Food for Thought Thursday

Source: Tumbler
Source: Tumblr

This is more like a quote of the day. I came across this wonderful quote while surfing around freelancer websites on tumblr (maybe I’ll open an account with them after fussing about social media this week :)). Think about it, writing really is hard work. Coming up with ideas, making sure they’re expressed strongly enough for the audience to grasp it….it can be draining if we don’t balance ourselves! But at the same time that’s the beauty of it, to be able to dig in and put something together for someone to appreciate. Then there’s the drafting, rejections and search for inspiration. But its challenges like these that makes writing more fulfilling and helps one to grow.

What do you think of this quote?

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Freelance Writing and Social Media

Source: Flickr, Rishi Bandopadhay
Source: Flickr, Rishi Bandopadhay

These past few months of blogging and freelancing have been very interesting for me. There’s tons of information out there which can be quite overwhelming. But over time I’ve learned to filter out information that’s actually useful. One topic that I’m constantly researching is writing and social media. What purpose can social media serve for my writing? How can the two actually connect? To be honest, I’m sort of old-fashioned when it comes to making connections, I’ve been very skeptical about relying on social media to promote my writing/brand.

The advantages

Besides being fast and seemingly convenient, social media can be an excellent avenue for promotion. Novelists, authors or more established writers can find success using the likes of Facebook or Twitter to promote their latest product. There are also pretty good websites out that that can be used as promotional platforms such as Amazon and Writer’s Digest. The choices are many and the possibilities could be great.

The cons

The thing is, using social media for writing purposes can be very hit or miss in my opinion. Quality vs. Quantity tends to come to mind when faced with the options of Facebook and Twitter. Sure, these avenues are successful for other areas such as personality promotion or music, but I personally think it clashes with the uniqueness of writing. Writing is a promotional tool within itself, so it makes little sense to use another promotional tool that’s based on social grounds, especially for the sake of numbers. If the material is good, it will get noticed and spread. It doesn’t matter how many followers you have or how many times you’re “tweeted”.  Blaise Lucey does a great job of breaking down the effectiveness of Facebook for authors. This information helped me a lot in making a reasonable decision for promoting my brand.

The verdict?

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I’m not interested in numbers or a lot of tweets, so I will not be using social media as the main platform for my brand. It may change over time, but right now I’m not seeing it. Instead, I will use it in a well thought out way that will help promote my work and my services. Just a side note, I had a Facebook account for 5 years. In the beginning it was fun; I got to connect with old friends and family members. When all of that wore off, it became pretty pointless. Plus it seemed to become invasive of what I was doing, my likes and where I did my groceries. The whole thing became annoying so I decided to shut it down. I have been thinking of opening another account, but strictly for the use of New3Creation.  As my role as a writer continues to grow, it’s been easier for me to come up with a strategy that will be effective and cause me to stay in touch with my audience effectively. In the meantime, I’m keeping it “old school”. There are a few freelancing events going on in my area over the next couple of months. If you ask me, there’s nothing better than a meet and greet. I know good connections will be made in such a setting, and I’ll be sure to post my experience and share with you all once it happens. Stay tuned!

Writers, have you found social media to be beneficial for your work? If so, what specific sites are you using???

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So I got a Henna Tattoo….

Source: Flicker, Colleen M
Source: Flicker, Colleen M

I recently attended a Diversity Day event in the area. It was pretty entertaining as they had food, dance and all kinds of presentations going on. There were people representing different parts of the world and my attention was drawn to the Indian booth that served teas and gave complimentary tattoos. I decided to get one out of curiosity. Mind you, I’m no stranger to diversity; growing up in an African household exposed me to a lot of different cultures. But I must say my Christian upbringing shielded me from a lot. Now that I’m my own person, I’m not as skeptical to try out new things and learn more about different beliefs and perspectives.

First Sight

My attention was captured by the smell of Chai Tea and a long line of curious looking women. Most of them walked away with flower, glittery tattoos. Some of them were getting the design on their arms while others got them on their ankles. They were nice, but I didn’t want what everyone else was getting, so by the time I reached the front of the line I decided to get something that would represent what I was going through; change, a new start. The lady doing the designs said she would put a “Hamsa” symbol on me to represent what I was looking for. She told me it would protect me from negative vibes of hatred and jealousy as I embarked on my new start.

