Mystery Blogger Award

Mystery Blogger Award

by | May 20, 2017 | Blogging Awards

 

This is my first Blogger Award.  I am very grateful to The Ink Owl for the nomination.  It really means a lot to me.  I would also like to thank Okoto Enigma for creating this Award.  It was designed for Bloggers to acknowledge their peers in the blogging world, and to be passed on from one to another to help grow the Blogging Community, and for people to discover new blogs to help them to grow and flourish.  What a remarkable idea to spread encouragement, positivity, and to help Bloggers to earn some recognition.  It is also a wonderful way for people to find new blogs to love, read, and follow.

If you would like to read the nomination post from The Ink Owl, it is in the comments on my About page.  If you would like to read more about the Award and its creator, please check out the following link: Mystery Blogger Award Background and Story.

When you are nominated for an award like this, it is meant to make you share some information about yourself, and to encourage you to acknowledge some of your own favourite Bloggers with some new nominations from you.  It is a pay it forward kind of idea, and I think it is wonderful.  That being said, there are some rules that go with being nominated.

Mystery Blogger Award Rules:

  • Put the award logo/image on your blog
  • List the rules
  • Thank whoever nominated you and post a link to their blog
  • Mention the creator of the blog and provide a link to their blog also
  • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
  • You have to nominate 10-20 people
  • Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
  • Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice; with one strange or funny question
  • Share a link to your best post(s)

I have to write this note here to tell you all that it was difficult for me to create that list. At last, I have outwitted the bullet list formatting and can continue working on the rules and acceptance.

Three things about me to tell you.

1.  I try really hard to be funny.  Sometimes it backfires and I have to quickly change the topic of conversation.  Other times it is taken totally wrong and I have an angry person instead of a laughing person to deal with.  Once in a blue moon, I get it right.  I do seem to be getting better at this talent with age.  Possibly because I am a huge fan of both Betty White and Weird Al Yankovich.

2. I wish I could afford a maid. I know how to clean, I just really don’t like doing it.  I would rather be working on my creativity than creating a clean organized space to live in.   I am working on that.

3. Blogging is my mid-life crisis self-help therapy.  It is cheaper than a motorcycle, and I can take more than one person with me for the ride!  Helmets are optional.  There are no judgements here.

The Ink Owl Listed five questions for me to answer, as a part of the nomination and acceptance.

  1. Where (physical locations) do you write?
  2. Why did you start writing?
  3. What is your favourite part about your life?
  4. What has been the most challenging part with writing?
  5. What gives you the inspiration to write?

Here are my answers:

1. I used to write in journals when I went to school and university.  I have written on my laptop when I was in a local creative writing group.  That group, which I have the honour of saying I named, Freddy Words, is currently dormant and awaiting a revival.  These days,  I am writing on my desktop computer. PC not MAC. I will be working towards purchasing other electronic devices to write in different locations in the future so that I am always ready to write when inspiration strikes.  My desk is in my living room in the center of my mini home.  I can watch TV, listen to music, and write all from my desk.  It would be nice to write outside sometime.

2.  I have been writing my whole life.  Nothing spectacular in my school days, but I have always enjoyed writing, both creatively and emotionally.  Why I started writing my blog is a more interesting answer.  I watched an inspirational video one day, and it got me thinking. It made me think about how to get my lyrics for songs out of my head and to a place where other people can read them.  Before I knew it, I had to research how to set up a blog, and I never expected it to just take off like it did.  I write and I have a lot of fun with it.  I hope it never stops being fun.  I used to write as a form of not keeping things bottled up.  Now I am practising to write a fantasy trilogy by writing on my blog, building the habit. Always thinking…

3.  The favourite parts of my life are finding my passions.  I love the beach and the ocean, especially in Cape Breton.  I love my husband, and the life we have together is not always perfect, but that keeps things interesting.  I love creating things, from thought to completed projects.  This blog has been a wonderful rediscovery of my own passion for writing.  I truly believe that writing is what I am meant to do, that it is my purpose in life.  I also love it when I line up all my ducks in a row to land the unexpected joke once in a blue moon.  That is something that gives me a lot of joy.  This year I have grown personally.  I am proud of the person I am turning out to be, flaws, bad jokes, and all!

