All my creative pursuits.
A short story in 42 words:
His transformation incomplete, he sank to his knees exhausted. With one talon extended, he scratched in the sand: “I am still a man.” The pain began again and he cried out in agony as the rest of the talons erupted from his fingers.
So this blogging thing is a lot of fun, wouldn’t you agree? You get to meet new and interesting people, have a few laughs, hopefully get some insightful comments and genuine support from your blogging community. Fun aside, however, there are reasons for blogging that are practical and possibly career building. As a writer, my aim is to connect with potential readers, to let people see a sample of how I write by posting short stories and other mini projects.
I also hope to connect with other writers, to learn about the publishing process, share their experiences and maybe some tips from writers who have gone through both processes of self publishing and/or traditional publishing. I’ve set some goals for myself for this month, not just for the blog but also for my work in progress. My second novel is in the very final stages of editing and I hope to publish by the end of September. I am determined to make that happen! Watch for a synopsis (coming soon) and a link to the Amazon site! (This is not the final cover by the way.)
In the meantime here are some goals I’ve set for the blog:
1. Have a guest post or interview on my blog within the next 30 days (let’s say Oct 15). If it goes well, perhaps I’ll make it a monthly feature.
2. Follow at least 10 new blogs in the next 2 weeks and hopefully gain a corresponding amount of new followers along the way.
3. Increase average daily hits by 25% by the end of the year.
Now, the first 2 of these are a bit easier than the third. In fact I’ve already started following some of you lovely people! For the second goal, I am working out the details to interview a new writer who has just published a debut novel. But the third one is not so straightforward. I have to figure out how to accomplish this. Better post titles? Yes. Tags and categories more trending? Also yes. What else? I’m open to suggestions! Thanks guys! Hope you all have a great day!
(Thanks to scienceclarified.com for the thunderstorm image)
Thanks to Anand (Vibrant) for nominating me for this award! And congratulations to him for his own nomination! If there is anyone in the blogging community that deserves this award, it’s Anand. He has been tirelessly supportive to our recent Blogging 101 class and alumni group. In fact, I know I’m not the only one who worries that he’s not getting enough sleep! He answers questions, gives praise and kindly gives advice, so that we can all succeed! I’m privileged to be part of such a lovely community.
The award rules:
My nominees are a really fantastic group of people. From giving meaningful comments, to answering questions and having a good laugh together, I’ve enjoyed meeting them all!
My nominees are:
My purpose for blogging:
I’ve always loved books, loved to read. Growing up as an only child, I had no brothers or sisters to play with and thus learned to read rather early on. Unfortunately, even though I showed an aptitude for writing when I was young, it was never encouraged as a career choice. I kept a diary from the time I was eight years old right up to about age fourteen. I still have some of the notebooks I filled with poetry when I was an angsty teenager. I went to college, first for a degree in marketing. I continued writing during this time and even got one of my poems published, way back when. Anyway, life went on. Chiropractic school, starting a practice, marriage, caring for elderly parents, etc. It had been years since I thought about writing.
One day, I guess about two years ago, I was sitting in the stylist’s chair at the hair salon, waiting for the color to cure (you thought I was a natural blonde, didn’t you?), reading my book to pass the time. My stylist said to me, “You’re always reading. Did you ever want to write a book yourself?” “Sure,” I laughed. “Doesn’t every reader want to be a writer?” “You should do it,” she said. “Hmm,” I thought. Why not? I stopped at the office supply store and bought myself a nice notebook and started jotting down ideas. Another year went by, a couple more notebooks and finally I had the idea ready for my first novel.
Next, I joined social media sites like Twitter and Tumblr and followed authors and writing blogs. I realized I needed to do this myself. A friend of mine has a food blog here on WordPress, so I decided to investigate and wow am I glad I did! The blog gives me access to a supportive community of other writers and creative people willing to share ideas, make suggestions and just give you a pep talk when you get down. It also lets me post short stories and other mini projects that help me hone my skills while I work on the next novel. It has been a real pleasure to join this fantastic group of people! Cheers!
Meg Sorick, Author/Artist 