Writing

Blogging 201: Three Blog Goals

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I talk often about how I feel like my generation missed a boat or two. We don’t have a cutesy nickname like Baby Boomers or Milenials or even GenXers. It’s like time forgot us. We are sometimes a sandwich generation taking care of parents and kids but that’s about responsibility; there is no community.

We are in-between generations. We are in-betweeners. Eh, not loving it.

The people in my age group went to college, got jobs, had kids, some stayed home, some stayed in a career and both got crap for it. Pensions disappeared, job security became non-existent. We ignore illness until it can be ignored no more.

I’m 48 and the first time I felt at home with friends was in 2011 where our ages ranged from 20-45, experiences ranged equally, only two marriages in the group, one with kids. I fit.

But I also kind of fit with the PTA set; most there were about ten years younger than me, but it still worked.

I also fit with my church where my closest friend just turned 85.

I’m at home on Tumblr when most of my age group thinks it’s a gymnastic group.

I’m equally opinionated on politics and fandom, and I haven’t found a place that blends my passions; that’s what I try to do here. I’d like to continue that, but I’m not sure how to describe it without using potpourri, which I don’t want to use.

I write conversationally, but I also want to be taken seriously, especially in the areas that I consider myself an expert or authority.

I try to balance family, depression, church and writing plus whatever else pops into my head. I’m trying to form a new generational home seemingly alone.

And this is only the part that spewed out this morning on this very bright, white snow day.

Last fall, I started a new format for my blog/website. I gave myself a series of weeklies. Monday through Thursday, I post on a topic – I offer prompts for writing or reflection, a photo, a quotation and the recs that I think help many. I try to collect them all with a weekly theme (beginning this year), so my goals are mainly continuing that.

In September, I began to use a Mead day planner to plan out my site and that’s been working well.

Goal 1: In addition to the daily serial post, I’d like to post a second one related to the theme that I’ve decided on for that week. This week’s theme I’ve titled Groundhogs, Spring is just around the corner. On Fridays, I want to try writing a Reflection each week.

Goal 2: I’ve been published in local small-presses, and self-published a chapbook and a variety of newsletters. I would like to write for money. I’d like to start by monetizing my blog, but I’m not sure how to go about that. I’d like to learn.

Goal 3: Increase my quality of photography and writing and continue learning my craft to gain readers and continue growing as a writer. As an aside, I’d like to expand into travel writing.

An Actual Agenda for This Week ;)

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Actually, to be fair to myself I usually do have some sort of plan for the week even if all it might be is my still-new daily format.

However, as many of you know I’ve been trying to expand my writing horizons by participating in Blogging 101, an online workshop that talks about and let’s me try out some of the features here at WordPress. I’ve fallen a bit behind the daily assignments, prioritizing with what I posted instead, and I thought I would use this week to do a little catch up.

Although today I’m already behind since I’ve been out all morning, getting groceries and running some errands after Mass to prepare for the huge snowstorm that’s predicted for us (even though I thought it was supposed to start around one and it is now after three with nary a flake.)

I’m also trying to remake my corner office into some semblance of order, and my mornings to include a prayer or contemplation time to focus and center myself to go forward with my day whatever else I have planned and whatever else it may bring.

One more week in January. A good time to rethink my goals and resolutions and add/subtract as necessary.

Blogging 101

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Yesterday’s task was to write an About page. I’ve been struggling with this for a very long time. I’ve got three new WIPs to go along with all my other half-attempts to get something for that elusive click away.

So, I ask you, dear readers: why do you continue to come here? What do you see and what do you hope to see from me?

Feel free to include any other suggestions or comments; I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Blogging 101 – Assign 4 – Words in Space (Etheree Poetry)

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Blogging 101 Assign 4: Write for your Dream Reader and use a different style.

I am in a writing workshop that meets once a month and this month’s topic is to write a poem in the Etheree style. It’s a series of syllables (1-10, then 10-1). Visually, if centered I think it forms a diamond; left alignment forms half a diamond.

