Blogging Vs. Writing

So, my friend, Carole -- who is also a writer -- twittered something yesterday that I absolutely agree with...
She was talking to a friend of ours (Donna Frank) who has written several books.
She mentioned to Donna that she had not written on her book lately, but that she had been doing a lot of blogging.
Donna responded with:
"Well, yeah, blogging is instant gratification. Sitting down and writing your book isn't; it's work and very delayed gratification."
What a profound truth!
In the past, when I was blogging more faithfully, I really struggled to make time for my book. There was this constant (albeit, imagined) pressure to post here, regularly and often.
When I recommitted to finishing the task God has given me (now, TWO books!), I found it harder and harder to come here and blog.
I couldn't figure it out at first, but there was an uneasy suspicion that I was somehow "cheating" on my book by blogging.
Now, that might sound weird if you are not a writer, but it's true!

Time issues aside, I found that I became more and more possessive of my analogies, stories, and musings. If something was really good, it would go in the book. How could I put it here?
There's always a fear that something you write will be stolen or misused and there's a deeper fear that you will "waste" all your good stuff on the blog.
So, what happened was I would go weeks without posting or I found myself alternately writing either really preachy stuff or "fluffy" stuff (which I loathe, by the way) here on my blog. I wasn't just selling myself short; I was selling you -- the reader -- short.

Carole has blogged about this struggle as well.

Yeah, I know; I'm totally neurotic to be obsessing about this, but to hear another writer (published author, no less!) surmise it so well was somehow comforting to me.
So, I can either focus my time on the calling God has placed on my life (my writing/my books) or I can worry about what other people think about my blogging.
Truthfully, I think it's a no-brainer. ;)

The Prodigal Blogger Returneth (Again)

Wow; the past 2 weeks are a blur!
I know many of you have wondered where I am -- why I'm not blogging or Twittering much.

In the past 10 days, I have sold & shipped approximately 42 items on eBay. My Spring selling is DONE!
Of course, I found out the juicy little tidbit below (see previous post) AFTER I had spent HOURS taking photos and DAYS uploading listings... the work was already done.
Actually, I'm glad because now I can focus on other things and not do my usual procrastinate-panic-sell routine.

I'm ready for things to get back to "normal," whatever that is.
I plan on posting more tonight, so check back later for a very interesting update re: MIDNIGHT OUTREACH.

Coming Soon...

I promise, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, nor have I given up on blogging. I am out-of-state visiting family. I am here in Arkansas, briefly, because my niece is having pretty serious surgery in the morning. We would appreciate your prayers!

I will be back home soon & will resume blogging then.

Until then, um,... I don't know.
Go read a good book.
=)

Blogging Vicariously...

See my background?
The moving stuff?
That's what I WISH it was doing here.

But noooo... when you live in the DEEP SOUTH, you get rain, fog, and 73 degrees.
In January.
*sigh*
This is when I miss Arkansas most.

So... I have been spending entirely too much time on facebook lately. Yes, I KNOW it's the 21st century & I am just now joining the rest of civilization by getting a facebook page. I had one of those *other* sites... you know, MYspace?
But it never really felt like "mine," yanno?

Personally, I think the two sites should merge.
They could call it: MYFACE
Bwaha hahaha!
I crack myself up.

I don't know why I can't get back into the blogging mode. I just read others' posts & think, "Wow, that's a great story," or "Gee, I wish I had thought to write that."
I must have writer's blogger's block.

On another note: I have written several pages & done MUCH editing on my book since January 1st! People keep asking me when it's going to be done.
Hmmm...
Maybe I could just sell it by the chapter...?

Mobile Blogger -- THANK YOU!

Well, it's 8:30 pm and we finally have wind and rain. It's not bad at all right now; actually, it's rather pleasant (breezy).
HOWEVER
Should we lose power sometime tomorrow, I will hopefully be able to update everyone using my iPhone, thanks to Mobile Blogger.

After Katrina, we had no power and no phones. It was impossible to get a call out on cell phones because the lines were jammed with calls.
BUT
almost everyone could text!

So, should that be the case again, I will send mobile texts to this blog to let all of you know what's up (or coming down).

Ok, off to do the last of the laundry.
Thank you for all your prayers!!
Love,
Summer

I Blog Your Pardon?!

Ok, so I have been mulling this over for a few hours... On one of my favorite blogs, WhittakerWoman, someone (seemingly helpfully) pointed out Heather's frequent grammar and spelling mistakes posted on her blog.

