Professionalism

It only takes one person to change your life – you.
Ruth Casey

***

There comes a point in ones writing career when you realize the importance of acting like a professional. If you’re just writing to make friends, to be popular, to just plain old have fun, then you are in the wrong business. Maybe you should think of joining a circus, or a carnival, or perhaps a day care where the children don’t want you to be professional, they want a like-minded person who is funny and will play all the time. Remember, they WANT Bozo the Clown for a friend!

When you join the writing sites, it is pretty important that you come off as a professional. You never know if a prospective editor, agent, or publisher is sitting right next to you, observing you before she/he approaches you. If they see that you can’t even act professional, why would they want to take something as serious as getting you published and helping you with it, into their professional business?

Allow me to ask this, when you submit your work, are you going to put cute little hearts on your work, a few woohoos; are you going to sign it with (hugs)? I’m just here to tell you, that your work will go right in the trash! Why? Because not only did you not adhere to the guidelines, it was because you were very unprofessional in the submission of your work!

As teachers of writing, we have to set proper examples for the new writer to follow. When we act in a childish manner, the newcomer finds this as an example to follow and they go on acting like a child, then the whole class begins acting like a child, then the classroom erupts in crazy behavior and becomes a circus-like atmosphere. Which has me running for the exit. But it has the newcomer embracing the silliness, and then the entire school is acting crazy and unprofessional and makes me not want to be a part of the writing world!

I will not take seriously anything someone is trying to teach me if they continuously shout out “WOOHOO” with a smiley or the words, woohoo. An occasional smiley might make them feel welcome, but the annoying over use makes you appear not very knowledgeable, or better yet, very unprofessional in the field. You’re waging a popularity contest, an ego boost, and in hindsight, you’ve created a series of fellow performers. You were just suppose to teach lessons.

The RINGMASTER - YOU, the teacher! The one who is guiding and leading has trained:
CLOWNS - these are the folk that follow your insanity and lead others too!
TIGHTROPE WALKERS - these are the ones that stand high above you looking down, wondering what they got themselves into.
TRAPEZE ARTISTS - these are the ones who swing all around the place, trying to fit in, and showing off their silliness, as you taught them!
JUGGLERS - Who juggle many sites, doing the same thing. Running around being crazy.

Now don’t get me wrong, the newcomer is frightened as it is upon entering a new course, and when they see someone acting like a goof, they then think, “Hey, this is an okay place! I feel at home.” Then they go onto acting a little loose too, where otherwise they might have remained professional. I say this: Know your boundaries! Set your limits! Know that the writing community is full of professional people, just waiting to help you along your path. Even the ‘stiff shirts’ can be a little zany sometimes, but we know what our job is and that is to guide you in the RIGHT direction, not skirt you off to the circus!

Pros and Cons

You know, there is a useful side to the Social Network, facebook. As I see Writers Digest, and many other writing pages soar and become LIKED by thousands, I wander in, seeking the benefits to which I might reap. They offer posting of your writing, critique, contests, and some even have magazines that offer publication! So that is one of the good things to come out of Facebook and all the other Social Scenes for me. Am I ragging on them too much? I’m a writer and I need the technology to advance my learning and to write my work. The computer and the internet is a part of the writers arsenal.

I seem to come down pretty hard on the Social Scene, but again, there is a marked difference in the Social aspect, and the Networking aspect. I love all the Christian pages, so much so I can get lost in them, too. Commenting and praying throughout the day, but again, it is just a means of justifying my time spent on there among friends. Maybe I’m addicted to my friends??? Well let me tell you, they have been an ironclad support system whereas my family members have been a wet leaf of support!

Every aspect of life has Pros and Cons and the Social Scene is no different:

Pros:
1. You make friends in the writing world to which you might have never had the chance to meet, and they are SUPPORTIVE, to the brink you wonder how you got through life without them!
2. You gain from knowing these people because you can brainstorm on your work.
3. You get to be a nosey busybody, and become friends with basically everyone that you know and that all your friends know.
4. You find out who really cares, sincerely, not just for the show.
5. These people via my blog and FB just might become lifetime friends who actually give a hoot!

