Has it really been over a year since I’ve posted a 5TF? Well, duh. Obviously so. I guess that’s what happens when This Girl gets busy and doesn’t blog like she used to.
But I’m also guessing you’ve noticed the uptick in posts this week, yes? If you haven’t, I forgive you. Just hit the “previous posts” button at the top of the page to review what you’ve missed. And stay turned for more. There’s posts already scheduled for the next few days.
Well that’s neither here nor there. Whether I did or didn’t submit posts that you did or didn’t read, let’s move on, shall we?
Speaking of moving . . . Okay, not moving in the permanent, relocation sense, but moving in the literal, body in motion sense . . . Which makes me think of movement. Which makes me think of transportation. Which makes me think of flying. Which reminds me that tomorrow I’ll be flying. Which brings me to my topic for today’s 5TF. See? My own little string theory right there, folks. Glad you were a part of it.
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Five Things Friday: Travel Essentials
Remember last year’s adventures? Remember my beautiful new carry-on suitcase? [You can read about it here: Oh, The Places You’ll Go!]
So, I’m not a seasoned traveler. Yet. I’ve never flown out of the country, or visited terribly big cities more than once or twice in my life. But don’t count me out! I know a thing or two about packing essentials. Especially after the fiasco which was my first flight to Blue Ridge. [Read: And They Say Getting There is Half the Fun . . . ] Hey. Tomorrow’s flight is to Blue Ridge. Huh. You think history could repeat itself? Say a prayer that it doesn’t. Please. A small prayer.
Even the day-trips of the last few years have taught me how to move smart. And now I get to share my experiential wisdom with you. Aren’t y’all a lucky bunch of peacocks? Here’s my list of those don’t-let-’em-out-of-your-sight items you need to keep with you on any trip. [Editor’s Note: the writer assumes your wallet/ID/cell phone are material extensions of your existence, and thus do not recall a separate shout-out for the purposes of this post.]
Ready? Here we go:
Cash. No duh, you say. But I’m not saying “Cash, or cash equivalent.” I like to live with my ATM card. All my transactions, right there, for tax and recording purposes. But there are some places that either don’t take cash (a roadside Farmers Market stand with tantalizing fresh fruits and vegetables) or charge a ridiculous processing fee for using an ATM. Gas station kiosks charge a fee, your bank charges you a fee. Pretty soon you’re out more than five bucks for a one-dollar soda. Carry the cash, in spendable increments.
Beverages. Depending on your mode of transportation, you may need to purchase this after you head out (See No. 1 above). Some services offer free drinks, but some charge. If you’re driving, keeping extra bottles of water and a thermos of coffee in the vehicle. The last thing you want is dry mouth after Doritos and hummus.
Professional essentials. This is the equivalent of a businessman’s briefcase. If you’re a writer, you’ll need either a notepad and pen or a laptop/tablet. If you’re a photographer, camera and lenses. Don’t pack your entire office. Just what you need to get the job done while you’re en route.
Power cords. Don’t laugh. I’ve known a person or two who brought their electronics, but no way to charge them. Even packing them deep in the carry-on luggage isn’t the way to go. Keep the cords in easy access in your laptop bag or at the top of your suitcase. No digging, no draining.
A sweet attitude. Oh, don’t you smirk [did you think I couldn’t tell?]. Let’s be real, traveling isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. There’s squishy strangers, unkempt surroundings, and the occasional “Oops, we should have turned left about thirty-two miles ago” moments. A travel itinerary is a basic plan, but have you ever noticed it’s never delivered on a stone tablet? Go figure. Read the fine print: I guess that means it’s subject to change. Once in a while, you just have to suck it up and change with the changes. It doesn’t happen too often. Count it as an adventure, not a job.
I really, really want to dance in a fountain with my girls. Y’all know what I’m talking about: The opening credits to that wonderful, iconic TV show FRIENDS. Three guys, three girls. Dancing, playing, having fun.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Dance in the Fountain
Some weeks ago I was enjoying conversation with my Mississippi bestie, whom we’ll call SuperGirl, and my Georgia bestie, whom we’ll call Paige. Yes, that Paige, of Paige’s Plantation Part One.
In the course of conversation, guided heavily by our love for all things coincidental and identifiable, I happened to mention my current binging of FRIENDS on Netflix. In particular, after choosing to #EmbraceTheCrazy, I celebrate my affinity for Phoebe and her near-Bohemian/Gypsy character. Okay, maybe those aren’t exactly demonstrative of her character. But, you know. Whatever.
So, we haven’t known each other as long as, uhm, they have. You know, the original FRIENDS. But we do know each other as well, and that’s gotta count for something, right?