Now, in all fairness, I will admit that I am one of those grammar nuts that notices every spelling error and grammar mistake I encounter. I subconsciously edit everything I read (in my head).
I have always been this way.
Ask my mom.
I used to drive her crazy with it.
That said, now that I am an adult, I would NEVER publicly correct another adult's grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
It's condescending and it's rude.

Even "Miss Manners" states in her writings that it is one thing to commit a faux pas, and quite another to publicly correct one. She considers the latter to be a far worse offense than the former.

But this (seemingly helpful) comment got me to thinking...

Do we really have a right to "edit" or "correct" anyones blog, ever??

This is not the first time I have encountered this. It's actually a rather common phenomenon on several blogs I read:
Someone reading another person's private thoughts and musings takes it upon themselves to point out the blogger's mistakes.
Or correct their parenting style.
Or make snide comments about their lifestyle choices (Christian vs. Atheist, for example).

If someone allowed you to read a portion of their diary, would you correct that, too?

I know, I know, "They put it out there to read (publicly) so they should accept the criticism." or "No one forced them to discuss their personal beliefs online, but since they have, it must be an open invitation to dispute them."

Uh, NO.

How about this: why don't YOU write a blog -- put yourself out there for all the world to behold -- and see how YOU like it when someone starts critiquing you?

Doesn't blog etiquette dictate that we "move along" if we don't care for what is written on the page we are viewing?
Why do some people feel compelled to openly criticize others in a public forum? Is this a form of narcissistic preening?

I don't know.
Maybe I'm too sensitive on this issue.
What do you think?
Is it really OK to critique another person's blog?

DISCLAIMER: Lest any obsessive-compulsive, grammar-loving lurkers are reading this, I am fully aware that my posts are sometimes filled with misspellings and grammatical errors, despite my own OCD nature for correcting them. But I'm a very busy mom with 3 kids and I don't always have time to proof before I post, so cut me some slack, k?

Out Of The Office

If you've reached this recording...

I realize I haven't posted in several days, but we are leaving in the morning to go to Arkansas for 2 weeks and I've been running around here like mad trying to get everything done!
We have some great friends house-sitting & dog-sitting for us, and even though I know she won't hold it against me if my house isn't "perfect," I will hold it against me.
;>)

I will have some computer access while I'm away so I will try to post while I am there.
I'm hoping to meet up with some old friends, re-connect with some new friends (Megan, Brittni, Carolyn), and visit family.

So, what are your big 4th of July plans?

Blogging Blues =/

Yes, I know it has been 5 days since my last post.
I'm sorry; I truly am.

Sometimes life gets SO busy and hectic that I hardly have time to catch my breath.
This has been one of those weeks.
The irony is that I never stop THINKING about blogging.
Even when I can't get here every day to write, I'm constantly blogging in my head.
I realize that doesn't help you -- my loyal readers -- one bit, but I just wanted you to know that I haven't abandoned you!

Sooo many things to blog about, but I always feel like if I can't spend an adequate amount of time writing about the subject then I shouldn't write at all. So all these great blog ideas just float in and back out of my brain because I can't find the time to formulate a reasonable thought.

Things I wanted to blog about this week, but didn't:

*The awesome impact of last week's message by guest speaker, Craig Groeschel
*Hillary's win in Ohio and Texas (meh), Obama's disappointing results (sigh) and Huckabee's leaving the race (wahhh).
*A shout-out to my new blog addiction: Ragamuffinsoul ; this guy is a trip. And his wife is really cool, too. Their blogs always leave me laughing or thinking -- 2 of my favorite things. =)
*Senseless gang shootings in L.A. -- time to watch Boyz N the Hood & Dangerous Minds again: Two movies everyone should watch (be warned; there is a fair amount of language in both)
*The joys of LASER TAG and why EVERY person over the age of 30 should try it at least once!
*My on-going antipathy toward pseudo-intellectuals who think they are smarter than everyone around them, but never bother to find out the least bit about the very people they scorn.

See what you missed out on?

Quick! Somebody Get a Geek In Here!

I think I can breathe now... The past 8 days have been such a whirlwind that I have not had a moment to do much of anything I've *wanted* to do (like write on my blog).

About a week ago -- for no apparent reason -- my computer crashed. Yes, a week before my Elevate FINALS, my computer crashed.
And I mean, CRASHED. I could not even pull it up in "Safe Mode" -- never a good sign. I couldn't even get it to perform a System Recovery! My computer has been showing signs of *issues* for several months now, but since it was only 3 years old, I kept putting off getting it looked at.
BIG MISTAKE.
My CD-RW drive stopped working awhile back and I kept MEANING to buy a key card to store my backup information. Unfortunately, I never did.
EVEN BIGGER MISTAKE.