Cons:
1. There is a non professional feel to the Social Scene, that leaves you crying out in utter disgust as you seek sanity.
2. You get used and washed up, tossed aside like a worn kleenex.
3. People want to become your ‘friends’, not because they care about you, but because, they want to know your business.
4. You make a deal with the devil that you can not take back!
5. You become an addict, no different than the drug abusers. So, you’re not harming yourself with toxins, but sometimes these sites ar toxic!
6. You’re absorbed into the sponge like atmosphere and become a social fungus.
7  You become oblivious to the harm it is doing to your psyche.
8. You justify your actions, again, just like a drug addict. “I don’t have a probelm.”
9. You’re in the maze of confusion and have found peace there.
10. Swallowed whole, your life no longer has purpose and meaning. You’re a washed up old rag, and you like it!

As I head into the New Year, I go with God. I will keep my health issues to myself and allow you all to just keep sending up prayers for me and in some way, you will know that I am okay. I can not pretend and like my way through life, I have to have something physical and real that I can hold onto even if it is for a short time.

The cons outweigh the pros of the social network for me BUT my point in all of this, is this. KNOW your limits, stay focused on what you need to do to get to your next goal you’ve set for yourself. Achieve something daily, to make up for the wasted time. And always and I mean always keep WRITING!!! That is more essential than ANY socializing scene!

Timeline

Luke 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
***

Well Facebook is at it again. This year was met with many changes at facebook and I heard so many griping people whine. Grown men and women, who for some reason, are so set in their ways that change rocks their world like a landslide! If you are a non-conformist like me, you won’t like change very much because it is like forcing a wet rag down your throat with no other option but to swallow!

That’s what facebook seems to do on a monthly basis. First the option of new security on who and who would not see your posts happened, new ads streamed the right of the screen like a frozen ticker-tape, people were subscribing and LIKING  things that their mothers would surely not be proud of (and it is streamed to all your friends) and the list goes on and on with the changes of 2011!

Are you a person who accepts any friend just because they request your beloved presence? Does that make you feel good standing at the center of all the likes, to where you don’t even realize you’ve accepted a stripper with lurid pictures on their wall which are then streamed to all your friends walls??? Do you even care who you ‘choose’ as a friend, just as long as the ‘friends’ list grows and you’ve won the popularity contest? Do you fear not being liked?

As we ended out the year of 2011, facebook was well on its way with yet another change in their pocketbooks! The timeline! They (the kingpins at facebook) want your facebook experience to be like a Newspaper of all your friends happenings. It’s much like the Enquirer, a mag that feeds you junk! Thank you facebook for choosing the junk of my friends that you will spoon feed me. Facebook (logical minds?) says, “is that if you’ve been away from the site for a few days, you won’t be in danger of missing the most important posts friends put up.” What? So it’s like getting an OLD newspaper, days out of print? Yippee?
 
This new Timeline was available to those who wanted to try it out before the new year, but come 2012, wet rag people, down your throat.
 
The NEW Timeline? :
1. Cover image: no more banners, just a big bold pic. (the new facebook is all about pics) Sorry blind people, you are excluded!
 
2. Friends, photos, maps, and likes. (the timeline is like a journal of all the things you’ve done on facebook, since YOU JOINED! And it is all SHARED with each and every one of your friends. How sweet! Good thing I seek all the Christian pages.
 
3. Choices in hiding the crud. (Yeah go back in time and delete the insane posts that your new facebook caused you to post)

4. Not much control on the settings, once again. (Facebook remains in the driving seat, YOU are their Truman Show!)
Who can find me? Everyone? Friends of friends? Friends? Where is the ONLY ME option, Zuckerbird? Can’t limit access either? CONTROL FREAK, ZUCK! And when someone POSTS on your wall? Whether you like it or not, you CAN NOT remove it!!! It 'appears' that you can, but try it. (possible glitch being worked on)

5. LIKE/UNLIKE button is still there as is the SHARE button. (the over-abused like button is the only thing you have in the race to popularity and having people LIKE you. It’s what facebook is all about. The SHARE button is again for personal use only to share things on YOUR wall and hope your friends come visit you to catch it. (What’s the point of sharing to yourself?) Oh wait it gets streamed (spoon fed) to others IF they’ve subscribed to your newspaper!

