It’s always a good topic – ever changing. We’re talking about weird weather stories. What about the time we sat in the car waiting for the rain to stop? And the time we were on a road trip and… Do you remember when we were camping and…
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?
We are all aggregators of what we bring into the world and what we experience once we get here. Some context:
I’m the only girl and the baby of the family. I have an older, older brother and a younger, older brother. They were 8 and 9 years old when I was a baby. . . . Yeah, I’m fiercely independent.
Besides that I’m second-generation American. My grandparents were all born in another country. . . . All around me, as I grew up, were messages that said, “Hard work never hurt anybody.”
I was shy and perceptive. . . . My social skills were a cross between a monkey and a Weimaraner puppy — intrusive, cute, and clumsy.
When I went to college, I was the only one who had carried my suitcase. That was the way the world worked. That world had worked pretty well for me.
That explains a lot; doesn’t it?
This morning a man I just met, Fred Zelders, reminded me of all of that with one sentence in his comment..
Wow! Hit my head. What the heck had I been thinking? I love to help people. Why shouldn’t they get a turn too?
What Fred sent me when we talked minutes later was simpler and more elegant than what I had been planning.
That simple offer — one sentence — changed my world. It saved me hours and gave me something so much better. AND Fred is no longer a stranger.
One sentence.
Thank you, Fred Zelders, for offering. Thank you for your generosity.
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.
. 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.
Yesterday, Glenda gave us glimpse into the business she began as a web accessibility specialist, Soaring Eagle Communications, and she shared her feelings about a future filled with possibilities.
Our conversation, at that point, had turned to the how the act of writing a book had an effect on Glenda’s life.
Glenda, as a publisher, I know that the book we start is hardly ever the book that gets written.
What was the most unexpected thing you found while writing your book? How did the book change? How did the book change you?
When I first began writing the book several years ago, I envisioned a collection of short stories and memories from my life. I then found myself filling in the gaps between the memories. The book evolved into my autobiography, or, at least, the first installment! The book cover also changed, thanks to Nancy Cleary of Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing. I had designed a simplistic cover, which she turned into something amazingly beautiful. I was emotional the first time I saw it.
Once I started telling people that I was writing a book, I was surprised by the support and encouragement that I received, even from people I did not know. One such person is Debbie Fierst, of Logical Imagination . who generously volunteered to edit my manuscript. I was also surprised by the number of people who would like to write a book, but havenââ¬â¢t made it happen for a variety of reasons.
My book Iââ¬â¢ll Do It Myself confirmed to me that I am a bona fide writer and that writing is my gift, which I am meant to use and to share with others. I sense my book will continue to change me by opening new doors for me, and by taking my business/career and my life in a whole new direction.
I remember the feeling of seeing my words in print for the first time. How did you experience that feeling? Where were you when you opened the first copy of your book? What was the feeling and thoughts you had at that time? Have you captured them to call them up later?
Since I self-published, the boxes of books were delivered to my home on December 5th. I anxiously awaited their delivery until they finally arrived mid-afternoon. I was trembling with excitement and anticipation while the delivery man wheeled in the boxes in two loads. When I opened the first box and saw my book for the first time, a wave of emotions came over me. Thirty years of dreaming, preparing, researching, visualizing and writing became real in that moment. I had done it! My dream became reality in that moment. I had written and self-published my book. And they were beautiful! There were a few happy tears. I can only imagine that it is similar to giving birth and holding your baby for the first time. I captured the moment on my other blog.
Thank you, Glenda! I can identify with those moments. You made them real for everyone. That’s a writer’s gift.
See you tomorrow with another question.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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13.1 Meet Glenda Watson Hyatt
A 4-Part Series: An Interview with the Amazing Glenda Watson.Hyatt
We’re pleased to announce that Vernon Lun and folks over at TheGoodBlogs have agreed to join with SOBCon07 as a sponsor! 
TheGoodBlogs is a company that is working to create community amongst bloggers so partnering with us here at SOBCon seems like a natural fit. Check out their Goal from their Concept page:
To create distributed communities of bloggers who actively promote each other every time readers visit their blogs.
You say you don’t know what TheGoodBlogs is all about? Take a look at this cool graphic they put together to explain what it is they do: [Read more…]
You are the only you. No one can be you better. Once you get you to your best form, no one can knock you off. They can only be a bad facsimile. What folks say is not approval — it’s only opinion.
Each of us is a unique and wonderful individual. That is the key to our personal branding.
I’m looking for truly unique and wonderful blogs. The blogs I am thinking of are one-of-a kind, stand-out, nothing-like-it, wow-will-you-look-at-that. only-one, wish-I-had-that-idea blogs. Every blog in the bunch will be outstanding in its own way. Some might be
You get the idea.
When you see a outstanding blog, you’ll know it because you want to tell other people about it. You really like the idea of going back with them to show them around. It’s a category of one.
My goal is to find 200 of them.
I have so many questions that could bring so many possible responses, I’ve made a numbered list for you to use in the comments If you use the number and the bold keyword that will help everyone reading along.
Your turn.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
We’re putting the final touches on Successful-Blog Conference and Networking Event.
This event will be different from other blogging camps, summits, and seminars because it begins and ends with relationships. It’s centered deeply in blogging as passion and an interaction between publisher and readers.