fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Let’s Have Lunch
By: Bebe Nicholson
Tags: Friends, Relationships, Social Media, Satire, Humor

Let’s Have Lunch

Photo by jwlez on Unsplash

This was so exciting! My best friend slid into the chair across from me. It was the first time we had emerged from isolation to have lunch together since the pandemic.

But don’t judge! We were eating outside and we were Covid-free. We agreed getting together was necessary for our mental health.

“It’s so good to see somebody outside my family…” I began. But she was scrolling through her phone. She held up a hand to shush me. “Just a sec. Check this out! Three people shared my tweet!”

“Great.” I nodded. “So how have you been? It’s been ages since we saw each other.”

“I know, right? I just reached 480 followers on Instagram!”

“That’s nice,” I said. “I wanted to tell you something I couldn’t say on the phone. I found out Chad was seeing somebody else, so we’re calling it quits. After three years. He was cheating on me!”

“Oh wow, my Facebook post has 132 likes,” she said. “Did you see my post?” She looked up for the first time.

“I haven’t been on Facebook lately. It hurts too much when I see so many people happy in their relationships, after what happened to Chad and me.”

“You should get on it more. I’ve shared some hilarious memes. How can you keep up with your friends if you aren’t on Facebook?”

“I was hoping we could catch up now…”

“OMG!”

“What?”

“Some troll just gave me shit about my political post. I’m blocking him. RIGHT. NOW.”

“Chad claimed he wanted to try again. He told me the girl he’s seeing doesn’t mean that much to him, but I finally realized I don’t care. Covid has made me realize a lot of things about relationships. Sometimes it’s better to be alone,” I said.

“Everybody else liked my post. Why do people on social media have to be so hostile? I don’t get it.”

She started scrolling again.

“Actually I murdered Chad and hid his body under a tarp,” I said.

“Then I burned the house down to get rid of the evidence, but with the financial loss of the house I needed some quick cash, so I robbed the convenient store down the street and now there’s a warrant out for my arrest because I forgot to wear a hoodie and my face was visible on the surveillance camera.”

“What did you say about hoodies? The cutest one just popped up on my feed. Check this out. If you’re planning on buying me a Christmas present, this hoodie would be great.”

By the time we finished lunch, she had 10 more followers on Instagram, 56 more likes on Facebook, and 3 more people had shared her tweet.

Impressive!
A Good Friend
By: Nancy Ann
Tags: Writing, Poetry, Friends, Poem, Friendhship

Good friends should be treasured.

Good friends are hard to find.

Don’t be angry with them for telling you the truth.

Be thankful for they are the only ones who truly care.
Healers
By: Suntonu Bhadra
Tags: Friends, Poetry, Poetry Sunday, Life, Friendship

Healers

Image created using Canva (link), quote by George Santayana (Link)

Living moments contain connected bits from here and there,

some take you to a higher place of solitude

happiness grabs your emotions, elevate you to the doors of heaven

some coat you in pains, struggles, and non-obvious choices

in guilt, in memories to burn down

left alone the moments, you want to hide in an unknown corner

and then come the healers

touching you with their non-magical human spirit

raising your bits, relaxing your nerves

your emotions adhere to the earthly notions that can bring you back

to the reality

glide you to the future you fear to look

they sing,

they gossip,

they mock you; you mock back,

they tease your poetic efforts

and ask you, ‘tell us more,’

they scold

they fight, they cheer to live and lead

the efforts affect you

a gradual shifting takes place

mind cools down

fluid motions to joy

dark clouds clear up

you see an open sky bright with the sun

loneliness crawls back and leaves

Joy smiles, at last

they are friends,

healers in nature

wizards in human form

shading shining light to one another

even if

they are continents apart.

Suntonu Bhadra ▪ December, 2020
How Can We Cry Tears of Joy?
By: Terence C.
Tags: Writing, Friends, Ordinaryterence, Anniversary, Marriage

A dear friend of mine got married and she was absolutely gorgeous in her wedding dress. She was beautiful and would probably slaughter me if she sees this. I saw happiness sprinkled all over her face and it was probably the first time that I truly experienced and understood how one can actually cry tears of joy. I blinked; a lot.
The Christmas Cards
By: Ann Hajdu Hultberg
Tags: Friends, Illness, Relationships, Christmas, Illumination Curated

We send greetings to friends who are suffering.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The yellow star atop the Christmas tree emits silver snowballs as white as powdered sugar , sparkling like jewels in a Tiffany’s store window, leaving a trail of marshmallow exhaust behind. Red bulbs hang off boughs as snowflakes delicately push each one as they fall on green branches. “Wishing you a joyful Christmas celebration” written in red ink greets the intended as she opens the card. The merry wishes are a dichotomy to the receiver whose life is anything but merry. For the intended will spend the last Christmas with her ailing mother. The dear intended will also battle another year of suffering, limping in pain, always searching for an answer, a solution, a special brew to put her back together again.

