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entwinedmoon · 5 years ago

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John Torrington: Reflections

(Previous posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Today, January 1, 2020, is the 174th anniversary of John Torrington’s death. Him dying on New Year’s Day must have dampened whatever celebrations the crew were most likely enjoying, a dark day in a quite literally dark month, as the sun would not return for some time. He would have been buried in that endless night, during a snowstorm (a layer of snow was still preserved on top of his coffin), the first death in what had so far been a successful expedition. A death so soon may have worried the crew, but since it was due to an illness he’d brought with him, it may have just been considered a fluke. They may not have been concerned, still thinking they would make it through and discover the last piece of the Northwest Passage. If they had succeeded, Torrington would have been a minor footnote in the history of a triumphant journey, his grave a small curiosity for anyone who may pass by. But no one made it home from the Franklin Expedition, and Torrington is now seen as an early warning sign of the tragedy awaiting the rest of the men.

Why is it that, after all these years, anyone still talks about Torrington? What is the fascination with him and the other men buried on Beechey? I know what draws me to his story, and while I can’t speak for everyone, I think there are at least some people who share the same reasons.

So what intrigues me about John Torrington? Why did I write this series, spanning eleven blog posts and over 25,000 words (that’s half a book!), about a 174-years-dead Victorian sailor, spending my spare time researching and dedicating long hours to studying his life and death?

In trying to pin down just what fascinates me about Torrington, I went through some of my old writing, and I found this little snippet from an essay I never finished. It was written almost ten years ago, on January 13, 2010:

It was all John Torrington’s fault. I couldn’t sleep because of that frozen grimace, mouth and eyes both slightly open—eyes, intact, seriously, staring back at me. He just stares, cold, frozen, dead. I’m not likely to go on a polar expedition any time soon and possibly die from lead-tainted food or whatever killed him, but it’s not that idea that frightens me. He stares at me in the night, in the corners, in the reflections in the moonlit mirror on my closet door, in the folds of the dirty laundry on the floor, he’s there, staring at me. Going to the bathroom at night is the worst, walking through the dark hallway, knowing he’s following me, just behind me, out of sight, but still manages to jump ahead to stare at me in the split second before the bathroom light comes on, inches from my face in the thick darkness, but then he runs and hides again in the shadows of the hall, lurking, waiting to follow me back to my room.

Sometimes it’s Otzi or Jaunita or Ida Girl or Cherchen Man. Never King Tut or Ramses II for some reason though. But John has always stood above the rest, just the memory of a picture haunting me.

As you can see, I had a slightly different attitude toward Torrington back then. To explain this, let me start from the beginning.

When I was about seven or eight, my older brother brought home a copy of Buried in Ice from school, where he was learning about the Franklin Expedition. He of course shared the pictures in the book with me and my older sister because he thought they were creepy and that’s what you do when you’re a kid, you share creepy stuff to try to scare your siblings. I’m in my early thirties now, so the memory has faded over the years, but there’s still a lot that stands out even now. I remember eating a particular type of corn chip that to this day I associate the flavor of with lead poisoning. My brother told me about how the brains of the three mummies had turned into a yellow liquid—something we thought was gross but also cool for some reason. I remember that there was no way to just flip the book over to cover up the picture of Torrington on the front cover because—oh goodie—there was a picture of him on the back too. My brother and I commented on the golden color of Torrington’s discolored skin (I don’t know why we thought “golden” instead of yellow—it sounds more poetic to call it “golden” but that was certainly not our intention). I also remember that later, after my brother had returned the book to school but we were still haunted by the images, we couldn’t recall the names of Hartnell and Braine, so we called them Big Head and Snarl Face instead. But we remembered the name Torrington, probably because he was featured more prominently in the book. And due to that prominence, Torrington was the one I would think of when lying in bed at night, watching shadows in the closet morph into monsters.

To try to combat my fear, I used a trick I’d learned where I turn the scary thing into something ridiculous (this was before Harry Potter was published, but it’s the same theory as how to fight a Boggart). I put the three mummies into a long-running story that I’d made up in my head—and I made them undead idiots. Like zombie versions of Beavis and Butthead. Yeah, I did that. I made them weird funny sidekicks in my story, but it didn’t really stop me being afraid when I saw pictures of them again.

Remarkably, despite being terrified of Torrington, I became obsessed with mummies as a kid, an obsession that continues to this day. I would marvel over pictures of Tollund Man, Ötzi, and the Qilakitsoq mummies of Greenland.

But not John Torrington.

Whenever I would flip through a book about mummies, if I encountered a picture of Torrington, I would slam my hand over the page to cover it. I would be creeped out by other mummies, but it was never to the same level as it was with Torrington. And yet, I would still be compelled to peek, even after covering the page. I would regret it immediately, but there was something that made me want to look, even though looking at him was the last thing I wanted to do.

Over the years, Torrington would find his way into a few more stories of mine, in some form or another. In college, I wrote a short story for a fiction writing class where the picture of Torrington on the cover of Frozen in Time started talking to a young woman, representing her repressed thoughts and fears (he cracked a lot of jokes in that one). At that point in time, however, I hadn’t been able to bring myself to read Frozen in Time. I had bought a copy a while ago—the 2004 revised edition—and when it arrived from Amazon I flipped through it, telling myself that I was an adult and I loved mummies and I could bravely face the pictures of these boogeymen from my childhood.

That last part turned out to be incorrect. Several weeks of being too afraid to turn off the light at night ensued. I wouldn’t read the book for another eight or nine years.

But eventually I did read it, multiple times in fact, and I’m no longer terrified of pictures of Torrington, or Hartnell and Braine. That all started a little less than two years ago.

It began with another story idea I had that incorporated Torrington, one I have yet to write. I thought I should do some research into him first if I was going to include him. Around the same time, The Terror was airing on AMC. The exact timeline is a little hazy for me, because the story idea actually first came to me at the end of 2017, but The Terror first aired in March 2018. I can’t remember if I had the idea to add Torrington to my story before I started watching The Terror or not, but I think it was before.

Once I started researching Torrington and the Franklin Expedition, I quickly became obsessed. I had poked around Franklin research before, but my fear of Torrington would always hold me back. I would peer through my fingers at pictures and facts, but I could never do more than that. But now I was hooked.

My childhood nightmares were there at first, just out of the corner of my eye, but my research started to shift those in strange ways. I had always seen Torrington as this ancient, towering monster, but then I discovered that he was only twenty when he died and stood at only five-foot-four. I’m older than him. I’m taller than him. His desiccated body weighed less than ninety pounds, which I definitely weigh more than. Basically, if he came charging out of the closet, I could take him.

But what really drew me in was realizing that we knew so little about him. I could look at a picture of his face, frozen in time, but I couldn’t reach back into the past to ask him about himself. I’ve known about him almost my whole life, with him skulking in a corner of my brain, stepping out of the shadows every now and then, but I didn’t really know who he was as a person. The Franklin Expedition can drive people mad with the mystery of what happened to the men after they entered the Arctic, but suddenly I became obsessed with knowing what had happened before the expedition. Who was John Torrington? Who was this guy that has occupied my dreams and nightmares, who has taken up a permanent residence in my mind ever since I first laid eyes on him? Who was this young man who has somehow been a part of my life for so long, but whom I know so little about?

I know I’m not the only one who has been asking these questions, or who has been living with the Franklin ice mummies in their heads. I’ve met some amazing people online who are just as obsessed, if not more so. Thanks to this series, I’ve had people contact me about their own interest in Torrington and the Beechey Boys and how they understand my love for them.

Many times before, I’ve attempted to put in words just what draws me to mummies. In 2011 I even started a long-since-abandoned blog about mummies called Digging the Dead, where I tried to explain my interest. But I’m going to try my best now to pin down what has compelled me to study Torrington, and why he keeps popping up in my life.

I think part of the appeal of Torrington—and Hartnell and Braine—is the shockingly alive appearance of their preserved bodies, with some morbid curiosity over their undead vibe thrown in. The preservation of a body, preventing the natural process of decay, is fascinating. It’s a type of immortality, although one the mummy doesn’t get to enjoy. Torrington looks like he could get up and walk around—possibly in a zombie-like way, but still. He looks more like a real person than some mummies, like bog bodies that became too twisted by the weight of the peat or desert mummies that have a freeze-dried appearance. But a large part of the fascination with Torrington, and mummies in general, is that it’s like touching a piece of the past. When we see their pictures, we’re looking at something that is from a time long gone, but they seem so very present, so tangible in the here and now. They are time travelers, in a way, and this is our way of reaching out to them across the years.

And with the mystery of the Franklin Expedition, Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine add an extra layer of intrigue as well as reminding us that there were more than just officers on board. We have pictures of Franklin, Crozier, Fitzjames, and many of the lieutenants and mates, but the ordinary sailors and marines didn’t have the luxury of having their pictures taken. What they looked like has been lost to time, but the preserved remains of Torrington and the Beechey Boys literally puts a human face on the ordinary men of the expedition, the ones who never wrote memoirs or had journals that were preserved for posterity. Men who have been largely forgotten by history, who don’t get the same reverence we give the captains, who don’t get memorials or landmarks in their names. When thinking of the men of the Franklin Expedition setting sail for their destiny, it’s easy to see Torrington on deck—alive, his striped shirt billowing in the wind as they sail toward Lancaster Sound—and to imagine that these were working ships, fully manned with ordinary people who led regular lives and had dreams of what they would do when they returned home to double pay and the fame of having helped discover the Northwest Passage.

But on January 1, 1846, those dreams winked out for one of those men. On this day, I think not about how well Torrington’s body has defied time and decomposition, but about who sat with him as he passed. Was he alone? Did he have friends on the crew? And what of his family back home? Did they toast him and his journey, not knowing that he was gone?

Who said a prayer for John Torrington 174 years ago?

If it’s not too late, I think I’ll say one for him today.

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Torrington Series Masterlist

#john torrington #franklin expedition

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coffeebased · 5 years ago

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Would it be terrible if I kept doing this: popping onto WordPress once a year, for a week, just to chirp energetically about the things I’d done the previous year, before disappearing into the aether? Who would sanction me? Other than myself, of course, but I think that I have enough things to distract my conscience. My annually-updated reading blog hardly takes precedence over my other responsibilities and the reparations that have swallowed up my life.

I know that I was due one more blog post in January 2019, about reading stats being compared across the years. How convenient it is that that is exactly what I shall be doing now, here in January 2020.

My ideal posting schedule for 2020 will be as follows:

2019 Books I have read and my 10 favourite ones (right now! Oh, happy day!)

2019 Reading Statistics (1/11)

Reading Statistics: 2013-2019 (1/18)

Goal-setting for 2020 (1/25)

This was the system I tried to implement last year. Two out of three posts completed is still a failing mark. And goodness knows if I will manage to stick to that schedule this year, let alone what happens after those posts. That’s every Saturday for January settled. In previous years I used to do everything in one big post and that was great, like, very cathartic, but posts had gotten more and more unwieldy.

This is such a heartening beginning to a blog post: complete abandonment to the four winds. No commitment! Just my own satisfaction. In 2020, forget overpromising, we are lackadaisically mentioning that we have some ideas that may or may not push through.

I read 126 books in 2019! You can view the complete list: here. It’s the second least number of books I’ve read since I started documenting my reading habits in 2013. I’m not really surprised since I spent most of the year gathering data in the field or studying. More on that in succeeding blog posts.

Previous year-end reading posts are here: 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 a b|.

My Ten Favourite Books from Those I Read in 2019

The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell

In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet that will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question what it means to be “human”.

Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley

If you work hard enough, if you want it enough, if you’re smart and talented and “good enough,” you can do anything.Except get pregnant.Her whole life, Lucy Knisley wanted to be a mother. But when it was finally the perfect time, conceiving turned out to be harder than anything she’d ever attempted. Fertility problems were followed by miscarriages, and her eventual successful pregnancy plagued by health issues, up to a dramatic, near-death experience during labor and delivery.This moving, hilarious, and surprisingly informative memoir not only follows Lucy’s personal transition into motherhood but also illustrates the history and science of reproductive health from all angles, including curious facts and inspiring (and notorious) figures in medicine and midwifery. Whether you’ve got kids, want them, or want nothing to do with them, there’s something in this graphic memoir to open your mind and heart.

The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven’s Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven’s watch, the city flourishes.

But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods.

It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo–aide to Mawat, the true Lease–arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven’s Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself…and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.

Lent by Jo Walton

Young Girolamo’s life is a series of miracles.

