The Ups and Downs of Blog Hosting

The week was intense. I planned to travel away from my computer for the next two weeks. The previous weeks were some of the busiest of my life. I sat staring at the screen, wondering why I ever made a commitment to write five blog posts each week. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Had I been able to see into the future, I might have decided to wait until the fall to start them. But that plan would have been foiled when my son proposed to his girlfriend and they planned a fall wedding.

God stepped in. What-if’s don’t get the job done, so I took a walk outside to clear my mind. In the middle of my walk, the Lord spoke to me by bringing a scripture to mind. “My God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 Then He gave me two ideas to write about. I needed two more blog entries in order to have all my posts qued up for my time away.

I remembered why. The reason I made a commitment to regular posts on my blogs is so readers can count on me. They know they can find a devotion on Mondays and Thursdays as we read through the Bible together, and that on Tuesdays and Fridays a post on surviving suffering will offer encouragement. I don’t know what others may be facing on any given day, or how they may depend on what they read in my blogs. I can’t let them down.

Focus on the future. Editors look for writers who can show a following and a regular blog is one way to accomplish that. Blogs help establish a platform for a writer. Publishers want to know they can get more than one project from a writer when they decide to offer a contract. A platform gives the publisher an idea of what they can expect. It seems that most publishers won’t even consider a writer who doesn’t have a proven record of some kind.

Keep proper perspective. But blogs are not the golden egg. Rob Eager, of Wildfire Marketing, cautions against using blog and newsletter readership as the only barometer for success. As we all know, blogs and newsletters do not of themselves generate an income. His point is that success from a publisher’s viewpoint needs to be seen in terms of dollars. If a writer offers a quality product that meets a need, consumers will spend money for spin-off products from the book. Income will be generated and the business of publishing will succeed.

Take the plunge. Blogging has definite advantages. It helps a writer get their message out without depending on a publisher. But it also requires the ultimate level of commitment. Consider carefully what you are about to undertake if you think you want to host a blog, and spend much time in prayer. If you are still certain God is directing you to go forward, the blessing you get back from what you write will make the sacrifice worth every computer key with the letter worn off.

Kathryn writes on Mondays and Thursdays at www.KathrynGraves.blogspot.com and on Tuesdays and Fridays at www.KathrynGraves.wordpress.com.

Photo/Kathryn Graves

Paradise by the Keyboard Light

I guess I’m a weirdo. I love sitting holed up in a room, complete silence,  soaking up paradise by a computer light while I type. But I haven’t always been this way.

I’m also a natural extrovert. Energized by people, activity, and teamwork, I thrive on action.

People Energize Me

You wouldn’t think these polar opposite traits would come from the same person. But they do. And they make me especially qualified to write.

When I get tired and start feeling lethargic in front of my keyboard, getting up to walk or going for lunch with a friend is just the boost I need to stir my creative muse awake.

Equally, when I’m exhausted from crazy days filled with hundreds of people, (my day-job), I love the relief of sitting quietly with my thoughts and characters, while writing articles, blogs, and books.

I live the best of both worlds. As a writer, I need life experience to feed my words. As a human, I need creative outlets like writing to feed my soul. I guess it’s what makes weirdos like me tick. Either way, I’m grateful for energizing activities — and paradise by my keyboard light.

Quiet Time Energizes Me

What energizes you as a writer?

Anita Agers-Brooks is a Business Coach, Certified Personality Trainer, Productivity Specialist, Certified Team Training Facilitator, Marketing Specialist, national speaker, and author. She lives in Missouri with her husband Ricky.

She’s passionate about business with integrity, healthy marriage, and issues of identity. She travels the country teaching others from her personal experiences and research.

Contact her via website http://brooksanita.com/ or email anita.freshfaith@gmail.com

 

D.L. Koontz: Thinking of Giving Up Writing? (Insert raucous laughter here)

There are certain axioms I know to be true:

• “Old” is wherever I haven’t gotten to yet.
•  “Success” is whatever I haven’t achieved yet.
• The only thing that causes me more misery than writing is NOT writing.

That final bullet is why I’m writing, dear friends. If you’ve ever been so frustrated that you’ve toyed with “hanging up your pen,” then this post is for you.

