How do you prioritize between outside needs and internal inspiration?
Well, to start with, you need to get back to the basics of the word need.
For instance for the past three years, on top of my monetary and motherly contributions to my family, I felt I needed to blog 2-3 times a week, all for a possible audience of future books.
The one problem with that?
Every once in a while, you’ve just got to give a shout out to the people who are doing it right. The people who really get it, and just by being themselves, teach you something by osmosis.
These four bloggers have done that for me. Hats off to you all, and thank you.
And if you haven’t checked out their sites, may this inspire you to do so.
4 Life Lessons from My Favorite 4 Bloggers
Be honest, revel in what you love, and always be uniquely you. Years ago, Geraldine also gave me this sage advice, which stuck with me: let the blog [or insert other responsibility] be the means and not just an end to the means.
“Why don’t you blog about it?” That was a common joke between my husband and me, long before my friend Geraldine (a.k.a. The Everywhereist) encouraged me to embark on this endeavor.
I thought back then (and often still do), that many blogs take themselves too seriously. Let’s face it: blogging is not exemplary journalism, literary excellence, or even (for most of us) our profession.
So, why blog?
It’s a valid question, and certainly one I scrutinized before jumping in. But I have to admit, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results of this 1.5-year experiment, and that’s why I keep doing it.
If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s the point?”—or even considered trying it yourself—here are some benefits for three groups in particular.
And this would be The Everywhereist. Don’t let her fool you. She’s a smart cookie and a crazy-talented writer.
1. Writers
When was the last time you had regular, devoted time to write, when the topic was of your choosing, and you had an audience to hold you accountable? College maybe. Even then, I’m going to bet you wrote what you had to and not what you wanted to.
The writing practice alone is worth it. Writing talent is not something that “comes to you” like an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast. Continue reading
As my Facebook page so kindly keeps reminding me, it’s Sue’s birthday today. Trust me: I know.
Not coincidentally, I started this blog one year ago in her honor.
Lately, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do with it going forward—and what you want from it. I wrote lists. I even drew a grid. Despite my marketing expertise, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but … it didn’t help.
As you’ve probably discerned by now, I’m all over the place. I’m not a one-dimensional entity. Neither was Sue. Neither are you. Marketing has led me to believe that’s a problem, but I’m having a problem seeing it as a problem. Is that a problem?
All of us nurture, create, befriend, explore, play, achieve, inspire, remember, share, defy, and follow our bliss, in no particular order. This blog honors all those pursuits (and more) that I shared with Sue … and presumably share with you. It’s a devotion born of grief, awakened by the question that has haunted me in the wake of that grief:
I’ve only been doing this “blog thing” for a couple of months now, but I continue to be confused and amused by the odd spam comments I receive. And I figure, why keep all of that quality entertainment to myself?
