This week I have some links to share that have been exceedingly valuable and inspiring to me recently.

Freelance Writing

Rachel Phipps’ blog features an excellent article; “Photo Credit

This week I have some links to share that have been exceedingly valuable and inspiring to me recently.

Freelance Writing

• Rachel Phipps’ blog features an excellent article; “How to Set Your Freelance Writing Career in Motion: 11 Tips to Get You Started“. If you’re interested in freelance writing this is a must-read, and be sure to check out all the links too, there’s some really valuable resources there.
• Yes and Yes’ “How to Rock Freelance Writing” is also a wonderful resource, interview-style with some great insider tips.

Blogging

• “Clever Blogging Tools of the Trade” is yet another brilliant post from one of my favourite blogs, Frock and Roll. Corrine has also started a new series of posts; “The Blogger’s Guide To Search Engine Optimisation: The Non-Confusing Way!” which is a really great guide, very useful if, like me, you want to try “proper” SEO on your blog but don’t have the time to study all the ins and outs of it. Part 2 is here.
• Kikolani also has a guide to help you “Increase Traffic and Authority by Listing Your Blog“, which is an excellent starting point for  blog promotion.

As you might have guessed, I’ve been thinking about blogging and writing a lot this week, and I’m working on quite a few things “behind the scenes” at the moment, including those design tweaks I’ve been talking about for months – they will appear at some point!

What’s inspiring you this week?

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Real posts coming soon, I promise – life is rather getting [...]]]> The point I was making in writing “Self-Proclaimed” is made so much more succinctly here, so read it!

Real posts coming soon, I promise – life is rather getting in the way at the moment!

If you call yourself a writer, you can read all you want and people think you are working.

 -Katherine Paterson

Something that always seems to come up in the [...]]]> Photo Credit

If you call yourself a writer, you can read all you want and people think you are working.

 -Katherine Paterson

Something that always seems to come up in the Blogosphere, often from disgruntled commenters, “trolls” and the like, is this notion that bloggers can’t call themselves writers unless they have had something published / write with a certain level of sophistication that seems to be determined by the preferences of the person leaving the comment. This is something that never fails to irritate me.

In my opinion, if you love to write, and do so on a regular basis, then you are a writer. If you love to take photographs and actively seek out new things to photograph, then you are a photographer. In just the same way that someone who spends their spare time scrapbooking can be called a “scrapbooker”, or someone whose favourite activity on a Saturday night involves spending a portion of their wages at their local casino is a gambler, why should those who write, take photos and create art be scorned for declaring that these pass-times are a huge part of who they are?

It seems that certain pass-times, certain creative exploits have come to be defined by the money you can make from them, rather than the pursual of the craft itself. In the world of blogging this is predominantly represented by writing and photography, although I’m sure there are probably other hobbies and / or pass-times for which this occurs. I think that if what you do is a big enough part of who you are that you want to label yourself by it, that should be enough. If writing is one of the most important things in your life, you are a writer, whether you have five bestsellers under your belt or you come home from your day job and scribble well into the night without ever being published. You don’t have to have a shiny portfolio and regular commissions to be a photographer or an artist, just a passion for the art form in question.

Just because you don’t get paid for it doesn’t mean it isn’t a big part of your life.

Many bloggers dream of being professional writers, but being an amateur doesn’t necessarily make you any less of a writer, it just means you’re not getting paid for it yet.

What’s your passion? Are you lucky and talented enough to call yourself a professional? Are you an amateur who’s been criticised for calling yourself a writer / artist etc. when it’s not your profession?

I have a problem: There are just far too many different things I want to do with my life, [...]]]> 1, 2, 3, 4

I have a problem: There are just far too many different things I want to do with my life, and the knowledge that I won’t be able to do all of them frustrates the Hell out of me! My mind consists of a chaotic jumble of interests all fighting for my attention. When I’m studying, or just chilling out watching TV, one or more of these interests will leap to the forefront and I will have an almost irresistible urge to Google something, pick up a particular book and start to read, or look into taking a Masters course in something totally unrelated to anything I’ve studied thus far in my life.

It’s truly maddening!

Even now that I’ve decided upon a career in Law, something I’ve wanted to do since I was around 16, I’m still torn between which branch to go into. Do I become a solicitor and possibly regret not becoming an advocate later, or do I pursue the Bar, knowing that my A-Levels count and are nowhere near the standard of most candidates, it’s more expensive, and I might only be attracted to the drama of the profession, rather than the realities of the job. However, I also have my heart set on having some writing published at some point. I’d love to write for magazines, and I harbour the desire to start my own one day, either Online or in print. I’d love to try graphic design and photography (though having little in the way of actual drawing skills, I doubt I’d ever get onto any above basic level courses for the former, though learning to draw is something else I’d love to do!) I’d like to do some major charity work sometime, and part of me wants to give politics a go too!

I want to study theology, as I find religion fascinating. I’d also love to learn about anthropology and psychology – both subjects I’ve found appealing for years, yet dismissed in favour of what I saw at the time as more “useful” subjects.

I’d love to open a small publishing house.

Sometimes it almost breaks my heart to know that I may never be able to do all if any of these things, and all I can do is try my hardest to focus on one thing at a time, and not take on too many things at once. I keep working hard at the Law at the expense of my other interests in the knowledge that it’s better to to well at things one at a time, than take on everything at once and fail.

Does anybody else have this problem? How do you manage to juggle all your interests and ambitions?

It has occurred to me that I have a wealth of interests that I could [...]]]> 1, 2, 3, 4

It has occurred to me that I have a wealth of interests that I could probably write vast amounts of posts on, but for some reason, I don’t seem to write about. I’m not sure why, since I don’t exactly keep this blog to a specific topic or subject area, but that just seems to be the way of things.

In the interests of expanding the scope of what I write here, and indeed to encourage me to write differently, and perhaps outside of my comfort zone, I thought I would compile a list of interests I have that are very “bloggable”, that for some reason I never seem to write about here. I believe this will encourage me to compose some different posts and maybe allow for a bit of feedback too.

• Beauty Products – I’m totally obsessed! I spend far too much time on makeup and skincare products, and when I’m going out I’ll spend ages getting my eye make-up perfect. I think the main reason I’ve never really written about this area is that I find it very difficult to photograph make-up accurately. Has anyone written a guide on how to go about this?
• Clothes – I like layers, dark colours with bursts of brightness, red skirts and boots, classic styles, full skirts and lots of sparkle. Although I don’t think I’d feel comfortable posting full-length photos of myself (it’s very rare that I actually like a photo of me), that doesn’t mean I can’t photograph my outfits on hangers, or even make Polyvore sets!
• Interesting / Quirky People- People-watching is one of my favourite pastimes, and I’ve often considered writing small portraits of the people I see that seem a little more interesting than the rest.
• Healthy Food and Drink – I might not eat it often enough, but I have a real passion for food and drink that’s not only delicious, but also really good for you. I also suffer from an on / off “superfood” obsession from time to time!
• Gadgets - It’s probably pretty obvious from my TiLT posts that I love shiny gadgets, and totally covet the latest electronic marvels that I can’t afford!
• Bigger Issues Outside the Blogosphere- Politics, feminism, psychology, I have an interest in so many things, yet I only seem to touch on the more serious issues when there’s a blogging scandal or some such other blogosphere-related reason to bring it up.

A few weeks after my blog’s 1 year anniversary, I suppose these could be seen as blogging New Years Resolutions. I intend to push myself outside of that writing comfort zone a little and write about subjects I’d usually neglect, as well as continuing with my usual content. I’m hoping that this will make Sparkle and Glitter a more challenging, educational project for me as well as making it more interesting to read for you!

What do you think? Are there any subjects you avoid writing about even though they interest you?

Photo Credit

I have once again taken something of a “break” from blogging. After all the conversation and debate of the last few weeks, I found myself drawing a complete blank regarding where to go next – how to [...]]]>

Photo Credit

I have once again taken something of a “break” from blogging. After all the conversation and debate of the last few weeks, I found myself drawing a complete blank regarding where to go next – how to follow up something that inspired such fascinating conversation. Despite the many hundreds of blogs devoted to topics such as being motivated, getting things done, etc. I do not believe that pushing ahead is always the answer, and in this instance, giving in to my own lack of motivation and general deficit of ideas has, I believe, been just what I needed.

Sometimes, when the usual sources of inspiration are not forthcoming and one’s heart really isn’t fully in the task, I think it’s best to just give in, rest, and try again later.

Here’s what I do when I’m devoid of motivation and nothing seems to work:

• Unplug – Not necessarily from all technology but certainly the “blogosphere” and related parts of the Internet. Staring at my WordPress dashboard is pointless, reading other blogs makes me feel (irrationally) guilty for not posting to mine and when the usual sources of inspiration such as Flickr, etc. have come up with nothing, continuing to look at them is just frustrating.
• Avoid – Close the notebooks, put the piles of post-its in a safe place and stop looking at them. The more I puzzle over things and try to link my notes together into something worth posting, the more irritated I become, so putting them away and ignoring them for a while means that when I go back to them I look at them with a fresh perspective.
• Wind Down – The body too but particularly the mind, if I’ve been thinking extensively about things and yet being unable to accomplish anything, I know it’s time to switch off. For me this involves doing something entertaining that requires very little intellectual effort such as watching “light” TV shows and movies (Buffy has been my mainstay this week) and reading trashy magazines. Winding down the body is important too, and I tend to use the hour or so per night I would spend reading blogs to get an early night instead, or to have a relaxing hot (and / or alcoholic) drink curled up comfortably on the sofa.
• Indulge – Lack of motivation and ideas tends, for me, to go hand in hand with an overall feeling of restlessness and apathy. More often than not this is indicative of feeling generally low, so in times like these I indulge my whims, where I am able to. I treat myself to tasty food, no matter how unhealthy, or I buy myself something pretty. Shallow? Very, but every little helps!

I usually find that by giving into what my body, mind and / or soul wants and needs is sometimes the only way to get back on the right track feeling rejuvenated and motivated once more. All the motivational tips, to-do lists and inspiring websites are great, but on occasion they’re just not enough, and a break is what is needed to “reset” and re-awaken my creativity again.

How do you find your motivation when it seems to be lacking? Do you ever just give in and take a break from everything?

Image by gregoryperez

Can anyone honestly say that the self they project online, in blogs, on forums, etc. is truly 100% their real self? I know lots of people put on a persona on purpose, either because [...]]]>

Image by gregoryperez

Can anyone honestly say that the self they project online, in blogs, on forums, etc. is truly 100% their real self? I know lots of people put on a persona on purpose, either because they want to hide their true selves or just as a gimmick, but I’m talking about those of us who don’t try any of that. Those of us who would tell anyone that we’re the same person in real life as we are online.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I am definitely in the latter category, I feel that keeping up an online persona must be so exhausting, I can’t imagine having to adopt a totally different, forced personality when writing or posting on a forum, it must be quite difficult to remain consistant. At least if inconsistancies come through when I write here, I know they’re quirks of my own personality, not made-up traits I’ll then have to make a conscious effort to replicate in the future.

Still, can any of us really say, particularly when writing a blog, that everything we write depicts our personality accurately? I think the moment the editing process starts, the moment a blog post turns from a stream-of-consciousness to a thought-out piece that’s meant for an audience, a small part of the real personality of the writer, which may have existed in the words, is lost. I don’t believe this is necessarily a bad thing, people are unpredictable, flawed beings and I know I often say stupid things in the moment that I wish I could take back. As long as a conversation isn’t recorded however, then the odd slip-up us unlikely to permanantly damage one’s reputation or relationships. A mistake like that on a blog post, even if later deleted, may be archived and one day when the writer is rich and famous (I wish) it may well come back to haunt them. Or in a more likely turn of events, someone with good Google-fu and a grudge can use it to cause trouble long after the writer has forgotten the comment completely. If there’s even the smallest chance that a blogger will ever find his or herself working in the corporate world, for example, then there is no point in taking the risk and posting unedited comments that could later cost them a job.

More “real-time” services of course are a different matter. Chatrooms and IRC channels don’t make headlines anymore, but there, although the capacity to edit still existed, people were far less likely to do so as they strove to make their comments within a conversational timeframe. I’ve made some very good friends through IRC channels that I regularly see in “real life” now, because when you remove everything but words, I think as long as the person you are talking to isn’t putting on an act, you can really get to know their personality without factors such as looks or fashion sense clouding your judgement.

I don’t know about you, but the most real-time method of online communication I use now is probably Twitter, and since tweets tend to me more like announcements than parts of a natural conversation, they tend to be very considered and edited, particulary since they have to be within 140 characters. Everywhere (online) that I write, I edit, and I wouldn’t have it any other way – I’m terrible for making typos! On my blog, and I’m sure on many others, I believe readers get a genuine dose of my personality, but it’s controlled. Free from hasty, stupid comments I may later regret, words I over-use replaced with similes, it’s still my voice, but prepared for public consumption.

This post was written entirely without editing. I haven’t spell-checked it, I haven’t gone back to change things that don’t “sound” right. How real do you think you are when you post online?

Image by tomswift46

Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write my books so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she [...]]]>

Image by tomswift46

Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write my books so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she must turn one more page. When people tell me I’ve kept them up all night, I feel like I’ve succeeded!
Sidney Sheldon

If you can’t annoy somebody, there is little point in writing.
Kingsley Amis

Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.
Melinda Haynes

At night, when the objective world has slunk back into its cavern and left dreamers to their own, there come inspirations and capabilities impossible at any less magical and quiet hour. No one knows whether or not he is a writer unless he has tried writing at night.
H. P. Lovecraft

Image by publicinsomniac

I’m in the need of a little inspiration this week, so I am sharing some more of my inspiring findings:

Image by *_Abhi_*

I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear. - Joan Didion

The human mind is like [...]]]>

Image by *_Abhi_*

I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.
- Joan Didion

The human mind is like umbrella. It functions best when open.
- Max Gropius

The spirit of creation is the spirit of contradiction. It is the breakthrough of appearances toward an unknown reality.
- Joan Cocteau

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
- Buddha