A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Archive for the ‘Writing Challenges’ Category

MY MAINE “Summer Songs” (HAIKU) by Bette A. Stevens + End of Summer Poetry Contest


Introducing MY MAINE, Songs of the Seasons—Stevens’s current work-in-progress. Summer Songs includes selections from her upcoming collection.

I am currently working on a haiku collection (My Maine Through the Seasons/current WIP title) reflecting the Maine I know and love. Here are several stanzas from the upcoming haiku collection MY MAINE
entitled Summer Songs. Hope you enjoy them…

Meanwhile, I’m planning my own Maine vacation for August and September. Company arrives in a few days and I’m ready to enjoy a great “Staycation” right here with family and friends from away…  Wishing everyone a blessed and beautiful end of summer.

I’m entering these stanzas  from Summer Songs into Kayla Ann’s End of Summer Poetry Contest. I invite you to visit Kayla Ann’s blog to find,  out all about it. ~Bette A. Stevens  

Summer Songs

From MY MAINE Haiku Collection by Bette A. Stevens

Celestial orb
Climbs the azure skyline
Ascending each day

Season of high notes
Fledglings abandoning nests
Wings and voices soar

Waves play taps on shore
Tall pines salute by moonlight
Waking stars stand guard

Loons at lakeshore wail
Campers bewitched by the sound
Sacred summer songs

Bees and Butterflies
Dipping from Rose to Lupine
Dance to summer tunes

Highlands and ocean
Bound by granite cliffs sing of
Ageless adventures

Lighthouses stand tall
Regaling stories of ghosts
From a bygone age

Steps along seashore
Toes can’t resist surfs calling
Cold reality

Golden noontide
Both natives and newcomers
Triumphant spirits

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#IndieBooksBeSeen, Inspirational, Literature, Maine Author, Music, My Poetry, Nature, Photography, Poetry, Rave Reviews Book Club, RWISA Author, Writing Challenges

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Write a Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too!


Let nature inspire you…

Our rock garden at the Farmstead is singing. The columbine were so glorious this season they inspired me to write “The Choral Debut,”  a haiku (Japanese-inspired, non-rhyming three-line: 5-7-5 syllable poem). I hope The Choral Debut inspires you to get outdoors and let nature sing its songs to you. 

The Choral Debut

HAIKU by Bette A. Stevens

Rising with the sun

Pristine perennials join

The choral début

I enjoy designing  posters to go with my poems and often use photos I have taken. As a former teacher (now retired) in grades four through eight, I’ve learned that kids of all ages love writing poetry and like me, they enjoy illustrating their poems too. It’s simple and it’s so much fun to tell a story in the three short lines of Haiku. Of course, you can write as many stanzas as you wish. I invite you to give it a try. In fact, I’m working on a Maine haiku collection that sings of the seasons. 

Don’t be shy. Grab a pen and paper, get outdoors, get inspired…and get the kids writing haiku too!

~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

(Haiku: m)

haiku

noun hai·ku \ˈhī-(ˌ)kü\

plural

haiku

  1. :  an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usually five, seven, and five syllables respectively; also :  a poem in this form usually having a seasonal reference — compare tanka

See haiku defined for English-language learners

See haiku defined for kids

Discover more about how to write haiku and other poetry:

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Written

on 06/20/2018

As a Writer, Do You Make Time To Read?


Every #writer should #read this article by author Don Massenzio at DSM Publications! ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

DSM Publications

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an avid reader as well as a writer. I tend to pick authors that I enjoy and read their entire body of work in chronological order. This not only brings me enjoyment, but it shows me their development as an author from their early to contemporary work.

One of my favorite authors is Stephen King. His early work is strong and definitely got stronger. When he suffered his accident and nearly died, his work suffered a bit after his recovery. He even threatened to retire, but thankfully, did not. I use him as an example because he also has one of my favorite quotes by an author:

If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time — or the tools — to write. Simple as that. – Stephen King

In the past eight months, I have written and published…

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Articles of Interest, Books, Indie Authors, Reading, Recommended Reads, Writing, Writing Challenges, Writing Tips

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3 Day Quote Challenge – Day Three


 

Written

on 05/15/2018

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3 Day Quote Challenge – Day Two


Thank you Deborah—Author of A Wise Woman’s Journey.

Day Two Quote: –

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in. ~Rachel Carson

 

 

 

 

 

 

I nominate:

1.  Janice Spina  – Author of Jemsbooks

2.  Maretha Botha – Author at  Maretha Botha 

3.  D.L. Flinn  – Author at Embrace Your Inner Child

Photo Credit: AZ QUOTES

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Written

on 05/14/2018

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3 Day Quote Challenge – Day One


 

Written

on 05/13/2018

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A Sense of Style


“Style is a very simple matter…” Discover the secrets in this precise and concise post from author L.M. Nelson! ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author http://www.4writersandreaders.com

lmnelsonscorner

Image result for got style

In the writing world, the word style means the way in which an idea is expressed. Style has to do with form, not content. Readers pick up a book because of content, but put it down because of style.

As a writer, you have to develop your own writing style. The way you arrange words is the nature of you. Your style should be specifically yours and no one else’s.

When developing your individual style, here are some things to consider:

  1. Listen to what you write. Writing is like music. The words you write make sounds, and when those sounds are  in harmony, the writing works.
  2. Mimic spoken language. Writing convey to the reader the sense of conversation. It should provide the intimacy and warmth of personal conversation.
  3. Vary sentence length. Consider the following:Image result for vary sentence length
  4. Vary sentence construction. You should always strive for clarity when you write…

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Written

on 05/07/2018

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