Neverending Change, Captured in Words

July 18, 2017July 18, 2017 / Penny L Howe / 8 Comments

Words, words words. They’re amazing things aren’t they? Drifting in, around and through our thoughts and emotions connecting with or latching onto every bit of life’s often overlooked creative aspects and/or acquired wisdom in our daily, sometimes meandering advenures.

Those minutiae of flotsam within life experiences, frequently add to an artisan’s imagination, collaborating with her/his words to bring forth the profoundness of a thought, idea or expression.

On the one hand we’re blessed with this finely honed awareness of life, on the other hand it can often lead us far from our original intent as life is a never ending spiral where the old gives way to the new (and upon occasion revisits the old again) and as we all recognize about change … well … it’s constant, whether we wish it were so or not.

I believe the key here is to embrace change as often as one can, recognizing that even during its turmoil, within its essence is an neverending source of information and inspiration for the next great thing you shall write, my creative soulmates.

Thanks for reading my written thoughts. I wish you well.
~Penny

Important Tips – How to Be a Successful Writer!

May 8, 2015May 8, 2015 / Penny L Howe / 14 Comments

“Stay writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on” ~ Louis L’Amour

Write … on the good days.
Write … on the bad days.
Write … when your happy.
Write … when your sad.
Write … in the morning, and/or
Write … in the afternoon, and/or
Write … in the evening, and/or
Write … in the night time.

Just Write!

That’s it. The one thing every single successful writer will tell you is that they write – a lot – whole bunches & bunches of words.

All the other things you’ll need to know about editing, publishing, marketing etc. you can research and learn … when you’re not writing!

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend – are you writing? ☺

~ Penny

A Passion for the Written Word.

November 11, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 15 Comments

Whether you are a dedicated writer or an avid reader, it is passion that moves you.

For the writer it is the longing to write, his or her passion – to embrace the muse. For the reader of the written word, their desire – to be passionately moved by the words in some manner.

The following prose is a dedication to those who love to read and write, for it is a truth; you cannot truly have one without the other.

Passions From Within

There is that … in your words,

exciting passions from within.

Ethereal and gentle they provoke

a lingering, craving, longing, intensity

from the reader.

Your words move, readers slide into your words

lulled senses alive.

Honed words are your tools to be shaped.

Passion ignites –

endless and enduring from the written word.

Your passion for writing … to be shared with the reader.

Penny L Howe

A Writer Should Never Use – these two words! I Can’t!

October 30, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 12 Comments

I Can’t!

How many of us have said or heard the words “I Can’t”. All of us, and everyone is my guess.

I recommend the following: Follow you heart, don’t forget your dreams. Discipline is important. Understanding that effort + action will achieve results. Also research is important, spend a little time researching the “what & how” to do something . Put passion into this as well. Just don’t use the words “I Can’t”, because it isn’t true, you know … You Can!

Most mighty things – begin very small. Many great achievements were made with very slow and hesitant steps towards a goal. Success happened because those who achieved never stopped. Perhaps they’d regroup or pause and start over, but they never stopped.

I CAN

Don’t speak to me about can nots

Don’t try to stomp on my dreams,

I am who I am, and I feel what I feel,

And my words are all there in my Reams.

The Reams of my paper seem endless

My words upon words upon words,

But I’m true to myself and I’ll say what I say,

And do all that “I Can” to be heard.

I’ll never give up or stop trying,

Holding fast so that nothing can ban.

My dream is to write and so I shall write,

I will write for I know that – “I Can”!

Hold fast to your dreams, never let go, never stop.

Thank you for stopping by,

~ Penny

Sunday Photo Fiction – The Pose, or why Aliens still haven’t landed here!

October 20, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 16 Comments

Time For another flash fiction (more or less – oh alright, short story) for SUNDAY PHOTO FICTION, brought to you each week by Alastair, the Hoster (that’s the male form of Hostess, for all you folks who aren’t into etiquette) to find out more info or take part, yourself, (as the writer) check in right HERE for more details. My story follows based on the photo below!

Photograph by © Alastair Forbes

Don’t Move – You’re in The Perfect Pose!

