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Improve Your Blog Writing: Stop Writing Top 10 Posts
2007-11-02 23:20:00
The following article was written when I was still under the influence of Woody Allen. It was a fun one to write. Here is the link:Improve Your Blog Writing : Stop Writing Top 10 Posts

How to Achieve Success and Excellence: The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
2007-10-31 03:00:00
Often when reading about people who are the best in their field you hear them talk about hard work, discipline, and perseverance. However, when it comes down to the essence of their talent, they often are unable to describe the mechanisms of their success. This part of their talent gets defined as magical and unknowable. In The Art of Learning ,Josh Waitzkin takes on the difficult task of explaining the unexplainable. Waitzkin is able to do this through examples from his life and the lives of other world-class figures, such as Michael Jordan. The following are a few of the important lessons taken from Josh Waitzkin’s book. The essential thing to remember is that not only is hard work, discipline, and perseverance necessary to achieve excellence. It is equally important to use intuition, creativity, and awareness. These are the essential characteristics which have allowed Waitzkin to achieve excellence in the fields of chess and martial arts. Fundamentals are ImportantThe b...
More About: Success

My Associated Content Writing Challenge
2007-10-26 02:41:00
Yesterday, I had a few free hours and decided to give myself a writing challenge. My goal was to write five news pieces for Associated Content . How did I do? Well, I missed my goal by one. It was an interesting challenge. I just sat and wrote one after the other. I browsed the press releases at PR News Wire to get my stories. Overall I am pleased with myself. It was a fun writing exercise and I also managed to get a few bucks out of it. Not much, AC only pays $5 for each article. What did I learn or discover from this writing challenge? I need to speed up my writing. I am super slow with this kind of thing. I need to figure out ways to expand the story. Most of my articles barely made the AC 400 word limit. Also, I need to figure out a way to make the writing more interesting. Wow, those articles are boring. LOL!This challenge was a great way to spice up my writing routine. Try giving yourself a challenge and see what happens.Here are are three of the four that I sent to AC (th...
More About: Writing , Challenge , Associated Content , Tent

Top 5 Halloween Treats That Will Get You Tricked
2007-10-11 01:32:00
My latest AC article is now up:Top 5 Halloween Treats That Will Get You Tricked.My writing has been influenced by the Woody Allen book I am reading. It is a good learning experience because I am not very comfortable with this type of writing. Comments are appreciated.
More About: Ween , Allo

Inspiring Stories
2007-10-08 21:18:00
Zen Habits has posted two success stories of people who have started new daily habits. I love reading how others are making changes in their lives. It inspires me to keep working towards my goal of establishing a daily writing habit.The one thing I took from the first success story is how he manages his time. I like the idea of telling yourself, no reading emails or browsing blogs till noon. I admit to falling into the trap of starting my day with my email box and browsing a few blogs. The next thing I know the day is gone and I have not accomplished much.Read the success stories.
More About: Stories

My Top Six Developing a Writing Habit Tools
2007-10-05 06:04:00
I have been somewhat faithfully doing my half-hour writing session each day. Here are some tools I have been using to help me develop my writing habit.Google NotebookI use Google Notebook to write down any ideas or topics I have for my writing time. Before I start my writing session I open up Google Notebook and pick a topic.Stop WatchI found an online stop watch which I set at the beginning of my writing session. Very convenient.Don't Break The ChainThis is a great application I put into my iGoogle page. You mark off each day you work on your goal and create a chain. It is based upon a motivation technique from Jerry Seinfeld.Google DocsI write most of my writing sessions in Google Docs. Each session is saved in a separate file. After my session is over, I place a copy into a different folder where it awaits my editing.Paper and PenYes, sometimes I go "old school." I pull out a notebook and pen when I don't feel like sitting down in front of my computer. This is not a c...
More About: Tools , Writing , Abit , Habit

Writing Tips from Eminem
2007-09-21 01:46:00
I had to share this creative, clever, and entertaining blog post with you. From Taylor the Teacher, Things I Learned From Listening to Eminem : 9 Writing Tips (It's actually 7).See how you can find inspiration anywhere?

