My Spoonful of Glitter: For Teen Writers and Teens

Teen writers and teens- your place for feedback, writing tips, study tips, inspiration and more from a young professor! I have a PhD in literature. Life is tough- decisions are hard- But through it all, there is always hope. It really is not a cliche. Life has taught me we are a lot stronger than we think we are. I love books and have always been a dreamer. I want to help inspire you if I can. Please ask questions, leave comments :) my email is [email protected]

[myspoonfulofglitter]

Don’t stop writing. Even if no one’s reading. Even if what you’re writing doesn’t make sense. Even if you think you’ve run out of metaphors. Even if your symbols seem cliché. Even if your imagery isn’t as powerful as it could be. Even if your main character seems too flat. Even if you don’t know the ending to your story. Writing and living are the same. You have to keep going.  

Dr. Glitter

[myspoonfulofglitter]

YOU DON’T NEED TO BE “PERFECT”: MY STORY

This is a true story. It happened today. And I feel the need to share it -- not just for myself, but for others who may need to hear this.

I went to get my nails done today. I know- it doesn't seem like something really worthy of a post, does it? Well- it might. You see, I was born with a minor deformity in my left hand- 4 of my fingers on my left hand are significantly shorter than they "should" be. Usually, when I go get a manicure, I always show the nail technician my hand first and tell her that we will only be doing six fingers (my right hand plus the thumb on my left). It's also a way for me to sort of introduce the nail technician to my left had, as I am well aware that it may be a bit surprising at first.

Today, I actually, perhaps for the second time ever, forgot to do this. There was so much on my mind. I just gave her my nail polish and then my hands - like many people would do. She held my hand to look at my nails and as soon as she saw my left hand, she was so startled to see it that she exclaimed "Oh!!" Her hand then covered her mouth in shock, and then she let go of my hand for a few seconds.

Immediately after that she started apologizing profusely. It all happened so quickly. A couple of ladies who were also there all looked at me -- unsure what this was all about. The nail technician apologized so many times, "I am so so sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I just didn't expect it. I'm so sorry!"

I actually felt really bad -- for her. She seemed like a lovely lady who was genuinely startled. She did not mean any harm or to offend me or hurt my feelings. In that moment, when she started apologizing, I really wanted to tell her:

"I assure you I don't feel bad-- I can type, I can play the piano, I've accomplished my dream of being a professor, I have a Facebook page with many kind and wonderful fans all over the world, I'm happily married. I really am fine. I will not give this place a bad review. I actually love it. But, instead, I just smiled and said "Don't worry at all. I am fine."

As she worked on filing my nails and applying the nail polish, I saw the concern on her face. She was being so nice to me, and I do believe she is a genuinely nice person. If she could apologize again and again, she would have.

At the end, as I payed for the service and thanked her, she again said the same words, "I am sorry. I really didn't want to make you feel bad. I didn't mean it."

Again I smiled and said, "I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."

As I walked out, admiring the nail polish color (which I really like by the way!), I realized I had to write about this, especially for the many young women and men out there who are "different". (Aren't we all different though?) I'm 34 now, but if this had happened in my teens, I would have been far more vulnerable. I didn't know what life had in store for me. We see images in the media all the time perpetuating this notion of perfection- as if everyone needs to fit a certain mold in order to be loved, successful, or admired.

I wish my teenage self knew that my left hand (which by the way- is a very rare deformity), has contributed so much to who I am. I became empowered by it. There was no doubt that I am different and I was determined to make that difference matter. I studied hard, focused on my talents, forgave anyone who stared at my hand or made an insensitive comment- I realized I don't have time to carry any burdens.

I know what it's like to see my hand in the eyes of someone else. It's not always the same-- there's indifference, pity, shock, wondering what accident I must have had (and then even more shocked to realize there's no accident- several people have asked if I cut my fingers while chopping vegetables).

God gave me this hand and he blessed my life with it. We are all different in our own ways-- some may just seem to be more different than others. This difference won't define you-- unless you allow it to. You are capable of making the best out of whatever you have and seeing beyond the limitations of "perfection".

I hope the lady who did my nails today feels alright. I hope she knows I'm not upset. I hope she knows I understand. I really do. I know she didn't mean it. But I mean it when I say-- I am absolutely fine.

And so are you.

love, Abeer

Please share. This might be a message someone needs to read today.