“I don’t think I can stand still much longer.” (says the alien speaking telepathically to his captain who is still on board the space vessel.)

“No, we need you to stay right where you are and whatever you do, don’t move. Stay completely stationary in that pose. We’ve fooled them all so far.”

“And so what?”

“When we received the diagram of this figure and were able to create you to look just like this, we knew it would be just the thing.”

“Again I ask, for what exactly?”

“You’re mingling with the earth crowd.”

“There is no crowd. Only every now and then a rude bi-pedal creature comes along and puts some kind of awful tasting round metallic food in my mouth, and twists my head. It’s really uncomfortable, not to mention embarrassing. I don’t even have any arms to push them away.”

“But we’re learning so much.”

“No we’re not. This is dumb. I feel dumb. Can I come back to the ship now.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure. We’re a science vessel and you’re here on Earth, passively collecting information. Aren’t you excited?”

“No, I just want to leave. To tell you the truth, I feel stupid and stiff and OMG (gosh), I’m blue. I’ll never live this down when I get back to the spaceship. I’m going to be the butt of every joke the crew can think of.”

“Oh, alright I’m bringing you up, but with incomplete information, we won’t be able to come back this way for a long time.”

“And that’s the first intelligent thing I’ve heard you say. Farewell Earthlings. We’ll come again when we return from infinity, ha, ha, ha!” (Alien voice echoes in the breeze as he disappears from view.)

Hope you enjoyed my silly romp of fantasy. Have a great day and better tomorrow,

~ Penny

Friday Fictioneers – The Yin and Yang of Foam

September 2, 2014September 2, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 31 Comments

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Madison Woods

The Thing About Foam!

Foam, the essence of yin and yang. Occurring in nature, foam can be a part of creation or found at its decomposition at the end of life. Foam produced from soap gives one the feeling of cleanliness and health, while foaming at the mouth is considered a symptom of disease.

An exceedingly popular foam is found at the head of things a’top a perfectly poured mug of beer. The pouring and procurement of said “head” an art in and of itself, alluding to the fulfillment of taste in the brew itself. All in all a most satisfactory balance to life.

(100 words)

Friday Fictioneers is a wonderful way to practice and improve your writing skills, visit with other writers and have a great time of things in the process. Be sure to check it out. Just ask for Rochelle, the hostess with the mostest.

Sunday Photo Fiction – The Trucker

May 5, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 17 Comments

The truck stood waiting. His tricked out, shiny and sleek, big rig, 18 wheeler. The engine had been idling and now was warmed up and ready for him to go on his midnight run to the city and then out into the far lying reaches of numerous small towns, delivering goods that wouldn’t be delivered if it wasn’t for him and his mighty truck …

… In the harsh light of reality’s morning sun, he rolled out of bed. After several cups of coffee and a quick breakfast he was on his way. Not in the 18-wheeler, but in a much more modest truck, picking up trash people left by the curbside each day.

Throughout the early morning hours he filled the back of his truck with the multitude of various unwanted things, finding (as usual) he couldn’t wait to return home so he could rummage through the discarded items. His price for removing the trash.

Photograph by Alastair Forbes

Amazing that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Inconceivable how many quality items he found and resold, adding to his “dream truck” kitty.

One day … one day he vowed, he’d have enough money to buy the truck of his dreams. To be a real trucker, to pick up and deliver cargo or “goods”. Being on the road – for real. Living the dream.

Until then he’d depend on his trusty little truck to get the job done. He was a trucker after all, even if for now – it was only in spirit.

But one day …

This is my entry for Sunday Photo Fiction. For more info. click here. Lots of great short fiction stories to check out or enter yourself. Lots of fun for everyone at Alastair’s Sunday Photo Fiction.

Have a great week ahead, keep working towards your dreams. Dreams do come true.

~ Penny

Writers Write – Right? A Promotional Post!

March 31, 2014April 2, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 9 Comments

That’s what we do! In whatever way we accomplish this – we write!

Promoting our written words can be much more difficult, so anything that helps to get the word out (ha,ha) is a good thing!

