Hi Becky, Welcome to CW. Based in over 15 years of professional dog training experience Do NOT get a Border collie unless your willing to invest and commit long term in spending a lot of time, exercise and effort in raising, training and working the dog. These are the minimum requirements for successfully owning this breed. They take a lot of work,exercise, time and effort. This dog breed is extremely smart and demanding. Therefore, this breed requires training for life so their life remains a challenge. If this isn't done they Will get into and cause major trouble. They can't help it . This is the owner's responsibility and fault not the dog. However, they can be a terrific dog if the owner is willing invest in them the effort it takes to have them. I also had one, she was spectacular and a real challenge to own but FUN and WORTH every single second I invested. If you put the time in they give back 10,000 times what you invest in them. Get one, but invest the time & effort it takes and you will be very happy you made the choice.

Hi Erin, Welcome to the site. I agree poetry is fun and can be quite challenging to write. When written correctly following all given form aphorisms, rhyme, rhythm, line count, number of stanzas, words per line, syllable count and other form requirements.

Hi yww, Welcome but what the heck is INTJ everyone else seems to but I don't. I am not up on all these crazy common abbreviation that seem to have developed over the years. You know your older than the hills: When society writes or speaks in what is commonly considered every day plain English and you don't understand a single word because it is like a foreign language that only sounds or looks familiar but offers no understandable clue as to what was actually said.

Write what you are familiar with because it is the easiest way for you to start. But get off the wall and start. Forget the editing to make the chapter perfect. Do that once a month after you have written at the very least 5 chapters. Do it by fives, write five loosely edit five. Eventually, you will get to the end. Once it is finished, start the rewriting/editing process. Keep editing and paring down the words of each and every sentence so that every word is important to that sentence. Strive for polishing perfection but at the same time DO NOT over do it either. You need to have a basic action plan of writing from beginning to end so you know basically the whole story. If you don't know the road or the destination, how do you expect to get there or know when you've arrived. Take your memoir and make it into a fictional story, loosely based on fact. Use literary license to flesh out the story with totally fictional characters to make it more interesting when necessary. This will help make it easier to write. Make your work exciting right from the first sentence. Something has to happen right from the very first paragraph or you will loose the reader. You need a major hook and set within the first chapter or again you will loose the reader. It is like fishing if the hook isn't set properly you loose the fish. Each reader is like a fish they must NEED TO not WANT TO turn the page to see what happens next. Otherwise, the reader will put the book down and may never pick it up again. Your job as the writer is not to allow that to EVER occur. An excellent memoir example is by Admiral William H. McRaven called "Sea Stories". It has some strong language but that is how the military people commonly communicate. It is considered normal to speak that way in that particular societal group. It isn't offensive to anyone at all. Look at the way it is written because it holds the readers attention throughout the complete book. Anyways, this might help some to get you going in the right direction.

Hi Carol Welcome to the party. Its a pretty good site for friends and socializing.

Hi, I have been locked out of the critique room. I have more than enough posts and I have been in there before. Now though I can't seem to access the room. I hope you can fix this for me. I am wondering if I inadvertently did something wrong. I know that at least one other person appears to have had the same problem. Thank you, Best regards, k river

Hi Lynn I don't know if I have that or not. I kinda think I don't. I use Word Pad all the time. Other than that I don't know. I sorta got lost in the shuffle when it came computers. I have trouble figuring out how to use my phone to text too. I can send I just don't really know how to get them or even answer the phone. I make calls OK, but answering them doesn't seem to work so well. I guess I am techno challenged big time lol. All these newfangled contraptions, I guess I'm just old school and haven't realized it yet. Anyways, thanks for the help. kriver

Hi Lynn I got it all up to the point of pasting it into word doc. But I don't know where that is either, after that I have no idea. I don't know how to clear the formatting or move the lines around. I am pretty sure It would be possible for me to do it. I just don't have any idea how to do it. :] Whatever I do, I have to figure it out myself. There isn't any help available so I am quite limited on what I can do. K River

Hi, I was only referring to regular profanity NOT taking the LORD'S name in vain. I refuse to do that in my writing or my life. The words I am struggling with are the other ones that are commonly used and still considered profane. If for example: two bikers are about to go at each other they would be cussing each other out to beat the band in a loud flamboyant manner. Writing that type of scene without using profanity would be completely impossible and still have it appear as if the reader is standing there observing the whole thing. The military is another group example, that as a whole, uses all manner of profanity in general conversational speech. These types of words don't seem to have the same impact or major negative connotations that they would in the general population of society. Using these types of phases are just considered a normal way of speaking in that social group. When an individual doesn't use that vernacular at all they are totally ostracized by that population and automatically distrusted. Thank you everyone, for expressing your ideas and participating in this discussion. Best regards, K River

The 4th choice is to not use the profanity of using GOD'S name in vain. But use the obscene four letter type words to keep the character real. This was suggested by Bill De Andrea. You are correct the flack would most likely fly regarding the subject at hand. It is a very difficult question to answer. Best regards, K River7

Thank you for the comments. They make sense. I wouldn't use the LORD'S name in vain in my writing. I was struggling with the other part. Best regards, K River 7

