tempt Fate
Never would he play the odds
Against the human state.

by Melanie Bremner Doran

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