Tag Archives: Blogging

Thought of the Week: Resolutions

Don’t forget, you can be reading your copy of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation in just a few minutes for only $3.99! Click here to buy.

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I realize it’s a little late in the month for New Year’s resolutions, but I figure late is better than never, and besides, I’ll never keep to all (or any) of them. In fact, I’m generally not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions; I find it a bit twee, and lacking in any real substance. However, there are a few things I’d like to improve upon over the following few weeks and months, and if the New Year is an excuse to set them down in writing, then I’m game for it.

Following on somewhat from last week’s posts about lists, here is a list of the things I would like to accomplish over the next year:

1. Blog more.

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This is a big one. As a writer, I should be writing all the time. Having said that, I posted 44 entries on satiswrites.com last year; that doesn’t even average once a week! Most of them were posts of chapters from The Redemption of Erâth, too, which means the total number of actual blog posts, such as Thought of the Week, were absolutely minimal. There are 49 weeks left in this year, and I want to commit to posting at least one post a week in the Thought of the Week category. I also want to resurrect a few other categories, such as Music I Love and Daily Photos.

2. Read more.

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This is also a big one. As a writer, there’s no excuse for not reading, yet I simply don’t do it. I want to read at least one (just one!) book to myself—that is to say, not a book I read to Little Satis for bed time, although those stories have been immensely enjoyable. I also want to read more of your words, which leads to …

3. Interact with the blogging community more.

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There are so many incredibly talented, intelligent and worthwhile people out there writing their hearts out for others to read, and I really want to get back into the community that made my blog worth writing in the first place. I want to commit to spending at least some time each week reading through the WordPress.com Reader, and liking/commenting on a handful of posts when I do. In particular I want to read/watch more of what my very good writing friend Alexandra Corinth has to say.

4. Lose weight.

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This isn’t so crucial, but I’m about 20 lbs overweight, and I’d like to shed some of that over the next few months if I can. I hate you, exercise bike.

5. Publish The Redemption of Erâth: Exile.

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This is huge. I managed to get The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation published by July 2014; I’d very much like to see a summer launch for Exile if it’s within the realms of possibility. Whether this means self-publishing again, or seeking agent representation, I don’t know, but I don’t want to keep my (currently very few) fans waiting longer than they need to!

There are plenty more things I’m sure I’d like to accomplish, but I think I’ll leave it at five for the moment: I don’t want to tax myself too much!

What are your resolutions for this year?

Featured image from http://allisonpataki.com/set-new-years-resolutions-january/.

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Thought of the Week: I Have a Social Media Problem

Hello. My name is Satis, and I have a problem.

It’s not a gambling problem, or a drinking problem. It’s not an addiction problem, or an incontinence problem (not yet). Nor is it particularly a personal problem.

My problem, readers, is with social media. More specifically, I don’t know how to use it.

That’s right; the blogger with nearly 3,000 readers can’t use social media. Isn’t that just a lamentable problem? It’s not that I don’t like it; I think social media is a fantastic way of disseminating information of all sorts, and it has a power to control the Continue reading →

Thought of the Week: It Happened Again

This is all getting a little bit too much, and I’m starting to get worried. My blog appears to be having an unintentional effect on some of the people reading it. At first, I thought it was just a one-off, and I reassured myself it wouldn’t happen again.

The second time, I began to be concerned. What kind of thoughts was I planting in my readers’ heads? Without meaning it, I was playing mind games; I actually seemed to have the power to redirect their thoughts. It was worrisome.

And now – it has happened a third time. And I realize that it is now inescapable. I began this blog as a way to express myself, to open myself and my writing to the world. As it grew, I began to write about other topics that concerned and humored me, and over time, I realized that there were a few people out there who seemed interested in what I had to say. Some of them told me their thoughts; others gave me feedback without comment.

And so it appears that, for as long as I continue to blog, these things will keep happening. I have to remind myself that it is outside of my power to influence these people, and they will act the way they do when they read my words. I must simply accept it.

That’s right: I’ve received another award!

I made my own again – what do you think?

This one comes courtesy of Dan Kline, over at What to do about me and D.I.D.. I discovered his blog a while back, and have been touched at his daily struggles, and the commitment he makes to his family in spite of them. I’ve gained inspiration from him for my own turbulence, and his support has come to mean a lot. He has also shown a remarkable devotion to my little story, and his multitudinous compliments have turned my ears red on more than one occasion!

So in a lovely irony, he has nominated me for the Reader Appreciation Award – being one of my most-appreciated readers!

Now, this award comes with a few rules, so I will abide by them this time…

  1. Include the award logo somewhere in your blog. ✔
  2. Answer the ten questions below for fun, if you want to. ✔
  3. Nominate ten to twelve blogs that you enjoy (or you pick the number).
  4. Pay the love forward: provide your nominees with a link to your post and comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been included and invited to participate.
  5. Pay the love back with gratitude and a link to the blogger(s) who nominated you. ✔

Or not. The truth is, the bloggers I appreciate know who they are, and if they don’t (!), they’re at the bottom of every page, all the time. Bear in mind that there are many, many blogs out there that I love; these ones are those that have impacted me, and made a difference in my life.

And now, you get to learn even more about me!

  1. What is your favorite color? Any color, as long as it’s black.
  2. What is your favorite animal? The cat, followed closely by spiders, octopi and falcons.
  3. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Honestly? Are they trying to make this as unexciting as possible? Fine – water. Isn’t that kind of crazy? It has to be good water, mind you. Something cold and pure, from a high mountain stream, preferably.
  4. Which do you prefer: Twitter, or Facebook? Talk about choosing the lesser of two evils. Facebook lets me post meaningless trite; Twitter lets me post slightly shorter meaningless trite. I very much enjoy being prosaic, so I’d have to go with Facebook.
  5. What is your favorite pattern? Um…you know, I never really thought much about this one. Giving this question a once-over in my mind, I’d have to say organized chaos. The sort of thing where a vast system of entities is strewn about at random, each independent the others…and then, for one, brief, glorious moment, everything aligns, snaps into place, and you’re given the briefest glimpse of the true meaning of the universe. Then – it all disintegrates, and the world once more turns to dust. Sort of like a Rubik’s cube.
  6. Would you rather give or receive presents? That depends on the present.
  7. What is your favorite number? Three. And seven.
  8. What is your favorite day? In life? The day my son was born. In general? The first day that the breeze comes cool, and the scent of woodsmoke is on the air, and the leaves shine crimson and gold in the fading light of the ever-earlier sunset.
  9. What is your favorite flower? Easy – the orchid.
  10. What is your passion? Well now…it’s been some time since I’ve felt any true passion. My book, however, has been a driving force for some time now, and it is a prospect that still keeps me going. Other than that, music is a thing I could not live without. Dark, sweet and soothing, it puts to rest a mind that is so often uneasy.

And that’s it! This award is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain.