Ignite to Write

Put Yourself in Your Paper's Place.....

2013-08-26T13:37:00.001-04:00

Okay. It's Monday. The entire week stretches out before us. Let's unleash our creativity today instead of Wednesday!

How you ask? I'll tell you how. Pretend that you are the piece of paper you are writing or typing on....yes become one with your paper. You ARE your paper.

Now let whatever pours into your mind come out. Don't hold back! You don't have to share everything but do share at least a small portion. Your small portion will impact what the next person who reads your comment.

Here's how the top of your page should look:

I AM JAN'S PAPER......

Substitute your own name of course!

www.tangoandtilly.com

www.rewriteinc.com

Ten Minutes

2013-08-16T20:08:00.003-04:00

I waste at least ten minutes a day....

Go ahead! Finish the sentence!

www.tangoandtilly.com

A Long Time Coming...

2013-08-11T18:53:00.000-04:00

Well, after months of being away what can I say? I can tell you the truth. I've been busy beyond words helping to develop my website for children's books.

I think that most of you know about six years ago I sold a book (and a series of ten more) to a publisher in Canada. The books were based on my horse Tango. The series was my heart. I was excited beyond belief. Then the illustrator and the publisher got into a legal battle that could not be resolved. I got my rights back just after the first book was illustrated.

I won't go into the long saga again, but for those of you who don't know, my book was stolen. I found out when someone said, "My granddaughter loves your book."
"Which one?" I asked.
"Tango and Tilly," she replied.

My book was being sold all over the internet. I contacted an attorney who said it would cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars to pursue legal action because the layers of the internet are so deep.

So I moped around for a very long time. Then, with a little help from my friends, I decided to try to develop a website based around Tango and the stories that almost write themselves. The website is for kids who love animals. The website comes from my heart.

Please take a minute and visit Tango and Tilly at www.tangoandtilly.com

If you don't have a Kindle or an e-reader you can download one for free and your kids can read the books right from their computers. Here's where to get the free e-reader devices:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

This has been a long time coming. I can't tell you how much your support means to me.

Jan
PS We have our own facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tango-and-Tilly/501116023290637 Like us!

Name that Tune!

2013-04-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."

Have you ever heard a song and fallen in love again? Have you heard a song that makes you want to get up and dance no matter how badly your body feels?

Have you hummed a song in your mind, and as the lyrics ignited your emotions, thought "That's what I really want to say ....."

What does music do for you? Name that tune!

Pleae take a minute and visit my new website at
www.rewriteinc.com

The Creation of Beauty is Art

2013-03-31T07:50:00.001-04:00

I just can't get enough of words. Your words, my words, Brian http://www.waystationone.com/ and Pat's http://rhymetime24.blogspot.com/ poetic words.

And then there's my friend Georgie. Her words come through Tweedles http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/ and are nothing short of magic. It's almost as though Mother Nature is singing from that blog.

My sister-in-law has a blog that supports homeless people. There is simple beauty in her blog and her mission is art to me. Sandy's http://homelessbridge.blogspot.com/ blog features crocheted items for the homeless.

What is art? To me it's words. To you it might be something else.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art."

My mind is whirling. What kind of art do you create? Where there is art there is joy.

www.rewriteinc.com

What DO you say?

2013-03-25T10:03:00.001-04:00

E.E. Cummings said, "The earth laughs in flowers."

What do you say????

http://rewriteinc.com

Here we go....

2013-03-19T18:47:00.004-04:00

I don't know how the weather is where you are but it's been a long winter in Ohio. Normally I ride my horse Tango all winter long. That makes winter easy to take. I'm outside but I don't mind a bit. I love the snow and cold and each new day holds adventure for me...usually.

I broke my knee in the fall and haven't been able to do much. The dark gray skies are not very cheerful. For the first time I can remember I NEED SUNSHINE!

So, with that in mind finish the following sentence with the first thing that comes to your mind:

If spring doesn't get here soon I swear I'm going to...

http://rewriteinc.com

Exciting News!

2013-03-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share exciting news with all of you. As of tonight at midnight my new website www.rewriteinc.com is going live.

Now that the all the content is complete for that, I will be blogging here again. I've missed all of you! Please check out ReWrite Inc and like us on facebook.

If I ever need to hire writers I know where to find them!

My Confession

2013-01-29T12:04:00.000-05:00

My name is Jan Mader and I'm an addict. What am I addicted to you ask? Words! Big words. Little words. Squeezed in words and specifically...
Words With Friends!
I'd like to say I'm ready to stop playing but that's just not the case. I could play Words With Friends till the cows come home. I play in between reading my emails. I play Words with Friends while I'm in a doctor's office. It's better than reading magazines I tell myself. Who knows what kind of germs are on the pages of those mindless reads! I keep my germs to myself.

I play Words With Friends while I talk on the phone. I play while my husband watches TV. After all, I tell him, my mind is working while I'm playing my game. Your mind is just being entertained.

I play Words With Friends while while I drink my morning coffee and until well after bedtime. Time zones have become my friend.

And speaking of friends....some of my best play Words With Friends with me now. I'm hopeless. Not only am I an addict I'm creating addicts.

I'm sure at some point my new favorite thing to do will get old, but for now I don't care. Isn't that what all addicts say? I don't care. If 'it's not a problem for me so why is it a problem for you?

Gotta run now. I'm sure there's a word that needs to be defensively squeezed somewhere!

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Life

2013-01-14T15:41:00.005-05:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "It's not the length of life, but the depth of life."

What do you say? Finish the sentence below:

It's not the length of life, but.....

