“You do things when the opportunities come along. I’ve had periods in my life when I’ve had a bundle of ideas come along, and I’ve had long dry spells. If I get an idea next week, I’ll do something. If not, I won’t do a damn thing.” Warren Buffett
Musings: A Bundle Of Ideas... Tangy's words of wisdom
Ideas: They come, they go… Just take it slow. Remember: brevity is the soul of wit.
In this post, an exercise in briefness, Tangy shares some of his ideas/wisdom and wishes all a productive and abundantly blessed week. Have a great week ahead and Thank you All!
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” John Muir
Musings: A Bundle Of Ideas... Walk in a Snow Storm
Ideas: Spend time in the woods, spend time by water… Then walk in the snow and be thankful for all you know!
“Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.” Joseph Addison
Musings: A Bundle Of Ideas... Don't pass the catnip
Ideas: Monday shines a new light on our thoughts … Don’t pass the catnip. But do share your goodwill this week. More Below.
What inspires you? Where do you find inspiration? Inspiration is a word we often toss around casually, and maybe take for granted when it comes easily to us. There are days when we wake up and feel like the fountain has dried up or that our ideas are foggy. Then, there are those days when everything falls into place like clockwork, and we are pulled in, inspired by many things; from the movement of the tiniest ant to the orange yellow glow of a setting sun.
What inspires us to create? to contribute? to communicate? There are many things that trigger an inspirational moment; some are fleeting and others constant. Meditation, music, prayer, and sad, poignant moments always inspire me in some fashion. Nature, great food, and powerful conversations on the human condition can do the trick too. What inspires me? you? us? Nature, Music, Faith, Beauty, Prayer, Injustice, Love, Humor, Passion for Life, Acts of Courage… “There was injustice and I felt compelled to fight it…”
“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.” Aldin Sinclair
Inspiration: What Inspires You...? Music and Service to others.
For this post, I flashed back to a recent article I read in the NYTimes; Cindy Sherman Unmasked. It was about the photographer, Cindy Sherman, who loves to visit thrift shops for inspiration. I loved the piece because it was a reminder that inspirational moments occur for each of us in its own way. It is neither contrived nor controlled. We cannot dictate the terms of our inspirational trigger, nor can we possess it like an expensive toy to be whipped out when we want to impress our neighbors.
Inspiration comes and it goes, and the greater lesson is to be present to express it when the moment arrives…What inspires me? you? us? Our Children, Family, Directness, Reading, Creative Writing, Great conversation, Exquisite Food, Desire for Freedom, Pain, Friendships, Romance, Great Movies, Altruism…“There was hate and I felt compelled to replace it with love…” More Below
The heart and soul of blogging is the individual and/or the group of individuals opining on the fly and responding post-haste to one and all. Michael Conniff
On Blogging: Can We Talk?
Overview: It is hard to believe that we have come to the end of the road on the blogging challenge. It has been an exhilarating yet challenging year with tons of lessons learned. This post will answer the eleven questions posed to us earlier in the week, and then add a few reading links as tips in each section to help us enter 2012 with zeal and focus. In an effort to offer a comprehensive look back at the 2011 blogging challenge, I have divided the post into relevant sections. I hope you enjoy the insights shared here. Why did you start the Post a Day/Week Challenge? I started the challenge as a way to focus on blogging daily, connect with other bloggers, and to help myself stretch and grow as a writer. I also wanted to face the inner critic, work to deaden or perhaps embrace that negative voice, and then move past it. Describe the state of your blog at the time you started the challenge. It was not as focused. I blogged occasionally and wrote on a wide range of topics. I had decent traffic and a handful of blog friends who commented on my posts, but it wasn’t a cohesive endeavor. I used to spend a lot of time cultivating relationships on social media sites which helped with traffic but not with comments. That all changed with the daily post challenge which has helped this blog grow exponentially. More below Read – The Inner Critic:Why It Is Your Best Friend Writing in the Cold (Failed Writer #5)by Yuvi Zalkow Silencing the Voice That Says You’re a Fraud By Melinda Beck
“There are no magic wands, no hidden tricks, and no secret handshakes that can bring you immediate success, but with time, energy, and determination you can get there.” Darren Rowse
On Blogging: Can We Talk?