4. The most challenging part with writing is actually three things.  The first one is that I need to know when to take breaks.  I do not have any problems writing, I need to remember to stop and eat, and walk around for a bit;  to step away from my desk. When I decide to write I need to make sure I don’t ignore the rest of my life.  The second thing is grammar and punctuation.  Grammarly is helping with that.  I have trouble with commas,  and use a lot of exclamation points! The third thing is that you should always write down your ideas as soon as they hatch…or you will forget them like I just did for my number three.

5.  Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere.  I get a title in my head, I start writing, and there is my story.  I hear people talking and I run with an idea the conversation sparked. I am an emotional woman, and my feelings sometimes dictate the direction a story goes in.  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have to get a pen and paper right away so I don’t forget what I dream up.  Other times I use my highly developed pantser skills and sit down with nothing in my head for an idea or plan, and I just start typing.  A short time later I have a blog post or a new song.  I am certain that writing is what I am supposed to do, and with that being said, inspiration can strike at any given moment in any place I am present in.  I have faith and religion in my belief system, therefore all of the inspiration I have comes from God.  He made me this way.  Always thinking…

As I need to post this blog to grab the link to put into my announcements for the bloggers I have chosen to nominate, please allow me a few minutes to type up my nomination memo for the nominees.  I have not mastered the internet well enough to be able to do both things simultaneously. (This note is for nominees-your memo is coming if you didn’t get it yet).

I would like to nominate (in a randomly organized list) the following Bloggers for The Mystery Blogger Award:

Rebecca Craig of Spiritelle Blog

Gordon Dougherty of Unlikely Mystics Blog

Denise Marcello of Denise Marcello Fitness Step out in Faith Blog

Mohamad Al Karbi of  Mohamad Al Karbi Blog

Irene of They Once Called Her Pumpkin…

Colline of Colline’s Blog

Kirsty Allen of  The Ramblings of a Madwoman who hosted  My first Guest Blog, and a little more of the back story.

Payal Tyagi of Writings by Payal Tyagi

Apple Alvarez of Apple Bits Blog

Bonnie McConaughy of Inspire The Best You

Dionne Abouelela of Girl VS City

The Olive Brunette of The Olive Brunette

Sam of the Caffeine Gal

Jessie Wing of Wingswordsblog

As if it wasn’t hard enough to select a few of my favourite Bloggers to nominate for The Mystery Blogger Award, now I have to think of five clever questions to ask them all. The rebel in me has disguised a few extra sub-questions sneakily with the five I am required to ask.

  1. How long have you been Blogging?
  2. If you could put a face and a name to your Muse, who would it be? (My silly question)
  3.  What is your why, as in why do you write?
  4. Do you listen to music while writing?  If so, what artists and or types of music do you enjoy listening to while writing?  Does it change as your story develops?
  5. Who is your favourite published Author?  Do you read their books only once, or do you read them frequently?  If you can’t narrow it down to just one, two or three are also acceptable as an answer, as I have three at the moment, and that is in the top three of a long list of many.

If you check the links above, you will see there is already one link to my first ever guest post.  As per the rules, I can also link to some of my favourite blog stories.

The Little Blog That Could! , I Had Sass in Zumba Class! and When the African Violet Blooms are three that stand out to me and others, based on the number of likes and comments.  I am really proud of all of them.  I have created two regular series within the blog as well, Trust Your Gut and Weekend Warrior.  They are stories that aim to help keep me on track and inspire the readers to keep working on the things that challenge them in their lives.  I have had other people submit stories for Trust Your Gut, and if you have issues with weight, and would like to submit your story, please contact me.  I would love to help you tell your story by sharing it in the series.

I follow more blogs than the ones listed here as my nominees. Shout out to Fears of Little Fears,   Blair of The Shameful Sheep and Brian of Bonnywood Manor Blog  to name a few more blogs that I enjoy visiting frequently.  If I missed you, feel free to answer my questions below in the comments! The more the merrier!

Thanks for the nod, Ink Owl, and I look forward to reading the answers to my questions.