Is Finding Time To Write Really The Problem?
2007-09-19 05:02:00
Two recent blog posts I have come across talk about finding time to write. In Stop Writing, Darcy talks about how important it is to be "done" for the day. She give you tips on how to prioritize your writing and still have time for those other things you need to do in life (like eat). In Writing is Work, Cyn also touches on how important it is to prioritize writing in your everyday life and also the importance of knowing when to quit for the day. She mentions how important it is for writers to relax and refill their creativity wells.This subject of finding time to write is something I have been dealing with recently. At first I thought, "I need to find time to write." The reality is I have time to write. What I don't have is the writing habit. There is a difference. If you need to find time for something that means you actually do that something. My current state of writing is in spurts with long periods of inactivity and neglect. This is not writing. I didn't realize th...
More About: Time , Write , Problem , Ally

9 Simple Writing Habits
2007-09-14 03:13:00
Over at Dumb Little Man is this fantastic post entitled Complete Your First Book With These 9 Simple Writing Habit s . The habits include: daily writing, simple tools, idea time (you will have to read the article to get the others). It is all common sense, but I like the simplicity of it. You will definitely benefit from this article even if you are not planning on writing a book.The author also mentions the importance of not trying to cultivate all of these habits at one time. He suggests choosing one habit and working with it for several weeks before moving on to another. This is very important. I know that sometimes I will jump right into something and try to do everything at once. Bad move. A few weeks later my enthusiasm has waned and my sloppy habits take over. Lately, I have decided to slow down a bit and be more focused on a single project (which is why I have been neglecting this blog).
More About: Abit

Hey, Jack Kerouac
2007-09-05 22:57:00
Today is the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. While I did like On The Road, my favorite Kerouac books are The Dharma Bums and Big Sur. I love these two books because they are polar opposites. The Dharma Bums is full of clean, fresh energy and optimism. Big Sur is the opposite. However, each has such a great rhythm. If you have not read a Kerouac book then start with Dharma Bums. It is beautiful. You will be reading along, having fun and smiling then BAM - Kerouac hits you with a simple truth. He is fantastic that way.Here are some Kerouac links that I found interesting and thought I would share with you:NPR Link - you can hear audio and see video of Kerouac.Dharma Beat - Various Kerouac related links. One link is this blog which is mapping the On The Road journey.

September Reading
2007-09-04 01:47:00
Started: August 2007 - still in progress. Update: 9/20/2007 I am less than 100 pages from the end!===================================== ===========Finished: September 13, 2007. Not my first reading. This book always makes me think and helps to improve my life. A definite must read if you are into the Law of Attraction or just curious. Much,much better and more comprehensive than The Secret.================================== ======Finished: September 8, 2007. Had a slow start to me but definitely came into its own later. The book revolves around Carlos Weider who goes by several names. Weider is a spy, murderer,poet, amongst other things. Distant Star is written in a dry, self deprecating, humorous manner. I'd recommend it.====================================== ==========Finished: September 2, 2007. I was able to finish this book in one sitting. A bit difficult to read because of the stream of consciousness style of writing. Don't let that dissuade you. The words flow so beautifully...
More About: Reading

You are a Super Writer Person
2007-09-04 01:42:00
I have been absent lately. General life stuff and a new blog have been keeping me busy. I found this article on Creativity Portal entitled How to be a Successful Part-Time Writer . The author lists six simple steps to get you back on the writing track. I read it and thought, yes, I should be doing that.... LOL I think the key is to take everything at your own pace. I know I haven't written anything for AC in a long while. However, I'm not that upset about it because I have been writing. I write everyday whether it is a blog post (I maintain several business and personal blogs) or in my journal (a daily must for me). So, don't beat yourself up if you are not the super writer person you imagine in your head. See what you have accomplished and then ask yourself, what do I want to do next?
More About: Super , Person

