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slifers-executive-writer · 6 years ago

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My Thoughts on the Potential Personality of a Certain Pharaoh We Never Met

Hey guys...It’s been a while since I wrote something about YGO specifically and well since that is the main focus of this blog, I thought I’d create another discussion.

This particular tidbit (more like a brain fart to be completely honest) is from scrolling through this website and other social media pages and therefore stumbling on the fandom making their theories and headcanons on what Atem’s true personality is. I think we have all seen the jokes on how we as a fandom like to write him off as this super gay, suave, smooth talking, prideful king. The counter argument I often see is that he is socially awkward, fumbling serial killer, with an identity crisis. All of these claims tend to be backed up by people recalling numerous amounts of the original source material from Mr. Takahashi, but sometimes I wonder what could have been.

Popular headcanons asides (that means we are not using any ships and/or made up assumptions with no basis), let’s talk about this for a minute. What has Kazuki provided and what can we assume about Atem’s actual character. Despite being a 200+ episode anime, several movies, and over 30 volumes of manga, our favorite author has left a lot to be desired from this guy. Once we’ve discussed the material, I’ll make a personal evaluation of what Atem could have been like had we been able to meet him after he had retrieved all his memories.

Okay so perhaps the fandom is right about one thing, Atem started out as a borderline serial killer. Well, according to the manga, he has got quite a bit of red on his ledger with multiple violent injuries/deaths by his hands.

Right at the moment Atem’s spirit was reawakened by Yugi completing the Millennium Puzzle, we have an individual very determined to protect his vessel at any cost. Of course not without his own enjoyment in participating in his “Dark Games”. So we can tell Atem is very protective of Yugi, his group of friends, and generally any other innocent bystanders. We can argue he is a little over protective via his deadly methods but I guess it’s the thought that counts right?

Luckily for Atem’s victims, he stops his magically mind-fucking bullshit after the Duelist Kingdom arc. He never explains why he stops. Perhaps it has to do with his development as a character to not be as ruthless in an attempt to comfort Yugi.��

One attribute Atem does not lose throughout the series is when confronted with any sort of enemy, we see Atem is very confident in his abilities. Another thing the fandom got right is well... he is quite the smooth talker. Despite being from a completely different era, this guy always knows what to say to enemies and rivals alike. Not to mention his motivational speeches to his friends are always quite powerful. If anything I would almost consider Atem a bit of a life coach. He more or less helped raise Yugi and company into the individuals they become.

Along with giving everyone their moments of support, Atem does a pretty good job blending in with modern society despite being locked up in his own head for thousands of years. I find some individuals, thinking Atem is a complete fumbling socially awkward dork and well, maybe not so much. Sure he has his moments, I think we can all look back on the ‘Date’ episode, but we have to look at which version we are watching/reading. For the sake of accuracy I tend to interpret the Japanese material as it is closest to the manga. As I said, Atem isn’t perfect, he can be very blunt to people when they ask him for an opinion (or telling people it’s the end of the world if he doesn’t win a card game), but I certainly wouldn’t consider him completely ‘socially awkward’ in general.

But honestly that can be a whole other essay and I’m just talking about basic character traits overall. Now let us discuss some of Atem’s flaws.

So to make things easier, let us list the flaws as they appeared in both manga and anime:

When Shadi was first introduced to us (manga), we got a glimpse of seeing our favorite dark spirit sweat in the heat of a shadow game. It was revealed that Atem knew little of his true identity and sharing a Yugi’s body meant, that the two would share each others emotions. Moreover, this spirit had fears and doubts just like the rest of us.

As time passes we see more of Atem’s doubts emerge as he becomes more comfortable with Yugi and company, and therefore he expresses his confusion about his past. Where did he come from and who is he and such. This guy needs to have a sense of purpose and being Yugi’s guardian is fine, but at the end of the day, it would be best for him to become his own person.

There is another interaction in the manga (and in the Japanese version of the anime) that I found interesting. When Atem addresses this identity issue and whether his time on this plain is limited, Yugi kind pushes it off as something he doesn’t want to think about. The kid does it again (god I can’t remember exactly which arc this is, I wanna say DOMA), Atem mentions the issue and Yugi says “You can have my memories”.

For fans of the pairing (to be honest I’m a boring canon-ish shipper so not my cup of tea, but I get it...this scene is pretty gay) this moment is viewed as tender love and care but I can’t help but notice a pattern and another character flaw. We have a guy with no memories of his own and having an identity crisis but every time he wants to discuss this issue, his best friend tends to push it away. I understand Yugi’s reasoning, that Atem is basically the catalyst for all the good things to happen in his life, but the constant ignoring of the problem for the first half of the series is borderline toxic. Furthermore, it shows Atem is a bit of an enabler when it comes to Yugi. Unlike Joey who loudly addresses the behavior to Atem’s face, Yugi finds comfort in it and for both of them it only makes the journey harder for them in moments of separation.

Just something I thought I’d bring up since I don’t see a lot of people talking about moments of toxicity in this friendship. Not that it is a bad thing, I find it quite interesting and realistic. Not all relationships with people are perfect.

Last by certainly not least, Atem’s biggest character flaw, is he is one prideful son of a bitch. Yes, I said it. He likes to complain a lot about his rival (Kaiba) about the characteristic when he is also guilty of it. It’s always duelist pride this and duelist pride that, when a lot of the times this bullshit is what almost gets people killed. Atem’s pride kind of ties in with the ruthlessness of his character, where in the ride to victory he sometimes forgets the people he defeats are still humans beings. Take the incident with Arkana, it took Yugi switching back to keep the guy from getting his legs cut off. (Move out the way Jigsaw, Atem is gunning for your spot.)

But his pride works against him when individuals such as Yami Bakura and Dartz use their words to question his morality. What would Atem do just to obtain victory? While our hero tends to grow from these experiences and beat the bad guys in the end, it does not negate the fact that the pharaoh’s greatest strength also tends to be his greatest weakness.

Okay so I’ve gotten most of Atem’s characteristics down pat before he retrieves his memories. In summary here is a list of some of his qualities I’ve gathered from the source material.

PROS

-protective & caring nature

-generally is confident in his abilities

-good with his words, knowing when to pick someone up and put his enemies down

-Adapts to modern customs and his friends pretty well, especially for someone locked up in a pendant for so long

-easily takes a leadership role (probably a projection of his kingship past) although he is often humble about his status as pharaoh

-his pride keeps his head held high and rises above all challenges

CONS

-let’s be real the guy is incredibly blunt (this could be a pro or con depending on preference)

-can be an enabler to Yugi at times

-ruthless nature (let’s be real his kill count is like 5+ people in the manga, probably more)

-has an overall identity crisis

-tends to put others above himself, which at times can be toxic or detrimental to his character

-his own pride can be used against him, placing fear and doubt into his mind (DOMA was a great example of this)

I feel like every time Takahashi draws him in a new movie, he just adds more flair and muscles (not that I’m complaining)

So now we come to a head and the big question is what are we missing out on? Perhaps one of the reasons Yu-Gi-Oh DM has so much fanfiction and forums about it is the general sense of emptiness the ending of the series left behind. I think dub Tea put it best, (these are not the exact words, I’ve already spent an hour writing this) Atem was leaving us just as we were getting to know him. Finally a season where we get to see him as his own character, and honestly him fighting bad guys and dying for it, was not the way a lot of us would have wanted to see him go. Instead he comes back to duel Yugi but Atem feels so stiff and mysterious. The guy doesn’t even talk to the poor girl crying in front of him. This isn’t a guy who just wanted to up and leave from the get go. But now that he got the information he wanted, suddenly he just says fuck it and gives a thumbs up walking into the light? Nah. I’m sorry to say the Yu-Gi-Oh is not on my top list of anime endings, but it can be one of saddest.

I often wonder time and time again, what would have Atem been like around his friends. Maybe he would have more of a sense of humor (like he was with Mana). Would he have more wisdom? Would he be more charming? These are just a few question I and many others have about our favorite pharaoh. But hey that’s what we have headcanons for right?

Now some of you may be wondering, especially as a fanfic writer, what are my own headcanons about Atem? As I mentioned before I guess you can say I’m boring, I prefer canon-ish ships and I try to keep my headcanons as much in line with the source material as I can. Of course I add a tad of my own flair to it so it isn’t completely the same. If anything I try to fix so of the errors I see in the original.

My headcanon for Atem (post memories): A lot of the qualities I mentioned before would most likely remain the same, if not positively amplified. He certainly wouldn’t be as ruthless as he used to be, the anime/manga has shown his growth from that. He would definitely still be very protective of those he cared about. Although I can’t help but think that after remembering his past, he would carry himself in a regal manner. Possibly even without him noticing because he was raised from birth to become a king. Considering the strong connection with his father, I can see the guy having a keen sense for family bonding, perhaps even wanting one of his own. It is traditional for pharaoh to want to pass on their legacy. I’m also sure we all like to think the guy would be incredibly charming, considering how he always seems to know exactly what to say. Although he would still be blunt with his statements, he isn’t one to lie or hold back. If you ask Atem a question you will get the truth and the honest truth. Pride and honesty are incredibly important to him. While he respects honesty, I can imagine he would like to keep personal matters to himself and not worry others. If anything he would rather stay quiet than create a lie. Lastly considering how humble he tends to be with the people around him and how he values everyone as equals, I can see Atem being very open-minded to try new things and explore various ideologies. He would not judge, or have prejudice. He would be accepting and encourage others to be who they are as long as they were good people.

Okay so maybe he would be low-key nervous around pets lol.

Well, that was longer than I planned it to be, but thanks for reading all that if you did. Feel free to add to the conversation or blow up my inbox!

#Yu-Gi-Oh #yugioh #Atem #pharaoh atem #my thoughts #headcanon #my favorite pharaoh #feel free to inbox me #yami yugi

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aroworlds · 7 years ago

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Aro-Spec Artist Profile: Signe

Today’s awesome aro-spec creator is Signe, better known to aro-spec Tumblr as @fluffyllamacorn!

Signe is a busy aroace writer, visual and textile artist! She writes for the Young Avengers, The Shadowhunter Chronicles/Shadowhunters, Hawkeye Comics and New X-Men: Academy fandoms in addition to developing diverse original fiction. You can find her growing collection of fanworks on AO3 under the name FluffyLlamacorn and her gorgeous art at @llamacorn-productions.

She also posts and reblogs fashion and accessories at @clothing-inspiration, and some of her cosplays can be seen throughout this post!

With us Signe talks about her passion for textile arts and how they allowed her to reclaim her femininity, the importance of non-romantic relationships in creative media, the difficulty of writing kissing scenes, and the need for works and discussions that celebrate our aromanticism. Her love of making, crafting and designing just shines through this post, so please let’s give her all our love, encouragement, gratitude, kudos and follows for taking the time to explore what it is to be aromantic and creative.

Can you share with us your story in being aro-spec?

I just sort of … never cared? I’ve never wanted to get married and have children, and I never really had crushes growing up. I partly figured that was because I was surrounded by assholes who weren’t worth crushing on, but even when I graduated and moved to better schools where I actually had friends, I still didn’t care. I’ve always had a lot of confidence, so I’ve never bothered feeling insecure about not dating. I spent a while identifying as a straight person “who doesn’t care about romance” before eventually identifying with the ace and then aroace identifiers after having known them for a while, but there was never any big moments in the journey that really stand out.

Currently, I see my aromanticism as more important to my identity than my asexuality – being aro is what I do, while being ace is what my body does – but I also don’t really see them as separate. It’s hard to put into words because it requires cementing some stuff that I don’t mind leaving fluid, but while my lack of attraction is a package deal, it’s the lack of romantic attraction that defines my lifestyle the most. I know which I would choose if I had to, but I prefer not having to. That’s the only good thing about the ace discourse: It’s made me very protective of my ace identity again after having let somewhat go of it after I came to identify as aro.

Can you share with us the story behind your creativity?

I’m the type of person who has a thousand different hobbies and therefore doesn’t have time to actually do any of them. The three I care most about are writing, drawing and textile work.

I’ve always told myself a lot of stories. Walking home from school, I would develop my stories, acting out scenes in my mind and developing huge universes. When I decided to share them with the world, it was initially as comics. I drew a lot, so I had developed the characters’ visual identities along with their personalities. While I’ve switched to planning my stories as books, drawing and writing is still pretty linked in my mind and I can’t imagine creating a character that I don’t know how to draw.