I was asked a little over a week ago to participate in a writer’s “blog hop”. If you have followed my blog for awhile you’re aware that it is with great infrequency that I engage in these activities. However, in an effort to further the writer’s cause, I’d like to thank Dee Strange for her invitation. This version of blog hop involves a 3-step process of participation.

Part A – answering questions, Part B – introducing the writer who invited you to blog hop, and Part C – passing it on.

Part A: Penny’s Q & A

What am I working on? With the patient support of my publisher I’ve been working (for over a year on an inspirational (achieving self determination) nonfiction book for women. In addition, I’ve been working on several fictional pieces.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? Well, the hope is that the inspirational book will actually make an impactful and positive difference, that it won’t become “just another reference book” to occasionally review, but something that makes an immediate difference from the first reading on.

Why do I write what I do? Because I love words and reading them. Because I like to create. Because I care.

How does my writing process work? I do my most creative writing early in the morning, or adversely late at night. Perhaps the stillness of those time periods has something to do with this. During the day as a thought or idea comes to me I will take a minute to jot it down, in a paper tablet or on my ipad. There are times when I can write for 3 or 4 hours and force myself to take a break before getting back to the written words. Other times my writing will be of short duration.

Part B – Introduce the person who brought you into the blog hop:

Allow me to introduce you to Delia, the writer.

Delia Strange was born in Aucklnd, New Zealand (north-west of Hobbiton aka Matamata) and lives in Brisbane, Australia. She wrote sci-fi stories in her teens, speculative horror short stories in her twenties (some were published), then put the writing aside for a little while and tried to act normal.

Normalcy didn’t work in her thirties so she resumed living in another world on the page instead of just in her head. Along the way she picked up her closest friend as a co-writer and together they mix all fantasy genres (science fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance). In 2014 she began an indie-publishing project for her science fantasy Femme, and is blogging about the process.

Blog: http://strangewriter.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @strangewriter42 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeliaStrangeAuthor Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13582300-delia-strange

Part C – Find 3 more writers to be the next blog hop participants and introduce them in your March 31 blog post. They will write their own entries a week after you (7 April) and then they will each find 3 people (for 14 April) and so it continues on from there. Promo your blog post as you see fit.

And here in Part C is where I, Penny, leave the script. When reviewing the fellow bloggers I’ve come to know in the last several years (online), I realized there were hundreds of them currently published or in the process of getting their first book “out there”. It was impossible to choose only 3 from among them.

What I would like to humbly suggest is – those of you who fit either of the above “published or about to be published” categories, are encouraged to participate in this blog hop. Follow the directions above and please reference Delia Strange as the writer who encouraged participation in this promotional and self help event.

Thanks for reading, hope your week has started out well for you,

~ Penny

Writer’s Tip (content, promotion) – Who are you writing for?

March 16, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 25 Comments

Be sure your subject matter is something your reader can really get into! Something they will enjoy! Something that holds their interest.

… Once upon a time there was a village filled to overflowing with many delicious and succulent humans!

“Well now that sounds really interesting.

I think I’ll read some more of this fine story!”

*****

(A good tip to think on! Are you writing for yourself or for your reader?)

Thanks for stopping by. Have an excellent week ahead!

Penny

Friday Fictioneers – The Walkway to Nowhere!

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 41 Comments

The Walkway to Nowhere!

The raised passageway was built from wood locally grown and hewed. The builder had provided the wood at no cost. Locals were surprised by his generosity! There was talk!

“Henry, have you been on the walkway recently?” She asked, handing him his morning cup of beverage.

“Nope.” He replied. “Haven’t been there since I finished building it. Why?”

“Well, I know you were against it’s construction and now there are reports of visiting folks going missing there.”

Henry the Sorcerer, appeared to contemplate her news while drinking in a deep satisfying gulp of his special wetlands brew.

“Hmmm” He said contentedly!

It’s been awhile since I’ve spent time with the Friday Fictioneers. The writers there, whose stories (of approximately 100 words) always make for a good read , are lead by the gracious and talented hostess Rochelle. For more information on how you can become a Friday Fictioneer or just spend some time reading other author’s creative musings, click here!

Have a great day,

Penny