It’s a miracle that he can see demons, plain as day, and that he can cast them out with the force of his will. It’s a miracle that he’s friends with Pico della Mirandola, the Count of Concordia. It’s a miracle that when Girolamo visits the deathbed of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” the dying Medici is wreathed in celestial light, a surprise to everyone, Lorenzo included. It’s a miracle that when Charles VIII of France invades northern Italy, Girolamo meets him in the field, and convinces him to not only spare Florence but also protect it. It’s a miracle than whenever Girolamo preaches, crowds swoon. It’s a miracle that, despite the Pope’s determination to bring young Girolamo to heel, he’s still on the loose… and, now, running Florence in all but name.

That’s only the beginning. Because Girolamo Savanarola is not who—or what—he thinks he is. He will discover the truth about himself at the most startling possible time. And this will be only the beginning of his many lives.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan’s unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero O’Connell

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There’s just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy’s best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it’s really Laura Dean that’s the problem. Maybe it’s Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever.

Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

Tiempo Muerto by Caroline Hau

Two women meet on the island where they shared a childhood. One is looking for her mother, the other her yaya. One is an Overseas Filipino Worker, the other an heiress. In an old bahay na bato haunted by scandal and tragedy, secrets and ghosts, the women find their lives entangled and face the challenge of refusing their predetermined fates and embracing their open futures.

Gideon the Ninth, The Locked Tomb #1 by Tamsyn Muir

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K. J. Parker

This is the story of Orhan, son of Siyyah Doctus Felix Praeclarissimus, and his history of the Great Siege, written down so that the deeds and sufferings of great men may never be forgotten.

A siege is approaching, and the city has little time to prepare. The people have no food and no weapons, and the enemy has sworn to slaughter them all.

To save the city will take a miracle, but what it has is Orhan. A colonel of engineers, Orhan has far more experience with bridge-building than battles, is a cheat and a liar, and has a serious problem with authority. He is, in other words, perfect for the job.

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

Trick Mirror is an enlightening, unforgettable trip through the river of self-delusion that surges just beneath the surface of our lives. This is a book about the incentives that shape us, and about how hard it is to see ourselves clearly in a culture that revolves around the self. In each essay, Jia writes about the cultural prisms that have shaped her: the rise of the nightmare social internet; the American scammer as millennial hero; the literary heroine’s journey from brave to blank to bitter; the mandate that everything, including our bodies, should always be getting more efficient and beautiful until we die.

Thanks for bearing with me. Keep a weather eye for the next post.

[Reading] My 10 favourite books from 2019 Would it be terrible if I kept doing this: popping onto Wordpress once a year, for a week, just to chirp energetically about the things I'd done the previous year, before disappearing into the aether?

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berniesrevolution · 6 years ago

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JACOBIN MAGAZINE

Mark Fisher was prolific, piercing, witty, humane, and omnivorous. On any given day you could log onto his blog k-punk and read about Sigmund Freud and J. G. Ballard, Jurassic Park and Voguephoto-shoots, Batman and Lenin, financial collapse and dance music.

But what made him such a valuable cultural critic wasn’t his dazzling breadth of commentary. It was his vision of the world, intricate but discrete, which bundled all his observations together into a coherent whole. That vision was of a global society dominated by capital, bludgeoned by neoliberalism, but straining nonetheless, weakly but perceptibly, for revolution.

Fisher didn’t live to see anything like a revolution. But his work contains blueprints for a new generation of socialists, tens of thousands of whom have been energized — in the US, in his native UK, and around the world — since his suicide in January 2017.

A new collection of Fisher’s k-punk essays from Repeater Books clocks in at over eight hundred pages, including his book reviews, film reviews, political writings, music reviews, interviews, and other assorted essays. I read it the way I imagine it’s meant to be read: incompletely, out of order, in fits and starts. Three major themes emerge in his political writing, each a refutation of some common lie or a refusal of some sham consensus: society exists, capitalism is not forever, and the Left must fight to win. Together they constitute a vital perspective for anyone who seeks to contribute their energy to the struggle against capitalism and for socialism.

Society Beyond Individuals

“There are individual men and women and there are families,” said Margaret Thatcher. “There is no such thing as society.” Fisher knew otherwise.

There is a society beyond individuals — and, as a corollary point, the setbacks and catastrophes sustained by individuals usually have collective political and economic causes. They therefore must have collective political and economic solutions. The utility of individualizing problems, as neoliberalism does, is to prevent us from identifying and pursuing those solutions — chiefly because the solutions will inevitably involve undermining the profits and redistributing the wealth of the capitalist elites who run society and want to keep it that way.

One theme that runs through Fisher’s writing is the individualization and depoliticization of mental health. In an essay titled “October 6, 1979: Capitalism and Bipolar Disorder,” Fisher argues that the disintegration of security and solidarity under neoliberal capitalism has left people “psychologically trashed,” feeling abandoned and disoriented. Fisher, who himself struggled with depression, didn’t deny that mental illness has observable neurological manifestations. But he was aghast at the observable injunction against discussing the political and social conditions that permitted those neurological disorders to spiral out of control and destroy people’s lives.

“The current ruling ontology rules out any possibility of a social causation of mental illness,” he wrote. “The chemico-biologisation of mental illness is of course strictly commensurate with its de-politicisation.” If every individual’s mental illness is solely the result of anomalous brain chemistry, not induced or augmented by factors such as financial precarity or social isolation or neoliberal perfectionism, then we need not inquire whether our society itself is disordered.

In another essay, “Why Mental Health Is A Political Issue,” Fisher wrote:

It would be facile to argue that every single case of depression can be attributed to economic and political causes; but it is equally facile to maintain — as the dominant approaches to depression do — that the roots of all depression must always lie either in individual brain chemistry or in early childhood experiences.

He ventured a different explanation. First, he wrote in “The Privatisation of Stress,” the erosion of job security coupled with punitive and hyper-extractive management techniques put working people on edge: “It is hardly surprising that people who live in such conditions — where their hours and pay can always be increased or decreased, and their terms of employment are extremely tenuous — should experience anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.” A society that guaranteed economic stability would, on the other hand, allow people to relax, free their minds from financial worry, and plan for the future. It wouldn’t eradicate all negative feelings, but neither would it aggravate or compound them the way neoliberal capitalism does.

(Continue Reading)

#the left #mark fischer #capitalist realism #capitalism #alienation #politics

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morganhazelwood · 7 years ago

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2017 Retrospective

2017 was a year unlike any other. For a lot of people, it was scary, stressful, and a struggle to get through. But that’s not all it was.

I may not have ended my year with a signed agent, but I definitely made some forward progress.

I queried 31 agents, attended 2 writing conventions (including my 1st trip to Europe!), finished my second novel, wrote a third novel, and revised my first novel twice, (then edited it twice, cause you kinda got to after revising). I even got an R&R (Revise and resubmit) request from one agent!

Between Balticon and WorldCon: Helsinki, I hit 29 panels, 6 workshops, 2 presentations, 2 book launches, and 2 autograph signings. (Despite mostly having to queue up an hour before each Worldcon panel!) Plus, I met up with/made 3, no, 4 new writing friends in person. 🙂 And that doesn’t include the dozens of new friends I chat with weekly.

That all sounds pretty impressive! But, let’s look at the numbers.

My Writing Goals Last Year

I made sure to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time-bound) goals.

By January 12th of last year, I was already starting to slip. But I didn’t give up.

Here are my admittedly mediocre results.

2017 Goals

☑ Edit my first novel with editor ☑ Finish rough draft of my second novel [minimum 5k a week until done] – Knocked this out quickly!

☒ Edit my second novel [minimum 50 pages a week] — Nope. Didn’t touch it. ☒ Send my second novel to beta readers — Nope. ☒ Write a short story —HaHaHa. Well, did this in October and December, instead. ☑ Attend Balticon

☒ Revise my second novel [Notecards, rip to shreds, rebuild] — Nope ☑ Attend some-other con – Like WORLDCON!

☑ Plan my third novel – I did! ☑ NaNoWriMo my third novel [writing 50-75k words] – I finished the rough draft at just over 51k. ☑ Revise my first novel or my second novel as needed ☑ Keep querying? or R&R if requested? – Had FEEDBACK from a reject letter about my opening chapter, with what I believe was a R&R, so I worked on that.

Monthly Goals

■ Post 1 book review on Amazon/GoodReads – Fell short. Overall, I reviewed 5.5 books (the last review didn’t go up until this year) and ranked 25 books.

■ Submit 3 Queries for both my first novel and picture book- Fell short. Overall though, I queried 31 agents, which was only 5 short of my target. If you ignore that I’m combining totals from both books’s queries…

Morgan in a “Burr Shot First” shirt, holding a book on “The Guide To Literary Agents” and the print-out of her latest draft shrugging and wondering if she should query again.

Morgan smiling at the camera with the river at Thingvellar behind her

WorldCon panel, featuring George RR Martin

Morgan in a red top, showing the crowd at George RR Martin’s panel

Top Lifetime Post

Posted towards the end of 2016, this post only had 53 views that year, but it became a sleeper hit and is now the main reason people who aren’t already following me find my blog. In 2017, it had 1,092 views!

10 Questions To Ask Your Beta Readers

In fact, I submitted an edited version of that blog post to the “Insecure Writers Group” for their essay anthology and it was selected! Becoming the first essay in the anthology and my first published work. (Free on Kindle!)

My Top 10 Posts of 2017

PitchWars is Coming! #PimpMyBio

Top 10 Tricks For a Better Query Letter

Confession: I’ve Been Struggling

How To Handle Rejection Letters

Morgan’s LASIK adventure

Writing Diversity

The #1 Reason I Won’t Let You Read My Manuscript

When Your Rough Draft Is Really Rough

3 Things That Make a Great 1st Line

A Message To My Fellow PitchWars Hopefuls

My Top 3 Posts of 2016

5 Stages of a PitchWars Hopeful

5 Big Things I’ve Learned About Editing

An Outline to Write By

My Top 3 Posts of 2015

Packing: Editing Your Life

I’d Make a Good Henchman

Handling the Unavoidable Info-dump

Social Media Stats

I like stats and tracking progress, so here are my numbers for 2017. I tried to be both engaged and engaging, but outside of Facebook, I may have been more of a creator than a consumer of content.

(Click HERE to answer 3 multiple choice questions on what you’d like to see more/less of in this blog!)

Followers

First off, I worked on getting more followers for my twitter and FB Page. Then, I started my own Youtube channel! Between all my social media accounts, I added 3,099 followers, with over 2/3rds being twitter followers.

The FB groups I run are where most of my engagement is, though. So, if I want more of my followers on twitter to even see my posts, I should probably post there, and actually reply/retweet people’s posts a little more regularly.

Content

This year I continued to keep my streak of blogging at least once a week. Once I started the vlog, I added to it at a weekly rate as well. My Goodreads stats are a bit deceptive as I added a bunch of books I’d read in years gone past when I created my account last year.

Some thoughts: I don’t see me posting here on the blog more often unless it’s quotes or images, but I should post to Instagram at least once a week. And if I’m going to use Pinterest, it would make sense to make mood boards for all my Works-In-Progress. Both for myself, my beta-readers, and my future fans! 😉

Account Break Down

WordPress – I started this blog in April of 2015.

Of my 81 posts, 21 of those were video versions of the weekly post. I think I’m going to combine these from now on.

Altogether, this blog had 7,778 views, 5,211 visitors, 912 likes, and 210 comments.

Twitter – MorganHzlwood – I joined in March of 2016

Tumblr – MorganHazelwood – I joined in June of 2016

In 2017, I posted 213 times. I counted. No clue how many posts prior.

Instagram – MorganHazelwood – I joined in 2015

Pinterest – MorganHazelwoo – I joined in 2015

Facebook Pages – MorganHazelwoodPage – I joined in 2015

Facebook – MorganSHazelwood – I joined in 2013.

Google+ – Morgan S Hazelwood – I joined in 2013

Stats! 28 likes and 2 comments. I counted.

GoodReads – Morgan Hazelwood – I joined in January 2016

I did 3 reviews and 27 ratings last year, for a total of 7 reviews and 279 ratings.

In Conclusion

I didn’t do as much as I’d hoped.

Some of that was external. People who are reading your work out of the kindness of their hearts and working around their own schedules aren’t necessarily going to adhere to your schedule. (Speaking of… I’ve been sitting on a 2 chapter critique since OCTOBER. Bad Morgan!)

Some of the was consequences of decisions.

I had LASIK in May, which impacted the amount of time I could read/etc.

In the fall/early winter, I applied for and got a new job. That required prep time, reviewing computer languages I hadn’t played with in 6 years, and some stress.

I’m running 2 Facebook PitchWars support groups and administering another SFF writer’s group. That takes time, energy, and spoons.

