Je vous propose aujourd'hui un court poème sur la liberté qui, je l'espère, vous inspirera. Efforçons-nous d'être celui qui déploie la voilure, et embrasse chaque nouvelle aventure, plutôt que le guetteur, qui choisit (parfois sans s'en rendre compte) de rester oisif, de s'enfermer dans la sécurité de son confort quotidien.
Vent salé
Ciel dégagé
Peur refoulée
Bonheur embrassé
J’ai déployé la voilure
À moi l’aventure
À toutes encablures
Je cours d’un pas sûr
Plâne la mouette
Les vagues fouettent
Toujours je m’entête
Tandis que d’autres guettent
Une passion si belle
Cette force nouvelle
A embrasé l’étincelle
M’a offert le ciel
When I woke up today, I was very surprised to find out that a great blogger had nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Shruti only joined the WordPress community a few weeks ago and her potential has already been acknowledged. Congrats!! If you have a few minutes to spare, check her blog out ! :-)
I find it most generous to give other bloggers more visibility on the web. So thank you, not only to you Shruti but also to all the people who take some time in their days to read my work.
2. Make sure you list the rules and post the photo of the award logo.
3. Answer the questions that the nominator asked you.
4. Nominate other bloggers and ask them your some questions.
5. Notify your nominees by commenting on one of their recent posts.
Question I was asked
Who inspires you the most ?
So many fictional characters inspire me... I will choose a real author whose success inspires me a lot : Brandon Sanderson. He wrote the Mistborn Trilogies, which have entirely changed my life and given me a new perspective of society and political systems. I recommend it to everyone, especially if you are into Epic Fantasy.
Why do you enjoy writing and blogging?
I have been writing for... 11 years ? Time flies by, it is unbelievable. I began writing when I was 11 years old (which makes me 22, just saying for those who are great at math like me). First, writing (in French) was a way of expressing feelings I would hide to others. At some point, when there was no more love or passion or sadness to write about, I merely stopped writing, or made it a hobby I'd exceptionally practice. Then it dawned on me : writing's primary objective is to tell stories and share them with others. So I began writing again (I have some projects such as an epic fantasy novel on the work) and also translating my previous work. Blogging is but my latest finding to accomplish a much bigger goal : Sharing, inspiring, helping...
Do you prefer reading texts, or poetry, and why?
I generally read prose. Epic fantasy novels to be more specific, but I love poetry for you can express feelings in a way which can be both nonsensical and still extremely meaningful. I wouldn't say I have a preference for either of them, I simply enjoy them for different reasons. When I read a poem, I am not looking for any rationality, only emotions, authenticity. When I read an epic-fantasy novel, I want to escape this world entirely and explore someone else's, discover the complexity of another political system... I just want to live a dream. When you read stories, you can live thousands of lives and travel to many a country and stay comfortable on your bed. Is it not the dream?
What music do you like to listen to ?
A simple, yet difficult question. I listen to pretty much everything. I mostly listen to covers on YouTube and movie soundtracks. Movie soundtracks are my best friends. Not that I am not curious or eager to know more about classical music but it's not my priority. Movies rock, they just do.
Link to any article / poem from any forum that gave you joy this week.
It is called Cry and it addresses an issue that is dear to me : vulnerability. We are all humans, we are all struggling (even those who are good at hiding it), and there is nothing wrong in showing weakness from time to time. Life is hard, but together we can explore our full potentials!
My Nominees
Some of you began following my blog recently, others have been supporting me since its very beginning. Thanks to all of you for trusting me and for publishing great content on the web !
For the first four questions, forgive my lack of originality, but I am a curious cat.
What is your favorite movie ? (If there are several, you can list several)
What is your favorite novel ? (Same as question #1)
What is your favorite poem ? (Same as question #1)
What is your favorite song ? (Same as question #1)
If your house was on fire and you had to pick three items before exiting, which ones would they be ?
A genie grants you three wishes... what would they be ?
And finally, which blog post (it can be any format you like) has most inspired you in the last two weeks ?
May I Repeat ?
If you liked this post, feel free to shoot the like button (perhaps it dies, perhaps it doesn't. but how would we know if we don't try?), comment &/or follow me (if you aren't already). I also took some time to customize the share buttons at the bottom of this article (#visibility #dedication).
I would like to share a reflection I have been having for a few years and which could benefit all of you. I have been reading a lot about mindsets lately (e.g. on The Art of Blogging, which is an excellent blog I recommend to all fellow bloggers) and this reminded me of this thing everybody does (even I from time to time) and which profoundly affects & upsets me.
A Shred Of Grammar
I will not bother you with the intricacies of English grammar, but I would like you to read the 3 sentences below and notice a huge difference between them (please?).
The First Conditional
If I have enough money, I will go to London.
