Category: Business in Rhyme

Who’s for cake and some sweet giveaway? :)

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme

Apparently we have reached our first official anniversary. This week marks a year since Business in Rhyme has been launched and it has been a great experience.

happy birthday business in rhyme

With over 500 posts published, research, interesting articles, new friends…and poetry, it has become a real and inseparable part of my life. I know I haven’t  been very active on the blog lately, but there is a lot of work behind the scenes I’m doing. I’m thinking of getting blog more focused, mostly on creativity and writing oriented (which is where my inspiration is driving me) with more practical, action based advice. It’s also a great opportunity for me to learn, try new things and explore. Nevertheless, there is great content coming your way, I hope you’ll find enjoyable and useful.

As a reminder, here’s how it looked in the beginning:

How poetry can stimulate creativity?

Organize your own creativity workshop

3 lessons that writing haiku taught me about business

Aaaaand (do you hear drums too? :)) as a part of this celebration we’ll be having a small giveaway:

This book:accidental geniusAccidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content by Mark Levy, contains great tips on how to jump-start your writing and creativity. Full of practical prompts, entwined through personal experience of writer and his challenge to come up with new ideas can be yours: all you have to do is to fill in the form bellow (please give your full name and email address so we can contact you) and state in one sentence how this book can benefit you. One that I find most inspirational will be the lucky, new owner of this book, a ‘must have’ tool for any writer or creative. By signing up, you are automatically subscribed to our mailing list (you can opt any time) and in the August issue of the newsletter we will announce the winner (and if you are already subscribed to newsletter – don’t worry, you won’t be ‘double’ signed up 🙂 )

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Thank you in advance for participating, for being part of this community, for reading my scribbles and giving me the opportunity to enjoy your work as well. It’s really precious and unforgettable.

Maja

The hunter

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, My personal rhyme - from time to time

For many moon returns I’ve been collecting words. I made a bed. A garden. A bed, planted garden and mounted house, I made of tough love. My heart is even now. It beats in the rhythm of the street clock, only speeds up 6 minutes before noon when it hears the song of trash trucks.

Day sits on my back like a bride’s veil, light but deceiving in this hour of zenith. Nothing stops. You can’t stop. Each worth is measured by a sixteen year old thumbs made of french fries. Exteriors sublimes, narrow walls of sudden disapproval are in front of me. I’m not alone. There’s many of us. Disgruntled, as I rise above superficial daily, biphasic outcomes, executioner appears with an ax, rope, whip in whoop to behead my intentions.

Non-approbation sprouts fear like a weed in the field of your purple smiles;  it’s a black sheep in the white flock of your thoughts, unwanted spurt hair in a bushy emotions you would like to pluck. They say you need to face you fear. I don’t have time for that. I can smell it from a long distance, I can sense its millihertz vibrations. I sneak, like stealthy snake I eat it raw, fragile, undeveloped and spit out the shells made of careless, nameless sentences.

I look deep in side of  myself: satiated garden groomed, blooms in the color of your eyes.

Maja S. Todorovic

 

14 literary (wordpress based) journals worth following and submitting your work

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, Write, create, innovate!

As my previous list of journals was very well received by you, my dear readers, I thought to do a similar, follow up list, but this time looking at some great magazines here at wordpress.com.

These sites I follow and read as regularly as I can and I hope you’ll find them interesting.

  1. Smoking glue gun: is my absolute favorite. Here I have discovered many new authors I adore like Kelly Boyker. As they say:

we look for the flashy, fresh, feminist, grotesque, avant-garde, minimalist, startling, etc. We accept original unpublished art in all forms: text, sound, video, image, hybrid, etc. we welcome simultaneous submissions.

2. Eunoiareview: I’ve been also following for some time. I like reading their poetry as it is very inspirational. In their own words:

It‘s an online literary journal committed to sharing the fruits of ‘beautiful thinking’. Each day, we publish two new pieces of writing for your reading pleasure. We believe that Eunoia Review can and should be a home for all sorts of writing, and we welcome submissions from writers of all ages and backgrounds.

3. Oddball magazine: If you like something different, odd (like me) that this is the place for you. Check it out here.

4. Algebra of owls: They have published some great stuff from our fellow bloggers/poets and it is becoming a place where I frequently stop by to see what’s new. Really like it.

5. Odd magazine: it’s all about exploring and fulfilling your mind with different experiences:

Odd is a place where people are coming for their weekly slice of happiness.”

definitely worth following and reading on a regular basis.

6. Red wolf journal: has usually a defined topic and you should submit your poems accordingly. More about it you can learn here.

7. Clear poetry is a fairly new magazine – focusing on and encouraging contemporary poetry. I liked many of the poems I read there and I highly recommended for regular visit as a sort of inspiration or for submitting your own work.

