VernetteOutLoud

Virtual Blog Tour Revisited

Hey loves!

A few weeks ago, I posted my response to being nominated for A Virtual Blog Tour about my creative process. Part of the tour involves passing the ‘baton’ and I nominated three other bloggers to do the same and post their responses today. I’m super excited that Vikera, from Vikera’s Mind Maze, was able to accept the nomination.

In her response, Vikera takes us on a little trip into the Mind Maze. Fairly new to the blogging world, Vikera shares with us why she blogs and what spurs her to continue.

A very talented writer, Vikera, blogs about her perspective on life with such authenticity and humor it’s hard not to like her little patch of the internet. She also shares great advice and tips on “how to get out of debt’.

So if you have some time today and would like to explore the Mind Maze for a bit, why not check out her blog and see for yourself? Trust me you won’t be disappointed!

Virtual Blog Tour

A few weeks ago the lovely KiwiBee nominated me for the Virtual Blog Tour and I am truly humbled and honoured that she chose me. She selected today September 22 as my posting date and while I usually gracefully decline these nominations, this one was unique and the rules are fairly simple to follow.

There are only three rules for this tour:

1. Compose a one-time post which is posted on Monday (date will be given to you from whoever passes on the tour).

2. Answer these four questions about your creative process which lets other bloggers and visitors know what inspires you to do what you do:

  • What am I working on?
  • How does my work differ from others of its genre?
  • Why do I write/create what I do?
  • How does your writing/creating process work?

3. Pass the tour on to up to four other bloggers. Get their permission first, give them rules and a specific Monday to post.

So here goes:

1. What am I working on?

At the start of 2014, I made a commitment to myself, that I will submit not one, but two posts to websites I enjoy reading, with the hope of getting published. I’ve submitted one so far and I’m currently working on the other. I am also working my way through the #30Layers30Days Self-Discovery Challenge which is being led by the lovely GG Renee of All The Many Layers. I have been micro-blogging through this challenge here on Instagram.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This space is not a niche anything really and I don’t like comparing my blog to others. I love food. I love books. I love having new adventures, whether it be exploring new places or simply discovering new things about myself. And I love sharing my stories. I started this blog because I was looking for an avenue to write what I wanted, how I wanted and I found it and I’ve not looked back. I blog about what moves me.

3. Why do I write/create?

Henri Matisse said that creativity takes courage. For me creating / writing / blogging is soul work. I do it because I have to.

4. How does my writing/creative process work?

Ideas can strike at anytime. I have a notebook I use to jot my ideas down in if I’m not close to a computer. My Drafts folder is working overtime these days, because I store a lot of my ideas there for future reference as well. I love sharing quotes that move me, thus, Canva is my absolute favourite tool to create and share my favourites. My writing process from idea to hitting publish can take anywhere from an hour to years, but for me its more about getting the words out rather than publishing a post.

So there you have it. This is my creative process. It isn’t pretty and sometimes an idea might turn out to be dud but that’s okay. As long as I don’t let it stay in my head, I’m good.

I would like to nominate the following bloggers for a Virtual Blog Tour post on October 20:

Vikera’s Mind Maze

Girl And Her Pink Backpack

Grit & Honey

Blog Awards & Newbies

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Thank You Debra for blessing me and nominating me for this award. Please go check out her great blog here.

Thank You Debra!!!

Thank You Debra!!!

I have to be honest and since TRUTH is my “one word” for 2013 I have no choice but to be. When I saw the email about the nomination I was filled with a little dread. You see I have been nominated for Blog awards before.

When I first started this blog, I was nominated for The One Lovely Blog Award by fellow blogger Schalk Cloete who is doing great things over at his blog One in a Billion.

Thank You Schalk!

Thank You Schalk!

I was overjoyed. I remember messaging my friend Lucy about it and we were both super excited about the nomination. I was over the moon that, people other than my friends and family (and not even my family sometimes…I see you Trudy!) were reading and enjoying my writing enough to nominate me for an award.

But I was a newbie. I didn’t know that these nominations had rules. I said, Thank you to Schalk and that was the end of it. Fast forward to now and I still feel so ashamed of my newbie-ness.

Then I got nominated for The Liebster Award. Now folks, I have been following Stephanie’s blog WhenCrazyMeetsExhaustion for a while now. Stephanie is AWESOME!!!! (with not 1 but 4 exclamation marks!)

She is a very talented writer who brings humor to motherhood. I get to live vicariously through her stories and I love it! Stephanie’s brother Mike, recently started his own blog, A Different Kind Of Hero to chronicle his journey towards a healthier, fitter and more vital him. Go check out his blog and give him some support.

Thank You Stephanie!

Thank You Stephanie!

According to Stephanie,

The Liebster (German for “dearest”) Award goes to baby blogs, or blogs with less than 200 peeps, but despite their tiny following, have huge potential.

When I got this nomination, I was seriously cheesing it over here. Like if ya’ll looked at a map of the world at night time…the lil dot of light shining ever so brightly in the Caribbean…would have been me lighting up Trinidad. I kid you not. I really love reading Stephanie’s blog and the honor of having her read mine and nominate me as well…oh man…SHINE ON LITTLE LIGHT!

This was the first nomination I formerly declined.

The rules were exhausting. I could not even begin to wade through them. I felt really bad about it and there was a crap-filled couch somewhere in there too.

Then I got nominated for The Wonderful Team Member Readership Award by the incredible Rarasaur “For the amazing ability to get to the essence of anything, including books.

Thanks Rara!

Thanks Rara!

…and I felt the same dread I mentioned earlier when I was nominated for this award. What were the rules going to be like? How many questions will I have to answer or worse come up with myself? But Rarasaur did a lovely post on graciously accepting Blogger Awards and I think it’s one every newbie should read.

Which brings me back to today’s nomination. Debra simply nominated me. No rules. No questions to answer. Nothing. Just a nomination. Just an honor to my blog. THIS my lazy self I CAN ACCEPT. I was overjoyed and curious.

There had to be some rules somewhere for accepting this nomination. And I found them.

As it turns out the rules for The One lovely Blog award are the same as The Versatile Blogger award.

Versatile Blogger Rules (If you choose to obey them)

    • Display the Award Certificate on your website

    • Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented your award

    • Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers

    • Drop them a comment to tip them off after you’ve linked them in the post

    • Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

Four outta five ain’t bad…except I didn’t present 15 awards to deserving bloggers…I have said a heartfelt THANK YOU to four exceptional bloggers who I am proud to be in community with. That to me is the greatest honor of all – acknowledging that these people enrich my life and my journey beyond measure. Thank you again.

And now *drum roll please* 7 facts about me:

• I miss my mother everyday.

• I am a hand-sanitizer addict…the Bath & Body Works variety.

• I hold my breath for as long as I can if someone sneezes around me.

• I had a lump removed from my left boob 3 years ago. It was benign.

• January 6th this year was 10 years since I’ve been at my current place of work. EGADS!

• I have wanted to be a writer since I was 8. I got lost somewhere along the way…but I’m finding the path again.

• I am 5’4 but my ID says 5’5…in heels it does not matter.

Super thanks to Debra for nominating me for this no-strings attached award. Bless you.

To my fellow newbies, accept the awards fearlessly and graciously and make your own rules.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”