Successful Blog

Blog Herald Today: The Writer’s Dilemma and the Blogger’s Secret

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Writing and Blogging — The Difference

We often talk about writing and blogging. Go see what bloggers have that writers do not.

Quote after quote tells the story of writers who know that they have to go it alone. Every blogger worth his or her blogging salt knows the same thing.

Yet we do it. Why do we do it? We have a secret.

Read the whole feature in today’s Blog Herald by clicking the logo.

It’s about blogging and real life.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
sobcon-07, sobevent.com, the-blog-herald

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Liz Strauss at The Blog Herald, The Blogging Times, and Who’s One in a Million?

Change the World: Put Your Feelings Back

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changetheworld8

In 1990 my friend, K, convinced a “psychic” to come to Austin to meet with a group of K’s friends for a friendly event. Part of the deal was that the psychic lady would give readings for fee, but that K and I would get time at no charge to hear what the lady saw.

K called me when she arrived and I drove over. To my surprise, the psychic lady looked like a middle-adged house wife wearing a red-beaded, knit pant suit. I guess I had expected some sort of Halloween garb and a silky purple sequin scarf.

The people came; food was served; and the psychic lady spoke of what she did, and told stories of what she saw throughout her life. This psychic lady knew quite a bit about health and wellness. She was also well read..People asked questions about what they might expect.

One by one, people met with the psychic lady in another room. One by one, each person came out looking thoughtful and satisfied.

She then invited me to take my turn.

As I sat in the rocking chair across from her, I thought what an unlikely psychic she is. Then I thought she’s a highly perceptive, intelligent woman. maybe that’s what psychic is.

The woman started by saying that the first thing she noticed that day about me was that I was a person sho people misunderstood. She said that people often felt threatened by me. She was right, but I didn’t say that I had no idea why.

She asked me what color my feelings are.

“What color?” I stopped to think, but saw a color, a scene, immediately.

I said they are “indigo, blue-black — the color of the sky on the night of a starry, full moon, safe and beautiful like inside a mother’s womb.”

I wondered where that answer came from. It was true, but I’d never thought of it before. So, I’d surely never said it.

Then she asked, “Where do you carry them — your feelings?”

I closed my eyes and went inside my head to find the answer. I realized that my feelings weren’t in my body at all.

“I keep them right here,” I said, putting my hands like parentheses in the air next to my left hip. In a heartbeat, I knew the moment I had pushed them out there.

She asked the quietest, most powerful question, “What would happen if you moved them over, if you put them back inside you?”

I didn’t have to answer. I already knew I’d be whole again.

She said, “Now when you meet people, they won’t wonder what you’re hiding.”

She was right.

After that day, somehow people could tell.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

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If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World mini

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

We Talked About Art!

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Hi Everyone! Every week Sandy and I try to think how to sum all that we talked about but you know it’s impossible to capture the joy, humor, and camaraderie of four hours in one simple blog post. And as much as I like taking a clever comment and sharing it here, it sure takes time and once in a while it embarrasses folks.

So we’re going to stop trying to do the impossible, trying to retell a fabulous memory, and instead let you enjoy the comments as they were said whole.

It was a busy night. We were talking about art. What makes it art? How do you know it’s art? Is that art? Graphic design, photography, ceramics, weaving, welding, spin art, calligraphy, graffiti, concrete, flower arranging, art therapy, music, cinema, theatre, architecture, poetry, dance, modern, renaissance, gothic, folk, fine, painting, drawing, sculpture, stained glass, blown glass, calligraphy, art history, art fairs, art galleries, art in the park, Art isn’t what you hang on a refrigerator, and don’t drink and draw. Wow!

You can read all about it in the We’re Art Crazy! Comments

Here are some cool links we shared.

Thanks to everyone for the cool links and for being part of the conversation. I’m so sorry I missed half the night and that he server has been misbehaving.

See you next Tuesday? I sure hope so.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

WANT TO GUEST HOST AN OPEN COMMENT NIGHT WITH ME? PICK A THEME AND TELL ME ABOUT IT. C’MON IT’LL BE FUN!

SOBCon 07: Prizes and Gifts from Generous Folks

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Fabulous Books and a Blog Design for Attendee Gifts

Wonderful people have arranged to be sending books and a special prize for attendees at SOBCon. I want to personally thank them for their generosity.

Prizes

Thank you to these generous folks who have offered at their own cost to donate these prizes to attendees at this years’s SOBCon event in Chicago on May 11-12.

The Blog Studio

Peter Flaschner, Creative Dictator, of The Blog Studio has come forward to present an offer of a $2,000 blog design as a door prize. Here’s a sample of what they’ve done in the last year. Click the design to visit their gallery.

Lisa Haneberg

Two Weeks to a Breakthrough

Lisa has donated multiple copies of her book, Two Weeks to a Breakthrough: How to Zoom Toward Your Goal in 14 Days or Less, and pens to go along with the book. Using Lisa Haneberg’s proven process will help you move beyond your fears and bad habits and help you make significant breakthroughs, even amid the overwhelming clutter of everyday life. Two Weeks to a Breakthrough uses both repetition and the gradual introduction of new techniques to increase your ability to discover and manifest new possibilities. Through a combination of step-by-step instructions, examples, exercises, and illustrations, you will learn how to clarify your goals, take steps to break through both internal and external obstacles, and discover how to transform your career and personal life into exactly what you’ve always wanted. from the Amazon review

Ted Demopoulos

Secrets of Successful Blogging

Ted has generously provided a pile of his book Secrets of Successful Blogging to the conference. This popular tome is has had rave reviews from everyone who has had a chance to use it. Amazon says: 101+ tips for blogging more efficiently, effectively, and profitably, gleamed from interviewing hundreds of people who concretely benefit from the blogosphere. from the Amazon review

And Gift Books Too!

Tim Johnson

GUST

Tim is bringing his hot-off-the-presses, new book, Gust: The “Tale” Wind of Office Politics. Office politics are a fact of life in every company, but no one has ever told us how to use them to our advantage until now. Timothy Johnson has written a compelling, entertaining and deeply practical guide to navigating through the often-treacherous winds of office dynamics. You can t avoid company politics any more than you can dodge air molecules, so you may as well learn how to thrive in the midst of it. This wonderful book will show you how. —Steve Farber, Author, The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership and The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life and Change the World

Rumor has it that

LorelleOnWordpress

Rumor has it that the famous Lorelle, that’s right Lorelle VanFossen of Lorelle on WordPress and The Blog Herald, will not only be at SOBCon, but will also introduce her brand new book for bloggers and will be providing a copy to every attendee courtesy of The Blog Herald, a SOBCon 07 Sponsor. Until then, the book title and contents are a secret.

Thank you to all of these generous people. Aren’t they great? If you see one, please say I told you what a big deal we all think their support is.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
SOBCon 07 — Be part of the most interactive and attendee-focused experience in blogging history.

The Mic Is On: We’re Art Crazy . . .

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

We’re Talking About Art!

We might talk about

  • What makes it art?
  • How do you know it’s art?
  • Is that art?
  • graphic design, photography, ceramics, weaving, welding, spin art, calligraphy, graffiti, concrete, flower arranging, art therapy, music, cinema, theatre, architecture, poetry, dance
  • modern, renaissance, gothic, folk, fine
  • painting, drawing, sculpture, stained glass, blown glass, calligraphy
  • art history, art fairs, art galleries, art in the park
  • Art isn’t what you hang on a refrigerator.
  • Don’t drink and draw.

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey.

Oh, and bring a link, if you have one to share.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?