When you look at this sentence, you want to believe the person who said it was in a positive mindset. Perhaps they are working to earn enough money to go to London. This is a mindset I would encourage people to have, but there's another option : Perhaps our fellow is not working yet and is looking for a job ? We don't have enough information but this sentence can be interpreted both ways. We don't know what the speaker is doing to change their situation, but we can safely assume they are doing something about it.
There's still something that bothers me, though. Why say this in the first place ? Are they worried they won't have enough money ? Are they not ready to find a solution to that issue ? It is subtle but there is some lack of confidence coming out of this simple sentence which I will underline even more in the sentences below. Let me suggest an other way to phrase the same idea with more certainty.
I will get enough money and then I will go to London.
OR I am working to get enough money to go to London.
You may think these 2 sentences have a radically different meaning, and you wouldn't be wrong, but it's exactly my point. If you take out the condition, you take out the uncertainty. You only do.
The Second Conditional
If I had enough money, I would go to London.
Here, it is a fact that the character doesn't have the amount of money they need to go to London. In my opinion, it's child's play to upgrade from If I have enough money, I'll go to If I had enough money, I would go.
If you say this, you already are in a negative mindset and believe you won't go. If you are lucky enough, a relative of yours may give you a pep talk (or a slap, if they aren't as nice as me) and tell you to find a job to earn the extra money and fly away. Everyone doesn't have the change to have that friend or relative to cheer us up however. Unfortunately.
When I read this sentence, here's how I literally interpret it : I do not have the money, I don't have the motivation to do what's necessary to get the extra money I need, I will not go to London.
The Third Conditional
If I had had enough money, I would have gone to London.
There's a name for this type of sentences : I call it regrets. It's not pretty and it's not something you want anywhere near you. If you ask me, regrets are useless. They only smite you where it hurts, and then they hurt you some more. Why then give them any space in your life ?
Whatever you did before, you did for a reason.
Why not trust in your past self ? I am absolutely certain this past self of yours took the decision that was right for you when you needed it. The problem is, we change all the time. You won't be the same person in a week, so it is okay to have changed your mind regarding something you did years ago (or any time in the past).
Only Negative Effects ?
I need to add a quick disclaimer to this article. Conditionals add nuance to a language and I appreciate to have the choice to use them or not. Without them, we would not be able to tell stories with as much detail or learn from our mistakes. Or it would take us 2 or 3 sentences to phrase the lesson instead of one... Let me give you an example. Let's say I missed the train this morning. When I arrive home, I say to myself :
If I had run, I would have caught the train.
This sentence can have 2 meanings in this context. The first one is, I regret not to have run. HOWEVER, there's another one : I did not run. I am learning my lesson. Next time I face such situation, I will run. And it took me 3 sentences to say it when the context could have done the job with only one sentence...
A Useless Complex Tense ?
As my disclaimer pointed out, conditionals aren't as useless as I first suggested. The point of this article is 1) to ask your opinion & perhaps start a debate (tell me in the comments below?) and 2) make you aware of the dangers of using language / grammar without fully understanding its intricacies.
Conditionals aren't useless but there are countless cases when you don't want to use them. Feeding regrets or uncertainties does not serve you well. How about we focus on I am or I have instead of second-guessing ourselves with regrets ? How about we just listen to what the present is whispering into our ears and take action without hesitating when our hearts knows it is the right course of action ? How about accepting that it's okay to make and have made mistakes (Everyone does, right?) ?
[Personal Pronoun + Modal Verb + Have + Past Participle]
I could have been so talented if I had worked in school.
Quite a complicated formula for the third conditional, right ? I have a challenge for you : try and be more aware when & why you use it in the next few days. Then put yourself in the shoes of the person saying the sentence above. Stop thinking you could have been so talented if. Accept that you are who you are today thanks to the choices you made and that it is not too late to show the world how much potential you have.
One last thing : The third conditional can be used to express judgment too. E.g. You should have done something else. As this article is long enough, I won't dive into the specifics but I still think the world would be a better place if we were less judgmental with each other. Wouldn't you agree ?
* * *
In the end, conditionals are like social media. They are a fabulous tool we use poorly. Are you with me to right this wrong ?
I hope you enjoyed this article. If you did, it would literally make my day if you liked it (and commented, if you have a few minutes more). I am doing my best to reach 100 followers by the end of this month, so it would mean the world to me if you subscribed (let's reach that first milestone together) or shared this post. Finally, if you have some more time (it's lockdown init?), feel free to check out some other articles of mine ;)
If you have read the post I published on Monday, you know I set a challenge for myself this week. I decided to publish an article everyday to see how it would go. Well, here are my conclusions now that Friday is upon us.
