#vss365 #prompt 11/21 – 11/27 2021

Some day I’ll figure out how to make the jump links work to take you directly to the #vss365 responses. Again, apparently, this is not one of those days. Grrr-rrrr-rrr)

LET’S GET STARTED!

The Thought / Motto for This Week

“To be a poet is a condition, not a profession.” 

~ Robert Graves, in response to a questionnaire in Horizon, 1946

Special Collections for Writers and Poets

Let me explain.

BACKGROUND

Nancy’s Novelty Photos on Pixels Products

I’m in the midst of adding to the special collection for writers and poets. However, I’ve created many more themes (flowers, sports, activism, children, tech, landscapes, humor, fantasy, politics, quotes, love, etc.).

You Can Do It, Too

Writers Read Jigsaw Puzzle

If you don’t have time or the inclination – or, if you just like one of the images in my collections – you can choose from my – or other artists’ – images on Pixels products. But, if you like the idea, think creatively!

Imagine …

From

mugs to shower curtains,

notebooks to yoga mats,

phone covers to beach towels,

t-shirts to greeting cards,

posters to puzzles,

all of them make wonderful small to large gifts for ourselves, family, friends, co-workers, and events.

Since I don’t have your book cover,

I’m using mine to give you some examples.

Inexpensive

Gifts and  Promo Items for Your Book

You can save money when you buy your own products while potentially increasing sales of all your art, books, and services as people start to follow you. In addition, you might generate a small income from the items you feature on Pixels. It gives you a small commission for those sales.

Think of how you can put your art, logo, book covers, or a personal photo on these items listed below. For example, you could pair a copy of your book with a coffee mug, spiral notebook, t-shirt or sweatshirt, and a  tote bag – all of which have your book cover image – in gifts to loved ones. Even your gift card can match! If you just need a small gift, give only the cup with a greeting card.

How Could This Help You?

For Others

Whether for adults, teens, or budding child authors, they make great gifts.

kids’ t-shirt

Baby Onesie – stylized African Women design

These items make great, inexpensive gifts for

• family
• friends
• co-workers
• “secret Santas”
• people in shelters, medical, or other care facilities

and for

• regular event promotional gifts
• raffles,
• swag bags
• place settings, etc.
  

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For Your Use

They also are useful in helping you get organized – especially if you are the author of multiple works. Pretend you can find everything about each book in one place (like contained within a weekender tote bag) that you easily can take with you anywhere at any time.

On the other hand, imagine that you can find what you want readily from among mixed and scattered items – simply at a glance – based on the image of the book cover (for example) that you see before you.

Writing about Equal Rights Issues?

#vss365 Tips

A Side Bar to Help With Time Management

I have a different-cover notebook (from my Nancy’s Novelty Photos on Pixels Products collections) for each kind of writing project, so I can find them fast without looking inside to know which topic is in those notes!

The Organizing Principle

This uses the same principle as color-coding file folders and labels to promote efficiency and save time. (You don’t have to use my goodies, of course, but thank you if you do!)

The cover clues me as to what’s in each. For example, “quotes,” or “research snippets about an XYZ subject” or “#vss365 #prompt,” “notes for a winter sports documentary,” “romance novel concepts,” or “WIP#3,” etc.

Using different subject matter notebooks was a tip for aging minds.

Missing You Now spiral notebook for #vss365 holiday pieces

Powder Blue Let it Snow spiral notebook for #vss365 poems about winter

Expand Your Mind Spiral Notebook for #vss365 esoteric or new technology projects

Here is a link where you can find all the (over 500 designs and counting) on spiral notebooks available in my Collections of Nancy’s Novelty Photos on Pixels Products.

To help me get into the mood for writing, I often match my notebooks with mugs and tote bags.

Here is a link where you can find all the (over 500 designs and counting) mugs (2 sizes) available in my Nancy’s Novelty Photos on Pixels collections.

I can “lug all my writing stuff around with ease.”

Then, I put all my writing stuff into a tote bag of the same style, so I can find everything fast and get to work! If I want to include my laptop in the collection of tools, I use a “weekender” tote bag.

Here is a link where you can find all the (over 500 designs and counting) weekender tote bags in Nancy’s Novelty Photos on Pixels.  Smaller tote bags also are available here.

I keep the pens, pencils, sticky notes, page tabs, etc. in one of the zip carry-all pouches. Here is a link where you can find all the (over 500 designs and counting) on zipping carry pouches in Nancy’s Novelty Photos on Pixels. 

