A Book Thing

So Much For Good Intentions

So… Weeks have passed since my last post. So much for good intentions.

You see, I began “A Book Thing” as a way to stay on track, to write every day, to have the freedom and space to write whatever came to mind. For so long I’ve struggled facing any ‘regular’ responsibilities. The world turns, and changes, and my moods swing on an erratic pendulum of ups and downs.

That is what it is to be Bipolar. But even my Bipolar isn’t an excuse. It can be a cop out, but three weeks? I’m starting to come back up from a VERY BAD week. It has been several months since I’ve had a low like this one. But it has only been a week, it doesn’t explain the two blogless weeks before this last one.

I swing from one priority to another, lack of focus, lack of direction, just pulling myself through the motions of each day. When I have a low like I did this week I don’t even get through ALL of the motions, I get through ‘enough’ and that is all I can force myself to accomplish. I don’t have the spoons to do more.

I’m staring at the clock. It is past midnight, again, and again I can’t sleep. Anxiety pools in my belly at the idea of closing my eyes. Of giving up to the night. And I know, not sleeping makes it worse.

At least I am writing. Writing is always a step out of the darkness. I’ll write again later, and again after that. It is time to come back out of the shadows and walk up each spiraling step back into the sunlight.

Just a Fly-Buy Visit

It has been that kind of day. Run off my feet but equally productive and progressive. The biggest challenge with days like today is they can be so exhausting. I’m very ready to sleep but at least I know I will sleep well.

I’m excited to have a few new projects to work on. Even more so since they are paid gigs. *grins* Yes, cash is good. As lovely as it is to work on personal, non-earning, projects it can be even better to work for others.

Tomorrow is another busy day but hopefully I’ll have a chance to spend more time in front of the keys. I think the biggest issue is that I’ve done a lot more outside of the house and haven’t had the opportunity to do the housework I’d like to have done.

I still have time. There is plenty of time to accomplish all I wish to achieve. Including getting the house looking fabulous by Saturday!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’re having some productive and exhilarating days too!

Energy, Charge, and Enthusiasm

Wow, it’s late. I know I should be heading to sleep but I wanted to write here before I crash into the land of nod. I’ve had a highly charged day and feel pretty good about my progress. I knocked of a few of my to-dos. Focused on the projects I intended to focus on and lined up a few potential clients with whom I will follow up tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my re-post of Information Overload over at WRA! Rebecca was so fabulous about letting me share my thoughts and the feedback has been fantastic. There are lots of little tricks people use to streamline their Information Overload and I am going to put a few of them into action for myself. It worked for me today!

I’ve found, starting the day with a workout helps boost me into the day ahead. I love the feeling of pushing myself, knowing that every vessel of blood I pump around my body is vitalizing my skin, adds sheen to my hair, stimulating my senses and sharpening my mind. Wow, what an incredible was to get going each morning?

That charge of energy first thing leads me into a day where energy is abundant. I felt more clarity today then I have in a long time and was able to focus. Knocking tasks off my to-do list with confident struts.

Of course, this aided my self-esteem and my enthusiasm. The more I got done, the more I wanted to do, and the more proud of myself I became. I’m a powerhouse! Powering through with momentum instead of my usual inertia.

Now of course, I wonder, how can I sustain this positive flow of energy? I intend to ride the charge through tomorrow too! And the day after, and the day after that!

Do you have high energy and low energy days? How do you maintain your high energy?

Information Overwhelm

The Web is an effective tool for learning. In fact, recent studies show that 96% of internet users surf the Web, at least part of the time, with the intention of learning. 89% spend net time on research and 79% want to be kept informed. (According to the Ruder Finn Intent Index) Information is the primary resource this Super Highway provides but how effective is it really?

What information did you search for online today? What did you learn from blogs or articles? Where did you find these websites and what drew you to the websites you found today?

I have spent hours, today, trying to make my twitter use more effective. I’ve held a twitter account for several months but tend to tweet in bursts of sporadic activity. I tweet new blog posts and, when I remember, I’ll browse my timeline and respond or retweet. Effectively labeled links (those that have descriptive text – usually the post heading – included in the tweet) leap out at me and I click to read.