The lovely, well-paid folks at "Geek Squad" have determined that the crash was NOT caused by any virus or trojan or even by spyware. Fact is, they really don't know what caused my computer to stop responding! No lightening storm; No physical injury to the PC tower; No kool-aid on the keyboard. Nada.
THe only culprits I can see are one of two (or a combination of both): In the week before the crash, my computer was updated automatically with a Norton Internet Protection update and (the next day or so) with a Microsoft Windows update.
I'm pretty sure one (or both) of these caused the problem.
What I DON'T understand is why the damage was so extensive.

I took my PC in for data extraction, but they were not able to recover ANYTHING.
NOTHING.
Everything on my computer's hard drive is gone. Pictures, letters, important documents, tax info, all gone.
By the grace of God, Clay had suggested to me to email some of my more important documents to myself via my web-based email addresses. I last did this 2 days before the crash.

The thing I regret the most is the loss of pictures.
Sure, it's going to be a pain getting Quicken reloaded and caught up, and there are SO many important emails that I am now remembering and cringing that I never forwarded!
But, you live and learn.
The computer was a total loss, so "Merry Christmas to me:" I have a new computer!
I have heard NOTHING good about Windows Vista, but can I just say, (so far anyway) I LOVE IT! It works so much better than the old Windows XP -- and it's so much more chic. Very cool, almost-Mac'esque visual qualities.
True, I really wanted to buy a Mac Notebook, but I will wait for that.
Besides, it costs about $2,000 more than what I spent on this puppy. =)
Maybe this is a blessing in disguise?
In any event, at least I can get back to blogging now!

Pass the creamer...

Ok, so CAROLE seems to think I should lighten up a tad...
What am I? Coffee?
I'm sorry.
I can't help it.
I try to sit down and write something light-hearted, but nothing comes to me.

The fact is, I find that blogging is something that I put off doing until I feel strongly convicted to write.
In other words, a thought or idea comes to me and I HAVE to write about it; otherwise, I'm always seeing things or thinking thoughts that I'd LIKE to write about, but my life is so chaotic that I never take the time to actually do so.
Does that make sense?

I could post one of those informational quizzes about myself and you could come away knowing that my favorite color is purple, my favorite food is popcorn, and my favorite author is Maya Angelou.
OR
I could write about how I LOATHE doing dishes and that my husband and I have this awesome, unspoken agreement that I will handle most of the other cleaning as long as he does the dishes every day. =)
OR
I could write and tell you just HOW EXPENSIVE that cute, little lab puppy is actually going to cost just to get him through the first year (we're talking acquisition, shots, surgery, maintenance, and REPAIR costs!!!!).

OR

I could tell you my favorite recipe for what I like to call "Mexican Jambalaya" or my top-secret recipe for "Fresh Coconut Cream Cake,"
But honestly,
if I'm going to take the time to sit and blog, MOST of the time, you are going to hear what is on my heart. I don't mean to preach or lecture, but when I write, I write with passion and conviction and sometimes I might get carried away. =)
If I think of something "light" to write -- and I'm having a slow week -- I'll be sure to post it here.

In the meantime, I hope you'll comment and let me know what you think of my rants...

Hey, I'm blogging here!

Well, here goes nothing... for years, I've thought about doing a blog... I've talked about doing a blog, I even started this account about 8 months ago!
Obviously, this is the first thing I've written and I know my friend Carole over at The Wardrobe and the White Tree will be so proud of me and she'll probably say, "Well it's about time!!!" =) So, what inspired me to finally start blogging?
Elevate
I am a brand new student of my church's ministry internship called, "Elevate."
Basically, this is a program for anyone who has felt God's calling on their life to SERVE -- whether it be through missions, pastoring, feeding the poor, or any other area of ministry -- whatever each individual feels called to do.

NO, it doesn't mean that I'm going to be a preacher, or a missionary, or a tv evangelist -- it means that I feel God is wanting to use me to reach hurting people and to show His love to them in ways I can't even imagine right now...
It's not a cult or some freaky-weird, hyper-religious thing.
It's about doing what Jesus told us to do:
It's about SERVING and becoming a servant for God.
Uh, Oh; Someone's been drinking the Kool-Aid!
Well, if feeding the poor, reaching the lost, and
comforting the sick & hurting is considered "drinking the kool-aid," then I say: Pass the pitcher! =)