I will be re-spinning a lot of previously published posts from time to time for those who have not already noticed. I have a lot of new readers and I just want to take the time to rotate some material. Plus, my one year Blogiversary (nope, that’s not a word) is next month so I’m kind of celebrating and at the same time thinking about what I want to do next with this blog. I’m not telling you exactly when Year One is though, that will ruin the surprise :).
Tag: blogging
Patience
Whether were talking about blogging or life in general, we have got to start being more patient with one another. As soon as we see something different, be it a viewpoint or belief system, so many of us are ready to throw in the towel. The concept, however, of networking is to learn from each other, and to build while gaining insight along the way because the fact of the matter is that we don’t know everything; which means that everyone you meet will always have something new to teach you. Their eyes have seen what yours have not and their strengths may in fact include what you are still striving to obtain for yourself and vice verse. We can’t be in such a hurry to condemn and to judge someone’s actions because we can’t see how it is relatable to our lives at this very moment. The most cowardly thing I’ve seen online, for instance, is when one blogger chooses to disagree with another person’s blog but instead of approach the person directly, to this person’s dismay, they have to read about it in that person’s post and then guess whether or not they’re the person being spoken about. If this sounds confusing and juvenile that’s because it is. I see this many times on Facebook and sadly it has not escaped the blogosphere but is something people seem to do often on social media. Not that this has happened to me personally, I’m just using this as an example. It is never good to assume and always worth it to ask questions. Nothing anyone says or does is always about you personally. You see, patience is everything and covers many different angles. So it’s easy to miss something if we can’t control our emotions and are quick to fly off the handle. Did you really think no one on the internet would ever disagree with you? Ever? I allow varying viewpoints on my blog because that’s the real world. As much as we would like to make our blogs our own little world in the corner of a room it doesn’t work like that. It’s not going to always be lollypops and rainbows, but sometimes there will be a little thunder. Reaching people is not just about sitting around the table talking to people who already believe exactly as you do because it’s no growth in that. For this reason, I allow people to have disagreements here because it’s that way in life. Being flexible doesn’t mean to give up what you believe in, it just means to understand how to navigate the world around you. Leaders are born from patience.
Blogger Support: Fact or Fiction?
That one follower who likes every one of your posts no matter what it is. Ever wonder if it’s real? Yea, me too.
No, I don’t believe in fake followers. I believe every subscriber is flesh and blood, despite their reasoning for doing so. I do, on occasion, wonder: when you like a post, do you click that button because you really like or agree with the content? Or is it just to show your support for the blog you just followed? And if it’s to show support, do you think it helps or hinders the blog? I mean, you can tell if someone is truly engaged or if it’s just a routine type deal so I’m just wondering. I suppose you can call this a random Sunday thought. (Hey, I like that) Do you engage blogs you follow because you are interested in the perspective or just to give the illusion that you are since you followed them? Personally, since starting this blog I’ve come to enjoy interacting with other blogs. It fulfills my need to be of service and it also helps my own blog because people generally tend to give back, not that I support for this reason at all, it’s just one of the perks to blogging. As they say, “to get support you have to give it” If the people aren’t coming to you, you have to go to the people. But I only like posts I really like or find useful in some way so I’m just wondering. What kind of blog support do you engage in? And which in your opinion is more effective? Are you a silent supporter? That is, you shake your head in approval and shout your, “That’s rights!” into the screen with no intent of seeing your words in print. No matter your method, are you sincere in your support? Is it fact or fiction?