8.The Rising Phoenix Review is a monthly online zine dedicated to publishing poetry focused on the working class and other marginalized groups:

We believe in the transformative power of poetry, and our mission is to publish writing that actively engages the social issues of our time.

The Review was created by Rising Phoenix Press, an independent publisher located in Boston, Massachusetts.

9. Subsynchronous Press – Small Press Publisher of High-Caliber Poetry, they offer opportunities for two magazines to publish your work. My preference goes to Veil: Journal of Darker musings, dealing with more humorous and darker themes. Nevertheless, check them out as you might find something suitable for you.

  1. The Stare’s net:

 We are open to submissions of poems in many styles, with a general theme of political issues, social justice, equality and diversity. We don’t want to be a platform for entrenched positions or a place where people play out tired political scripts; the poems we relish:

– surprise us

– make us think in new ways

– strive to reconnect politics in its broadest sense with people

– challenge our understandings of left and right

– engage with the difficulty of mass society

– imagine how society should run and be run

– offer hope

11. A swift exit is something completely new to me. At the moment they are open and accepting poems for their first volume of poetry.

12. Sicklitmagazine is also fairly new, not afraid to dig into different taboo topics. They accept poetry, fiction and flash fiction. Check here their guidelines.

13. Silver birch press is not a journal, but rather a blog of a small press publisher, based in LA. They publish some great stuff and occasionally there will be a call for submissions for anthologies and ext.

14. The Fem is more dealing with feminist writing and issues. They are oriented towards writing that speaks to experience (as they state it). Often you will come across themes like sex, gender, race, ability, and sexuality. I’ve enjoyed many good poems here, so give them a visit if you interested in mentioned topics.

I hope you’ll enjoy browsing these blogs/journals just as I do 🙂

If you liked this post and you are interested in getting more inspiration for your creativity, sign up for our free bimonthly newsletter.

A lesson

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, My personal rhyme - from time to time

I can touch you.

I can kiss you

or

I can scratch your face.

 

I can punch you in the stomach

or

I can swing you in my arms

like a little baby.

You won’t feel it.

You are not here.

Numbed, you drift, float.

Just pale flesh sits across me, trapped in a body

without attention, goal, motivation, idea

in temptation to give up.

 

I can see through you.

I see a desert, deserted of anything human.

Just yellow sand and auburn sky, in vast emptiness

that merge in distance

without horizon, just one dot where time and space collapse.

 

There are winds, your thoughts, constantly try to

build a new landscape, sand dunes, your new realities.

Still, nothing changes. The form might be different, the essence is the same.

You throw sand into my eyes to blur my vision, yet I manage to see.

 

I see through you.

I learned from you.

However we try,

we can be surrounded by thousand people and still be lonely.

And it hurts like hell.

Afterwards.. you are just stoned.

 

Maja S.. Todorovic

Need a steady ‘stream of creativity’? Practice being proactively creative

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, Write, create, innovate!

Visit allwallpapersfree.blogspot.com

I have often written here about the unpredictability of creative outlets, the inspiration that comes in the most strangest time and situations, but can we really do something about it and take just a little bit control over it?

What I observed in my years of research and work is that we as humans tend to be reactively creative. It means that we search for creative solutions and answers mostly when we are challenged to do so.

For example:

  1. A problem or difficult situation appears in our lives;
  2. The situation makes us feel really constrained to the point it provokes us to ‘take the things into our hands’ and solve it;
  3. The problem is out of range of our typical solving problem skills – it requires of us to think differently and come up with a creative, non-standard solution.

When these 3 things happen, then we are prompted to react to a problem and get creative.

What if we take a stand to be proactive about our creativity? Actually, can we practice creativity regularly? Some experts claim you need to be proactive about your creativity to discover and manifest your true potential as a person.

We are creatures of habits and conformity. Most of us are dreaded by the thought of any change in our lives. But if we do make a little challenges for us every day, we are actually practicing our creativity, being proactive about it.

As Brian Eno puts it in this interview:

The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time, but to remain ready for when you can.There’s no point in saying, ‘I don’t have an idea today, so I’ll just smoke some drugs.’ You should stay alert for the moment when a number of things are just ready to collide with one another… The reason to keep working is almost to build a certain mental tone, like people talk about body tone.

So what can you do to practice proactive creativity? For example: take participation in the activities in your community, take an art class, invent new recipes – learn to cook new dishes, travel and learn new language, try new sports or dance, eat with chopsticks instead of using fork all the time, change your usual route to work/school.

Try and experience something different form your current skill sets  –  you may be pleasantly surprised by the fresh creativity that will start to pour in. It’s a kind of preparation phase as B. Eno says, when unpredictable good ideas appear – you are ready to make the most of them.

We can design our lives in such way we invite creativity every day- it’s up to us.

If you liked this post and you are interested in getting more inspiration for your creativity, sign up for our free bimonthly newsletter.

