What Does "Manhattan" Say To You?

Photo by: Clément Bardot  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Today I want to try something a bit different.  This will mostly require your help.  I'll explain my plan and let you take it from there if you're willing to do so.

        What I'm referring to is a future project here at Tossing It Out.  Bear with me--I assure you that there is some semblance of method to my madness all to be revealed at a later date.  The success of the outcome of this project will depend to some extent on your response to what I'm asking.  If there is no or not enough response from my readers then I'll be on my own.   Either way this project will happen with or without you.

          It's simple really.   Or complex if you'd like to go in that direction.  It's free form.  Or structured if that is what you prefer.  It's now--or it's later if you need some time to think.  We've got some time.  This project will occur in a few months, but I hope to get most of my input before then so I can organize everything properly.

          Are you ready?  Here it is:

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Manhattan"?

           It's a word like a magic breath.  For some it invokes a place or even a history.  Or is it more than that to you?  Maybe it's something rather than someplace.  I want to hear your story about "Manhattan".  Perhaps you can write a story with "Manhattan" as the theme.  Or write a poem--Manhattan is a poetic sounding word don't you think?  Simply give me your impression of the word as a vision appears in your mind inspired by that word.

          Leave your thoughts in the comment section if they aren't too long.  Write a post on your own blog and send me the link to it.  If you've already done a Manhattan themed post sometime in the past then send me the link to that.  Write me a guest post that I can use when my project begins to appear.


           I'll use anything you provide me in the comment section or that you send me otherwise.  Once I have all comments and other contributions assembled, they will appear on Tossing It Out as a special event series over many days and I will link to your blog or use other links that you'd like me to use.   You can consider my request to be a prompt to be used for a writing exercise, a challenge, or an opportunity to get your blog link and name out to a wider audience.

           So send me something if you'd like.  My email can be found in the "Post a Comment" disclaimer section below.  Or leave your comment with your word association based on "Manhattan".   If you even just leave me a sentence in reference to "Manhattan", I'll turn it into a complete post and give you credit for it.   I want to hear about "Manhattan".   Tell me something, anything and you will have a future spot in my special project.

            Daft--perhaps.  I may have to make this up as I go.   Hope you'll make this easier for me by providing me inspiration from your mind.



           

Taking My Own Advice: A New Theme for Wednesday

Lisa Loring as Wednesday in The Addams Family original series. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

          Coming this Wednesday I'm going to start offering a new theme for Wednesdays.  Actually I've already begun this series with my last Wednesday post Suggestions to Improve Your Blog in which I responded to a question sent to me by blogger Daron Henson.

           In my reply to Daron I suggested that he might consider offering regular themed posts.   This is something I've been doing for quite some time now.  I fallen away from the theme-per-day format to some extent although I have been fairly faithful to maintaining certain thematic content.

          My Wednesday content for a trial run will involve my blog acting as a help or advice column in a sense.   Call it "Ask Arlee" or what you will--I'm open to any suggestions you readers might have on what to call it or if it needs a theme name at all.

          This is actually nothing new for me as in the past I have often answered questions or offered any help I was able to give others.   Some recent emails and requests in my blog comments have asked me some questions that inspired answers that have turned into blog posts.  Now I will present some of these that are still filling up my blog composition reserve and answers to anything else you think I might have an answer for.

        What qualifies me to do this?   Not much more than my abilities to analyze situations and solve problems.   I'm not a doctor, psychology specialist, auto mechanic, or computer wizard.   Don't expect anything too technical from me.  If I have no idea I might just try to be funny.  Yeah, that could be a real flop.

        After 35 years in the field of management I think I do know a few things about solving problems.   I might have good answers and I might not.  Best of all though will be the answers you will provide in my comment section.

         That's right--this is not about my brilliance, but about the genius of my readers.   You are some of the best in what you do.  Don't discount your abilities.   We all have something special to offer.  Today you may be asking the question, but tomorrow you might be the one with the answers.

         Ask, receive, and give back when you can.  It's the beauty of what we do here in the realm of bloggers.   This will be another Tossing It Out experiment.   Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.  They are always worth trying.

         Do you have anything you need help with?    Do you have a problem you'd like solved?   Do you think this series needs a name?   Could this potentially be considered a controversial post?

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I Don't Know What to Blog About

          It's the end of another summer, which means I'm coming to the end of my Hijack This Blog! experiment.  I'll have more to reflect on about my summer campaign as well as a look at some of the changes I'm pondering for the future of Tossing It Out, but you'll have to come back next Friday for those thoughts.  Before that though we'll be closing with a bang with special Hijack! posts from Stephen Tremp on Monday and Captain Alex J Cavanaugh on Wednesday.   I still have a few more guest posts coming in October and November, but mostly it will be back to good ol' me.  

           Today's post is an expansion of a comment I left on a blog a couple weeks ago.  It's nothing new.  In fact this post relates to an oft-cited problem that's been around since people decided they needed to be writers.  I'm talking about that age old problem of "Writer's Block".   I've written about the topic before and so have many of you.   But I guess it's a subject that never really gets old and the blog post that inspired my comment just got me kind of fired up.  I hear this unnecessary lament so often and I don't know why.

          Some of you will go through those dry periods that you label "Writer's Block", but really now, there's no good reason to be crying this excuse when it comes to blogging.   Here's my reply to those who try to justify some other problem with the lame claim of not knowing what to write about.

An Open Letter to Bloggers Who Don't Know 

The discouraged Nenene suffering from writer's block continues to lament the disappearance of Yomiko (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What to Write About:

Lacking inspiration eh?  Hmmm--you call yourself a writer in training so why not just write about anything.  Topics are everywhere. Once I was trying to think of something to write about on my blog so I just looked at my desk to write about the first thing I saw.

I ended up writing a post about my stapler. I started coming up with so much content I eventually had to stop writing about it.  What I did was studied the stapler and started writing about everything my mind free-associated with about that common office supply product--how it felt, what it could be used for, where it was made, the name of the company that made it, and so on.

You likewise should just write.  What's your day like?  Who was an interesting person you've met or known in your life?  Do you have any hobbies?--talk about one of them.  Topics are everywhere and you don't have to write very long posts about them.  Just write something pithy that you can try to relate to something meaningful, but if you don't, no matter.  Blogging makes for great writing experimentation for any writer in training.

If you are a writer at heart, once you start writing it will probably be more of an issue of getting you to shut up.  Then it will too late.  You will no longer be "in training".  You will be a real bonafide writer.

And don't forget to read other blogs and leave comments. I've gotten some great training by leaving comments and I'm writing when I do it.  Plus I get ideas for my own blog posts by reading other blogs and commenting on them.

Sorry for this ramble, but I can't help it. I'm a writer and I want to see you attain your dreams.  If you want to write, I want to see you write.  When I see you write, I want to be inspired to write more.  Writing inspiration should never dry up.  Your mind is like a muscle that must be exercised to stay in shape.

If you're going to blog, then be consistent and crank out content.  Blogging is not the same as writing a book, but it's good training for writing a book.   Blogging can be good training for writing just about anything.   You might think of it like those essay questions on high school or college exams.  To make a decent grade you have to come up with content in the best presentable way you can muster.   No teacher or professor is going to accept the excuse of "Writer's Block".    And I don't think it's an acceptable excuse for any blogger.

Whether you call it "Writer's Block" or just say you don't know what to write about, please don't ever use that excuse as a blog post entry.   If you truly want to write, then you will write.   If you don't feel like writing then that's something else that doesn't have a whole lot to do with your ability to write.  Just come out and admit that you don't feel like writing for the time being.  Go for a walk, watch television, sleep, read, or whatever helps you feel better.

 Then, after you've taken your break, you should have something to write about.  If you don't, then maybe writing is not really something you want to do.

          Do you think "writer's block" is a good excuse for bloggers to use?   Have you ever written a blog post telling about how you didn't have anything to write about?    What are some things that provide inspiration for your blog posts?

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Tossing Out Some Ideas

        Halloween is just a week away.  I will continue on my Halloween theme over the course of the upcoming week.  I hope that some of you have found my thoughts so far to be of some interest.  I haven't heard anything to the contrary, but I have had some good comments and I thank all of those readers who have contributed.  Please keep those comments coming and don't be afraid to disagree if that's really what you think.  And if you just want to start a debate that would be fine too.

         That is the main point of my post for today.  I would like feedback.  What subjects would you like to see discussed in this blog?  I have looked over hundreds of blogs and have seen a number of different approaches, styles, topics, and agendas. Often the bloggers will just do a handful of entries and then just quit.  Others haven't posted in a year or more.  I hope that's not where this blog will end up as I have tried to remain diligent in my posting and attempted to have content of quality. But I do need some help from any readers to guide me and some encouragement in just knowing that someone is reading.

          Through the month of November you can expect to hear progress updates about my novel writing experience with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and any ideas I may come up with about the experience or writing in general.  Many other blogs will be dealing with the same topic.  Over 100,000 writers are expected to participate and many of these writers have blogs.  If you are an NaNoWriMo participant be sure to check here often for some of my thoughts and respond with yours as well.

           I hope to line up some other interviews and features besides the ones I mentioned last Saturday .  Topics will include music, real estate, and travel.  I will also be looking at some of the interesting hobbies that people have.  I want to inform you and entertain you, so if you have a special interest let me know.  I want this to be your blog as well as my blog. Let's make this a forum for, um, well, you and us!  Oh, and I welcome puns, good and bad, and anything that can put a smile on our faces.  And on that note I'll b-logging off for today.