I'm Afraid

2013-01-08T14:43:00.000-05:00

Everyone has fears and insecurities. Chances are we bury them somewhere deep in our minds just because that's the comfortable thing to do.

I was just thinking about some of my own fears...seriously...and how I'm going to handle them and decided it might make a writing exercise.

So with that in mind, what's the first thought that comes to mind when I say:

I'm afraid.....

The Time Has Come!

2012-12-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

It seems impossible but there are only a few days left in the 2012. I'm running out of time to finish all the things I hoped to accomplish! How about you?

What do you hope, want, or need to do before January 1, 2013? There's still time!

Twas the Night Before Christmas and......

2012-12-18T22:13:00.003-05:00

Do you want to do a continuing story? It was a lot of fun last year! We'll start with the traditional Santa story and go from there. Just add to the comment before yours!

Here's the start:

Twas the night before Christmas and....

Tis the Season!

2012-12-10T12:46:00.000-05:00

Ellen DeGeneres said, "Nothing says holidays like a cheese log."

What do you say?

Nothing says holidays like ______________________________________

Answer Me Please!

2012-12-04T16:45:00.003-05:00

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm sitting here writing
How about you?

Thirsty List

2012-11-28T22:28:00.001-05:00

I love lists. I think it's because one word on a list inspires another. With that in mind, think of words that when you say them might make someone feel THIRSTY.

Happy Thanksgiving and Every Day After!

2012-11-22T15:13:00.000-05:00

As I reflect on the beginning of this holiday season the smell of roasted turkeywafts up the stairs and into my office. The tantalizing smell reminds me of years gone by and memories flood through my mind and heart.

I'm on crutches (for the entire holiday season) so everyone else is doing the work for me. I am truly thankful for all my family and friends who are taking over to make our Thanksgiving dinner for twenty-six the same as always....yummy

I'm sitting here wondering what kind of stories I'll have to tell at the end of the day? Will here be more "thankful" stories or humorous ones? You just never know. The important thing is we're all together with our differences of opinions, our personalities, and our outrageous laughter.

What did you do for Thanksgiving? Do you have a story to tell? Please share!

Rhyme Time to Amuse Me!

2012-11-16T10:37:00.001-05:00

Just for my amusement
Please play along with me
I saw the doctor yesterday
and have a fractured knee!

So I'll be on the sidelines
instead of riding my horse
so if you'd rhyme along sometimes
I'll try to stay on course

I'll try to be a good girl
and do what the doctor said
Guess using crutches for six weeks
is better than being in bed!

A Thought to Ponder!

2012-11-12T11:24:00.004-05:00

If today is the first day of the rest of your life, what was yesterday? Go with the first thing that comes to your mind!

Habits

2012-11-04T19:22:00.003-05:00

Someone said, "A habit is something we do without thinking which is why most of us have so many of them."

With that in mind, how would you finish this sentence:

Bad habits are

The Story that Wrote Itself

2012-10-31T20:55:00.000-04:00

Some stories just write themselves.

It's rainy...almost snowy...here in Ohio. A crummy night for trick-or-treat indeed. I really didn't expect many trick-or-treaters, but to my surprise they showed up in droves. I live in a closed neighborhood so traffic is really slow here. Parents can walk on the sidewalk while the kids stroll from door-to-door.

At any rate, it's Halloween night and I'm home alone except for my 150-pound Newfoundland, Sam and my little half-dachshund-half terrier, Annabelle.

I have a front door with no screen...just the door. Every time the doorbell rang the dogs bounded to the door with me. They were enjoying every minute of the holiday spirit. You would have thought it was Christmas!

Since Sam is so big, I was holding him with my left hand (so he wouldn't accidentally kiss anyone to death) and passing out candy with my right. All was going well...really well.

Then it happened.

Annabelle spied a cute little Spiderman holding a pumpkin that was filled to the brim. She saw her moment and took it. Annabelle zipped out the front door. She knocked Spiederman's pumpkin onto the porch and used her hunting instinct to its maximum. She sniffed out the biggest peanut butter cup known to mankind and bolted back into the house.

While Spiderman was deciding whether or not to cry Sam and Annabelle got into a wrestling match right there in front of all the little ghosts and goblins. I'm not sure if it was Spiderman or not, but one of the kids said, "OH SH --!"

If I could have I would have slammed the front door. There were too many tails, legs, hands, feet, and pumpkins in the mix. What did I do?

I can wrestle with the best of them. I GOT THAT PEANUT BUTTER CUP. That magnificent piece of candy was mine! I took it from my little thugs without killing myself during my slip and slide maneuvers on the floor.

Then I stood up slowly and carefully and tried to look dignified.

All the onlookers finally decided the entertainment was over and moved on to the next house. Instead of passing out candy I should have charged admission.

You just never know when a story is going to write itself.

What Do You Think?

2012-10-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

McCallister Dodds said, "Real strength is not the condition of one's muscle, but a tenderness in one's spirit."

What do you think? How would you continue this sentence:

Real strength is:

Where Does Your Poem Begin?

2012-10-24T20:55:00.003-04:00

Robert Frost said, "A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.

Where does a poem begin for you?

How do you start anything you write?

Wish Me Luck!

2012-10-19T07:48:00.000-04:00

Hi ho! Hi ho!
It's to my horse show I go
With one bad knee
Steroids taken orally
Hi ho! Hi ho!

See you Monday! Hopefully I'll still be walking!!!

This Sentence Needs an Ending!

2012-10-15T23:26:00.001-04:00

The fog that nearly blanketed the earth that autumn morning reminded me of....