I am an orphan dog with four feet, ears, big eyes and a tail Some of us were on the streets eating from garbage pails Abused by some rejected by most feeling scared and lost Needing to find someone to love no matter what the cost I stand in my cage eagerly waiting, hoping to see if someone will come to save and rescue me I'll do anything for attention, to make myself known I'm anxious to be chosen, for my forever home GOD touch their hearts to want me, help me pass the test patience is the key to build my trust and ease my stress help them teach me all I need to learn, I'll do my best to show them I'm worth the time, they must invest GOD gave me gifts of love and loyalty, that I'll freely give I'll love my family completely, for choosing me to live I don't care if they're rich or poor, I'll love them as they are Spending time with them, is healing salve for scars But GOD I'll understand, if you decide to call me home I know to be with you, is better than allowing me to roam I am just not meant to live a life unloved and all alone GOD please help me find a family of my very own If is not to be, then I'll leave my spirit in your care When I get to Heaven, maybe I'll find my family there I know you've heard my plea because you're everywhere So thank you GOD for listening to, my orphan dog's prayer 

Okay, here's a question that I have been struggling with for quite some time. Say your writing an action type novel for a secular not necessarily just Christian adult readers. Now then, lets say one of the main characters is a biker type persona. Bikers cuss using all forms of that vernacular as ordinary everyday conversational forms of speech. How as a Christian writer, can I possibly keep that person in character without using those specific words? If you don't use them the character's persona is lost. Talking around them only goes so far after that point the character is still lost. It become totally unrealistic and out of character because that is how bikers talk in a real world scenario. If those words are used, then the Question becomes: Are you compromising your Christian values for the sake of the character and writing the story. As a writer, we are suppose to become the characters we are attempting to portray in a realistic manner. If we don't we fail as a writer and at the same time we fail our readers by putting forth unrealistic, unbelievable characters. Even if you were writing for just a Christian audience it would be impossible to portray that type of character realistically without using that manner of speech in some way. If as a writer you used that speech pattern Christian stores, readership etc would generally censor it or reject it. I have yet to find a good answer that will really work. I have asked countless writers , even very prominent well known writers this question none of them have been able to answer it. If they are secular they don't worry about it. Christian writers sacrifice the character's persona. There is the probability that isn't a correct answer. Maybe the answer is to Remember it is the character speaking not writer. I as an avid reader myself, will reject a book instantly if the character isn't presented with realism. If the rule of realistic portrayal is violated the character becomes ridiculous and insults the reader's intelligence and most probably their knowledge of the real world. Anyone have any ideas? I am not talking about writing a testimony type book. I am talking about a regular novel no overt Christian references or anything like that necessarily. Second part to the same type of question: What about violence. How can that be conveyed by showing without expressing it explicitly and still make the story exciting to read?

Okay, here's a question that I have been struggling with for quite some time. Say your writing an action type novel for a secular not necessarily just Christian adult readers. Now then, lets say one of the main characters is a biker type persona. Bikers cuss using all forms of that vernacular as ordinary everyday conversational forms of speech. How as a Christian writer, can I possibly keep that person in character without using those specific words? If you don't use them the character's persona is lost. Talking around them only goes so far after that point the character is still lost. It become totally unrealistic and out of character because that is how bikers talk in a real world scenario. If those words are used, then the Question becomes: Are you compromising your Christian values for the sake of the character and writing the story. As a writer, we are suppose to become the characters we are attempting to portray in a realistic manner. If we don't we fail as a writer and at the same time we fail our readers by putting forth unrealistic, unbelievable characters. Even if you were writing for just a Christian audience it would be impossible to portray that type of character in a realistically without using that manner of speech in some way. If as a writer you used that speech pattern Christian stores, readership etc would generally censor it or reject it. I have yet to find a good answer that will really work. I have asked countless writers , even very prominent well known writers this question none of them have been able to answer it. If they are secular they don't worry about it. Christian writers sacrifice the character's persona. There is the probability that there isn't a correct answer. Maybe the answer is to Remember it is the character speaking not writer. I as an avid reader myself, I reject books instantly if the character isn't presented with realism. If the rule of realistic portrayal is violated the character becomes ridiculous and insults the reader's intelligence and most probably their knowledge of the real world. Anyone have any ideas? I am not talking about writing a testimony type book. I am talking about a regular novel no overt Christian references or anything like that necessarily. Second part to the same type of question: What about violence. How can that be conveyed by showing without expressing it explicitly and still make the story exciting to read?

You might look on the internet WITH HER for piano lessons let HER choose it will make her feel important and grown up. This way she'll have control without the pressure and do it for fun. Have her come to you when she finishes learning a song. Buy her a CD or something small that she really wants so it is tangible. she only gets it when she can play the songs well. At first, your standards must be very easy to reach. Build on successes after about a year set the standard JUST a LITTLE higher. Your building her confidence and sense of accomplishment at the same time. If she fails at something ease up on the standard for that area and set mini goals for her to reach with rewards. Break the problem down into smaller parts that are easier to handle. Then put them together only after she can do each small section easily. If she is still having problems break the problem section down further until she CAN do it easily. Patience is the key to success here. Speed is unimportant. Learning is the goal not how fast the information is acquired. Everyone learns at a different pace and in different ways. Some people learn visually, others just by hearing, still others learn by both. Many people have to learn by doing. there isn't a wrong way to learn, just different ways. You need to help her find the best way for HER to learn. It might not be the same way you learn. The whole process needs to be made fun, exciting, and challenging. Use lots and lots of small rewards to aid in motivation. then a major one when a large goal is reached. If you will follow this you will be successful.