I’ve scheduled social time with friends Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. Add in my blog post writing and uploading Wednesday nights and full weekend social schedule and I’m simply not making my writing a priority. Most of the social stuff is low key, not more than dinner and TV time, but it’s still a major time chunk. I love my friends and family, but I might have to talk with them about changing this schedule.

And some of it was clear, outright laziness. Binge watching the West Wing and cheesy Christmas Movies. Spending hours staring at facebook…

However…

I DID do a lot of writing, more revising on my first novel than anticipated, started a vlog, critiqued novels for friends and family, and read an average of more than 2 novels/novella’s a month. I queried my first novel on average more than twice a month and my Picture Book 4 times.

I may have fallen short, but you know what Les Brown says about that?

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Les Brown [Image of Milky Way by A. Fujii, NASA]

How well did you do on your goals?

Had you given up on them in January, did you rock the BLEEP out of them, or did you do okay but think you might do better with concrete, SMART goals?

2017 Retrospective

2017 Retrospective 2017 was a year unlike any other. For a lot of people, it was scary, stressful, and a struggle to get through.

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heynells-blog1 · 7 years ago

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2017 // milestones + accomplishments

theme: remember why you started | commitment

#batgirlintraining | health + fitness:

ran a 10K, 13K, and 15K and became a running aficionado - stayed committed to training outside (at least 2 days/week) in the fall/winter season

designed a morning and evening routine - postgrad, i consistently woke up at 5AM-5:30AM and went to bed around10PM-10:20PM

incorporated pilates and strength training into my work-outs

tried yoga for the first time in the summer, and continued it for 2 months

disciplined myself w/ veganism and ovo-vegetarianism

upped my self-care habits as i juggled working, apprenticing, race training, making art, and babysitting gigs

became more open talking about body positivity and body dysmorphia on social media

got a spot in the NYC Half Marathon 2018 as part of Team CADV (Center Against Domestic Violence)

lifestyle:

developed myself into a minimalist and zero-waste novice

became a master meal-prepper

started dropping off my food scraps either on Governors Island or Union Square Greenmarket

post-grad: read at least 2 books each month

started listening to podcasts and identified the ones I like (hello The Great Discontent, Broken Boxes Podcast, Another Round, Lavendaire, and Clever Girl Finance)

invested in houseplants, succulents, and growing basil at home

started bullet journaling to organize my life and my brain has never felt so clear

started this blog to document my life and i’ve manged to update it at least once a week

adventures:

explored more of NJ, NYC, and upstate NY -- specifically NYC community gardens, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Harlem, the Bronx, and apple orchards

attended my first concert with one of my best friends - GovBall NYC

social justice:

co-created a year-long volunteering/social justice curriculum for student leaders at my alma mater #legacy

took on a 6 month compost apprenticeship on Governors Island where i overcame my fear of [most] bugs and discovered my passion for urban sustainability

volunteered at several NYC community gardens / urban farms to learn more about composting and food justice

wrote an essay on allyship that was recognized by my alma mater’s lgbtqa & social justice center

through my art nonprofit internship, i learned new ways of teaching art + social justice to middle school and high school students

made time to attend professional development events that focused on inclusivity, diversity initiatives, intersectional [feminist] organizing, and youth leadership

art:

sold #agbulosart prints for myself and to raise $ for nonprofits

collaborated with another artist-friend to make + submit “the revolution begins with women” for an art magazine

helped paint a community mural at First Street Art Garden

volunteered to help paint a mural, then somehow ended up meeting the ED of another NYC art nonprofit that i love

completed 17 / 31 drawings for #inktober

public speaking:

agreed to speak on panels and be a panel moderator (despite my case of impostor syndrome telling me otherwise)

learned a new skill - served as a podcast co-host during my spring semester of grad school

money:

became a personal finance pro to proactively handle my money anxiety

in august, i started tracking *all* my expenses. each month i cut down from the previous month’s spending - i said good-bye to coffee shops, whole foods buffet, vegan pizza, buying snacks from stores, and my credit card to trim my $ and focus on buying things that maximize the value of my dollar. i also cut my transportation budget in half.

started reading personal finance blogs to learn more strategies on how to pay off debt and additional ways to earn money

sidegig hustling: baby-sat A LOT for 4 months, but i made at least $300 a month doing it. in december (as of 12/25), i earned $500 babysitting.

compiled and created a list of resources for freelance, babysitting, and catsitting positions

planned out how i’m going to pay back my $50,000 student loan on or before my 30th birthday

finally made an emergency fund - tiny, but mighty

decluttered my workspace and cleaned out my closet - sold clothes/books/bags/collectibles to get more $ for my student loan

made peace with the fact that i will have to postpone my plans of moving out and travelling abroad if it means attaining financial freedom on or before i’m 30

relationships:

i will never forget having all of my best friends/sisters with me on my graduation day

learned to let go of friendships that were no longer fulfilling

didn’t take myself seriously on bumble, then ended up seriously dating my partner for 6 months (and counting)

school:

graduated a MPA kid, with 2 B.A.’s and a minor - all while working 3-4 PT jobs each semester since my sophomore year

my undergrad thesis on female perpetrators of human trafficking was accepted for publication in a journal

birthed my gradschool thesis on heterosexual male victims of intimate partner violence

survived taking 2 winter seminar classes (my advisors thought i was crazy)

miscellaneous:

took my written driver’s exam + passed

became better at saying no to projects that would have hindered my productivity

became a prime pitcher in advocating my talents + services for freelance gigs

things i was terrible at:

morning journaling

maintaining a gratitude journal

keeping in touch with my friends - especially with my friends who went abroad

re-learning french

not using social media on the weekends (i was adamant about doing this in january, but lost all resolve less than 2 weeks into 2017)

initially dealing with my money anxiety - i shut people out because there were moments i felt overwhelmed with everything and sometimes i felt like a failure when i got caught up in the comparison game.

signing up for driving school - however, i still don’t have the budget for it and i have 3 months left on my learner’s permit sooo i should be fine

not prioritizing @artivismgalleries and all the creative projects i wanted to do - i had to put these on hold because i needed time to find PT/FT jobs

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journeywithrenee · 8 years ago

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July 30, 2017

BEFORE YOU START READING

If you haven’t read my previous post, I would like to encourage you to consider donating blood this summer! It will benefit many patients in the various hospitals within Toronto and can save lives. Here is an article about the current shortage of blood:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/critical-blood-shortage-1.4164669

Truthfully I’ve been putting off writing this because it’s been so long and updates have accumulated since I last wrote. It’s my fault for being lazy haha but I’m back now with a fresh update right off the press. A fair warning: I’m not sure how long this update is going to be but something is telling me that it’s going to be a mini essay. Grab some tea or something as you’ll probably need to sit and read (I mean, if you want to).

Shorter Days

My days at the hospital are shorter now that I’m in consolidation. It also helps that our appointments are always in the wee hours of the morning (okay not THAT early but it’s early for me…) Getting in early usually means getting out early. Blood work and ECGs (something used to monitor my heart) are only done on Mondays and Thursdays. Those days are a little longer but we still get out before rush hour. I now usually have the second half of the day to myself to do what I want to do (which is usually not much because I’m usually rather tired when I get back from the hospital).

Medical Updates

That being said, this past Tuesday (my birthday) was the last day of my first consolidation phase. I now have 3 ish weeks off before I start my second cycle. I am eating my oral chemo pills during this time off but I do not have to go to the hospital to get chemo through my IV. I go to a clinic three times a week to get my line flushed (just so nothing bad gets into my picc line and infects it). My dressing also gets changed once a week. I’m doing pretty well consider it’s only my first phase. I am experiencing no major side effects which is great. I will talk about this in a subcategory but for now I can proudly say that although I’m more tired than usual, I have not experienced any side effects from the chemo. The only thing that has been a little tricky is my picc line. My skin developed a sudden reaction to the adhesive from the dressing that protects the site (where the pipe uhh, goes into my body LOL) from germs. I got rashes under the dressing as well as around it. I put some prescribed ointment whenever my dressing is changed underneath the dressing. The rashes around the dressing have subsided and the type of dressing has been changed. It’s still kind itchy underneath the dressing as there are still some remaining rashes but it’s nothing that I can’t handle. Fair warning: the picture is kinda gross.

My birthday

As some of you know, my birthday was this past Tuesday aka July 25th aka my last day of chemo for phase 1. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! This birthday was a little weird for me. It’s something that I have to repeat to the nurses on the daily (actually literally everywhere in the hospital. It’s for safety reasons ofc) and when the day actually came I was like YUP WOW I’m 22 now. Anyways, I’m incredibly blessed with amazing family and friends. My parents bought me this BOMB NEW LAMP. I’m so stoked about this lamp, it might be the best thing that happened to my room.

this picture doesn’t do it any justice. It has 12 different dimming settings AND there are 5 different types of light. Natural light, cool light, warm light, idk what other light but there are 5 settings. It’s amazing ok?

A group of my close friends surprised me the Sunday before my birthday. They blew up 22 helium balloons as well as many regular ones and hid in my basement, scaring the living daylights out of me. I love them. (they bought me the kpop albums that I’ve been wanting from my favourite group). Did I say I love them? Well I’ll say it again. I love them.

I also received a package from the States from a friend that used to live in Canada. (If you’re reading this I hope it’s okay to post this picture!)

I may have shed a womanly tear or two.

I received a touching card that also made me cry more than one womanly tear. Why are my friends so amazing?

Lastly, two of my friends actually dropped by my house on my birthday to give me some cheese tarts from Uncle Tetsu. (Don’t be mad at me Uncle Tetsu cheesecake lovers but I think I like the tarts more.) (Also, Carmen and Tiff, if you’re reading this I hope it’s okay that I post this picture too HAHA)

I’m not sure what my hand is doing and I really need to stand straighter but THANKS GUYS! I love you so much! *sends heart eyes your way*

my “cake” cutting process (although I already too two huge bites as you can see LOL)

Imminent hair loss

It’s not really imminent, it’s already happening. I used to watch movies and stuff where someone had cancer. The sad parts are always when they run their hand through their hair and chunks of hair are tangled in their fingers. WELL THAT’S HAPPENING TO ME RIGHT NOW and even though I said I was ready in my previous blog post I am Not Ready (capital N and R for emphasis). I fortunately don’t have any bald spots yet, it’s a even hair loss I guess but once it gets really patchy this hair will be gone from my head. Come on Renee, you can do it.

My carpet after every shower. This amount has now doubled.

My future plans

Some of you have heard already but I am officially enrolled in an online course for September! I’m excited to get my schooling on again, even though it’s only one course this semester. My hope is that by January, I can take 4 courses or so and be a full time student again.

My days off

Now that I have three weeks off, I’m going to be pre-studying for the course that I’m taking. I’m worried that my brain has not been worked as much as it should’ve been during the past few months. I’ve also picked up bullet journalling/photo journalling again. The process is soothing and it allows me to be creative in my own way.

this is my title page for the month of August. It’s the first time I’ve drawn something with pencil crayon (I find the medium really hard to work with LOL).

Someone suggested to me that I write a book/memoir about my experience with leukemia and the more I think about it, the more I’m considering doing it. Sometimes I narrate words in my head and it sounds kinda good LOL. Renee the author…I feel like my parents would be the only ones that would buy this book LOL

My wishes came true

I’m going to say it. I ate gon chow ngau ho for the first time since I got diagnosed.

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY.

I also was able to go out for the first time in a really long time. I went to Unionville with my parents and we ate ice cream. Even though I’m mostly still house-ridden I’m glad for opportunities like this.

My mom said I need to change my smile immediately.

Annoying insurance companies

My chemo pills are were covered by my mom’s insurance company. They’re really pricy and I was glad that they covered it UNTIL they told us that they will no longer cover it. Long story short, I just turned 22. That means I will not be covered anymore unless I am a full time student even though the reason why I need to be covered is the reason why I cannot be a full time student. It’s…frustrating. We’re still sorting it out.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for my parents as they have SO much on their plates right now. Pray that God will give them the wisdom and strength to make it through all of it.

Please pray that something will happen with the annoying insurance company. I feel so hopeless about the situation

Please pray that I will not cry if I lose all my hair HAHA

Please pray for me as I prepare to start studying again. I’ve never been the greatest student but I want to do well despite the fact that I’ll be studying/going through chemo at the same time. School kinda scares me.

Thanks for reading friends!

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green-dr-martens · 6 years ago

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Hey everyone!

I hope you have all had a wonderful New Years! As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to do an in-depth review of last year’s resolutions to see if I managed to complete any. I decided not to put any pressure on myself last year and it will be interesting to see if that technique actually worked!

