F4TFriday #114 - Nightmares

#F4TFriday #114 ~ Nightmares

Floss's prompt for #113 certainly inspired lots of you into posting. We have both so enjoyed reading all your words about why you blog. 

Many bloggers have done a great job of writing a post that covers more than one of the weekly memes – in fact I did that myself. It is something to consider each week if you link to memes on a regular basis, particularly now the F4tFriday questions are merely guidance, write whatever you want to about the prompt topic. We are always happy for you to link up an older post and update it with the F4t badge, or write a fiction piece.

#113 Spotlight Post

This week there is a spotlight roundup post which focuses on three of last week entries - You can check out the post here. The roundup included - Malflic, Asrai and Elliott Henry.

Prompt #114 Nightmares (&/or Dreams)

F4TFriday #113 - Round Up

#F4TFriday #113 - Round Up

With thirty entries this week for Floss's excellent choice of Food for Thought topic - the Why of Blogging, the task falls for me to choose three bloggers to put in the spotlight.

The fast turn around we have between prompt posts means I have to do this is super-fast time. That is one of the reasons we will be changing the start and end times for this meme in a few weeks. Information coming soon.

However I have been reading tweeting and making notes as the week has progressed so the difficult bit is narrowing it from my shortlist of six to a roundup of three and publish.

F4TFriday #113 - The Why of Blogging

#F4TFriday #113 The Why of Blogging

#113 - The Why of Blogging

Thank you to everyone who was inspired to share their thoughts on the prompt chosen by Swirly - ‘Rituals.' It’s interesting to see the various aspects of life where we all embrace rituals, or in some cases how folks don't place importance on rituals. We got beautifully varied perspectives and we loved it. The spotlight post this week has been chosen by the talented Cousin Pons. Let me hand you over to him...

#112 - Spotlight Post

Spotlight Post by Cousin Pons

Thank you to all nineteen writers for your posts on the subject of Rituals. I have been taken on an emotional journey through posts containing pain, suffering, joy, elation, sadness and moments filled with humour. For some rituals and routines are the bedrock of their lives and for others they are the habits, which rumble along, almost unnoticed. It was difficult to choose. So many excellent posts. I loved Mr More's and some of the others were very moving and my eyes are still full of tears of laughter after reading Nero's entry.

The post I would like to put in the Spotlight is Rituals and Memories by Swirling Fire. I have always been interested in memory and the tricks it can play on us. Swirling Fire describes, in her very matter of fact way, how her well structured and ordered day, was suddenly thrown into a sickening turmoil by the arrival of a text just before she went to work. It was an innocuous text but the timing of it precisely mirrored a dreadful one she had received years earlier.

“It took me to the exact second of receiving a mindWizard text in the past, it was early in the day, before work, and timed the day before a long pre-arranged weekend together. Coldly Informing me that he had a new woman. We would not be communicating in future. I had also spent money on new lingerie, outfits, turned down work bookings, looking forward to spending time with him. It never once crossed my mind the sentiment was not reciprocated. The tidal wave of manipulation and hurt was a full body blow that I couldn’t calm. Why my mind creates these painful synapses needs to be explored and worked upon. It’s an unkind unhelpful reflex.” Read More...

Prompt #113 - The Why of Blogging

F4TFriday #112 - Rituals

#F4TFriday #112 ~ Rituals

We are very happy with our growing #f4tFriday community. Thank you to all who got involved again or for the first time last week.

#111 Spotlight Post

The Spotlight post turned into a spotlight top3 as we had so many lovely entries from you guys. Thank you so much for supporting the meme.

The Round Up included Posy Churchgate, Zebra Rose and Kurvy Kinkster. Please take a look at the Round Up post... 

Prompt #112 Rituals

F4TFriday #111 - Round Up

#F4TFriday #111 - Round Up

The prompt Words to Live By from Floss has really got so many of you thinking. We'd particularly like to welcome all those bloggers who have linked up for the first time. Great to have you as part of our growing community.

The task of choosing the spotlight post is mine this week. Floss and I agreed sometime ago that if the F4tFriday entries reached 25 we would have a top three roundup. So I am very happy to say here it is!

F4TFriday #111 - Words To Live By

#F4TFriday #111 Words To Live By

#111 - Words To Live By

For a while, I was worried that even talking about taboos was taboo, but so many of you came through for us and your posts were amazing. This has been the highest engagement ever for us since May and I took over the F4TFriday helm, so a huge thank you to contributors old and new for supporting us as we endeavour to make Kilted Wookie proud of the project he started. 

#110 Spotlight Post

Spotlight Post

There were so many awesome posts on sexual taboos and why society encourages taboos, but none of them made me shout ‘YES! That should be a taboo’ quite like the post ‘What is Taboo?’ from Steeled Snake Charmer.

‘Except…I guess things were. Taboo in my life was saying something nasty about someone because of gender or race or sexual orientation or income or…whatever. Anything that was judgmental was stopped and discussed. Respect for people was paramount. My parents dropped friends and distanced themselves from family who could not be respectful of others.’ Read More

Prompt #111 - Words To Live By

F4TFriday #110 - Taboo

#F4TFriday #110 ~ Taboo

There was quite a lot of thinking out of the box for last weeks prompt of Face Value. Many thanks to all who joined in. Floss and I really want to make this meme all about you guys, and what you want to write about. Please get in touch with prompt ideas.

#109 Spotlight Post

A few weeks ago PJAWoode chose our very popular prompt of Selfies. Now he is back to pick the spotlight post for us.

I was really happy to get involved with F4tFriday again. The prompt of Face Value from Posy struck

Spotlight #109

a chord with many. Indeed her own post was very touching – particularly the comment that blogging makes her proud.

For some, masks are essential and part of their very essence. For others they are more problematic. The open exchange of thoughts, feelings and insights has been very humbling.

My standout spotlight post is from Submissy. Her post is wonderfully profound and really resonated with me. She says...

I am not sure you can ever really feel that you know the true make up of another person, even though you can know and appreciate their value to you. We all have hidden parts and various masks that we adorn in order to do what we need or want to do. Read More...

I would also like to give an honourable mention to Steeled Snake Charmer.

Yes, maybe I could be “all” of me all of the time. But, I really feel authentic in myself even when covering up parts of my life. I don’t lie, but I don’t share. These are private parts of me that I choose to share with the right people.

Prompt #110 Taboo