This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Halloween Themes and Variations: My Blog Imago

Happy Blogoversary to Tossing It Out!!!
Two great years starting with the first blog post on September 19, 2009

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Jack O Lantern
Image credit
My Blog Imago

        Why the smiling pumpkin?   Readers of Tossing It Out might be surprised to learn that this blog started as a Halloween blog.  In my earliest posts I tried to relate everything to the topic of Halloween.

        My blog began as a circumstance of synchronicity--a perfect storm of past interests meeting the struggle of a present that was casting a shadow of uncertainty over my future.  Out of work for several months, the image I now saw in the mirror was a man who didn't know what to do next.

        Following the advice of "write what you know", I decided to fall back on my experience in the entertainment and Halloween industries.  I did not want my writing to be a miasma of empty words so I strove for the highest quality writing of which I was capable.  

         My goal became posting daily with no lacuna.  Learning to pre-schedule solved the problem of missing blog posts during vacation times.  

          Did I risk causing readers to oscitate with boredom?   Sure--any blogger risks that, but with more experience I was learning.  I was beginning to feel like a writer and the blog was beginning to look more like a writing blog.

(200 Words)

        For the sake of clarification for those who might think the preceding is somewhat peculiar, this is my entry for the 2nd Campaign Challenge in Rachel Harrie's Platform Building Campaign.   The Challenge is as follows:  

Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:
  • include the word "imago" in the title
  • include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.
For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!
     I had to conform my post that I had scheduled for today to fit within the parameters of the challenge. That was okay since this post serves as an introduction to some posts that will be showing up over the next few weeks.  The upcoming posts are something I hinted at in a post earlier this month that dealt with changes that have been occurring on this blog and changes that may be yet to come.


      If you'd like to cast a vote for my entry please go to the Linky List and click "Like" for #56.


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72 comments:

  1. Nice entry. Still on the fence, if I will do this campaign. I'll stop by the linky list and give you a like.

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  2. Oops. I'm doing the campaign. I meant to type "challenge." Sigh. Time for bed.

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  3. I'd love to give you a like, but I don't know as I'll have the time. With upcoming deadlines and other stuff going on, it'll be difficult to participate in this challenge right now. Great post though and happy blogo-versary! Here's to many more of those. You are a pillar of the community.

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  4. I did not oscitate while reading this! Good job!
    Mine is #3.

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  5. Happy Blogiversary Lee, and great Challenge entry! I can't wait to hear more about your upcoming changes :)

    Hugs,

    Rach

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  6. Great post Lee, and I love the use of the words. Happy Blogoversary, too. Look forward to the posts.

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  7. Hi Lee .. great post and interesting that you were writing originally about the Halloween aspects of life - glad you changed!!

    Good luck with the challenge .. and am looking forward to seeing where you're going with your blogging life .. cheers for now .. Hilary

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  8. Such a strange way to debut in the blogging world, in a blog about Halloween. You've came a long way buddy, nice post.

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  9. Nice! I did not oscitate, once! Great job! Happy Blogoversary

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  10. You met every single criteria. Good for you. That can't have been easy.

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  11. Nice entry. And Happy Blogversary. It's been a pleasure reading your posts.

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  12. Happy Blogoversary!!! You did a great job with the challenge!
    Blessings, Joanne

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  13. Great entry. I 'liked' it. :) Off to pull up dictionary.com so I can get started on my entry. LOL

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  14. I didn't know you started as a Halloween blog. I'll have to look through your archives --I love that kind of stuff. As far as "write what you know," that's definitely what I'm doing now. I'm closing in on my 16th year as a buyer at a used book store. (Which is why I could rattle off books with Yeats-inspired titles without looking them up!)Congrats again!

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  15. Cool entry, lee, and Happy Blogiversary!!! Look forward to your upcoming changes :)

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  16. I'm new to your site, but it seems it must have been two wonderful years of blog posts! Congrats and a great way to enter the campaign challenge :)

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  17. Wow! Those are some words you had to fit in there! Nicely done. Going to vote now...

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  18. It is extremely interesting to me that this blog began as a Halloween blog. Lee, I've a book to recommend to you: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Makes-Holiday-Cultural-Halloween/dp/B000HWYYF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316786312&sr=8-1

    There are a ton of books on the cultural history of Halloween but this is the liveliest, best-written one I've found. I've read it more than once.

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  19. Is anyone else, besides me, going to admit that they don't know the definition of all of those words. :)

    Where's my dictionary!

    Just voted for you. Good Luck.

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  20. Happy Blogaversary! And really well done on making the post flow so well. It feels like a real post.
    Well done with the challenge, and good luck on the up and coming changes!

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  21. Happy blogoversary and nice link in with the second challenge! Good luck with all the changes!

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  22. Well, Happy Anniversary! That is so cool. It is need to learn more about you and your blog. That challenge looks like fun too.

    My blog will be 3 in November. I look at it in the old days and I was so proud at the time, but it has improved a lot since back then.

    Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by the other day.

    Kathy M.

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  23. Happy Blogoversary! And well done on getting all those words in for the Second Challenge. I'm still working on mine. Yikes! :)

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  24. Thanks for all the comments and votes so far.

    Kelly -- I had no idea that you had been at the bookstore for 16 years! Time does fly. Your references to Yeats were pretty impressive.

    Suze -- Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. Though I'll have to admit that I'm no huge fan of Halloween, but it was the industry that I was working in for so many years and I knew something about it.

