Archive for the Appreciation Category

Kids Sure Can Surprise You

I don’t normally talk about my kids much, in part because my oldest is a private sort of person and also because it’s not fair to tell their stories for them. However, this time I can’t resist. I’ve just had my own assumption handed to me by my youngest in the best way possible.

P.S. My oldest isn’t offering a shoddy showing either having just been named a contender for the National Merit Scholarship Award .

Anyway, a little bit of back story is necessary.

Some years ago, my oldest earned a role in a high school performance of Fiddler on the Roof, his first up here in Reno. I’m the type who’s willing, though not particularly able, and so volunteered to help with costuming. (more…)

Posted in Appreciation, Kids and Cats, Life on April 21, 2010 | by MarFisk | Tweet This | There are currently 10 Comments

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Dragons have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father told us bedtime stories about an unusual dragon he met while boating in Lake Michigan. My parents were Peter, Paul, and Mary fans, so Puff the Magic Dragon was a common song on our many road trips. Even Elliot made an impression as he tried to rescue Pete from slavery in the Disney movie, Pete’s Dragon.

Since those days, I’ve been introduced to mechanical dragons in real life, the thought that dinosaur bones could have begun the belief in dragons in the first place, wise dragons, horrible dragons, dragons that were brought to life through myth and magic and those crafted by genetic science. I can’t imagine a world without dragons in it, whether you hold to the Smaug image of a monstrous creature that hoards treasure and eats people, the helpmates of Pern, or the wise creatures who try to steer humanity in the proper direction only to fail time after time. (more…)

Posted in Appreciation, But a Pretty Bauble, Just for Fun on January 16, 2010 | by MarFisk | Tweet This | There are currently 3 Comments

Zette Appreciation Day

The Official Announcement of Zette Appreciation Day

There are a few people in this world who think first of others and a better example has never been found than Lazette Gifford. She would give the coat off her back and the precious minutes of her day away to anyone she thought she could help.

People like Zette rarely receive the notice they deserve. Complainers tend to speak louder than those who quietly appreciate her efforts. With that in mind, we have declared a Zette Appreciate Day to give those who she has helped the opportunity to speak up…and maybe introduce a few new people to the wonderful person Zette is.

P.S. Word went out by whisper campaign to keep this a surprise so if you were somehow missed, it’s certainly not too late. Jump on the bandwagon and be welcome. Write up your post on your blog or website then post a link in the comments here. That goes for those who did know as well. If all goes well, the comments will contain a collection of links so we can share the experience.

Also, add a link to this post at the bottom of yours, so people who find one can find them all.

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My Post:

When I first arrived at Forward Motion, back when Holly Lisle still ran the site, I quickly learned Zette was one of the ones to set the writing bar. Umm…two years later, I realized that was completely impossible and scaled my goals back down to what a normal person could conceivably achieve.

And it’s not just in writing that Zette shows her incredible drive, creativity, sheer stick-with-it-ness, and open heart.

Just off the top of my head, I can come up with a small fraction of Zette’s projects: writing; photography; editing; managing a Double Dragon Publishing imprint; managing/editing Vision, a free webzine for writers; and of course, running the Forward Motion site where the amount of time she devotes to coming up with creative activities and to making the site better for all of us is incredible.

And because it’s me, I have to say her ability to get other people involved is also remarkable.

I was laid off from a tech job some years ago and my career counselor tried to get me to write articles about my experiences. I tried to wrap my mind around the concept that someone would be interested in what I had to say and failed. Two years later, Zette poked me in FM chat about writing a non-fiction article for Vision. I had the same reaction, but she said that was nonsense. So I said I’d think about it, fully planning to forget the whole crazy idea. Umm, not only did I write one article for Vision, I wrote several. And have had people unknown to me mention the articles on their blogs, in newsletters, and in conversations. I guess people were interested in what I had to say, something I would never have discovered without Zette. Oddly, she doesn’t even remember pushing me to do it. Encouraging people just comes by instinct.

But that’s Zette for you. She’ll offer to help with what she can, encourage you to act on skills you might not know you have, help you gain confidence in the skills you do have, and generally provide a thriving, supportive environment all while she’s scrambling quietly in the background to accomplish the mountain of tasks she’s taken on.

I’m not a public speaker (writer) despite having taken courses in it so I know this all sounds hokey, but the emotions behind it, the stunned amazement, gratitude, and appreciation, are all heartfelt.

Thank you Zette for everything you do every single day no matter what the challenges you might be facing. (And I even refrained from using smilies.)

To learn more about Zette:

Forward Motion – http://www.fmwriters.com
Vision – http://www.lazette.net/Vision/
Zette’s website – http://www.lazette.net

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Check out the other tributes in the links below or in the comments:

More to come as I get them or as they are added to comments.

Posted in Appreciation on June 5, 2007 | by MarFisk | Tweet This | There are currently 25 Comments

Lea Schizas Appreciation Day

When I first heard of a day to recognize the contributions Lea Schizas has made, I signed up immediately because I think the people who contribute their time to helping others deserve the recognition, and at the same time, it helps build awareness of what resources are out there for those trying to find, or improve, their footing.

I learned of Lea through the Muse Online Conference. I saw a post about it last year, made a note to sign up, and figured I could participate in a few interesting chats and carry on with my life. Boy was I wrong . The conference had the same gloriously overwhelming abundance of information about writing techniques, publishing, preparing submissions, and a ton of other topics offered in both chat and listserv format. I found myself unable to keep up with the loads of assignments I wanted to participate in, but those that I managed were strong and fun.

Since then, when I would have collapsed into a puddle of exhaustion, Lea has kept the listserv running, and continues to both encourage good writing questions and share her own experiences to help answer those questions. She’s run a class to help beginners build a writing website and hosted several chat classes for this time between the conferences.

But I think the strongest testament to her influence is watching the people who have taken what they learned and ran with it. Several people have participated in blog tours, both hosting and being hosted; interviews are mentioned; and chats are being hosted.

I haven’t had the time yet to implement even a fraction of what I’ve learned through Lea, but I know that learning will be there when I’m ready.

Me, I like to go to conferences in my pajamas and I hope to see Muse Online continue to grow and attract even more writers, agents, editors, and publishers.

And while I spoke about the conference, that’s not the sum total of Lea’s contributions. Check out these links to know more about what she has to offer and I hope to see you at the conference next October. Just be prepared, and like any other conference, don’t plan to get much other stuff done .

http://leaschizaseditor.tripod.com/
http://themusemarquee.tripod.com/
http://museonlineconference.tripod.com/

Posted in Appreciation, Writing on May 13, 2007 | by MarFisk | Tweet This | There are currently No Comments

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