A “Peace on Earth” greeting adorns the top of the next card, a die-cut, a lone deer among the forest trees, the background in silver foil. Peace to you as you fight cancer, the inoperable tumor, taking chemo which crushes you. Peace to you as you accept the truth, your longevity measured in months, not years. Peace to you as you face another day losing your hair, eyebrows, and appetite.

As Santa fills his sleigh with packages wrapped in red paper and topped with green bows, forest animals , an owl, a rabbit, fox, and squirrel, look on. The scene extends to a fully decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the woods. “Happy New Year” written with curly cue swirls greets the reader as he opens the card. Happy New Year as you care for a wife falling more into dementia, forgetting the names of her children, forgetting common words , no longer able to cook her famous Ratatouille dish, sew her teddy bears, play piano, or drive. A Happy New Year to you as you take on more responsibility, more caregiving, more exhaustion.

A brick red barn, doors open, emits a yellow light from inside. A ground pine wreath hangs over the open door and a full-Halloween type moon glows over the peak of the roof. The barn floats on a foot of snow. “Joy to the World ,” stamped in red foil, written vertically on the inside of the card, allows room for a more personal note. But what should one write to a family who buried a son nine years ago and will bury another child before she reaches another decade.

I slip each card into a red envelope, such a festive color, each stamped with a Christmas scene. It’s ironic to send these greetings as if all was well with the intended. Momentary good wishes might linger as each recipient reads heart- felt words, a momentary relief from the present to reflect back on Christmases before sickness, before facing mortality. But it is fleeting.

“May this season be full of light and laughter for you and your family.”

“Wishing you peace, joy, and unconditional love at Christmas and always.”

“Merry Christmas and may your Christmas be white.”

So many are suffering, yet we pretend it’s the most magical time of the year.
Customer is Not an Enemy, But Your Best Friend
By: Noor Ul Huda
Tags: Friends, Content Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Customer

We have been taught to see our customer as a frightening creature, running after our lives, and on a mere mistake ready to kill us. This is the reason, most of the writers are scared to even try for once. By any chance, if they get the opportunity, they do not allow themselves to go beyond the set limits. All they enjoy is a “two minute praise” from people who may not have any knowledge of the content creation. In doing so, they overlook the damage they are causing to themselves in a longer run. Therefore, even after working for years, they were not able to add anything considerable to their portfolios. On the other hand, content creators who are likely to take a bolder move happen to do a lot better than their colleagues. Ann Handley in her book titled, “Everybody writes_Your go to guide to creating ridiculously good content,” suggested a cure to the problem. In a nutshell, it says that, to target a relevant audience, a content creator needs to imagine the customer as someone they know personally. Replace the customers with any of your real life close family members or a friend, to whom you wanted to show the product the minute you saw it.

When I was reading the book, these lines struck my mind and compelled me to write a whole article. It made sense to me immediately because it allowed me to understand the needs and demands of the customer better. I applied this tip and saw my content evolve to a greater extent. I am a freelance writer and keep getting projects from different industries. In one of my recent projects, I had to write articles for a tech website. My client did not demand TechCrunch and Gizmodo level articles, but to keep their clientele updated on the launches of famous gadgets and about major developments in the field. So, what I did was I imagined my mother as an audience as she is an avid reader, but has no clue how technology works. Therefore, while writing an article about the launch of the iPhone 12, I kept it limited to the display, camera, memory, battery, body dimension, color options and lastly price range. This trick helped me to explain every little bit of it in easy language and satisfied the reader. In contrast, if I had to write for an audience which was more into technology and demands in-depth knowledge then my brother would be a great option. He is the tech doctor and a go to person for all the tech news. Now, just imagine, if I have to share the tech news with him. He can easily shooshh me and catch a mistake. And, this is very embarrassing. Therefore, for such a customer, a writer needs to up his/her game and bring out the well-researched facts, figures and analysis. Similarly, if I have to share any skin care tips, then my elder sister appears first in my mind, same goes with all the other niches and market segmentation.

I have shared what I took after reading these two lines in the book, let me know what tips you have gotten from my blog and are going to add in your writing manual.

Thanks for stopping by!
“Kindness is ability to know, what is right thing to do & courage to do.’’
By: Tayyab Sial
Tags: Self Improvement, Friends, Street Food, Sketch, Kindness 101

“Kindness is ability to know, what is right thing to do & courage to do.’’