So the NEW Facebook isn’t all about networking, it is all about YOU, Socializing and being liked for it. It’s about sharing your pains, sorrows, laughter, and embarrassing posts. YOU are Truman on the worldwide web! To me, it’s all about stepping in poop barefoot and having everyone come and take a sniff. So you can see how much I like facebook, new or old!! I’m not whining about the ‘change’ The pics are pretty cool! But it is like the bouffant hairdo. Too big, and will wear out quick. For me, it already has, anyway.

Enjoy the new Timeline, the New Year, the likable You!! I’m out >>> ---------->>>

Truman: Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

1Tim. 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

NaNo WriMo

Today starts the big NaNo WriMo.  Say that ten times why don’t ya. NaNo is the writers dream. It is where they hunker down and commit to writing 1670 words a day for thirty days (really it is 1666.6 but hey, I rounded it off for good reason). The point being that you will have a 45,000 word, rough draft of a novel and you as a writer can shout out a YEEHAAA!!!

NaNo is a no no for me. I don’t like to make plans and commit to something as big as a thirty day writing frenzy. I don’t like cliques and clubs, and I’m trying to free myself from some negative things right now, so nano would only bring me down and not UP. Just think, if I choose to write a novel, I can sit here and belt out 2000 words a day for two months and not feel one bit like a pressure cooker about to blow!

National Novel Writing Month is a well respected force of nature in the writing world. I’m just wondering if any well known artists will claim that their published novel was a product of NaNo? Come on Mr. King, you know you want to tell the world you’re a NaNo fan!

From wikipedia:

National Novel Writing Month - also known as NaNoWriMo is an annual internet-based creative writing  project which challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel between November 1 and November 30. Its sister event is a script-writing challenge taking place in April called Script Frenzy. The project started in July 1999 with just 21 participants, but by the 2010 event over 200,000 people took part - writing a total of over 2.8 billion words.

Writers wishing to participate first register on the project's website, where they can post profiles and information about their novels, including synopsis and excerpts. Word counts are validated on the site, with writers submitting a copy of their novel for automatic counting. Municipal leaders and regional forums help connect local writers with one another for holding writing events and to provide encouragement.
______________________________

Who would be crazy enough to sign up, commit to, and want to be a part of NANO? Well, writers of course, because as I’ve said in numerous previous posts, writers are a crazy bunch. And apparently over 200,000 people are plum crazy!

I mean that in the kindest way. A lot of my friends and some who are friends no more are registering and going into the battle with eyes wide open. They’ve got their outlines, character plots, their atmosphere and all the scents (not sense) about them. They will hurl words into space and come out the other end of November with a completed first draft.

So, as I sit in WVU alone, catering to the few that remain left behind. I will write close to a thousand words a day for my blog, under no pressure to achieve anything except a  good post, and I’ll be getting ready for Turkey Day, in Joni fashion, as I look forward to a Christmas day with sleigh bells and lights and music to string me along into the New Year.

Please don’t tell me I just mentioned Christmas. I holler at the TV for showing me Christmas commercials BEFORE Halloween and here I am mentioning it too? Ugh...

Let the writing frenzy begin. Good luck to you all!

Leader

Follow your passion, and success will follow you. ~Terri Guillemets
***

In writing, we need to be leaders and not followers. As we go down the writing path, we are to set new trails for other new writers to sow, tread their own path. You can always tell a follower by the way s/he mimics another person. They will either copy their style, do what the leader is doing, or downright be like a mime and mimic the leaders every move.

On facebook I watch as followers repost everything that is ever posted as a repost. They copy the style of other facebookers, and do the same thing, where it all becomes a mesh of the same, insanity in a bubble filled room.