[myspoonfulofglitter]

[myspoonfulofglitter]

When you know that someone is investing their time and energy to knock you down, remember that they see something amazing in you that they want to break. Perhaps they are broken, haunted by what they wish they were but never became, and instead of working on themselves, they're working on breaking your spirit. Don't let them into that bright part of you. Don't let them cast their dark shadow on your present. Perhaps one day they will find their inner peace. But their battle is not yours to fight. Abeer Fahim

[myspoonfulofglitter]

https://www.facebook.com/julietturnsthepage/?fref=ts

30 minutes of study inspiration! Join on Juliet Turns the Page on Facebook. 

Ask questions and get them answered LIVE! 

Juliet Turns the Page is an inspirational Facebook page with over 74,000 fans! The creator of Juliet Turns the Page, an Assistant Professor who loves helping students, will be sharing the secrets to study success! This will be a fun video and you can ask questions and get them answered right away- the video is Live! 

[myspoonfulofglitter]

https://www.wattpad.com/user/julietturnsthepage

Writers contest: Deadline May 10

Where? On Wattpad 

Prizes and feedback from experts! 

[myspoonfulofglitter]

This is my dog, Juliet and I love her! For more of our adventures, go to Juliet Turns the Page on Facebook. 

https://www.facebook.com/julietturnsthepage/

[myspoonfulofglitter]

JULIET TURNS THE PAGE WRITING COMPETITION FOR GIRLS: $100 Amazon Gift Card First Place and$50 Amazon Gift Card Runner-Up  TOP FIFTEEN ENTRIES WILL GET FEEDBACK FROM A LITERATURE PROFESSOR

Attention all girls who love to write! 

Juliet Turns the Page, an inspirational literary page on Facebook with over 45,000 fans is hosting a writing competition for girls!  

First place will get a $100 Amazon Gift Card.

Second place will get a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

To learn more about the competition guidelines, we have created a Facebook group where you will find the details and you will also find inspirational tips for young writers and a new community for young writers. Join the group for updates. 

GROUP PAGE: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1699247880286813/

Juliet Turns the Page fan page:

https://www.facebook.com/julietturnsthepage/?fref=ts

If you have questions, message me on @myspoonfulofglitter

[myspoonfulofglitter]

[myspoonfulofglitter]

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL GIRLS OUT THERE WHO ARE BLOGGERS OR LOVE TO WRITE: 

Hello!  I teach literature and I love it! I created a Facebook page called ‘Juliet Turns the Page’ (inspiration based on literature- where I share quotes and other posts) and the page now has over 43,000 fans <3  I just created a ‘Juliet Turns the Page’ group on Facebook where I motivate girls to achieve their goals AND I share posts from their Facebook pages on my page! I’m doing this because as my page grows I want to help other girls out!

So if you’re someone who loves to write and want some motivation and to become part of a blogging community AND have  quotes from some of your writing shared on my Facebook page, send me a message!  The link to my Facebook page is below-- but please message me on my TUMBLE page (myspoonfulofglitter) and I’ll give you details

https://www.facebook.com/julietturnsthepage/?ref=hl

[myspoonfulofglitter]

[myspoonfulofglitter]

How To Get What You Want!

(It’s Dr. Glitter, Your Tumblr Professor (I have a PhD in literature) sharing my love and experience with you!)  

AND, I also have a “How To Get What You Want” video for you! I just started a new YouTube channel to inspire You! :) Subscribe for videos every Wednesday! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV-ukmDjwVk

Whether it’s going to the college of your dreams, doing well at school, starting a  blog, or making your own YouTube channel- you have to go from “thinking” about it to actually making it happen! Here’s  how to do it! 

*This post is inspired by some of the greatest authors of all time! 

1- “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”  Henry David Thoreau

WRITE DOWN EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

This quote doesn’t mean you only ‘dream’ and then you’re suddenly on the right path! No! You need to have a vision and an idea of what it is that you want. So, how do you do this? Write a Journal Entry: (This is what I want to accomplish): Now, write all the details you can think of- make this accomplishment as real and as clear as possible. Visualize it. What would it be like? If it’s doing well in a particular class, what grade are you aiming for? Are you applying to college soon? What college do you want to go to? Write it all down. You cannot go confidently in a direction when you don’t know where you’re going! 

2 “If you have built your castles in the air- your work need not be lost. That is where they should  be. Now, put your foundations under them.”  Henry David Thoreau

DO THE RESEARCH

If you’ve been dreaming for a long time about something- that’s fine! Now, start doing the research and make that dream come true! Gather all the information you can about this dream. Let’s say it’s creating a successful blog or YouTube channel; find ‘how to’ videos and articles online. But, don’t stop there! Start making a plan. Add that plan to your journal. Start the work on the project today! If all you’re doing as research - that’s fine. That’s a start! Just make sure you write it down. When you see your dreams transforming from ‘castles in the air’ to plans on paper, they start to become more real and you start to become more confident.