When is comes to kindness — people do things that make them genuinely happy and the whole world to. In my life kindness is to do right things and right time otherwise,those deeds are meaningless!! To feed a person when he is hungry,to give shelter.
I Miss My Old Friends
By: Jake Penningsworth
Tags: Haiku, Poetry, Friends, Reflections, Emotions

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Your love means the world to someone
Tags: Friends, Relationships, Family, Love, Peace

Your love whether it is to your partner, friend, family or stranger means so much to the person on the receiving end. You may think it does not mean much but to another person it means the world. If you were to ever enter their world you would be scared and consistently crying to how meaningful your love is and the importance it means to them.
Being Universally Happy
By: Nicole Maharaj
Tags: Self-awareness, Friends, Self Love, Life, Happy

How to live when you have a permanent smile on your face

Photo by TR on Unsplash

You walk down the street and someone sees you and smiles at you. Is it because you know them or is it because there’s just something about you. I have always had the ability to make people smile, or feel someone at ease. Ever since I was small I have always had the ability to smile easily. But there are negative impacts of always smiling.

People have always considered me as naive or easy to manipulate because of my easy way of smiling. I could of course let that get to me or I could just roll with the punches. I always chose to roll with the punches. Life is short, and sometimes the sweetest revenge is showing people that you don’t care about what they think of you. Trying to please everyone only serves to make your life more complicated than it needs to be. Sometimes loving yourself, even if you feel less than loved, is the only way you can be.

I’ve never really been a loner, always surrounding myself with friends at both school and work. But outside of those two places, I’ve never really had the type of friends who I go out with. It could be sad if I really thought about it closely, but I’ve always done the best by myself.

Even if I don’t feel happy, I always have a smile on my face. Sometimes being the sunshine in an otherwise gloomy world isn’t all that bad. There’s an old saying that you trap more flies with honey instead of vinegar. I’ve always found this sentiment to ring true in my own life. I haven’t always made the best choices when it comes to who I count on as friends. I’ve learned that sometimes the only person you can truly count on is yourself. Although that doesn’t always ring true.

There have been moments when I’ve felt true loneliness in my soul. That I felt I was the only one left in the world. Even in a crowd of people. Then there are times where people surprise me, with a text and show me that maybe I’m not so alone in the world.

The way I survive always being a happy person is trying to spread the joy and happiness that I might not always feel even if it’s on my face to as many people as possible. Like giving presents on Christmastime, giving a little bit of happiness to other people is somehow the greatest gift I’ve ever had. In the brief time I got a job in my hometown of Toronto I realized I wasn’t alone in the always Happy department. I was happy to know that I am not the only one that wrestles with an always happy phase.
Get Used to Your New School
By: Shuping Li
Tags: PhD, Computer Science, Research, Friends

You will like it, for whatever reasons.

Embrace HKU however complex your situation is. Everything is a double-egded weapon. You will need to get close to friends here, learn from them, and try your best for the future. You are never lack of things to do, but most importantly, always know what comes first and time must be spend efficiently.

Be clear about your tasks in regsimple. You want to stay in the group. That’s for sure, for both you and Frank. There are many things to learn in the process, but only to manage your time in a good way. First, python and machine learning/NLP basics. Second, common packages and modules, reading papers whiling finishing your task. Don’t forget you are a law student whose emphasis is on legal documents. How much effort you have put into this work is absolutely up to your self-discipline and organization.

You will benefit a lot from everything you take seriously. Learn from people around you and improve yourself!
DAYS LATER
Tags: Friends, Friendship

DAYS LATER

It was like every other day; I woke up not incredibly excited about anything, ran through my chores for the day, and started coding. The advantage that comes with staying alone is I can choose to have lazy days whenever I feel like.

I took a break from studying and decided to come online in the evening. I saw a status update from him and we all know that’s not possible except the other person saves your contact (which I wasn’t expecting him to because the first conversation ended on a cliffhanger). I had to reply because the status was a cry for help again (he cries a lot, my big baby) then he calls my line when he saw my message, apologizing because he promised to call back when the first conversation ended (He’s very forgetful).

I was amused at the way he spelt my name (no one has ever gotten it right unless I help them out), no one has also ever spelt my name that way and it was hilarious. When I told him what the name meant (My name Owaibuekpo means money does the talking, money speaks or Owo ni koko), he reacted like every other person did, he screamed like an excited fan who just met the celebrity they stan (I dare you to deny this mate).

Due to his exposure to western culture (Yoruba), he calls me Owo ni koko (which no one has ever given me as a nick) and it makes me happy.

PS: I want to name this THE COCONUT HEAD SERIES but he’s fighting against it passionately.
People are too busy…
By: Fasiha Imran
Tags: Lifelong Learning, Friends, Planning, Life Lessons, Life

People are too busy…

I wonder why everyone seems too busy this winter. Either they are doing their normal home chores, planning for the new year, or something else.

I don’t consider myself busy I am ultra free these days. Whenever I text or call my friends, they say they are stuck in this or that.

Why we don’t manage our life and work effectively and efficiently?

We don’t have time for even our close friends. This situation is alarming for me or maybe for others as well.

We should spare some time to spend with friends and family and helping some needy around us. It supports our mental, physical and spiritual health.
Girl talk
By: Poonam Chawla
Tags: Friends, Joy, Happiness, Girls, Community

We know each other’s stories

there is not much to say

but watch

ice particles

garnish

the stuck windowpane.

