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What Inspires Me #2
I recently did the Neil Gaiman Masterclass. Although a lot of what he spoke about didn’t help with personal essays or even memoirs, I did take several lessons away for writing, and life, in general. Tell readers something you hope will stay with them. Dragons can be defeated. Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. It means you do it anyway even though it is scary. Be honest. Care about characters and make them real for everyone. Give yourself the license to ask questions. “The moment that you feel, just possibly, you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind, and what exists on…
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A Review: The Getaway Car
Working on my current manuscript, I have been reading a lot! Writing is reading. You can’t do one without the other. Although I have enjoyed plenty of fiction, I have also been researching with some great reads on writing. I have a pile of books on the topic that will be absorbed at some point, but for now I’ll talk about the ones I have completed since isolation. First is: The Getaway Car, Ann Patchett You will not find it on Ann Patchett’s website, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. But you can download it here for free. It is a 75-page essay on her biggest lessons in writing. I can…
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The Woefield Poultry Collective
I don’t think I’ve ever done a book report that wasn’t required by some curriculum. My goal this year is to finish reading 50 books. I like a little wiggle room for times when the book I am reading is tiresome and it takes longer than a week to read so that is why 52 is just too much of a goal. The book I have recommended the most this year so far is: The Woefield Poultry Collective, Susan Juby This one is worth the price of admission as a satirical look at an NYC girl deciding to make a go of running a farm she inherited. Very few books…
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7 Steps to Kill a Blog Post
Pitfalls of blogging are everywhere. If you see yourself in one of these statements, maybe it is time to hire someone to help. Talk endlessly about your amazingness. You know, after all, this is your blog. If they are reading it, they want to know all about you, and it doesn’t matter if they relate. Don’t forget to tell them the time that Aunt Martha tried to braid your hair before a school picture. Clients love that. Don’t build on your idea. Rambling and redundancies are super awesome, and I can’t say enough about talking in circles and even about how terrific you are especially when you are at parties…
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Why Your Business Needs a Blog
Every business needs a blog and every business has something to blog about. Many entrepreneurs struggle with the ‘how’, but first, let’s tackle the why. Why every business, of any size, needs a blog: Foster Relationships with Your Customers The easiest way to develop customer relationships as an aggregate is by writing on a regular schedule. Any business can find something to write about. Maybe it is case studies, training courses, new items in your store, what is happening in your industry, a new recipe or how the dollar value is affecting your business. There is always something to write about and your customers are interested in what you have to say. After…