Jan 12, 2012
It’s getting so close, I can taste it. Which is a good thing, since it’s all about making great food at frugal costs.
What is it?
The Unemployment Cookbook, of course.
And even though it’s been my main writing focus lately, it’s not my only focus. I’m still working on my Devotions and Screenplay and Book Series with Megan. And I’m still blogging every day and on facebook every day.
And so are you. You know how I know? You comment. You like. You link. And I want to thank you for that. In a big way.
So here’s the deal: I’m offering up two free copies of The Unemployment Cookbook as soon as it’s published, which should be within the next month (hopefully a lot sooner!).
The first will go to the 100th person to “like” my Facebook Page. Just click this link and it will take you there.
The second will go to the 50th subscriber to Frankly, My Dear…. Again, just click this link and it will take you there.
Just a few rules:
1. No manipulating the system. You can’t be a current subscriber/follower, deactivate, and then resubscribe in order to win. I already know you’re here.
2. Only one entry per person per site. Some people follow me only on facebook. Some people follow me only the Blog. These are two separate giveaways, so following me on both will not increase your chances.
3. This is not a random choice. You have to be the 50th Blog subscriber and/or the 100th Facebook follower to win.
That’s about it. Thanks so much, and good luck!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 8, 2011
I’ve been around the Blogging World for a while now. I’ve met some great new blog-friends (Andrea, Jenn, Ariel, to name just a few). And through my tours of other blogs, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I pay attention to what attracts me and what doesn’t.
And I’ve come to a better appreciation of my blog. It’s not odd at all to think of it like a child or a job or both. This Blog is my Baby; growing, finding its way in the world. Making mistakes, gaining strength.
And every so often, realizing what we’ve already subconsciously known.
My Blog can be broken down to what I call the Four F’s: Faith, Family, Food, and Fun. And those are the four main factors I look for on other blogs. Granted, under each category are sub-categories: How God works in our lives, familial anecdotes, recipes, writings, party planning, daily life…
So you can see how even fine-tuning my Blog to the Four F’s isn’t really as simple as that.
But I’m grateful that I have the flowchart. So in the coming weeks, I’m going to fine tune the presentation. My blog will be easier to navigate (I hope!), and easier to look at.
Now this is where you come in: I’m looking for feedback. What do you want to see? What can I do without? What are your ideas, suggestions, thoughts on my Blog, and how can I make it better for you? Visually? Readability? Blog post ideas? Categories? I recently made some changes. Do you like them? Is it easier or harder now to leave comments?
I look forward to hearing from you. Let’s get ready to start 2012 with a Better Blog. Whadya say? Wanna help? I hope so.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 18, 2011
1. Movies will never be as good as books.
2. Friends are as important as family.
3. There’s more to life than a paycheck, or lack thereof.
4. However, a paycheck can make life a little easier.
5. God is in control. Always.
6. God may not provide in the way I want, but always in the way I need.
7. Some of my most important friends are the ones I haven’t physically met yet.
8. It’s always colder in winter. This should not be news.
9. Laptop chargers are awesome.
10. Social media should not be a place to publicly vent a private matter.
11. Books are best in hardcopy.
12. Deep red is one of the best colors ever.
13. Classical music will never go out of style.
14. Christmas Spirit should be year-round. Christmas decorating, apparently, should not.
15. Thanksgiving is an attitude, not a day.
16. I may not be perfect; but I’m the perfect Me at this moment in time.
17. Chocolate covered orange jellies are bliss.
18. Crescent rolls are very versatile.
19. Midnight movie premieres are incredibly fun.
20. The morning after… notsomuch.
21. Blogging is a job.
22. Sometimes this job doesn’t pay enough.
23. Sometimes this job pays bonuses.
24. My child will always be my child, no matter how old she gets.
25. My mommy will always be my mommy, no matter how old I get.
Nov 17, 2011
I’ve known Claudia for years. What I didn’t know, until I started blogging last year, is that she also likes to write. Accordingly, she likes to read. And, bonus!, she likes to read my blog.
Recently, she sent me this email:
“Blogging everyday is impressive, and it’s also one of the reasons I enjoy your blog. I subscribe to a few others, but posts often are few and far between so I lose interest. I like that yours comes everyday, and the funny thing is that your title alone makes me happy. I love that you call it “Frankly, my dear…” You don’t finish the phrase, which is probably a good thing, but I kind of always like that you write what you write and you do this without seemingly caring about our response. That’s refreshing. I don’t read your blogs everyday even though they come, but I always skim them to see if I might enjoy reading. A lot of times I do just skim, but then every now and then you’ll write something that really connects with me. I guess those random jewels mixed in with all the rest are why I take the time to skim…just in case :)”
When I first started my blog, I did a weekly Comment Commentary; where I’d respond to each and every comment. Sure, that was fine when my comments were one or two per post.
But as the blog grows, the comments increase. I couldn’t keep up with a personal reply to each and every comment (although I really do read them all, and wish I had the time to keep responding!).