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  25. Congratulations! And crap my entry is going to suck.

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  26. Bravo, sir. 200 words exactly. And other than a couple words seemed rather formal for a Friday morning, I didn't think it sounded odd at all. Interesting to learn about the beginnings of this blog. Hmm, curious about where its going to I'll click above.

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  27. Congrats on two years! Glad you stuck with it, I enjoy reading you! Good job on your 200 word entry! Very interesting, illuminating, and inspiring.

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  28. I'm impressed. Do you really post every day? Congrats on your blogaversary too! My challenge piece is #29

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  29. Thanks for the additional comments.

    Alex -- I'm sure you'll do fine.

    Bridget -- I only posted daily during my first year. I've cut back to three days since last fall except for during the April A to Z Challenge.

    Lee

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  30. Challenging challenge, LOL!

    You did a great job. Going to vote. :)

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  31. Halloween blog, huh? Nice submission. Those are some dang tough words.

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  32. >Did I risk causing readers to >oscitate with boredom?

    I dunno, Lee, but you shore sent a bunchuvus runnin' for a Thee-sor-is!

    LC

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  33. PS...

    I know it really would be a dictionary, but it was easier to play with the spelling of thesaurus...

    LC again

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  34. Happy Blogiversary Lee!!!! Time flies. Great entry also. I am not doing the challenge however I am going to pop over and see if I can vote for YOU!!!! BTW...I always enjoy your unique and fun posts. Thank you.

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  35. Well done, and Happy Blogiversary! I love Halloween, so that makes me want to go back to see if I can find those posts still.

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  36. I love the idea of a Halloween-related blog! On the first blog I ever did I had a pumpkin background year-round, but that was only because I couldn't figure out how to change it lol. I really liked your entry, I like the post-style. Good use of the words!

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  37. An ongoing thank-you to all who have commented (but where are my "Like" votes?--no problem). Your kind comments mean a great deal to me.

    Shannon -- The Halloween posts are still there. And if you skim through them until Halloween of that year I think you can see why I don't think I could have kept talking about Halloween all of the time. Well, I'm sure I could, but I didn't want to.

    Lee

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  38. What a cool, creative way to tie in the challenge with your blogoversary! (Happy one, by the way)

    Loved it! On my way over with the thumbs up.

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  39. Hi,

    Happy Blogoversary, and such a clever write-up in respect of required wordage! ;)

    best
    F

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  40. That's brilliant Lee. I was a bit confused so appreciated the explanation. I suspect when I have time, this is something I'd get addicted to!

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  41. Good job, Lee! I did a poem while you did a memoir of sorts. The differences in all the entries is amazing. ; )

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  42. I liked that bit of history! Happy 2nd Bloggy Anniversary, my friend!

    The Write Soil

    My entry is #50.

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  43. Way to incorporate Halloween into the challenge! ; )

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  44. Happy Blogoversary!

    Good job on working the challenge into the post! Wouldn't have even noticed the words if you hadn't highlighted them.

    Well done!

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  45. Happy Blogoversary Lee! I enjoyed this post very much! Great job!

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  46. Happy blogiversary! Great entry, too. I like that you wrote about your blog. I'm seeing so much diversity in how people are using these words.

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  47. Happy Blogiversary! You've done a really good job! Keep up the good work!

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  48. Congratulations Lee on your second anniversary!

    I'm always entertained by your writing. :)

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  49. Happiest Blogoversary. That is really awesome to hear how it all began. A Halloween blog, I guess I need to go back through the archives and check it out. I love Halloween. Great post with the difficult words. I will see if I can cast my vote. Your blog is always interesting and I love your stories. Have a great day!

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  50. Great entry!

    It's interesting to find out what people post on for this challenge, since it doesn't have to be a fiction piece; this is the first one I've read that's about a blog.

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  51. Happy Blogerversary! And great entry!

    All the best!

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  52. Very cool Arlee :)

    Happy blogversary.

    .......dhole

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  53. Thank you all for your kind comments and your votes.

    Lee

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  54. Very creative, Lee! VERY. Loved the way you handled the challenge. BRAVO!

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  55. Happy Blogiversary! Loved your inventive approach. An actual post. Brilliant.

    Great job, Arlee! :)

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  56. Love Halloween! And I like how you weaved these words through a regular, non-fiction blog post!

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  57. Wow, you used the words effortlessly. I'm impressed :)

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  58. Happy blogiversary! What a way to celebrate. I agree - you made it look effortless.

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  59. Ha! And you called my post sly, LOL. Great job working those challenge words in :)

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  60. Congratulations! Great use of the words. Didn't make me oscitate at all!

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  61. Ooh, happy blogiversary! That must have been quite a challenge to try and relate every post to Halloween...

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  62. Very clever, and great use of the chosen words!

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  63. Congratulations on your blogoversary! Yeah! I loved how you worked the challenge into your daily post.

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  64. Happy Blogoversary Mr. A to Z !
    Very informative post !
    My entry at no.#185

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  65. I believe in the major synchronicity of signing up for this campaign. I'm having a blast reading all the micro fiction and experiencing talent overload writes. It has been a real eye opener. There are a wicked amount of great writers running loose and writing readable fiction and poetry.

    Creative use of the required words. It is a micro fiction all of us can identify with.

    Great job.

    #188

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  66. I hope you enjoyed your blogiversary. :) Nice post that tied in very well with your theme.

    #189

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Lee