I'm still in the process of migrating my old content to Wordpress, but all new posts will come from estellasrevenge.net (which was formerly forwarded to this Blogger address). See you there!
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Monday, October 29, 2018
Wednesday, December 06, 2017
This Is How We Blog (#AMonthofFaves)
I feel like, for me, #AMonthofFaves will be a lot of me writing, "Hey! I didn't do this much in 2017!"This Is How We Blog #AMonthofFaves – Essential Computer Programs, Browser Plugins, Websites and / or your blogging routine, blogs on blogging that you follow, blog tips you learned and used this year
I haven't felt much like talking. Writing. I have things to say, and I say them to my Representatives' staffers on the phone, and via FAX, and on Women in Science postcards, and in rants and snark on Facebook and Twitter. I share short snippets and memories on Instagram. Blogging just hasn't been a thing I can do. Longer-form sharing just hasn't been my bag.
I hope it's my thing in 2018. It's starting to feel better.
Don't forget to LINK UP! Visit Tamara, Kim, and Tanya Patrice!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Checking In After a Week of Unpluggedness
Wheee! I'm back. What a week that was. In a nutshell...
- Had a really good phone interview for a prospective job
- Read some great comics
- Did some catching up on blog reading
- Started a new blog
WHAT THA? Yes. You read that right. I've had it in my head for a while that I have SO MANY other topics I want to write about outside of books, that I might consider writing somewhere else, too. Topics I have in mind?
- Technology
- Makeup
- Fashion
- Home
- Blogging and business in general
- Mom'ing
- ISSUES
- and stuff...whatever.
For as long as I've lived I've written. Well, I suppose that's overstating it. It really kicked off in third grade when I wrote a two page fictional essay which was structured as a first-person letter to my home from a soldier on the front lines. Don't ask me why this was our topic (Desert Storm), but it was, and I did, and I made my teacher and mother cry.
That started the writing bug for me. The bug that's become so insistent that at 35-years-of-me I must write more. Must. Write or die!
So nothing is changing here. I'll be injecting my off-topic'ness over into NonComplianceNetwork.com which is meant to serve as a hub for all the things I do online anyway. It has links to this site, YouTube, and other topical linkages to get around. Since I'd rather write than anything else ever, I will also be using that site as a lab for potential sponsorships and business partnerships, but trust me, that's a long-ass way down the road. I will also be soliciting guest posts on various topics.
Who knows? It may all crash and burn. I may run out of creativity. Or I might never get a single sponsorship, but I have to try some things in order to be at peace with trying. I hope you'll be a part of it, too.
But back to books. Tomorrow the February 2015 #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks link-up will go live, so feel free to share what you've been up to! Later in the week, my own February wrap-up, a graphic memoir review, and a TBR for Outlandish Lit's #Weirdathon!
What have YOU been up to?
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sunday Brain Dump: Books, Food, Organize EVERYTHING!
Happy Sunday! This week has been...scattered. I think it's called having too many balls in the air.
I am fairly obsessed with cleaning out, streamlining, donating, and organizing. This stretches all the way from my our living room redo (almost done!) to my work. I completed my journey toward Inbox Zero (personal email) this past week, I'm listening to Getting Things Done by David Allen, and I cleaned out clothes, toys, and shoes so Arms of Hope can pick up our donation items on Wednesday (including the old couch and entertainment center...yay!). I'll probably do a whole post on this organization thing.
My husband and I mutually decided to make a push to get back on the "real food" wagon in 2016. I personally need to lose about 50 more pounds (already lost 40 and maintained that over the last several years), so this is just the next step. I also want to focus on eating more iron rich foods so I (hopefully) won't slip back into anemia territory before my next round of labs in March. This means more meal planning and more bulk cooking at home on the weekends so we still have quick, frozen things we can grab for lunches during the week but that all the frozen stuff is much better for us. I'll do a whole post on this, too.
On the reading front, I've had the gobbledybooks.
I did manage to finish The Unfinished World by Amber Sparks this weekend. It was amazing and scratched just the right itch, so you'll see a review this week.
