Today’s true tale addresses the question: When do bloggers go on vacation? This is a great question, and one I attempted to answer one day, after having six posts scheduled, which is like having three weeks off, I suppose, considering I post twice a week.
I’ll admit that I started writing this post a while ago. I didn’t finish it until a couple of days ago, though. Read More
THIS IS A ‘TRUE TALES TUESDAYS’ POST
Most of this post was intended to be a guest post on The Gift Of Writing, but Claire didn’t think it fit her audience well, so I revised it and am sharing it with you since it is a true account of my views and experiences and also fits quite nicely with my True Tales Tuesdays posts! Besides, it was already written, and I didn’t want it to sit, unread, on my computer when it was meant to be read by others! 😉 Although it mentions a few personal things, it also speaks of a tragic event I endured – being raped.
I was raped when I was a virgin, two months before I turned 15. It took me years to deal with this, since I was devastated and didn’t speak about it for years. When I finally sought counselling, I learned several coping strategies. Writing was one of them.
I have always found writing to be therapeutic. Whenever I have to make a major decision, I make a pros/cons list and weigh my options. If my emotions are running rampant, or my thoughts are turbulent, I write out what I’m feeling and thinking. I get an indescribable sense of satisfaction from the mere act of taking pen to paper – even though we live in a technological era where computers and word processors are so much easier to use, especially in the editing process. Read More
When I first got a laptop in January 2013, I never imagined that I would be where I am today, doing the things I am doing.
The online community may reach worldwide, but the internet brings us closer. The technological advances that have been made while I was raising my son, going to school, and teaching are simply astounding. They boggle my mind.
In addition to trying to put together an ebook of short stories, I started writing a book about my life. I have a timeline created, and a few chapters written. My short stories are currently being re-worked, as I needed to make some improvements (according to the people I chose to be my “beta readers”).
In my quest for learning how to do new things, I’ve also been trying to learn how to create infographics.
As you can see from my personal “infographic”, I’ve met a lot of great people online.
The famous Carol Tice is one of the people I have met. I have been reading her blog, Make A Living Writing, for many months. A few weeks ago, she was asking for guest posts. She is one of the many bloggers who pay for guest posts, too, so I was excited to see this – it was a great opportunity for me! Normally she only invites people who have taken Jon Morrow’s class OR are members of her “Freelance Writers Den.” Since I fall into neither of these groups, I never thought that I’d have the opportunity to guest post for her. However, when she decided to “break her own rule” and seek guest posts from (almost) “anyone,” I decided to give it a shot.
I thought I had a pretty good chance at being accepted since I have actually crossed paths with her on a few occasions. I also comment on her blog on occasion (when I have something noteworthy to say). I’ve entered two of my posts into her linky contests, too. (The last one was during this one, in early September. I placed 23rd out of 46 entries. Since the post I entered had nothing to do with freelancing, I’m surprised I was not last!)
Anyway, when I submitted an email to Carol Tice with my idea for a guest post, it was rejected. I wasn’t very surprised; it was not the greatest of ideas. (I can see that now!) Not letting this rejection get me down, I decided to persevere. I then spent an evening thinking of three more ideas – better ones! – to pitch to her. I was thrilled when she accepted one of them. Oddly enough, it was not the one that I thought she would select.
However, I wrote the post she requested, but not well enough to meet her standards. I had to re-write the opening paragraph, and alter things a bit. I wanted it to be perfect. When I thought it was, I sent my re-write to her. A week later, I was told that she sent it to her editor. YAY!
I have guest posted on other sites before (look at my Services page) but never for pay! Since I will be paid upon publication, I haven’t made any money yet…but I’m told that it will happen within the next few months. (She schedules her posts months ahead of time.)
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to being “featured” on her site! I’ll be sure to keep you informed of my post’s publication date, too.
To wrap things up for now, let me say that I love learning. There are so many other things that I have learned during my time online. Some of them are outlined in my post “21 Things I Learned From My 21 Days In The Scavenger Hunt”. I am adding to my list weekly, and am loving my journey.
But, enough about me…
I want to know more about YOU.
What are some of YOUR online accomplishments? Share in the comments, please!
I was feeling some pressure about what to write about for my next blog post, and I didn’t like this feeling. It wasn’t writer’s block, exactly, since I wasn’t stuck for a topic to write about (I can write about almost anything!) but I felt like I needed to brainstorm some new ideas. So what I did was this:
I took out my markers and sketchpad and wrote the main topic of my blog in the middle: ME.
Then, because I like colourful things, I began listing different topics all around my main topic.
I added a few lines, a few “clouds” to highlight each category, and this emerged:
I added a few things…
I had used almost all of the colours by this point, and so I decided to use one more colour to add four more topics at the bottom. Then I thought about what I had already written about, and added them to my mind map. The ideas were really flowing by this point!
Once I filled the page, I stopped. This is what my page looked like when I was finished with it: Read More
Here’s a totally relevant song to listen to while you read this post:
I have been doing some wondering lately. I’ve been wondering if I should write posts more often, or less often, or if I should write whenever I want. Now that people are actually reading my writing, I’m at a different place in my mind than I was when I first began this blog. At that time, I didn’t think anyone would really be interested in what I have to say (my depression at work). Now, I am a blogger, and people are reading and sharing some of my writing! (I love you for doing this, by the way!) I’ve also been wondering if I should do another survey. I got some very good feedback the last time I did one.
To prove that I’ve actually taken a look at the results, and have learned that the majority of you want to hear the honest-to-goodness truth about some of the things I go through, this post is one that will let you in on some of the behind-the-scenes thoughts and actions of my mind, my experiences, and my life. Read More