First, full disclosure: Like many of you, I discovered in childhood that I was destined to be a writer. Writing, breathing, it’s all the same. Further, my first novel, Into the Mystic, comes out this fall.

However, the only thing “debut” about my book is that it’s in the fiction genre. About 12 years ago, I crested the wave of nonfiction publishing, and it looked like that wave would carry me all the way to seashore success.

Bloomberg Press had paid me handsomely for a couple books about small business management. The goal: to turn me into a small business guru. I’d made it! Nothing but catastrophe could prevent me from reaching shore!

Yeah, you guessed it: catastrophe hit.

To this day, we refer to it as “9-11.”

My book, The Small Business Owner’s Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep (TSBOGGNS) was launched to the news media via 970 news releases at 8 a.m. on 9-11. We all know what happened an hour later.

Bloomberg Press is owned by Michael Bloomberg and, at the time, he was contemplating a run for mayor of NYC. Because TSBOGGNS discussed how businesses could handle crises, Bloomberg decided he didn’t want to look as though he was exploiting the situation.

Sales were halted, publicity banned, contracts terminated.

By 9-14, I realized that I needed to reinvent myself. I was a single mom, and I needed income. Physical survival.

And, for sanity sake, I needed to remove myself from writing. Emotional survival.

I declared myself done. I hung up my proverbial writer’s pen. Tossed my “Ideas” file. Eschewed creative thought.

And thus began nine years of angst—a fish out of water.

I left creative writing, but it wouldn’t leave me. Separation doesn’t work when one side keeps clinging. Books on my shelves taunted me. Articles on publishing found me. Bookstores became rattlesnake dens. Characters disturbed my dreams.

Finally, two years ago, I woke up with a complete novel in my head. It wouldn’t let me alone.

I began to write, and it was like coming home.

I breathed again.

If you are meant to write, you can’t counsel, pray or exorcise it away. There is no antibiotic to kill this disease called “the need to write.”

Sorry, but if you’re tagged a “writer” you may as well have a Harry Potter scar on your forehead because there is nothing you can do about it.

And that is both the bad news and the good news.

Please don’t waste time like I did. Nine years is a long time not to breathe.

Just write.

Debra, writing as D.L. Koontz, splits her time between what she calls Marpennsylginia and Georgia. In her fiction, she writes about what she knows: muddled lives, nail-biting unknowns and eternal hope.

Debra’s website and blog: www.dlkoontz.com
About Debra: http://dlkoontz.com/bio/
About Into the Mystic: http://dlkoontz.com/projects/

Photo(1)/bigstockphoto.com
Photo(2)/DebTraverso

Ever think of giving up writing? 

Writing Life: Living to Work or Working to Live?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col 3:23-24 NIV)

My friend, Anita Agers-Brooks, wrote a post on her blog, FreshFaith @ Work asking the question, “What motivates you to work?”

Anita’s post reminds me of a comment I heard, while studying in Spain a few years ago, “Americans live to work, we work to live.”

Work to live? In Spain, they were proud to work their 8 hours (or so) a day to earn enough money to provide for their lifestyle. But they criticized the Americans who struggled with defining boundaries between work and the rest of their lives.

Live to work? Why are so many Americans so focused on their work that they can’t enjoy their time with family and friends? Could it be because many Americans pursue careers based on their interests or passions?

Of course, I know many people in America who work to live. Their motivation for work is to pay the bills–to support their families or to become independent. They may not be able to find a job that interests them, and they fulfill their passions outside of the workplace.

What motivation do I desire for my work, which is also my writing life?

Do I want to work to live? Do I want to put in my hours of writing each day; then, enjoy my time with family and friends? Yes!

Or do I want to live to work? Do I want to pursue interesting work? Yes! Do I want to be passionate about my writing life? Yes!

So, is it possible to live to work and to work to live? That is my prayer.

And that is where I believe that I must start in my work–by seeking God in prayer first for direction in all areas of life, including my writing life.

Do you live to work/write? Or do you work/write to live?

Photo/KarenJordan

Karen Jordan writes creative nonfiction about her faith, family, and writing. She also encourages others to “tell the stories that matter most” in her writing workshops, her blog, BLESSED Legacy Stories, and her website (www.karenjordan.net).

Related articles

• Doing to Get or Getting to Do? (freshstartfreshfaith.wordpress.com?
• Suzan Tripp: Why Do I Write? (storywritingstudio.wordpress.com)
• Seven Realities  (storywritingstudio.wordpress.com)

 

Remember Our Special Songs

 

Celebrating my wedding anniversary this week. Hope you enjoy this video featuring “An Old-Fashioned Love Song,” one of the greatest hits the year I got married! [You'll need to do the research and the math!]

YouTube/mirrenfan2 (“An Old Fashioned Love Song” ~ Three Dog Night)

What song brings back a special memory for you?

Sneaky Habits

I confess. Bad habits I thought I’d left behind caught up and overtook me. Traveling makes it difficult to eat right. Meals eaten in the car somewhere between Russell and Goodland, meals to treat a two-year old, strawberry shortcake for the little one and enjoyed by me, Starbucks’ outdoor cafe with friends, all add up to a crummy eating pattern.

After several weeks of unrelenting bad eating, my body revolted. It refused to entertain any more “treats.” I fell ill. Even nutritious food didn’t stay down. I stopped eating solid food, choosing soup and juice instead. My condition required going back to the basics, like chicken soup and vegetable juice. Liquids could by-pass the digestive process and be absorbed directly into my body. Over time, I could transition to soft food, then back to regular, healthy solids.

While I felt sick, writing became impossible. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t sit up long enough to compose a blog post anyway. My daily goal of three-to-five hundred words shrank to zero. I felt like a zero, too. My own actions sabotaged what I believe God has called me to do.

In my misery, I recalled how great I felt when all I ate was healthy, primarily raw, food: real, organic vegetables, free-range poultry and grass-fed meat. No sugar or grains. I also remembered how easy it is to think when not battling stomach issues. I wanted to feel that way again. In order to regain my health, I needed to confess my eating failures and dial back to liquids.

If we allow old, bad habits to creep back into our writing, it will have deleterious effects on our projects, just like our bodies suffer from bouts of eating junk food. Our thoughts won’t flow and our sentences will be mucked up by unneeded words. The only way to avoid rejected methods is to recognize their sneaky nature. Constant vigil is required to keep them at bay.

Don’t let your guard down.

Can you identify any sneaky old habits that have crept back into your writing?

Kathryn also writes on Mondays and Thursdays at www.KathrynGraves.blogspot.com and on Tuesdays and Fridays at www.KathrynGraves.wordpress.com.

Photos/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Today is my 48th birthday. I’ve lived a colorful life, full of interesting stories, and God is now using them to fulfill my dream of being a writer. I think it was part of the plan all along.

Being What You Were Created For

In celebration of forty-eight years of life lived, I thought I’d share a few bits of wisdom I’ve gained in regard to being a writer.

• Wanting is the first step to dreaming.
• Dreaming is the next step to acting.
• Acting is the required step to being.
• Being is the best part of living.

The feeling, of doing that which you were created for, cannot be described without experience to back it up. The closest comparison I can offer comes from one of the things I marked off my bucket list.

Hot air ballooning. When the basket rocked off the ground, anxiety caused my stomach to lurch and my nerves to jump. But with the initial lift-off behind us, I felt like a cloud drifting lazily across the blue sky. I took in the vibrant colors of the earth below, and knew I would have died with a gaping hole of loss, if I missed this special treat. I’ve never regretted facing my fears and taking the opportunity to soar. Neither do I regret risking to write.

Floating in Your Dreams

If like me, you feel the call to write, then I urge you to do something about it. I waited until my forties to act on this inner compulsion. Now that I am a bonified professional, I wonder why I waited so long. At forty-eight years old, I feel like I’m beginning to blossom — and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Do you let age, education, fear, or anything else hold you back? What’s the worst thing that could happen if you try and fail? Would you be any worse off than you are now?

Purpose in Full Bloom

Anita Agers-Brooks is a Business Coach, Certified Personality Trainer, Productivity Specialist, Certified Team Training Facilitator, Marketing Specialist, national speaker, and author. She lives in Missouri with her husband Ricky.

She’s passionate about business with integrity, healthy marriage, and issues of identity. She travels the country teaching others from her personal experiences and research.

