It’s a nice thought to imagine that one day a creative urge will hit you and you’ll finally write that novel you’ve thought about writing for years. But it doesn’t work that way. Maybe you think, “I’ll start being creative when I retire,” but here’s the thing: it takes a lot of practice to be […]
Archives for August 2011
Two Weeks without Social Media
Two weeks into my 50-day social media break, I no longer find myself going to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ out of reflex. It took two weeks, but it’s gone now. And in its place, there’s a sense of peace between my writing time and time spent online again. It’s nice checking email in the morning […]
Shameless Plug
I’ve been told by some people–including readers of The Juggling Writer–that I should let people know what I’m doing and have out there a little more often. So…while I typically don’t say, “Hey, this is what I have out there to buy, listen to, or sign up for,” today I’m saying, “Hey, this is what […]
The Web’s Effect on Writing
Yesterday, I read this article on Lifehacker about how surfing the Web at work can make people more productive. I wasn’t surprised to hear this. While I work at a desk with a great view of a lake and have everything I need to do my job as a technical writer, aspects of my job […]
A Week without Social Media
A week ago, I decided to give up social media for 50 days. A few days ago, I read an article about a writer talking about how he lived without Facebook and Twitter for 2 weeks. (The thing that hit me was how he mentioned “Lived…without”–Implying that social media has become something vital to our […]
Wading through by Writing
It was “official” Wednesday afternoon: the project I’ve been working on at my day job since May finally wrapped up. I’m lucky–I have a day job that normally requires no overtime. I work with cool people and get to work from home half the time. I write enough procedures that I’m always busy, but rarely […]
A Writer’s Environment
Does a writer’s environment matter? If a writer needs certain conditions in order to write, are they setting themselves up for failure? Should a writer be able to write anyplace at anytime? Reading a blog entry called “The Where of Writing” on Paul Lamb’s Lucky Rabbit’s Foot got me thinking about something that’s never too […]
Kicking the Social Media Habit
I never tried a cigarette, but I have friends and family who smoked. When they quit, they all mentioned how much of a habit reaching for a cigarette was. Just BOOM! they reached out for something that was no longer there. I mentioned yesterday that I’m taking a 50-day break from social media. Sunday night […]
The 50 Day Social Media Break
When I read Monica Valentinelli’s Hunting Down the Value of Social Media entry and the followup: The Results of My 100 Day Social Media Blackout, I wondered if I could go without Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ for even a month. I’ve fasted and taken other challenges in my time, but as hard as some of […]
Hell Comes with Wood Paneled Doors Review
A big thank you to CMStewart for her review of Hell Comes with Wood Paneled Doors. It’s interesting seeing what people like about the story. So far, most people have thanked me for reminding them how much fun they used to have on road trips. CMStewart honed in on a couple other aspects of the […]
What to Do When You Find the Time
On Monday, I posted an entry about how to make time. People really seemed to like it. I received email from somebody asking what to do with that time when you reclaim it. I thought it was weird. Last night, though, a friend posted on Facebook that he was checking work email. Since I’m working […]
Monday Motivation: How to Find Time
The first cliche I probably ever heard someone say was “Time is money.” It’s been my experience that the people who say the catch phrase the most usually don’t have much time or money. (But if stress were currency, they’d be some of the richest people I know.) Since childhood, I’ve liked listening to older […]