I need to finish listening to Getting Things Done by David Allen. It is really changing the way I think about work flow and productivity. The edition I'm listening to is a little older, so I'm also scanning an updated edition with more of a digital focus.
I'm reading Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, which I started several years ago and never finished. It's the perfect book for insomnia nights and small blocks of time when I'm waiting around and don't have a whole lot of focus.
Still working through Order of the Phoenix. It's taking a ridiculously long time, so I'm going to switch to audio and listen to it on my commute when I'm finished with Getting Things Done.
Finally, I put my nose back in Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which I've tried and laid aside probably four times. It's one of very few books I refuse to DNF because I feel like I just have to be in the right mood for it, and I honestly think (hope) I'll love it. A post on this coming. Do you see a pattern here?
How was your week?
I am fairly obsessed with cleaning out, streamlining, donating, and organizing. This stretches all the way from my our living room redo (almost done!) to my work. I completed my journey toward Inbox Zero (personal email) this past week, I'm listening to Getting Things Done by David Allen, and I cleaned out clothes, toys, and shoes so Arms of Hope can pick up our donation items on Wednesday (including the old couch and entertainment center...yay!). I'll probably do a whole post on this organization thing.
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| Homemade venison sausage pizza, steamed green beans, a cutie. |
On the reading front, I've had the gobbledybooks.
I did manage to finish The Unfinished World by Amber Sparks this weekend. It was amazing and scratched just the right itch, so you'll see a review this week.
I need to finish listening to Getting Things Done by David Allen. It is really changing the way I think about work flow and productivity. The edition I'm listening to is a little older, so I'm also scanning an updated edition with more of a digital focus.
I'm reading Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, which I started several years ago and never finished. It's the perfect book for insomnia nights and small blocks of time when I'm waiting around and don't have a whole lot of focus.
Still working through Order of the Phoenix. It's taking a ridiculously long time, so I'm going to switch to audio and listen to it on my commute when I'm finished with Getting Things Done.
Finally, I put my nose back in Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which I've tried and laid aside probably four times. It's one of very few books I refuse to DNF because I feel like I just have to be in the right mood for it, and I honestly think (hope) I'll love it. A post on this coming. Do you see a pattern here?
How was your week?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Gearing Up for Bloggiesta!
It seems like I'm busy every time this event rolls around, but this time it's a week-long event, and I AM READY!
In fact, I'm working on my to-do list and my mini-challenge as we speak. Here's what I have in the hopper right now (and thanks to Shannon for the inspiration)...
- Back up my blog
- Clean up media library and delete duplicated files
- Write and schedule posts, especially comics ones
- Participate in a couple of Twitter chats
- Check out the mini challenges for some new suggestions
- Learn how to podcast...because that's easy, right?
Go sign up and check out the Twitter chat schedule!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Mini Bloggiesta To Do!
It's time for a mini Bloggiesta, y'all! Somehow it always happens that Bloggiesta festivities fall on a weekend when my son is home. Invariably, that means less time on the computer. BUT, this time I'm forging ahead! I'm making myself a halfway doable to-do list that I can tackle while he's napping or otherwise involved.
- Update my review archive
- Write three reviews
- Write two miscellaneous posts (food, beauty, personal)
- Do one Bloggiesta activity, challenge or Twitter party
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Top Ten Blogging Confessions! Ooohhhh, aaaaaahhhh!
Shit's about to get real with BLOGGING CONFESSIONS! This feels like a bad reality show already.
- Sometimes I just wanna play SIMS3. It's true. When I don't want to read or blog, SIMS3 it is.
- I hate accepting ARCs because the reading instantly feels like homework.
- But I'm a total hypocrite because I am quick to email a publishers if there's a book I really want to read.
- My blogging friends are often my ARC hookup.
- I get behind reading through Feedly and mark "all read." Not often, but it happens.
- I hate scripty and non-standard fonts on blogs when they are the post font. My eyes!
- Captcha. Turn it off.
- All of my posts are pre-scheduled because I am not good at flying by the seat of my pants.
- I'm still not sure if I love my new blog layout.