I lick my fingers

one by one

the smell of honey mustard

lingers

like one who wants to stay.

“More tea?” she asks

with eyes half-closed

her feet on the cushion

do not stray

“Yes,” I say.

Yes.

Always.
Mickey Mouse, math and ballet
By: Makenzi Johnson
Tags: Maxfield Elementary, Math, Friends, Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse, math and ballet

By Makenzi Johnson | Reporter

Most 12-year-old girls would say they daydream about becoming an actress, a doctor or maybe a princess, but one 12-year-old girl’s dreams are filled with something other than fantasy or the future.

“I’m daydreaming about being back in school,” said Camille, a fifth-grade student at Maxfield Elementary.

School might not be the typical topic to daydream about for most people, but for a girl whose favorite things are math and reading, it’s not strange.

Her favorite characters are Anna from Frozen and Dora the Explorer because they are brave adventurers. Her favorite activity is playing math games. She thinks having breakfast with Mickey Mouse would be fun. She loves crab legs, saying “they’re good dipped in butter.”

Camille, from Chicago, lives with her aunt, cousins, brothers and grandma.

For more than a year, Camille has been ballet dancing with a local company, an activity she adores. She has only practiced ballet, never performed, but she is fine with that because she still gets to dance either way. The studio planned on going to Africa to perform earlier this year, but had to cancel their trip due to the coronavirus.

The love she has for ballet inspired her to join the cheer team at Maxfield six months ago. She likes cheerleading because she can add a bit of hip-hop into it.

“She just loves school…she would be there forever if she could,” — Mrs. Earnest, fifth grade teacher at Maxfield Elementary

At school, Camille works hard. Camille loves to learn, always ready for a new challenge whether that is writing a story or solving math problems.

“She just loves school. … She would be there forever if she could,” said Elizabeth Earnest, Camille’s teacher.

Camille loves to learn about people around her and talk with them.

“I’m nice. I don’t stare at people in public, and I’m not rude,” Camille said.

She has a big heart, cares about her friends and is always there to give kind words. She helps her 8-year-old cousin Samantha with homework. She’s an independent girl, such as the time when her class walked to a nearby Dairy Queen for a treat, she bought her own money to buy a strawberry sundae.

Camille’s favorites:
Famous Google Shorts. Google ‘famous shorts’ and you get …
By: Michael Burg
Tags: Writing, Writers On Medium, Comedy, Humor, Jokes

Famous short story

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” pops up on lots of lists. Poe was only 5'8". That’s positively pint-sized, especially by today’s standards. Poe died at 40, a meager life span.

One skimpy paragraph, but no scarcity of short-related references.

Famous short quote

“Never regret anything that made you smile.” Mark Twain

Pithy true, but a bold boiled-down statement especially in the days before antibiotics and rehab centers. Twain must have been a lucky man.

Despite his “just do it” life style, Twain lived to age 74. He was a compact 5'9".

Famous short people

There’s a grip of ’em, ranging from Ariana Grande to Zoe Kravitz. Grande (not the Starbuck’s just-right drink order size, the singer) self-describes as “fun-sized.” Agreed!

As a side note, IMHO, the Starbuck’s “tall” leaves something lacking.

Famous short singers

Lil Kim, Ashanti, Lady Gaga, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars. I could go on and on, but I’ll keep it short and sweet, just a short sharp shot before anyone gets snippy.

Famous short poems

No paucity of contenders here.

I do like this one though because its contents spawned another famous title, “For When the Bell Tolls,” written by a famously short-tempered, fairly-tall guy.
How do I earn an income on Medium platform?
By: Ndjukuma Alex Kamunguya
Tags: Earn Money Online, Writers On Medium

I am a Namibian, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean; it shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east.

How do I earn money on this wonderful platform by sharing my ideas and life experiences? I love this fantastic platform. It contains powerful content from one of the world’s best writers and that has inspired me to become a writer. I am a novice at the moment, but I plan on enhancing my skills as I read along while I learn and incorporate the skills from the greatest authors.

I implore on anyone to kindly walk me through how I should come about earning an income on this platform.

Thanks for your consideration and kind perusal.
Write For Social Jogi
By: Sukhi Ch.
Tags: Writing, Submission, Storytelling, Writers On Medium, Life

Illustration by Seemi

The concept of learning about new things every day made me create this publication. Jogi is a Hindi word that means a Fakir or a mystic. A Jogi travels through the world to gain wisdom and knowledge.

In this era of the internet and social media, we are just one click away from people all around the world. Knowing others and their lifestyle, culture, and traditions, is very easy now. That’s why the name of this publication is Social Jogi.

If you are a wanderer who has many stories to tell, then you’re welcome to be part of the Jogi tribe. There are simple guidelines for writers.

1: Only submit a draft, already published stories will not be accepted.

2: Check spelling and grammar carefully before submitting your draft.

3: Hate-speech, racism, sexism, and abusive content will not be accepted.

4: Any article with a How-to-make-money theme will be rejected.

5: Submit only one story at a time.

The theme of Social Jogi is writings that you have experienced in life. Not some formula listicles. That’s all. I am mostly handpicking the writers suitable for Social Jogi and sending them invites personally but obviously it is not possible to reach everyone, so if you think you would like to be a part of a storytelling platform then comment below or send an email at social.jogi.pub@gmail.com and let us know.

To learn how to submit your draft to the publication please read this article: https://help.medium.com/hc/en-us/articles/213904978-Add-a-draft-or-post-to-publication?mobile_site=true

Make sure to follow the publication so that you can read the content of other writers and follow Social Jogi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SocialJogi so that we can tag you when we publish your stories on Twitter.

Cheers.
Perfect Writer for your Articles
Tags: Articles, Writers On Medium, Seo Writer, Article Writer, Website Content

Hello, today I write this blog to explain to you how I found a perfect writer for my Articles. I have always wanted a writer for my articles since I find it hard to concentrate for long periods of time and produce high quality articles. I’m sure you also struggle finding the right words or sentences to describe a concept or two in your articles. I have had similar struggles over the years. My boss keeps telling me to write content for the firm’s website so I decided to search for an article writer. Believe me, you won’t regret this.

So last week as I was having a terribly busy schedule and I had to finish two 1000-word articles. I was stuck since I could not find the time nor motivation to do it. I therefore searched online for help for someone who could do it cheaply and deliver high quality content. Just as most other people, I was skeptical about the quality of work I would receive. I therefore kept looking and looking. At last I felt I needed to try out one of this online writers and see how it goes. I therefore clicked on this guy’s profile and sent him the details of the article I needed.

You can find him on https://www.fiverr.com/s2/49b7e1600f. All I can say is that I will never regret working with him. He makes sure he understands all the details and does his work super quick and as accurately as possible. His prices are also very low, so that should not be a worry. If you need articles written for you, click on the link and give me feedback here. I assure you that you will not regret working with him.
The Letter
By: Elyse Wright
Tags: Writing, Short Story Writing, Writers On Medium, Mystery, Love

Photo by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash

She sat down on the bench, for the first time noticing how much her feet ached. Glancing down, she saw the beginning of a blister beginning to appear where her boots touched bare skin. With a sad smile, she pressed her hand to the heart necklace wrapped around her neck. Slowly, she turned her attention to the letter in her hand. She turned it over and over again as if she could somehow change the contents through the movement.

The letter was sealed, but she knew exactly what was inside. The name on the front blurred as her eyes filled with tears. Angrily, she scrubbed them away with one ungloved hand. She clenched the letter until the tears subsided. As if with great agony, she opened her handbag and placed the letter deep inside. She closed the bag, then opened it again. Once she confirmed it was there, she stood up, put her handbag over her shoulder, and began to walk.

The woman trudged through the snow, simultaneously pulling up the hood of her long winter jacket. It got cold, she thought to herself. Continuing on, she checked her phone to confirm the address. She was getting close to her destination. Just a few more minutes and she would be in front of the big, white house with the French doors. Stumbling slightly on a rock made slippery by snow, she took a moment to steady herself, realizing she was also trying to steady her mind. After a moment, she continued to walk, clutching her bag like a life jacket, as if she could internalize the letter once more. As if she could take back the thoughts inside, the comments that threatened to make her heart skip a beat.

A soft street lamp signaled she had arrived. Just as she suspected, the only lights on were the red ones that lit up the bedroom. She knew those lights well. A breeze whipped by and the sheer black curtains inside the bedroom rippled, causing her to realize the window was open. She shouldn’t have been surprised. “That window is always open”, she thought to herself.

She let herself stand there for a few minutes, contemplating if she was really going to do what she had set out to do. Deep inside, she knew she must. Deliberately, she opened the bag. She reached in and tenderly held the letter in her hand, noticing a smudge from a tear that escaped her eyes. “Oh well”, she thought, “there’s nothing I can do about that now”. She held the letter until it was as chilly as her chapped hands.

When she could hold it no longer, she looked up at the window again. She saw a figure move slightly. It was of no matter. No one seemed to sleep anymore anyway. The French doors held a fancy metal box, meant for exactly this purpose. She slid the letter inside, holding on until the very last second. Forcing her fingers to let her release the letter, she stumbled backward. She caught herself, just like she always did. She began to breathe easier. In and out. She turned her back and walked away from the house, not sneaking a glance behind her until she was a mile away.
❤️ Vicky, loved your investigative journalism!!!
By: Pockett Dessert
Tags: Writers On Medium, Covid-19, Culture, Life

❤️ Vicky, loved your investigative journalism!!! Followed the Medium recommendation to you and loved what you did with this. You’re the shining star right now!

