Humor Can Help Create Memorable Anniversaries

Humor Can Help Create Memorable Anniversaries Remember the first time you met your husband? Remember your first date with him? Or the time you spent together, frolicking on the beach? You may have had many such pleasurable moments together, but do you celebrate these occasions? You may remember your wedding day as if it had happened yesterday, but have you spared some time recollecting this beautiful day with your spouse? Thats what anniversaries are for. An anniversary is a grand celebration of lifes important milestones. It is a thoughtful way to acknowledge your love for your sweetheart or your dear ones. Marriage anniversaries are also the perfect excuse to throw a big bash and have your friends and family fuss over you. Consider birthdays. Right from the two-year-old toddler to the 80-year-old grandmother, everyone enjoys birthday celebrations. It is a special day to celebrate your entry into this world. You are happy to be alive and surrounded by loved ones, so why not share the happiness? Now, consider death anniversaries. Though it will not be a joyous celebration, you do honor the life of a loved one who enriched your life with happiness, companionship, and love. You reminisce their small gestures of affection and the nostalgic moments spent together, and you pray for their soul. This is also a form of celebration. Death makes one realize how important life is. In short, anniversaries are important celebrations. You cant afford to forget them. When you celebrate anniversaries, you express your love to your dear ones. Every Anniversary Has a Special Meaning Each anniversary year has a special significance, and it is symbolized by special materials. For instance, the first anniversary is denoted by paper. The  25th anniversary celebration is symbolized with silver, and hence friends and family members give silver articles as anniversary gifts. The 50th anniversary is a golden jubilee celebration, and as part of the tradition, gold items are gifted to the celebrating family. Anniversaries Represent the Journey One Has Traveled Anniversaries mark the passage of years, but they also reveal the emotional journey people undergo. In the first few years of marriage, many couples go through a challenging period of adjustment and turbulence. Some marriages survive the choppy ride, while a few marriages collapse even before the first anniversary. Couples often have doubts and apprehensions about their relationship. However, love keeps the couple bonded. Over years, couples understand each other and learn to adjust. As time goes by, couples even tend to take each other for granted. The ardent courtship is replaced by friendliness, and passion takes a back seat. Love becomes secondary; family and career take precedence. Anniversaries are gentle reminders for couples to review the milestones they reached together. Anniversaries are also occasions for couples to renew their commitment to each other. Death Anniversaries Remind Us of Our Dear Ones The first few years after the death of a dear one are especially traumatic. Readjustment after the demise of a loved one is difficult and painful. However, time is a great healer. When you seek to move on, seek solace from soothing words and memories. Life teaches us to enjoy every moment and make the most of it. Anniversaries Help Build Relationships Anniversaries remind you that relationships are special. They bring us closer to our near and dear ones and enrich our lives. When you celebrate your wedding anniversary, you express love and respect for your spouse. You strengthen your commitment to honor and cherish your vows. You also acknowledge each others contribution to making your marriage successful. Funny Anniversary Quotes Add Zing to Your Relationships Humor is like a breath of fresh air. With humor, you can rejuvenate your relationship. Humor helps you to win hearts. Your funny quotes will help thaw indifference and warm up those who are close to you. With funny anniversary quotes, you can shake off the lethargy and spice up your love life. William M. ThackerayI never know whether to pity or congratulate a man on coming to his senses.Grace HansenA wedding is just like a funeral except that you get to smell your own flowers.H. L. MenckenBachelors know more about women than married men; if they didnt, theyd be married too.Ronald ReaganA hippie is someone who looks like Tarzan, walks like Jane and smells like Cheetah.Mae WestA hard man is good to find.Jimmy CarterIve often wanted to drown my troubles, but I cant get my wife to go swimming.Mae WestLook your best who said love is blind?Compton MackenzieLove makes the world go round? Not at all. Whiskey makes it go round twice as fast.Oscar WildeBy persistently remaining single a man converts himself into a permanent public temptation.H. L. MenckenHappiness is the china shop; love is the bull.Mae WestLove thy neighbor - and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier.H. L. MenckenA man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is marrie d. Kimberly BroylesAdam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn’t have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn’t have to hear about the way his mother cooked.Groucho MarxMarriage is the chief cause of divorce.

Editing †A Tough-Love Statement

Editing – A Tough-Love Statement Here lately, the discussion from readers seemed  to be centered about where to find an editor (for cheap), or in some cases, just finding someone who will read a manuscript and offer feedback. My answers are pretty clear: 1) Hire an editor (and be willing to pay what it costs), and/or 2) Trade services with another writer on your level or higher (and be willing to invest time into their manuscript), and/or 3) Carefully select/start a critique group and be patient enough to workshop the story over time. Any wallet can work with one of more of those options. If you want someone to read your work, either pay for it or critique in return. We cant just be takers. But back to hiring an editor. Its tricky to find one you appreciate and can afford. A cheap editor doesnt always offer iffy quality. And an expensive editor doesnt always get it right. Thats why word of mouth is valuable when finding an editor. You want that conduit between someone you trust and the party youre hiring. Sometimes it takes more than one, or two. Which is why so many people ask me who I recommend. How do I get my edits done?  (Even with dachshunds in my lap?) 1) First, Im not a bad editor in my own right, so my manuscripts are fairly clean. Yours need to be, too. 2) Second, I used to use two critique groups, then outgrew them. With my first several novels, these two groups were invaluable. If you are in this stage, hunt high and low to find one or two that fit. Search online, too. And stick with them for a couple years or more. 3) Third, I gravitated to beta readers. Just a couple of serious critiquers, and I seriously critiqued their manuscripts in kind. 4) Fourth, I ultimately hired the strongest beta reader I knew. That is the stage Im in now. Being under contract, I cannot afford the time delay of a group. 5) Fifth, I am traditionally published, so I know my publishers editor will beat it up again another three or more times. For those who will ask (and those who already   have), the beta reader I use is now hiring herself out for edits. She is one of two editors at  Two-Step Approach, where youll receive two editors feedback on your manuscript. I love this combination because you receive two opinions for the price of one. Both of these women have reviewed my novels. One of them has critiqued every novel Ive ever written, and she knew me before I was published. I still use these two ladies for developmental edits, even with a traditional press. There are many fine editors out there. There are many fine critique groups. And many authors have synced with strong beta readers. It takes time (and sometimes money), but the resources are there. So, you invest time or money into edits, or both. Time is invaluable to everyone. Remember that fact when you ask people to read your manuscript . . . and how often you would do the same for someone else. And if you dont have the time, or feel you dont have the talent to critique someone else, then pay for it.