3 “A minute’s success pays the failure of years.” Robert Browning

OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF FAILURE

We’ve all been there; we work hard, do our best, give something our all, and yet we don’t get what we want. Trust me, I know. But, I also believe this; if you keep trying, you will eventually get to where you need to go.  Don’t be afraid of failure. When you get to where you want to be, that minute of success, that minute of achieving what you want, will pay for all the hard work, the times it didn’t work out, the moments you almost gave up. But that’s the key- don’t give up. You can’t give up. You have to keep going. 

[myspoonfulofglitter]

Are you often told you are ‘too nice’? Do you feel like you’ve been disappointed too many times and you need to be a bit ‘meaner’? Here’s my advice on why kindness is always good for you! 

This is my new youtube channel- weekly inspirational videos based on quotes from some the greatest authors! Please subscribe to my channel and share your thoughts! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz56rIfiTF0OPBVYY0x959g

[myspoonfulofglitter]

follow Juliet Turns the Page on Facebook for more posts like this inspired by writing and literature! 

[myspoonfulofglitter]

Every  Girl Knows Something About Loneliness

This is not a post that will make you cry- not my intention at all. Actually, it’s about how silly I can be when I talk about something totally random with the lady at the check out counter. It’s actually inspired by a visit to a supermarket where I was doing some grocery shopping. I had just finished teaching my classes and had to buy a few things before heading back to my apartment. I don’t cook much- I live alone and although I have a few of those days where I act like I’m competing in “Hell’s Kitchen”, most of the time I am very aware of my limitations. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook- just not all the time. There’s a lack of consistency when it comes to the quality of my cooking that can be quite discouraging. But most of the time, it is the lack of a companion, the idea of ‘a meal for one’ that makes me settle for a delivery pizza. And generally, I’m ok with it. I have my best friend, my MacBook Pro, that keeps me entertained, or a bunch of papers to grade, a kind of ‘side order’ to my pizza. So, back to the supermarket. I like Pepsi- I realize it’s not healthy, but sometimes I like to watch some TV and drink pepsi with a pizza. So, I bought lots of snacks- I had none at home- cookies, brownies, cheese sticks, and a 24-mini pepsi can pack. I got to the check-out and there was a lovely lady who asked, “Hello, you having a good day?” I said, “yep, thanks!” We had a bit of a chat as I packed my groceries, she asked, “You’re a student at the university nearby?” “No, I’m a professor,” (always makes my day of course to be mistaken for a student). “Oh, nice!” She replied, “So, you live on campus? You’re married?” I shook my head. She gave me one of those slightly sympathetic looks. It was a look that invited further conversation, even comfort if I needed to vent. “So, it must get a bit lonely?” I pointed to the pack of pepsi and said,  “Yea, and that’s what happens when you’re alone! You give yourself an excuse to drink pepsi” and I laughed. I’m not exactly sure till now what the connection between loneliness and drinking pepsi is- as a matter of fact, to me, there is no connection. If a student wrote an essay and included such a random piece of information, I’d find myself saying, “Stay on topic!” “Go back to your thesis statement, does this point relate to your main argument?” So, what does pepsi have to do with loneliness? Well, I thought about it and I’ve come to a possible conclusion- one that I smiled about all the way back to my car. Sometimes we need people to know we’re alone for a day. It doesn’t mean we’re desperate or sad or need anyone. We just want someone to know our status- I guess it’s like updating facebook (which I don’t really do), but telling people you’re alone for the day, and doing it casually, won’t actually change your day. But it gives you a sense of control- you can laugh about it, you can joke about it, you can state it, you can embrace it, you can indulge in it. It is no longer the objective ‘loneliness’ where you have to sit at home and cry and pine for companionship. No, it’s the kind of loneliness that you can laugh about- because, yes you’re alone, but no, you’re not lost because of your loneliness. We are often told how to feel about things. If you’re on your own, you must be very unhappy. Well, yes, I’m sometimes bored, but I’m not necessarily unhappy. It’s funny how the most random of statements could have so much meaning. Loneliness is whatever it means to you. There is no category, no label for ‘lonely people.’ And this knowledge is quite empowering- with it, you get to define who you are, and how you feel. If all loneliness means to me is that from time to time I’m going to drink pepsi and watch TV and nothing more than that- then it is what it is. It is what I want it to be, what I choose to call it, how I choose to define it.  It is my story, after all.

love, 

Dr. Glitter    myspoonfulofglitter   on tumblr.

[myspoonfulofglitter]

5 Things Your Teacher Will Not Tell You

There’s always two sides to everything. There are of course lazy students or careless students who don’t do well, but there are also students that work very hard but still don’t do very well. I put together some thoughts from being a professor that I hope you find helpful. Teachers do care- sometimes you just need to know how to communicate your worries and concerns with them. Of course teachers are not perfect. None of us are. I continue to learn from my teaching every day, and every year I come back to the classroom with new thoughts and a new perspective. But honestly, teachers care. They do. 

What is Your Teacher Thinking? 

1- I can tell when you haven’t done your reading. I see it the minute I look at you as you try to avoid eye contact at the beginning of a class discussion. So,  I’m going to call on you to answer the first question. If you don’t want me to call on you, just do your reading. Then maybe you’ll raise your hand, and I’ll pick someone else to answer. It’s nothing personal- trust me.  I just trust that you’ve done your reading.

*If you’ve done your reading, but it seems like you haven’t because you are shy or don’t feeling comfortable participating in class discussions, I am sorry if I embarrassed you by calling on you to answer the question. Please talk to me before or after class and let me know how you feel. 

2- You’re there (in class) but you’re not really there (in class). You’re looking out the window. Now, you’re looking at your watch. Wait- it’s only been twenty minutes of class. Looking at your watch every five minutes to tell me you’re bored, you’re tired, you can’t wait to get out to catch up with your best friend in the hallway? I can’t tell what the reasons are. All I can see is I’m there trying to teach and you’re there trying to leave. I can’t read your mind, but I can read the time. And I can see clearly that there’s another thirty minutes left of class.  

* If something is really upsetting you and you feel you need to finish class to deal with it, perhaps I can be helpful or I can advise you to speak to a counselor. Speak to me. I care about your well-being. Life is not all about grades. How you feel matters.

3- I’m not simply moody- I’m not mean-  I don’t intend to be unfair. But I too have bad days (just like I know you do). If we can both forgive each other for the bad days where we seem a little less motivated, we can both go back to having good days without any hard feelings. I have a life outside the classroom that affects me just as yours do. I keep it out of the classroom, because I know I’m here to do my work and I love my work.  But sometimes, just sometimes, it’s hard not to have a bad day. 

* If, when I had one of those bad days, I unintentionally hurt you- please let me know instead of thinking of ways to get back at me. It was probably completely unintentional and we can talk about it. 

4-  Contrary to what you may be thinking, I actually want you to do well. I don’t believe that one quiz, one exam, one class discussion is a reflection of who you are as a person. I love to see improvement. I love to see effort. I love to see you striving to be the best that you can. But even when you can’t accomplish that, I know that there may be other factors affecting your academic performance. I’m not judging you. I just want you to believe that you can change things- that you can achieve what you want to achieve.

* If you have certain goals, a university you hope to go to or a grade that you need to get to be eligible for a scholarship, let’s discuss these goals. 

5- I’m not being unfair to you when you get a fifty percent on a test and then suddenly being fair to you when you get a ninety percent. You were unfair to yourself when you didn’t study enough for the first one, and you were more fair to yourself when you prepared for the second one. You are actually far more in control of your grades than you think you are. 

* I understand that this is not always the case. The situation is completely different if you studied hard, but still did not do well. If you are finding a class particularly difficult or part of the material to complicated- have you spoken to me about it? Do you ask enough questions in class? Did you study enough but still not do well on your test? It is important that you tell me this. Show me your revision notes. Tell me exactly how you studied for this exam. Don’t get mad at me for your grade and as a result avoid speaking to me. I may be able to point out a study technique that could work better for you. Also, I would love to know that you genuinely care about the course and that you studied. 

[myspoonfulofglitter]

You matter no matter what your mind tells you. You matter regardless of that nagging thought in your head that you have been rejected and will be rejected forever. You matter despite every failed attempt. As much as I believe you should respect, appreciate, and love that expanse of possibilities in your mind, you should also be able to recognize when your mind is not giving you the clarity you need. You must remind yourself when your mind leads you towards darkness that you cannot follow.  They often say the problem is following your heart and that you should just follow your mind. But the more I see of stressed people, stressed students, stressed young men and women in relationships, the more I realize it is a lot more than just the heart. That darkness is when the mind is so cluttered, so fearful, and yet too awake- but an awareness that does you no good. It is like driving a car really fast completely unaware of the detours, energized by the speed, but oblivious to the signs. The solution is not to shut-down- it’s to reawaken. The solution is not to blame the heart- you’re not overly sensitive, dramatic, or weak. You are what your mind is telling you and it is time to question it, to reflect on it, to redirect it. Don't blame your heart for a life that begins in the mind. Love Dr.Glitter