Posted in Other, Words

Sunshine Blogger Award

Posted on by ikwords

I have been nominated the “Sunshine Blogger Award” by a blog called The Thinking Pen, which has poetry, book reviews and more.

I’ve never been awarded for my blog but the way that this one works is —

Rules of the Award:

• Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
• Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
• Notify the nominees about it by commenting on one of their blog posts.
• List the rules and display a Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or your blog site.

Questions —

  1. Current book you are reading?

The Hunger Games

2. What is your favorite song?

I have no idea. Although I like music a lot I don’t really listen to it that much. I suppose, if I had to choose, I like the song “Wake Me Up” by Aloe Blacc.

3. Tell me your favorite poem and quote the lines you found beautiful.

I prefer stories over poems, so I have little experience with them. But if a song counts, then I’d go with the one I mentioned above. And although it’s kind of a big chunk of the song, my favorite part is the first stanza:

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can’t tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start
They tell me I’m too young to understand
They say I’m caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don’t open up my eyes
Well that’s fine by me

4. What inspires you to keep blogging?

Well… I suppose I just love to write. And sometimes I have a short story or something that I want to share, but maybe I’m not so determined that I want to enter it in a contest, or put it into a compilation and go to all the trouble of publishing it or something. A blog is an easier way to share work with the world.

Essentially, what keeps me going is just passion. I don’t make any money from my blog, so nothing really depends on that.

5. If you were given a chance to transport 50 years back, what would you do?

I would give people the creepy experience of some random girl in 1970 predicting the exact future and BEING RIGHT. 🤯

6. Tell me a happy memory of yours associated with blogging.

When I was seven years old and I made my first “website.” I couldn’t sleep that night.

7. What is your favorite book genre?

Fantasy, definitely. I love reading really creative fantasy books.

8. List three authors that you simply love.

I don’t really read that many books all by the same author, so my three favorite books would be completely different, but here are some authors that I’ve read more of and love:

  1. Alan Gratz
  2. Pam Muñoz Ryan
  3. Louis Sachar

9. Which do you prefer more, a series of books or an independent novel?

It depends on the book, but usually an independent novel. I tend to get bored of series sometimes…

10. One book which you read and thought “I wish I’d written this.”

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen.

11. Coffee in a cafe in the evening or snacks at a bar at night?

I don’t really drink caffeine but a warm cup of tea or hot cocoa is always extraordinarily satisfying. ❤

The 11 blogs I “nominate” are…

  1. Only 100 Words (the host of Three Line Tales)
  2. My Random Ramblings (the host of Six Word Stories)
  3. Lucy’s Works (the host of the Horror House Wednesday Flash Fiction Competition)
  4. Word Nerd Scribbles
  5. The Midwest Baker
  6. Observations of an Introvert
  7. Lisa Stapleton
  8. Roaring Flames Writing Club
  9. Falling Upwards
  10. Penable
  11. A Writer’s Path

My questions for you:

  1. Why do you blog?
  2. What makes a book good?
  3. Whatever your blog is about, when and why did you get interested in that topic?
  4. If you had to choose one of the blogs you’re nominating that is your single favorite…
  5. What “genre(s)” of your niche do you like best? For example, for a cooking blog — desserts, meat, soups, etc. or for a writing blog (this one’s kind of obvious) — fantasy, short stories, horror, poetry, etc.
  6. Where do you get inspiration for your hobbies/interests/talents?
  7. Besides whatever your blog is about, what is your hobby/interest/talent?
  8. Which of your posts has been the most popular? Reflect on this… why, do you think? Do you agree, or are you annoyed by it? Is it really your best work or is it just what seems like would appeal to readers (in your opinion)?
  9. What motivates you in life? (This is a broad question – answer however you interpret it)
  10. Is this the first time you’ve gotten one of these awards?
  11. Do you ever feel nervous before publishing a blog post?

Note — if you were nominated and you don’t want to participate, or you only want to do parts of it, that’s fine.

Thanks for reading! Wow these posts take longer than I anticipated…

UPDATE

Shweta Suresh (My Random Ramblings) very kindly told me that she has already gotten multiple Sunshine Blogger Awards, and to please pass along the award to someone else who is not as well known but I think deserves it. So, I nominated The Mystic Wagon, a blog that I had just recently started reading, so I didn’t know it well when I chose my nominees. It is a great blog, please go check it out!

Author:

A teenager obsessed with words of all kinds. When I’m not reading or writing, I like drawing, musical theatre, and D&D.

31 thoughts on “Sunshine Blogger Award”

  2. Pingback: Three Coins In The Fountain – The Mystic Wagon
  4. Pingback: I was nominated! – Stine Writing
  7. Pingback: Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award – Words on Key

  9. Loved all your answers! I really love the Hunger Games series and I’m a fantasy reader too! When I was first nominated by Rishika Jain from Thetherealunicorn it took me like 2-3 hours to make the blog post! Gosh, it wasn’t what I expected 😊🤪

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. Pingback: The Sunshine Blogger Award!!!

