Creative Writing

Choosing a topic and Networking Events

May 9, 2012 by Dzung Vuong Leave a Comment

I want to write poetry because it represents freedom,

I want to write children stories because I feel joyful when my son’s eyes light up when I read him story,

I want to write a letter to a best friend because there is something special about holding a piece of paper to read,

I want to write one of the best advertisements that attract millions of people,

I want to write a song so inspired that people will sing it years to come

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Today I’ll write about Networking Events

I went to a few events organized by Biznik members. The one I like best so far is the Master Mind group. There were twelve of us and we divided into 2 groups of six persons each.

Each person in the group would bring a challenge that he or she faces and put it as a question. For example, a freelance writer would ask “How do I get more referrals?”, a massage therapist with her own practice would ask “How do I get more customers?” The other members of the group would then write down a list of possible solutions and at the end, every member would benefit from the input of the rest of the team.

The second type of event I went to was a “Career Mixer”. The organizer would invite some hiring managers, recruiters from some local companies and lots of networkers, job hunters. The last one I went to was at MunchBar in Bellevue, WA. It lasted about three hours. The idea is to get to know some people you have not met and get to know them.

My take away: do not expect too much from these events. Rather, think about that as investment for your long term network and relationship. May be six months or a year from now, you could benefit from some of those connections.

What are some great networking events you went to?

Photo credit to the DEMO Conference

Filed Under: Creative Writing, Networking, Personal Branding, Relationship Tagged With: creative writing, Dzung Vuong, Entrepreneur, lifestyle, networking, Personal Branding

The Candle of Hope

April 30, 2012 by Dzung Vuong Leave a Comment

I take my two daughters Yasmin and Isabella to school three times a week. We would leave at 8.15am and I’m usually home by 8.45am.

Today, after I’m back from my short journey to their school, I lighted a candle in my office and start writing. The white candle is mounted on a multi-color holder that makes it looks like a mini Olympic torch. I place it away from my laptop, next to the window so when I look at the candle, I can see the calm flame, the tree outside and the daylight.

A candle symbolizes for hope, for a bright future, for calm and is an excellent source to help you relax. I remember the song by Elton John ‘Candle in the Wind’ dedicated to Princess Diana some years back. I remember seeing the Olympic torch on TV, I remember the candle at Christmas. Even when we lost electricity at the last winter storm for a few hours, our candle gave us warm and light.

An amazing thing about a candle in the room is how still the flame is. It is as if I look at the photograph, only the leaves waving in the tree outside the window and my typing tell me that it is for real.

This gives me an idea for my next meditation. I would sit quietly on a soft cushion, in the evening. I would light a candle, sits down, breath deeply and relax, let ideas come in and go. The candle would be a source of energy, a focal point and my companion for that meditation session.

Filed Under: Creative Writing, Dzung Vuong, psychology, Success Tagged With: creative writing, discovery, Dzung Vuong, lifestyle

A few things in my office

April 29, 2012 by Dzung Vuong Leave a Comment

This is part of the creative writing course I’m taking.

The maps

I love maps. When I look at a country or a city on the map where I had been, it brought back memory. It is like a movie played back in my mind, The ferry from Dover (UK) to Calais (France), the fast TGV train from Paris (France) to Geneva (Switzerland), Lake Ontario, the Canadian Rockies, the beaches in and near Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). There are many places I have not been to and I imagine what would be like to immerse myself there. Perhaps seeing an opera in Italy, see Ballet performed by the Bolshoi in St Petersburg, see a soccer match in Argentina or swim in the blue water of the Caribbean. A map brings the travel bug in me, it tells me that the world is big and there can be lots of adventures awaiting.

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The two desks

Some years ago, when my wife & I moved to the Seattle area we visited a store near our home. I found a writing desk that has a bend moon shape. It is one or you can separate into two. Remember I talk about His Office and Her Office in the home? Both my wife & I share the same office so we made two desks out of the original one. These are relative heavy desk made from wood. I always tell myself, let’s have a break every hour from reading or typing and sometimes I’m too focus on the task at hand and I forget about standing up and leave the room.

