The winners of July’s Word Weaver Writing Contest share their thoughts on the contest, writing in general, and other stuff.

One of our Honorable Mention winners in the contest, Barbara Anne Helberg, jostles an amazing 20 blogs! (I still don’t know how she does that. I can barely keep up with one.)

You can read Barbara’s winning story, HERE

Here’s Barbara

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which I wrote as part of my Novels In A Nutshell series begun in 1995. After a successful run producing children’s stories in “Connections” in the 1980s, I decided to pursue self-publishing for my own works, and thus BAT Publishing was born to do so. BAT is my mail order publishing alternative and advocate for self-publishing at
http://www.batpublishingstories.wordpress.com .

I was born in 1946 and grew up in small town America, Holgate, Ohio, to be exact. Holgate is also the birthplace of the famous Hollywood comedian Joe E. Brown. See
http://www.joeeandme.wordpress.com .

Lead in the blood is probably not a good way to describe my inborn wordsmith desire in this day and age, but it always has seemed to explain my joy of writing, a gift for me to explore.

Along the way, I did two different stints on area newspapers as a writer/photo journalist, and completed four different writing courses including “Fiction Writing” at the Famous Writers School in Westport, Connecticut.

I can write anywhere, and have, even now in my senior years. Words come easy, yet commercial publication isn’t my biggest goal;

yes, editing, too! Blank pages don’t faze me; they’re filled in no time. Find out more at
http://www.storypromptsdeluxe.wordpress.com .

It’s difficult to tell others about a gift that gives back; writing gives me purpose and life and joy. I’d rather write than go back to the times in the barn hayloft when I could beat my brothers (with my Dad) at two on two basketball. Well… Maybe those two things come out as even in joyfulness!

I seek no bookshelves, nor look backward, nor crave for recognition beyond what I achieve in my own writing being. On WordPress,

An occasional writing contest may be an opportunity to do the same thing. Although I’ve done article writing on many other (and some former) Internet sites, WordPress gives me the platform to enjoy my writing and to learn from and to share with other writers of varied backgrounds. Joyful!

“Interlock” came about after I’d read Stephen King’s book, “Misery”. His scary story about a writer’s “best” fan and the consequences of their forced relationship

in an everyday-type setting. King used two lonely individuals to create a tremendous conflict. “Interlock” is the result of my challenging myself to try to achieve that type of scary ordeal. I believe it came away as one of my special pieces, and I consider it second best in my NIAN series. And, although a scary tangled web it weaved, which is not my first writing passion, it was fun to write!

http://www.fansandgamers.wordpress.com
http://www.factorytails.wordpress.com
http://www.championsinsport.wordpress.com

All families have “stuff”, too. Creating characters and their extended lives and wrapping them around things I know and have experienced, while learning new tricks, as well, is an exciting challenge and always a good day’s romp.

More of my writing life continues at my Primary WordPress blog,
http://www.mywritinglifexposed.wordpress.com ,
and at the other 19 blogs I produce, including my Second Primary WordPress blog, http://www.horsesandanimalsaretalkin.wordpress.com .
At
http://www.nearthefinishline.wordpress.com ,
I write composite articles that allow me to link to others’ blogs, as well as to my own. (P.S., I don’t write on all 20 blogs every month!)