I got into textile work through cosplay, but have spread out into knitting, sewing, embroidery, cross stitch, weaving, crocheting, bobbin lace… Pretty much everything I can get my hands on, which is why I give it such a broad name. (This is part of my too many hobbies deal!) I love everything about textiles, from the look and feel of it, to how many different things can be created out of one simple material. Looking at clothes and knowing not just how it’s been sewn, but also how the fabric was made, is so cool. Creating things from scratch can make me feel like something akin to a god, recreating this corner of the universe as I see fit. A big part of my love for textile work is also reclaiming my femininity in a way that’s so different from the girly girl image I was taught to look down on as a girl. This is a way to enjoy being feminine that doesn’t force me to embrace things I don’t enjoy.

One thing I’ve realized recently is that I love the freedom to design my own work. My cosplays have moved further and further away from canon, from human versions to characters without a firm design or completely redesigning a canon design. On the other hand, I rarely feel the need to sew completely original things, and without the built in deadline of a con, I’m not very likely to get it done. I tend to rarely do the things I can just do whenever, but I’m getting better at that.

Are there any particular ways your aro-spec experience is expressed in your art?

It’s easy to spot in my stories. I have a lot of a-spec characters. The two main characters who were specifically designed to get most of my heart – Shizuka, the shy girl who didn’t know how to make friends, and Diana, the confident girl who’s never cared what anyone thinks of her – both ended up being a-spec even though I created them long before I started identifying as aroace. Shizuka is demi and I don’t know whether it’s sexually and/or romantically or if it even matters. Diana ended up being aroace because I was thinking about her future and my mind nope’d out of the possibility of her ever dating. I also made a conscious choice not to include much romance until I got interested in queer love stories and that sorta fell by the way side. Even then, I try to keep the love stories from being the only defining feature of the stories and the characters involved in them and never to devalue other types of relationship. You will never hear the term “just friends” in my work unless I’m trying to make a point about the person who uses it.

(This is not to pass a value judgement on anyone who uses that expression, but to help normalize language that doesn’t devalue platonic relationships.)

What challenges do you face as an aro-spec artist?

The recent anti-a-spec discourse has made me worried about posting about aromantic things too publicly, as aphobic comments and opinions seem way to commonly accepted these days.

Also, writing kissing scenes. What the hell. “And then their mouths squished together for a little while, which apparently made fireworks go off in their brains.” Like. What? Why does society think this is the epitome of every relationship?

How do you connect to the aro-spec and a-spec communities as an aro-spec person?

Building communities about a lack of something is always hard. Once you’ve written the first story about being aro, it can be hard to write the next one, unless you consciously try to write about a different way of being aro-spec. It’s also a hard orientation to include quickly as being single isn’t as clear an indicator as having a romantic partner of the same gender. While I follow a bunch of aro-blogs and I have a bunch of a-spec friends, I wouldn’t say I’m strongly integrated in the a-spec communities on Tumblr.

Part of it is that most content I see is validations that every sort of aro is alright. I see a lot of content aimed at people who feel bad. That’s important, definitely, but I don’t need it. I’ve always known I’m amazing, both independently of and intersecting with my aromantic identity. I’m interested in work that celebrates being aro, work that doesn’t say I’ll be happy “even though” I’m aro, but “while” I’m aro, maybe even “because” I’m aro and don’t need to waste my life on amatonormativity. At the very least, work that spends more than a sentence on reassuring me. I see a lot of content that implies the basic state of an aro-spec person is sad, and I object to that idea.

I have also recently seen a whole lot of posts about QPRs and that’s really cool! I’m happy to see they’re becoming more and more accepted, at least in some circles. I’m less happy to see them become so prominent and so expected that they start feeling like a new shape of amatonormativity. It’s not that bad right now, but I definitely got allo aces saying “at least we can still feel love” vibes from some QPR posts earlier this year. Because here’s the thing: I’m aroace. I won the lottery. I don’t need to define myself by relationships to other people.* I refuse to take another label that sounds like I don’t want friends because of people pushing QPRs to be the new norm. Again, I’m super happy QPRs seem to have become more accepted, just please don’t present them as something every aro-spec person is interested in unless we specifically opt out.

There’s also the question of what kind of aro stories should be told. I mean, as many as possible, obviously, but that’s going to take a while. But the whole deal with being aro-spec is to have less interest in romance, so too many stories that focus on the lack of it become … counterproductive? I think the Jughead comics are pretty perfect in that regard. The main character is aroace and there are several stories that’s hella important to, but mainly it’s just about him going on adventures with his friends.

(P.S. I hate Riverdale. I’ve seen two different Jughead cosplays these last two weekends, but I didn’t dare fangirl, because what if they were based on the wrong version?)

Honestly, my main way of interacting with the a-spec community is befriending people at random and later finding out they’re a-spec. It’s … almost a superpower? It’s pretty great.

* No one needs to define themselves by relationships to other people, but I imagine it’s much easier when you don’t feel the desire to.

How do you connect to your creative community as an aro-spec person?

I don’t feel very connected to creative communities, but that’s more because I’m not very good at reaching out and promoting myself unless I know I have exactly what’s being asked for. I mainly stick to one or two people I can bounce ideas off of for my different projects before I post it and hope it finds an audience. It might also be because I’m juggling so many things and don’t spend enough time on the social connections needed to connect with a community.

How can the aro-spec community best help you as a creative?

Feedback, feedback, feedback! I love it! I live on it! Telling me you like X or Y part of my work can keep me floating for days and makes me so much more motivated to keep arting! So please, check out my art and leave a comment and/or share it with your friends/followers, if you like it.

(Also, if anyone has good tips on how to reach a larger audience, let me know.)

Can you share with us something about your current project?

I just finished my newest cosplay, which is Lup from The Adventure Zone in her lich form! I had a lot of fun designing her – the podcast doesn’t have very specific descriptions and the creators encourage fans to come up with their own designs – and got a lot of positive reactions at the con last weekend. I went for a very non-human design, including hiding my face, and added a bunch of fire details to reflect her evocation magic. I would have added more, but then my sewing machine broke in the last second, and I had to finish everything by hand, so I just aimed for the basic version. I’ll be updating her for the next con and will have much more fire with me then. I have yet to finish editing the pictures, but they should be up soon.

Have you any forthcoming works we should look forward to?

My next project, one I’ve alluded to a couple of times in this profile already, in fact combines all three of my passions. I was considering cosplaying Pixie, one of the underrated students from X-Men, relegated to the background since their series ended, but I kept bumping up against the problem that her uniform was just too … generic to be fun. Besides, what’s the point of cosplaying the pink girl, and then not getting to work with pink fabric?

So I just redesigned her and gave her an individual outfit. And then I decided to redesign all of her teammates. I wanted them all to go together, but still keep an individual feeling, and I achieved that by giving them a rainbow theme when they’re together. Obviously, the next stop was figuring out a story for that to take place in, of which I’ve posted the first chapter. The idea is that they get out in their bright colors and visibly help everyday people with everyday problems to stop people from hating and fearing mutants and maybe actually making a positive change, unlike all of the superhero battles that don’t get anyone anywhere.

The project has three parts: Individual drawings for every member where I develop their outfits further, chapters of fic describing their adventures and a cosplay that I aim to finish for Genki in August, the next big con in Denmark.

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une-femme-de-lettres · 8 years ago

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Hey, love ur blog, I'm thinking of creating a blog for fics and was wondering if you had any advice for a new writer? xx

First, thank you so much! :)

And second, oh my Gosh, I’ve never been asked thatbefore and I’m kind of new on Tumblr too so I don’t really know what to say butI’m gonna do my best. All these tips and advice are the things I learned from mypersonal experience as a writer on Tumblr

(Future me: okay, it turned out that I actuallyhad a LOT of things to say so sorry in advance for the long-ass reply…)

So first there are two sides to running awriting blog on Tumblr: the writing and the blogging.

Number one and most important is of coursethe writing part and for this I have a few pieces of advice to give. I can’t guaranteeyou that ALL these tips will work for you because it depends on you and the wayyou work, you sometimes have to start from there and figure out what works foryou. But again, these is what I figured out from my personal experience:

First advice: read. Like, when I say ‘read’,I mean ‘read A LOT’. You might already be doing that and keep it up, becausereading is what got me into writing in the first place and what allowed me to builda rich vocabulary and overall develop my writing skills (my literature classhelped me a little with that too…) That may be obvious but reading in thelanguage you want to write in is especially important if it’s not your nativelanguage (for example my native language is French but fanfiction helped meimprove hugely my English and now Ionly write in English.)

Again something that might be obvious butthe key is writing about what you like/love. Whether it’s a show, a book or amovie, if you love its story, characters and universe, it’ll be easier to writeabout it. And it’s very common for people to like a show/book/movie for like ayear and then they’re not so much interested in it anymore. And that’s totallyfine, don’t force yourself, if you don’t like the show/book/movie you’rewriting your fic for anymore, move on and focus on what you like.

Also, if you like a show or a movie forexample, and you want to write about it: watch it and re-watch it. This is howyou’re gonna get to know the characters you’re working with and get the overallfeel and atmosphere of the show/movie. And if it’s a book, reading it severaltimes will help you, unconsciously, replicate the author’s style. My examplehere is Supernatural. I spent two and a half months binge-watching the show andit is so long that I don’t really need to re-watch it. At the end, when I wasready and eager to start writing fics for this show, I had spent so much timewatching its characters (mostly Sam and Dean) that I was able to predict howthey would react to certain events and how they would speak and move during a scene.

That brings me to the next advice, whichis, if you don’t really know how to start writing, start with the dialogs (ifthere are some in your work of course). I’m gonna take my previous examplehere. Now that I’m done with Supernatural, all this character/atmosphere thingis in my head and when I’m writing, I’m literally picturing the scene, thecharacters and the dialogs as if I’m watching an episode. But sometimes you canhave this in mind but still not know how to start. That’s when the dialogs comein handy. When I’m in this situation and I have the whole scene pictured in myhead, I first write the dialogs, with an indication of who is talking, like ascript. Then around that, I start writing literally every character’s actionsand movements, then their feelings and thoughts. You don’t have to break itdown like that because once you’ve started writing something, if you’re feelinggood, you’re not gonna want to stop.

Another advice is just to write your ideasas they come. And when you have an idea, don’t let it go and write in somewhereto remember it. Keep a note book close to you so you can write in it at everymoment, especially when you’re lying in bed at night, trying to sleep. That’swhen most of my ideas and inspiration come so keep something to write your ideaon ‘cause trust me, you won’t remember it the next morning…

Also, regarding this whole idea thing: don’tforce yourself to work on one single thing if it’s not the way you like to work.By doing that you’re keeping yourself from doing what you actually would liketo do. And in the end it will prevent you from actually working on that singlething, because you won’t stop thinking about something else. So don’t be afraidto work on a few projects at a time and when you don’t feel like working onone, work on another one.

BUT, sometimes following this advice andworking on too much things at a time can cause complete chaos with unfinishedseries and barely started one-shots, trust me I know what I’m talking about… Soto help with that, you can set priorities, whether they’re based on thepopularity of a work or the time you started writing it. Telling yourself ‘thisstory is important, I have to work on it’ will either help you getting to actuallywork on it or making you realize you don’t want to work on this one, thuspushing you to write the thing you actually want to write.

And finally, there’s the problem of notknowing what to write and just not ‘wanting’ to write. If really your brain issaying ‘nah, I don’t wanna write, I just wanna stare at the blank page and theblinking cursor for the rest of the day’ but your heart is actually saying ‘butI want to write, I have so many good ideas.’ In that case, you have to forceyourself a little, because the hardest part is getting started. To fight this,set yourself a writing goal, like writing at least 500 words a day (that’s whatI do), I don’t guarantee it’ll work but it’s worth the try.

Okay, that was the –long-ass- first andmost important part, now it’s time to tackle the number two: blogging part. Inthat part, I’ll give you some tips to get known on Tumblr and build an audience.Once again, I’m not guaranteeing you that you’ll become famous by following thesebecause the biggest part of building and keeping your audience is your work (ifpeople like it, they’ll keep coming back for more).

With that out of the way, my first adviceis having an accessible blog. What I mean by that is that if people can easilynavigate through your blog and find your work, they’ll be more likely to wantto say and read more. Hence the critical importance of having a functioning Masterlist,for both desktop AND mobile (a good part of people is using Tumblr mobile toread). On desktop, you can make your Masterlist by creating a page that willshow under your description text on your blog. But that doesn’t work on the mobileapp so what you will want to do is create a Masterpost, which is basically atext post with your Masterlist in it. With this though you’ll have to reblog itregularly so it shows up on your feed and is quickly findable and accessible.