When I got this email from Claudia tonight, it just made me feel special. She gets it. She gets what and why I write. She just gets it.
In her short email, she summarized my intent and belief for my blog: “you write what you write and you do this without seemingly caring about our response”. The code word there is “seemingly”. Because I do care. I care that what I write is accepted, promoted, and appreciated. It’s never my intent to offend, but just to offer light hearted daily life stories (and some great recipes!).
It’s a great blend of dreams, imagination, true life, and my observations of all of the above. And it can be work, at times, to make it seem effortless; to not let my current emotions color my posts (lucky you to never seldom hear me rant!) but that’s my job. You’re not a shrink, and I’m not a patient. This isn’t my way of finding healing through vicarious living. This isn’t a narcissistic attempt to gain attention.
It’s just me. Mixing up all the ingredients of life, and sharing them with you.
The comments are just icing on this delicious cake.
Thanks, Claudia.
Nov 16, 2011 |
My blogging experience over the past two years has taught me some valuable lessons and given me great insight.
It can be (and for the serious blogger/writer, should be) considered a job. Accordingly, I need to approach it as such. That means I keep at it, even when I want to call in sick or take a personal day. I show up, I put in a good amount of time and effort. And when the situation calls for it, I go above and beyond the norm. Maybe this means finding a hot topic to discuss, or just a new writing style to try out.
I used to think blogging was for wanna-be’s and cheaters. No way am I putting my writing out there. On the internet. For everyone to see, and, you know, steal. No. Stinking. Way.
But then I got sucked in. A few friends were blogging, so I checked it out. Oh, okay. It’s like an online journal that you share. With strangers. Yeah. That’s not intimidating.
Facebook gave me my first taste. I started posting Notes, and getting some responses. Hey. This isn’t so bad. And I felt… valued. Like what I said was important to someone else. And it was. How do I know this? Because. They left comments. Saying what I said was important. Huh. That worked out nicely.
Over a year ago, I started my first blog. It went nowhere. I had five followers ~ all friends. And not a clue about what I was doing. I mean, I loved writing. And sharing little life-stories. But it wasn’t growing, and neither was I. It atrophied. And I was a bit embarrassed.
So last April I tried again. I thought I had this Blog-as-a-Job thing figured out: I had a clear goal, a direction, a theme. I knew what I wanted to focus on, and how to focus. It was a mainstream blog idea. It should have done fine.
It didn’t.
Because I didn’t.
Because I still had no clue what I was really doing.
It was like being made office manager when I didn’t even know how to answer the phones.
But little by little, staying in the deep end that I had thrown myself, I learned how to swim. I read other blogs. I googled ideas. Most importantly, I received an immense amount of counsel and assistance from two professionals: Keri and Erik, distant (as in, physically far away) friends who, through the blessings of the instant internet, have been available to answer all my questions and help me out accordingly.
I soon realized my blog had its own idea of what it wants to be. Well, you can raise a child but you can’t control them… so my blog and I grew together. We branched out, tested some waters. Stepped out of the swamp of chaos and into the cool, refreshing oasis that is now Frankly, My Dear…
And it’s working. Because I treat it like work. In the past three months, my dedication to my blog is superceded only by my love of writing (I miss you, Meg!) and cooking. I giggle every time one of my unsuspecting friends suggests I remind them of “Julie and Julia”. I’m just waiting for that literary agent to notice my blog and call me up with a book deal. (I’ve got tons of ideas, and some are even finished.)
So. Blogging is my job. I put in hours every day. I count other blogs as coworkers, and check in regularly. I look at the want ad’s: those blogrolls that list other blogs I might be interested in. I’ve found quite a few. It’s fascinating how many blogs there are. For any and everything.
I look at formats: do I have too much? Not enough? How can my content improve? And I get ideas. I get links. And now I’m getting Likes.
Readers are the currency of blogging. I know I’ve written a good post based on how many “likes” it gets, how many “shares” and “posts” and “tweets”. (It never ceases to amaze me that the ones I think are going to be popular, aren’t so much; but there are other ones that just take off and surprise me!)
For a few weeks now, I’ve seen my blog grow. In content. In design. And lately, in readership. Every time I get a new subscriber, it’s like getting a pay raise. It’s like a floral delivery and a chocolate cake all rolled into one. It’s like saying I have something worthwhile.
And while I’m not trying to be narcissistic about it; being a writer, you can’t help but have a bit of that. Because if I didn’t have faith in myself and my writing, how on earth could I possibly put it out there for everyone else? Yet, I always say, a writer is only as good as the readers allow. And getting new readers is that acknowledgment that I must be finally doing something good. (And now, for some strange reason, I’m singing the song, “Something Good” from The Sound of Music). But that’s actually how I feel: perhaps in the past I screwed up, perhaps I’m not all I once thought I wanted to be. But here, on my blog, you accept me. And you make me feel okay about being who it is that I now want to be. So I just want to thank you.
All of you.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote.
