I’m a recipe girl in the kitchen and apply my comfort with the written word to all culinary efforts. I read and follow directions well and I’m not afraid to try. For those same reasons, I’m not afraid of technology. I’m able to dig into the meat of a project as long as I have assistance, a clear-cut guide to help me reach my goal.
I set up my email marketing server, Mailchimp, over 2 years ago. It was the next step in growing my readership as a blogger. It showed a level of responsibility and trust. I was excited to connect with readers in their inboxes.
I thought I’d done it right.
The directions were straight forward. There were videos and links and written instructions that didn’t mock me. I’m pretty funny but there’s nothing funnier than a monkey with a wrench showing up as a guide when you’ve made a mistake. Again, I thought I’d set this thing up right.
But….and this is a big one for me (because I pride myself on paying attention) – I skipped an important piece of the puzzle. I ultimately set the heart of my system to fail.
Details create the big picture. – Sanford I. Weill
When I opened my account I didn’t set up an RSS feed. This meant subscribers didn’t receive my posts in their inboxes. They only received something if I sent it directly from Mailchimp. The whole point of my system functioned this way for 2 years. #BloggingFail
I suspected something was wrong and went in with enthusiasm to fix it. If you’re anything like me you know what it’s like to tinker under the hood of your blog. Well, that door we open only gets harder to shut. One thing leads to another and before you know it you’ve spent an entire day doing something you imagined would only take an hour.
This blogging on a shoe-string has its pitfalls. The black hole of time we get pulled into is one of them.
Sigh. I’m still learning how to configure automation on said email marketing server. Please bear with me.
So this is my great big fat subscriber apology. And I’m excited about it because it gives me a chance to begin again. Can I call a do over? Can we begin again?
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I read this a few days ago …
“Unfocused reflections or rants that have weak structure and are not centered on benefiting the reader in a clear way.”
and have had a hard time writing since.
In an effort to be intentional about my writing life I’ve spent the last few weeks working on guest posts to submit to sites where I feel my words fit. I’m also tending the garden of what could be a huge project. I’ll tell you more about that later. All this to say, I’m excited about where I am but not yet, where I want to be. Moving from one space to another, involves change. And change is hard.
After a disappointing beginning with rejection from a huge site 3 years ago, I found myself fortunate enough to be invited to write as a contributor for a few online spaces. I inherited and became the host for a popular linkup (that’s how we got to know each other).
But I’m not sure I had a plan.
I’d never heard the word platform used in the sense of creating one’s own and I never imagined writing would mean so much to me. So those words … “benefitting the reader in a clear way” made me nervous. They asked a question I wasn’t ready to answer. When I stopped writing consistently about infertility I didn’t know how I’d fill a need online. I still don’t.
I’m praying about my reader benefit and believe that in the meantime, my truth and faith in God will bridge the gap, so … this from Ann Kroeker set me back on track.
I’m prayerfully posting. I make it my business to fill the kitty with work so that if nothing else, I have a commitment to giving my writing a chance simply by showing up.
I wrote an ebook last spring and I’ve kept my commitment to the linkup – even through the unexpected turn of events that landed me in seminary last fall. I’m intentionally pursuing spaces I’d like to see my work.
I consider every opportunity to write a gift and I still have so much to learn. My blogging home has been my laboratory and you, sweet friends, have been my classmates and teachers. I love what we’re doing here.
By writing, we learn to write. Agreed.
But….
I agree with those who say we have to be intentional and not simply write in circles to fill a quota or word coutn per day. We have to set our hearts to improve.
The tension of the pause before release requires we make the effort. And that can be uncomfortable. I don’t know if I’m getting better but I’m intentionally committed. I think that is the difference.
Still, I read those words, words from a site suggesting what not to submit and began to doubt myself and the God who invited me here. I doubted my ability and potential to grow.
Has that ever happended to you?
When I listened to the podcast linked to the post above, it reminded me that my momentary pause or doubt is part of the process. It’s the temporary freeze before I begin the work of filling the gap – gearing myself up, to begin again.
It’s how I pressed through and submitted my e-book as an in print option at Create Space. I’m grateful to be learning to write by writing and I’ll continue to follow the voice of the one who bids me to
Resist the resistance. – Steven Pressfield
You learn how to write a book, by writing a book. – Ann Kroeker
I uploaded my e-book to CreateSpace a few weeks ago and it’s available as a print book on Amazon. It isn’t perfect but it’s my offering to women suffering from infertility. It is a labor of love and in pushing through my doubts, I learned a lot about myself as a writer. If you’re a blogging friend I’d urge you to press forward with that e-book if it’s something Gods called you to do.
I’m still collecting reviews and now – I’m promoting it for a great cause! A portion of the proceeds will help fund a yearly afternoon tea and cupcake gathering for interim caretakers and waiting families at a local adoption agency.
I know God will use my words and now they’re part of something good. They’re also part of my growing volume of work.
You can buy it here or leave a comment below to win a copy I’m giving away along with an Epperson dress.
Also as my gift to you, download a printable of the waiting dancer. It’s yours free. Because you’re cute, and I love you.
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Now that I’m working out the kinks with this technology learning curve, I promise to be more consistent. And I’ll keep learning.
Thanks for the encouragement to keep going, Ann. Your words helped me push past the voices that discourage me. I’m ready to begin again.
Let your handmaiden find grace in your sight … #GiveMeGrace
♥
What are you working on? How are you adding to your body of work? Are you filling the gap between the writer you are now and the writer /dreamer/ believer you’d like to become? Or are you working on something else … branching out, starting over with something new. Tell me about it.
the details –
Don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to win.
Winner will be selected by random drawing and announced next Sunday.
Dress is a cotton rayon blend , v-neck, belted,with a cherry floral-like pattern on a base of black – Size M .
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