Fashionable and Contemporary Free Crochet Patterns
2007-08-21 02:57:00
My latest article on AC is up! Fashionable and Contemporary Free Crochet Patterns give you three sites that you must visit for the latest and hippest crochet patterns.Technorati Tags: free crochet patterns fashionable free crochet patterns crochet

Four Earth Friendly Back to School Buying Tips
2007-08-14 02:51:00
My latest Associated Content article is up! Four Earth Friendly Back to School Buying Tips These are ways that you can save the environment and also save money on back to school supplies. I was motivated to write this article because of reading all of the stories about back to school spending. I think it is outrageous. Plus, all of the waste. I hope you like it. Technorati Tags: back to

Where to Find Article Ideas
2007-08-13 07:42:00
I finished listening and watching all the material up through Day Two of the Thirty Day Challenge. Day Two was about generating ideas for a market. The goal at the end of Day Two was to generate seven market ideas. I haven't done that yet. However, some of the places suggested to find markets would also be great places to generate article ideas. Here are the five discussed in Day Two of The
More About: Ideas , Article , Find , Artic

Internet Marketing - Thirty Day Challenge and Associated Content
2007-08-13 00:58:00
I am still working on pre-season though I do see the end coming soon. Which means that I am still catching up because the Thirty Day Challenge started August 1st. Why am I writing about the Thirty Day Challenge on this blog? Anyone can benefit from this marketing challenge. It is geared towards affiliate marketing, but this information is enormously beneficial if you have a Web site or blog.
More About: Marketing , Internet , Internet Marketing , Content

Testing ScribeFire
2007-08-12 07:38:00
This is a test post using my new Scribe Fire Firefox add on. This allows me to post a blog post while I am surfing the Web. I'm curious if this will really work. This was one of those tools I discovered in the Thirty Day Challenge pre-season information.Technorati Tags: scribe firePowered by ScribeFire.
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Yes, I am still reading and writing
2007-08-12 07:14:00
I started the Einstein book. Very good read. There is quite a bit of science, but written in an easy to follow fashion. I also submitted two articles to AC. One has already received an offer. I'm waiting to hear about the other one. I have quite a few ideas for a few more articles. I'm just trying to find the time to write. AC had a page view update (finally). My page view bonus is up to
More About: Reading , Writing

Internet Marketing
2007-08-12 06:56:00
Here is my progress in the Thirty Day Challenge. So far I have: 1. downloaded Firefox; 2. added the suggested ad ons (Although, I don't seem to have a Twitter icon); 3. Listened to the podcasts and watched the videos up to the Pimp Your Forum posts. I have not joined a team yet. I think I have found the team that I will join. It is a large group. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing.
More About: Marketing , Internet , Internet Marketing

Internet Marketing
2007-08-12 06:45:00
I decided a few weeks back to join the Thirty Day Challenge. The challenge is to make your first $10 during thirty days. Each day there is a new lesson. Actually, I think there is a new lesson every day - I'm still trying to catch up. I am in pre-season mode right now. My reason for doing this is to gain new internet marketing skills I can use in my existing business. I also plan to use
More About: Marketing , Internet , Internet Marketing

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
2007-08-07 19:25:00
I finished The Yiddish Poli cemen's Union : A Novel last night. I loved this book. I really love Chabon's descriptions of the characters and settings. Here is an example: Rabbi Heskel Shpilman is a deformed mountain, a giant ruined dessert, a cartoon house with the windows shut and the sink left running. A little kid lumped him together, a mob of kids, blind orphans who never laid eyes on a man.
More About: Michael , Iceman

August Reading
2007-08-07 06:23:00
Finished:8/06/07 Read what I thought about this book. ===================================== Started: Soon ===================================== Associated Content: Write; Get Published; Get Paid. It is that easy. Join Now!
More About: Reading , August

Three Foods That Trigger Anxiety and Panic
2007-08-07 06:11:00
Here is my latest article for AC: Three Foods Shown to Trigger Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Associated Content: Write; Get Published; Get Paid. It is that easy. Join Now!