Blogging Is Community-Oriented
I truly understood that this week. If you aren't part of the community, promoting your work and helping others grow, then your blog will likely never take off. Blogging is an act of sharing. We should be grateful for the attention we get and help back the ones who help us. Thank you all for dropping by and reading this ! :-)
Blogging Is Hard Work
This heading essentially means that blogging is a full-time job. Yes, you read that right. A full-time job. There is SO MUCH to do everyday : jotting down ideas in a text file, drafting articles you intend to publish in the days to come, writing a blog post for the day, polishing it, publishing it, promoting it (going to others' blogs, being actually interested in their work takes time & you need to find the blogs that will interest you too in order to appreciate their contents) and if you still have some time, detail one or two more articles so that you only need to tweak them before publishing them the next day or so you can schedule them.
Blogging Is Fun
When you have your own website, you can write about anything. You are entirely free to pursue all your passions, which is what I intend to do. I always believed that I was too "dispersed", that I liked too many things and it would be hard to pursue all of them. Blogging showed me a way to combine everything I love, and I am grateful for that. Most grateful ! (Thanks everyone!)
I have always been pretty good at organizing myself & much less good when I had someone bossing me around. I see blogging as an extraordinary opportunity to do what I love everyday while inspiring (hopefully enlightening) others' days as well.
I Am On Fire ! Are You ?
This month is the one this blog goes wild, I am telling you ! Today is July tenth and we have already bested the last three months put together in terms of stats. If we can do that in a week and a half, what are we capable of in a whole month ? Are you with me to try and reach 100 followers this month ? Doesn't it sound like a great challenge we can overcome together ?
If you want to support me with this challenge, feel free to subscribe (you get to be warned whenever I post some amazing article), like (if you liked this post), comment (cause I'm sure you have something to say) or even share. Perhaps someone else you know would be interested in this blog ? Spread the word ! The more the merrier, right ? ;)
Who has never pondered on this infamous question, I ask you. Writing is an arduous trade to master, as all trades are, and this one topic has seen much ink spilled already. Only he who has never laid eyes on a pen has never sought the answer to so modern a concern. In such troubled times when all has been said, where shall your quill stand if words have fled to another's estate ?
Let me come to your aid, and mayhaps dare I suggest a few possibilities which you may explore at will.
Brainstorming
The first exercise I have in mind is not the hardest, nor will it take most of your time. Firstly, you need to open your favorite text editor (such as Notepad, Neovim, Emacs...) or word processor (Word, LibreOffice...).
As a second step, you need to think about what you want to write. Let's imagine I'm in the mood to write a medieval story (which is actually the case, so don't imagine too hard). Let's list down every little thing the word medieval whispers in my ears :
Castle, land
Knight, King, Queen, Princess
Mad King / Just knight
Love
Violence
Apparently I am in the mood to write a fairy tale... But anyway, you get the point ! The idea is, all your ideas don't have to be listed in any order. Be mad for a sec ! Don't hold back ! Don't remove ideas ! Throw as many nouns and adjectives and adverbs into your editor or word processor and, when you're completely dried out, then start thinking of how you could link the words together.
Okay, let's try this out :
Once upon a time, there was a mad king living in his castle. He neglected his queenas his darkest thoughts only belonged to Saint Mother War. He desired her as fiercely as she called him. A violent passion burnt within the king, feeding his craziness. His love for the princess from a faraway land was eating him up from the inside. Little did he know that his love was not shared. The princess was fond of another. A just knight, a noble soul who she had only seen but once. He owned land and would be a perfect match for her. Her feelings were mixed with concern however. If she dared marry the stranger, war would be upon them, for the mad King would seek avenge!
See what you can do with a mere bunch of words ? You now have the plot to the most stereotypical of stories. I did forget to put magic & dragons in there but as long as the point got across, I'll be content !
Don't Publish Too Fast
This one might sound obvious (like the first step actually) but I should still mention it. If you publish all your best ideas in one day, how can you publish something tomorrow ? What's more, where will you find the time to proofread and polish these amazing articles ? Breathe & take all the time you need. Rome wasn't built in a day...
Read Others' Work
It's one of the most important things you'll do as a blogger. It will keep you motivated and will give you new ideas. I am not saying you should plagiarize others. I would never encourage you to do such treacherous felony. No, what I am saying is, you should open up Discover and search for topics you care about. Then click on an article that interests you and read it carefully. If you liked it, share your thoughts with that other blogger. If may make their day and give you an idea.
Wherever Whenever
The truth is, ideas come from everywhere. From the way you move your feet to what your sister is saying or how your mother is telling you off or the fact that you want to be free or that door you go through everyday or whatever... Pay attention to every single detail in your daily life and you'll notice all the little things. All these delightful things we end up ignoring because we're so used to them but which make all the difference. Acknowledge them and perhaps they'll offer you what you are looking for.
As Usual
If you enjoyed this article, feel free to let me know by liking, commenting or even subscribing. It would make me most happy ! :-)