- I secretly long to move to Wordpress for some of the cool plug-ins, but it's daunting to think of moving a blog this old and vast.
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| Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. |
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
How to Keep a Sustainable Blog
Posts about how to have a "successful" book blog are all the rage. They pop up here and there and everywhere. My only problem with those posts is the subjectivity of them, and the fact that many "successful blog" posts hinge on stats and ARCs.
I left most ARCs behind long ago, and I take stats with a mighty big grain of salt, so I'm here with my experience writing a SUSTAINABLE blog. Also subjective, surely, but after 9 years (in February), I want to share and encourage.
1. Make your blog work for you.
This is a big one. There are no "have to" rules in the book blogging community. No matter what genres you like, whether you prefer backlist or frontlist, you have to make your blog your own. Your voice. Your tastes. Your happy place.
2. Be as consistent as possible but don't be afraid to take a break.
You might post once per week. You might post every day. Again, see #1 and "make your blog work for you." But it seems to be the case that some consistency can help us stay interested and motivated to keep a blog. For years. There will be blips. There will be slumps. But it comes with the territory. You'll find your way every time. Even if what constitutes "consistency" changes over time.
3. Read!
It's easy to run out of stuff to say if you're not reading! That's why you started your blog (probably, if your'e reading this). Don't get overwhelmed to the point that your reading suffers. I know many of us have fallen into this at some point. Don't be afraid to hit the reset button on your reading. That stuff makes great blog post fodder, too!
4. Write your passion.
Whatever you're passionate about writing is what you should write. For me, it's mostly books. However, there have been many times over the years that I've chosen to write about family, my profession, weight loss, cooking, decorating, and a host of other topics. They key to sustaining a blog is being passionate, so give yourself some wiggle room.
5. Accept that things change.
Your schedule will change. Your lifestyle might change. Jobs change, families grow, even reading tastes and amplitude change. Go with the flow because if you blog for an extended period of time, you will experience periods of "new normal." It's ok!
6. Engage with the community.
Not only does engaging with the community grow your readership--which in turn can help motivate you to read and write--it's fun! I can't tell you how many friends I've made through blogging. Some of them I've known for more than 12 years. And one of them will be my matron of honor in March!
I'd love to know any tips you have for maintaining a sustainable blog. Let 'er rip!
I left most ARCs behind long ago, and I take stats with a mighty big grain of salt, so I'm here with my experience writing a SUSTAINABLE blog. Also subjective, surely, but after 9 years (in February), I want to share and encourage.
1. Make your blog work for you.
This is a big one. There are no "have to" rules in the book blogging community. No matter what genres you like, whether you prefer backlist or frontlist, you have to make your blog your own. Your voice. Your tastes. Your happy place.
2. Be as consistent as possible but don't be afraid to take a break.
You might post once per week. You might post every day. Again, see #1 and "make your blog work for you." But it seems to be the case that some consistency can help us stay interested and motivated to keep a blog. For years. There will be blips. There will be slumps. But it comes with the territory. You'll find your way every time. Even if what constitutes "consistency" changes over time.
3. Read!
It's easy to run out of stuff to say if you're not reading! That's why you started your blog (probably, if your'e reading this). Don't get overwhelmed to the point that your reading suffers. I know many of us have fallen into this at some point. Don't be afraid to hit the reset button on your reading. That stuff makes great blog post fodder, too!
4. Write your passion.
Whatever you're passionate about writing is what you should write. For me, it's mostly books. However, there have been many times over the years that I've chosen to write about family, my profession, weight loss, cooking, decorating, and a host of other topics. They key to sustaining a blog is being passionate, so give yourself some wiggle room.
5. Accept that things change.
Your schedule will change. Your lifestyle might change. Jobs change, families grow, even reading tastes and amplitude change. Go with the flow because if you blog for an extended period of time, you will experience periods of "new normal." It's ok!
6. Engage with the community.
Not only does engaging with the community grow your readership--which in turn can help motivate you to read and write--it's fun! I can't tell you how many friends I've made through blogging. Some of them I've known for more than 12 years. And one of them will be my matron of honor in March!