Associated Content
2007-08-02 20:27:00
I just had another article published. I'll post it later. The buzz around the forums regarding AC is the increased number of rejected articles. I guess I don't submit enough articles to experience this problem. My last offer did have a note stating the article wasn't unique enough. I had done a search to make sure that the topic wasn't covered in AC. I didn't find another article like it. So, I
More About: Content , Associated Content , Tent , Associate

What I Am Reading: Prime Time Suspect by Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett
2007-07-28 21:12:00
Just finished this one. Alicia Gimenez-Bart lett is one of Spain's most popular writers. Prime Time Suspect is her second book in the Petra Delicado mystery series. I haven't read the first, Dog Day, but I plan on it. What It's About Petra Delicado and her partner, Fermin Garzon are trying to find the murderer of a Spanish gossip columnist. The investigation is complicated due to the vast
More About: Reading

My July Reading
2007-07-28 20:42:00
Finished: 7/31/2007. I decided to start reading the Harry Potter series. I did love this one. I never doubted I would. ======================================== Finished: 7/29/2007. I enjoyed this book. If I have time I'll post a more detailed review later. ======================================= Finished: 7/27/2007. Read what I thought about this book. ====================================
More About: Reading , July

The Impact of Consumption on Water Resources
2007-07-28 19:41:00
The next way to track your impact upon the environment is to look at how your consumption patterns affect the world's water resources. For example, did you know that to produce a cup of coffee approximately 37 gallons of water are needed? Read more..... Associated Content: Write; Get Published; Get Paid. It is that easy. Join Now!
More About: Resources , Water , Cons , Consumption

Journal Software - Free and Easy to Use
2007-07-22 05:18:00
I decided to get away from paper and start keeping my journal on the computer. My handwriting is really a mess. After much Web searching I found free journal software that fit exactly what I needed: My Journal .This is a fantastic program. I wanted something that used a password, was encrypted, could be searched, could add images, could add hyperlinks. This program does that! Other nice features: backup and restore, change fonts and colors, add a time stamp, and check spelling. You can view screen shots here.My Journal doesn't allow you to go back and edit a past journal entry. But, like the developer says, that defeats the purpose of a journal. In addition, it doesn't allow you separate sticky notes for non-date specific stuff. However, I don't feel that is a big problem. The program does allow you to set up different profiles. You could set up a different profile for story ideas, dreams, article ideas (I did this), etc. The only thing I don't like so far is the search featur...
More About: Software , Free , Easy

Las Vegas Neighborhoods
2007-07-22 04:36:00
Another article that was published while I was away from Vega s : Find the Perfect Las Vegas Neighborhood . This article will give people moving to Las Vegas a guideline for finding the perfect neighborhood for their family. I know that relocating can be difficult. Especially to a city like Las Vegas with its Sin City reputation. Don't worry, there are plenty of great areas of town. Read this article to get started on your Las Vegas search.Associated Content: Write; Get Published; Get Paid. It is that easy. Join Now!
More About: Neighborhoods

Sewing Tips
2007-07-22 04:25:00
While I was away on vacation my article, Beginner Sewing Tips : Reduce Frustration and Save Time with these Sewing Tricks, was published. I wrote this article to share some tips I use to make my sewing a little easier. I know sewing can be a frustrating task, especially for beginners. Don't let the frustration make you give up on sewing. I find sewing to be a great way to relax. Also, it is a very satisfying hobby. I love wearing the items I sew. To get tips and hints for sewing read my article now. Associated Content: Write; Get Published; Get Paid. It is that easy. Join Now!