Let's pull our Journals out!

Let's pull our Journals out!

BLOG SESSION

December 23rd, 2017

Welcome back Writers, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ It is another great day on the Blog.  This afternoon we are going to take the time to pull out our Journals.  The purpose of this Blog Session is to get us in gear to write from the heart.

One way to make journal writing therapeutic for you and useful to you is to put on your creativity hat.  The way to get your mind, heart and soul in gear is to work from your creative side.  Leave your analytical side to its own devices, you don't have time for that right now.  You must move into the creative zone with intention.  As you do this, remember, your intention is a mental state that will guide you creatively to carry out your commitment to take action on writing your book in 2018. 

If you have your Journal, please pull it out to take notes.

Designer Journal

The above pictured Journal is a beautiful Designer Journal.  You can purchase a Designer Journal to inspire you if you are not quite ready to make a personal Journal yourself.  If you already know how to cover a plain journal in fabric, fake animal skin, or any other creative materials that you can think of, then you are one step ahead of many people following along here today.  If you are willing to learn how to make your own personal Journal, then you will be taking the first step toward awakening your creative juices.  If you have never created a personal Journal or an Art Journal, this will be a good place to write down the tips that will be shared here in this Blog Session today.

If you will notice at the top of this Blog Session, the Journals pictured are in various colors, but are all otherwise plain -- they have no embellishments on them as of yet.  Below you will see an embellished Journal...

Embellished Journal

All you need to create this type of embellished look is a little bit of fabric, and a view odds and ends -- like the gold little chain links and such.  You can add beads, various objects, lettering, sentimental objects, and anything your heart so desires.

Take a look at the following Journal...

Personal Journal

The Journal you see above is a Personal Journal.  As you can see a little beaded type knob has been added, ribbon and string on the left hand side, a picture frame in the center on the cover with a personal picture, as well as an added glued-on fabric square under the picture frame.  Isn't it lovely!

Take a look at another Personal Journal that has been embellished below...

Personal Journal (Embellished)

Notice the beads, button, fabric, stitching, and overlap look.  The overlap keeps papers and other objects from falling out of your Journal.  You can even add your own paper -- thicker weight paper if that suits you.  Thicker weight paper allows you to glue objects, magazine clippings, or other items to your pages.  It is not necessary to have lines on your paper if you are the type of writer that likes to do sketches and illustrations.  Some writers prefer unlined paper because they are able to write as big or small as they like, as well as add any photographs, symbols or drawings that they feel relate to their book, poetry, film storybook, play, musical, news story, historical piece, documentary, creative writing, or short story.

If you are an Artist at heart and like working with various materials, then the following Journal may interest you . . .

Artistic Journal

(with embellishments)

Your choice of objects has much to do with your personal taste.  Twisted metal, marbles, buttons, beads, straps, fabric, connectors of various styles, paints, inks, strips of cardboard, small objects that interest you, and glue does wonders.

Hey, but what about the manly Journals?  Okay, take a look at the following masculine Journals ~ although women may like these just as much...

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Masculine Journal

Now, while each of the masculine Journals that are pictured above can be purchased at a store or online, they can also be emulated and made by hand according to your own wishes.  If you know how to work with leather, there is no end to the possibilities.

Hand Made Leather Journal

Are you inspired yet?  I hope so ~ but if you need more inspiration, we'll be back tomorrow with more tips for all of the Writers on board our Blog!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

How to write from the heart

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved

Getting into writing

Getting into writing

BLOG SESSION

December 22nd, 2017

Good Morning Writers, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ We're back for another exciting Blog Session geared for YOU!

It is time to start getting into writing ~ as the year closes out, we want 2018 to be all about what we dream of writing about.  If you have not yet gathered up new Journals and Diaries for yourself for the quickly approaching 2018 year, it is time to get your wonderful Journals and Diaries ready!

For all of the Artists following along on the Blog, making a wonderful Journal and/or Diary is also a good idea to inspire you to write.  All you have to do is artistically embellish a plain Journal to get your creative juices flowing.

The key to writing is to do what is necessary ~ write.

Write wherever you feel comfortable

Whatever you'd like to write about is waiting on you to get your pen flowing, or get your fingers moving on the keyboard.

Really, the best way to get yourself inspired is to use your Journals and your Diary to keep track of your thoughts, your  activities, and the events that are taking place in your mind, life, and heart.

Utilize your Journal/Diary daily

We often forget that many of the events in our life start in our hearts and minds.  We create them before we even step into them.  We also forget that much of what we write is activated because we have taken the time to write it down.

So today, you are being encouraged to write down what is going on with you dear Writer.  It is all about getting into our writing in 2018.

Be sure to check back tomorrow with your Journal or Diary in hand!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Let's pull our Journals out!

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved

Thinking about Writing?

Thinking about Writing?

