The Ten-Minute Blogger

A couple of years ago, in my post “How do I Find Time to Write Every Day“, I was bemoaning the fact that I was finding it difficult to find the time to write something for my blog. I still have that problem but at least I know that there are ways of dealing with it. Another difficulty I sometimes have is knowing what to write about. That issue is easily solved. I only have to look at my mission statement on my “About Jeremy” page to remind myself of what this blog is all about.

But the main issue I still have is finding the time to put into practice what I have learnt about creating and maintaining a successful blog. However, I have just recently read an article in Writing Magazine which explains that you can develop a writing habit by spending just ten minutes a day – every day – creating something for your blog, novel, short story, magazine article or poetry collection. It can take up to 21 days to form any new habit, so for the first few days the routine will be quite difficult to maintain, but it is important to keep plugging away.

It might be helpful to set targets. For example, I have found Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog extremely useful in this respect, because Darren sets you daily tasks to be completed. However, if you’ve only got ten minutes a day to spare, you can take 31 weeks or 31 months to complete the course. The important thing is that you must spend at least ten minutes every day in order to create your new writing habit. It is probably best if your ten minutes are at the same time each day – perhaps first thing in the morning or last thing at night. I shall be finding my ten minutes during my lunch break.

My goodness! Is it that time already?

It’s Time for a Revamp!

I started this blog just over two years ago so I think it’s about time I started making a few changes to it. It won’t be a complete redecoration, but more of a spring clean (or should that be an “autumn tidy-up”?).

I have already made a few tweaks – for a start I’ve inserted a link to my photo gallery on Flickr – and the blogroll will undergo some tidying up fairly shortly. But the major change is that this blog will now focus solely on the business of writing, editing and proofreading, with a few funnies thrown in to keep you amused.

To deal with my spiritual life as a member of the Bahá’í Faith I have created another blog – The Tiverton Bahá’í. However, this website is still under development and over the next few months I will be spending some time providing content that is worth reading and worth your while revisiting the site for. But in the meantime you might like to visit some of the other Bahá’í blogs and websites that I have created links to in The Tiverton Bahá’í blogroll.

Aargh! Twitter is Taking Over my Life!

I’ve recently started using Twitter to promote my business and to network with other business people after being introduced to it by Thomas Power  and Mark Shaw at Ecademy. I’ve found it a very useful tool, so much so that I’ve effectively stopped using Facebook. But I found Twitter  so addictive that there was a danger that it would take over my life. However, there are plenty of tools and advice available to help prevent this from happening.

For example, Tim Ferriss has written a post on his blog in which gives you five tips on “How to Use Twitter Without Twitter Owning You”. His first tip is not to post and read tweets at the same time. I’ve followed this and his other advice and found that I don’t waste valuable time using Twitter.

Here is some advice of my own. On Twitter, it seems that it is very important to get as many followers as possible. To do this manually is very time-consuming, even if I use a “personal assistant” such as Mr Tweet. However, Gary McCaffrey has developed Tweetergetter, which automates this task so efficiently that every day I am notified (by Twitter) of about half a dozen (or more) new followers, without any effort on my part.

The problem then is to respond to these people to welcome them and thank them for following me. Luckily, there is another tool, called TweetLater, which allows me to automatically send a welcome message to all my new followers and to automatically follow anybody who follows me.

Another trick is to choose just one application to send, view and manage all your tweets – and stick with it. I started using Tweetfox, which is a plug-in for the  Firefox browser and which regularly notifies you of any incoming tweets (and allows you to post tweets) while you are using Firefox. However, I sometimes found it unnecessarily obtrusive and even more annoyingly it used up too much memory or bandwidth that it prevented me from viewing Google images and video selections on YouTube. It even prevented me from accessing my own blog here on WordPress. So I uninstalled it and now use Tweetdeck which in its latest version has the added advantage of allowing me to update my status on Facebook at the same time as I post a tweet.

There are dozens of other Twitter applications to explore and over the next few months I shall probably be trying some of them out. When I do, I will endeavour to give my opinion of them in another post.