Contact her via website www.freshstartfreshfaith.org or email anita.freshfaith@gmail.com

Monday – Friday blog www.freshstartfreshfaith.wordpress.com

Mary Larmoyeux: Remember the First Moonwalk: One Small Step for Man

Neil Armstrong, one of the first two men to land on the Moon, and the first to walk on it, in 1969 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind. (Neil Armstrong)

On July 20, 1969, the lunar module Eagle landed on the moon. Six hours later, Commander Neil Armstrong stepped onto its surface.

Do you remember that day … that “moment”?

I do.

My dad and I walked outside our home on that very night. “See the moon, Mary,” he said, pointing high into the heavens. “A man is walking up there.”

I remember the darkness … the light of the moon … the sense of awe.

Soon we will mark the 43rd anniversary of the Armstrong’s declaration, “One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that July night to my grandkids, but I’m going to. What about you? Do you remember when a man walked on the moon?

I’m reminded of the words of Psalm 8: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps. 8:3-4 NIV1984)

Do you remember the first moonwalk? Where were you when the Eagle landed on the moon?

Mary May Larmoyeux and her husband, Jim, live near Little Rock, Arkansas. Family is very important to her—just ask about her six grandchildren. She also loves anything to do with the great outdoors.

Her articles have published in The Family Room, Discovery Years, Fresh Outlook, Maumelle Living, AY Magazine, etc.. She has a blog for grandparents, The Grand Connection, and also is a regular blogger for The Marketplace Connection.

Mary has written several books including Help for Busy Moms: Purposeful Living to Simplify Life and The Grand Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild’s Heart.

Photo/Wikipedia
YouTube/beanz2u (First Moon Landing 1969)
Photo/MaryMaryLarmoyeux

Related links

Neil Armstrong narrating his landing using Google Moon (YouTube/SpaceyStuff)
Legendary moonwalker Neil Armstrong narrates his own moon landing (FoxNews.com)

John Achor: Won Any Contests Lately?

First, I’ll dazzle you with fancy footwork and a success story. I used my tall tail, “The Grand Adventure; First Person Feline,” in the first contest I ever entered. It won first place in the Board of Directors category ― the top contest at the conference. Along with a certificate, I received real cash money. I sat back and said, “This contest thing ain’t so tough.”

Since that day, I’ve been recognized at several conferences and in multiple categories. Now, the rest of the story.

Filled with bravado, I submitted my story to the major national cat magazines. One editor said, “We do not print stories written by cats.” So much for a sense of humor. The story was a lark; however, it contained a number of dumb mistakes a pet owner can and did make on a trip from Arizona to Arkansas. And she was the polite one.

“The Grand Adventure …” has been entered in other contests and venues. It was never recognized again, not even with an Honorable Mention.

Why?

Judges are human with all the attendant frailties and life problems ― got up on the wrong side of the crib; significant other made lousy coffee today; flat tire on the way to the judging …

What is a boy to do? I could sit down and cry over spilled milk (what a terrible cliché, especially for a cat story) or I could continue writing and sending them in.

So, the answer is: keep honing your best work; keep submitting; and don’t ever stop ― and maybe, just maybe you’ll run into that cat-loving judge.

John Achor’s writing assignments have appeared in a variety of publications such as Good Old Days, The Storyteller and Writers’ Journal, and he has sold over two dozen articles to Computer Pilot Magazine. He also has published two mystery novels in the Casey Fremont series.

He was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, and following that, became a private consultant, trainer and instructor with a community college in Phoenix, Arizona. John and his wife Pat moved to Hot Springs Village ten years ago where he can concentrate on his writing; they are allowed to share their house with two cats, Lexus and Betsy Ross. johnachor.com / johnachor.wordpress.com / Facebook / Twitter

Photo/JohnAchor

Do you have a writing contest story?

How to Write a Book in 30 Days

On today’s wordless Wednesday, I thought a video tutorial on writing a book when you have limited time might help. Hope you pick up a few good writing hints.

Anita Agers-Brooks is a Business Coach, Certified Personality Trainer, Productivity Specialist, Certified Team Training Facilitator, Marketing Specialist, national speaker, and author. She lives in Missouri with her husband Ricky.

She’s passionate about business with integrity, healthy relationships, and issues of identity. She travels the country teaching others from her personal experiences and research.

Contact her via website www.brooksanita.com or email anita.freshfaith@gmail.com

Monday – Friday blog www.freshstartfreshfaith.wordpress.com