The Story of Tish MacWebber

The Story of Tish MacWebber

by | Jan 14, 2017 | Writing

Once upon a time a man was introduced to his granddaughter, Patricia MacLellan.  When he met her, he called her Tish.  It stuck.  Tish MacLellan grew up in Cape Breton, in a house that used to be a church, on the world famous Cabot Trail.  She spent her summers at local beaches and at a place she calls The Cabin.  She learned to swim, and spent a lot of time rock hopping along the shores and coastlines of Cape Breton Island.  She had a wild imagination, and dreamed of owning a horse someday.  She still has her walkman with the best mixed tape ever, and it still works, even after putting all of those years and miles on it.

She loved to read, and began writing.  Creative writing is one of many hobbies that she spent her spare time on.  She kept a diary and when she got older, she called it a journal.  She enjoyed cross stitching and embroidery.  She learned to knit and to crochet.  In high school, she wrote her first song.

Her love for animals made her decide to take a pre-vet program at NSAC.  She was ill during her first year, and this delayed her completion of her B.Sc in Agriculture, majoring in Animal Science.  While studying at NSAC, she met her future husband, Roy Webber.  They dated, fell madly in love, and made it official with a wedding.  The same day they got married, there was a hurricane.  It was all very memorable, and all who attended the celebration of their marriage had a wonderful time, despite the weather.

Before the wedding happened, Tish was thinking about the name she wanted after she married Roy.  She thought it would be a fun thing to create a new last name, and they could both become the first MacWebber Clan.  Roy did not agree to this idea, and did not want to make any changes to his last name.  Not even when Tish told him that she would create a brand new tartan for the new name.  Tish decided to go the traditional route and take his last name, and legally became Patricia Webber.  It didn’t take her long to adapt to her new name.

They moved around the Maritimes so much, that Roy’s family joked about them being gypsies.  After living all over Nova Scotia, they moved to New Brunswick, shortly after a brief time living in Prince Edward Island.  In Fredericton, New Brunswick,  they made new friends, had roommates, and eventually bought their own mini home.  They had cats constantly as pets for many years.  After living in apartments for the majority of the years they were together, Tish decided that it was time, now that they have a home of their own, to get a dog.  She  looks forward to that.  She still has no horse of her own, yet, the baby barn is not quite big enough for a horse.

When Tish decided one day that it was time to take a chance and share her songwriting with the world, she thought about creating a blog.  Little did she know that it would build itself into a bigger project than she had imagined.  She had also always wanted to write a fantasy trilogy, being a fan of reading them, herself.  She asked her friends online what the best options were, and decided to go with a Blog page here, on WordPress.  Then another new friend stepped up and made her think beyond the surface of what she was building.  She revisited an old idea of hers to write her novels under a pen name, and she remembered wanting to become the first MacWebber.  So, there it was.  Tish MacWebber became her pen name.

Her beginner attempts at creating a blog page were good, but they weren’t great.  So she asked again for help, and her new friends helped her some more.  One of them took her page and changed it, and this was her new and improved starting point.  Tish absorbed all the information this friend had shared with her, and thought long and hard about the next steps.   She is very grateful for all of the help her new friends have given her, and she plans to return the favour, even if it is just by paying it forward.  When she asked about her colours, branding and logo, people liked it for different things, but it wasn’t what she needed it to be.  She kept thinking.  After about three weeks of mulling it over in her mind, things clicked into place, simultaneously.

She searched through hundreds of colour palettes, picking her favourites.  She found one that she kept referring back to, and decided that it was the one she would choose.  Then she made a tartan design.  She got her friends and family to give opinions on her progress as she tried to put the pieces all together.  Her father told her that a circle would not be wrong on a tartan, rather that it would be the french connection.  Her mother is french, so it fit.  The motto for Clan MacLellan is, “Think On.”  Her logo was developed with the phrase “Always Thinking…” because she is a dreamer that does think a lot; but also to honour her ancestors.  Her cousin helped her pick the final design, and through their online chat the “…” was added to the logo.  So that explains the colour, logo, and the circle.  But the circle is made up of diamonds.  The diamonds symbolize the marriage of all these things together, and connects all of the dots.

Tish does tend to overthink things at times.  However, when she does this in terms of being creative, and it works, it makes her feel amazing.  Being creative is her passion.   She is going to share it with the world, and see how far it will take her.