Who is Afraid of Christmas?

Wishing you an inclusive Christmas season.

You can wish me a Merry Christmas, and I won’t be offended.

Every year at this time, we hear the complaints from all sides about the secularization of the season when Christians traditionally celebrate the birth of their Saviour. There are those who complain that saying “Merry Christmas” excludes those are not Christian, something our pluralistic, multicultural society rejects. So public areas like city parks and schools cannot put up “Christmas” displays or anything about the Christian celebration in particular.

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Some Christian groups and individuals then complain that this takes the religious meaning out of the season. This usually gets conflated with the complaint about the commercialization of the season.

Personally, I like to celebrate all of it.

Many people have pointed out how many cultures and religions use lights at this, the time of year when the nights are longest: Christians, Jews, neo-Pagans, Wiccans, the list goes on.

And it’s useless to whine about the commercial, secular celebrations. I can’t help but complain about the reruns of lame Christmas-themed movies and bad, really, really bad Christmas — or winter-themed songs on the radio. How many musicians have hacked through a version of Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride? How much are we expected to endure?

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But my whining hasn’t had an impact. So we might as well enjoy what we can. It’s going to happen whether we like it or not.

Let’s look at it this way: we all like to celebrate. What difference does it make why? We live in a multicultural, plural world. Rather than argue with each other over what to call the celebration and how to celebrate it, let’s celebrate everything.

So, put up your Christmas decorations. I have no problem with seeing a Nativity scene beside a Yule tree and a Festivus pole. Wish me a Happy Hanukah. If it’s the right time of year, say Happy Eid.

I’ll take it, and same back to you.

*

Happy Yule

Happy Sadeh

Happy Kwanzaa

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Saturnalia

Happy Diwali (a little late)

Happy Eid (whenever that happens)

Have a happy season, whatever it is, and a very good new year.

Scott Bury

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Scott Bury is a journalist, editor, and writer living in Ottawa, Canada. His articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in Canada, the US, UK and Australia, including Macworld, the Ottawa Citizen, the Financial Post, Marketing, Canadian Printer, Applied Arts, PEM, Workplace, Advanced Manufacturing and others.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He holds a BA from Carleton University's School of Journalism. He has two sons, an orange cat and a loving wife who puts up with a lot.

He is a recipient of Maclean Hunter's Top 6 Award and a member of a team that won a Neal Award for business reporting.

The Written Word published his first novel, The Bones of the Earth, in 2011. His first published fiction was a short story, Sam, the Strawb Part, the proceeds of which are donated to an autism charity. 

In 2013, the Written Word published his second novel, One Shade of Red, a spoof of the inexplicable bestseller that is mostly made of emails. 

His latest book is Army of Worn Soles, a memoir in novel format that tells the true story of the author's father in law, drafted into the Red Army in 1941. He is now working on a sequel.

MEASURE OF WRITING: Inborn Talent?

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In this glorious chaos of what to listen to, and what not to, I would like to invite your attention to the fantastic idea called “good writing.”

I am aware that one of the areas, a person coming to WGT might be looking for, is insights from personal experiences of other authors. Due to that very purpose, I would like to share an experience of mine here, in this ‘internet coffee house’ of a blog, as author and editor Scott Bury remarks.

Good writing is an imperative every writer pets with in one’s consciousness. Consequently, there are several myths circling this idea.                

 

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Stephen King once remarked that creative writing could never be taught in schools. He was telling the truth about ‘good writing’ too. Perhaps the biggest impediment in being a creative writer (and a good one in that) is the only boon capable of propagating one in the direction of a successful writing career—Inborn talent. But what about you, a person blessed with the gift of weaving extraordinary tales out of ordinary events in life? Are you born with “Inborn talent”?

What might be the secret of being a good writer, of selling more stories than the number of tickets for the next Hollywood blockbuster; of being the most loved and respected man of letters? The surest way to success in this dimension is perseverance.

As a writer, one might come across many external obstacles; obstacles from our day-job, obstacle in the name of family, etc. These obstacles, sometimes with our knowing and sometimes unknowing, sucks out what could be described as the surest key to becoming a good writer. I would never suggest one must wait for the right moment to pen a story or to edit a previously written manuscript. The right time for a writer is NOW.

Remember, you are here because you love reading about writing and want to learn a few techniques on improvising your writing. You have listened to your call, by coming here. You have that inner radio inside of you that could tune into the cosmic energy that is the Source of all Creation.  

If you arrived here with a desire to learn, I must tell you that you have the necessary ingredients in your DNA to make it big as an author. You are in alignment with that dream that you have nurtured throughout your life, of sitting on a table, signing books at one end of an incredibly long line of people, simply because you are reading this article.

This is not a self-help forum. Still, I would advice a new author to take perseverance as your measure when the path in front of you is not visible, when you meet a dead-end. For example, think about Dr. Viktor E. Frankl’s experiences in the concentration camp of Auschwitz. Had he not been persevering, his future and the future of psychoanalysis itself would have been something else. In such a situation, perseverance means you trust your abilities to risk every other madness around you. It results from trusting oneself. Dr. Viktor E. Frankl shares his experiences in the book titled Mans’ Search for Meaning.  

 

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The craft of good writing also stems from trusting oneself. However, I would also suggest you should not limit your trust upon the blind faith that ‘whatever you do would be good’; or daydreams about long lines of people waiting for your autograph. Although, it sounds almost naïve, I must say that one must act in order to bring success into the world of reality. This, I consider, is a valid thought for any aspiring writer. Most aspiring writers never make it to the successful line of authors. The reason for that is simple: most aspiring writers only aspire. Their aspirations are not strong enough to manifest themselves into material reality.

The next best thing to do in order to bring in your ‘good writing’ is to trust your own intuitions and write steadily. By carrying the purpose, and following the discipline required to finish specific writing projects, you are sure to succeed. In writing-life, failure has only one meaning—stopping a work. This means, essentially that if you don’t stop, you never fail.  

About The Author:

Anu Lal is the author of Wall of Colours and Other Stories, Book-1 in the Hope, Vengeance, and History Trilogy. He resides in India. His second book You Should Know How I Feel has been a bestseller in Amazon India.

Blog: http://anu-lal.blogspot.in/

Author Page: Here

Twitter: @Anulalindia

The reason I wake up in the morning

The alarm clock rings and pulls you out of your slumber. That state of rest during which your consciousness of the world is suspended. Sometimes that state is peaceful and can be considered balsamaceous, as it accentuates the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. Sometimes it is not enjoyable, as when you are tormented by disturbing thoughts manifesting themselves in your dreams.

Either way, it is a necessary part of life. To most of us, sleep is rarely the subject of our conversations, unless one is complaining over a rough night, or even more rarely, appreciating a good night's sleep.

How well you sleep determines how well you enjoy your day. If you sleep adequately, your body will be ready to meet the demands of the time when you are awake.

To me, sleep time is very important. I try my best to maximize the benefits of sleeping, and avoid disturbances in my sleeping patterns.

Sleep is universal and essential to us as humans, and even animals do it. We all have reasons to sleep, they are obvious, and I think I mentioned most of them in the second paragraph of this reflection; but do we have a reason to wake up?

Can you give an answer to someone who asks you why you wake up in the morning?

Do you wake up because of the alarm clock, or maybe it's because of sunlight? Is it the wet, tickling licks your dog gives your cheek? Or maybe it is because your circadian rhythm naturally awakens you in the morning.

These and other related reasons and causes are not what I'm aiming at in this reflection. I'm hinting at another type of reason, one that is in a class of its own, unparalleled.

I find life to be more enjoyable when you have a strong reason to wake up every morning. A motivation that gives you renewed strength every time you wake up. The very first thing you think about doing once you open your eyes and regain consciousness of the world.

A reason that makes waking up a pleasure fills you up with energy and possesses you in a way. One that forces every night to be a good one, for the mornings to be even better. The days seem short, and time seems too little to do what you love.

In possession of this reason, you can't help but emit positive energy throughout the day. You are filled with positive emotions and it shows by the way you go through your day. You tend to be more optimistic and less prone to depression and negative feelings. You enjoy a higher quality of life, full of purpose and hope.

Stress, and all its bad effects, are evaded and your health will report this. There are many diseases that stress contributes to causing in a human body, but you save yourself from the unnecessary occurrence.

Good mental health will be yours because a happy mind is a healthy mind.

I feel blessed to have found this state of well-being myself. I found it by curious venturing actually, and have not left it for anything.

I have two reasons why I wake up every morning, and they are as follows, in no particular order of importance, because I find it hard to give priority to either one.

Writing, to start with, is one of them. I love writing; portraying thoughts with words, painting mental pictures and leaving impressions in people's minds. Sharing stories and ideas that I brew in my mind.

The other reason is learning new things; feeding my mind as I like to call it. I enjoy acquiring knowledge and gaining understanding, and I'm convinced that it immensely contributes to my mental health.

So when someone asks me why I wake up every morning, I just tell him or her  the very two reasons I stated above. As it is now, I have never been asked this question by anyone, but it is one that I asked myself one morning.

I'm glad to be able to give an answer to someone who asks me such an unorthodox question. I hope you, dear reader, can answer this question too. Try asking your friends or loved ones, and see if they can answer it.

Why do you wake up in the morning?

Innocent Mwatsikesimbe currently lives in the city of Gweru, in Zimbabwe. If he is not working on his writing, he likes to travel and see how other people are living life.

Music is almost as close to him as his writing and he listens to music a lot. He also loves watching thriller movies and crime series. He eats well, exercises well and loves life.

He has an impressive list of publications already: the self-help series 'Mere Reflections', poetry collections and two personal memoirs, among others.

Amazon

Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/id566974852?mt=11mt=11 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/imwatsi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/innocent.mwatsikesimbe

AFTERWORD TO BEGINNING

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In his admirable attempt to bring submissions and participation one final time into Writers Get Together, author and Editor Scott Bury wrote an article the previous year. The article was published in November 17 and is titled “Not farewell, but au revoir”. This article beautifully narrates the grand message that Writers Get Together (WGT) stands for. He writes that WGT is “a blog that serves the function in the digital world of the old-fashioned coffee house, where writers can share new work, experiment with new ideas and get feedback from colleagues.” What better definition could serve the purpose!

Shortly after the appearance of this article, WGT was shut down. Although, WGT was “up for grabs” for anyone who could make use of its wide possibilities, as its owner Siggy Buckley reluctantly suggests in her post that followed Scott Bury’s, no one else discovered Scott Bury’s vision. Perhaps, this is one of the drawbacks of the internet era. There is too much noise out there that the possibility of listening to a conversation has become minimal.

 

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In my personal journey as an author, I have realized that writing a book is definitely not a subjective affair. It has to involve people. From cover designing to editing, from proof reading to printing and from penning the outline to selling or buying, a writer is never alone. Should never be alone.

In my research, I discovered that most successful writers are those who have successfully established their connections with the reading public. This they achieved, in the past era, through print magazines and articles or serialized version of stories in newspapers. Charles Dickens from nineteenth century is a good example of this style of writing. It is part of the profile building procedure for a writer. The more people who love your style of writing, the more will be the number of your books sold. In reality, this is true. I have experienced personal success in this same manner. The success with my second book was greater than that with my first book. My second book, You Should Know How I Feel was noticed by a greater number of readers and became a bestseller in Amazon India.

In our time, the role of print magazines and newspapers are effectively supplemented by blogs. Using blogs writers can let the world know about their presence in the literary scene. Write a guest post, or a regular column. You can make your presence felt.

Also please remember, it is not always about making more money or marketing your book. By writing about your writing life, books, or any other affair, you are essentially being connected with another individual, sharing your life with that person, and receiving their feedbacks and blessings. Scott Bury’s coffee house analogy is in perfect harmony with what a writer wants in the current era to perform at the best of one’s abilities. It will give an opportunity for working in teams as well as nourishing one’s craft with newer possibilities and suggestions by fellow writers working from different parts of the world, an idea Mr. Dickens would have died for, in his times.

 

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I am a writer from India. If you are reading this article from the US or Ireland, or Japan, we must realize one thing immediately, without fail—this could be our best chance of bringing out the best in us. It never was like this before.

The coffee houses in London during the 19^th century had writers from England or nearby European countries. If you sit in a room in New York, the US, right now and discuss your work with a writing group, you are essentially communicating with a few Americans or people who experience similar cultural, social, and political environments. In other words, if it’s snowing outside, all those writers in a small writers’ group in the US will have an unbiased say about the weather of the day. There is monotony, a complete lack of diversity. On the other hand, be a member of a writers’ blog group and you will have a person from Rajasthan, India or Texas, USA communicating with you about their individual experiences, separated spatially but united intellectually. That’s what diversity is all about. It gives great meaning to group work. Great writing is always a product of living a meaning-centered life. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anu Lal is a bestselling author, book reviewer, and blogger. His recent book, You Should Know How I Feel... has been a bestseller Contemporary Romance in Amazon e books, and paperback. He is the first Indian author to write a trilogy in short story collections in English: 'Hope, Vengeance and History' trilogy. His upcoming book is the second one in this trilogy.  

His works are: Wall of Colours and Other Stories; You Should Know How I Feel...; Unclassified Intelligence; Prabuddha: The Clear-sighted  

Visit his blog: The Indian Commentator

Visit his author page HERE

Remember, Remember the 10th of December

I chose this political topic to start off our new series of interesting, important articles as it is time sensitive.  I know it may be controversial, but when wrong has been done to a country on an ongoing basis, I like to point that out. Unfortunately, due to the time difference, I missed the timing for the rally call.

Remember Remember the 10th of December , the day that the Government Fell ,
And we lent them a hand with a final demand that would see them all go to hell ! 

With a ne'r by your leave nor a tug at the sleeve for the things that we asked for ...by right ! 
While they blackened our name and tried to defame us with talk of violence and Fight .

Well , a fight they have got , and one that is not , of the type they tried sell to the press , 
And our numbers will swell and we'll see them to hell in the wake of their own sorry mess . 

And it won't be a few that wash that whole crew right out of the Dail you can bet , 
For the days now are numbered for those that encumbered the People of Ireland with debt . 

So now God please save us from those that enslave us and help us to stand up with pride ,
And banish the ones that dance for the huns and got there because they have lied . 

We need faith in ourselves and to find that which dwells way down in the depth of our soul , 
A bond that unites and takes us to hight's of virtues that we can extol .

So now can't you see united of course ,
we can make this small country a place ,
Where the riches bestowed are a gift not a load to be taken for profit by force . 

So Remember Remember the 10th of December the day that the Government Fell ,
They are weak we are strong it is time they were gone and it's probably just as well . 

For they rule by ' Consent ' and the promises lent to the will of the people they serve , 
Now we've seen through their scam it is time they were ran and get just what they deserve .

For they lied and we cried and we let it be known , that this pain it is too much to bear ,
But from ivory towers they spend what is ours and they do it without any care .

And they don't feel our pain as we stand in the rain , sometimes you would think it's no use ,
But take heart Ochone for you stand not alone , and we'll take no more of their abuse .

If we take back our Isle then fortune will smile on a people united and strong , 
But divided we'll fall and dance to their call and that would be terribly wrong . 

We don't do this just , for our own selfish gain , we do it for each generation ,
For the ones still to come and the ones too long gone that we hold in great veneration .

When your children grow up and they ask you............................... "Where were you , on the 10th of December " ?
Don't let it be said as they put 'YOU' to bed , that ..... "I'm sorry I just don't remember " ! 

So ....Remember Remember the 10th of December , BRING OUT FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AS WELL , 
And let it be known in every town ' TWAS....... 

Raymond Whitehead, Dublin Ireland
Co-Founder of the Democracy Direct Now
FB:https://www.facebook.com/raymond.whitehead.58?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
www.RaymondWhitehead.com