Run in at least one 5k race.

This time last year, I couldn’t run for more than 5 mins at a time. For me, this resolution was super ambitious and I never thought I’d actually do it. I have to be honest, I didn’t do as many races as I’d hoped but I did actually complete one official 5k race which was the Race for Life. Although this is the only official race I ran, I did run lots of 5k’s in 2018 on my own and even ventured as far as a 12k! This may not sound much to you but for me, someone who only started running this year, I have come a long way! This year….. it’s time for a half marathon!

Write more often.

Okay, so I haven’t written a novel or anything but….. I did start writing this blog last January and I have almost reached my 100th post! I find it incredibly difficult to write when I’m in uni because I write lots of essays and if I write for pleasure I always feel guilty that I’m not writing my essays! Despite this, I have managed to (somewhat) consistently post on here so I guess this counts as writing more often!

Hike and walk more.

This is one of 2018’s resolutions that I definitely failed. I tried to walk more but I could never find enough time in the day. Despite this, I danced so much more in 2018 and started running too. I guess that counts for something!

Stop worrying about how you look, worry more about being a wonderful human being.

In all honesty, I don’t think I will ever stop worrying about how I look. I guess it’s just normal in this society. On the other hand, I have lost 2 stone in weight this year and I definitely feel so much better in myself – I don’t think I have ever felt this confident! Adding to this, I have tried to focus more on who I am as a person and on the inside, rather than on the outside which has really helped me keep a positive mindset!

Visit somewhere you have never been.

This last year I have been lucky enough to visit five places that I have never been! These include, Bristol, Newcastle, Torquay, Rhodes and Berlin. I enjoyed every single moment of visiting these places and would definitely go back! Hopefully this year, I’ll be able to visit more places!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Say Yes to more opportunities.

This is something I really wanted to do in 2018. I felt like I held myself back and tucked away in my comfort zone in 2017 and I really wanted to change it. Since then, I have achieved so much. I am so glad that I pushed myself in 2018. Just some of the things that I did which I would usually say no to were: Superteams, Varsity, going for a committee position, going scuba diving with people I didn’t even know, choreographing a dance, running the Race for Life and so much more!

Take more care of your mental health.

This was such an important one for me. I struggled so much mentally in 2017 and I really wanted to change that. I can’t say 2018 was the best year but I really did try and help myself in terms of mental health. I definitely faced a lot of challenges but I feel like opening up when I was struggling really made such a difference. I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends at the moment that get me through so much. I still have super bad days but over the last year, I have had so many more good days than bad!

I have to say, I completed so many more than I thought I would and I am super proud of myself for this. I just hope 2019 is just as wonderful!

See you soon,

Did I Complete My 2018 New Year’s Resolutions? Hey everyone! I hope you have all had a wonderful New Years! As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to do an in-depth review of last year's resolutions to see if I managed to complete any.

#2018 #2019 #blog #lifestyle #list #newyear #resolutions #student #tumblr

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toolsforthejourney-blog · 8 years ago

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Pain

January 2017

To my family, friends, fans and seekers…

I would like to write about pain, how and why it comes upon us, and what are its origins…

Pain or hurt, are inevitable in this life, and I don’t know about you, but I find pain one of the most confounding aspects of life.

Pain is associated with an injury, rejection, or loss.

This world is infected with pain everywhere you look, and the fact that our world keeps spinning at all is in itself a miracle. There are wars, famines, epidemics, terrorism, hatred, crime, racial prejudice, natural disasters and death—to name just a few. These cause pain to the afflicted and to those that remain.

There are some that would place the onus on Father-God for our pain—that He uses it to teach us. So it goes like this:

“Son, I warned you not to play with matches because they can start a fire and burn our house down. Since you can’t seem to obey me, I’m going to light this match and hold the flame to the palm of your hand until the match burns all the way down. It’s going to hurt and seriously scorch the flesh on your hand, but it’s for your own good; I’m doing this to teach you a lesson you will never forget, because I love you.”

Can you imagine? What uttter nonsense! This contradiction is what some misguided folks believe, when they ascribe pain to some part of God’s sovereignty, a.k.a. He creates “pain” for our good. This is a distorted view of His sovereignty and it misrepresents His will in the world.

It’s not that I don’t believe He is sovereign, I do. But I also know that He has placed a great deal of trust in us as followers of Jesus; to bring His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. …as it is in heaven: where there is no pain. So there are great areas of freedom that we walk in for good or ill, depending on how we exercise that freedom. Our freedom is there for us to love or hate, bless or curse, to do good or cause pain.

I believe that love is the answer to the “why” of pain. Love is a risk, and it will cost us everything we’ve got to live in love, and to enforce it. We risk the loss of everyone or everything that we love. It is because of our capacity to love that we can feel, and sometimes those feelings are painful.

I remember when I was a little boy, before school-age, our family received Jonas Salk’s polio vaccination in sugar cubes. In addition, my parents were ordered by the CDC to destroy all our older stuffed animals and other soft toys, in order to prevent the spread of polio. My Teddy Bear was a casualty of the war on polio. The after-effect of losing my stuffed pal was a recurring nightmare in which a 150-foot tall living Teddy Bear attacked our neighborhood (think Godzilla…). In the dream we were on the run from the beast and just when we thought we had escaped him and made it to safety, I looked up, and there he was. There was no place to hide or run. He reached down and grabbed my scrawny little self, and lifted me up to his gigantic mouth to eat me—not anyone else, just me. And right before I entered the dark cavern of his great mouth, I woke up.

I had the same dream more than twenty times, the last time when I was fifteen. I went through more than ten years of waking up in a cold sweat from a very bad dream.

No doubt the loss of my Teddy Bear had a HUGE effect on me.

And then there is rejection. This may be the most painful of all. When we love someone who doesn’t love us in return, or maybe can’t love us because they lack the capacity—rejection can be like a dagger to the heart. As a matter of course we find ourselves asking the question, “What’s wrong with me that they can’t love me?”, even if it’s only asked in our subconscious mind.

And eventually there’s death, which finds us all. My Great Aunt Alice is 102 years of age at the writing of this blog. She still has all her faculties and mobility, albeit assisted by a cane. Amazing! But even centenarians run out of time—eventually. The ratio of death to humans is 1 to 1. Losing a loved one leaves a void, and that can suck us down a vortex of grief if we let it.

I remember losing my uncle Rico 25 years ago. He and I had done a few music projects together and had made plans to do more, but throat cancer took him. When people are ripped from our life through sickness or tragedy, it’s always too soon…too soon. I didn’t slow down to mourn his passing, and the grief I put off became a full-blown depression 15 months later. It was a situational depression, not chemical, but who really knows…is it the chicken or the egg when it comes to a depression?

One of the Old Testament’s more quirky characters was a man called Jabez. He prayed to have more land, more influence, more blessing and protection from evil. But interestingly he ended his prayer with these words, “…that I may not cause pain.”

Now that’s a good prayer for us all.

The greatest pain of all is when those we love choose to do us wrong; when they injure us. Nothing hurts more than a betrayal from a close family member. When those that should know better hurt us, we are left dazed and bewildered. As Bernie Taupin wrote for Elton John, “Love lies bleeding in my hand.”

Well said and sung.

Because God works all things to our good, nothing we go through is wasted. We do mature on the other side of pain. We do grow in character on the other side of pain. We do learn to better appreciate what we have on the other side of pain. We do gain the perspective of the pain we’ve gone through and how we emerged from it, and then we can comfort others who are going through similar pain. For sure, pain produces something positive if we don’t get stuck and wallow in it.

Think manure...

God doesn’t cause pain, but He sure puts it to good use.

No, our God is the cure for pain. He is our loving Father. He is our Comforter. He is our Protector. He is our Restorer. He is our Vindicator. He is our Deliverer. He is our Defender. He is our Redeemer.

He is our Healer.

Pain comes from our ancient foe and accuser, and from us, for we are human; we are weak. Every one of us causes pain to someone or to ourselves, and when we do, we live in agreement with our adversary. We humans are fallible and given to error, sin and falseness. This is why we need a Savior. I wrote a song called ‘Only One’, which is on my album entitled Spring. It speaks to Jesus Christ being the only One who can solve the world’s macro problems. If we could have solved the world’s issues, wouldn’t we have done so by now?

Pain reminds us that we are human, and humans never stop needing His love.

Remember in everything, Father will have the final say.

As always, you can respond to this essay to my email address, [email protected], or at my website, Innocente.us under the blog button in the pull-down menu, or simply at tumblr.com/blog/toolsforthejourney

Keep it out of the box,

Innocente

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jessgartner · 6 years ago

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2018 Life Olympics

Let's get one thing straight: 2018 was not a year. 2018 was actually a decade in annum's disguise. Things happened in January or February 2018 that I would have blindly guessed had occurred at least three years ago. The Winter Olympics, for example. How do you measure a year? In heartburn, in wrinkles, in gray hairs, in stress disorders.

Have you ever had a moment when you come face-to-face with your own specific brand of crazy? (I know the answer is yes because you're reading this and all of my friends and casual observers are a little bit crazy. It takes one to know one). Anywho, the other day I sat down to do my annual reconciliation of goals that I set this time last year... all 32 of them. 32 goals. What the what? What sort of lunatic sets 32 annual goals? Even several days later, I can't even type this without laughing at myself. Some of these goals are things like "Raise X million dollars" - a months-long affair involving dozens or hundreds of tasks. 1/32! I tallied it up and I somehow managed to hit 20 of these crazy goals, in a year that I had written off as "terrible," "horrible," "no good," and "very bad."

Coincidentally, my word for 2019 is "boundaries" - may I set them, may I respect them.

2018 Life Olympics Recap

Career - Bronze

By objective measures, Allovue had a pretty good year. We are now supporting over $10 billion in school budgets for about one million students - milestones of which I'm very proud. We added terrific people to our team, we made huge improvements to the product, we hosted an awesome Summit, and we brought on exciting new partners.

Personally, I just didn't feel like it was my best year. This is partly because I set insane expectations for myself and then felt disappointed when I couldn't match them. My attention was divided across several core functions, which made me feel generally frazzled and unfocused for large swaths of the year. When I get stressed, my instinct is to double-down and work harder, which catalyzes a vicious spiral of overwork/exhaustion.

At least twice this year, I dismissed serious health issues as "probably just from stress" and I got sick more than I have in the past several years combined. Next year, I'm putting boundaries in place to help me focus on the goals that really matter to me and to do so with a clear head and a healthy body.

Home - Did not place

Ooph. The gods of hearth and home were not on my side this year. I had an attempted break-in at my rental house that resulted in someone smashing through my backyard fence Hulk-style. My second-floor ceiling caved-in from water damage. Tenants made a mess of the house, resulting in three months of deep-cleaning and painting (and income-loss). My basement flooded. I discovered (because I smelled gas one night) that the gas line in my house was too small (who even knew that was a thing?) and had to be entirely ripped out and replaced. My taxes increased 300 percent. And to top off the year, a new roof. Throughout all of this, I really tried to exercise gratitude for having house(s) in which things break, but it still sucks to write those checks. I'm praying that all will be quiet on the home-front next year. Please.

::Burns sage::

Health - Bronze

While I felt sick and run-down quite a bit this year, I still did some healthy things that I'm proud of. Early in the year, I made the decision to give up my car when the lease was up. I have always characterized my driving as "all of the adrenaline but none of the skill of Batman" and I think it's maybe safer for everyone if I sit in the passenger seat of cars. I anticipated that I would spend about as much money on transportation with increased rideshare spending, but thought the trade-off of stress and time spent driving would be a net good. I was wrong:

In 2017, I spent $5,067 on transportation. In 2018, I increased my spending on ride-share 1000% but it still didn't come close to the total cost of having a car. In 2018, I spent $2,791, which includes the remaining $550 balance on my car payments. If I take that out and factor in post-car ride-share spending, I'm still saving 50% or more on transportation costs. This is wild. One cost not shown here, since it's a one-time expense, is my new bike. I could buy and outfit a brand new bike every year and still only hit about 75% of my spending level with a car. I'm extremely pleased with this decision.

I also joined a new gym and hired a personal trainer this year. These costs probably offset what I saved in transportation, but I feel good about investing in my health. I exercised more regularly this year than ever before, even if it wasn't quite at the level of frequency I was aiming for, and I built a lot of muscle with weight training.

My biggest health fails this year were 1) eating like crap during busy travel seasons and 2) generally eating way too much sugar. I'm increasingly seeing studies about the long-term health consequences of processed foods and sugar. I don't do well with total elimination diets, but I want to dramatically reduce my intake of sugar, refined carbs, and processed foods, as well as managing my diet better when I'm on the road.