Your Masterlist will have to feature everyone of your works and also make people that are new on your blog want to readthese works. To do that, you Masterlist must be clear and organized. You cancategorize your works, list them in different and well-defined categories tohelp the read spot what stories they’re interested in.

When you list a work, you must first writeits title and put a link to its corresponding post (you can use the title andmake it clickable so it will bring the reader to this specific work). You alsohave to make it easy for the reader to identify what the story will be about,so that they can decide whether or not they want to read it. To do that, youcan write a quick summary next to the title and even add a few tags that detailfor example the pairing featured in the work, the genre of the work (is itangsty, fluffy, smutty?) or the its length (is it part of a series, is it aone-shot?) you can also indicate the approximate word count. And of mostimportantly you can specify the warnings, if there are any (graphic violence,explicit sexual content?) so the reader knows what to expect and if it’ssomething they don’t want to read, they don’t have to click the link and waitfor the page to charge to find out.

Talking about tags, you can and have to usethe tagging system on your posts so that your works are easily sortable andaccessible through the search function. That way, the reader can pick and find exactlywhat they want to read. Keep in mind that the more accessible your work is, thequicker readers will be able to find what they want and the more they’ll wantto read.

So now, the main issue is getting people toactually come to your blog. You can always rely on the Tumblr recommendationsbut I don’t think many people actually see/take time to go through them. So myadvice for that is like reading to write: follow to be followed. The more blogsyou follow, the better (to a certain extant). Let’s take an example, if youwrite for the Supernatural fandom, you certainly already follow Supernaturalthemed blogs. Not everyone does that but I do: when someone follows me, and ifI see in their description that they write, I’m gonna want to go and see whatthey have and if I like their work, I’m gonna follow them and maybe reblog afew of their works and my audience will maybe want to read more and follow themas well, and so on.

There is also a few blogs on Tumblr thatsometimes ask for more blogs to follow. The more blog you follow yourself, themore you’re likely to encounter this type of posts. Then you have to seize theopportunity. Don’t be ashamed to self-promote if your blog corresponds to theirarea of interest (they asked for it after all LOL…). You won’t be botheringthem if you reblog the post and link them to your Masterlist, that’s actuallywhat they want, and again, if your work is easy to find and they like it, they’llfollow…

By now, you may have got it, the key togetting known on Tumblr is interaction with other people. And the last advice I’llgive you is related to challenges. Writing challenges are a big thing on Tumblrand it allows writers to share their work on a larger scale, as many biggerblogs do these kind of challenges. So it’s another great way to get people tonotice you and it’s also a really fun thing to do.

To conclude I’d say that you have to bepatient, don’t be too greedy and don’t expect too many people to express theirlove and enjoyment, at least at first. They don’t always let you know, but ifpeople like your work and if you put effort into it, your audience will grow byitself and you will eventually get the recognition you deserve.

And most importantly, enjoy yourself. Iknow it can be frustrating working for hours on something, posting it and notgetting any feedback. But don’t forget that, first and foremost, you write foryourself, because you enjoy it and because you love sharing your ideas withother people. And remember that, in the end, your most fervent supporter isyourself.

#writing tips #new writers on tumblr #personal experience

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douglassmiith · 5 years ago

Text

How to Save Your Consulting Business by Shifting Online

Leverage technology and processes to maintain your consulting business online.

March 17, 2020 11 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

With an increasing number of people working from home or practicing other forms of social distancing, it can be challenging to maintain a consulting business. All the plans and projections you’ve established can easily change on a day-to-day basis, leaving you concerned about how you’ll be able to sustain your business.

Although this situation is globally challenging, the solution for many consultants is clear: offer remote services.

I’ve worked as a business consultant for the past five years, 95 percent of my business is done remotely. Initially, this was done out of necessity, it was too challenging to consult onsite in Manhattan and make it back home to Brooklyn so I could pick up my children from daycare. Over time, I discovered it was much more efficient, and allowed me to grow my business by working with clients in other regions. I could also stack more meetings back to back — no commuting between appointments — allowing me to generate more revenue in a shorter period of time. This same skill (knowing how to effectively share knowledge remotely) proved useful as I started speaking at online conferences, some of them such at SEM Rush’s Global Marketing Day and Teachable’s Reach Summit draw more than 50,000 attendees.

My initial disadvantage, the need to work remotely, eventually became an extremely valuable skill. During my upcoming webinar How and Why to Shift Your Consulting or Speaking Business Online. I’ll teach you how to do the same. It’s free to attend and takes place on April 1st at 3 pm EST. Assuming you can’t wait until then to start transitioning your business, I’ve provided some immediate advice below. I should note, there are several “how to work remotely” articles going around these days. Check them out, I’m sure you’ll gain valuable insights. My goal with this article is to solely focus on the immediate needs of consultants.

Getting client buy-in for remote consulting

The first hurdle you’ll need to get over is making your clients feel comfortable with the value you can deliver remotely. In some cases, your impact may be diminished, acknowledge it. However, the value you’re still able to offer is most likely better than nothing at all. Be sure to stress the benefit of doing something as opposed to waiting for weeks, possibly months, for in-person meetings to occur. This may not be the ideal situation for many clients, but it’s not something we can avoid either. Or, as my dad would say, “It is what it is, now what are you going to do about it.” Don’t say that, but you get my point. You can also ease these concerns by being prepared with a plan of how you’ll move forward.

“I know this is a challenging situation but I have a solution that will help. We’re going to hold all meetings through a video conferencing platform, which I’ll record in case some of your team members are unavailable to attend. I’ve also created a Slack channel to make it easier for you and your team to ask one-off questions while you’re juggling additional responsibilities. My working hours will remain the same, but I understand you may have to ask questions based on your availability. I’ll do my best to accommodate.”

Related: 5 Questions Every Consultant Must Ask During a Sales Call

Leverage the right apps and gear

Set yourself up for success by leveraging the right apps and gear from the start. Below are a few of my favorites, you can see a complete list by checking out the Consultant Toolkit on my website.

Zoom

This tool is designed for hosting webinars, teaching online courses, conducting online training and video conferences. With the majority of my consulting taking place remotely, I use it almost daily. I’m also leveraging it for all my in-person speaking opportunities that have shifted to online. Although Google Hangouts offers some of the same features, Zoom allows you to record meetings. This is extremely helpful since it reduces the amount of notes your clients have to take. This will help them better focus on you, and the value you’re delivering. Beyond that, not everyone will be able to attend meetings live for one reason or another. Recording meetings makes the content accessible to everyone and simplifies the scheduling process.

Pro tip: Download the app as opposed to using the browser version. You’ll be less likely to experience lag, especially if you’re on a slower connection.

Yondo

Yondo allows anyone to sell live online consultations and videos on their own website. As previously mentioned, this is the tool used for Entrepreneur’s Ask an Expert platform. One of my favorite features is the ability to set your availability for consulting sessions, which syncs with your Google Calendar. No need to go back and forth coordinating, the client just selects a time and then pays immediately upon booking. No need to invoice!

Pro tip: Next time someone asks to “pick your brain”, send them a link to your Yondo account so they can pay you for your knowledge!

Again, I recommend recording these sessions. You should also consider adding a link to your Yondo account in the main navigation of your website. Over time, you’ll discover people booking paid sessions with you that you’ve never directly interacted with. Maybe they read an insightful blog you wrote or heard you speak on a podcast. In order to make the best use of everyone’s time, I also suggest providing a pre-call questionnaire. You can use this to collect some basic information and avoid saying things like “So, what’s your website? Is that .com or .co?”

As you can see, there’s some overlap between Zoom and Yondo. I use Zoom for long-term consulting engagements since these clients usually pay on a monthly basis. I leverage Yondo for hourly consulting. Again, there’s no need to invoice and your calendar is always up to date. I also include a link to Yondo in my signature to make it easier for people to immediately book a paid consultation with me.

HoneyBook

HoneyBook is an integrated project management, proposal, billing and invoicing software designed to help you automate various operational processes. Since you may be juggling other responsibilities while working remotely, this is a great way to get some time back. The ability to quickly send proposals and invoices is one of my favorite features. Once you have these setup, it takes about 5 minutes to send them out. Your clients can sign contracts online, which is beneficial since many of them may not have access to a scanner or printer.

HoneyBook also has a great mobile app, allowing you to keep track of all your invoices and upcoming payments without hopping on your laptop.

Pro tip: During times of uncertainty, it’s beneficial to bill clients on a retainer or project basis as opposed to hourly. This will make it much easier for you to forecast revenue, which will reduce stress.

Audio/visual gear

You may be working from a noisier environment than you’re used to, investing in a pair of noise-canceling headphones can be rather clutch. You’ll be able to hear better during meetings and lock in more while working. I’ve been wearing Bose for years and depend on them so much that I have one pair at home and one at my office. That said, you may be able to get away with the earphones that came with your phone. Either way, please don’t use the mic from your computer! It doesn’t work, even if you awkwardly lean towards it.

In regards to a camera, the one on your computer should be fine, but you can obviously get a webcam as well. That said, now isn’t the time to buy stuff just to buy stuff. See how things go with your built-in camera before investing in an external one. Depending on your working environment — and the clients you work with — you may also want to get a backdrop so you have a more professional looking background. You can purchase something for less than $100 on Amazon but this also falls into the category of not buying stuff just to buy it. My new “office” has been my daughter’s bedroom for the past four years so clients shouldn’t be shocked to see PJ Masks toys in the background. My hope and expectation is that everyone acknowledges we’re all doing the best we can these days.

Regardless of your background, the wrong lighting can take away from the experience you’re delivering, a $20 selfie light can help you avoid this issue. Many of them also come with a cell phone holder which makes it way easier to create video content for Social.

Pro tip: Now is the time for you to start creating and/or releasing valuable content. If you’re stuck, think of 10 questions your audience has, then answer them with content.

Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Get Ready to Launch

Internet connection

If possible, use an Ethernet cable. Nothing ruins an online meeting faster than someone losing connection or — even worse — getting frozen with a silly look on their face. It makes the meeting go longer and interrupts the flow. Beyond that, if someone is paying you by the hour, you’re literally wasting their time and money. You can also get a signal booster or invest in a solution like Nest Wifi from Google. According to their website “Nest Wifi blankets your whole home in fast, reliable Wi‑Fi and keeps buffering at bay in every room.”

A steady internet connection is critical, invest money into solving for this if needed and available.

Related: 10 Golden Rules for Digital Entrepreneurs of This Decade

Emotional intelligence and soft skills

Working remotely may be new to the clients you interact with. Acknowledge this from the start and provide guidance to make them — and yourself — more comfortable. As a general rule, I prefer everyone to have their cameras on. It makes for a more personal experience and you can pick up a lot from non-verbal gestures. If someone has their camera off, I usually make a joke of it by saying “I’m going to assume you’re not catfishing me, but it would be great if you could turn your camera on”. Feel free to steal that one. This usually gets most people to turn their cameras on (or at least laugh) but you also want to respect boundaries. The person you’re talking to might be caring for a child, or may not want to be on camera for various other reasons. Although talking to a blank screen can be a bit of drag, you can maintain a high level of energy and just by standing up.

You should also expect technology hiccups to occur, your response will be crucial as to how your audience responds. Years ago, Adi Hanash taught me how to lead online classes through my role at General Assembly, a school that teaches the job skills of tomorrow. He shares a piece of advice “Smile through the problems. As the online host, people will be looking to you to make sure things are perfectly normal. So if problems come up, smiling as you handle them gives the audience confidence that you have things under control and will buy you some leeway as you handle any issues that have come up.”

To paraphrase, “Don’t freak out”. These days, not freaking out is probably good advice for all of us, regardless of the context.

Do you need help shifting your services online, or have other questions related to growing your business? Book at 1:1 session with me through Entrepreneur’s Ask an Expert platform.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

Via http://www.scpie.org/how-to-save-your-consulting-business-by-shifting-online/

source https://scpie.weebly.com/blog/how-to-save-your-consulting-business-by-shifting-online

0 notes

laurelkrugerr · 5 years ago

Text

How to Save Your Consulting Business by Shifting Online

Leverage technology and processes to maintain your consulting business online.

March 17, 2020 11 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Although this situation is globally challenging, the solution for many consultants is clear: offer remote services.

Getting client buy-in for remote consulting

Related: 5 Questions Every Consultant Must Ask During a Sales Call

Leverage the right apps and gear

Set yourself up for success by leveraging the right apps and gear from the start. Below are a few of my favorites, you can see a complete list by checking out the Consultant Toolkit on my website.

Zoom

Pro tip: Download the app as opposed to using the browser version. You’ll be less likely to experience lag, especially if you’re on a slower connection.