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The two book shelves

Some years ago, I imagine one day when we have a large home, I would have a very big office and we’ll have several large book shelves that fill with hundred of great fiction and non fiction books. We moved home several times in the last 10 years and books can be heavy. Now we are down to the minimum. In our office, one book shelf for a few books and the other for the writing stationaries. Among the books, there is a novel from my dad about war and romance. I t made me think about my parents more as they live in London. It made me think about my childhood living in the same roof with my parents, my sister and my brother. My dad sometimes sing songs and my mum recites poems, I love to listen and take in the words.

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The two computers

We invested in a Mac desktop and a MacBook a few years ago. I mostly use the MacBook as I can bring it around. We have an iPad and it is mostly used by our three old son. He would watch Thomas the Train engine, children songs and Disney stories on YouTube. Sometimes, we even watch movie on Amazon Prime on the desktop computer as we had an old, big TV that was not connected to the Internet. One of my favorites habit is to connect two small loudspeakers to my laptop then I would play some of Ennio Morricone’s music.

FlickR photo credit to Federi

This post is dedicated to Yasmin, my daughter. You love reading and writing and Dad hopes one day I’ll enjoy a novel written by you.

Filed Under: Creative Writing, Quality of Life Tagged With: creative writing, discovery, Dzung Vuong, innovation, lifestyle

The Room Where I Write

April 27, 2012 by Dzung Vuong Leave a Comment

This is part of the Creative Writing course I’m taking.

Instead of practicing on paper or on a document on my computer, I use this platform as the medium.

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Some people have privilege to have in their home HOHO (His Office, Her Office). In our family, we have one office shared by my wife and I.

The room is enough to accommodate two tables next to each other in L share. My wife was kind enough to give me the one facing the window outside which we have a small tree that blossoms in Spring. We have a book shelf with some most frequent read books including dictionaries, envelopes and several folders.

Sometimes the office becomes a meeting room for the family when our kids come in to ask questions about their homework or they use the computer to search for their bird project.

They say that it makes you feel good when the room is clean and tidy, I agree. We try to keep it that way most of the time and I make use of the shredder quite often, but only when my wife is not in so as to minimize any interruption.

The most creative time for me are in the morning or late at night when my wife and the kids are in bed. It’s a great time to reflect, to come up with new ideas and plan, to think big or think different.

Among things we stick on the wall are a map of the world and a map of the U.S.A. I have a goal to work, travel to or live in 80 countries before I reach 80 years old and as of 2012, I’ve done 41 countries. I have some way to go and it’s not getting any easier when you have kids.

I have a MacBook and sometimes I write outside the office, in the house or even in a cafe. The office is for me still my favorite place. May be one day I will design and get my dream office to write and to create. For now, I’m very contend with what we got. An office with some good natural lighting in a relatively quiet neighborhood and some greenery.

*** This article is dedicated to everyone who is about to embark on a journey in writing. They are right. The only way you will fail at writing is when you stop. Keep writing! ***

Filed Under: Creative Writing, Dzung Vuong, Quality of Life Tagged With: creative writing, Dzung Vuong, lifestyle

Free Writing

April 26, 2012 by Dzung Vuong Leave a Comment

“Where do you want to go?” said the cat.

“I don’t care” said Alice

“Then it does not matter where and which direction you go” said the cat

I fully believe in having a purpose, a compass and set of goals you want to achieve. Mine are: first family, second my income - my business, third my close friends, next my expression in writing, speaking (outgoing) and fifth learning and adventures.

That would account for 80% of my time and effort. The 20% would be for new things, for randomness. Here is one I learnt from Edward de Bono, one of the great creative people.

That is randomness. Since our mind is always fixed to a particular target, goals, sometimes it is good to break the pattern.

I’m going to open a random page on the dictionary and pick a word.

That word is “nap”, it is a verb and it means ‘sleep lightly or briefly’

Now I’ll make something out from “nap”, here it is:

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We are busy everyday,

For ourselves,

Looking after our kids,

Take them to school,

Supervise their homework,

Have fun with them,

We do not have time for ourselves

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That’s why,

Sometimes

It’s necessary

To mediate

for a few minutes

Or may be,

Take a nap

Ten or fifteen minutes

All it takes

To recharge

to be fresh

and to create great things!

*** This post is dedicated to my mother whom I learnt to love poetry. ***

Filed Under: Creative Writing, Dzung Vuong, Innovation, Poetry Tagged With: creative writing, Dzung Vuong, innovation, lifestyle, poetry

Choosing a topic and Networking Events

The Candle of Hope

A few things in my office

The Room Where I Write

Free Writing

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