BLOG SESSION

December 21st, 2017

Greetings Writers, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ Today's Blog Session is about you...

Are you thinking about writing a book in 2018?

If so, then you are in the right place!

Time to grab your Journal so that you can take notes...

JOURNAL NOTES

The first thing you need to make a note of is a title entitled, "Overview" at the top of your Journal page.  Underneath this heading, you are going to do an overview of your life during 2017.  You'll jot down the following items:

1.   Things you enjoyed doing this year;

2.   Things you absolutely detested doing this year;

3.   Things that moved you this year emotionally;

4.   Issues that concern you because you were stirred up by

       those issues;

5.   Goals that you reached that you are proud of;

6.   Goals that you seek to reach in 2018;

7.   What your passions are;

8.   What you dream of doing in 2018 that you foresee being

       gratifying to your soul;

9.   Places you'd like to travel to; and finally, 

10.  What you'd like your book to be about.

Many of the Blog Readers here are writers, authors, poets, music enthusiasts, journalists, documentary writers, film writers, playwrights, song writers, artists, and creatives of various genres.

There are many directions you can choose to head in if you plan to write a book in 2018.  One recommendation is for you to get involved with Writers Groups online or in person.  Another suggestion is for your to participate in NaNo Writing Camp in April 2018 and July 2018 and/or National Novel Writing Month in November of 2018 online at NaNoWriMo.org.

If you are a Writer, it is always a good idea to do your research in relation to the Genre that you are interested in.  There are many genres to consider if you are new to writing.  We have gone over some of those genres in previous Blog Sessions, and you will find some of those Sessions in our "Blog Archive" over in the right-hand column.  Do take a moment to explore some of our previous Blog Sessions when you have time.  If you have any questions, be sure to place them in our "Comments Section" at the bottom of the Blog.

After you have gone over the answers that you placed in your Journal to the ten questions above, you will be moved to think a little further about what you'd like your book to be about in 2018.

Doing a personal overview at the end of each year is eye-opening.  You can always ask yourself any questions that you feel you personally need to explore.  Hence, it is a great idea to have a Diary for 2018 to keep track of you and what is going on with you -- it makes for good writing!

Think about what you'd like to write about...

We'll be back for another Blog Session tomorrow!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Getting into writing

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved

What we pray for in the year ahead...

What we pray for in the year ahead...

BLOG SESSION

December 20th, 2017

Welcome back Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ We are here for a Blog Session that is focused on what we are all praying for in the year ahead.

This has been a year to remember, like many other years past.  As we reflect and pray about 2017, we need to widen our prayer zone.  We need to understand that while we have the opportunity, and are able to get onto the internet and interact with people around the world, and gain a clearer understanding of the world around us ~ Do we truly understand?

What we would like to turn our attention to is the children around the world...

A little girl places her prayer

on the Prayer Wall

Have you ever asked a child what they are praying for?  Are you curious?  Do you care?  Just maybe our children worldwide are praying for more than toys and games.  Maybe they are praying for food to eat or a place to sleep where they are not in the middle of a war zone or a famine.

UNICEF-Children on Frontline - Targets in War

Children Increasingly Used as FrontlineTargets in War Zones:  UNICEFThe UNICEF statement comes days after a report by Defenceof Children International - Palestine (DCI-P) pointed out theincreasing brutality against Palestinian children by Israeliforces.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that the year 2017 was a ‘nightmare year’ for children caught in conflict areas.  The agency noted that there has been increasing number of incidents of children being deliberately targeted in war zones.

“Children are being targeted and exposed to attacks and brutal violence in their homes, schools and playgrounds,” said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes.  “As these attacks continue year after year, we cannot become numb.  Such brutality cannot be the new normal.”

Increasingly numbers of children are being used as human shields, killed, maimed, abducted and recruited to fight.  And millions suffer from ‘diseases brought on by crushing wars’.

The UNICEF statement notes about cases around the world where children are being deliberately targeted in violation of international laws designed to protect the most vulnerable.  Terming these violations as the ‘new normal’, the report underlines several cases:

.

Afghanistan witnessed almost 700 children being killed in the first 9 months of the year.

In the Central African Republic, the increasing violence saw children being killed, raped, abducted and recruited by armed groups.

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, an estimated 350,000 children have suffered from severe acute malnutrition.

In Nigeria and Cameroon, Islamist group Boko Haram has forced at least 135 children to act as suicide bombers, a five time increase from 2016.

In Syria and Iraq, number of cases of children being used as human shields, trapped under siege, targeted by snipers have been reported.

In Somalia, 1,740 cases of child recruitment were reported in the first 10 months of 2017.

In eastern Ukraine, 220,000 children lived under constant threat of mines and explosives near the 500-kilometer ‘contact line’- one of the most mine-contaminated places on earth.

