A deliberately quiet lazy day recharging my batteries both mental as well as physical, distracting myself with Alpha Centuri, a video game with no redeeming virtue whatsoever, and watching DVDs (In the Name of the King/Dungeon Siege, Dune and Exodus: Gods and Kings).
The overcast morning began a lethargy that lasted well into a beautiful afternoon and has endured into the evening.
My wife, returning home at 2200 hours, after working non-stop there since 0710, has, of course, created a great sense of guilt about my lack of productivity, so here I sit hoping for clarity, some direction as to what to write about.
I review the past 48 hours…
Were there moments worth noting?
Certainly.
There were discussions with colleagues about dealing with difficult people and situations.
(How DOES one deal with difficult people without compromising one´s values or losing one´s temper?)
There was a great discussion with co-worker Bryan in regards to trying to understand the American mentality and the US election process.
(Does one have to be insane to live in the States? Would this help?)
On Facebook, discussions about racism…
(Does America have a race problem or is race just an excuse to get folks excited and in a mood for debate?)
… and patriotism.
(Should Sikhs be forbidden to wear turbans when making citizenship oaths?
Should foreigners be allowed to complain about the laws of their newly adopted country?
Is the “love it or leave it” philosophy patriotic or simply ultra conservative?)
Finally on the train ride home I saw an Albanian man slap a woman across the face because something she said was objectionable to him.
(Where is the line between “live and let live”/minding one´s own business and when should someone get involved?)
So, what to choose, what to choose?
I turn to my copy of Writer´s Digest for some perspective…
Carol Tice (“Earn a full-time income from blogging”) suggests, among other ideas that I need to:
Pick a niche topic, to attract and keep readers interested.
Create useful content, writing with my readers´ needs in mind rather than my own interests. If the blogger doesn´t know what readers want, then it is advised to take a poll and ask questions to find out.
Jeff Goins (“Outlast the lucky, outwork the lazy”) advised:
Only publish your very best content, instead of throwing a brain dump onto the screen and calling it “art”.
Try to help people and be generous, so that what you write and how you write it helps others.
“Writers are difference-makers. It took me a long time to understand this….
Words hold the power to give life or bring death.
They can raise a person´s spirit or destroy it.
What we say has impact and realising we actually have a message to share is the first step to making an impact in your family, your community and your world.
What holds us back is a lack of passion, a lack of effort due to indifference.
If you have a message or story the world needs to hear but hasn’t, it’s nobody’s fault but your own.”
(Jeff Goins)
So, here it is…
To any readers out there…
Tell me what you want, what you really really want. (Spice Girls)
(For example, which of the past 48-hour topics would have most interested you?
Or is there something I haven’t touched upon that you would love to read about?)
What matters to YOU?
Of course, there will be times that I will write what I enjoy even if nobody ever reads it, simply because something on my mind needs expression.
As well, I may sometimes come across rough, spontaneous and, gosh darn it all, very human.
So, that might mean showing scars and telling the truth as I see it.
But, at the end of the day, I want to deserve your time, attention and trust.
So, this posting may come across as highly unusual, but I encourage all/anyone of you to give me feedback from time to time.
This is not just my blog, it is YOUR blog as well.
Write me at canadaslim@hotmail.com.
This is Canada Slim (Adam Kerr) signing off for now.
Chronicles of Canada Slim 