So here’s the fun part. This year at Blue Ridge is the first time we will all three be together. #truestory! SuperGirl and I met two years ago before Paige attended. Paige and I met last year when SuperGirl couldn’t attend. And this year, hello! The cosmos smiled and here we are. All three. Together. Smashing, isn’t it?!
It’s been a little unsettling for some of us who are the introverts of the group (I won’t say who, but, uhm, not me), who are nervous about meeting the other one they haven’t met. Oops. Did I just give it away? My bad.
So, anyway. In less than a week we’re hanging at Blue Ridge, learning to be better writers, and we even have our daily coffee hang out: Clouds! How perfect is this ~ our own version of Central Perk!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : FRIENDS and coffee.
But back to the dancing thing, because this is about all of us, not just me. We also have a motto. Or is it a mantra? Whatever. It’s in three parts. Which is kinda neat, cuz there’s three of us. So, it’s Deal with it. Let it go. Dance it out. I bet you can’t guess which part is mine.
Oh, and you want to hear the best part? They totally identify with Monica and Rachel, too! SuperGirl thought she could hide it, but please. Everyone knows she’s a neat freak and loves to cook. She’s so obviously Monica. And Paige? Paige is the one getting ready for a major life move. She’s so Rachel. Could I be any more right?
And me? Well, I’m still Phoebe. In fact, I’m now Penny-Lily-Scarlett-Phoebe. I’m pretty sure you can figure out the Penny and Scarlett, but Lily will have to wait for another time.
Call me any of the above. I’ll answer. Just don’t call me Smelly Cat.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : New FRIENDS
So, okay. Now it’s your turn: Which FRIENDS character are you most like?
With an intimate group and a great coffee hang out,
~Molly Jo
If there can be a positive legacy of war, spring floral colours are a good one.
At the end of the Second World War, the Netherlands were liberated by Canadian forces. During the war, the Dutch Crown Princess Juliana had found refuge in Ottawa with her daughters, one of whom was born here. As thanks, the Dutch royal family sent tulip bulbs to Canada, a tradition they have kept up ever since. In the years that followed, those bulbs, and more being bought by the federal government, were planted in various spots in the city. By 1953, the idea of a formal tulip festival was proposed and initiated by the Canadian landscape photographer Malak Karsh, a local photographer who had been enjoying capturing the tulips as they bloomed each May. If his name sounds familiar, it should- Malak was the brother of the famed Ottawa portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh, and the two brothers pursued their common love of photography with different subjects.
The festival has carried on ever since, evolving over time, but always centered on the tulip displays. Beds of tulip bulbs are planted in the fall in parkland both in Ottawa and Gatineau, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. By late April the tulips are showing themselves, just in time for blooming in May. The festival takes place over a few days, ending on the Victoria Day weekend, and each year, weather plays a factor in the peak time of the bloom. Some years it’s early, some years it’s later. This year, as of this writing, I suspect the last weekend will be a good one for visitors.
And it brings in the visitors. Locals and tourists come to the parks and flower beds where the tulips are in their full glory. Photographers are to be found everywhere with cameras taking pictures. Some of the flower beds are arranged with patio stones leading into the middle of them, with posing for pictures specifically in mind. Weekends tend to be when it’s busiest around the tulips, so for a local like me, it’s easier to photograph during the middle of the week on a sunny afternoon.
There are numerous locations. The Rideau Canal has numerous flower beds along its length in the downtown core, filled with tulips. Where the Canal widens into Dow’s Lake, the largest number of tulips for any one location can be found- Commissioner’s Park, a spot that’s ideal for a pleasant walk, with a rich variety of bulbs and colours providing a feast for the eye.
There are other locations- Major’s Hill Park is a particularly splendid spot, with its grand views of the city skyline and multiple tulip beds. The national museums have tulip beds close by, as well as a quiet spot most people don’t know about, the Garden Of The Provinces, which lies at the western edge of the downtown core. Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau, Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor-General, and the Mackenzie King Estate in the Gatineau Hills are other ideal locations for tulips. And there are the tulips on Parliament Hill itself. They fill the flower beds out in front of Centre Block, providing a visual delight to visitors to our seat of government. Of course that doesn’t even take into account the countless tulips planted in private gardens across the city by residents.
But one of my favourite spots for the tulips is over on the Gatineau side of the river. On the grounds of the Canadian Museum of History, overlooking the river, with a great view of Parliament Hill, one will always find a bed of tulips planted and looking colourful in May. The bed is named for Malak himself, and it is a fitting place to pay tribute to the founder. He once took a photograph from this spot, a photograph of floating lumber and a boat or two managing the log drive on the river, with Parliament Hill as its backdrop. That very image was on our Canadian dollar bill for many years- with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth on the other side, an image taken from an official portrait of her done by his brother Yousuf. It’s a delightful spot to come to when the tulips are in bloom- the vivid flowers, the mighty river, and two cities and a grand landscape around you.
I’m lucky to live here. Throughout the period when the tulips are in bloom, I can go see them at my leisure. Visitors from out of town come by the legions to see them, to photograph them (becoming what I call the tulip paparazzi), and to delight in the multitude of colours. It’s a wonderful tradition that serves to be a great treat in the national capital.
Pink Tulips by William Kendall, Photoblogger
White and Red Tulips by William Kendall, Photoblogger
Some time ago, in a galaxy we still live in, This Girl was fighting a war. A war of discouragement and unconscious undermining from those around her.
“Oh, you want to be a writer? Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” “What’s that, you say? You’ve sold a cookbook? Aw, bless your heart.” “Gee, that’s a tough gig. What are you going to do for a living?”
This Girl had to make a decision. Either go along with the facade of presenting herself as society says she should ~ quiet, structured, always responsible, living day to day routinely and repetitively ~ or rise against those who fought to stifle the Muse, the ones who called her “crazy.”
She was afraid of her inner self. The self that didn’t fit it, and didn’t want to conform. The self that has known she was born to be *gasp* a Creative. Her Creative Self fought to emerge, but her Responsible Self wouldn’t let it. She was afraid The Others would be proven right. She equated creative with crazy. Oh sure, she’s let the Creative Self see daylight once in a while. Maybe feed it bread crumbs or cupcakes with sprinkles. But once the thing named “Normal” called, she had to lock up the Creative Self. She’s hear it singing through the closed door. Sometimes it would whisper through the keyhole. Sometimes it was silent. But no matter how quiet it was, she still knew it was there.
One day, she gave herself permission to open the door. Just a little. Just a crack. She wanted to give her Creative Self a breath of air. But what happened was the reverse. She found her Creative Self breathing air into her stale, dank soul. Inhaling deeper and deeper, she let it refresh her in a way she’d not known before. What she had thought was the sun was just fluorescent lighting. It was her Creative Self that led her to the real light ~ the deep, penetrating, shield-your-eyes-so-can-see-everything light.
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Let your Creative Self shine.
Her Creative Self would tell her things others didn’t know. It influenced her style of dress, manner of speaking, behaviors, and, yes, her thoughts. It structured her schedule and gave her permission to let loose.
But others didn’t see it. Others saw the square peg sticking out of the triangle hole. Sure a corner would fit now and then. But never the whole part. Never the part that was bigger than the hole.
She tried following those who followed the followers who followed the followers who followed the leaders. And when she would break into occasional song and dance, sometimes they hushed her. So she kept most of it inside.
The struggle is real, folks. The struggle is so real. Imagine knowing something about yourself ~ and I mean, knowing, okay? Not the “Gee, I would like to . . .” or the “Hey, I could . . .” but the “This is what I was made for. This is what I am!” knowing ~ and very few others see it or encourage it.
How does This Girl keep going when the rut of daily life gets bigger and longer? Simple. Find a way out by latching on to those already doing what she wants to do, and let them help her climb.
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Latch and Climb.
Now, I’m not a mountain climber. But I know if I ever wanted to go there, I should bring certain gear, supplies . . . and a guide. I definitely am not going up a mountain alone.
I also know you (well, I) need to be willing to let go of some things. What This Girl thinks is stability, is just something under her feet. Being tethered to someone higher up on the mountain has its perks. And responsibilities.
This Girl needs to make sure she follows her guides. They’ve been there before. They know the best path. Or not. Maybe it’s a new adventure for all of us. But the point is, we’re in it together. If This Girl slips, another can keep her tethered. Sure, she can lose a little footing, but she won’t lose everything. And what about the others? Yes, now and then they’ll need to slow down, repeat instructions, stop moving ahead.
The goal is for everyone to excel, yes? Y’all don’t need someone resisting your assistance. So it’s also This Girl’s goal to make sure she doesn’t bring the guides down. In fact, it’s This Girl’s goal to someday know enough to toss a tether down to someone else, and help them climb. Even if that tether is designed with Tiffany blue Zebra stripes.
Because it’s worth it.
Because when we are all on the summit together, glorious things await.
Let your Muse out of the closet. Give your Creative Self permission to dance and sing. Sooner or later, someone will want you to help them climb.
Edie Melson: You are Killing Yourself With a Weak (or Nonexistent) Bio
I’ve been accused of being blunt and forthright, and I suppose the title of this post proves it’s true. But really people, don’t you realize how important those few lines at the end of a guest post or article really are? That space is valuable real estate and you’re growing weeds on it.
I’ll say it again, you are killing yourself with a weak writer’s bio.
What a Bio is NOT supposed to do:
Let me share what a writer’s bio is not designed to do. It’s not there to make me want to become your best friend. Sure I want enough info so I know you’re a real person, but my time (and everyone else’s) is in short supply, so don’t make me wade through folksy humor to get to what I need. If I want to get to know you better I’ll look up your blog and follow you on social media.
What a Bio IS supposed to do:
There are several reasons to have a writer’s bio ( and several sizes—but more on that later).
Because people are curious and suspicious. If I’m going to read something online, I at least want to know who wrote it. I’m leery of articles that don’t have an author. Is it computer generated (yes they can do that), is it stolen (happens all the time), is the author ashamed of having written it?
Because I may like what you have to say and want to read more. If what you’ve written resonates with me, I’m going to want to go deeper. No bio either means a dead-end (if I’m busy) or a lot of extra sleuthing on the internet. Trust me when I say this, a lot of you are NOT easy to find—but that’s another post.
Because I want to share the post through social media. I know I can share it even if there’s no bio or attribution, but then my followers run into #1 and #2 above. And they complain to me. I’ve worked hard to build a strong online community, so I refuse to send out things that will knowingly frustrate them.
What You Have to Have:
Links. You want to be found, by readers, by friends, by other writers. That’s hard to do when you don’t at least leave us a trail of breadcrumbs. Here are the links you need:
Blog/website
Facebook
Twitter
These are the bare minimum.
A sentence or two about your credibility. For me it’s a quick line about how long I’ve been in the industry and how many books I have.
That’s it. You probably thought you needed all sorts of things, but you don’t. Now you’re probably wondering how you organize all this information and I’ve got you covered there, too.
Compose Your Bio:
It’s important to remember a bio isn’t a resume. It’s not necessary to include information that isn’t relevant to what you’re writing.
Keep it Relevant: For example, if you’re not writing about how to sell something, it isn’t important to mention your job fifteen years ago as an outside sales person.
Organize it with the important stuff up front. I know our families are important to us, that’s not what I mean. This is a business and although I’m happy to learn you have a successful marriage, that’s not the first thing I need to know. So start with your credibility, then move into how I find you and your books.
Include EMBEDDED hyperlinks when you send a bio for someone else to post. Don’t type out the full URLs, but actually embed the link to the words BLOG, TWITTER and FACEBOOK, as well as any others that are relevant. The reason you want to have the words already linked is because of the word count guidelines you’ll run into. You don’t want to waste your word count on a hyperlink—especially if you only have 20-25 words.
How Many Bios Do I Really Need?
In a word, several. Depending on the guidelines of where you’re submitting it could be as few as 20-25 words or as long as several paragraphs. I try to keep several current versions of my bio in a file for easy access.
Here are some examples:
25 word bio: Edie Melson is an author, freelance writer and editor with years of experience. Connect with her on her blog – The Write Conversation, Twitter or Facebook.
150 word bio: Edie Melson is the author of four books, with two more due out January 2014. As a respected freelance writer and editor with years of experience in the publishing industry, she’s connected with writers and readers throughout the country. Her bestselling ebook on social media has just been re-released as Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. Her popular writing blog, The Write Conversation, gives her the opportunity to share what she’s learned and mentor others. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, as well as a popular faculty member at numerous others. She’s also the Social Media Mentor for My Book Therapy, the Social Media Director for Southern Writers Magazine, and the Senior Editor for Novel Rocket. Be sure to connect with her through Twitter and Facebook.
300 word bio: Edie Melson is a leading professional in the writing industry. She’s a sought after writing instructor; and her heart to help others define and reach their dreams has connected her with writers all over the country. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, as well as a popular faculty member at numerous others.
She’s a prolific writer, publishing thousands of articles over the years, and has a popular writing blog, The Write Conversation. Edie is a regular contributor on the popular Novel Rocket and Inspire a Fire websites, as well as social media director for Southern Writers Magazine.
In keeping up with the leading edge of all things digital Edie has become known as one of the go-to experts on Twitter, Facebook, and social media for writers wanting to learn how to plug in. Her bestselling eBook on this subject, has recently been updated and expanded and re-released as Connections:Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers.
Fighting Fear, Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle,is Edie’s heart project. This devotional book for those with family members in the military debuted on Veterans Day, 2011. Look for her two newest books for military families debuting in January 2014: While My Son Serves and While My Husband Serves.
She’s a member of numerous civic and professional organizations, including Blue Star Mothers, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, The Christian Pen, and American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s also the Social Media Mentor for My Book Therapy, the Social Media Director for Southern Writers Magazine, and the Senior Editor for Novel Rocket.
Edie has been married to high school sweetheart, Kirk, for 30+ years and they’ve raised three sons. You can also connect with Edie on Twitter and Facebook.
I think you get the picture, and now it’s your turn. What questions do you have about a writer’s bio? Share them in the comments section below.