I'd love to know any tips you have for maintaining a sustainable blog. Let 'er rip!
How to Keep a Sustainable Blog
Posts about how to have a "successful" book blog are all the rage. They pop up here and there and everywhere. My only problem with those posts is the subjectivity of them, and the fact that many "successful blog" posts hinge on stats and ARCs.
I left most ARCs behind long ago, and I take stats with a mighty big grain of salt, so I'm here with my experience writing a SUSTAINABLE blog. Also subjective, surely, but after 9 years (in February), I want to share and encourage.
1. Make your blog work for you.
This is a big one. There are no "have to" rules in the book blogging community. No matter what genres you like, whether you prefer backlist or frontlist, you have to make your blog your own. Your voice. Your tastes. Your happy place.
2. Be as consistent as possible but don't be afraid to take a break.
You might post once per week. You might post every day. Again, see #1 and "make your blog work for you." But it seems to be the case that some consistency can help us stay interested and motivated to keep a blog. For years. There will be blips. There will be slumps. But it comes with the territory. You'll find your way every time. Even if what constitutes "consistency" changes over time.
3. Read!
It's easy to run out of stuff to say if you're not reading! That's why you started your blog (probably, if your'e reading this). Don't get overwhelmed to the point that your reading suffers. I know many of us have fallen into this at some point. Don't be afraid to hit the reset button on your reading. That stuff makes great blog post fodder, too!
4. Write your passion.
Whatever you're passionate about writing is what you should write. For me, it's mostly books. However, there have been many times over the years that I've chosen to write about family, my profession, weight loss, cooking, decorating, and a host of other topics. They key to sustaining a blog is being passionate, so give yourself some wiggle room.
5. Accept that things change.
Your schedule will change. Your lifestyle might change. Jobs change, families grow, even reading tastes and amplitude change. Go with the flow because if you blog for an extended period of time, you will experience periods of "new normal." It's ok!
6. Engage with the community.
Not only does engaging with the community grow your readership--which in turn can help motivate you to read and write--it's fun! I can't tell you how many friends I've made through blogging. Some of them I've known for more than 12 years. And one of them will be my matron of honor in March!
I'd love to know any tips you have for maintaining a sustainable blog. Let 'er rip!
I left most ARCs behind long ago, and I take stats with a mighty big grain of salt, so I'm here with my experience writing a SUSTAINABLE blog. Also subjective, surely, but after 9 years (in February), I want to share and encourage.
1. Make your blog work for you.
This is a big one. There are no "have to" rules in the book blogging community. No matter what genres you like, whether you prefer backlist or frontlist, you have to make your blog your own. Your voice. Your tastes. Your happy place.
2. Be as consistent as possible but don't be afraid to take a break.
You might post once per week. You might post every day. Again, see #1 and "make your blog work for you." But it seems to be the case that some consistency can help us stay interested and motivated to keep a blog. For years. There will be blips. There will be slumps. But it comes with the territory. You'll find your way every time. Even if what constitutes "consistency" changes over time.
3. Read!
It's easy to run out of stuff to say if you're not reading! That's why you started your blog (probably, if your'e reading this). Don't get overwhelmed to the point that your reading suffers. I know many of us have fallen into this at some point. Don't be afraid to hit the reset button on your reading. That stuff makes great blog post fodder, too!
4. Write your passion.
Whatever you're passionate about writing is what you should write. For me, it's mostly books. However, there have been many times over the years that I've chosen to write about family, my profession, weight loss, cooking, decorating, and a host of other topics. They key to sustaining a blog is being passionate, so give yourself some wiggle room.
5. Accept that things change.
Your schedule will change. Your lifestyle might change. Jobs change, families grow, even reading tastes and amplitude change. Go with the flow because if you blog for an extended period of time, you will experience periods of "new normal." It's ok!
6. Engage with the community.
Not only does engaging with the community grow your readership--which in turn can help motivate you to read and write--it's fun! I can't tell you how many friends I've made through blogging. Some of them I've known for more than 12 years. And one of them will be my matron of honor in March!
I'd love to know any tips you have for maintaining a sustainable blog. Let 'er rip!
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