How did your blog evolve over the course of the challenge? The bigger challenge was, once I committed to write a daily post, deciding what to write about. We’ve all heard the line; Write What You Know… Of course it is easier said than done. Initially, I struggled with a number of topics that didn’t interest me, and even struggled with my version of Writer’s block: the blank slate at 11:45pm. But once I honed in on prompts and ideas that were in line with my positive sharing goal, and made the effort to start a post, the rest followed. I also developed the format I use now; quotes, pictures, content, questions, wrap up. This has helped me organize my thoughts. It evolved to where Writer’s block became less of a problem. And connecting and engaging with others helped a ton. Read – On Writing/Blogging: As Seth Godin suggests in his post, it is better to just write poorly than to not write at all. Daily Post: Seth’s Blog Talkers Block excerpted from Seth Godin’s – Talker’s Block Why then, is writer’s block endemic? Writer’s block isn’t hard to cure. Just write poorly.
Daily Post: Does Grammer Matter, Finding Worthy Topics
Jacqui of Worddreams.Wordpress offers Tips on Writing and Robert’s Rules of Writing: 101 Unconventional Lessons Every Writer Should Know by Robert Masello
Mirth & Motivation: Ten Reasons To Blog
“I believe the term “blog” means more than an online journal. I believe a blog is a conversation. People go to blogs to read AND write, not just consume.” Michael Arrington
On Blogging: Can We Talk?
Did you post as often as you had hoped? Why or why not? Yes, I posted every day and never missed a posting day. I even have memories of battling a nasty case of pneumonia as I struggled to add a coherent post or two to this blog. I know others who did the same thing so this is not unusual. Some posts were scheduled in advance, while others were written on the spot. As time went by, I realized I could submit a partial post and then complete it after the fact. Working with my blog plan and using the prompts that were offered through Daily Post and others made my blogging effort easier. I’ve listed some of my sources for prompts below. Each offered a nugget or two on a regular basis. Read – Help with Prompts: Daily Post, Daily Post Topics We Want -253 comments from us with tons of topics Plinky , Soul Pancake , MamaKat’s Writer’s Workshop Utter Randomonium has a list of many sites that offer prompts. I like HuffPost Creative Exercises
Steven Johnson – Where Good Ideas Come From
“Yes, blogging is entertainment. It is performance. Each blog post a show, sometimes an opera, sometimes a 30 second commercial. Like a show, it may start with a bang, lead you along from song to song, have a great climatic moment, then leave the audience wanting more.” Lorelle VanFossen
On Blogging: Can We Talk?
What type of blogging strategy works best for you? People utilize a variety of strategies to keep their blogs alive and fresh. Some of us post by email, cellphone, laptop, invite guest bloggers, conduct interviews, vlog, and even post on the run. We use the full range of multimedia tools available to us including re-blogging and vlogging. I blog from my laptop and have included photography and interviews on my blog. I plan to add other mediums next year. As per specific strategies, I’ve found that what works best for me, once I decide on a topic, is to formulate a relevant title and then gather all the other tools I need for the post; quotes, photos, videos,and such. Typically, I write directly to my blog or create a word document and then transfer the completed post. Once a post is up, I check it again for errors, omissions and typos. The editing phase is ongoing as I sometimes update a post with new information or a new photo. Read – Helpful Tools: Daily Post: Write Better Titles, 5 Easy Ways To Keep blogging,
WordPress: Get More traffic 12 pointers that include; commenting, linking, guest blogging, regular posting, paying for traffic and more.
Poynter.Org: 10 Questions To Help Write Better Headlines
“Some blogs have become the best check on monopoly mainstream journalism, and they provide a surprisingly frequent source of initiative reporting.” Harold Evans
On Blogging: Can We Talk?
If you could go back to the beginning, what would you do differently? Because blogging is such a public endeavor, we fail and succeed in front of many others on the internet. It can be a daunting task, yet, if we don’t meet our fear of failure head on and blog anyway, we’d never find out if we have the stomach and the love for writing. Staying engaged with our audience is critical to our survival and unless we spend time cultivating a range of relationships, we can lose a chunk of our audience. What I might have done differently is spend some extra time shoring up my social media relationships and maintaining my other blog. I didn’t give enough time to my Twitter, Facebook, SITS, Stumbleupon, BlogFarm, BlogFrog and LinkedIn friends and will have to do better. I could also give more to my WordPress friends. Nevertheless, I made many new and lasting blog friends on WordPress through the daily challenge and through the various search engines; that remains the best gift. Read – Audience:How to Understand and Keep Your Blog Audience by Danny Brown These tips will help define your blog’s target audience by Sherilynn Macale
WordPress: Tips On Better Blogging ♥♥♥Here’s Wishing All Of You Peace And Abundant Blessings In 2012! HAPPY NEW YEAR!♥♥♥ More on the Post a Day/Week Challenge: A look Back at 2011, Below!