Yondo

Pro tip: Next time someone asks to “pick your brain”, send them a link to your Yondo account so they can pay you for your knowledge!

HoneyBook

HoneyBook also has a great mobile app, allowing you to keep track of all your invoices and upcoming payments without hopping on your laptop.

Audio/visual gear

Pro tip: Now is the time for you to start creating and/or releasing valuable content. If you’re stuck, think of 10 questions your audience has, then answer them with content.

Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Get Ready to Launch

Internet connection

A steady internet connection is critical, invest money into solving for this if needed and available.

Related: 10 Golden Rules for Digital Entrepreneurs of This Decade

Emotional intelligence and soft skills

To paraphrase, “Don’t freak out”. These days, not freaking out is probably good advice for all of us, regardless of the context.

Do you need help shifting your services online, or have other questions related to growing your business? Book at 1:1 session with me through Entrepreneur’s Ask an Expert platform.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/how-to-save-your-consulting-business-by-shifting-online/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-to-save-your-consulting-business-by.html

0 notes

riichardwilson · 5 years ago

Text

How to Save Your Consulting Business by Shifting Online

Leverage technology and processes to maintain your consulting business online.

March 17, 2020 11 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Although this situation is globally challenging, the solution for many consultants is clear: offer remote services.

Getting client buy-in for remote consulting

Related: 5 Questions Every Consultant Must Ask During a Sales Call

Leverage the right apps and gear

Set yourself up for success by leveraging the right apps and gear from the start. Below are a few of my favorites, you can see a complete list by checking out the Consultant Toolkit on my website.

Zoom

Pro tip: Download the app as opposed to using the browser version. You’ll be less likely to experience lag, especially if you’re on a slower connection.

Yondo

Pro tip: Next time someone asks to “pick your brain”, send them a link to your Yondo account so they can pay you for your knowledge!

HoneyBook

HoneyBook also has a great mobile app, allowing you to keep track of all your invoices and upcoming payments without hopping on your laptop.

Audio/visual gear

Pro tip: Now is the time for you to start creating and/or releasing valuable content. If you’re stuck, think of 10 questions your audience has, then answer them with content.

Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Get Ready to Launch

Internet connection

A steady internet connection is critical, invest money into solving for this if needed and available.

Related: 10 Golden Rules for Digital Entrepreneurs of This Decade

Emotional intelligence and soft skills

To paraphrase, “Don’t freak out”. These days, not freaking out is probably good advice for all of us, regardless of the context.

Do you need help shifting your services online, or have other questions related to growing your business? Book at 1:1 session with me through Entrepreneur’s Ask an Expert platform.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/how-to-save-your-consulting-business-by-shifting-online/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/612855296773226496

0 notes

scpie · 5 years ago

Text

How to Save Your Consulting Business by Shifting Online

Leverage technology and processes to maintain your consulting business online.

March 17, 2020 11 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Although this situation is globally challenging, the solution for many consultants is clear: offer remote services.

Getting client buy-in for remote consulting

Related: 5 Questions Every Consultant Must Ask During a Sales Call

Leverage the right apps and gear

Set yourself up for success by leveraging the right apps and gear from the start. Below are a few of my favorites, you can see a complete list by checking out the Consultant Toolkit on my website.

Zoom

Pro tip: Download the app as opposed to using the browser version. You’ll be less likely to experience lag, especially if you’re on a slower connection.

Yondo

Pro tip: Next time someone asks to “pick your brain”, send them a link to your Yondo account so they can pay you for your knowledge!

HoneyBook

HoneyBook also has a great mobile app, allowing you to keep track of all your invoices and upcoming payments without hopping on your laptop.

Audio/visual gear

Pro tip: Now is the time for you to start creating and/or releasing valuable content. If you’re stuck, think of 10 questions your audience has, then answer them with content.

Related: How to Start a Consulting Business: Get Ready to Launch

Internet connection

A steady internet connection is critical, invest money into solving for this if needed and available.

Related: 10 Golden Rules for Digital Entrepreneurs of This Decade

Emotional intelligence and soft skills

To paraphrase, “Don’t freak out”. These days, not freaking out is probably good advice for all of us, regardless of the context.

Do you need help shifting your services online, or have other questions related to growing your business? Book at 1:1 session with me through Entrepreneur’s Ask an Expert platform.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/how-to-save-your-consulting-business-by-shifting-online/

0 notes

shardvixen · 6 years ago

Text

What Suit is best for the Ocean? An Autobigraphy Paper from 2003From the Den

Greetings All, Shardvixen here. When I first enter college for my Master's degree, I already knew that education equaled a lot of writting. but there are all kinds of different writing styles and in college at any level you learn different ways. I do best in fictional writing because article writing has real weird and fancy ways of doing things and if you don't do them right, you look at the least stupid and at the worst a fake, so your words have no meaning.

I love to write but the format of writing and spelling are difficult for me. Mostly it is because of my processing disorder. And partly my outlook on life. For me "Just good enough" works. Why spend more energy on something for the best out put when just good enough gets you to the same place. Basically why spend more time on something you don't like or care about, when you can put time into things you do. Been that way all my life. This pushes against my need to do the best I can and usually wins when things get to frustrating.

So I had to write an autobiograhpy upon entering college to finish my BA. I wasn't graded on the material part but on grammer, spelling and format. I did just good enough. It is always hard to be graded on something that has personal value. The worse part for me was, the instruction and most of the class failed to understand it which is also a common occurance for me. Sometimes I feel like an alien where ever I am at because for what ever reason I fail to communicate properly leaving most of my conversations with people lacking in some way.

As I go through my papers from college and decide what to throw away and what to keep, I have also decided that some of them will go into this blog site. Maybe to be used as a vlog down the road. It will make finding them easier and to allow others to reflect on them as well. So here is the first one, my first paper of my Master degree.

Life is a rollercoaster is a famous metaphor. I understandit but it just doesn't work for me. The type of rollercoaster that would represent my life would defy the rules of sscience and never get any willing riders except for the death seekrs. The only control, on has with a rollercoast is whether or not to ge on the ride and I would have never gotten on this ride willing.

For me, life is an ocean. There is life above and below. If you flip over, you end up in the same place with the same but yet different landscape. I once saw how a dolphine sees their surroundings, which is an upside down landscape with the bottom being up and the top is down. This is a perfect metaphor for my brain. I am sitting in a little ru-a-dub tub and I am perfectly balanced in it. Sometimes I see the land and franticly try to get there becasue that is what a functional person does. The land represents the things that most people seem to have an easy time attaining. I just have to decide on a regular basis whether or not they are things I want.

I was born disfuntional into a disfunctional family with gernerations of disfunctional history. At the age of 38, Year 2003, I was told i had peronality disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder. On the website National Institute of Mental Illness, "borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity.Originally thought to be at the 'borderline' of psyhosis, peoople with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder(manic-depressive illness, BPD is more common, affecting 2% of adults, mostly young women." https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml

The same site states that the mood swings can last up to a day, for me they can lat a lot longer. I can go into swings that last up to sixmonths which is why they took so long to diagnose. my road to self discovery stated withen I was 14, a day that is crystal clear in my memories. I woke up feeling different not like myself. I have no clear connection to my child self and my teenager self. It was like I was now two different people

There are many accounts of what it is like to be mentaly ill from all knds of different mental illness. There is a very good book about Borderline personality Disorder by Rachel Reiland. The Book is called " Get Me Out of Here". Parts of her life arin ways very much like mine, butin oterhways not. That is because mental illness tends to customize tot he person who has it. If a peerson has a curved spine, then he/she will learn to live a the spine that is bent and that changes lots of actions like how clothes look and how a person walks. It is the same for mental illness. I believe that all people know they are ill whether it is a phyical ill or a mental one. How they deal with it will differ, thus making it hard to diagnose.

i have many people from both professional and personal areas ask me what it feel like inside my head. I have thus come up with the iead inspsired from the movie "Men in Black". There is the scene where J and K are asking Beatrice about the bug that took over Edgar. She said, "It was like a big Edgar Ssuit." Thus I describe my illness as suits. Lately I have added color because color is a good way to describe my likes, dislikes, and emotions. So one morning I wake up with the blue suit on. the blue suit is that over happy state that reminds me of a Car Bear catoon. Little hearts and cute little yellow birds sing witht he happy face sun. The blue suit describes a manic phase. All the suits have different characteristic moods and likes/dislikes. I like the pink suit the best because that is the even keel where I walk like a normal person. I deal with emotions pretty well and seem to have aporopriate responses. An orange suit could be an angry suit or even diestructive ideal. Something will happen and I will wake up with a new suit. I have learned what kind of things trigger different mood swings. Most come as a hindsight of information.

Some suits are multi colored becaue inside of me, it is very easy to feel like yes or no to things. i am totally a maybe child, like waves that are hard and fast on top and cross waves down below. When someone sys, ' you know I like him an I don't, I totally get it. That is how I feel all the time. Emotions are not easy for me. Sometimes body language messes me up with how a person is talking. I tend to show an emotional face to the world but that is because that is the mask of control. If I can wait before making a choice, I love that but life doesn't always give us time to make the choices slowly and then my reptile brain needs to be kicked into overdrive, to deal with things quickly and usually ends up making the less then desirable choice. I live in that flight or fight pattern daily though I am now better at maintaining a balance due to self understanding i have learned over the years.

Now that we have established that I have had many large tital waves in my life and things from beneath the waves deciding to move me in other currents it is easy to see that my experiences with counselors has best been interestig. As a child my teachers liked me and wanted to care for me, while my peers didn't. I loved to do school work which made me very popular with the teachers. Learning is to this day very exciting to me and helping others to learn is what moved me towards my carreer choices. I was tutor in high school and Jr. college for people who had issues learning to read. My first conselor I remember meeting was in 6th grade getting ready to go to Jr. High School and he seemed to feel i was going to hae problems. He was right. Academically school was always easy, it was the peer interactions that prove to be trickier.

In high school, my counselor made the recommendation that I see the school mental health worker. I did not do well with him and he did not do well with my parents. At this time my parents finally seperated and my whole got a whole lot stormier. I was forced to take care of myself and proceeded to do a horrible job of it. It was decided I need to see a therapist more often but my parents refused to participate as was required and I stopped receiving any menatl health help. I was removed from high school and sent to a continuation high school for drop out, criminals and pregnant teen girls.

At my new high school, my art teacher was also my counselor. He was one of the main reasons that the school staff became my new family to take over with the one that had left me out in the cold. I wish I could say I trusted them all but I didn't because my mental health wouldn't let me. Adults lied all the time and hurt you because they had the power and many refused t o see how the world really treated me. It was always my fault somehow for eevery thing that happen. My fault that my father was a drunk, my fault that my uncle abused me, my fault my mother decided to relive her teen life, my fault that the peers hurt me. Always my faut. How could I trust anyone when those i should have been able to trust had failed me. It is a lesson that I have worked hard to correct.

I was once told that other people can sense when a person isn't quite right and that is why many children will shun a child who is menatlly ill. Mentally ill children make great targets especially when others support the attacks. Teachers, parents and others were quick to ask, "waht did you do to make them act that way towards you?" I have not only in my own life found this to be true but also in other children's lives that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. For me, I just learn to work hard to make people feel comfortable around me, but teaching children to social can be a bit harder.

All of my adult life there has been a need to ehlp if I can because that is something that was always missing in my yout, people who wanted to help. Really help, while my teachers were kind they never pushed to find out what would be really helpful for me. I learned that there are people who just need a little extra help for all kinds of reasons. Since I was 16 years old I have tutored peers, adults and children with special needs in one way or another. Social skills is one skill that many people seem to lacking or just need a little extra help in understanding. I think because there isn't a course on can take to learn what they need to know, it is just taken for granted that we will all learn it by being part of a group(family, peers and society). Sometimes thought these groups take it for granted that every one knows how to interact with others, especially if the individual is very smart. Really smart children can get lost in social actions and few peoople realize that even now in 2003. I am very good at observing a person and seeing where they may be missing an important of the silent code that every society has when learning and using social interactions ad cues.

When I decided to pursue the careeer of behaviortherapy, I was told I needed a masters degree. At the time I was following the path of a teacher, even though I didn't really wantt to be a school teacher. I have a talent that kind of has moved me down a certian career path. I can desing a lesson plan for anyone, I have a way of understanding how people learn. I learn this while in school of computer software programing. Though I had really been doing it for a long time, like teaching people to read.. i have a talent for teaching the most unteachable(described that way by others who tried and failed to teach them anything) children. I have changed many children's lives and many have come back over the years and thanked me for doing my best with them. I don't really believe that anyone is unteachable but that rather it is our own expectations of what is needed to be taught based on what their brains can do. I am very proud of the work I have done and the accomplishments I have helped others to achieve.

