I love to write. It’s so fun. Creating a story, whole worlds sometimes out of nowhere, just using words. Lines and squiggly things — letters — put together to make words. It’s kind of amazing… and weird. And ridiculous.

And often really hard.

Hm… I hate to write sometimes. When I’m racking my brain to come up with a plot or just something interesting to say. Writing is all well and good, but you have to write something worth reading, right? But lots of people have different ideas as to what is worth reading. Heck, I don’t even know why I read what I read sometimes. I guess if it’s something that someone is willing to stare at until all the words run out, then it was worth writing, right?

Do I have something to say? Well, yeah… I mean, maybe not always some amazing truth or some passionate cause or occurrence that I feel really needs to be expressed, that might really resonate with a reader or whatever. But just thinking something is funny or wacky or might make someone laugh, maybe brighten their day — that is worth it, too, right?

Of course, after writing one has to get the story in front of the eyes that will be doing the reading. The internet, blogs like this one and whatnot, has made that much easier. Still not effortless, though. I used to think that being published in print was the end goal. If I write something that some company is willing to put on paper and bind together and make into a book — boom. Success! I’m done!

Not true. Sure, some writers reach a certain point when the publisher or an agency or magical fairies will take care of the getting the work out to the readers for them, but that’s rare. And even then, lots of authors blog and Tweet and set up interviews and appearances and tour on their own to let people know their work is out.

I guess it’s never as simple as just writing until I hit “the end” and then that’s it.

Honestly, this has become the hard part. How do I get the word out effectively without becoming a pest? And might all this time talking, blogging, Tweeting, Friendstering (I kid) about my writing be best spent actually writing new stories?

It’s all so confusing. Hm… and perhaps not worth writing about, really. Oops.

Writing… freaking writing. Crap. I just can’t help it.

Mirrored from djkirkbride.com.

Tags: bloggy stuff., confusion, d.j. versus the world., writing, writing.

We're gearing up for a couple of major releases over the next few weeks, so there's not much in the way of bug fixes or product announcements this week (other than our spiffed up news template). We promise to have exciting "real news" for you very soon! In the meantime, Frank is so grateful that he can count on you that he'd like you to count on him too! To celebrate his freedom from ice-skating (both viewing and participating), his good friend, Sheldon, suggested we honor the Figure 8! If at least two elements of your birthday (month + day; day + year; month + day + year; etc.) add up to 8, Frank'll glide you over a pair of skates. In other words, if you were born on May 3rd (5+3), bazinga! If you were born on April Fools, 1992 (4+1+1+9+9+2=26; 2+6=8), double bazinga!! Creative calculations are most welcome. Let the math festivities begin!
Stuff you should know We received a number of wonderful suggestions for our next charitable vgift drive. You can help us select a nonprofit by voting in our poll, which we'll keep open until Monday, March 8th, at noon, PST. Keep in mind that some of these organizations (including Doctors without Borders) are supporting emergency care in Chile. Thanks to a user suggestion, we're offering a Help_Chile charitable vgift. Priced at $9.99, we'll donate all proceeds (we'll cover credit card fees) to support relief efforts in Chile. Remember that whenever you receive $10 in vgifts (rounded up) within a two-week period, you get two months of paid account time. A heartfelt shout out to help_chile for creating a UNICEF support page for LiveJournal. All proceeds raised will benefit Help_Chile LiveJournal on UNICEF. Be sure to tell us about other communities that are making a difference in the comments below!
Head[er]s up! Color us dazzled. We loved each and every one of your March header designs. That's why we're so relieved that we don't have to choose a winner ourselves. Please check out our March header poll and let us know which design you'd like to see on the top of LiveJournal up through the first week of April. The polls stay open until Monday, March 8th, at noon, PST. You can start posting April headers (900x90 pixels) now through the end of the month at ljnewscontests. From flower power to April showers, let your imagination run wild (just keep it youth-friendly). The winner will receive an annual paid account credit (which you can keep or give to a friend). We'll award all other participants who submit one or more valid entries one month of paid time (which you can also give to a friend if you'd like). We thank you for sharing your talent and creativity! For this week's winning photo and more adventures with Frank & Meme, we'll catch you under the cut! ( Read more... )

Tags: charitable vgift poll, chile, frank & meme, march header contest

So... I've never done anything like this before so please be kind!! :) *iz a noob* I also couldn't decide on what theme to go with, and since RL's not so hot right now and I welcomed the distraction there's 3 different headers to choose from... Enjoy!! *fingers crossed*

( Right this way... )

♥ Angie

Current Mood: tired

ljgenie
Do you have a burning question that requires extraordinary insight and diplomacy? You've come to the right place. No matter if you're having trouble with a boundary-less roommate, a back-stabbing coworker, or an unresponsive agent representing your debut novel, simply post your detailed query, and magical help is on the way.

Tags: ljgenie

booju_mooju
For parents and parents-to-be, little questions, like whether to use cloth or disposable diapers or the going rate of allowance for high schoolers, can inspire lively debate. If you have a parenting dilemma that warrants discussion, bring it! From baby food to video gaming, you can meet, and gain wisdom from, other folks who are tackling the same issues. And, if you're a teen, first-hand insight is especially welcome.

Tags: booju_mooju

ontdcreepy
A relatively new spin-off of the ever-popular ohnotheydidnt, this community found its inspiration in the under-representation of creepy posts. If you're a fan of urban legends, paranormal activities, and eerily disturbing images, you've found a new hang-out. Posts range from personal stories to odd pictures that highlight supernatural or unexplained phenomena. Be forewarned: It's weirdly addictive.

Tags: ontdcreepy

I didn't put the LJ logo on it, because I figured LJ would do it themselves for whatever entry that won. I don't expect mine to, but I don't care. I entered for fun. (:

( Here's my entry. )

Greetings from Moldova!
The first day of spring in our country - is always a holiday!
( Celebration of Spring in Moldova )

I did post this, but I went to edit the post and accidentally deleted it. These things happen. So I'm posting it again.

( Frank enjoys spring )

Just a quick one to help get the ball rolling.  Fairly sure changing the logo to another color isn't allowed though.  I can always change it later.

( Read more... )