If I want to give items as gifts, I add a matching greeting card. Here is your link for Greeting Cards.

Examples –

LoveBirds for you Romance Novelists and

Missing You Now for Holiday Loved Ones.

(Note: you can change background colors and image sizes.)

Fine Art America / Pixels Keeps Adding Goodies!

To keep current and creative, Pixels added face masks once the pandemic started, and – later – puzzles – and, recently, holiday ornaments. Love it!

Easy Peasy

All you do is supply the image (which you own or for which you have usage rights). Pixels handles everything else (the financial transactions, manufacturing, and shipping.) It’s a great deal!

Separate Blog  and Web Page So You Can Find Info About This Without Searching Here

I created an entire blog post for artists and authors on this subject so that I could describe it less here. Click Here to go to that educational piece about how you can do this, too. Alternatively, Click Here to see my web page for more ideas (not just for authors) and instructions about how to do this.

Below, I’ll provide a list of the many and varied products to help you decide whether to try doing this.

THE POINT of Putting Your Stuff on Pixels

I’m sprinkling many examples while spending time and space on this now to show you that it might be both fun and worth it for YOU to do something similar with your own photos.

As of this writing and without my advertising, around 138,885 people have viewed my site! (BTW: I forget to ask people to like, comment, and follow me on my many websites! Please follow me here and there if you visit.) Again, this could work for you, too.

I’d love for you to buy some of my offerings – even as a “thank you” for teaching you this. However, if you participate with your own images, it could be a way in which to attract new customers to your work.

To truly class up your act with a professional theme, you also could combine the images with my presentation infographics for speakers and events, but that is an entirely different subject covered FAR below.)

Now, Drum Roll, Please ~ The List of Goodies

When you click on each link, you can see all of my over 500 images in each category on each item of merchandise. These items are the same items your images will go onto when you participate in Fine Arts of  America / Pixels.

Nancy’s Novelty Photos Are Available On The Following Merchandise

• wall art (prints)
  • canvas, metal, acrylic, wood, framed
  • posters, tapestries
• home decor
  • bath towels, hand towels, shower curtains, duvet covers, fleece blankets, throw pillows
• t-shirts, tank tops, and sweatshirts for people of all ages, including infants
  • • Men’s t-shirts
    • Men’s tank tops
    • Women’s t-shirts
    • Women’s tank tops
    • Sweatshirts
    • Kids t-shirts
    • Baby Onesies
• coffee mugs(2 sizes)
• face masks
• beach towels (rectangular and round)
• yoga mats
• tote bags, weekender tote bags, and  carry-all pouches
• iPhone covers, Galaxy phone cases, and portable battery chargers
• jigsaw puzzles
• spiral notebooks
• greeting cards
• stickers
• holiday ornaments

OK, that’s enough about photos on Pixels for now!

At Last, Let’s Talk About the Benefits of Participating and

How #vss365 #prompts Work – for Your Daily Enjoyment!

Just scroll fast to This Week’s #vss365 Samples if you already know how #vss365 #prompts work.

#vss365 #prompts Start on  Twitter

The facilitator on Twitter gives us a mind-exercising word #prompt that we are to use in creating poetry or prose.

The prompts get our creative juices flowing and help us start each day with something deliciouslTips andy new to contemplate.

It is also a great way to keep your brain active and healthy.

So, I hope more of you will join us in the

• #vss365 (which means ‘very short stories – 365 days a year’)
• #prompt(the word you use when you create a Twitter-sized response in poetry or prose) 

challenges on Twitter!

• You can write something humorous, elegant, scary, or abstruse. We don’t do porn or hatred, but, except for that, whatever you want to do will work! So, get your coffee and join us! 
• People don’t usually do this, but you may submit more than one entry per #prompt word. 
• Adding photos is not a requirement. However, I love color and images, so I usually choose to use them, unless no photo could depict what I wrote (like on esoteric and spiritual topics).
• I don’t know about you, but I rarely have more than 5 – 10 minutes to do almost anything. Unfortunately, that includes finding the day’s prompt, thinking of a response, and finding the corresponding image I want to use, PLUS posting. Therefore, comma, as I would say, it’s okay to go back later and refine the work to make it better – particularly, if you plan to publish it. I have done that with a few of the things I post here.

• You don’t have to respond immediately. You have the whole day to figure out what you want to post.

Also, you can have the prompts emailed to you daily if you wish.

This Week’s #vss365 Samples

Followed by More Things You Can Do and How You Can Ask Questions