blogging
My RSS feed saves me hours a day, delivering news to me instead of requiring me to go find it. I am surprised more people don’t use a RSS feed reader. Personally, I use Google Reader but I have tried others as well.
Besides offering my own blogs on an RSS feed (look for the orange chicklet) , I thought I would share some of my favorites feeds.
An amazing up and coming Christian writer, Wendy Paine Miller writes an informative and thoughtful blog. I had the luck of being her next door neighbor for a few years. I expect big things from her very soon.
Agent Kristin Nelson reps one of my favorite authors, Jaime Ford. I have been following her agent blog for several months. I enjoy her musical tastes, her humor and her pertinent advice.
Rachelle Gardner (pictured)
Every aspiring writer should read every one of Rachelle’s blog posts–past, present and future. A wealth of information and practical advice.
I’ve been following Dawn Meehan’s blog since she sold a pack of Pokemon cards on eBay and blew up the internets. She earned a two book contract out of it and writes near daily blog posts about raising six kids as a single mother. Every post is a laugh riot.
This lovely blog offers up all sorts of clever craft and home decor projects. It compiles them from several other crafting blogs, offering a wide variety of topics.
This is my go-to recipe site. They offer some amazing and easy recipes, with drool inducing photos. Check out their archives for a little bit of everything.
All marketing professionals read and revere Seth Godin. His advice is spot on for anyone who sells anything–books, services, a product or even how to brand yourself.
Joshilyn Jackson is one of the first authors I stalked. I have since expanded my reach and I current stalk a handful of favorites. But she still writes one of the best blogs–snarky and poignant, it is nutty with whipped cream on top.
One of my recent stalkees, I have been following Jon Acuff for awhile now. His satire blog on Christians is also snarky and poignant but never mean-spirited. He is also a prolific author and I look forward to assigning more of his writings to my book club.
My critique partner and good friend, Jeanne, writes this laugh out loud funny blog on aging and the strange things that occurs in her life.
One of my new esteemed writers, Jamie is a missionary living in Costa Rica. She claims she is very bad at it but I think she is just being honest. I get excited when her RSS feed is bolded–indicating that she has a new post.
If ever you are feeling downtrodden and like you have too much to bear, I encourage you to go read my friend Chad’s blog in chronological order. He and his wife Sara started the blog when they discovered they were expecting their first child. On February 6, 2011, Sara died in a terrible car accident and baby Miranda followed her momma only a few days later.
Chad is eloquent yet honest in his grief. Do not read his posts without a box of Kleenex nearby.
If you still don’t quite understand how an RSS feed works, I have attached a clever video below.
What RSS feeds do you recommend?
blogging
A short list of things I am afraid of (in no particular order):
- Stair steps
- The dark
- Car accidents
- Scorpions
- Heights
- Under the bed
- Being abandoned
- Success
- Ridicule
- Half closed doors
- Conflict
- Ice and snow
- Guilt
- Pain
- Anesthesia
- Fame
- Fire
- Cancer
- Alzheimers
- Hell
- Forgetting
- Remembering
Reading this list, you’d think I lived in a fireproof Ranch with no doors and extra fire extinguishers and high powered lamps.
But other than few extreme phobias, I live a relatively sedate life–even without the help of pharmaceuticals.
Some fears are irrational and some can be traced back to a real events. I had a scorpion infestation in my house in Atlanta. Therefore, I don’t care to cohabitate again.
I have been in seven car accidents–many on ice and snow (but never while I was driving. I have always been the passenger.)
I have been known to drug myself with Tylenol PM on New Year’s Day so my husband can drive us home from Michigan without my corresponding anxiety attack.
I didn’t used to be afraid of heights until I had children. But I don’t know why.
The funny thing about fear is that it can’t be rationalized away. I know I shouldn’t be afraid of silly things like half closed doors or guilt trips. But as I walk near the railing, where I can see down over the edge, my knees get weak and I can’t step closer.
Fear results in worry. I used to live in a Ranch house (complete with scorpions) but since moving into a two story house (with stairs), I go to bed every night mentally rehearsing how to get my family out of the house if it caught fire. Today is the 6th anniversary since our move to Ohio, which means I have worried about this for nearly six years now–every night.