Two Cures for Writer’s Block

Over the last few weeks I’ve been struggling to find the enthusiasm and energy to write anything for this blog, but in my efforts to overcome this problem I’ve come across two potential cures for what bedevils most authors from time to time, namely, writer’s block.

The first is Wordlube, an interactive e-book by Tom Evans (aka the Bookwright) in which he claims that you can remove writer’s block in five days or less. In this book Tom recommends the use of meditation and mind-mapping techniques to clear away any obstructions that are preventing you from putting pen to writing pad or keyboard to screen. The e-book is designed to be read very quickly and it is recommended that first you should go through the whole book in one sitting to get a feel for the principles and exercises that are contained in it.

However, these exercises are meant to be completed over a period of five days and are claimed to have a cumulative effect, so by the end of the fifth day you should be thinking and working differently if you follow all of them as prescribed. Most of the exercises only take about 30 minutes each to complete, with the final one only taking you a maximum of 45 minutes.

So, after about three hours of work spread over less than a week your creative juices should be flowing in abundance. If not, then I suggest you tell Tom Evans because I’m sure he would appreciate your feedback. In fact, he encourages it.

Wordlube includes several embedded videos and audio clips, together with a weblink to Tony Buzan’s mind-mapping website so that you can download a trial version of the software used by Tom Evans to create the mind maps featured in the exercises.

The second cure, called Coffee Break, can be found on the Webook website. It is an interactive project that aims to provide a friendly and supportive environment where writers can try out new ideas and techniques, and refresh any skills that they may have but not use often enough. The project is led by a close friend of mine, Vanessa Cobb, whose pen name is Winterjazz.

The rules of the project are simple. You choose any one of fourteen exercises, follow the instructions and start writing. The exercises cover such topics as “Developing Characters”, “Creating Settings”, “Engaging Dialogue”, “Story Ideas” and “Imagery”. Vanessa invites users to suggest topics that they would like help with, and several new topics have been added since the project began.

Coffee Break provides you with plenty of great ideas that help you think about what you are writing and is something that is probably best used when you are trying to improve your writing skills but don’t know how, whereas Wordlube is probably best if you are struggling even to find a decent idea to start with. Each has its place in the writer’s toolbox and both of them are completely free to use. So, take your pick and give them a go!

Some Essential Tools for Twits

I’ve just become a bit of a twit. No, seriously, I’ve joined Twitter recently and I’m having fun finding my way around the site and exchanging “tweets” with my “followers”. As a result of one of these tweets I’ve submitted an item to Twittertitters (now called “Tweehee“), who are producing a book of comedy writing to be sold to raise money for Red Nose Day 2009.

However, to make the best use of this social networking site you need to install some additional applications, of which there are hundreds to choose from. So where do you start? Don’t worry! There is plenty of advice to be found on the Web. I came across a blog article written by Kalena Jordan who recommends “16 Must Have Tools for Twitter Users“. And if, like me, you are a member of Ecademy you can join the Twitter Club, where business people who use Twitter as a promotional tool provide advice to other Ecademy members.

If you want to follow me on Twitter I can be found here. Must go now, There is a whole lot of twittering going on that I want to catch up with.

Looking for Plug-ins to Make Writing Easier?

Writers are constantly looking for ways to make their life easier. Surfing the Web while researching your next article or novel can be particularly tedious, and I’m sure there are times when you wish that you could carry out a certain task but can’t because your browser won’t allow you to do it.

Just recently, though, Kelly Sonora of the Online Education Database told me about an article written by Laura Milligan entitled “50 Must-Have Firefox Extensions for Writers“. Her e-mail arrived at exactly the right time for me because I was desperately looking for a way to store a standard reply to my Ecademy contacts with whom I interact via the Ecademy website. The Scrapbook plug-in recommended by Laura in her article certainly hit the mark and I downloaded it straight away.