Soul - Silver

Shockingly, this was my best category this year. I hit the most goals in this LO category, which included time for writing, singing, traveling, theatre/concert-going, and other activities that make my soul happy. I saw some terrific performances this year, including Audra McDonald and Cynthia Erivo at BSO, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Wonder in My Soul at CenterStage, Waitress at Hippodrome, Ingrid Michaelson at the Beacon, Spring Awakening at StillPointe, Remember Jones at Soundstage, Wye Oak at Ottobar, and Once on This Island on Broadway. I didn't write quite as much as I had hoped (ya'll, I thought I was going to draft two books this year. My concept of time is WILD.) But I still had op-eds published in The Baltimore Sun and Forbes, as well as a few pieces in Medium and on my own blog. I also sang a lot of songs that I loved this year and played the piano more than I have in years. More of all this. I fell short of my 36-book reading goal, but still clocked in a respectable 32 - my second-best reading year since I started tracking in 2012. For the past several years, I've been making a conscious effort to diversify the authors I'm reading. This year, 53% of books I read were authored by people of color and 60% were authored by women. Only 15% were authored by men of color, so that's an area for improvement next year.

Favorite novel(s): Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Favorite poetry: Helium by Rudy Francisco, Felicity by Mary Oliver

Favorite business/strategy: The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath; Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

Favorite memoir/essays: we are never meeting in real life. by Samantha Irby; We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

Relationships - Bronze

I had a fun time engaging with friends and family in new ways this year. I hosted a wine-tasting night and piano concert at my house. I went on trips and to festivals with friends. I also made peace with letting go of some relationships. I spent time with my family and celebrated 21 years of our Boxing Day tradition with my Dad.

I'm taking a hiatus from dating through 2019; at least, a sabbatical from trying. The various apps and profiles have been deleted; my swiping finger is retired. I've been at this game for over a decade with very little success and there's absolutely nothing else in my life that I would invest this much time in for so little joy or purpose. A big part of my goal for 2018 was to retire old narratives that no longer suit me and I decided around November that this story of infinite first dates is just not working for me. For a while, it was fun, then funny. At some point, though, it turned into an exercise in drudgery. I cannot continue to invest this much time and emotional labor and hope into an activity that continuously drains and disappoints me. There is too much else far more worthy of my time and energy: myself, Allovue, my family, my friends - the true loves of my life.

Listen. I see you grinning over there, thinking, "Oh, this is it. Now that she has given up, love is just going to drop right into her lap." I think you've been watching too many Hallmark Holiday movies; this is not The Christmas Crush. This is the real world where men flake and cheat and ghost and zombie and ghost again and I'm all the way over it. Let me be. I can live happily ever after anyway.

Andddd that's a wrap on 2018. I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. I'm closing out the year in Mexico, binge-reading novels, listening to the ocean, doing yoga, eating chilaquiles, and setting a reasonable number of goals that (mostly) adhere to the confines of the space-time continuum. See you on the other side.

#lifeolympics

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topicprinter · 5 years ago

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When I decided to study abroad, I had a Masters in Biotechnology and wanted to further pursue an MBA in the USA. In the process of finding the right university and talking to education consultants, I discovered that there were immense bias and ambiguity involved in the university recommendation process. Using AI to eliminate that bias and make the university application process hassle-free for international students, is what lead to the formation of iSchoolConnect.How did you get Google to back it?Networking while I pursued my MBA at Bentley University is what made iSchoolConnect possible. I met Asif Hasan through the alumni network at Bentley and joined Quantiphi Analytics and AI and ML cloud solutions company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Quantiphi already had Google’s attention. So when I decided to launch iSchoolConnect and its various AI-based use cases, Google Cloud sponsored it as a startup.How did you get your first three signups?Since our platform was all about helping students study abroad, we went to the direct source i.e events at the local colleges. Therefore, while we were also building our brand presence online, our first 3 signups were from our activities in the local colleges.Have you raised any money? How much?We received $400,000 in pre-seed investment in January 2018 and seed funding of $400,000 in June 2019. We were also granted $200,000 in credits by Google in 2018.Who is your target demographic?Our target demographic is international students who intend to pursue their higher education abroad. Our organization focuses on students originating in Asia and traveling to the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK for their further education.I’ve always believed that the most effective way of attracting our clients is by providing them with genuine, informative content. That translates across mediums such as blogs, forums, social media, and other communication platforms. We also regularly organize information sessions and seminars at schools across India.Where did you meet your founding team?Now, we’re a team of 35 members. However, I co-founded iSchoolConnect with an MBA classmate Don Kphury in 2017. However, Don had to leave the startup to pursue other responsibilities so I now run iSchoolConnect myself.Any tips for finding first employees?The best advice for finding first employees is to strengthen your network and hire individuals that share your vision and goals for your organization’s future. My team is incredibly important to me and iSchoolConnect is a reflection of their effort and contribution.What is the most common service you sell?Offering end-to-end services to students applying for their education abroad is the ultimate and the most common service we offer. To make that process easier, we’ve developed a unique suite of tools such as the Recommendation engine, Essay and SOP analyzer, Video interview analyzer, etc.Did you run any companies prior?I had no prior experience in running companies, just my MBA to stand on. Before starting iSchoolConnect, I was an employee at Quantiphi Analytics managing the Data Science and Engineering business.What motivated you to start your own business?I was determined to use AI and Machine Learning to build a platform that allowed students to find all the information they needed, in one single place. The only way I could do so on my own terms was to start my own business.My family was incredibly supportive and provided help and guidance with every step of the way.Do you have any advice for someone just starting out?The only advice for people starting out and thinking of starting out is to take that leap of faith and be persistent in spite of various ups and downs. There are many that thin of an idea, those who act on it, own the world.I feel that every mistake or misstep you take is an arrow in your quiver. It helps you protect and prepare yourself for any upcoming misadventures.What is stopping you from being 3x the size you are now?The first year of business is the most critical and in order to create a solid foundation and foothold, sometimes you need to go a little slow. Furthermore, the space in which iSchoolConnect is working in rampant with misinformation. This needs to be resolved with care. Once solved, we expected to grow not by 3x but 10x.What apps could your business not run without?Softwares such as Hubspot or Google Analytics for lead management and data analysis, Google Cloud Platform, Gitlab, etc. are some of the most essential software utilized by iSchoolConnect.What is current revenue?With the way our organization is currently expanding, we have an expected ARR of 1.2 million USD by December 2020.Are there any new services you’re working on?All our use cases are built to work independently. We’re deploying our use cases such as the Video interview analyzer for employee recruitment and our chatbots for institutions; and as far as I’m concerned, that is just the tip of the iceberg.Would you ever sell the company?I can honestly say that the thought of selling iSchoolConnect has never even occurred to me. Along with our work in the B2C space, we’re also delving deeper into the B2B market and making immense headway there. Neither my team nor I, have plans of stopping anytime soon.

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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limejuicer1862 · 6 years ago

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Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

rob mclennan

Born in Ottawa, Canada’s glorious capital city, rob mclennan currently lives in Ottawa, where he is home full-time with the two wee girls he shares with Christine McNair. The author of more than thirty trade books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, he won the John Newlove Poetry Award in 2010, the Council for the Arts in Ottawa Mid-Career Award in 2014, and was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize in 2012 and 2017. In March, 2016, he was inducted into the VERSe Ottawa Hall of Honour. His most recent poetry titles include A halt, which is empty (Mansfield Press, 2019) and Life sentence, (Spuyten Duyvil, 2019). An editor and publisher, he runs above/ground press, seventeen seconds: a journal of poetry and poetics (ottawater.com/seventeenseconds), Touch the Donkey (touchthedonkey.blogspot.com) and the Ottawa poetry pdf annual ottawater (ottawater.com). He is “Interviews Editor” at Queen Mob’s Teahouse, editor of my (small press) writing day, and an editor/managing editor of many gendered mothers. He spent the 2007-8 academic year in Edmonton as writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta, and regularly posts reviews, essays, interviews and other notices at robmclennan.blogspot.com. He has a million links to books, chapbooks, interviews and other activity at his author page: robmclennanauthor.blogspot.com

The Interview

What inspired you to write poetry?

That’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure, and it’s a question I was asked by another not that long ago. I think poetry found me, and the finding, during my early high school years, solidified some of the thinking I’d already been attempting. Writing simply made sense.

It helped that I had a good social group around me during that period, many of whom were also experimenting with the beginnings of writing. We even started a small publication that our English teacher put together for us, and I contributed poems, postcard fictions and a couple of drawings.

Once my twenties began, it was the birth of my first child that really made me realize I should either pay attention to “this writing thing” properly, or simply not bother. She was born two months before I turned twenty-one, and I was soon running a home daycare full-time so I could stay home with her (taking in two other children five days a week, ten hours a day). I was writing in a coffee shop three nights a week during that period, from 7pm to midnight.

Who introduced you to poetry?

During my mid-teen years, my girlfriend (the eventual mother of my first child) was a big reader, and she introduced me to many things, including poetry and fiction, predominantly Canadian literature of the period—Leonard Cohen, Margaret Atwood, Margaret Lawrence, George Bowering, John Newlove, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, Elizabeth Smart, etcetera. Through another high school peer, I became introduced to the work of Richard Brautigan, who remains my preferred American writer. I have a soft spot for him and his work I refuse to relinquish.

How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

“Dominating” seems an odd word. Anyone who publishes, especially for an extended period, is going to overshadow anyone younger who hasn’t yet published. Also: I’ve known a great many ‘older poets’ who have been remarkably generous with emerging writers, many of whom might not have managed to get to where they needed to gain traction with their own work without that kind of mentoring. I, myself, spent my teens and twenties encouraged by a great number of well-established writers, including Henry Beissel, Gary Geddes, Ken Norris, Judith Fitzgerald, John Newlove, George Bowering, Bruce Whiteman, Robert Hogg, Diana Brebner, John Barton, Mark Frutkin, Barry McKinnon, Elizabeth Hay and others.

I was aware of other writers only abstractly during my teen years, with few examples. Gary Geddes and Henry Beissel lived close, and I became aware of them through high school workshops. Ralph Connor was very much on my radar, as he’d written extensively on and around my geographic area, but he existed as a historical figure, not as a contemporary one (he sold a million copies of his books in 1900, being Canada’s earliest, if not first, best-selling fiction writer). It was only once I moved from the farm to the city at nineteen that I began moving through bookstores and libraries and multiple reading series, and getting a slow sense of what was happening with writing.

By the time I was twenty-three (1993), I’d started reviewing poetry titles, which quickly emerged into what has become a lengthy engagement with reviewing poetry, fiction and non-fiction books, journals and chapbooks. I started with a column in our local weekly paper in 1994, but by the end of the decade that had fizzed out, which eventually shifted my attention online, and my blog, which began sometime in 2003. For many years, as reader, writer, editor, reading series organizer and publisher, I’ve made it my business to be aware of as much as I possibly, humanly, can.

What is your daily writing routine?

Before the birth of our wee girls (who are now three and five and a half), I was writing daily from the time I woke until late afternoon, and even kept “office hours” at a donut shop from 1994 to 2000, before shifting over to a coffee shop (once my donut shop closed) where I sat daily for fourteen further years. Once the (more recent) wee children plus our house, I moved from writing almost exclusively in public spaces to sitting at my desk in a home office. These days, I’m either with the children, or I’m at my desk. There aren’t many opportunities for much else.

I’m currently writing around their summer program schedule—three mornings a week from 9am to 12:30pm—before I collect them from the church down the street for further adventures. There are times they are willing to play quietly, whether downstairs or in the living room, which allows me some further time at my desk, but I try to be careful with that. Once September hits, our big one begins grade one, and the wee one most likely returns to her three mornings plus two full (school) days a week, which will allow me some further attention. Perhaps that might even open the possibility that I return to that “big novel” I keep promising myself I’m still working on.

What motivates you to write?

This would seem an odd question to pose to a dairy farmer: what motivates you to milk the cows? Or to a welder: what motivates you to weld? So I offer: this is what I do. I start projects to make sense of things, and to explore particular subjects, thoughts and shapes. I finish projects because I am project-oriented (and am often eager to get to whatever might come next). Perhaps it comes from being the son of a self-directed dairy farmer, but I see what I do very much as existing in a working-class ethic. I get up, I work. I keep working. Very “Alice Munro” in my Scottish-Protestant ethic.

What is your work ethic?

My work ethic is the muscle I utilize to create and complete work. It is something I struggled to establish during my twenties, and has sustained much of my writing since.