In my life at this time, I sit and wonder do I have what it takes to be a counselor, I have to think do they let crazy people become counselors. Most of the psychologists I have worked with in the school systems have told me yeas because we are all crazy and a few of us are menatlly ill. I believe it is important to tell people I am mentally ill. Most people have their own concepts of what mental health issues look like and how each one should be treated. Many people are afraid of mentally ill people espcially mentally ill children. They are fearful of asking questions. I know that sometimes it is hard to know what is appropriate to ask. When peoople ddeal with mental illness they still want to put peoople int an area or slot that is very easy to understand, but it is never that easy because well, people really are not easty. It would be grand if we were all like those cookie cutter perfect people and we all came from cute little perfect homes and lives but imperfections occur in all kins of different ways. And while many peoople may understand this logically, they fail to refelct it in their own lives and the lives around them.

One of the things I think I can bring from my own history to my career as a counselor is that I do know how it feels. There is none of theat, " Wow did she really say that or do that?" I know that people can do the things that makes most of the societies' population go, "wait what?" I observe people and wait to see what is going on before I decide if they need help or not. People say "help me" in many ways without saying they need it.. I know how to wait for those signs.

I have been an employee of various schools for over ten years working with all kinds of school populations. I have been working in both regular education and special needs. I like working with children and find joy working with those that others have gotten very frustrated with. I know how it feels to be held hostage by your brain and your illness. I have been a caregive and taught people how to care for themselves and their children. All of these jobs will help me become the best helper I can be in the therapy field. I do believe I am sensitivite to the needs of people and nojudgemental about their choices they make and the lifestyles they choose to live. I very much believe that every one has the right to be happy and content.

one of my biggest challenges is that I nned to understand my own illness and then to get others to understand it without it becoming an issue to how well I can do in being helpful. People are very leery about letting people with mental illness work with others. I can understand why, but not all people want to hurt others. I want to help, but I can't fix people only guide them to make their own choice to helpthemsleves.

So as i float in my ocean learning the suits I need to be successful and knowing what kind of suits I am wearing and how that helps or disrupts my life, I think about how maybe I need a super hero suit. One that can protect me while helping others. I know i will do good in this new career path I have choosen and it may move me in another current as I learn more about myself and what I have to offer the world.

The End: Not really. This was written about 16 years ago and a lot changed along the way. But I kept learning about myself which was very helpful. I don't have many manic eposides. I have learn that PTSD can cause a lot of suit changing, so I feel like I am in and out of the closet of my mind. But through all of it the one thing I did learn is the best thing you can do for yourself is not give up or give in. Sometimes it is just best to float in the sun and bask while taking a moment to reflect in the waves that life is most certianly interesting and rarely dull.

I know this was a rather long bit of writing but most papers in college are required to be long. I hope this gave you some insight to how I use to think of myself and how far I have come. Catch you all on the flip side and i am outta here....Peace all.

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filipeteimuraz · 6 years ago

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The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Scannable Content

Rarely do people read content from beginning to end.

Maybe it’s because of our “microwave,” instant gratification culture. Maybe it’s because millions of other articles are vying for people’s attention.

Or maybe it’s because reading from screens takes about 25% longer than reading from paper. Research has even indicated that readers experience an unpleasant feeling when reading online text.

Whatever the case may be, it’s crucial to take the right approach when writing for online readers—a new approach.

There’s a certain art to digital writing that differs significantly from writing traditional paper text.

If you expect to convert more of your audience into actual customers, you need to crack the code.

You need to switch up your game plan.

In my early days of writing, I didn’t realize this. I had an eye for visual appeal, but I was unsure of how this applied to blogging. There I was, blogging away every day without realizing how people were viewing my articles.

Now, I have a better idea of how people interact with written content online.

What you’re viewing right now is a result of my research and testing.

It’s about scannable content.

What you’re up against

First, let me set the stage for the idea of scannable content.

Did you know that 55% of people spend fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page?

That’s not ideal when your goal is to keep visitors exploring and to get them interested in your product/service/brand.

You’ve got only a small window to grab their attention and motivate them to read your content. And it’s not realistic to expect visitors to read it in its entirety. Hardly anyone does that anymore.

In fact, research on the way people read websites found that only 16% of their subjects read a webpage word by word. Most participants—79% of the test subjects—scanned new pages they came across.

The takeaway is that less than two out of 10 people will actually read an entire blog post. The vast majority will be highly selective about what they read and will merely scan through it.

Another interesting thing is that just because content gets shared doesn’t mean reading engagement increases.

Chartbeat analyzed 10,000 articles shared on social media and found “that there was no relationship whatsoever between the amount a piece of content is shared and the amount of attention an average reader will give that content.”

This graph illustrates this phenomenon:

What’s the solution?

It’s simple. You need to become adept at writing scannable content. This is what the modern digital reader is looking for (whether they consciously know it or not).

What exactly is scannable content?

According to Forbes,

“scannable content is short, sweet and to the point. Sentences and paragraphs are brief. Bold text and bullet points highlight key points. Links to other content are used to provide your readers with supplemental information.”

This writing format is geared toward 21st century readers, who primarily read content on a screen as opposed to a book or any other print publication.

It’s specifically tailored to streamline the way readers absorb information to keep them interested.

And it works.

Dr. Jakob Nielsen even found that scannable online content boosted readability by 57%. If you’re used to conventional writing (e.g., large blocks of text), you need to throw that approach out the window.

You need to embrace scannability. Fortunately, there’s a step-by-step process you can follow.

1. Write short paragraphs

You might have noticed that I prefer to use short paragraphs in my content.

Really short. In fact, a lot of my paragraphs are only a single sentence in length.

That’s not by accident.

I would say that this technique is perhaps the most important when it comes to creating scannable content.

Allow me to provide you with an example. Here’s a large, ugly block of text:

You probably find yourself straining your eyes to read through it.

And here’s some text broken down into much smaller, more digestible chunks:

Which do you find more aesthetically pleasing and easier to read?

I would bet you’d say the second one.

It’s broken up in a way that allows you to move seamlessly from one point to the next without it taxing your brain in the process.

The key is to include only one idea per paragraph and make it a maximum of four sentences. However, I try to stick with just one to three.

Remember that white space is your friend, so use plenty of it to break up text into smaller chunks.

2. Keep your sentences short

There’s no reason to drag your content out by writing long-winded sentences and using PhD-level vocabulary words that only the academic elite will understand.

You need to remember that your audience will consist of a lot of different readers with varying levels of education (and vocabulary).

If readers have to continually check the dictionary just to understand what you’re trying to say, it defeats the whole purpose.

That’s why you’re better off keeping your sentences fairly brief and not getting overly wordy just for the sake of sounding smart.

As a rule of thumb, any more than 16 words per sentence is too long.

Be practical, and try to simplify complex information as much as possible so that everyone can understand it. “Dumb it down” if you have to, but keep the value high.

3. Follow the four-syllable rule

A simple strategy to ensure your writing isn’t wordy is to avoid using any words with more than four syllables.

For instance, you would want to stay away from:

Unintelligibly

Appropriation

Lackadaisical

You get the idea.

Your readers should be able to maneuver their way through your content without becoming exhausted during the process.

4. Use subheaders

Most readers won’t be interested in every single point of your article.

Instead, most readers would prefer to bounce around to seek out the few pieces of key information that interest them the most.

You can accommodate this desire by including several subheaders throughout the body of your content.

This breaks it down in a logical way that makes your content “flow.”

If you read posts from any of my blogs including Quick Sprout, Crazy Egg, and Neil Patel, you’ll notice that I take full advantage of subheaders.

They serve as a quick and easy way to locate main points and accelerate the scanning process. Just make sure that each subheader encapsulates what the following paragraphs cover.

Also, try not to get too clever or cute about it. Instead, keep your subheadings simple and practical.

5. Use bullet points

Who doesn’t love bullet points? I know I do.

They seamlessly break down information so readers can extract key data without having to think too much about it.

Here’s a good example of bullet points used to perfection:

Rather than writing out your list in a sentence, separating your points by commas, create a bullet list, and your readers will love you for it.

6. Sprinkle in images

Images serve two distinct purposes.

First, they serve as an eye candy and fulfill your reader’s subconscious desire for visual stimuli.

Second, they provide periodic breaks between blocks of text.

Both help keep readers on your site for longer and encourage them to engage with your content.

I try to throw in an image at least every few paragraphs or so because I know the images I use enrich my content with information and add validity to my points.

I recommend using data-driven pictures (like graphs) or images to serve as examples, rather than merely using “placeholders,” because these will really add to the overall depth of your content.

7. Add links to external sources

To add authority and credibility to your writing, it’s a good idea to include quotes, data points, graphs, etc. from reliable sources.

I do this with pretty much every piece of content I write. It backs up my argument and proves that I’m not just pulling statistics out of thin air.

But since it’s not practical to include every gory detail, you’ll want to simply include a key sentence or two and insert a link to the original source.

If your readers wish to learn more about a certain topic you cover, they can simply visit the link. As a result, this won’t bog down your content with extraneous information.

8. Create lists

I love lists.

There’s something about breaking down content in a logical, sequential order I find satisfying. It keeps things neat and tidy.

Apparently, I’m not alone.

A study performed by Buzzsumo and Okdork analyzed over 100 million articles to determine which received the most shares. According to their findings, lists were the second most shareable format (only infographics were shared more).

If you really want to maximize the scannability of your content, use plenty of lists.

I’m not saying do this for every single piece of content you create because it will become redundant, but 50% or so should be a good number to shoot for.

Lists are a great weapon to have in your arsenal because they lend themselves to being scanned naturally.

Conclusion

Creating scannable content has arguably never been more important than it is today.

By accommodating the modern online reader and presenting information in a streamlined, visually appealing way, you can improve the reader’s experience.

This technique is also effective for preventing “cognitive overload,” which can drain a reader’s mental energy.

The end result is happier readers who spend more time on your site and who are more likely to convert.

http://www.quicksprout.com/the-step-by-step-guide-to-creating-scannable-content/ Read more here - http://review-and-bonuss.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-step-by-step-guide-to-creating.html

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urgoingtomissthepantyraid-blog · 7 years ago

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Social Media Marketing Guide for Beginners

Social Media Marketing is the procedure for gaining web and attention traffic through the social media sites. During this process, usually creative content to attain the masses through publicity from the third-party trusted source must be created in purchase for individuals to share this content of their interest with others and create a vicious chain that would make business cover and exceed the market audience intended. Every online marketer requirements to have an objective, a product, a ongoing support and a cause to promote through the huge and overwhelming World Wide Web. If you curently have those things defined in your mind, then congratulations! That could be the hardest component of entering into the social mass media challenge probably, and from on now, each and every effort will contribute to reach those goals efficiently and flawlessly until you place your ft on the Social Media Guru status.

The Social Media world is wide and more intensive than ever. It is an extremely strategic marketing platform that reaches different cultures, ages, religion, sexes, locations, interests and such, it is therefore made by it an ideal vehicle to attain and target the proper audience and achieve total success. The whole world won't treatment about video gaming, for example, but only the people that video games is component of their interests. If you target male viewers with ads of high heels on sale, maybe some of them would move and purchase a pair or 2 for his or her wives, but a pair or 2 is not specifically the type or kind of impact you want to have. Therefore, you focus on certain group ages and certain other factors that cause some services and products, videos and news to go "viral" First, we need to know the essential social media sites Facebook Holding a lot more than 900 million users, if you are already a Facebook consumer this may not be really not used to you, but there are various features worth mentioning. You can create a devoted business page and interact directly, and free, with your customers uploading free pictures, products and video clips of the ongoing service you want to provide or the merchandise you want to sell. That way, you can create a data base of individuals which will share your posts with their friends and therefore create the constant chain. Many of these social mass media sites have seamlessly cellular integration so people whether it's a portable PC, a desktop, tablet or mobile phone get always connected with media in a way that you ought to take advantage of. People log in to Facebook, in any circumstance, while commuting, in the recreation area, in the home, at school, at work. Then you're there, marketing your business for it to be shown in the news headlines feeds, and you'd be there, continuously doing your brain trick video game to the point that people will see something attractive and well worth checking according to their interests. Many big corporations like Starbucks, Microsoft, Apple, Rockstar, Pepsi etc. are carrying out the same, and it works perfectly! Blogs Blogs are an easy way for individuals to communicate in a semi-professional way with regards to quality of content material. Quality content may be the key to an excellent writing and therefore always, a great blogging. There are several blogger CMS (content management service) where one can get yours up and running for free in under 5 minutes, some of these are Blogger, WordPress and probably the most user friendly one, Tumblr. Among the tricks here's knowing your viewers, your market, who you are targeting and what you need to perform with that. Now it has regarding some SEO or SEO knowledge, which is quite simply, using the right keywords to rank as high as feasible in search engines we.e. Google, Bing. It has to be related to your posts and at the same time, you have to be sure you make use of a keyword search tool to check the competition and quantity of search this given keyword has. The cheapest your competition and highest number of queries it gets in a full month, the more convenient for you. If you were to advertise your website holding a service of technical support chat, you would need to make the keywords extremely specific so individuals who are looking for your provider would find you initial. It really is, for example technical support for Windows, then you'll have to include specific terms, as going a bit more straight to the real point. Since the competition will be really high and Windows technical support is a broad content, you would concentrate and go further the precise services your product gives, therefore, adding extra keywords to go straight to the point will be the most effective way to accomplish it and you'll rank higher in search engines and people would find your item easily. From "TECH SUPPORT TEAM Chat" to "TECH SUPPORT TEAM Chat for Windows 7 and XP" you can see how we are narrowing the idea of the assistance you offer making it more specific, comprehensive and competition of support for mobile os's then, cellphones, Mac, iPhone, Windows Vista, Windows 8 and such, are left behind and the ones sites offering the solutions you're not linked to won't steal your probabilities to be found for people that are simply just looking for chat support for Windows 7 and XP. Once understood the keyword idea you can proceed and create articles on a blog that would be simple to find on a search engine by including the right tags. Then we have the Social Media integration again in the blog space. There are numerous options to share the content of your site. Many Content Manager Providers like Tumblr have the sociable media buttons to talk about and like or dislike. You should look for the options to enable them (in the rare case they aren't enabled by default) therefore every post of yours could have the buttons for share on Tweeter, Google+, Facebook etc. and Reblog within the blogging network you are affiliated to. With great quality and attention catching content you are encouraging visitors to share your tales on other press sites like the ones mentioned above plus you sharing them and there you possess outstanding chances to attain a wider audience. Twitter A fast growing, extremely popular sociable media site. With over 340,000,000 tweets a full day and around 140,00,000 users worldwide, this platform is pretty appealing to business and companies as well as for celebrities, musicians, actors, everybody! A tweet is a message of 140 characters maximum that one can write and post and supporters can read and see any time in their news feeds. Talk about it, interact directly and begin new conversations is one of the plain things that produce this platform extremely successful. The way they follow Kim Kardashian and read and discuss everything she tweets in a full day, the same way they can do with marketing and advertising campaigns about brands and items of their interest. 140,000,000 users to focus on the right audience may appear like a difficult task, but seen it from the other side of the coin, which means more potential customers for an ongoing business. Once you get into the stated vicious chain of any social press site already, things just keep coming along by themselves and first thing you'll see is a huge selection of hundreds of people involved in your brand, discussing it, reviewing it and telling others about events, broadcast and such. Linkedin Possibly a not so popular platform which makes it boring for some social people, but an extremely professional and strategic one for the others. Some individuals won't spend extended hours chatting or talking to additional about silly, trivial things, instead, this social networking goes to the idea straight. People on Facebook and Twitter for example, follow anyone of their interest for the sake of simply socialize in addition to businesses and companies, but Linkedin is intended to filter and leave the fun behind to focus deeper in professionalism in social media. In Linkedin, you may be part of the people looking for a job/ services, or component of a company supplying a job/ services. You can create either a personal profile together with your professional information about yourself, studies, contact information, passions, certifications, identifications etc. or, create an ongoing business or company page, same way as you do it on Facebook or Twitter sufficing the same purpose: share information regarding your brand, assistance, product and keep your audience and followers up to date with the latest details about your company. YouTube YouTube is an extremely interesting platform. People go watch video clips of any kind or gets redirected by any website which has a backlink to it or search engines. Once people is there on confirmed there you involve some more "Related Videos" on a column on the proper side of the display. Pressing from video to video makes you find things you never thought you would discover, interesting topics, funny videos, how-to kind of videos, publicity etc. Your chances to be seen are overwhelming and you will also get people subscribe to your Channel, which is in other terms, your very own YouTube space where you upload your video clips. Some people find it a lot more interesting and easier to just view a video rather than reading a whole article. You possess the resource of visuals. If you were to promote fashion clothes and this is the purpose of all of your social media, you can, and also other options, upload a video with people modeling your clothing, redirect people to your main business site, recommend visitors to talk about your video, a subscription for future video improvements, to visit your "fashion blog", like your page on Facebook, stick to you on Tweeter, Google+, Linkedin, etc. Close your eye and make an effort to visualize the Tree Diagram of the whole Social Media marketing strategy and how it gets to potentially reach every single corner of the internet. Ambitious, isn't it? Google+ A new comer in the social press site battle fairly, Google+ offers integration of a number of solutions including Gmail, Google+ Basics, Google+ Circles that enable you to share information or "statuses" in ways Facebook does, but has less popularity so far. You possess the "Stream" feature identical to Facebook's News Feed that would let you observe what others are up to, a choice for following very similar aswell to Tweeter. The service is very appealing to professionals and business networks because of the exclusivity and integration of services. A Gmail is created by you take into account example, and if you don't disable it, by default you have access to all these service and a profile ready to be edited with an image, contact details, etc. You have access to the whole Google+ network including currently mention Gmail, YouTube, You+, Circles, Basics and actually the well-known search engine conserving and displaying leads to the many relevant things to you. It really is convenient to have a spare Google+ account for any Social Media Marketing expert because it's potential functionality and because no source is too little or an excessive amount of in marketing. Might possibly not have the same impact, a 30 seconds ad on TV than a small billboard on a bus, but the more you get the message sent the greater results you shall accomplish. Social Media Stats According the new 87 studies execute on social media up to 2012, this process from companies to customers known as B2C or Business to Community has grown and reached 16% of customer engagement but provides potential to grow to 57% within the next 5 years. More than 30% of the worldwide population is currently online permanently or have some kind of eventual access to the web. A lot more than 1/5 of consumer's free time is being allocated to the social press sites, reaching an approximate of 250 million tweets and 800 million Facebook statuses updated each day. Only in the United States, a lot more than 80% of online energetic users spend their on sociable media sites or sites. 60% of individuals uses 3 or more digital forms of research product comparison, information and prices about intended purchases, being 40% of those done via social mass media sites like Facebook or just redirected from one of these sites resulting in even immediate interactions with retailers about offers posted. Around 56% Americans have someone to three profiles in a sociable media site being 55% of them aged between 45-55 and having at least one profile Search Engine Optimization (SEO) facts 70% of the links search users click on are organic. 46% of all searches are for information regarding products or services. Half of most local searches are performed on mobile devices. 66% of new customers use search and online research to find regional businesses. There are 863 million websites globally that point out "SEO." There are 9.1 million searchs conducted including the acronym each full month, with the very best two phrases being "SEO companies" and "SEO company." A lot more than 60,000 Twitter users include "SEO" in their bios, there were 13 million blog posts published that include "SEO" in the title, and Amazon.com carries almost 2,700 different books about SEO 75% of searchers never scroll past the first page of results. 93% of online encounters begin with a search engine. B2B businesses that maintain active content like SEO and running a blog programs increased their total website traffic, on average, by 25% in the past year, while those who neglected SEO experienced the average 15% decline in overall appointments. 21% ever spent online is spent on web searches. The big three se's Google, Yahoo and bing! are among the five most-visited sites on the web. Due to the fact AOL is #7 and Ask is normally #10; five of the very best 10 most-visited sites on the web are search engines.

In conclusion, Social Media Marketing is normally a field where experts and amateurs in advertising will come across and put their own ideas and plans implementing their own techniques. There is no Social Media Marketer college or university degree, this knowledge that should be acquired by intensive research, it requires to be constantly employed and tested in the required field. It really is a revolutionary technique that has removed the old TV advertising techniques shifting it to the web market. The percentage of people that prefer to go surfing on a pc or capable device versus people that watches Television grows steadily every single day. Statistics show Social Media Marketing in a lesser impact percentage when compared to legacy ways for advertising, however the potential it provides and room for development is in without doubt mind-boggling and could be more improved and interactive than TV has been for days gone by decades. Become familiar with more about Homepage

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sarahburness · 7 years ago

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3 Tips for Anyone Who’s Tired of Trying to Make New Habits Stick

“If you have a bad day, remember that tomorrow is a wonderful gift and a new chance to try again.” ~Bryant McGill

As I crawled back into bed after hitting the snooze button, my eyes heavy with sleep, I told myself, “You gave up once more” and rolled over back to sleep, annoyed with myself.

Two months earlier, inspired by the book The Miracle Morning, by Hal Erold, I had taken the habit of getting up early (around 5am) every day to meditate for fifteen minutes, write for thirty minutes, and exercise for thirty minutes.

When I started the new habit, it felt amazing. I was so proud of myself—I was doing it! On top of the satisfaction of achieving goals that I had set for myself, I really felt the benefit of being productive before everyone wakes up. It had a positive knock on effect on the rest of my life; I was upbeat, motivated, and I was going to work with a spring in my step.

Then, about two months in, normal life happened: I had been to bed later the previous nights—drinks with colleagues, watching a movie—and tiredness, coupled with maybe the weariness of the new habits, quickly took over. That morning, I did not jump out of bed and I was longing to roll over instead of starting my “miracle morning.”

If you are a human being like me, I am sure you are very familiar with taking up new habits, only to give them up two or three weeks or months later. The most notorious one is New Year’s resolutions. Who hasn't promised themselves they'd go to the gym three times a week, they'd stop eating junk food, or they'd stop drinking alcohol altogether?

We take up new habits, only to let them die away after few weeks.

Have you noticed how different the feeling is between when you start and when you give up?

When we start on January 1st, we cannot imagine there will be one more day in our life when we will not jump out of bed to go to the gym. We wonder, “How could I ever not have the motivation? It’s so exciting! And how did I not do it before?”

Yet somehow, it happens and procrastination becomes the new habit. With procrastination, comes guilt, and low self-esteem starts creeping in.

There's indeed a very negative effect on your life if there's constantly a little voice in your head reminding you that you have failed this or that. My aim here is to help you feel good about yourself, even with the fallibility of being human and not being able to sustain new habits.

You don’t have to beat yourself up for giving up new healthy habits. You’re not the only one out there; we’re all doing it (or not doing it).

I used to be very annoyed with myself when I stopped a new routine, as it gave the feeling that my goal had not been achieved. However, unless you are in a life-threatening situation and seriously need to change your lifestyle, I think that we need to take a different perspective on things.

Yes it could be better, but you cannot deny that you have, for whatever small amount of time it happened, spent your life doing something else that was better for yourself.

Have you given up smoking, only to start again three months later? Think of it this way: for three months, your body was healthier and you’ve probably earned back few minutes of your life. Would it not be better stopping smoking for three months every year rather than not at all? If I told you now that your target is to stop smoking for three months, every year, would that not make it easier to handle?

There are few ways that we can make these new habits easier to handle. I think we should focus more on the fact that even if we haven't sustained it, we've done something good for ourselves. Here are three main elements you should consider:

1. Set a limit in time for your new habit.

If you suspect you will sooner or later give up on it anyway, why not set the end date when you start? This may sound simple, but the big difference is that you are in control of when you stop. This will also make it easier to digest, and you might be more likely to sustain the habit longer than if you hadn't set yourself an end date.

I’ve tried the experiment myself. On June 7th, I started a new healthy habit: wake up early, meditate, write, read news. I was of course excited about this new habit, but I thought I’d end up giving up anyway, as I had with all other healthy habits outside of my comfort zone.

Then I had this idea: What if I tell myself that it’s labeled “summer healthy habits” and that I only have to sustain it until August 7th? Would that not make it easier? You can reduce it to one week if you tend to give up after few days.

2. Reflect on what you have learned or gained, even if the habit has stopped.

Stopping doesn’t mean you haven’t done anything productive. For three months, you did something different, and surely your brain or body benefited from it.

You should also not only consider the direct effects of this new habit, but the fact that you have learned something different and probably raised your self-awareness. Let's say you decided to stop drinking alcohol altogether. Even if the new habit only lasts a month, you will have learned something about yourself.

I recently decided to test not drinking any alcohol at all on Friday nights with the colleagues at the pub. Surprisingly, I was as upbeat and enthusiastic as the night wore on, same as when I was drinking on a typical Friday night.

This was a revelation to me! When I thought that my enthusiasm was related to my alcohol intake, it actually wasn't; I was “drunk with social interaction.” This is exactly my point: I only did this two Fridays in a row, but I learned something about myself that I can take away for the future.

3. Step back and reconsider.

Working at intervals is a healthy process in a lot of disciplines. As a runner, it's scientifically proven that I'll be better off alternating fast and slow intervals during a run, and alternating workouts and rest over the course of a training plan, rather than always running at the same pace or running without ever recovering.

It’s the same for the learning process: When you study for your final exam, it's well known that taking breaks or moving on to another activity for a while is beneficial for the brain.

We could even take a broader perspective: Living a healthy life is all about balance. Why not alternate the healthy new habits? Some examples: Stop eating bread for one month, then go back to your usual levels of consumption. Go without alcohol on Friday nights for one month, then stop. Life is also about experimenting different things.

—

As I am writing this article today, I’m at the start of a new habit streak. I've decided that I will take thirty minutes every day before breakfast to write on my blog. Disruptions in my routine (for example, holidays) are often the breaking point of my new habits, so I’ve decided that I will only keep this new habit for a couple months, until my next planned trip.

Thinking about stopping this habit that I enjoy so much (mind you, it’s day two!) makes me sad, but after all if I want to keep it going, I can. But at least if I do stop on my planned end date, I won’t feel guilty and unaccomplished, because that was part of the plan. I will feel that I have achieved my goal, even if the habit only lasted a month. Then hopefully I can be excited to take it up again when I come back home.

It’s great that you are trying to change your life for the better, but it should not have the consequence of making you feel bad about yourself for not sustaining it. If it does, it will create stress and be counterproductive.

Take small steps toward a healthier lifestyle, enjoy the process, and take time to reflect on what you have learned about yourself. That’s the best way for your body and your mind to benefit from the change.

About Barbara Guignard

Barbara is a business consultant, mentor, and life coach. Her mission is to empower women who want to change their life: break through their limiting beliefs and achieve their dreams. Through networking events, workshops, and coaching sessions, Barbara helps women get the motivation and the confidence to get out of their comfort zone and achieve great success. Visit her at www.barbaraguignard.com.

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The post 3 Tips for Anyone Who’s Tired of Trying to Make New Habits Stick appeared first on Tiny Buddha.

from Tiny Buddha https://tinybuddha.com/blog/3-tips-for-anyone-whos-tired-of-trying-to-make-new-habits-stick/

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psychotherapyconsultants · 7 years ago

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Laptops & Smartphones May be Hurting Your Ability to Learn in Class

I find it odd that society seems to embrace technology first, and asks questions later.

We only conduct psychological research on technology’s impact on our daily lives long after we’ve adopted our behaviors and habits to its use. No matter, even if that use may negatively affect our relationships, social interactions, and even our ability to learn and retain knowledge in the long-term.

We just assume something that makes it easier to take notes in the classroom, for instance, would make learning easier.

But over the past two decades, research is showing that our relationship with technology is far more complex and nuanced. It’s not as simple as, “Technology, in all forms and whatever default settings, is good.”

Here’s why using your laptop or smartphone while in class may not be such a good idea after all.

There are both benefits and drawbacks when students use technology in the classroom. For instance, in a study conducted in 2010, researchers found no benefits to social media use in the classroom while a 2011 study on virtual worlds found them beneficial to children with autism to help them with their social skills. Technology can also be helpful to teachers, identifying students who may need personalized learning attention.

Surprisingly, you don’t even have to interact with technology to experience its deleterious effects. A 2017 study found that the mere presence of your smartphone when you’re trying to learn something can impact your cognitive abilities and memory (Ward et al., 2017). Even sitting on your desk face-down, or in your purse or pocket, your smartphone can still be a cognitive distraction.

One of the researchers suggested the reason for this finding, “Your conscious mind isn’t thinking about your smartphone, but that process — the process of requiring yourself to not think about something — uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It’s a brain drain.”

That’s the real challenge of technology — how to make our interactions with it be a brain enhancer and not a brain drain.

A more recent study, published earlier this summer, found similar concerns regarding laptop use in the classroom (Glass & Kang, 2018). There, the researchers found “following the lessons in which cell phones and laptops were allowed, performance was poorer on the unit exam and final exam questions. This finding demonstrates for the first time that the main effect of divided attention in the classroom is not an immediate effect of selection or switching on comprehension but a long-term effect of divided attention on retention.”

In short, you may not notice any impact from using your laptop or smartphone while in class. In fact, the researchers tested the students during each class on short-term memory recollection and found no differences between those who use technology and those who don’t. But when it comes time to test your overall knowledge and comprehension of the material during mid-terms or finals, the deficit appears to catch up with you.

The Problems with Technology in the Classroom

Then the researchers discovered something even more profound — and disturbing:

Furthermore, when the use of electronic devices was allowed in class, performance on the unit exams and final exams was poorer for students who did not use electronic devices during the class as well as for the students who did use an electronic device.

Even those students who refrained from using their laptop while in class to take notes (or skim social media) suffered. It appears that just the mere presence of the devices make it harder for other students in the class to also learn. This is likely because technology in this context acts as much as a distraction as it does a learning aid:

It meant that for the few students who tried to direct attention to the instructor there was distracting activity on both sides and in front of them. The instructor often noticed two students giggling as they together viewed an image on a laptop. It seemed that such behaviour would be distracting to individuals around them.

Sure, a laptop is a great and fast way to take notes. As long as that’s all anyone is ever doing on their laptop during class.

But the reality is that many students are doing a half-dozen activities on their laptop while taking notes. Those other activities not only negatively impact that student’s own learning ability, but of those around them as well.

Divided Attention is at Fault

Divided attention has a distinct and measurable cost in the classroom. There are three reasons that research has identified for the costs of divided attention. According to the researchers:

The first effect is the selection effect. For example, when more than one person is speaking, while listening to one person speak a listener hears nothing of what the other speaker is saying.

The second effect is the switching effect. When two tasks are being performed, there is a switching time between tasks when neither task is being performed. Both selection and switching immediately degrade performance on at least one, and usually both tasks, causing an immediate effect of divided attention.

However, there is a third, delayed effect of divided attention on retention. When attention is divided between two tasks, fewer targets of a study task are subsequently remembered. Even when there is little or no selection or switching effect, divided attention reduces retention of the targets for both tasks.

In short, divided attention is bad for learning. It is the exact opposite thing you want when trying to learn a new idea, theory, fact, or skill. The more divided your attention, the less likely you are to retain the thing it is you’re trying to learn.

Putting it Into Practice

The reality is that most universities and professors are not going to suddenly stop banning laptops in class. They have become an integral part of many the way students and teachers perform in the classroom. The train has already left this particular station a long time ago.

One strategy for increasing learning while decreasing being distracted while in class includes ditching the laptop in favor of paper and pencil note-taking, and locking up your smartphone in your pocket, backpack, or purse. This eliminates one of the primary sources of distraction plaguing students today — self-distraction.1 This may be something that you need to do in increments, to get comfortable with over time. You’d be building a new habit, moving from automatically checking your phone every five minutes or when you see a new notification pop up, to checking your phone strictly in-between classes.

Another strategy to try is to strategically find a seat in the classroom that keeps your being distracted by the behavior of others to a minimum. Maybe that means sitting closer to the front of the room than you normally would be comfortable doing. Maybe it means finding a section of other paper-and-pencil note-takers and sitting there, which will eliminate the distraction of seeing other people’s laptop activities.

If you feel you must use a laptop while in class, for whatever reason, consider using a social media blocker. Such blocking software allows you to schedule blocks of time throughout the day to be social media-free (e.g., during class). Two such popular programs include Cold Turkey (both Windows and MacOS) and FocusMe (for all platforms, even mobile). While not a perfect solution, using one of these services will likely help you cut down on your distractions while taking notes.

Don’t have the money for media blocking software? Why not just disconnect from the wifi access point while in class? No wifi, no access to the Internet, which equals fewer distractions while taking notes.

Remember, the power and responsibility of staying focused on a task is in your hands. It is a skill you can learn and hone over time where you are no longer a victim of notifications and distractions.

You may find it difficult at first (since it has become such an integrated part of our lives virtually overnight), but with time and practice, you can put these strategies into use to become a person who is living more in-the-moment and who experiences the benefits of fully focusing your attention. Good luck!

References

Adrian F. Ward, Kristen Duke, Ayelet Gneezy, & Maarten W. Bos. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 2, 2, 140-154.

Glass, Arnold L. & Kang, M. (2018). Dividing attention in the classroom reduces exam performance. Educational Psychology, 1-14. doi: 10.1080/01443410.2018.1489046

Footnotes:

Let me assure you that your life will not end just because you haven’t checked your social media feed for 50 minutes. In fact, you’ll likely find it improves the quality of your life in general. When we use the phone as a tool rather than as our master, it can act as an enhancement to your life, instead of your feeling like you’re tied or beholden to it.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/laptops-smartphones-may-be-hurting-your-ability-to-learn-in-class/

#World of Psychology

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theblog888 · 7 years ago

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Passion and profit are at odds with each other.

At least this is how I see it in my own life, and I feel absolutely justified in maintaining this stance. This isn't necessarily the case for everybody, but I am all too familiar with my own tendencies to dawdle and procrastinate while I figure out how to work through technical details and business skills required for making a profit off of my creative expressions. This hampers creativity and initiative, because I feel I would be concerning myself more with wanting to make money and keep up an image than to be passionately writing, singing, vlogging or whatever else. Also taking into account that I myself am a freeloader, I never disable adblock unless forced to, I never buy things from or give donations to content creators, and begging or soliciting donations in general is not something I would want to do.

If I don't concern myself with monetizing or marketing my creations at all, then I can focus solely on the works themselves. I do believe I am exceptionally talented in many ways, and many which are not even yet known to me, but feel as if there is no clear cut path to both actualize and capitalize on any of my talents- unless I happen to meet the right people, but that is super unlikely as an avoidant, emotionally inverted NEET INTP. I have read about actors and musicians who are extremely talented, yet they need other people to help them with anything technical, anything outside purely being the artist. This is exactly how I see my own potential.

In my jobs as a grocery clerk, it was all simple and straightforward: basically put products on the shelf, move oldest to the front and remove expired product, clean up after yourself, store excess product in the backstock area, show people where things are, take special requests and call other stores whenever asked. It seems I lack the specific type of intelligence and/or concentration ability to succeed at anything more technically advanced than that.

Everything is all so complicated, layers upon layers of complexity beyond simply performing a service and receiving commensurate compensation. I simply cannot navigate this confusing system, this present day economy, unless everything is spelled out for me in clear step by step processes that can be acted upon instantly, or all that stuff is just taken care of for me. Certainly I will acknowledge the possibility that I can be able to learn any such skills, but my reluctance and resistance to is well founded, since all the hours I would have to spend of researching and applying everything I need to business savvy and technically skilled would change my brain in ways that would negatively impact the very passions I want to tap into.

And it is a moot point anyway, since I am sure I lack the attention span, types of intelligence and other personality traits to actually learn such skills, and it is doubtful any of my creative projects would be profitable at all. Not to mention that some ideas which seem so brilliant at one time may seem trivial or even ridiculous a month later. A good example of this was my "comfort products" review channel idea, where I would begin by reviewing things I already have like my bed, mattress topper, pillow, body pillow, blanket, chair and computer keyboard. I don't reasonably expect to make much money off of running YouTube ads (which most people including myself block anyway) and posting affiliate links with my videos when available. It seemed like such a grand idea and a true passion project less than a month ago, but now it just seems like it would just be "talking for the sake of talking" rather than giving people useful information, reviews would be redundant, mostly just stating the obvious, and I also would quickly run out of things to review.

Labeling such sentiments as a "limiting beliefs" won't change a thing. Accusing others of holding a limiting belief is what new age yuppie types born into material privilege, or those who just got lucky, tend to do instead of admitting that life is not fair, that other people have internal and external limitations that cannot be overcome by thinking your way around them. I am a master of subjective framing, but that only works to control how your perceive yourself and the world around, It does not change the material world. My own mechanisms of molding reality to my will are passive and effortless, they are all about being, not doing.

