Sharing is Caring: My Weekly Finds

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Barbara McDowell

Flickr image by JavaBurst

Each week, the posts here will be a mash-up of interesting things I’ve found or learned from during the week. 

Writing Wisdom

Hi, my name is Barbara and I like back story, with a special place in my heart held for flashback.  Kristen Lamb’s Deadly Sin of Writing #4–Beware the Bog of Back Story has started an intervention on how I revise. 

I have a hostage situation in a story I’m revising and B. Mac’s Hostage Situations from a Criminal’s Perspective provided some great tips for upping the authenticity as well as further links for research.

In Do Writers Read Differently Than Non-Writers?, Jenny Hansen does some writer profiling to uncover our reading habits and book rituals.

Jami Gold shows why, for brand and image consistency, it is not too early to consider crafting a bio in What Does Your Author Bio Say About You.

Jeff Goins gives us freedom to stop judging ourselves in his blog, Why Your Work Never Feels Good Enough.

In Writing Through The Mist, Laura Best shares her process for getting through a writing fog.

Social Media Magic

Pat Flynn’s 10 Ways to Bring New Life to Old Blog Posts provides some great ideas to mine your own blog for new post opportunities.

When I first joined Twitter, I had newbie fever and lost myself in hours of reading tweets and meeting new tweeps.  Kristin Nador shares her confession of stealing time away from the WIP in Start Your Week Off Write: Confessions – Spending Too Much Time On Social Media?, as well as her revised plan for gaining balance.

In 10 Lessons in Blogging Learned on a Shopping Expedition, Darren Rowse provides an interesting take on finding inspiration for improving blogs from a little time spent in a food court.

Hot Topics

We. Are. At. War. is a must-read post from Piper Bayard both for it addressing the seemingly ignored service of our troops and for the dialogue and information provided in the comments.  Powerful. 

Fun Finds

Confession: I think Lenny Kravitz is a love god.  If he were to figure out I exist, call me up and ask me to run away with him, I’d seriously consider it.  Okay truth,  I’d probably do it.  Don’t judge me.  So, I’ve been looking forward to his new album and here is a link to the first single “Sunflower.”  Produced by Swiss Beatz and featuring rapper Drake, it is a different sound for Lenny.  I’m not sure I’m in love with it on first listen, but it might grow on me.  What do you think?

Do You Make These 8 Personal Development Mistakes? has Joey Weber giving an alternate take on self-help approaches that are more distracting than helpful.

Just a touch of positive affirmations courtesy of Jess Ainscough’s Inspiration Board.

Take a romp with Angela Wallace in her post My First Vampire.  What’s your favorite type?  I go for the intellectual vamps that can control the urge to just attack everyone.

Fried Green Tomato Friday – How Observant Are You?  Kerry Meacham brings us a fun test for the eyes.  Make sure you are paying attention.

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Flashback to Freshman Year

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Barbara McDowell

Over the weekend, I engaged in a bit of hodgepodge life including doing some reading, getting a pedicure and flipping between episodes of “Beyond Scared Straight” and “Hoarding: Buried Alive.”  Well, after  a few hours in, I became a bit spooked to the point that I started tooling around my home office and looking at things to purge. 

My eyes settled on the wooden tower of audio tape glory.  The majority of the collection is from my days in high school as a satisfied BMG Music Club member getting box loads of discounted albums.  The short goal of this spur of the moment project was to sort the tapes into music I’ve already acquired in digital form (thus I don’t need to old tape) and music I still need to get.  Yet a few handfuls in and I was sitting on the floor surrounded by piles representing the soundtrack to the joyous and at times embarrassing years that were high school. 

Flashback to ninth grade.  The big events I remember are “The Simpsons” cartoon, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Phantom of the Opera” starting (loved Oprah and The Simpsons, hated Phantom).  I evolved into an artsy-type, immersed in writing, dancing and theater, that dressed in all-black and jean jackets covered in metal pin back “statement” buttons.  I then tucked the jackets under an oversized black wool coat swiped from my father.  

I spent hours copying song lyrics into my journals and–thinking I was the deepest 15 year-old to ever exist–memorizing the most twisted Sylvia Plath stanzas to quote back to English teachers when I became bored.  It was then I started to embrace my love of jewelry and the adornments ranged from costume pieces to paperclip bracelets to bandana wrist bands. 

My hair was a mass of Michael Jackson inspired jheri curls that I yearned to straighten, and, like Prince, I could do some wicked things with black eyeliner and leggings.  I channeled “The Breakfast Club’s” Allison Reynolds with wannabe John Bender tendencies stopped only by my teachers’ kid “better be good” fears.  Mid-80s emo if you will.  My Walkman was a constant companion, my body hunkered in a permanent sulk mode and this was one of the songs I had on repeat. 

So do tell:

Who was your ninth grade self?  Come on, share away…we won’t laugh (too much).

What would serve as your freshman year theme song?

When did your wallow in the muck of  teen angst start?

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