Quick research

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Hamsa is a symbol widely used in the eastern part of the world by different religions to include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Each religion has its own affectionate translation for it, but generally speaking, it’s a symbol of protection against evil forces. The lady told me that I would be protected in my new start and that negative energy wouldn’t affect it. Yay!

So how does this tie into writing?

The connections this experience has to my development as a writer are endless. Not only can it open the mind to new ideas and concepts it can also be used as a motivator to take fresh approaches. For instance, I recently sat down and reevaluated my freelance pan and the priorities involved. It was especially useful because of the adjustment period I’m going through at the moment. Other things are going on for me that have caused things to slow down a bit with writing. I believe in the impact of positive energy and want to embrace it in my growth as a writer.

Want to learn more about henna tattoos? Go here!

As always let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below!

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Food for Thought Thursday

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

I know the posts have been slow around here lately. I’ve been extremely busy with the new job among other things – you know how life can get!

I was able to squeeze in a few minutes to post this week’s food for thought:

“A large stone is not carried by the river water.”

What’s your take on this profound saying? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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8 Writing Assignments I Hated as a School Kid

Source: Bryan McDonald, Flickr
Source: Bryan McDonald, Flickr

8 Writing Assignments I Hated as a school kid

Book Report on “A Tale of Two Cities” – This was probably one of the worst assignments for me as a student period. As I got older I definitely learned to appreciate Charles Dickson’s work, but as a middle school girl more interested in music videos, reading this book was the pits. On top of that I had to give an oral book report to the class for a grade. We were instructed to make outline notes on index cards….well I used at least three packets of index cards to cover all the points in the book! By the time I was halfway through, half the class was asleep and the teacher rushed me to finish up my report. I guess she was bored too.

Essay on what I did over the summer vacation – In my opinion, there was nothing less stimulating for a writing assignment. Who cares what I did over the summer? Why did we have to write about it every year when school started? Most summers were spent babysitting my siblings, attending summer camp and Vacation Bible School. Boring!

Book report on “Lord of the Flies” – I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. This book freaked me out the first time I read it. The boys killing each other was shocking, and the pig head statue gave me nightmares. Discussing it in English class was horrible because the teacher really wanted to get deep with the pig head. Ugh.

Interpreting Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” – After reading it for English Advanced Placement (Honors) class over the summer of senior year, the teacher was so eager to discuss it once class started. She was also looking forward to our written insight on the book. I wasn’t. Morrison’s work was slow to grow on me so reading such graphic scenarios and having to write about them grossed me out.

Responses to math word problems! Ugh!!! – Not exactly literature, but those word problems were definitely a writing assignment! I dreaded any question that started with “Two trains leaving different stations at the same time…” I could never figure out who arrived first and how!

Drills on subject and predicates – I was pretty good at these assignments, but after a while they really started getting on my nerves. I guess the teacher wanted to make sure everyone mastered it before moving onto the next lesson. So annoying….

Prepositions and adverbs…another ugh!

Diagramming Sentences – What made this so crappy was how the teacher would be so lively and into these exercises! I definitely wasn’t by myself on this one. The entire class groaned when it was time to diagram sentences. It just seemed so much more complex than it had to be!

 

Looking back I am definitely grateful for the English teachers I had growing up. They were serious about their job, they loved the students and they made my life miserable!  🙂 All for good purpose though because they taught me to have pride in my writing and the beauty of literature.

What about you? What writing assignments made you cry out in despair?

 

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Food for Thought Thursday

Source: Photosteve101, Flickr
Source: Photosteve101, Flickr

It’s that time again, folks! Here’s today’s food for thought:

“Avoid singing a song without a soloist”

What does this say to you as far as relationships, career or just life itself? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

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Our Uniqueness as Writers

Source: New3Creation photos
Source: New3Creation photos

Everyone has a different voice, but now everyone realizes that for themselves. Some of us are quick to click around on other sites to see how others write and format their blogs. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s important to do that only ifyou’re trying to develop your own style. During this writing journey, I’m learning more and more about my writing voice I have and the things I can do with it. That’s one way blogging is so beneficial. It exercises the writing muscles as the unique voice develops. Time and time again I’ve seen blogs become successful because the writer chose to be themselves. It may not have happened overnight, but after years of developing and being themselves, an audience that appreciates their voice started to grow and the benefits increased for the writer/blogger. It’s very encouraging to see this happening as I develop my own voice. It helps me to know that I’m on the right track.

Keep Going

Although I’ve seen many writers become successful because of their unique voice, I’ve also seen blogs fail because the writer gave up posting for whatever reason. This is a lot easier said than done, but I’m learning to keep going and discipline myself to be consistent. As a result, it’s become somewhat easier to finish out ideas that were started and to express myself better. Not too long after that, the confidence level starts to grown and I have the guts to start reaching out and networking effectively (yes, there will be a post on that!).

Check Me Out

In addition to my recent guest blog stint, I’ve had other opportunities come my way. It’s very encouraging as far as other outlets coming my way. Not only do I have a lot to say, I have my own unique way of writing about it.

An article of mine was recently posted on P.E.R.K Consulting, an empowerment blog for organizations. It’s a small start, but a big deal for me in my writing journey. I’m also working on another gig that came my way just last week as a contributing writer! Once that’s done, I’ll be sure to post those links as well. Again, not holding back on my own way of writing is what will open doors for me. The same can happen for you, if it hasn’t happened already!

 

What do you think? Are you a new writer trying to find your own voice? I’d love to hear about your experience as a writer and blogger.

Feel free to share opportunities that have come your way.

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6 Important Things I Realize about Transition

Source: Sid Mosdell, Flickr
Source: Sid Mosdell, Flickr

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As life teaches us, transition can painfully be a good thing. Especially when moving from one place to another. I completed my first week in my new place of work and I have to say it was pretty amazing. My purpose in writing this post is to give insight on transition while sharing my personal experience with it…..whew, it’s been crazy!

If you’re wishing or hoping for something, be prepared to get it.

We’ve become so accustomed to hoping, praying and wishing, that we don’t know what to handle what we’ve been wanting when it finally comes. Of course, the best time to prepare for a wish to come true is before it happens. I pictured myself in the new job while I was still at the old one. Not only did it help me in present situation, but I was in a great mindset during my first week at the new job. I wasn’t nervous or anxious, just very excited to be in a new environment. Try it out; you may be surprised at how your confidence level rises!

Let go of the past

I have to admit this was a struggle for me during my first week. I had grown so accustomed to doing more than I should’ve been doing, that I had to  slowly process not being burdened down with extra responsibilities anymore…I would actually get to do the job I was hired to do! Whoa! I was reminded a couple of times of my position and what it entailed. I was also told that I wouldn’t have to worry about all the extra stuff anymore. It was weird. I was so used to doing other people’s work. I’m now in a place that believes in structure and accountability so everyone knows what they’re supposed to do and they have the manning for it.

Accept the experience

Either way the experience goes, it’s a learning process. That was definitely the case before landing the promotion. Now I have to actually “accept” it in mind that this is what it is now. This is what I’ve been wanting and now it’s here. I have to embrace everything that comes with it. A lot of times we get so used to the negative that we become accustomed to it and think that something is wrong if it’s not in the picture. That’s so not the case. Letting go of old baggage and embracing new challenges go hand in hand.

To Whom much is Given, much is Expected

Transitioning always leaves you knowing more than what you knew before. Therefore the expectations will be higher. They should be higher within yourself anyway. Because you’re more knowledgeable now, there should be more productivity whether it’s in a relationship or on the new job. Because I’ve been promoted, there’s a lot more that’s expected of me and I must be able to come through. I have to read more now than I ever did before because responsibility, accountability and leadership is at a higher level. That’s where it can be nerve wrecking, but I won’t spend so much energy being nervous. I have to get and stay up to par with my new responsibilities. That’s just the reality of it.

Don’t be intimidated by the changes

Transitioning encompasses a lot of change, especially within. In my opinion, most people don’t like change. That’s why they’d rather stay in a situation they’re miserable in than step out into a new one. Change can be intimidating, but at times it’s necessary. This is where adaption comes in. Getting accustomed to a new environment is definitely a part of transition.

Plan ahead

Since things are always changing, it’s best to prepare for change as much as possible. I don’t plan on staying on the new job forever. But I do expect to learn and grow in it. I will then take the experience and use it to go to the next level. The previous job definitely prepared me for my promotion. So it only makes sense to take notes now and plan for the future, which is finally starting to brighten up.

 

What are your thoughts on transition?

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