I like bubbles but ever since I got a computer bubbles have taken on a new shape and are not the soapy film residue with air stuck in it, it has become little pop up windows that are annoying and an insult to my intelligence as I’m trying to work and have coffee.

My peaceful morning is saying good morning to friends over coffee. Which is quite normal, right? Facebook is open, my rough draft is open as I try and write the day’s blog. But somewhere along the fine hairline of the morning, bubbles start popping up and I don’t mean one person coming in to say ‘good morning’ I mean people LIKING, commenting, liking other posts and the bubbles go to the top of the screen and it all looks like insanity trying to climb its way into my peaceful morning. And again, if I see one more WOOHOO and WEEEEEE, I'll just vomit. But hey you don't have to earn my respect, I have to live with your disrespect.

Facebook has been a total turnoff to me in the past few weeks, and as I try to gain my sanity back, I can’t leave the few really dear friends I have that are in other states and countries, dangling without a wave of hello from me.

I was leading the way one day and as I turned the corner the followers were following and then on another day I decided to change the lead, and guide in a whole different direction and guess what...they followed me again. :)

None of this probably makes any sense, but I’ll be darned if I allow one spittle of insanities touch to drive me mad and off the deep end. I need to regroup and rethink my path and I will not hold hands with the zany and crazies of the world at this juncture. I need calm, peace, tranquility and I will follow whoever is going to lead me there into that lightened path.

There are so few leaders of this day. Okay...I’ll continue to lead you...

Funny Friday

Eagles may soar in the clouds, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines. 

~Attributed to both Jason Hutchison and John Benfield
***

I always carry a serious aspect of my writing with me throughout my day. I like to be professional while others scamper about acting, well, zany?  I like to laugh just like the rest of you, but there comes a point in your writing career where you just NEED to laugh and see the humor in the mundane trivial aspects of living this life. Not a go-circus-like crazy, just a good chuckle every now and then. Lets see if I can make you smile:

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer.
When asked to define great, he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"
 

He now works for Microsoft writing error messages.
***
Typical writer? :
 

A screenwriter comes home to a burned down house. His sobbing and slightly-singed wife is standing outside. “What happened, honey?” the man asks.

“Oh, John, it was terrible,” she weeps. “I was cooking, the phone rang. It was your agent. Because I was on the phone, I didn’t notice the stove was on fire. It went up in second. Everything is gone. I nearly didn’t make it out of the house. Poor Fluffy is--”

“Wait, wait. Back up a minute,” The man says. “My agent called?”
***
 

Baahaahaahaa:
 

A male romance novelist was hiking in the mountains, and he came upon a shepherd who was tending a large herd of sheep that were grazing in the alpine meadow. The writer took a fancy to the sheep, and asked the shepherd: "If I can guess how many sheep you have, can I have one?"
 

The shepherd thought this was an odd request, but thought that there was little chance that the man would guess the exact number of sheep, so he said, "Sure." The writer guessed, "You have 287 sheep," to the shepherd's astonishment, since this was exactly how many sheep he had. The writer got excited and asked "Can I pick out my sheep now?" and the shepherd grudgingly gave his permission.
 

The writer selected his sheep, bent over, and swung the sheep over his shoulders, to carry home with him.
 

The shepherd then asked, "If I guess what your occupation is, can I have my sheep back?"
 

The novelist was a bit surprised by this, but figured that it was unlikely that the shepherd would be able to guess his occupation, and went along with the deal.
 

The shepherd then guessed "You're a romance novelist, aren't you?"
The writer was very surprised and asked, "How did you know?"
 

The shepherd responded, "Put the dog down and we'll talk about it."
***
Lightbulb moment?
 

Q. How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.
***
 

Ahhh...
Did you hear the one about the pregnant woman who went into labor and began to yell, "Couldn't! Wouldn't! Shouldn't! Didn't! Can't!"? She was having contractions.
***

So there you have it, you came, you read and hopefully you smiled. Go out and embrace the beauty of this world.
 

 “Don’t get stuck behind a window looking out, you’ll miss the rainbow.” ~Joni Zipp
 

Maybe this world is another planet's hell. ~Aldous Huxley