It has been a long time …

… but I have decided to return to this blog.

My next series of posts will be a novella named VALHALLA RISING, a science-fiction tale about human refugees living on an alien world, which is already completed in draft form. Depending on interest in the novella, I may or may not post the complete story on this blog.

I look forward to returning to my reader to explore and to discover new blogs, and I hope that you all enjoy the return of Inspired Stories and Poems!

– Laura Marie Clark

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Monday Reflection: Week 11

Monday again! The weather in Birmingham has improved this past week – I even saw the sun a few times! There’s lots of time to scroll through my reader while I sit lazily in the sunlight. Here are some great picks from throughout the week:

Poetry

I am no tree by Sarita Jay Brady

In the Silence on Poet’s Corner

Stories

Grounded on Tales of Unusual Strangeness

Knaben by David Henson on Spelk

Blogs

Here’s a blog that combines photography with poetry and displays the images in a nice, clear style that’s sure to catch your eye: uptown jack. The poetry is often short and thought provoking. Check it out by clicking the link!

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worthy of sharing, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

Monday Reflection: Week 10

It’s week 10 of 2017 already, and so far I’ve been very busy, both on this blog and in the *gasp* real world. My next big task is to create an abstract for a 20-minute paper based around my chosen dissertation topic. I’ve got lots of issues with the whole speak-for-20-minutes-about-your-own-research-and-then-defend-it-against-questions thing, but the main issue right now is that I haven’t actually been able to narrow my dissertation topic down all that much.

As a handy distraction from all this academic lark, I turned to my WordPress reader. Here’s what I wanted to share from the past week:

Poetry

Blind Woman on Calliope’s Lyre

Oh on Hockadower

Water Child – A Ghazal on Poet’s Corner (where you might even discover a new form of poem to try)

Stories

The Money Wallet on 200 Word Stories

Blogs

For some regular, daily flash fiction/short stories on you reader, check out Flash 365. It’s always great quality writing, and the art that comes with it will surely catch your attention.

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worthy of sharing, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

Monday Reflection: Week 8

Welcome to week 8 of Monday Reflection! On Friday I became officially unemployed (again) – hopefully I’ll be able to get a weekend job soon so that it doesn’t interfere with my studies too much. In the meantime, I’ve got more opportunities to go through my reader, and here’s what I picked out to share from last week:

Poetry

Blank Page on Poems and Short Stories

untitled by Jade Forbes on Applaud the Poet

Wake Dragging on Day Events

Stories

Time Travel Inc. – The Installer on Flash 365

Blogs

Here’s a blog with a variety of authors who all write divergent literature: Sudden Denouement Literary Collective. Follow the link and check out the ‘About’ page to discover its sister sites.

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worthy of sharing, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

Monday Reflection: Week 7

It’s reading week this week, which means extra time outside of classes and more time (supposedly) reading for uni. I’ll be focusing on my dissertation, mostly because I have yet to decide what it will actually be about. In the meantime, here are a few things I want to share with you from my Reader last week:

Poetry

secrets on Amateur Poet

The Uprisen on bujonswords

Walking through Fire on Merging Traffic

Stories

Assassin on The Darker Realms

Blogs

Here’s a blog I always enjoy reading, where short stories are posted every Sunday: Fictive Dream. They’re happy to accept submissions too, so great reading or submitting (or, if you’re in the mood, try both)!

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worthy of sharing, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

Monday Reflection: Week 6

Happy birthday to me!

No slacking, of course, so here’s week 6 of Monday Reflection and my favourite picks from my reader this past week:

Poetry

Freedom from your scorn on TheFeatheredSleep

Youth Sings on Rhapsody of Solitary

Stories

The Rushmore Protocol on 200 Word Stories

Two-Forty-Seven by Cal Marcius on Spelk

Blogs

I’m sharing another blog with (almost) daily posts that accepts submissions by writers. This one is dedicated to stories, and it’s called, rather helpfully, Literally Stories. Go check it out to discover some great writers!

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worthy of sharing, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

Monday Reflection: Week 5

Here’s the last Monday Reflection in January. It’s been a long and tiring week for me. Here’s what caught my eye on my dash over the past week:

Poetry

The Architect on Dreaming > living

The Shadow Walked Away by Ari Purkayastha on Sudden Denouement Literary Collective

words to whisper to oneself on wmaclean

Stories

Urban Street by Iain Kelly

Blogs

I’m sharing another active poetry blog with you: Random Poem Tree. Like the others I have shared, it accepts submissions from around the world. Check it out, and submit your own poetry if you wish.

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worth reading, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

Monday Reflection: Week 3

I was super busy last week, and it looks like this week will be more of the same! I’m back at work and uni now, plus I’ve got an exam, and essay to hand in, and my first personal training session. I’m looking for a new job with better hours, too (currently working 5am – 8am, it’s good pay but I’d like to feel less tired – and I won’t be able to keep this job once I finish my masters).

Of course, that doesn’t mean I can slack off on this blog. Here’s a few posts I really loved from last week:

Poetry

Beast in the Nighttime by Sarita Jay Brady

To Forget how to Remember on The Mischief Memoirs

Paint on c’est la vie

Stories

Phosphorescent by Fadila Henry

Blogs

A great poetry blog this week. Again, this blog allows submissions, and the poetry on there is always high quality, inspiring stuff: Autumn Sky Poetry Daily

I hope you enjoy going through these posts as much as I did. Happy reading! And if you’ve read something worth reading, add a link in the comments below to share it with everyone else!

 

My unsolicited advice to beginning bloggers

Here’s a great list of tips for new bloggers, with excellent examples of what to focus on and what to avoid.

Lifexperiment Blog

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by to scan my unsolicited advice for beginning bloggers post! Now, I am well aware that this post is a bit of a risk. I am not a professional blogger, and I absolutely do not claim to have a plethora of knowledge on the subject. I definitely don’t want to come across as saying ‘blog like me’. The reason I felt compelled to write this post (and am a bit nervous as to how this will be perceived) is that, well, honestly, I’m big on  etiquette. As in – saying ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’, ‘May I’ and telling someone when they have something in their teeth. I’ve spent a lot of time cringing at posts with something in their teeth. Although I’m sure that there are plenty of people out there who cringe at some of my posts with the same vigor.

As a…

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