Covid is the catalyst ~ moving masses worldwide towards questioning everything, all our choices. The hope is that we all emerge better human beings because of this.
Is talking about pedophilia the same as normalizing it?
By: Fatim Hemraj
Tags: Writing, Writer, Writers On Medium, Writers On Writing, Writing Life

Is talking about pedophilia the same as normalizing it?

When I published my piece on ‘Lolita’ I expected it to be controversial, but I did not expect a commenter to accuse me of normalizing pedophilia.

In my piece, I write that although the novel contains difficult subject matter, it is still a brilliantly well-written novel, and I am not alone in that belief.

I did not encourage pedophilia, nor does the author. Lolita does not normalize pedophilia, it makes us aware.

This got me to thinking: is talking about something the same as normalizing it?

Although a topic may be difficult to talk about, it does not mean it should not be talked about. A book containing notions of rape, domestic abuse or pedophilia does not necessarily mean the author encourages those behaviours or is guilty of it, themselves.

If that were the case, shouldn’t we boycott Game of Thrones, Fifty Shades of Grey and Outlander? All three involve rape, pedophilia and abuse, yet are widely popular. Are the writers and actors normalizing such behaviour? Should we demand they are ‘cancelled’ and removed from every network or movie streaming website?

There is a difference between normalizing something, and simply being aware of its existence.

I encourage anyone who believes my piece on Lolita normalizes pedophilia to first question whether any of their favourite books, TV shows and movies and depict any of these behaviours (which they undoubtedly will, because let’s be honest, shock and drama sells), and ask themselves whether they are normalizing these behaviours by continuing to read or watch those novels/shows/movies and whether they truly believe the writers, producers or directors are guilty of such behaviour, themselves.

An individual who plays a serial rapist in a movie is an actor. An author who writes about pedophilia is an author.

I will never stop talking or writing about topics that contain difficult subject matter. It is that very notion that prevents us from speaking up for ourselves and others, whether it’s to do with race, or disability, or pedophilia. I am not ignorant that I may lose readers because of it, but perhaps my work may not be for them.

In the end, I will and have to, always, stay true to myself and write about what is important to me.

Thanks for reading.
So true! I think a lot of writers fall into the competition trap (I’m guilty of this too), and they…
By: Rica Keenum
Tags: Freelancing, Writing Tips, Freelancers, Writers On Medium, Writing Life

So true! I think a lot of writers fall into the competition trap (I’m guilty of this too), and they write to keep up with the Joneses or for the joy of seeing their stats climb. But quality writing should be the goal, and if we’re not enjoying the process, readers won’t engage with our work. Passion always shows up on the page.
Editors are kingmakers
By: Fahim Chughtai
Tags: Advice For New Writers, Writing, Blogs And Blogging, Writers On Medium, Medium Editor

They are true mentors.

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I am a new writer on medium when I arrived here; I came with some dreams and expectations. I had read many stories of well-known writers, and they motivated me. I didn’t know what publication is and how to submit my article to any publication. I wrote my first article; I followed many people; they followed me back.

I didn’t select any publication to submit my article; I created my own publication. But now I realized that was a blunder. I had a few followers at that time. When I regularly published my article, and didn’t get what I was expecting. I changed my strategy. I made requests to many publications, and today I am writing in 5 publications.

When you are writing in publication, when you hit the publish & submit button, on the other side, the editor is waiting for your story. It’s his right to accept or reject your story. When I was new, I didn’t use Grammarly, but editors of different publications supported me by publishing my articles. I am thankful to them.

They have a great job. They decide which story is better than others on the same topic. It’s their job to maintain quality and quantity. Because for a poor article, only the writer is not responsible but Editor too. Because he selects your story to publish for the readers.

Editors of different publications rejected my many articles; sometimes, I got offended, but then I realized those articles weren’t worth publishing. By dismissing my articles, editors tried to tell me something is going wrong with my writings. Something can be topic, grammar, extraordinary claims without supported links. I revised my articles; I had read them repeatedly, not as a writer but as an editor. In this way, I found my mistakes.

If editors are accepting your story, they are giving you a fair platform to publish your work. It depends on our capacity, how good we can do, or how much we can utilize our talents and capabilities.

Editors are not jealous.

Editors are not jealous if your story is going viral, getting incredible views and reading time. They are helpers. They do the scrutiny of your work. They read your story with two eyes, with the sight of a writer and an editor's vision .they decide what we want to offer to readers. If it’s useful and thoughtful and crafted good, they would hit the publish button without hesitation.

Editors are kingmakers

I call them kingmakers because when they hit the publish button to a draft, your story is published; now, it is readers' property. If your story goes viral, credit also goes to an editor because he chooses your story from many other stories.