I’ve been hearing and writing about quiet spaces and I thought that was a good place to start this new project.

I’ve titled it

Words in Space:

Space

Quiet

Quiet space

Belonging space

A page from a book

A solitary bench

Quiet in a noisy space

Can noisy spaces be quiet?

Thoughts in the quiet, thoughts making words

The pen scrapes the paper, the ink flows red

The blank space of the page is blank no more

Outside the writing can be quiet

Inside is raging and spinning

Words spewing out going fast

The mind is too fast for

The pen to keep up

Words are rushing

The quiet

Away

Now

Space

Quiet

Quiet space

Belonging space

A page from a book

A solitary bench

Quiet in a noisy space

Can noisy spaces be quiet?

Thoughts in the quiet, thoughts making words

The pen scrapes the paper, the ink flows red

The blank space of the page is blank no more

Outside the writing can be quiet

Inside is raging and spinning

Words spewing out going fast

The mind is too fast for

The pen to keep up

Words are rushing

The quiet

Away

Now

Title and Tagline

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Title and Tagline

These are things I always have trouble with so any suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

I’m happy with my title: Griffins and Ginger Snaps.

I’ve always used a variation of my name our my online user name and I really wanted to get away from that. I love griffins and collect them so that was perfect. I also love alliteration and I think I might have been baking ginger cookies when I was creating my blog.

The tagline, however (an experiment in my writing) definitely needs some work. I wrote about so many topics that I have a hard time pinning down a one sentence description. In the past I’ve used single weird sentences:

Teacher. Writer. Parent. Friend.

But that seemed kind of hokey.
Whittling it down to simple opinions or travel or life advice or any other descriptor seemed to short change it without actually emphasizing the variety.

My tagline is a mess.

Maybe some readers can tell me what they get out of coming to my blog and that might help me nature my space down a bit.

Why I’m Blogging

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Today’s assignment: write and publish a “who I am and why I’m here” post.

Who am I and why am I here?

Sometimes I have no idea. On both counts.

Very introductorily, I’m married with three kids (9, 10, and 17). I’m an unnatural redhead, was a teacher for ten years; I’m in treatment for depression, recently converted to Catholicism and currently my favorite movie is Guardians of the Galaxy, TV is Supernatural, music is alternative, either twenty+ years or twenty minutes old.

I’ve always written. I have notebooks and notebooks, scrap papers filled with names and places, quotations and references.

When I became a parent, I started writing down things that worked for me as a parent and put my focus there until I began to include travel hints and keeping anecdotes from my travels.

When I joined the online community in 2008, it was through fan fiction. What I discovered from then to now is that I’ve been writing fan fiction, even if only in my head since I was a kid. Star Trek, The White Shadow, BJ and the Bear, Lou Grant; Lou Grant was probably my favorite – writing, journalism, Woodward and Bernstein. It was everything I wanted, including a redheaded feminist.

After fan fiction, I began to write more personal stories, incorporating my educational background and parenting skills plus I found I was really interested in writing about travel and more recently religion and spirituality and my depression.

Although I keep some aspects of my life and family private, I keep my blog public because I feel like some of my posts help people. I like sharing my experiences for that reason and to show some that they are not alone in their depression, their anxiety, or their contemplation of who they are or where they’re going.

I would like to make money writing, and this is a good way to try out different styles, different themes, and see what interests people and what doesn’t plus the feedback is invaluable and something that I can’t find anywhere else.

The online community that I’ve found is that – community; a family in its own special way with the best support network I’ve ever come across.
As far as writing topics, that’s ever evolving, but for the present I seem to be interested in and enjoy writing about: depression and anxiety, faith and my spiritual path, parenting and education, LGBT+ with a centering my attention on youth and trans issues, travel, and whatever else catches my fancy or crosses my bloggy path.