Category Archives: Uncategorized

Communication or Noise – My 200th post

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In honour of my 200th posting to my blog, I wanted to get some feedback from you, my readers and guests, about the blog.

I worry sometimes that my eagerness to write, my enthusiasm for ideas and visions, puts some people off. That the messages I try to convey are received and perceived as spam, an intrusive noise in the recipient’s day.

This blog is just one example.

Whereas most people post once a week or every couple of weeks, I am posting almost twice a day on average (200 posts in 120 days). I recently joked with a friend that I had only just discovered that other people post to WordPress, too.

My one solace is that social media outlets like WordPress, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are voluntary. That you—my community—have chosen to follow me, to connect with me, and that should I become onerous or boring, it is within your power to ignore me or disconnect entirely. And some people have. I respect that and I thank them for their time, wishing them well.

Working in advertising and owning several email accounts, I understand the invasiveness of spam, the personal violation of being picked out a crowd by someone only looking for personal gain. I don’t want to be that person. I want to share, not push.

But I also want you to know that what you think matters to me. I will always welcome and respect your feedback and commentary, but reserve the right to determine how best to incorporate it, if I do.

In fact, I have initiated a couple of polls to solicit your direct feedback on the volume and content of this blog. I would greatly appreciate you taking a quick second to offer your thoughts.

You are my community, and I am grateful for that.

Tips to jump-start your writing (unless you’re in Arkansas)

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This is so brilliant and funny that I have decided Ned must have stolen it from me! 😀

Ned's Blog's avatarNed's Blog

They say change is good, especially if there’s a nickel involved. Why a nickel? Because that’s all you need each Friday for Ned’s Nickel’s Worth on Writing! For newcomers, this is the day I share my collective wisdom from 15 years as a columnist and share it with you, at half the price of my hourly wage! Here are a just a couple of testimonials from regular readers of Ned’s NWOW…

“I discovered this website totally by accident — I haven’t slept since”
“Thanks to what I’ve learned from Ned’s NWOW, I’m now pursuing a rewarding career cleaning hazard cones!”

Enough accolades! Let’s get to it…

image There’s nothing quite like staring at a blank page, knowing that with a few strokes of the keyboard you will transform a landscape devoid of life into a living, breathing thing of your own creation. There’s also nothing quite…

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Brand New Skin: Editing A Zero Draft

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A Zeroeth Law of Writing.
Writing those initial words is like a trust exercise that has gone horribly wrong because you never quite hit the ground, but rather keep spinning until you puke something out (how’s that for metaphor goulash?).

bareknucklewriter's avatarBare Knuckle Writer

There is a shitty part about doing a zero draft, and it is this: sometimes you have to look at a mess you’ve made and realize you’ve now got to make something worthwhile out of it. And, fuck, that seems like a lot of work.

Funny, the idea of just writing it the right way the first time around never seems like as much work. Just think it out until it all lines up perfectly and then write it. Right?

If you can actually do this, then I salute you. Also, I’m probably going to hunt you down and eat your brain in the hopes of gaining your powers.

Zero drafts are a mess. They’re stories without their skin on, just the bones and blood and unidentifiable bloated squashy bits all kind of hanging together in a semi-cohesive shape. It’ll fall apart if you so much as look at it…

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Always Here If You Need Me Award?

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A wonderful moment this morning as I logged into my blog and learned that good bloggo-patriot Julian Froment had nominated me for the Always Here If You Need Me Award.

As Julian explained, the award was designed to celebrate the love and support you get from those special few in the blogosphere who not only appreciate what you post but also make an extra effort to comment and provide support and feedback.

I am touched that Julian feels this way about me, and likewise, greatly appreciate his support and enthusiasm for my blog.

The rules of the award are:

  • Post a picture of the award somewhere on your blog.
  • List 5 things that make you happy.
  • Nominate 3 people who have always been there for you, who have always provided support and enthusiasm for your efforts, and to whom you feel you could turn when you’re dealing with challenges. Comment on their blogs and let them know of the nomination.

So, here we go.

Happy-time station

  1. Laughter…it may seem a tad obvious, but I find too much time without experiencing laughter (mine or someone else’s) causes my brain to wilt
  2. Physical contact…I have become a much more tactile person in my later life, so merely making physical contact with objects or people helps ground me and gives me a sense of connection with my environment
  3. The smell of a used book store…the must of a second-hand shop is intoxicating for me, taking my mind to not just the myriad stories within the pages but also of the books themselves…from whom are they second-hand?
  4. Beer…a perfectly pulled pint is a thing of beauty; to envelope myself in the dark chocolates of a magnificent porter or to watch the bubbles whorl in a pint of Guinness or Boddington’s is sheer poetry; and of course, the creaminess of a Kilkenny as it rolls over my tongue and bathes the taste buds in silk.
  5. Sounds of Nature…living in a concrete canyon, I do my best to find ways to envelope myself in the sounds of nature, whether in local parks or by distant travel; it is music to my being

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My supportive triptych

I would of course love to nominate Julian, but that sounds like a feedback loop waiting to happen, so at the risk of nominating many of the same people as previous:

  • Shareen Ayoub (A Day in the Life of Shareen A), whose irreverent sense of humour beautifully parallels mine and who freely engages with me through our blogs or on Twitter
  • Ned Hickson (Humor at the Speed of Life), who has become a drinking buddy in all but drink, Ned and I have engaged in a few comedic one-upmanship battles where he has a bit of a geographic advantage (next one starts at 9am EDT, Ned)
  • Victoria Crouchman (Victoriously), who was a friend long before either of us entered the blogosphere but who has also been an ardent champion of my efforts and loyal supporter as I face life’s challenges; her blog is an inspiration to keep moving forward

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(Images used without permission, because that’s the way I roll.)

Follow me on Twitter…if you dare

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I’ve decided that Twitter is the Vaudeville of social media…a string of idiotic one-liners and naughty puns shared between mostly drunken people in the wee hours of a debauch.

So, with that as our premise, I invite you all to follow me on Twitter either directly or via the new widget I placed on the side of my blog page.

On a daily basis, you will be assaulted with mental non-sequiturs, snide comments about local and world news, the odd unitribe (140 character limit doesn’t allow a full diatribe) and general stupidity that only Twitter can provide.

The critics have spoken:

  • Dude, you Tweet a lot!
  • Jesus, where the hell do you come up with this stuff????? lololololol
  • Hahahaha stop, your making me act like a fool in front of these intellectuals. Your tweets are just too funny.
  • No, dude, seriously, you Tweet a lot. You need help. Professional help.

Go ahead. Feed my paranoid feelings that I’m being followed.

PS I think I’m only one or two social media connections from bringing down the entire Internet. Mwahahahahahahaha!

(Image is the property of Sterling Communications and is used here without permission.)

Blogging and Writer’s Insecurity

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An interesting take on the insecurity that comes with opening your soul and worrying that no one will care.

Kira Lyn Blue's avatarkiralynblue

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Edit: This post is now subtitled:

You’re Not Your F%$^ing Blog Stats!

I’ve noticed something. Blogging is a microcosm of the emotions I have about writing in general. This is probably a good thing, because having the blog is helping me deal with my insecurities in small bites, a few at a time rather than being inundated all at once if I just went out and attempted to publish my book without the blog.

Writer Insecurity #1: What if no one wants to read my stuff?

It’s only human to be frustrated when you have something to say and no one to listen. You ever have a really good idea and then try to take it to a friend, coworker or spouse and have them just respond as with a “Ok, sure,” and a shrug? It’s demoralizing when your great idea does not generate the same enthusiasm in other people.

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WordPress numerology

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So, WordPress just congratulated me on the number of “Likes” I have received so far on the blog.

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First, let me say thanks to all of you who hit the appropriate button.

But 1337? Am I missing some numerological significance to this number?

Two seconds on Google and I learn that I may have fallen into the ASCII rabbit hole, having entered an elite or “leet” status.

Alternatively, my blogs are being blamed for initiating the 100 Years’ War.

Regardless, I repeat my thanks to the many visitors.