The conflict in Myanmar and Yemen hugely contributed to the increasing of incidents of deliberate attack against children.  In Yemen, the war has left at least 5,000 children dead or injured, with actual numbers expected to be much higher, the statement notes.

The US backed Saudi led military blockade and bombing has caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with 11 million children in need of humanitarian assistance. Around 385,000 children are severely malnourished and at risk of death if not urgently treated.

In Myanmar, Rohingya children ‘suffered and witnessed shocking and widespread violence perpetrated by the Myanmar army.  In a recent report, international NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) noted that around 730 children were killed during the ‘clearance operation’ by the army in August this year.

ABOVE INFORMATION COURTESY OF NEWSCLICK

FOLLOWING NEWS INFORMATION COURTESY OF YourNewsWire.com

March 13, 2017 Sean Adl-Tabatabai Middle East, News

Unicef has issued a horrific report claiming that an unofficial ‘holocaust’ killing huge numbers of children in Syria has been completely ignored by the West. (See photo below)...

Unicef: Syria War ‘Holocaust’ Against Children Silenced By The West

At the beginning quarter of this year, Save the Children warned millions of Syrian children could be living in a state of “toxic stress”, which the charity feared may become irreversible without immediate help.  It also found two-thirds of children had either lost a loved one, had their house bombed or shelled, or been injured as a result of the war.

While many of the Readers here of our Blog are not in war zones, may have never seen a war up-close and personal in their lifetime, so many around the globe have.

2017 has been considered a ‘nightmare’ for children trapped in conflict zones around the world.  UNICEF has summarised 2017 as a brutal year for children who have come under attack in spaces where they should be kept safe.  Children have been deliberately targeted in conflicts in 2017 – being used as human shields, killed, abducted and recruited to fight. 

Pictured Above:  Karim, an infant

 who was injured twice from bombings on Eastern al-Ghouta,

rebel-held Douma, Syria.

In our last Blog Session we mentioned...

The new normal should be P E A C E.

We pray that all children around the world

 may be born into a world that lives and breathes

"P E A C E".

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved

The year 2017 . . .

Praying Hands

Good Afternoon Poets, Poetry Lovers, Writers, Authors, Artists, Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~ It is that time of the year when everyone is reflecting on the 2017 year ~ what can be made better, forgiven, forgotten, and/or used as a stepping stone.  While some people never take the time to reflect on their lives at the end of each year, many of us do, and many of us do so on a more regular basis.  How about you?  How do you feel your 2017 year went?  Do you have hope for the future?  Are you motivated to move forward or do you have some reservations about what is to come?

Looking toward the future . . .

There are many writers who are very familiar with prayer and Devotionals.  Being in tune with your spirit and the world you live in is vital to opening up your level of awareness.  Clearing out all that is harmful and toxic is something that we should look forward to doing at this time of the year.

Our future rests in the hands of the adults who have wisdom and knowledge and who make it a point to guide our youth -- not only by speaking with them, teaching them, and guiding them, but also by being a walking and living example for them.

Believe it or not, many children pray . ..

Hope begins with a prayer

Children's prayers are powerful

Learning at an early age

about the power of Prayer

Children know more about 

the spiritual world than many

people give them credit for

Every day we have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those we come in contact with.  Our egos should never stand in the way of progress.  There is always someone who knows more than we do, feels deeper than we do, and has experienced deeper hurts or struggles than we have.  Writing is therapeutic, and that is why as a poet, author, writer, filmmaker, song writer, playwright, producer, director, artist, innovator, or any human being living and breathing on this earth ~ you can make a huge difference in this world. 

As a child, it is good if you have been taught that you do not always have to be right.  Nor do you always have to speak over everyone else around you.  There is a tone that is hurtful, and there is a tone that is healing.  It matters if you seek to harm others or if you seek to help others.  It is important if you have the mind-frame of a friend or if you have the mind-frame of a foe.

As a Leader, you know that it not all about "you" ~ but about others ~ and many more people than your selfish "self".  Wouldn't it be an unpleasant experience to have a community leader that only seeks to serve their own interest?  Wouldn't it be rather devastating to have a person over your city who cares only about filling their own pockets and the pockets of their friends?  We dare not hope for a President over a country to seek to cause division or destroy progress that has taken place under the leadership of another or at the peril of the people he or she serves to protect and uplift.

Our households should be a safe-haven, and not a combat zone.

Family Fighting-Contention  

Contention does not breed well for healthy environments.  Therefore, we should avoid contentious people, avoid initiating contentious conversations, and steer clear of being a party to contentious groups of people.  We should also seek to show our children what healthy, nurturing and peaceful environments look and feel like, so that they do not learn to be a discomfort to others nor gravitate to dissentious or quarrelsome people because that is all they have known and/or learned.

There is a lot more to be said, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with this short statement . . .

The new normal should be P E A C E.

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

What we pray for in the year ahead...

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved