I woke up in a very cheerful frame of mind today. It's 4.15pm now and I'm still cheerful. I feel unstoppable today. There must be something in the air. Oh wait - there is. I almost forgot. (She lies).There's a new book out - "Poeticising Chat" - and it's got some of my poems in it. Could this have anything to do with my good mood? I suspect it has. Writing means so much to me now that I actually allow other people to read it, instead of it being my dirty little secret! When people appreciate it, I get a real buzz. So when the Rambling Cyber Poets who had already published one volume asked me to join them for Volume Two, I was a very happy bunny indeed.

Yeah, I know poetry will never make me rich and famous, but sharing it with others certainly makes me happy. So thanks to the Rambling Poets, your acceptance quite makes up for the fact that I once offended half the congregation at my parish church by writing a poem about the choir!
(It wasn't nasty - I don't do nasty!) At least I believe God has a sense of humour. I certainly hope so, otherwise I'm stuffed.

Oh, just in case you're interested here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Poeticising-Chat-Rambling-Poets-Cyber/dp/1461131960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305387100&sr=8-1
 
Well, really I should call this The Bucket List - because that's what's on my mind today. I can be a bit slow at times and I've only just come across the phrase that means a list of things you want to do before you die. I don't like dwelling on thoughts of my own mortality - but heck, we've all got a bucket list, haven't we? Even if it's not written down. So here's mine, published for the first time.

1. Finish writing the WIP that's been almost as dormant as this blog recently.
2. Organise the Poems, Prayers and Parodies.
3. Visit Italy again and dream some more. 
4. Catch up with all the friends I'm always promising to call.
5. Do something I've never done before - that leaves me loads of scope.
6. Visit the USA. (Specifically - Maine and Wyoming, but the latter is subject to change, I 'd probably like to see New York as well.), 

If I have time free, I could also bring about world peace but I suppose I should be realistic. THey have specialists for that.
 
Does your name, or the name you choose to use, influence the way you speak, behave or even post on the internet? I've started to wonder about this in the last week or so.

Those who know me are familiar with the WYSIWYG person that I am. (Or think I am). I always use my real name for writing and when I use a screen name on the net it's always Verse Artiste, because that's who I am. Or is it? I've done a little research.

It started off as a joke. I was a bit down in the doldrums and there was football on TV, so I escaped to one of my online haunts, a place where I am known by a lot of characters. This time was different though, because I went incognito and intent on having fun. The liberation of being unknown was great and I found that I was rapidly able to do and say things I would never do and say as 'me'. I made a couple of new friends, experimented with my photostudio skills as I played around with my avatar image and finally found myself writing stuff I didn't know I could write, I have a new story in a genre I've never written before and some new poetry. I'd never have written that particular story in my own ID. Is this why writers often use a pseudonym, to divorce the writer from the real person? Is it so a former convent girl can hide behind a mask and write something 'adult'?

I'm hanging onto the disguise, I can get a lot of mileage out of it which will help my writing. It's also useful because the lads I teach know that I write, and there's some stuff you don't want showing up on a Google search. 

I owe special thanks to two people I can't name here at the moment, who now share the secret of my alter-ego and who helped me learn so much. 
You know who you are - I love you guys!