So, editors sitting behind the publication wall are real kingmakers. They choose better work from good works.
Glad you could glean something positive from a negative experience.
By: Rica Keenum
Tags: Freelancing, Writing Tips, Freelance Writing, Writers On Medium, Writing Life

Glad you could glean something positive from a negative experience. Early in my career as a freelancer, I learned to diversify in case of disaster. Having multiple streams of income helps offer a safety net. Good luck to you as you grow!
A Day In The Life Of A Writer
By: Karen Kaye
Tags: Creative Writing, Writers Life, The Typewriter, Writers On Medium, Writers On Writing

What does a writer do to prepare for the writing life. It depends different writers prepare and prep in different ways. However, a key to writing lies in reading and knowledge of your subjects, and locations. It is important study each profession, place and culture of what you are writing about.

The advancement of social media, has mad it easier to study begin your research on a wide variety of topics. The next thing is do you want to prepare your writing by writing in journals, legal pads, a manual, electric typewriter, computers, or tablets.

A manual typewriter a true writer will remember creating some of their earliest works on them A journalist writing a story on them to create a news or sports story before deadline. A lost treasure for most, but for a writer and a creator the typewriter will live on forever. The first steps to writing a master piece or the great American novel. However, as times have changed so has the way we create changed.

The first steps to writing

The legal pad, and journals are are great way to keep your first thoughts together in one places. You can write down research, that you have done, or jot done a place that you feel is a great atmosphere. Sometimes it is easier to write things down, than always carrying your computer with you. As times change we carry our lives in our pockets, which has made things easier, but we still long for the past.

Mac designed for media professionals, creators, and video and music editors

The way we do our work on the computers has become more compact and easy to work remotely in today’s society especially in the age of Covid-19. The world is changing we have learn to adapt to our surroundings, and see the world through various eyes.

The electric type replaced the manual typewriter but we have grown and emerged with the changing technology. No matter which way we choose to create our story. Today, with the invention of cell phones, and social media we can express ourselves even more creatively than before. We can train ourselves to become a journalist, or filmmaker. We can create an entire movie on our phones.

So a day in the life of a writer begins in one of many ways from reading to research, to writing and directing. The writers story never ends, and comes into form in many different ways.

A Day in the Life of a Writer: I challenge each of you to read, be creative, like and clap; I dare you to express your thoughts on Medium.
A Joyous Announcement
By: Ravyne Hawke
Tags: Announcements, Writers On Medium

Photo by Andreas Weiland on Unsplash

Hello, me Nesters! This will be a quick announcement.

I have added my first new writer/editor to Ravyne’s Nest. His name is Hogan Torah. Please check out his profile and enjoy the works he will be dropping off on Ravyne’s Nest.

https://hogantorah.medium.com/

Hope you are all doing well. Have a blessed Christmas. Will see you all in January!

Namaste

Lori
Who gets to call themselves a poet?
By: Bebe Nicholson
Tags: Poetry, Short Form Content, Writers On Medium, Poem, Short Form

Who gets to call themselves a poet? Anyone who allows an overflow of emotion and a love of language to coalesce into work that resonates with our universal human condition.

“A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” ~Robert Frost

My favorite Medium poets paint word pictures that dance and vibrate with beauty and intensity. Try these if you haven’t read them: Erika Burkhalter, Tree Pose. Bridget Webber, To find Peace in Deluge. Vixen Lea, Daughter. Read their other poems, too, if you love nature and the beautiful flow of language.

You might also enjoy the poetry in Love, Faith and Death in Hard Times by Anna Fuller, written during the Civil War. I published her unpublished manuscript in 1999, and republished some of her poems here.
Pi-Lantain Love
By: Bk Moradeyo
Tags: Opal Tometi, Writers On Medium, Elsa Majimbo, Plantain, Film

The recent episode of comedy legend Elsa Majimbo’s ‘Bedtime With Elsa’ on her Instagram IGTV features Opal Tometi, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.

For me, one of the most interesting takeaways from the conversation is nothing new; it’s further confirmation of a universal truth (if Austen had tasted it, she would have universally acknowledged this too): Opal’s fave meal is plantain. My fave meal is plantain, fave meal of so many. And in tribute to one of my family who loved it as much but is no longer here to enjoy it, and to assert for so many others, a poem that’s been long in my soul; now it features Opal —

Plantain 🧡

Opal said plantain

Is her fave meal

Especially the ‘chips’ (Hey, Elsa 🕶)

It’s nothing novel

But I could write a novel

About my love

For that awful

Nope, not at all awful

But I needed to rhyme with novel

About my love for that which O-pal

Loves as well

Pi-lantain!

Certain I could write a thesis:

“The Powers & Possibilities Of Plantain”

But another day, Thesis

In lieu, this poem

For a plate of P-L-A-N-T-A-I-N

Just U,

As the title of Tomei & RDJ’s ‘94 film stated

“Only You”;

As Armitage’s Thornton ‘Jedi mind-tricked’ Denby-Ashe’s Margaret Hale in the loving penultimate scene in 2004’s North & South:

“You don’t need Henry to explain,”

In similar vein

“Only You”, Plantain

I “don’t need Henry to explain”

That I love a plate of plantain

Nice stew, assorted meats, on top

And we’re Cool

Yet just that plate of Plantain Solo?