The tools and plug-ins mentioned in this article range from general reference extensions such as online dictionaries and translation facilities to extensions that keep you connected with your project collaborators or contacts; help to save, bookmark and organize the web pages you’ve visited; download files and manage images; and maintain your privacy and filter out junk mail. There are also tools to ensure that you stay within your deadline by providing you with notifiers, calendars, automatic alerts and time trackers. With the business tools that are recommended you can find jobs, stay connected to clients and even keep track of how much you’ve earned from your Google Adsense account.

If you use Firefox as your default browser, like I do, and you are a writer (and even if you are not), Laura Milligan’s article is a must-read! I’ve certainly bookmarked it as one of my all-time favourites, and Kelly Sonora is certainly a name to watch out for. I look forward to her next notification with eager anticipation!

Reverend Robert Shields – Would He Have Been the Ultimate Blogger?

Recently, while looking around for subjects to write about on my blog, I came across the story of the Reverend Robert Shields, who died a few months ago.

His claim to fame is that for 25 years he kept a diary – but not any old diary! From 1972 until 1997 he would spend at least four hours a day recording every detail of his life in five-minute segments. Nothing was left out – he even recorded his visits to the toilet (and what he did there) – to ensure that the entire day, every day, was accounted for. In his small office at his his family home in Dayton, Washington State, he kept half a dozen typewriters (Do you remember those?) on his desk just in case any one of them broke down due to over-use. He had them arranged in such a way that he could reach any one of them by using his swivel chair without having to get up.

Each day he would type about 3,000–6,000 words describing in fine detail his daily activities on to single sheets of paper. Eventually, he would bind these sheets into ledgers, which were stored in huge cardboard boxes and stacked to the ceiling just outside his office. As well as detailing his trips to the bathroom, he recorded his body temperature, blood pressure and his daily medication; he described every piece of junk mail he received, every meal he ate and the cost of virtually everything he bought. He even attached a nostril hair to one page so that scientists could study his DNA. He would sleep for just two hours a day so that he could describe the dreams he had experienced. In a good year he would write three million words, but in a bad year he would manage just one million. He would type everything down spontaneously as it came into his head and didn’t correct or edit anything. He said that he didn’t read any of the entries afterwards because if he did he wouldn’t have time to do anything else.

Eventually, in 1997, he succumbed to a massive stroke that curtailed his writing activities although he did attempt for a while to dictate his journal entries to his wife but, perhaps not surprisingly, she quickly became bored with the task. In 1999, he handed over his diary to Washington State University in 91 boxes on condition that it would not be read or subjected to a word count for at least 50 years. However, one sample page has found its way on to the Internet and can be viewed here.

I wonder what Robert Shields would have made of today’s blogging technology. Would he have used it to update his diary for all of us to read and comment on or would he have shied away from it because it was just too public an arena to reveal the details of his private life and personal thoughts? At his age, would he have understood or been afraid of Web 2.0, Windows XP/Vista or Mac OS 10.4/10.5? Or would he have become the world’s ultimate blogger and acquired the same sort of following that ‘Geriatric1927‘ (Peter Oakley) has amassed on YouTube. I suppose now we shall never know!

It Might Look Quiet – But From Over Here It Isn’t!

You may have noticed that my last post was over two weeks ago and may have thought that nothing was happening on the Lockyer front. On the contrary, I have been very busy. During the first week of March I was editing articles for three different journals for Intellect and was out every evening either socializing – it was my birthday last week – business networking, attending committee meetings or dealing with entries for a local road race I’m the director of.

In addition, for some time now I have been looking for ways to increase the number of visitors to my blog. As a result of reading a very interesting article by Jack Humphrey of SocialPowerLinking.com recently I’ve been spending a lot of my spare time putting together a social marketing campaign. So, over the past week I’ve been signing up to join the various social media sites, such as StumbleUpon, Digg, Propeller and Mixx, as well as the blog communities at MyBlogLog and the BlogCatalog. The results have been almost instantaneous – within a few hours I have had half a dozen e-mails from other bloggers wanting to be friends and one very complimentary review of my blog. I had already signed up to Facebook and MySpace so my next job in this compaign is find my existing friends (in the physical world) whom are on these sites and start interacting with them in cyberspace.

Finally, I suppose I ought to start writing articles for this blog. I’ve already got a few ideas that need to be worked on – so watch this space!

