It’s difficult to write today. My mind already is cluttered. I haven’t slept well. I am distracted and distractible: the bill that requires a phone call, emails that require replies, people who need to be contacted, the lunch that needs to be made, the insulin reservoir that needs to be filled and replaced in the insulin pump, the conversations that have happened and have yet to happen. My mind is not quiet. It’s already churning with the things that need to be done and the things that await.
The Writing Basics: A Seven-Beat
I dance salsa. At least, I try. I wouldn’t say I’m very good at it, but I enjoy it. The trick with dancing salsa, as with any dance, is never to forget the basic. In this case, it’s a dance based on a seven-beat step. No matter how complicated a turn or shine (footwork) is, it’s based on that basic seven-beat.
Book Review: The Networked NonProfit
I’ve been working through ideas of how to make this site better, and one of those ideas is working with the editorial calendar and adding or taking away certain elements. In this case, I’m adding a new component; I plan to publish a book review every month. It will keep me on track with my reading, and it possibly could help readers of this blog.
When It’s Time to Scrap a Post
I had a different post scheduled for today. I wanted to have a conversation about the importance of taking care of oneself, but what I wrote made me nauseous. I felt ill at ease when I revised and edited it; I felt ill at ease when I tentatively scheduled the post; I felt ill at ease when I scheduled it; and I felt ill at ease on Monday and Tuesday. Thus, I scrapped the post Tuesday evening. It’s gone to the rubbish bin, and there it shall remain until it becomes something worthy of being published.
Write Right: Couple, Few, Some, Several, Many
A couple, few, some, several, and many walk into a bar…Oh, wait, that isn’t right. Let’s restart.
I confess I thought actual rules existed in regard to “couple,” “few,” “some,” “several,” and “many.” I was mistaken. There are no firm rules, only guidelines, and those are based on what sound and feel right.
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How to Find Inspiration
Ahem. To find inspiration, you sit in front of your laptop or your pad of paper, and you wait. You wait quietly and without complaint. You wait for the thunderbolt, the lightning strike, the flash of genius. You do not write, you do not draw, you do not do anything. You are an automaton awaiting the gift of inspiration. If you betray inspiration by getting to work, inspiration will betray you…