Conjunction

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, My personal rhyme - from time to time

She slowly travels towards destined ninth house

where Mercury peacefully waits for Jupiter to arrive

in peregrine flight, exalted in graceful detriment

of opposing stone monolith in the third,

(wanting to return in second)

strong, but humble in the waiting room

of offspring stars breast-fed by the ever-giving moon

 

Maja S. Todorovic

Have we met?

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, My personal rhyme - from time to time

Yes, I know you, Fear.

 

I know…how my mother’s body

screamed when she couldn’t get out of bed.

Her eyes would darken,

swallowing my childhood smile.

 

I know how my older sister hid her head

among pages, pretending to be an astronaut

and I was a suitcase she rolled over the moon.

 

I know how my father duct-taped his voice,

washing for hours his hands in a bathroom sink

each time he would crush the car.

 

I know, you are that lump in my throat

too large even for this poem to hold.

 

Maja S. Todorovic

9 best practices that can drive your editing process, part I

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, Writer's creative bites

blake morrison

This is one of the topics I haven’t written about on the blog before and finally that time came. I know how it is hard to edit your own writing and I will share what in my experience has brought me the most effectiveness in this area.  This post will be divided in two parts and I hope it will help you in your editing process as well.

One of the first things I noticed, depending on your genre of writing and worth keeping in mind is that:

  • Editing of non-fiction writing is far different from editing fiction writing – there are more factors involved that constitutes making a good story, character than in developing an instructional texts, for example.
  • When you are writing an e-book, that requires different format and ‘packaging’ in comparing to your shorter versions you write for an online community like blog posts.
  • A paper copy of your book is very hard to correct (actually once it goes in printing that’s about it) than comparing to a digital version of your work.
  • Your final version of the manuscript that goes to agents, publishers or to be used as reference in some way (like student books) requires that you give all you’ve got to make it understandable and comprehensive as much as possible.

Now, when you spend years in some form of writing, your editing approach evolves as much as your writing. How your writing improves, somehow your need for editing is adapting – still, I always aim to stay true to myself in my communication. That’s the core rule.

Nevertheless, there are few effective tricks that help me become more productive in my editing:

1. Reading out loud.

Only by reading your writing out loud you can get the feel how it gets perceived by the reader. You notice the rhythm and fluency of your words. It can help you immensely.

To carefully edit, read it out loud a few times, and then move on.

2.Let it ‘marinate’ over night.

It gives you an opportunity to observe your writing from fresh and clear perspective; it helps you restore your inspiration and tap into your own creativity – than any revision goes smoothly and you are able to express your thoughts more eloquently.

3. Edit in intervals.

When you read your writing, a lot of things might bug you at the same time: poor grammar, repeating phrases, mushy sentences…When you edit, try to focus on only one thing at the time. For example:

The first time, go through content, cohesion and rhythm of your writing. Are there any ideas that are disconnected, gaps of information, ext? Reading out loud helps you find these omissions. Or even better –  read the piece out loud to someone unfamiliar with the subject and listen to where they start asking questions or looking for clarity. That means you haven’t explained something well enough, and requires further elaboration.

The second time pay attention to your structure and with what impression leaves you the piece as a whole when read? Is there anything you need to emphasize? Does the format supports the purpose of your writing? Always format accordingly to your requirements to show your professionalism. It’s easier for readers to digest information presented and editors prefer industry-standard formatting.

The third time you edit, focus on details, typos and grammar. Probably  you’ve already found some of these by reading your work twice before. Some tips you can use here include:

– use action verbs instead of passive ones;

– avoid using grammar expletives;

– don’t dwell too much on punctuation rules.

Do you know your 5 most frequent words you use in your writing? Overuse of certain words can make your writing repetitive, boring, uninviting. Don’t be afraid to use different words especially in fiction like slang, words from different languages and less used phrases. I like to use slang or terms of natural phenomenon when I want to accentuate a situation or a character. It can spice up your writing and make it more interesting. Can that confuse your reader? Maybe, but look at it like you are offering your reader an opportunity to learn something new. A tiny dash of mysteriousness in your writing can do no harm – on the contrary – it gives special charm and flavor to your piece.

In the next part we’ll talk more about how to silent that inner critique that simply sabotages our editing productivity.

How does your editing process look like?

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Bureau for unwanted things

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Business in Rhyme, My personal rhyme - from time to time

You remember that boy in the 5th grade that pulled your hair and called you ‘Fatty Betty’?

We know all about it.

 

You know that ugly bracelet your parents gave you for your 21st  birthday and

how you wished it disappear?

Consider it done.

 

You know that fear of spiders that shows up from nowhere

each time you dust your room?

It’s gone!

 

Just lift your left arm, it won’t hurt…

This kind man in white coat will take care of everything, dear.

 

Maja S. Todorovic