WEDNESDAY REFLECTIONS #12: Nominations and Awards!

Via: Daily Prompt – Acceptance

Well, doesn’t that just hit the spot! Even the smallest of compliments has me blushing like a hen laying an egg so you can imagine what a tizzy I’m in right now. For the longest part of my life, I suffered an inability to accept compliments without recycling numerous questions in my head to its verity and reason. Fortunately, those days are somewhat behind me now.

These days, I appreciate any form of feedback – from compliments to constructive criticism – on my writing but I really must thank Ally L. Mare of Write Ally! Write! for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. Being acknowledged for your work feels like a shot of espresso – except it’s a shot of motivation – and I hope I will only improve my storytelling skills with time.

This opportunity has also prompted me to reflect on the importance of appreciating the Works of Others that are not only available via mass media but also those within my own blogosphere. Sure, we ‘Like’ and comment and sometimes reblog, but greater recognition for an overall job well done is also necessary.

Now, in abiding with The Rules of the Award, I dedicate this week’s installation of WEDNESDAY REFLECTIONS to some of my fellow bloggers: 

1. Thank the person who gave you this award, including a link to their blog – Done.

2. Display the award on your blog – Also done.

3. Nominate 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly – Ah… A tough one to sift through the best (I would counter-nominate Ally because I really do read her blog daily but oh well). Here goes:

• J. Rusolo Ward – For crisply told gripping stories and occasionally to spook me silly (really enjoying the Fiori series)
• Autism in Our Nest – Telling the necessary truth about autism and family with an indomitable spirit
• Unbolt Me Uncensored – Uncompromising tête–à–tête between Tony and Tetiana
• Regina Jeffers’s Blog – If I ever wish to turn my talents to writing historical romances, her blog would be my go-to for research (at the moment, I’m reading up on all things Jane Austen)
• Little Fears – The funniest quick quips on this side of WordPress
• Heartstring Eulogies – For some fortifying poetry
• mylocalweb – Because we all need to return to talented rhymes sometimes to put life into bite sized perspective
• LADYLEBZ – One fierce feminist calling to another
• Violet’s Vegan e-Comics – I might not be a vegan but I appreciate the effort of what they are trying to accomplish (also some really cool arts)
• MovieBabble – This is a good site to visit before hitting the theaters if you don’t want to walk into anything unpleasant
• Vinnieh – Another good movie/TV review site, especially if you are into the classics
• Bound By Rosie – She discusses really important writing topics in her posts
• Settle in El Paso – If I ever wanted to settle in El Paso with a baby on my hip
• Light in Colorado – Some good photography to go with homeward tales
• Anonymisses – Because books! and here is a blog that caters to my taste in romance novels

4. Share 7 things about yourself – Say what? No, really, I’ve always been an open book – or blog, rather – so at this point, it’ll be just vain of me to repeat these facts:

• I left my booming career to become a novelist and I don’t regret the move in the slightest, even when I’m stuck in episodes of writing block;
• I think I prevented myself from pursuing publishing romance novels for longer than necessary because I was – am still perhaps – afraid of the reactions from my very conservative parents over the steamy scenes I write;
• I love Western and Pan-Asian cuisine (Italian is my favorite) although I follow a strictly Halal and non-seafood diet;
• I would resort to biting and scratching if anyone tries to part me from my tattered library-condemned copy of Pride and Prejudice;
• I want to move to Canada as much as the next person (which is a lot);
• I use watching movies and television programs as a form of research even when I’m really just procrastinating from writing when hit by a block for my novel (as in currently);
• I’m still confused about how to get representation from a North American Lit Agent and become published traditionally from Bangladesh or to go about acquiring the editors, beta readers and do the marketing from Bangladesh should I self-publish (obviously Backward BD is the obstacle here).

That’s enough for today, I think.