When it comes down to it though, I must admit that I really don't want to concern myself with things like making websites, fine-tuning audio/video content, marketing myself, and running a business. I just want to live passionately, and having to master those types of skills is antithetical to my resolve to just be present and live passionately. This was always the case, and I don't think it could ever change. The most clear example is school, where I would often enjoy learning things from the teacher/professor, presentations in class, and the reading material, but having to wake up to an alarm to sit in a classroom much of the day 5 days a week, leaving school only to have complete assignments many be miserable, dispassionate, drained, apathetic, jaded, depressed. This really feels like the embodiment of my "lazy but talented" syndrome. I can only be my best self, and create my best art, give my best performance, when I am free to go to sleep and wake up whenever my body (and the sleeping environment) will let me, and I work on my own schedule, free to take it super slow with frequent breaks, or stay up all night passionately creating things because I am so engrossed in the activity I don't want to go to bed.

These are all just reflective self-analyses I reached without any emotional value attached, I am only looking at what is. I often suspect that when neurotypicals read my writing, which is devoid of emotional meaning unless specified, they misunderstand my objective, matter-of-fact analytical style as being depressed, self-deprecating, neurotic or whatever else they imagine. It is one of those things that I might want to put as a disclaimer with everything I ever write, just in case someone misinterprets it form a frame of reacting emotionally rather than thinking critically. With this case-in-point, I also must accept that I may not be as talented at a thing, or anything at all, as I might imagine. I wouldn't really be surprised if that was the case, since I have never really found anything outside myself that I've felt passionate about, or derived meaning or purpose from. In this perspective it makes sense how other people would get little to no value from my writing, since it is writing my myself for myself, as a useful tool of pondering, reflecting and exploring the internal world, and external world through my own filters. Likewise, I often wonder if when I talk to other people, even those I'd consider close friends, I'm merely using them as a sounding board for my own ideas about things, not providing any direct value to them. Then again, I should not assume that other look at relationships as transactional, and they actually enjoy my interactions and companionship even if my being self-absorbed is readily apparent.

Perhaps no one will ever read this blog except me, and it will be just my own personal journal. Which is perfectly fine, and the main reason I began writing here. I have no fantasies, illusions or delusions that I can expect to ever make money as a writer. Or singer, or actor, or voice artist, or ergonomist, philosopher.

The silver lining Is that keeping up with the writing is helping me grow by leaps and bunds, both because it helps me clear out things that have been accumulating in my mind for a long time, sometimes over a decade, so that space is freed up for new developments in my mental studio, and that writing things out as opposed to just thinking about them in my head lays it all out in front of me, so it is much easier to explore things further, and maybe actually reach conclusions and solve problems during the writing process.

And I do imagine that there are many unexpected ways in which following my passions and creating what I envision will lead to many unforeseen opportunities for improving my life on a material/financial level as well. The most obvious being that I am making things I can showcase, and if the right people encounter them, perhaps some will recognize my talent, even feel deeply touched by my very essence, they could lead me to opportunities to actualize what I envision- given free reign to live passionately and create my heart's desires, while also making money, while all the technical and business details are taken care of for me. But this is not something I will even consider, for now it is just a fantasy, perhaps one I will look back upon as being as delusional as going back in time or starting my own country. Meanwhile, I intend to just focus on being my best self, living passionately, self-actualizing, understanding the world within and the nature of humanity even more. I will not worry, things will be all right, it will all work out. This is my reality, this is what I am attracting and embodying. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Generally the worst that can happen is death, and so no matter what, my experience will always be that of living the life I want, because I believe that I already am.

#writing #passion #laziness #self reflection #self-reflection #blogging #smart but #lazy #smart but lazy #talented but lazy #NEET

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alicialidwina · 8 years ago

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If you have been following me on Twitter, you might have already known that I recently purchased a Midori style traveler’s notebook from a local leather craftsman.

My current writer’s notebook

If you’re not familiar with the concept, Midori Traveler’s Notebook is basically a notebook setup that consists of a slab of leather with several elastics on the spine of the cover to keep notebooks inside. People use the setup for a bullet journal, a daily planner, a diary, a traveler’s log, and even a creative journal.

Unsurprisingly, the minimalistic approach from this Japanese company (now Traveler’s Company) immediately took the planner community by storm. The sporadic distribution and sudden fame of the lineup brought about a very devout following in the community, and it had become one of the most popular choices for people looking for a notebook setup.

This, of course, opened up some rooms for business. Numerous local craftsmen had been creating their own versions of Midori Traveler’s Notebook, dubbed fauxdori. Not only are these fauxdori cheaper than the original Midori variant, they are also more customizable since you can just talk about your needs to the craftsman and they would adjust the product for you.

So that means, you could make the leather cover a tad wider, taller, or has some engravings if that’s what you fancy. This adds to the customizability of the setup, and both the original version and fauxdori had been garnering quite some followings on the internet.

For me, Midori Traveler’s Notebook is a perfect setup as my writer’s notebook

This is not some baseless opinion, though, since I considered other options greatly before deciding to bite the bullet and order one from a local leather craftsman I stumbled upon on Instagram.

As I had mentioned on my previous blog post, I really had to start looking for a new notebook for my NaNoWriMo project. I find it easier for me to gather my thoughts if I keep everything on a notebook of some sort, and I instantly knew that if I were to challenge NaNoWriMo this year, I would need a dedicated notebook where I could find every information I needed without fussing with a lot of papers or digging through my Evernote files.

So before I decided on which setup better suits my needs, I would have to define what exactly do I need from a writer’s notebook?

The answer is never straightforward, and it would differ for each writer. You might need a dedicated section only for world building if you are a fantasy writer. You might need a list of foreshadowing and potential Red Herring plot twists as a list on your notebook if you’re a mystery writer, and so on.

Now as for myself, if you have read my debut novel, 3 (Tiga) or my recently released booklet, Maybe Everything, you might realize that I don’t really write epic fantasies or mystery fiction. I mostly write contemporary romance novel, with some dark twists to keep myself interested in writing it. This, of course, means that I don’t really need to draw out the map of Middle Earth inside my writer’s notebook (thankfully, since I even couldn’t draw a proportional stickman).

It was then when I realized that I didn’t really know what to include in my writer’s notebook. Which is kind of ridiculous, since I had been carrying multiple writer’s notebooks in the past. So that would mean I knew exactly what I was doing, right? That means I knew exactly what to write inside my writer’s notebook, right? Right?

Wrong.

My past notebooks have, in fact, been a brain dump of some sort for me. Sure, it had a lot of scribbles related to the project I was working on at the time, but it also had my grocery list, my meeting schedule with a client, and even my financial tracker. In a nutshell, yes I had had several notebooks with me in the past, but I could hardly call any of them my “writer’s notebook”.

However, knowing that I didn’t exactly know what to put inside a writer’s notebook—heck, knowing that I didn’t exactly know what should be inside a writer’s notebook—felt liberating, if I could say so myself.

It simply means that I could list my own requirements and build the perfect writer’s notebook to suits my writing needs and habits.

Soon after, I grabbed a piece of paper, and started listing everything I need (or I think I need) in my writer’s notebook. The list looks somewhat like this:

A character profile, because I always seem to forget the little details after several hundred pages.

A plot outline page. I am a devout planner when it comes to writing a novel. I find it easier to write fast when I know exactly what to write next. But each writer is different, so you might not need this page at all.

Blank pages for research and notes.

A writing journal section, so I can keep track how I felt about a certain scene when I wrote it, and what did I think should be changed, etc. etc.

A huge chunk of blank papers to brainstorm about the plot, because I often change things, and I would prefer to have all the changes trackable with my own handwriting. This is usually the messiest part of the notebook for me, but also the most frequently accessed.

A list of Thank You. Just to remind myself who had helped me during the process of writing the project. All of them will usually find their way to my acknowledgements page, and for good reason.

Writerly expenses tracker. To be honest, I never had the need for this in the past. But ever since I launched my story booklet, Maybe Everything, I had been receiving orders from kind and awesome people on the internet. This require me to keep track of my finances, especially to track expenses of printing new booklets and earnings from each purchases. (A lot of my caffeine intake would be listed here too)

Character relationship chart, just to help me visualize the interaction between characters better.

And that’s about it. As I mentioned, this list should vary from each writer, and so will yours when compared to mine. But these are the list I came up with after considering everything I tend to keep in my previous notebooks, and also the things I think I will need considering the recent changes in my writing career.

I might also add a page or two to list my writing playlist, but that is not mandatory. The list above, however, kinda is.

So, why a Midori Traveler’s Notebook?

Before answering that, please take a look at my current setup:

My ‘Fauxdori’ Traveler’s Notebook

Notice how compact the notebook looks, and how it is made of leather? Also as I mentioned before, it is highly customizable, and most importantly, it lies flat on the table.

Now I had been trying out several notebook setups in the past. I gave Filofax system a try, which was a highly customizable notebook setup by itself. But I found that the binder rings in the middle hindered my writing experience on the notebook, which is the number 1 thing I’d like to avoid experiencing. After all, I would be writing a lot on my writer’s notebook—there is no point if I don’t enjoy writing on it.

I had also tried using a generic Moleskine notebook, but I never estimated the right amount of pages in-between sections. I ended up running out of pages for my brainstorming section, and I had to move the rest of my brainstorm materials after the characters profile section, for example. I found it difficult to organize my sections neatly, and I ended up not knowing where to look when I opened my notebook.

I also have a Hobonichi Techo, which I use as my daily journal. And don’t get me wrong, I love it to death. But after writing out my daily entries (and occasionally, drafts of my meeting minutes), there are barely any space to write my writerly entries on. Besides, if anything, I’d rather keep my personal and my writing notebooks separate, if that makes any sense.

Hence I came to Midori Traveler’s Notebook. Or to be more specific, a Fauxdori Traveler’s Notebook. In theory, it fulfills everything on my checklist of what makes a great writer’s notebook setup:

It is customizable

It is relatively compact

It looks vintage and awesome

It lies flat on the table

What else could I ask for? Maybe a price drop.

The two charms I currently use on my traveler’s notebook: a pen nib charm to symbolize my writerly side, and a steering wheel to symbolize my life-long dream of traveling the world.

Now I have to be honest here. At first I thought the binding elastics were kinda wonky and unreliable. I also had my doubts replacing my usual bulky notebook with some flimsy, thin, staple-bound booklets to be inserted inside the leather cover. But every negative thoughts I completely went away after I got my hands on it.

Who would have known? Migrating into a Midori Traveler’s Notebook had been the best decision ever.

While it worked perfectly fine for me out of the box (the craftsman included one blank notebook insert with every purchase), it wasn’t until I purchased several more inserts that my Traveler’s Notebook started feeling more and more like a writer’s notebook.

I purchased the original Traveler’s Notebook zipper pouch insert, which slips in behind the notebooks and provides a sleeve on the front, and a zipper pouch on the back side. This means I can put some pretty art prints on the front of my notebook to keep me inspired, and store my bills and checks on the zipper pouch.

I decided to put the stunning artworks of Nin Dianda on my writer’s notebook. Check out her page to discover more of her wonderful art!

I also purchased some sleeve stickers, which are essentially super sticky stickers with flaps which can be used to slip some papers inside. I tend to use them for quickly storing cash when I don’t have time to reach for my purse.

As the main notebooks, I have both the free blank notebook I received from my local leather craftsman, and a Traveler’s Notebook Grid insert. You will see that my setup is not complete yet at the moment, but I am using the grid insert as my writing journal, and my blank notebook to store research materials and idea dump.

How my writing journal looks like. Pardon my tiny handwriting….

I just ordered several more blank and ruled inserts for my notebook, and I will be posting a complete and thorough tour of my complete writer’s notebook setup in the near future.

So there you have it. Those are the reasons behind choosing a Traveler’s Notebook as my writer’s notebook setup. Also how I plan to use them for the upcoming NaNoWriMo event in November—from listing out what I require from my writer’s notebook, to actually assembling one myself.

Actually, you know what? I probably should start filling up my notebook’s research sections with materials in this Preptober instead of writing this blog post, but I digress.

In any case, I hope you’re having a great time preparing for NaNoWriMo. I will be posting some more blog posts related to my NaNoWriMo preparation during Preptober, so follow my blog or any of my social media (Twitter or Instagram) so you won’t miss out!

Also, don’t forget to add me as a writing buddy here if you haven’t, and good luck on Preptober!

Click to be my writing buddy!

Alicia Lidwina 2017

Mynty Mint (the Fauxdori Local Craftsman) Website: https://myntymint.weebly.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myntymint/ Tokopedia: https://www.tokopedia.com/myntymint

How I Use a Midori Style Traveler’s Notebook to Prepare for NaNoWriMo 2017 If you have been following me on Twitter, you might have already known that I recently purchased a Midori style traveler's notebook from…

#ENGLISH #nanowrimo #personal #Writer&039;s Life #writing

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