Today, I discovered Tweetdeck and it’s “mark as seen” feature. The “mark as seen” feature meant I could effectively save linking tweets that leap out at me, so I could read them later. And more links, and more links, and more links!!!

INFORMATION OVERWHELM!

There is an abundance of information online. Every moment the available content grows exponentially. In just a few hours of monitored twitter stream I discovered it is impossible to keep up with every piece of ‘interesting’ information. In my 290+ current followers alone there were days worth of reading time being passed back and forth, tweeted and retweeted.

As an eager sponge for information I had to face reality. It is impossible to read everything. The difficulty now is in trying to decide what I should let go and what I absolutely must read. Do I let the timeline return to wheeling past me and snag only those snippets I happen to capture in rare moments of twitter frenzy? Do I harvest all the great looking links and bookmark them to return to, someday? Do I subscribe to yet more blogs to fill my already overflowing RSS reader?

How do you deal with information overwhelm online? Have you discovered any effective ways to filter the interesting from the must know? How do you ensure you don’t while away all of your web hours reading fantastic content instead of writing your own?

I’ve Been Discovered! By Spam…

Ok, so my blog is just a week old and I’ve already been discovered by spammers. They are, at least, for the most part, creative. They try to act like people who are really interested but there are certain hints and clues that give away spammers vs. real people.

The first big give away is if they say, “I’m a real person.” A real person doesn’t need to say something like this. I mean, what else would you be? A dog? My dog doesn’t have the manual dexterity with his paws to type. SPAMMER FAIL!

Another clue is your name. If your name is a riddle of keywords you’re a spammer. Real commentators have real names, assumed names, or pen names. Darren Rowse might get away listing his name as Problogger (something he doesn’t do by the way). Mignon Fogarty would definitely be able to get away with leaving her name in comments as Grammar Girl. But ‘Weight Loss Secrets” or “Highly Durable Vacuum Solutions” are NOT names non-spammers use. SPAMMER FAIL!

The next tip is internal links. Real people have real websites. Non-spammers don’t link drop in their comments. Some commentators who haven’t learned etiquette might link drop by ignorance but most of us will only drop links if they are relevant to the content of the post. Comments riddled with irrelevant links is a dead give away. SPAMMER FAIL!

Speaking of ‘relevant to the content of the post’. One more clue that you are spam is a disassociation with the content of the post. If I wrote a post like my “Suggest A Topic” and you write a comment that says, ‘great topic’, you’re SPAM! My request to suggest topics isn’t a topic at all. SPAMMER FAIL!

I give love to Akismet. This fantastic Wordpress plugin is adept at smothering spammers. Rarely has spam made it through the Akismet filter and rarely does non-spam get snagged by it.

Spammers beware, I’m not afraid to delete your canned meats. This blog might be new but I’m not new to blogging. If you want to promote your websites or products, get to know me, treat me like a person, actually interact. If we become friends I’ll spread word of mouth about how great you are to anyone who will listen.

If you spam me, your comments will never see the light of day.

I’ve Been Lax

*hangs head in shame*

I’ve neglected to write the past two days and I’m feeling very negative about it. I know, that’s not a good way to deal with it but I can’t help feeling a sense of failure.

To tell the truth, I HAVE done quite a bit. It’s not that I’ve been lazy or depressed it is just that there is so much I want to do that there hasn’t seemed to be enough hours in the day. But that isn’t an excuse, because a big part of why I began A Book Thing was to shift my priorities back to writing. This is my passion and my career and I need to ensure I put time every day into writing.

To that end I really want to acknowledge a fantastic site that might help me reach my daily writing goals.

Originally, QuoteSnack would post daily (sometimes more than once a day) quotes from brilliant minds about all sorts of things. But recently, QuoteSnacks creator has also been offering writing prompts. I love writing prompts but I probably won’t use every single one because I really like to have the freedom to just work on the prompts that inspire me. And to have the freedom to write my own thing from time to time.

Today for example, I might not have a chance to write to the prompt. I’ll try to later, if I have time, but meanwhile this post is my writing for today.

I’ve also go other projects I need to work on. And, having written something for the day, I’ve written, and it’s a step forward toward more writing. :-)

Thank you, A Book Thing!

Late Night, Busy Day = Headache

It’s already 9pm and I haven’t written here today. Actually, I kind of did. In the wee hours this morning I was kept awake with the research ideas I shared regarding angels and men.

But, I don’t FEEL like I’ve written my words today because I’ve slept (however, limited) since I wrote.

Now of course, after so little sleep and then a busy day my head is bounding and I’d rather snuggle into my blankets and make an early night of it.

But I promised myself I would write every day. So, before I give into the call of zzz’s I add these words. They are few, and rather meaningless. They offer no great advice or wisdom. They are just words on the page and that is ok. That is what A Book Thing is all about.

This is a place where I come to write every day without feeling that I need to be sage and wise. I’m producing words and that is far better than not producing words.

Now I’ve produced some, I can be proud to have accomplished so much and give myself over to sleep.

Thank you!

A Little Bit About Men – Research

For several months I’ve had trouble really getting into the head of my current work-in-progress’ male lead. I can imagine his appearance and create a clear image of him in my mind’s eye but despite several months of protested attempts I’ve been unable to build a sense of substance around him. It’s frustrating, because, even in his shadowy form he is a remarkable character. He is the kind readers will fall in love with. But only if I can transform him into the multi-dimensional man he deserves to be.

As the wee hours of the morning descend on me I lay back in bed, attempting to quiet my mind when inspiration struck.

Research!

The idea came to me that perhaps what I need to do is some research. Yes, there is broader research such as male psyche, masculine influences, and how men tick. However, while these might help me what I think will help even more in this case is a specific line of research.

Arch Angels and Saints: Why They Might Matter

Can you name saints or arch angels of legend?
On the wall of the hall as you walk into my home you might notice a framed, charcoal drawing. He, is Saint Michael the Archangel. When I was in school I several hours a week for about a month carefully recreating in charcoal from a photocopy of an original etching. It was the first, and perhaps last, time I ever drew well.

Now, I am spiritualist, not specifically religious. I admit, I do not know the story of St. Michael. I do not know his connection in religion. I know his is a symbol of protection, he is a guardian and guide. To me, Saint Michael is a symbol of courage, who helps me conquer my inner dragons and stands guard over my home.

Why are archangels, and St. Michael important to my protagonist? Because my protagonist is an angel. I don’t want to go into depth here with the specifics of my current WIP or my characters but the realization that what I needed to know more about was, angels, specifically the arch angels and saints of legend.

Learn Their Stories – Discover Your Own

This week I’m going to spend some time learning the names and stories of Arch Angels. What is the story behind the Seven Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Samael, Oriphiel and Zachariel? Are there other Angels I could draw inspiration from?

Depth Of Character

In the end, it all serves to give my male protagonist depth and substance. It gives me an opportunity to come to know him better and, in doing so, hopefully find writing his scenes comes easier.

What do you think?

I Need To Edit My About Page

*frowns* I need to edit my About page. But what should an about page contain? What exactly do you want to know about? Do you want to know about me or my blog? Do you ever actually look at About pages? *ponders*

I will have to think on these questions but if you want to share your own thoughts and answers please do!

Suggest A Topic Category

To be honest, I’ve no idea what I may write about here at A Book Thing. I wanted to give myself the freedom to write anything that came to mind. A Book Thing is about having the freedom to write about the fact that I don’t know what to write, or I don’t want to write, or I just don’t want to think.

I’m sure, in time, A Book Thing, will evolve. I may find some topics are written about more than others. Categories my carve themselves into the blog.

In the mean time, is there anything in particular you suggest I add? Is there a category you would like me to discuss? Do you have any ideas or suggestions for the directions this blog may take?