But at least there are no scorpions in Ohio.
What is the craziest thing you are afraid of?
Tomorrow’s post is on Gifts.
blogging
I have been hesitant to commit to regular blogging because of one word.
Answers.
Since I have no handy capsules of educated advice to dispense, I feel unqualified to blog. I have no expertise on a singular topic. I don’t even have an opinion on several topics. I am woefully inadequate on the share answers and advice on the world’s problems.
And as an aspiring author, I often live in a world where I create more problems than I solve. In order to solve a particularly knotty plot problem, I can just modify my character’s background or their arsenal of solutions.
I have yet to succeed at solving the real life problems I have in my life and in the lives of others.
Becoming a Tour Guide
I am not qualified to sit behind the information desk. But I can take you on the tour and smell the flowers with you.
I might not know the name of the cross street or the nearest landmark. But I am happy to marvel at the scenery with you. I forget the dates and times of the next show. But I’ll walk you there and we can talk along the way.
In truth, I am an expert at nothing. But I dabble in much.
I know very little. But I desire to learn much.
And I need advice more than I can give it.
But I can offer no answers. I barely understand the questions. I can only offer my view from my road, pointing out landmarks you might have seen. Or ones I suggest you avoid–speaking from personal experience.
Is it answers are you are looking for?
Then the information desk is over there. They know the answer to everything. But I am taking out a tour in just a few minutes. You are welcome to join us. The more the merrier.
Tomorrow: B is for Back Story
blogging
I have joined the A to Z Blogging Challenge which starts tomorrow. Since National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) works so well for me, perhaps this will as well. To start off, I have completed this A to Z meme. Tomorrow’s blog post is ready and waiting but with a houseful of company, Saturday is already an issue.
A to Z About Me
A. Age: 38 until mid May.
B. Bed size: King. My favorite times are when all four of us are lying in bed, cuddled up in a ball.
C. Chore you dislike: I hate unloading the dishwasher, hauling laundry up and down three flights of stairs, and cleaning bathrooms.
D. Dogs: I am not a dog person. They are cute in photos but I’d rather not be in the presence of one.
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee in copious amounts.
F. Favorite color: Brown–weird, I know. I love warm coffee tones, cappuccino creams and dark chocolate brown.
G. Gold or silver: Both but after working in the jewelry business for so long, I prefer costume or handmade jewelry.
H. Height: 5 foot 5 inches. But I feel so much taller and gawkier. I was 5′ 5″ by age 10, towering over everyone, so I am still convinced I am too tall.
I. Instruments you play(ed): Trombone and French horn.
J. Job title: Copywriter by day, fiction writer by night.
K. Kids: Two.
L. Live: In Springboro, Ohio currently–a suburb between Dayton and Cincinnati. But I have also lived in Winston-Salem, NC; Stone Mountain, GA; Decatur, GA; Indianapolis, IN; Lafayette, IN: Marshall, MI; Spring Arbor, MI; and Union City, MI.
M. Mom’s name: Linda. But I call her Mom.
N. Nicknames: Nicki, Darlin’, Nik, Snickers, and N@
O. Overnight hospital stays: Two births but Spencer’s birth barely counts. I checked myself out after 11 hours.
P. Pet peeves: Tardiness and drama.
Q. Quote from a movie: “Darling, I don’t know how to tell you this, but… there’s a Chinese family in our bathroom.”
R. Righty or lefty: Righty.
S. Siblings: Two sisters and a brother. Countless steps and ex-steps.
T. Time you wake up: 6:30 a.m. almost always.
U. Underwear: Yes.
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Hominy makes me gag.
W.What makes you run late: 9 out of 10 times, my children. But they are usually good.
X. X-rays you’ve had: Oh good grief…broken toes, teeth, busted shoulder, broken tailbone, and ankle. Can you say klutz?
Y. Yummy food you make: I am a good cook by general consensus. I make a wicked turtle cheesecake, chicken and black bean quesadillas, Scotch eggs, tart cherry and cream cheese roll and homemade salted caramels.
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Bears, I suppose.
Check back tomorrow for the first post in the A to Z Blogging Challenge.