How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

George Bowering was a great jumping-off point for my reading and research. He remained my favourite Canadian poet for two decades or more. He is often underacknowledged in CanLit for his wide range, and enormous amount, of editorial work and critical writing. He did, it was said, more critical work on those around him than any other writer of his generation. Through him, I discovered the work of a great deal of writers, from established to emerging, from mainstream to experimental, from Canadian to international. If one thought inevitably leads to another, so, too, my reading and thinking, and Bowering, singularly, increased my awareness exponentially.

And there are multiple books and authors I continue to return to, for rejuvenation, or solace. I’m rereading Jack Spicer these days, for example. Before that, I was digging through, yet again, Rosmarie Waldrop and Norma Cole.

Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

There are many! And too many to list here. But I am always excited to see new works by Lydia Davis, Lorrie Moore, Rosmarie Waldrop, George Bowering, Stuart Ross, Gil McElroy, Jason Christie, Brecken Hancock, Julie Carr, Pattie McCarthy, Erín Moure, Jack Davis, Monty Reid, Stephen Brockwell, Pearl Pirie, Amanda Earl, Stephen Collis, Sarah Manguso, Cole Swensen, Megan Kaminski, Anna Gurton-Wachter, Hailey Higdon, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, Jordan Abel, derek beaulieu, Sarah Mangold, Sandra Ridley, Hoa Nguyen, Jessica Smith, etcetera. There are so many writers doing amazing things! And there are new things to learn and relearn from every one of them. I want to experience it all. I like seeing what I haven’t before, which can often be difficult. I want to see work that challenges the way I think of writing, and thinking.

Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

This is something I know I can do, and do very well. I also really enjoy it.

It makes sense to me when I tell myself that I write. I am a writer.

What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Write as much as possible. Read as much as possible. Be fearless. Employ the long game.

Be open. Engage with others attempting the same. Edit later. Don’t be afraid to fail.

Keep going. Repeat as necessary.

Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

Since January I’ve been working on a poetry manuscript titled “book of magazine verse,” which plays off Jack Spicer’s title, writing poems that aim themselves toward specific journals and presses. In hindsight, I’m realizing just how little such pointed compositions are acknowledged, and I’m enjoying seeing where the poems end up taking me. If one attempts a couple of poems for Fence magazine, for example, they are going to sound very different than, say, poems that one might send to Grain magazine, so why not play with that structure? So much contemporary literary production would be lost without the little magazine and the small and smaller presses.

I’ve also been poking at a handful of short stories, attempting to get a sense of where a new manuscript might take me, especially since completing a further manuscript of short stories last year. I don’t just want new stories to sound like an extension of what that prior book was doing. I want to see if I can do something different with the tone, and the structure. I’m still feeling it out. I’m also working on a follow-up manuscript of postcard stories, furthering a line begun with the publication of my debut collection of short short stories, The Uncertainty Principle: stories, (Ottawa ON: Chaudiere Books, 2014). I step into that manuscript every so often, but am not in any particular hurry, there.

There are numerous other projects in various states of incompleteness, which I would like to focus on, but I might have to wait until the fall before I can consider any of that. I mean, I’ve a post-mother creative non-fiction manuscript, “The Last Good Year,” that could use reworking. I’m half-through a poetry manuscript, “snow day,” currently made up of two longer prose poems (I haven’t yet decided on what the potential third section might look like). I’ve multiple unpublished manuscripts of literary essays that could use some attention, and re-shaping, for potential publication.

There is so much more that needs to be done.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: rob mclennan Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

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richardlowejr · 6 years ago

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How Has Writing Changed Your Life? [Roundup]

Writing has changed my life dramatically. It’s given me a purpose for living and let me fulfill my passion while making an income.

I wondered how writing has affected other people, so I asked a few of them:

How has writing changed your life?

Here are their unedited responses.

Click on a photo to go directly to the author’s Facebook page.

Kyle Waller

Writing changed my life because it saved it from a knife dancing too close to my throat in my own hand. Yes, you read that correctly. Yes, I mean every word. No, I won’t redact it because it’s the truth. I should not be alive to write this, my Depression should’ve been the end of the story back in 2009 when I was thirteen. Writing is one of the things, one of my core passions, that kept me going. The days were dark, but the nights of solace by a candle and a dimly lit computer, creating my universes, my characters and fashioning a world from nothing- it was serenity in a sea of entropy- my one saving grace. I shouldn’t be here to tell you about my novels coming out that bring Mental Illness into the spotlight, but here I am. I share this all freely because we lose people every, single, day, that we don’t need to. Everyone knows someone who battles with Mental Illness… I will tell my story, the world will hear it, and if it saves but one life, then all the effort is worth it. In short: I write because I do not have a choice.

Facebook: Kyle Waller

Clare Flynn

Unexpectedly it has provided me with the income I’d been hoping my pension would bring. So I’ve not needed to draw my pension. I realise this is unusual and I’m very grateful. I wake up each morning happy and raring to go. I love writing and telling stories. I particularly love getting emails from readers telling me how my books have affected them. Sometimes I wish I’d started this long ago – but I have no regrets and I loved my previous professional life. But I don’t have time to do all the painting I planned!

Website: Clare Flynn

Chris N Jerri Schlenker

I started writing in retirement. It has grounded me and given me purpose in that I hope my writing is touching lives in a positive way. I strive for my writing to be inspirational. One of the best compliments I ever received was from a lady telling me they were reading my book Sally to a bedridden relative and it was giving her such pleasure. She was recounting her own past to them. Writing about Sally was one of my main reasons for beginning my writing journey. Sally lived from 1858 to 1969, born into slavery. I met her when I was 8 in 1961.

Bonnie Dillabough

This is an interesting question, since from my standpoint I can hardly remember a time when I wasn’t writing. So has writing changed my life? I do know this. That I can’t imagine a life without it and my imagination is pretty active.

When I was 8 years old I wrote a 28 line rhyming poem entitled, The Christmas Alphabet, which I then performed for the church Christmas party. I was particularly fascinated by poetry and music, so it seemed a natural thing to write songs. I was never the one to count the number of words in my assigned stories in school, since my stories always exceeded the minimum number of words.

In high school I was named the Poet Laureate of the school in my freshman year. My winning poem was featued in a yearly publication called “The Albatross”. In my senior year I wrote a musical play based on the stories of Dr. Seuss.

Over the years I have written newspaper articles, stories, plays, songs, blogs as well as many reports and whitepapers.

How has writing changed my life? From a young child it enabled me to indulge my creative flights of fancy. It allows me to express things that I can do in no other way. It allows me to organize my thoughts and draw the pictures that my lack of artistic talent wouldn’t allow otherwise.

It gives me great satisfaction to see my words on paper and makes me happy when my words have a positive impact on someone. It allows me to keep a record for my children and grandchildren.

And, now that I am finally writing a novel, it allows me to hopefully give others the joy I feel when reading books by the authors I love.

Website

Jo-Anne Blanco

Writing has always been a part of my life, one way or another. As a young child, teenager, student, then as an English language teacher and university tutor travelling and working around the world, I had always written stories, essays, and diaries of my travels, although I never published anything until last year. Writing is part of my being, part of myself; the epic historical fantasy series I am currently writing has been over a decade in the making. My father’s illness and having to give up my teaching career to become a full-time carer led to me taking a correspondence course in creative writing, which in turn gave me the courage to embark upon the novel writing I always wanted to do. The greatest way in which writing has changed my life is that it has helped me develop this new courage to put my work and myself out into the world like never before.

Before I published my first novel, I had no internet presence, no social media accounts. I never posted on internet forums or the like. I was never afraid to travel the world, to go backpacking in the remotest areas, or to live and work in countries where I knew no one and didn’t speak the language. Yet I was still chronically shy, deeply insecure, and lacked confidence in myself and my abilities. Writing and publishing, networking and making contacts, and gradually reaching readers and reviewers who like my work is helping me overcome my insecurities to become a more confident and complete person. I am now acquiring new computer and tech skills of which I was previously unaware or which I believed I would be unable to master. I love my work, I love my book series, I love my protagonist and her supporting characters, and I love that the new-found confidence writing and publishing has given me is finally allowing me to share them with the world.

Website: jo-anneblanco.com

Bjørn Larssen

Writing saved my life. I used to work as a blacksmith until spine injuries ended my career. The pain was so excruciating that despite maximum doses of painkillers I could still only sit in one position…which luckily allowed me to use the laptop. I started working on my first novel on January 1st, 2017. Since then the pain has largely disappeared, but I will never be able to forge again. If it weren’t for the writing, I don’t know whether I would be around. It allowed me to escape my body and immerse myself in stories.

It doesn’t end there. When the pain allowed me to get on a plane, I visited Iceland for research for a few days. I did not expect to fall in love with the country to the point where I spent all of April 2018 there, made friends, saw as much as I could, and became determined to move there one day. Because there is so much left to be seen. Writing gave me a reason to live, and then showed me how fantastic life still can be despite the fact I can’t work at the forge anymore. What was my plan B became a huge part of my life. I am finishing the first novel, drafting the second, outlining the third. Two years ago I thought this was it for me. Now? I have to go on living, I am busy, there are so many more stories I’ve got to write!

Blog: www.bjornlarssen.com

Stephen Schneider

So far, writing hasn’t changed it much other than keeping me busy and a lot of free time being taken up with writing, I haven’t published yet but am close

Website: sa-schneider.com

Christopher Kaufman

That’s a difficult question to answer. I have been writing and composing music all of my life. It is what my life is. The question might be, how would ‘not’ having been a creative artist changed my life? However, I would then have no answer because it would not have been my life at all!

Website: soundartus.com

Robin Leemann Donovan

I’ve always been a control freak, working hard to maintain a tight reign on as many aspects of my life as possible. When I started writing my first novel, I designed a process and built a timeline, allowing myself little leeway. As the writing progressed it became evident that I was not controlling the process, rather the process was controlling me. I would often find myself at points in the plot where I didn’t know what would happen next, yet I kept writing. I would often look back and be surprised at what had been written, sometimes an event that didn’t exist a few minutes earlier, and sometimes a memory from deep within my brain that found its way out and onto the page. That is probably why writing novels is one of the most relaxing things I do. I let myself go and let my subconscious take over – and I love the freedom it gives me.

Website

Donna Leigh Mysteries

Facebook

Paty Jager

I don’t worry as much anymore. I know that sounds strange, but early in my marriage my husband was a truck driver. Every time he’d be gone for several days, I’d have accident scenarios running through my head all day long. If family were coming to visit, I’d have visions of bad things happening to them. When I started writing, all of that went away because I had an outlet for my imagination.

Website Blog Facebook Page Amazon Pinterest Twitter Goodreads

Lionel Snell

I was quite good at writing stories at school – until I went for maths and higher maths at A level. My writing went to pot, because I had been drilled in a system of communication where every statement can only be a logical deduction from the previous one. Different from science – where the initial statement has to be one that is objectively ‘true’ and the final story also has to ‘prove’ itself by producing results under laboratory conditions.

In writing there is much less logical constraint and, in fiction writing, the initial statements do not even have to be objectively true. In that sense, maths is more like fiction, because you often begin with a statement that is pure fantasy, such as ‘consider a perfect circle’ – where the atomic structure of matter says that there can never be such a thing as a perfect circle. But writing, like science, does need to ‘prove’ itself – not under laboratory conditions but in the reader’s mind or life.

So if I write: “Let us create a garden as they did in Findhorn, by consulting the local devas” then I am starting like a mathematician, not like a scientist (who would require proof that devas ‘exist’). But, unlike a mathematician, the final test would be whether the reader liked what I wrote and, above all, whether following my idea and acting ‘as if’ devas existed resulted in a really super garden.

That is the way I learned to write, and how it changed my life.

Website

Wendy Jones

For me writing was a lifesaver, or at least saved me from dying of boredom. Terminal boredom. I took early retirement on health grounds. For someone who worked every hour God sent, this was a bit of a shock. I started writing a book and my life changed completely. The first book was a step on my future journey. Little did I know just where that journey would take me.

In the past four years I have published nine books, edited two and have another coming out in the next two weeks. I have written books for adults, young adults and children, spoken at national and international conferences, started my own crime conference, Crime at the Castle, and present a radio show. I am also the President of the Scottish Association of Writers, secretary of the Society of Authors in Scotland, webmaster for the Association of Christian Writers and Scottish convenor of the Crime Writers Association. I have made friends too numerous to mention and I can honestly say I am no longer bored.

Website

Amazon Author Page

Twitter

Facebook

Roz Morris

To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve always written, so you might as well ask what I did before I breathed. When I was at school, I wrote, but nobody else did so I thought I was peculiar for enjoying it. Later there was a phase when I wrote but thought I wasn’t doing it ‘properly’ because I did not have the means to become an author. And then, reader, I married an author. Suddenly every new person I met had a book they were writing. That was what I needed.