A Case of ‘Man Proposes, God Disposes’

A few months ago, on 12 November to be precise, I resolved to get up early each morning so that I could spend time keeping this blog up to date with fresh content, and follow a regular schedule in the same way that I went jogging each evening.

However, shortly afterwards, on 15 November, I developed a deep vein thrombosis in my right leg, which not only put an end to my jogging but also made sitting down to try and write material for this blog very painful. I had to keep walking (which was painful in itself) to prevent my leg seizing up completely. So, for the past three months my blog has taken a back seat while my focus has firmly been on getting my health back.

Luckily, I have now substantially recovered and I am no longer in pain, so I can concentrate once more on my plans for this blog. So much has happened just recently that I have several writing projects that need my attention and I think it is important to make sure that I don’t repeat myself in any of them.

To assist me in this respect, I’m drawing up a list (or more precisely, a series of lists) of what needs to be done for each of these projects, including this blog. A list is a great tool if you have a great deal to do but don’t know where to start. Listing all the various tasks that need to be done can help you to prioritize your workload, and there is nothing more satisfying than to cross off an item on a list once you have completed the task that it relates to. But don’t make the list too long – there is a danger that it will become a vast, indigestible and growing heap of unfulfilled wishes and you will find that for every item you cross off the list you will think of least another three items to go on it. And if your list is more than one page long, there is the added danger that you will just concentrate on those tasks on the first page (i.e. the page on top) and forget about all those other tasks that have been relegated to the second, third and, heaven forbid, subsequent pages. Therefore, your list should never be more than one page long!

And finally, but most importantly, allow room on your list for the unexpected! A wise man once said that God looks at our plans and laughs. Remember that man proposes but God disposes. So, submit to the will of God and enjoy the ride!

How do I Find Time to Write Every Day?

One of the first things I was taught while on a blogging course was the importance of keeping my blog up to date by writing something in it at least once every week. I made a resolution at the time to do just that – after all, I want people to be regular visitors to my blog to read what I’ve written.

It started off OK because I had plenty of material in my “back catalogue” that I could post on my blog, and at the time I was having to write a 60-second presentation every week to promote my business at BNI that I could use as the basis, or so I thought, for my weekly post on my blog.

But then things changed in my life. The local chapter of BNI fell apart and I was no longer required to write a witty presentation each week. At the same time my business workload increased, which meant that I was spending all day, every day, in front of my computer editing articles that other people had written. This meant that I had no desire to spend my spare time, if I had any, in front of the computer updating and editing my blog. Although I was spending some spare time in front of the computer, my interest in family history meant that it was being filled by visiting the Ancestry and the Genes Reunited websites, and entering data on to my genealogy software program.

As a result, my blog has barely been touched for about six weeks and the number of visitors has dropped to nearly zero. So what can I do about it? One thing that I have noticed is that I have plenty of ideas first thing in the morning and I lie in my bed composing potential articles in my head before I get up. However, by the time I’ve got up, got washed and changed, and I’ve started to make my breakfast my initial enthusiasm and creativity has waned, and I find myself thinking more about my next editing job I have to do for one of my existing clients.

So, the answer is simple! I get up at least one hour earlier each morning and write something for my blog before breakfast. As I write this, in long hand, it is eight o’clock in the morning and I’ve written virtually an entire post without much effort. The next challenge is to enter it on to the blog – but I can probably do that this evening – and if you’re reading it now it means that I’ve passed that challenge without any problems. It’s amazing how easy it is to type something up once you’ve written the first draft and it’s there in front of you.

Right! I’ve proved that it can work – now I’ve just got to make sure that I can keep it up. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem as long as I treat it like a training schedule in preparation for running a marathon (or any other distance, for that matter). After all, every evening during the week, without fail, I go out jogging. So, early every morning during the week, without fail, I must write something for my blog.

There, that wasn’t too difficult, was it! Same again tomorrow? We’ll see – I’ve got a business breakfast early tomorrow morning but I’ll try and write something, even if it’s only a few lines. So, watch this space!