Yours, Not Mine
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham: your boasted liberty, an unholy license: your national greatness, swelling vanity. Your sound of rejoicing is empty and heartless. Your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impedance; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery. Your prayers and hymns, sermons, and thanksgiving, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, more bombast, fraud, deception, and hypocrisy–a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.” – Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852
Courage
I know that it is never easy
to wear scarlet letters on your skin
to take history
and C-section her calendars
for the stories
that didn’t make it
until you find the authenticity
of truth
like consciousness
beautiful
but delicate
see through
and cutting
like shattering glass
piercing the spirit
and slicing through flesh and bone
so no one looks at the news the same
but for those of you
who have cherished her summers
kissed her springs
embraced the coldest winters ever
and dared to wear her degradation
on your lips
for your courage to find the other pieces
of her
the parts society is too fearful
of hearing
she bathes in your smile
because you loved her, truth
saw her delicate
and fragile
torn between the additions
and subtractions
that multiplied her sorrows
until her parts were divided
ripping her reality from the pages of scripture
like confused tongues
and babblings
snatching her away
from the breast of wisdom
like coal painted faces
minstrel shows
whitewashed genesis
cream-colored pharaohs
but she is not interested
that you feel sorry for her
history
she needs not of your pride
not of your bonafie hustlers
in prophet suits
not of your street corners
not of your liquor stores
not even of your religion
for her stone coated roses are too heavy
to place upon your caskets
for even in death
you have honored yourself
above her
truth
needs not of your chocolate bars
for history is tired of eating
she is sick
to the brim
with prophecies
and worries
and concerns
and birth pains
over those who wear her burden
like the colors of their skins
but she is thankful
that they have chosen to rather be humiliated
than to deny her
and this poem
is for all
their bravery.
Your Private Literature
“Every man’s memory is his private literature.” ~Aldous Huxley
The Hobbyist Writer & Understanding Goals
“Do you consider writing to be a Hobby alone? Or do you intend to build a business around it”
This is a question I often ask people who approach me with the idea of writing and self-publishing a book. Mostly young people who are new to the industry and do not have a lot of information about how to go about the Self-Publishing process. So I thought I’d write about it here since I was recently approached by a young woman who’s writing her first novel (yayy her!). The core of the question is this: What goals do you have for this book? Is it the first of many or something you just want to try and see where it takes you? Do you plan to become an author with websites and blogs and networks or is this just something you want to put out to see your name in print? Do you plan to publish Traditionally or Self-Publish?
It benefits to weigh the pros and cons of self-publishing and traditional publishing. Even though I’m a Self-Publisher, by looking into TP (the unofficial abbreviation for Traditional Publishing), I’ve learned a lot in my career. I’ve learned how to be better organized for example. I have always said myself: “if you don’t think you can put in the work necessary for self-publishing, it may be a good idea not to.” But I have learned too that everyone does not have this option, though they have this option. For most people, the option to publish traditionally flies out the window at the thought that it will never happen because it’s based on the approval of someone outside of themselves and it is therefore no guarantee. But as a result, they blindly plunge into this ever growing sea of books and fall into the category of a Hobbyist Writer.
What is a Hobbyist Writer? Something I made up. But, more specifically, a Hobbyist Writer is someone who’s infatuated with the idea of publishing. There is no specific goal or reasoning behind publishing the book except to see what it’s like to hold its preciousness between your fingers and bask in the awe of what you’ve done. The internet has made it easy to publish almost anything. Thus, there are waves of new authors out there who write specifically to publish their work and to see it in print. I think this is great. On the other hand, if you plan to get more serious and organized, to simply write books and publish them without vision, or direction does nothing for your writing career. So know what you want and the requirements to obtain it. Writing a book doesn’t have to mean you want to publish it and publishing a book doesn’t mean you want to sell it. Thanks to today’s technology, we have these options. You can sell a book or you can just give it away for free. So I would definitely say to clearly define your goals before stepping out. A goal is a desired result that a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve and in my opinion does tend to change over time.
Personally, I publish often, at least once a year (with the exception of this year, where I plan to publish three books as part of a short story series) because I like writing and I think the best way to polish any skill is to do it often. And I do hope that the more I engage in the process, the better at it I’ll become and the more people I’ll reach. What I enjoy most is that with each book I learn something new, and I am able to add that to my stored chamber of experience. Though I write a lot, I do not consider myself a Hobbyist Writer because the desired result, the end game if you will, is to build something greater than a sea of published books. There’s a lot I want to do eventually that go beyond writing my own books. At the same time, I like to keep everything organized and this is when the business me kicks in. I believe that everything you do, whether you get paid or not, should be done with some level of professionalism. So if you’re going to write a book, it should have some level of significance even if it’s just a hobby. If nothing else, I have learned that if you don’t place value on your work, no one will. And that’s why established and clearly set goals are important; it adds value to the work. Whether that work comprises something you just want to try or something you want to build on.
The PBS Blog 