  15. Thank you for nominating me. I feel honored you did so. I as well enjoyed reading your answers!

    I no longer do awards on my site, but your questions intrigue me greatly. I would love to answer them here if that is okay with you.

    
1. Why do you blog?

    I do it so I can reach out to more people, and connect with the writing community. I love writing poetry and sharing my projects with others. It really builds up different connections in such community and I’ve met great writers I would have never otherwise met if I didn’t start my website.

    What makes a book good?

    What makes a book good, in my opinion, is how it connects to the sequence of events that follow in each chapter, even in the plot. As well, it should have thorough character development that can delineate a considerable change from the first to last chapter. There must be something that had been dealt with to cause such a change. Some stories I’ve seen (and even tv shows) throw stuff out there bereft of much development and to me, it ruins a good, ongoing story. Finally, it has to have a level of credence in its internal world—I must believe that’s how certain aspects can be entertained in an imaginative level. Once more, if it does not follow what is already established in its fictional world, then I don’t believe it is a good book if it hands itself to contradictions.

    Whatever your blog is about, when and why did you get interested in that topic?

    I delved a great interest with poetry around 2017 after having a breakthrough in one of my first poems—at least the one I was finally proud of to acknowledge as my first written poem. I like to say it wrote itself, and after looking back at it, it pushed me onto the path of writing poetry and eventually sharing it through different websites and magazines.

    If you had to choose one of the blogs you’re nominating that is your single favorite…

    It is a tie between Caliath and My Feathered Sleep. Such grand, beautiful writing.

    What “genre(s)” of your niche do you like best? For example, for a cooking blog — desserts, meat, soups, etc. or for a writing blog (this one’s kind of obvious) — fantasy, short stories, horror, poetry, etc.

    Poetry, though I wished I had more short stories to reveal. But, poetry is the genre I like the best.

    Where do you get inspiration for your hobbies/interests/talents?

    Inspirations comes to me in the highest form of flattery known—the kind that crosses my mind as I read an author’s work and wished I could have written it myself. Writing is one of my primary hobbies, but I get inspired by the writers I admire deeply and have great reverence for. It pushes me to write out of my comfort zone and to not get muddied in similar phrases I’ve coined in my works—I try to constantly change writing styles, while still making sure I possess my own; I do not want to lose myself at the palace of creativity’s different natures.

    Besides whatever your blog is about, what is your hobby/interest/talent?

    At times, my hobbies delve into music. I’ve played guitar and dabbled very little in piano. Sometimes, I play on a synthesizer keyboard and create music electronically. Interests I have involve animals and listening to different types of music. Classical music has enveloped me more into its world.

    Which of your posts has been the most popular? Reflect on this… why, do you think? Do you agree, or are you annoyed by it? Is it really your best work or is it just what seems like would appeal to readers (in your opinion)?

    Two posts of mine that have been the most popular is my poem collaboration contest I hosted back around the end of March. It lasted one month and gathered nearly forty responses. It has been the most popular because it involved the different writers of the WordPress community; it even found itself to writers who have not written poetry much anymore. It was a project that I think disseminated (especially with reposting it a lot) because of the nature of the theme—freedom—in the times of COVID-19. Freedom was on everyone’s minds but in antithetical ways in war, in love, in quarantine, in independence and in America.

    My poem, “For Mercy” is the second most popular. I think it gathered as much interest as it did due to an engaging painting I uploaded by an artist to go with the poem. As well, since it included an interesting verse of an expletive that some people have enjoyed me utilizing as it made for interesting imagery.

    I agree with my analysis on my poem collaboration post. I am not annoyed by it by any means. With “For Mercy” I used to look at it as my best work, but at times, I loathe the piece down to the imagery and verses I’ve coined. It’s not my best work, admittedly, but I’m glad that people enjoy it. I can never be annoyed that people like something that I don’t—it’s a matter of interpretation and how it consoles itself to the reader’s mind. I can hate the poem for a million reasons, yet when someone gives a heartwarming comment about the piece, it makes me see other reasons for being open to appreciating not only the impact it might have had, but as well that it might not be so bad as I think it is.

    What motivates you in life? (This is a broad question – answer however you interpret it)

    My family and one of my cats. My black cat, in particular.

    Is this the first time you’ve gotten one of these awards?

    Admittedly, no.

    Do you ever feel nervous before publishing a blog post?

    At times, yes, but I think it’s because I build it up in my head and perhaps fear the worst. It has lessened a lot over time, but it creeps up on me here and there with those thoughts surrounding others validation. It does and doesn’t matter after the end. Bad feedback doesn’t mean it’s true, and vice versa with good feedback. It teaches you the facets and layers of criticism—even ones that are simply insults.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. No worries. I understand. But wow, really great and thoughtful answers! I’m very happy you decided to take the time to answer the questions despite your not accepting awards. ❤ You're a great poet, keep it up! I too enjoy music and animals very much.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.