The dogs need to go out. The bills need to be paid. I am in my jammies at 11. I need to go to work. And I should probably be concerned by that screeching of children followed by a loud banging.
But instead... Sounds like blogging time to me.
Time to review my month of blog improvement. The great thing about this blogging class I am taking... well, there are several great things.
1)It is all female bloggers.
In my pseudo-retirement from ministry I find I am spending more time with groups of women. My working life has often been all male or mostly male. My retirement life has been more about hanging out with women. It is so hard to find a good men's quilting, scrapbooking, or blogging club these days.
Some of the high points of my new femme life include: getting to know these diverse bloggers, the PJ scrapbooking party where one of the gals brought me a six pack of Miller High Life, and my buddies at Quilting Adventures who keep up with me virtually when I am forbidden by my bank and my conscience from entering the store.
2) Homework
I've gotten plenty of positive feedback about the recent blogging. Thank you. Thank you. Your check's in the mail - please hold it for a week or two before cashing. I have to confess - it was all homework. Semi-retirement has been bad for me because of the lack of deadlines. I am pretty amazing at juggling the impossible. I am pretty crappy at a reasonable schedule. Homework = good.
3) Moms
There are a lot of mom bloggers in the class and the blog instructor's circle. Thanks to them I feel I can tell you that my son just came upstairs concerned about the state of his sister's underpants. Thanks to them I can admit that sometimes I dream of a college that is so hard and so post-adolescence-thrilling that my children won't come home in the summer. Thanks to them I can share that I am getting leaky-eyed as we approach the 6th and 9th birthdays but that I'm pretty sure a beer (NOT Miller High Life) and a long nap could get me through it.
4) Techno-rama
Other than the way it looks, I am very pleased with the technical improvements to the blog. Twitter feed! Whoa. Now I am starting to regret the Twitty thang because I hear from actor Alec Baldwin, comedian Patton Oswalt, a very talented opera performer, and singer/songwriter Jason Isbell with such regularity that I feel they should allow me to intervene in their lives, because really - guys, it does not have to be like this. Or maybe I'll let the opera dude do it. He seems centered.
5) The courage to go unedited due to the last homework deadline...
I greatly appreciate the kudos and love I receive from readers. But I have to confess. Writing does not come easy for me. I am embarrassed by the length of time I spend sweating over the keyboard. I am never satisfied with the final product, no matter how many times I tell the children to go out and play in the uranium mine so I can finish writing.
So thanks to the class (which ends tonight) I have made myself write more, be less satisfied with the product, and just get something out there. And holy crap what a difference that makes! I have had so much more interaction with readers which has always been my blog goal. There have even been some fun suggestions that have come out of this that I am toying with.
Fun/Ludicrous Suggestions from Readers!!!
- Please have an advice column
- Please put church reviews on your blog - name names, give directions, thumbs up, thumbs down
- I never know what you mean with the theology terms. Please have a "Thumbnail Theology" corner because I think you could explain it in normal language.
- There should be an outrageous event of the week. You seem to have enough for a daily but no pressure.
- Where is the Auspicious Jots reader? I want to hold paper in my hands.
- Change the layout and be funny again. Love, Dave (Heh heh - ongoing joke there. I love you, David)
Keep those suggestions rolling in or just vote on these. Thank you to the Visual Arts Center of Richmond for the great class. Thank you to my husband who went to sleep with the light on while I typed away on more than one occasion. And thanks to my children who sound like they are playing with a jackhammer in the dining room right now. I wonder if that is underpants related?
P.S. - This post is unedited. All mistakes are the fault of my blog instructor.
3 comments:
I assume this isn't gonna show up on the blog. Your blog is great, don't bother editing, write more.
You're human. The world is hard. You make people laugh. You may save lives. Write, baby, write.
There is a website where you can make money writing. you sign up and look for jobs. I've signed up but never got much further. You already have examples, (this blog and other stuff). You could make money doing this. Let me know if you want me to send the address.
Connie
Well, it did show up. I unblocked the comments since 98% of them are from my friends trying to keep me from going insane...
This one is no exception.
The best reason for me to try to write for money? Expectations.
Proving yet again that I am not a "writer". Can you see me on Craig Ferguson (the only talk show I see, although rarely)?
Craig in Scottglish: "What's been your inspurrrrration?"
Me in Englvirginian: "Deadlines. I write for deadlines, Craig."
Are we voting? I would *love* church reviews. But those would have to be part of an anonymous blog I guess....
Other than that, you're doing just fine!
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