So I don’t think writing changed my life. I think my life gradually caught up with the writing.

Where to find me – Twitter @Roz_Morris

Website Book

Sydney Segen

As I drove to work one morning in Southern California, time suddenly stood still. An ultra-bright image of dazzling skies flashed in front of my eyes, and a compelling idea popped into my brain: I would start writing children’s novels. Weird? Yes. But it did happen, and I did quit my day job, and I did become a writer.

My career careened among fascinating clients: Zondervan Publishing House, San Diego Zoo, American History Museum, Scholastic, Aneuser-Busch, Inc., The White House, and more. I’m still having so much fun that it’s hard to believe people actually pay me to have a good time. Of course, there were times with no work; I took a ten-year hiatus to work at the University of California; life happened, and I wrote my way through it. Writing not only changed my life, it became my life. And now that I’m old, I just won’t quit.

Facebook: Hope After Trauma and PTSD; Truth Be Told Website: SydneySegen.com

Blog: http://sydneysegen.com/blog/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1984917153/

Helen Prochazka

There are so many ways that writing has changed my life. I love that being an indie author has:

Enabled me to start a new career that can be a global one… in a job that has no retiring age.

Taught me patience and persistence… especially when dealing with software and technology.

Given me the intense pleasure of achieving a long term goal… then realising the work doesn’t stop when the book is published.

Shown me that the days of being an introverted quiet achiever are over… I need to put myself out there to succeed.

Allowed me to discover that I could write poetry… The Mathematics Book contains 14 mathematical poems.

Taught me to be humble in the true sense of the word… and learn to accept compliments graciously.

Given me the opportunity to fulfil my childhood dream of working as a graphic designer… albeit an unpaid one.

Let me interact with indie booksellers… and finding that they are passionate big dreamers just like indie authors.

Exposed me to new people and ideas, even when home alone… it’s akin to travelling.

Provided me with a chance to make a difference… particularly to maths phobic adults!

Facebook Website

Brenda Haire

Writing has changed me and my life in so many ways. My book, Save the Butter Tubs!: Discover Your Worth in a Disposable World is a very personal journey of discovering my worth through writing my grandmother’s story. I absolutely feel I am doing what I was called to do. My goal is to help others discover their worth and transform their lives and legacy.

There was a significant time in my life where I felt absolutely worthless. I still have days, moments where I have to remind myself of whose I am and that He has called me to something bigger than myself. My worth isn’t determined by what I do, it is determined by my Creator. Just like the value of a Van Gogh painting isn’t determined by whose house it hangs in, but by the creator.

I believe that our gifts are the way our soul expresses itself and I am thankful to be able to fully express myself through my writing, speaking, and coaching. For the first time, I feel fully alive! I am doing things I once only dreamed about!

Brenda Speaker, Coach, Author of Save the Butter Tubs: Discover Your Worth in a Disposable World

http://www.BrendaHaire.com http://www.facebook.com/brendaahaire http://www.instagram.com/brendaahaire http://www.twitter.com/brendahaire http://www.pinterest.com/brendaahaire

Walter Boomsma

Writing has changed my life by making me a clearer thinker and a better communicator. But I also think it works both ways. Good thinkers and communicators are destined to write. Good writers are destined to become better thinkers and communicators.

http://wboomsma.com

James Lawless

It has made me more sedentary and sometimes gives the feeling that while you are analyzing life, you are not always living it.

Website

Erin McIntyre

Writing has added a new dimension to my life and reinvigorated my childhood imagination. It may take away most (okay, all) free time when not at the day job, but it’s certainly worth every moment. Knowing I’ve built a world for others to lose themselves in is the greatest reward and fills me with a true sense of accomplishment.

Facebook

Bronwen Griffiths

Writing has given me a purpose in life and even though I often write about difficult social issues such as war and refugees, writing has made me a happier person. Perhaps it’s because writing enables me to immerse myself in the subject and find resolution – which sometimes cannot be found in ‘real’ life.

My website is at: www.bronwengriff.co.uk

Here you can find my blog posts, flash fiction and poems.

Dixie Maria Carlton

How has writing changed my life? This is a question I ponder from time to time. Usually when I’m talking with others about the difference between being a professional speaker or thought leader, and a professional writer. As a writer, I’m able to locate what’s really in the deeper recesses of my mind and bring those thoughts and ideas to the front, and either share them or refine them.

Writing affords me the opportunity to explore topics of non-fiction and to develop my story telling skills in fiction. I get to get things out of my head and into something tangible what ever it is that I’m writing at any time and for any reason. When you consider the popular idea of doing that which you love and would do without reward because it is an integral part of who you are, for me, I realise that quite simply, I am a writer.

Now, I’m blessed to work in a way that helps other writers to bring their words to life, for the benefit of others. To explore their stories and how best to share them. What a privilige, what a joy that is!

www.authorityauthors.com.au

Carol Cooper

For a start, I have a notebook to hand at all times, even by my bed, in case an idea pops into my head. However, the most significant changes have been in my working routine.

As a writer, I’m able to work for myself and pick my hours, deadlines permitting. I can choose my workplace too. All I need is a bit of quiet and comfort. Writing is the ultimate portable occupation, especially if, like me, you use pencil and paper for the first draft.

But it’s not all lounging about on a comfy sofa waiting for inspiration to strike. Writing is, as the saying goes, ten per cent inspiration and ninety per cent perspiration, and I believe in working at it just as in any other job.

There’s also been an effect on those around me. As a doctor, I’m used to complete strangers describing their symptoms. Now that I’m also a writer, people seem compelled to share their life story, begging me to include at least some of it in my next book. I haven’t yet, but maybe one day I will…

facebook author page (fiction) Carol Cooper’s London novels https://www.facebook.com/onenightatthejacaranda/ instagram https://www.instagram.com/drcarolcooper/ website www.drcarolcooper.com blog Pills and Pillow-Talk twitter @DrCarolCooper

Author information

Richard Lowe Jr

Owner and Senior Writing at The Writing King

Richard is the Owner and Senior Writer for The Writing King, a bestselling author, and ghostwriter. He's written and published 63 books, ghostwritten 20+ books, as well as hundreds of blog articles.

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#writing #ghostwriting #writer

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placetobenation · 7 years ago

Link

Over the past five years, Place to Be Nation has been fortunate to feature written and audio pieces by a plethora of very talented individuals. Here is a sampling of some of our content from June 1, 2013 – June 1, 2018 for your enjoyment and to highlight our variety and insight into wrestling and pop culture since our launch. Enjoy!

A Long December: The Story of 12/29/98

Wise Words From the Old Man…

The Title Match

We Miss the 90s: America Online

Ready To Rumble: Everything is Real, Everything is Fake

A Look Back at 24: Ranking the Seasons

Strutting Out a Legacy: RIP Jackie Fargo

Exclusive: Tim Kennedy: “It’s Good to Have Another Job Because the UFC Doesn’t Pay Well”

Oh The People You’ll Meet: Little League Edition

JT’s Running Diary: 2013 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

Wrestling and Politics: A Look at a Turbulent Relationship

Three’s Company: The Wyatts, The Shield, and Trios in Wrestling

We Miss the 90s: Dinosaurs

Titans of Wrestling #1: WWWF January – March 1979 (Audio)

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Win?

Summer-Slammed: Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake & The Summer of 1990

The Chamber of Broken Dreams: SummerSlam 2003’s Main Event

Prime Time Player: Darren Young Comes Out

‘Headlocked’ Writer Looks to Change Perception of Wrestling Based Comics

In Too Deep: Is WWE’s Roster Oversaturated?

Weber Has Issues Special Edition: Calm Down, Nerds!

Ashton Kutcher Is A Douche aka “A Tale Of Two Kelsos”

The Winding Road to Lowell: Attending Raw in 1998

A Blind Eye to the Blind Tag

Oh the People You’ll Meet: IWC Edition

Parv’s Guide to David Bowie Albums

Wrestling With the Past #3: Celebrating Bret Hart (Audio)

Why the Browns Won the Trent Richardson Trade

What Happened to New & Original?

The Fiefdom of Sports Officials

The Lost Franchises of the ABA

The Alternative That Wrestling Needs

“Lightning Bolt” in Worcester: Pearl Jam Live

We Miss the 90s: Clueless

Welcome to Friartown, Section 103 – Meet the CWO

A Hero’s Exit: Chris Hero Departs WWE

Filth, Pollution & Corruption: The Ballad of Ludvig Borga

The Final Days of WCW

Richer & The Mailman 15: Cars, Death, Humor, Irony, and Richurrences (Audio)

Boxing’s Biggest “Problem”

The Best of 2013 in Comics

The High Spot: WWE Network is Here (Really) and the Top Stories of the Week

Wrestling Across America: Philadelphia with The Blue Meanie (Audio)

The Other Five Count – Greatest TV Dads

The Kevin Kelly Show #1: Adam Cole (Audio)

We Miss the 90s: Royal Rumble 1994 & An Ode to Friendship

JR’s Treasure Trove #4 – Mom Song by Old Spice

“The Cowboy and The Animal” – A Rundown of My First Live WWE PPV Event

A Tribute to Phillip Seymour Hoffman

The Kevin Kelly Show #2: AJ Styles (Audio)

PTBN Main Event #1 (Audio)

Valentine’s Day: A Love Story?

Parv’s Guide to the Wu-Tang Clan: Part 1 – The Knowledge

WWE Network Launch: First-Watches, Favorites and Gems from the WWE Library

Dad, the Hulkster & Me

The Kids Are Alright: NXT Arrives

Welcome to Friartown, Section 103: Providence vs. Marquette – 3/4/14, A Video Essay

The First Time They Didn’t Listen

Place to Be Podcast #300: An Extravaganza Three Years in the Making

Mended Harts – How Vince McMahon Apologized to Bret Hart & WWF Fans in March 1994

Brad and Chad’s WrestleMania Rewind Special: Ranking the WrestleManias (Audio)

Why Didn’t We Get This?? WrestleMania Matches We Wanted

A Tribute to The Ultimate Warrior

Philosophy of the Shield: The Case for Cap – Part 1

Happy Birthday Hot Rod! Remember When You Saved Virgil?

The “Us” Movement

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

Draft Day – The Tale of Two Trades

The Cowboy Goes to Class – Rise of the nWo

Forever Notorious

The Other Five Count – Favorite TV Season Finales

A Tribute to Macho

Movies of the P2B Generation: 1976

Hey, Hey, Hey…What is Going On Here? The Saved by the Bell Lifetime Movie is On the Way!

JR’s Treasure Trove #5: 2014 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

Five Reasons To: Get Over the New Thor Being a Female

The Rise of Tomohiro Ishii

Fandom, I Would Have Words With Thee

JR’s Treasure Trove #6: The Birth of Mr. Backlund – Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund – 7/30/94

Guardians of the Galaxy Takes the Marvel Cinematic Universe to New Heights

We Miss the 90s: Regulate

Brad and Chad’s SummerSlam Rewind Special: Ranking the SummerSlams (Audio)

A Step By Step Breakdown of the “Step By Step” Music Video

PTBN SummerSlam Rewind Series: SummerSlam 1992 w/ Steve Corino (Audio)

Bray Wyatt, God Complexes, and (Breakable) Glass Ceilings

My Late Night Experience

Titans of Wrestling #36: Interview with Tito Santana (Audio)

Forget Ebola – What about Anthrax?

