What to Blog? Inspiration Comes From Within

“I have nothing to write about.”

Nuts.

Everyone has something to say. Everyone has a talent, something to say or something to offer. Saying ‘I have nothing to give, or nothing to say’ is foolishness.

Talk to a friend if you think this isn’t the gospel truth. If you have nothing to offer, then why are they your friend. Many of our greatest artists and writers took their inspiration from their household life. Monet painted his back yard something like fifty times, and they call him a master. Rembrandt rarely left home. Patrick McManus, the humorist, wrote about his family and friends, and he may be the funniest man I have ever read.

The other day, I said I had nothing to say to someone on the phone, when I had an entire comedy routine playing out at my feet.

Enter Gypsy the Psycho Cat, Xena, Princess Warrior Cat, and Duke the (so called) Pit Bull.

Background: Xena and Gypsy were raised by a dog, a Weimeraner/Pit Bull cross. Their mother was a tramp, wandering the streets of Chula Vista at night, rarely coming home. She returned once a day, sometimes less, so Daisy spent most of her time warming the kittens and teaching them to fetch, beg at the kitchen table, and drag their bellies along the carpet. They also chase cats and heel when going for walks. In the words of Dave Barry, “I am not making this up.”

Enter Duke, the So Called Pit Bull.
When Duke came to live with me, via my son moving back in, the dogs in the neighborhood (especially the annoying poodle two doors down) began to behave themselves. They stayed at home, and ceased to stand in my driveway yapping at my cats.
The stray cats also steer clear. Duke is a good family dog and a devoted watchdog. His only fear, if you could call it that, is Gypsy, the Psycho Cat. Duke would like nothing better than to sleep next to my bed at night. Gypsy doesn’t think that is such a good idea, and I am woken in the middle of the night frequently when Gypsy, hiding behind my door or under my bed, comes out and ambushes Duke as he enters the room.
I don’t know why he keeps trying. She terrifies him. He has a bed, a blanket, and his own Laz-E-Boy recliner. But he seems to think that somehow, some day, he will be able to sleep in my room. Its nice of him to feel so devoted, but it is difficult to sleep through a night punctuated with brief but intense combat.

Why can’t they be more like Xena, and sleep through the night out in the guest room with my son?

I think I may be shell shocked.

Watch this space for more on strange but true animal behavior.

To Blog, or Not to Blog…

Yes, it sounds like something Billy Crystal would say in a Rob Reiner movie. But it is a question we all ask ourselves; I have been asking myself and a few friends this question for months, now.

I am trying to bootstrap my writing into some kind of career; I want to be an author, and get paid to do it. Blogging takes time (although not much of it), and I don’t get paid for it. It has seemed interesting to me, but I wondered, why bother- what can it do for me?

This past week, I found out. Through a little research and discussion, it became clear to me that there are ways to use blogging to add to your repertoire, and maybe to your checking account, as well.

This is free advertising, and you get out of it what you put into it. With that ‘little bit of time and effort’ that we mentioned earlier, you can take your blogs to the next level by building it into your social networking scheme.

Add blogging into your professional web of colleagues, friends or acquaintances. Use it like you would a business card, leaving it where ever you wish to make a connection, and just like a business card, it tells your new acquaintance something about you, as it makes an impression mentally and visually- you design your blog site the same way you design a business card, giving your prospective client a snapshot of your taste, be it trim and professional, stylish or colorful, they now know who you are, something about you, that will tell those little gray cells who to contact next time.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a picture of a thousand words worth?

Start blogging, and find out.

The Great American Novel, or ‘So You Want to be a Writer”

All my life, literally, since I was a child, whenever I turned in an essay, told a story, related an experience- whatever- people told me “Wow, Brett. You should write a book.”
But, as with most things your parents tell you, when you hear it over and over again, I developed the ‘water off a duck’s back’ syndrome. I didn’t listen, mostly because I didn’t like to sit still for the ten minutes or so it took to write something down.

Working in the construction field, I fell three stories and landed with my back across a metal brace, flipped over, and landed on something else.

I now have the ability to sit still, often for as much as thirty minutes. I can still walk around, drive a car, etc., but I use a cane.

So, my adventure days are now few and farther between, and not only that, I am starting to enjoy writing e-mails, this blog, and also working on my book, “Torna”, which people are telling me looks pretty good so far. So, I am taking their advice and encouragement, and trying to turn it into something.

If you want to be a writer, watch this space, and check the links, too. Every little bit helps, and even if you read something you don’t think is any good, hey: you just learned something- don’t write like that.

Here is the first thing to look for, if you think you want to be the one to write ‘The Great American Novel- ‘Do other people get enjoyment from what you write?’

Now, if you solicit comments from other people, probably friends or family members, they usually tell you ‘yeah, thats pretty good’. I can’t imagine my mom telling me she thought my last letter stunk; yours probably won’t either.

So, wait for it. Let them come to you. Write, and write what you want to, what makes you enjoy writing, and see what people say. If they encourage you, don’t wait 45 years to get started- you’re already on your way.