How I Found the Write Path: Worthless and Insulted

                                                         
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This blog hop is brought to you by PK Hero. It's a pretty cool idea. Here's the basic deal: YOU WRITE A LETTER TO YOURSELF or something like that (I don't do directions all that well. So. Yeah.). You can find out more by clicking the link above.

WORTHLESS AND INSULTED

by Shelly Arkon

Talia blinked watery blue eyes at the freckled face boy standing head to head with her. 

He ran his hand underneath his nose and then scratched at a scab on his lift elbow.

Her cheeks blushed a rose color as she watched. There was something about him that gave her butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

At eleven, these beautiful words written by another eleven year old plundered my heart. It even discouraged me from writing anymore stories for a long time. My stories seemed so...STUPID! The way I put my words together were total BLECK ! I never felt good enough or worthy or confident in my own ability to create a story like (changing her name to protect the perfectly innocent here) Maria Amos.

What I've learned since...everyone is unique. Each writer has their own voice and their own way in putting a story together. We should NEVER-EVER compare ourselves with other writers. It's one sure way to keep you from practicing your craft to make it better or keeping you from finishing and publishing anything.

"Do you think you can clarify 'she worked like a dog all day'?" Miss M asked me, wrinkling her forehead in confusion.

At sixteen, I had entered a short story competition that my high school was putting on. I worked tirelessly on mine. To me, it was the best ever story... EVER.

One of my high school teachers offered to critique and edit it for me. Well...I didn't take her constructive criticism as helpful advice. Instead, I took it as an insult.

Sadly, I never finished my piece for the competition and withdrew from it completely.

What I've learned since...another pair of eyes will always see something you or me won't or can't. Stories are like families. We make excuses for our bad habits and enable them on because we're too close to really fix what could be better.

So don't ever GIVE UP if you THINK someone else's story or voice or idea is way better than yours. And don't take someone's critique as either a correct or wrong assumption. Weigh everything. Consider what is said. It's always good to have three sets of eyes. Then if two out of three see the same writing issue, fix it.

Oh and treat yourself to some delicious chocolate while perfecting your story or stories. It makes everything better.

I hope everyone has a Happy Monday and week. I'll be working the next couple of days.

Hope to keep up in the blogosphere this week. Last week I failed miserably.

Hugs and chocolate, all!
Shelly

Bullies and Bad Bosses

Today, is Thank Your Wonderful Boss Day-something like that. Its been all over the news this morning, and so has the girl who committed suicide because of two completely insensitive girls-bullies who have taken that word to a whole new level. Two unremorseful souls. This reminds me that its Something-Something-National-About-Bullies-Month.

In my opinion,we should have a public hanging for bullies for a month and call it, It Sucks to be a Bully this Month. As for  Thank Your Wonderful Boss Day, there are more terrible ones than good. At least that’s my experience. I can personally count on one hand how many fantabulous bosses I’ve had and it doesn’t even reach a total five.

Anyway, my really big bully issues began in high school. Honestly, I have no clue why the mean-herd-mentality hit the group of boys and girls I had to share classrooms, hallways, and a cafeteria with for nine months out of the year for four long horrid years.

What was their purpose to stand in parallel rows in the school hallway like someone was going to pop some rad Soul Train move toward the next class? Well … actually … they were waiting for me. I was the star of those moves. All I wanted to do was get to the next period.

Each kid would push up their nose and snort as I walked down their Aisle of Torment, amongst other things their sick adolescent  minds could think of -which brings me to the day of gym class. While in the shower, the girls- not all, only the bullies- decided to take my school uniform and shoes. They put them in the toilet and took turns urinating and defecating on them. Talk about humiliation. Wrapped in a towel, I sat for four hours in the girl’s locker room waiting for my mom to come with another outfit and shoes.

So when I hear someone killed themselves over a group of insensitive morons. It leaves me wishing for a It Sucks to Be a Bully Month. Since a public hanging is probably out of the question, why not post their faces and the cruel things they’ve done to another human being for the entire world to see like they do sex offenders and pedophiles? Maybe they would think twice about what they post on social networks about someone else. PLEASE NOTE: I remember yours faces and names. I’ve never forgotten and probably never will. Wonder if you people are in positions to bully others in the work place. It wouldn’t surprise me.

This brings me to my next topic: Bad Bosses. They were probably your high school bullies. I say this because they have no problem being insensitive to others. PLEASE NOTE: I know this last statement isn’t true of  ALL bosses. So I don’t mean all. But to be honest, I’ve had more bad ones than good.

Over the years, I’ve been threatened, insulted, and lied about while the owners of these certain establishments turned their heads. All aspects of bullying really needs to stop. We’re all here to go through a journey. Life is tough enough without a bunch of monstrous people bashing others. It’s wrong even if their in a superior position.

In The Partners’ Progeny, Monica Bowman is the new girl at a lawfirm and seems to withstand attacks from Victoria Sheek, her supervisor and the daughter to one of the partners, until…. well, check it out on Amazon. It’s a short read at 99 cents, close to 6000 words with five 5 star reviews.

US Amazon

UK Amazon

Actually, its available for all countries on Amazon.

And before I go, I wanted give a shout out to PK Hero. Hay! Ho! She’s a got a cover for her up and coming book.

It’s lovely. Don’t you think? Anyway, her cover is everywhere today.

Ever been bullied?

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly