The Poetteer

Hello Poetteers, We are nearing the end of the year and I need some much needed me time. I have decided to take a break from blogging. I wanted something more and have decided to attempt to also take a social media break. I am planning for the break from both to be a month long one. See you next year! Fida Check out my books here . 

Hello Poetteers, During the month of November, I attempted at NaNoWriMo. I took a different approach. Instead of writing a fiction novel I decided on a non-fiction project. This project will be a nonfiction story of my journey as a writer. It is something that has been bugging me to be heard and I'm finally listening. It's what I've been leaning towards. Since I thought of it in the beginning of the year I keep getting new ideas for it. I got the final push I needed from #NaNoLounge . Sneak Peek #1 From the beginning, I was already having an endless amount of spelling errors. I was a bit excited about finally working on this story idea. Another thing I kept doing as I write was ending it with referring to read more in a later chapter. For the first week and beginning of NaNo I wrote for 10 consecutive days. After that, I felt the slump and unintentionally stalled the project. I didn't think about it, I almost forgot about it. I picked it back up on the 22nd ...

Hello Poetteers, Recently I took up an opportunity that was given to me. Last month I apply and got the internship from Dream On Youth . Remember the Monday Blessings series I did on the blog. I want to bring it back. I did it a bit differently today. I'm over on Dream on Youth sharing what I'm grateful for. Stay inspired,  Fida 

Hello Poetteers, Don't have time to read right now? Download the PDF version . I loved sharing with you ways to title your poems. Sometimes the title is obvious. You’ll find the perfect phrase within the poem. Other times it’s a bit hard. Here’s my secret to titling poems. Ask yourself and your poems these questions. What emotion does your poem focus on? Find an adjective that describes the emotion your poem is giving.  What is your poem about? Use the topic in your title.  Look for repeated words, phrases and metaphors. Its emphasis within the poem should be shown in the title.  Place the results together. Experiment with the wording and arrangement. Does it reflect your poem? Example: Take a look at my poem, Weary Hope . I repeated the word hope, so i knew it needed to be in the title. The beginning of the poem talks about being drained. Other words for drained are tired and weary, so that was the adjective I needed to add. Together I came up wit...

Hello Poetteers,  This past week I've been working on a collaborative piece. Here is the result of that collaboration.  Flickering Light Pain is my light getting tired with the anticipation a heaviness settles into my heart Pain is the loss of never seeing the good again you feel helpless like getting the news of death and not knowing what to say to yourself or others you don’t want to hear anything you stare into nothingness and wonder if it will get better accepting the pain, you can move forward from deep sorrow to the process of healing, healing is the reversal of a decomposed heart a radiant light replacing the darkness within a soothing ointment to one’s soul it gives hope to endure the circumstances, strength for the journey, courage to be bold, to comfort others who are afflicted but most all to know you are not alone. by Fida Islaih & Rebeca Perez Check out more poetry by Rebeca at Blend My Love .

Hello Poetteers, Every once in awhile we get in writing slumps and feeling the lack of motivation. There are several ways to get ourselves out of it. 1. Take a break Spend a day away from your writing and come back with a fresh look. 2. Read The works of others will get you in a new headspace and may inspire some new ideas. 3. Do a poetry prompt Forcing yourself may do the trick. 4. Change up your writing style. If you write free verse try a poetry form. Sometimes you need a limit. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers,  Let's welcome Crystal Collier here today to share her brand new book! Title:  TIMELESS Series:  Maiden of Time, #3 Author:  Crystal Collier Pages:  253 Publication:  November 1, 2016 Publisher:  Raybourne Publishing ISBN:   9781629830056 TIME IS THE ENEMY. In 1771, Alexia had everything: the man of her dreams, reconciliation with her father, even a child on the way. But she was never meant to stay. It broke her heart, but Alexia heeded destiny and traveled five hundred years back to stop the Soulless from  becoming. In the thirteenth century, the Holy Roman Church has ordered the Knights Templar to exterminate the Passionate, her bloodline. As Alexia fights this new threat—along with an unfathomable evil and her own heart—the Soulless genesis nears. But none of her hard-won battles may matter if she dies in childbirth before completing her mission. Can Alexia escape her own cloc...

Hello Poetteers, Life may get in the way and make it hard to find time to write.  1. Wake up early The silence, the fresh mind and clear head can get the gears going.  2. Stay up late  There is something about the night that puts your head in a different place.  3. Tell people When you tell someone you have this urge to do it. You have someone to hold you accountable. 4. Stay away from distractions I've said this before , don't go on your phone or social media until after you start working. One thing that will make it easier to do this is turning off the notifications on your phone.  5. Take advantage of your breaks The words will eventually add up and seeing it will make you want to complete it. 6. Keep a notebook with you Ideas have a way of creeping up on you and come at the most random times. You don't want to forget them.  7. Schedule it into your already busy day When you see it on your to do list you have a ...

Hello Poetteers, Don't have time to read right now? Download the PDF version .  Being an avid reader and writer I've seen both sides of how Goodreads can be beneficial. Sometimes you come across a book you can't find on Goodreads. Adding your book on there is easier than you think. The information is already there on the site but I'm here to make it even easier.  1. Join the author program . 2. You will have an author dashboard to update. One thing to do is link your blog or website.  3. Add your book 4. Fill in all the details 5. Save and it'll be a part of your dashboard 6. You can share the cover now or wait until after the reveal on your blog. When you have a decision, you are able to edit the book. 7. Share the link for others to mark it on their TBR list and later share their review. 8. Your dashboard is a place for readers to ask you questions. You can have giveaways. Lastly, you can add the option to...

Hello Poetteers! I'm bringing in the new month with a new set of poetry prompts! It's a bit different. I gave you 15 prompts. You can do it all in the two weeks or take the whole month to do them. I'll be participating along side you. The prompts are up to your interpretation and creativity. You can repost my challenge graphic on your Instagram profile for reference, or download the PDF version . Be sure to tag your poems on Instagram with #dailypoetrygram so we can all see it.Tag me ( @poetfida ) so I can leave some love. Get help with your poetry prompts with these questions, get your copy when you sign up for my newsletter . stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Show Me You want me to love you show me you are listening show me you can hear my heart and understand the meaning of its beats.  I will love you with everything inside of me if your ears believe my native tongue.  Fida Islaih and Vivi Dale

Hello Poetteers, I have another body part poetry prompt for you. You can check out part one and part two here . Questions to ask yourself: What was a friend’s compliment you remember? What body part was it of? Do you like or dislike that body part? How did the compliment make you feel? If you disliked, how will you start to love it? Answer these questions and keep your favorite responses. With those responses make it into a poem. Share it using #dailypoetrygram . Example: They love my smile see me always smile through the unsaid struggles and the tears that couldn't stop from falling I love my smile hearing them say that it grows bigger but underneath it my smile is crooked the overbite gets in the way still trying to accept it's a part of me. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, I have a new poem for you! This month is coming to a close. I've been attempting to participate in OctPoWriMo but I didn't do well as the poem below is the one poem I wrote. Weary Hope She was drained of hope yet she was forced to trust everyone talks about prayer she gives it a try day by day there is a growing feeling of hope and genuine trust. Have you been participating in OctPoWriMo? Do you have a poem that needs editing help? Message me and we can work together to bring out the best in your poem.  stay inspired,  Fida

Hello Poetteers, This week's Top Ten Tuesday is to list names you would give something. I chose some top poet names for your cat. If you would like to save this for future reference, you can download here . Poe  Rumi  Kay  Frost  May  Reader Submissions Milton Alfred Oliver Dickinson stay inspired, Fida *updated on Jan 11th, 2017

Hello Poetteers, Every part of the poem is important. From the spelling to wording. From the title to the ending. From small things like grammar to big things like emotion . Don't put a deadline on yourself when finishing a poem. It's added pressure that will make it hard to think. If you do have a deadline ask around for opinions and help. I'm available to help edit your work. Message me with your poem! Also get a pricing package + free editing checklist when you sign up for my Poetteers List. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Emotion is the heart and magic of a poem. As the writer of the poem you want it to feel right in the heart. If it doesn't, it won't send the message. Let's say you wrote all that you could, or think you could. The emotion doesn't come across. Questions can be asked to pull it out of you. To do that you need an outside source. I'm available to help edit your work. Message me with your poem! Also get a pricing package + free editing checklist when you sign up for my Poetteers List.

Hello Poetteers, Reading is important for editing your poem. There has been several times in writing poetry where I read it several times and each time I didn't see the mistake. One time I wanted a friend to read a poem of mine just because I thought it was good. They noticed the mistake. If I didn't ask it would be an embarrassment if I published it. Reading your poem aloud also helps you see the flow and structure of the poem. You able to tell what words you skip, where you pause, where phrases sound out of place. You can't get away from the mistakes. Sometimes even a second set of eyes can miss it. I've noticed errors in my published work. We can work together to have none of that or at least lessen the errors. We know when we write we focus more on getting out the story. Having an outside and second option is needed. I'm available to help edit your work. Message me with your poem! Also get a pricing package + free editing checklist when you sig...

Hello October! I'm bringing in the new month with a new set of poetry prompts! I'll be participating along side you. The prompts are up to your interpretation and creativity. You can repost my challenge graphic on your Instagram profile for reference, or download the  prompt list pdf . Be sure to tag your poems on Instagram with #dailypoetrygram so we can all see it.Tag me ( @poetfida ) so I can leave some love. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, This is up to my interpretation. The artist may have or may not have different thoughts. I enjoyed the lyrics and believe them. It's about living your life, not waiting for things. It's about going after it. It's about enjoying the little things. Live in the present. It's basically a song to sing when you tell someone life is too short to worry and wait. There shouldn't be doubts and regret. You shouldn't keep the what ifs open. Have faith in your struggles. Lastly don't let sorrow hold you back. I hope you take a listen , Fida

Hello Poetteers, Last week was the first week of Fall. Let's celebrate by creating a fall bucket list along with a second list of things you want to do before the year ends. I do have two lists but for this blog's sake I'm cutting it down and combining them. 17 Before 2017/Fall Bucket List 1. Read all the books to finish my Goodreads challenge 2. Participate in Inktober 3. Do NaNoWriMo 4. Go to an open mic night 5. Practice calligraphy 6. Make a list of things you’re grateful for 7. Take a day trip and listen to your favorite Fall Mix 8. Take pictures of the changing leaves 9. Press leaves you collect in your journal 10. Mail your friends themed cards 11. Do some Fall Cleaning 12. Make plenty of “pumpkin” typos 13. Make handprint turkeys 14. Write two short stories 15. Decorate bedroom 16. Jump in a neatly organized pile of leaves 17. Take a walk through a park and try to catch falling leaves stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, In the 7th grade I learned about poetry but I was turned away from it. A year later I was taught about poetry and fell in love with it. I enjoyed the assignments and wrote a bit extra but I didn't continue. Throughout the year I got into it and eventually started a blog. It was a place I could share all my poems. A year after starting my blog I had my first piece published . Towards the end of 2011 I started to learn about self publishing and read self published books. On Feb 2012 there was a independent author conference. Later that year, in the fall, I published my first poetry book . I called self publishing my business. My blog continued to be for me. Within the past year I've been working on my blog from being for me to being for my audience. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Last month, I gave a prompt to write about your favorite body part . Today I want you to write about your least favorite body part. Questions to ask yourself : What do you dislike about your body? Why? It is something you can hide? How do you hide it? What can you do to start loving it? Share your poetry response on Twitter or Instagram with #dailypoetrygram . Example : I thought I was secure loving myself but it revealed itself I wasn't my shoulders looked big, announcing itself I always covered them even when I didn't have to I let myself feel comfortable in that Now I let myself sit with the uncomfortable it holds up my head holds the wight of the world it shows my strength. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Three years ago today I got to call myself a published author. Three years ago I published my first poetry book, A to Z Poetry. The journey was and still is full of discovery. It was the push I gave myself. It was the push that started it all. I'm so grateful for this. The connections I made with people opened doors for me. Those people shared their knowledge with me. For the first time there was a free online conference for independent authors. It covered everything from design to distribution. I got to teach myself what would have taken years in a matter of months. It was a lot of trial and error. It is all about networking and what you can bring. There is more to come. I'm excited and can't wait to share it with all of you! Stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, As I keep on writing poems I find some titles I create for the poems stand out to me. Scars Are a Rebirth I Hear Your Wish An Ending to an Open Dream Falling Flowers Raining to Reflect  For poetry title formulas I have created a Poetry Titles Cheatsheet .  stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, You may know this if you've read my much older work. My poems used to be dark and centered around frustration. I was vague and each piece didn't show much growth. My poems now are varied with darkness and hope. It's shows love and growth. I didn't push myself and now I really have to push myself/let go to be vulnerable in my poetry. It feels good to see depth and see its personable. I'm proud of my work. In a few days I will be reaching my third author anniversary!! stay inspired, Fida All my books are available on Amazon . 

Hello Poetteers, As I write over the years I noticed that I like to stick to similar title forms. I went through my books and a handful of poems to see what I find. What is _______  _________-ing  _________ and ______  The_______  _______ in _______  For more formulas like this I made a Poetry Titles Cheatsheet .  stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, You have the title of your poem. If you don't, I give three suggestions in part one . Placement of your title is almost as important. You don't want the title to take away from the poem. 1. Have the title on top of the poem. 2. Put your title at the end of the poem. 3. Some poems already have a title placed for you. For example the acrostic has the title on the side of the poem. stay inspired,  Fida P.S. There is a poetry title cheat sheet now available!