Recs – A Collection of Articles

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I’ve been saving these and thought this snowy week when many are snowbound was a perfect time to share them:

These 48 Trans Women and Men Changed the World

LGBTQ Children in Catholic Families: A Deacon’s View on Holy Family Sunday

8 Ways to Get Rid of Paper Clutter

9 Lists to Keep Updated, And Keep Handy

52 Things, Ideas for Writers 2015

The Playboy Conversation: Patton Oswalt and Wil Wheaton

A Writer’s Toolbox

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

Wartime Secrets of the Female Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

Transgender Man has Private Audience with Pope Francis

Most Important Thing on TV this year is this Super Bowl PSA

Simeon, Anna, and Phil and The Many Facets of the Second of February

SCOTUS Decides Vaccine Debate (110 Years Ago)

Blogging 101/201 Playlist

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I don’t always listen to music when I write but there are certain songs I need, need, need to have on my Kindle or MP3 player…just in case.

I pushed shuffle and these are the first five six songs I played through. They are perfect to describe how this week has gone as I change and adapt my little corner space here:

Move You – Anya Marina

One Way or Another – Blondie

If I Ever Stray – Frank Turner

Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – BTO

White Blank Page – Mumford and Sons

The Last Picture I Took: The Mockingjay

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Simply, I took this photo because I was writing a post about the book/movie Mockingjay (Movie, Part 1) and I needed a photo for the post.

That particular mockingjay was an impulse buy at a huge Toys R Us sale. It had that as well as a couple of amber stones and a bow with two arrows. Two Thanksgivings ago, I lost my silver bow and arrow that I’d had since the 90s, from when I was studying archery in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). I wanted the bow and arrow, and I’m a fan of archers – Robin Hood, Merida from Brave, Hawkeye from The Avengers, Green Arrow, Katniss; all of them. Soon after I finally watched the Hunger Games and Catching Fire, and I was drawn to those movies in a way that I hadn’t enjoyed a movie since Harry Potter. My son and I couldn’t wait for the Mockingjay movie to be released (as I’ve mentioned before) and I really got attached to the character and the symbols. At another sale (this one at FYE), I found what looks like a convention pass with a larger Mockingjay coin-like charm; trinket.

I am lover of trinkets.

Talismans.

Stones.

Medals.

So while the picture itself was really a simple thing, the overall meaning for me is the balance that a related photo or drawing brings to my writing. It brings in the more visual readers, and I’m also a big fan of symmetry; duality. Sort of like the blending of the jabberjays and the mockingbirds that give us the mockingjay.

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.

Quotes about Writing

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Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent.

—Jim Jarmusch

Write because you have something in your soul that you want to communicate.

– Amish Tripathi

Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters.

– Neil Gaiman

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.