PTBN’s Greatest Song of the 90s Tournament: Pool Round One, Group A

2 DXers, 1 Champ

The High Spot: An Interlude on Intergender Wrestling

The Kevin Kelly Show #24 – Dennis Stamp (Audio)

Hulk Hogan, As He Should Have Been

Woodstock ’94: Three More Days of Peace, Music…Drugs and Mud

Adam’s Top Music Videos of 2014

The Kevin Kelly Show #25 – Jim Ross (Audio)

Place to Be Podcast #353: Jeff Jarrett (Audio)

Roman Reigns and Paying Dues

Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch – “The Outing” (S4, E16)

The Ghost of Randy Savage Is Coming for Revenge

A Requiem for Parenthood

The Dichotomy of a Pro Wrestling Fan on the Internet

Teams Back Again – The Debut Episode! (Audio)

30 Years of Mania Madness (1985-1987)

The Best of Kevin Kelly at Place to Be Nation

The Great WrestleMania Re-Book: WrestleMania

Wrestling With Optimism #2 – The History of WWE.com Anniversary Special (Audio)

Place to Be Network: P2B Comics Draft Podcast (Audio)

22-1 or 21-2?: The Future of WWE Collides with its Past at WrestleMania 31

PTBN’s Main Event #30: WrestleMania 31 Preview (Audio)

The Five Count: Undertaker’s WrestleMania Opponents

Place to Be Podcast #368: King of the Ring 1993 and Kendra & Wes Mayle (Audio)

PTBN’s Real World Champion (1989 – 1994)

WDWorld Traveler: The P2B Guide to Walt Disney World (Part 1: The Basics)

Brad and Chad’s King of the Ring Special: Rankings, Rebooking and More (Audio)

Dangerous Alliance Wrestling Podcast #1 (Audio)

The Ballad of the Erstwhile Main-Eventer

1995: The Best Summer of Music Ever

The American Dream

JT’s Treasure Trove #7: 2015 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

PTBN’s Wrestling What If… The NWO’s Third Man

The Scientific Ranking of SummerSlams Part 1

Good Will Wrestling: Building the Perfect SummerSlam (Audio)

Volk Han-A-Thon 1991-1993

PTBN’s Excellent WWE Network Adventure: MSG House Show – 4/6/81

9/11 Remembrance: What Is Really the Least We Can Do?

Parv and Chad’s Top 100 Matches of All Time

Fair for Flair: The Complete Five Part Series (Audio)

We Miss the 90s: Video Stores

Rank & File #1: Top 10 Favorite Current Wrestlers (Audio)

JR’s Treasure Trove #3 – Ghostbusters: The Music Video (1984)

Thoughts I Think… As The Ratings Sink

PTBN Holiday Tournament Spectacular – Round 1, Peanuts Region

Ranking Rocky

Titans of Wrestling #55: Roddy Piper Tribute Part 1 (Audio)

Holiday Five Count: PTBN’s Favorite Christmas Movies

Christmas Television Memories

The Game Is Played Again

Wrestling with Expectations

Why Roman Reigns Isn’t Over, Or: A Study in Parallels – Roman Reigns, Bob Backlund and Dory Funk Jr

Peyton’s Last Stand – Super Bowl 50 Preview

A Grateful Farewell

Thoughts I Think… After Daniel Bryan’s Retirement

RAGEWATCH!!! – Fuller House (S1, E1)

The WrestleMania Top Ten: Part 1

In Search of Five-Star Matches: Part 1

Batman v Superman Brings Big Characters, Bigger Action

Place to Be Podcast Episode 400: A Celebration, WrestleMania Match Rankings & An Old Friend (Audio)

Tears Fallen, Too Late: The Passing of Chyna

Sometimes it Snows in April: My Journey with Prince

We Miss the 90s: Mallrats

Andre the Giant’s Lost 1991 Comeback

Muhammad Ali: 1942 – 2016

The Criss-Cross #1 (Audio)

Lucha Undead #28: “Talk Soup with Chad Campbell” (Audio)

PTBN’s Clotheslines & Headlines #1: Roman Reigns, Money in the Bank, Best in the World, BROTHER NERO & More! (Audio)

Hard-Traveling Fanboys Podcast #10: GIANT-SIZE – The 2016 Halfie Awards (Audio)

Parv’s Top 100 Music Artists, Part 1: Introduction and 100-76

JT’s Treasure Trove #8: 2016 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

All Hell is Breaking Loose: The Complete Story of Continental Wrestling (Audio)

Happy Birthday MTV! (Audio)

Survey Says: A WCW Retrospective #1 (Audio)

Geek & Sassy #1 (Audio)

Letters from Kayfabe #1 (Audio)

PTBN’s Clotheslines & Headlines #7: CM Punk, Vince McMahon’s Quads, Backlash, Randy Orton, DELETE OR DECAY & More! (Audio)

Lucha Undead: AMA w/ Brad from PTBN (Audio)

The Definitive Guide to the Suits of the Million Dollar Man

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 28: Reflection, Surprise, Terror…for the Future (Audio)

Rogue One Rebels Against Typical Star Wars Formula

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 29: Rogue One (Audio)

The Brad and Chad Show: Putting a Bow on 2016 (Audio)

PTBN POP Special: Tribute to Artists Who Passed Away in 2016 (Audio)

PTBN DadCast #1: Paw Patrol (Audio)

We Miss the 90s: Aerosmith’s Crazy (1994)

Place to Be Podcast #437: Sixth Birthday Celebration (Audio)

PTBN Network Special: Hot Takes on Cold Issues (Audio)

PTBN’s WrestleMania List-a-Mania – Day Twenty-Three: WrestleMania’s Most Overrated Matches

CouchMania 2017 Live Blog: Dealing With a Newborn and the Graps

Hard-Traveling Fanboys Podcast: 50TH EPISODE GIANT-SIZE EXTRAVAGANZA! (Audio)

PTBN Question Of The Day Weekly Recap (April 3-9 2017)

Letters From Center Stage #1 (Audio)

In Defense of Baseball: LEAVE THE GAME ALONE!!

Jeff Learns Wrestling #1: Basics of the Business, Jesse Ventura, The Mega Powers & more! (Audio)

PTBN’s Greatest WWE Wrestler Ever Project – Introduction

Hard-Traveling Fanboys Podcast #72: PTBN Pop! Comic Book Theatre — Watchmen

Hard-Traveling Fanboys Podcast #105: PTBN POP! Comic Book Theatre — Watchmen, Part 2

Talk’n Pop #3: Nick Duke and WrestleMania Weekend

Bruno Sammartino, 1935-2018

Wrestling War Zone: The Monday Night Wars – Episode 1

Marvel Age Podcast Featuring the Sarcastic Four: Episode One – 1961-1962

Jeff Learns Wrestling #14: WrestleMania IV

Five years

Full Archive

This list in google doc form

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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oovitus · 7 years ago

Text

How The Minimalists Are Using Social Media in 2018

By Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus · Follow: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Have you ever quit social media for an extended period of time? How did it change your perspective?

After using social media almost every day for the last seven years, we decided to walk away for a month to see what would happen. So, on December 31, 2017, before the ball dropped, we deleted all our past tweets and Instagram photos, we ceased our Facebook and Pinterest activity, and we uploaded a cryptic video alluding to our disappearance.

Then we were gone.

And now, a month later, we’re still alive, and we’re entering February 2018 with a blank slate.

During our month away, we learned some important lessons. And we unlearned a few bad habits. Most important, we discovered a need for us to use social media differently going forward.

Lessons Learned

Purpose. For us, once we’d created a blank slate, the purpose of social media became evident: communication. Not to sound overly simplistic, but want to use these platforms to effectively communicate our thoughts, ideas, and creations, and engage our audience directly with questions and answers—not broadcast our every thought. Social media can be a noisy place, and we don’t want to add to the noise—we want to whisper to the people who are listening.

Mindfulness. Whenever an activity occupies much of our mind, we need to take a step back and assess whether it’s worth the time we spend on that activity. Our friend Jessica Lynn Williams, who helps us organize our social feeds, discovered an important insight without the pall of social media in her everyday life: “Stepping away from social in January gave me the clarity of mind to see ‘the asshole in my mind running amuck’ (as Dan Harris says), and it has prompted me to adopt a regular meditation practice, which is something I’ve been afraid of for a while. This will be the year I take back my mind.”

Augmentation. We want to use social media to augment our creations—blog, podcast, books, films—not as the main platform on which we create. While we’ll be active on the different platforms, it’s worth noting that the best place to follow The Minimalists isn’t social media; the best place to follow our creations is by subscribing to our blog or by subscribing to our podcast (or both). Social media will simply append those platforms.

Unfollow. Whether it’s celebrities on Instagram, friends on Facebook, or news outlets on Twitter, the folks we follow often negatively affect our moods. We get caught up comparing ourselves with others, we get dragged down by naysayers, and we start twitching for 24-hour “breaking” news. Whenever this is the case, it’s best to unfollow those negative influences and instead curate a feed that includes people and brands who inform us, challenge us, and improve us. Letting go of the negative is the only way to make room for the valuable.

Value. As The Minimalists, we’ll post to social media only when it will add value for others. Before we publish to any platform, we must be able to affirmatively answer one question: Does this add value? If not, then delete.

Unlearned Bad Habits

Idiots. If the purpose of social media is to communicate with other humans, then we also must be careful with whom we engage. People find it easy to be keyboard crusaders, interactions with whom are rarely productive, so it’s important not to engage with the snarky critics, because this isn’t for them. Hence, if you’re a seagull, you’ll be blocked without discrimination, and you won’t be unblocked—ever. We have a renewed desire to communicate with our audience and a new vigor to avoid arguing with idiots.

Pacifiers. By removing the social media apps from our phones—which often pacified us whenever we had a silent moment in an airport, waiting room, or other interstitial zone—we learned that new pacifiers always appear. If you get rid of Facebook, you twitch for Twitter. If Instagram is gone, YouTube steps in. Two thousand years ago, the Stoics complained about people getting lost in books instead of going out and experiencing the real world. Today, we complain that nobody reads books anymore because everyone is lost in the tempting glow of their screens. Whether it’s books or social media we get lost in, we must work hard to use these tools deliberately to help us function in the real world—not remove ourselves from it.

Promoless. There’s too much “branding” going on these days. No, there aren’t any advertisements on our website or podcast or social media feeds, but even we have been guilty of too much self-promotion getting in the way of our own creations. Perhaps Derek Sivers said it best: putting ads in your work is like putting a Coke machine in a monastery. We feel the same about all the shameless self-promotion that’s going on these days, including our own. It’s solipsism run amuck. We’re pledging to remove the Coke machine from the monastery immediately so you can better enjoy what we’re creating and sharing without the promotional eyesores. Yes, we’ll occasionally talk about what we’re working on—including events, books, and projects—but we won’t let it get in the way of what we’re creating. If anything, promotion should be similar to the end credits of a film, not the main plot.

Triplicate. Over the years, we began using the different social media platforms the same exact way, which, when you think about it, is insane. It was a digital version of those old carbon-copy forms from decades past: post a photo to Instagram, repost it to Twitter, and then re-repost it to Facebook. Lather, rinse, repeat. Triplicating our efforts isn’t only tedious, it’s the opposite of using these platforms intentionally.

Using Social Media Differently

Because each social media platform is different, we want to use them differently—not as a carbon copy—so we’ve decided to focus on the specific strengths of each platform by identifying their primary and secondary uses. These changes should help us avoid creative overlap and will allow us better communicate with our audience as a result.

Facebook. We’ve found our Facebook audience engages most with the articles we post. Thus, we’ll use our Facebook account primarily to share useful links, be it our essays or others’ articles. Secondarily, we’ll use Facebook to publish short Audiograms and photo albums from past tours.

Twitter. Twitter is the best platform for us to share our text-only Minimal Maxims, so that will be its primary use. Secondarily, we’ll use Twitter to communicate directly with our audience: the brevity of this platform makes it the best place to interact with other people, so if you want to interact with us directly, Twitter is the best place to do so.

Instagram. Instagram is undoubtedly the best platform to share photos, so, going forward, we’ll use IG primarily to share beautiful black-and-white images. Secondarily, we’ll use the ephemerality of Instagram Stories to broadcast updates, current events, ephemera, and useful excerpts from our blogposts and podcasts. And we’ll occasionally use Instagram Live for unplanned live broadcasts, which are deleted after 24 hours.

Pinterest. Pinterest is the Internet’s corkboard, so it’s ideal us for us is to share letter boards that contain challenges and simple-living reminders from The Minimalists. We’ll also use our Pinterest account to repost photos of minimalist living spaces.

YouTube. Since YouTube is the premier video platform, this is where we’ll publish videos created by The Minimalists. This will be especially relevant when we add a video version of our podcast later this year. Secondarily, we’ll use YouTube to post other video creations: video essays, web series, and scheduled livestreams.

You’ll notice our absence from most social platforms: Snapchat, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Ello, Google+, Periscope, Flickr, Reddit, Quora, et al. That’s not because these services aren’t useful; they simply aren’t useful for us right now.

All things considered, we hope to use our new strategy to creatively add value to people’s lives. This is our recipe, and it isn’t ideal for everyone. Truth be told, it might not be ideal for anyone but us. And even then, we’ll likely adjust how we wield these tools after using them differently for a while.

No, we don’t expect you to follow us on every platform. Hell, we don’t expect you to follow us any platform. But if you find value in what we’re communicating, feel free to join us on our new journey. And if you ever stop finding value in what we’re sharing, please unfollow us at anytime.

P.S. Ella will continue tweeting her beautiful nonsense as usual.

Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.

How The Minimalists Are Using Social Media in 2018 published first on

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