I’m sorted. I’m good

Content with the content

Of my simple meal

It’s got potassium, right

So it’s good for me, right

Something so sweet, good for me

Right?

Heart-right

Would eat it in a Heart-beat

Be good to me, alright

Alright, Plantain!

I’ve said my piece

So I’ll eat, In Peace

This plate, of pieces of, Plantain

In your Simplicity & Brightness

Is your Sweetness,

And your Strength

My plate of plantain

Your plate of plantain

Feed the hungry

Raise the spirits

Raise the Smiles

Dear Plantain

As Dr Claw said over & over to Inspector Gadget in threat mode, “Next time Gadget, next time,”

So I say to plantain in Love Mode, “Next time, Plantain Thesis, Next Time …!”

For now this 🧡 poem
There is a worn-out chalet in the fields of women head.
By: Taiyab Fatima
Tags: Creative Writing, Writer, Poetry, Writers On Medium, Woman Empowerment

Women like her; they have never visited it, never again. There is a worn-out chalet in the fields of her head where she never visits but every time she yearns to go back and live there a little longer, longer than forever, where the garden is haunted with memories that which impales her soul at now and then and she runs away from it as if it doesn’t exist anymore or maybe she has abandoned it just because she lacks the power to hold its warmth that once used to soothe her soul but now its trivial things that are burning her eyes and inside its walls, there slay a box that once ruled out the throne of her heart. That wall once was painted with colorful sensations of touch and its one edge is endowed with a beautiful porcelain vase which she used to privilege with seasonal florets but now they’re all just fitments dusted in ache. No, they were not related to any other human, but her as they were her dreams that she used to water them when she was little. Some dreams she dreamt in the hustle of sun and adore them in pretty porcelain vase some dreams were she dreamt in the swing of air to and fro to the sky by capturing she makes them safe in the little box of fantasy later the world made it hard to go with the flow that she mustered upon but rather it became chiastic and no longer she could water them but it is the rain that planted it again keeping them breathing in her, rather than dead.

This is not just a story of another woman, but the story of every woman.

Taiyab Fatima.
Mother
By: Authorpædia, The Authors' Encyclopedia
Tags: Poetry, Writers On Medium, Poem, Authors, Poetry On Medium

By Chris Douglas (C.S. Douglas)

The story of my life — too hard; too much to tell.

“Should I rewind the clock to its first striking bell

To where I let my cries — with such premiere vogue

The moment’s birth of I — to set my own Prologue?”

“Or should I start my tale before my birth had come?”

The Matrix I was in — the inner womb of mom

Was but a constellation created to embrace

And wrap in starry hopes her innocence of space.

She was so young, so jolly, so eager for a son;

She’d sacrifice her life in favor of my own;

And so it has begun the saga of my Fate

Created by a Goddess, who’s Ethos couldn’t wait.

O, my beloved Mother! We’re galaxies afar

And yet I see your glister in every glinting star;

You left me and departed beyond the vail of time

So far and yet so near to whisper in my rhyme.

Of tears desiccated, of years much consumed

‘ Am now a little older than you fore you ‘ resumed

To leave me in this Garden amidst my feral kind

And prove the course of nature as Providence defined.

My childhood — an illusion from the Magician’s wand

Sparkled a tiny Era — an hourglass of sand,

Which into memories sifted for always to revere;

As you, O my Beloved, forever will be near.

I’m sure you are waiting to see me yet again

As in a song eternal, for I am your refrain;

And in a turning cycle you’ll be this time the Son

And I — to fill the space in me — I’ll be your darling Mom.

I’ll have You in my matrix — in timeless universe

Where I shall be your Maker in Flesh, Spirit, and Verse

And I’ll deliver you — O Heavenly Divine!

A God born and reborn: A God — the only Kind.

I’ll guide you through your life; I’ll kiss you in your sleep;

I’ll travel back in space and in your future, deep;

I’ll blow into your face the holly breath of life

As You have done to me, O, Dear One, my love.
“Laugh as much as possible, always laugh.
By: Bebe Nicholson
Tags: Shoutout, Writers On Medium, Humor, Laughter, Short Form

“Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one’s fellow human beings.” –Maya Angelou said this, and I agree. Maybe that’s why I write humor, and why I enjoy reading it so much. Here are a few of the humor writers on this platform who brighten my day when I stumble across or go looking for their work: Roz Warren is better than top notch, famous around here for her consistent ability to make us laugh. Don Feazelle created The Toad News Service, which beats CNN any day. Mark Starlin makes you feel good. You’ll love him. Sarah Lofgren has a wacky, unique sense of humor. Roy is a talented humorist, and Jon Scott a terrific writer. There are others, but I’ll save them for another post. Now go have a laugh!