by Suzanne Stengl | Mar 3, 2015 | Writing
I’ve been blogging weekly since March 5, 2011, and this is my 210th post. That’s four years of Tuesday Café blog posts.
My very first post was on a Saturday, but the second one was on a Tuesday. That’s why I started calling my blog Tuesday Café. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but I wanted a name—something other than “Suzanne’s Blog”—and there you have it.
Now I’ve decided I’m not going to be as structured. I’ll probably still blog weekly, but it doesn’t have to be on a Tuesday. And I’m renaming the blog, The Chimes Café—a name I got from a café in one of my Story Worlds.
Four years ago, I was only beginning this writing journey. I’ve learned a bit since then and I want to share some of that with you now.
Ten Things I’ve Learned Along The Way
1. Be committed
It’s not gonna happen magically. There are no elves that sit down at my keyboard and do it while I sleep. I need to show up. Ninety percent of anything is showing up. We’ve all heard the “10% inspiration, 90% perspiration” rule. So set some kind of schedule and stick to it.
2. Be realistic
I can’t commit to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s hard to commit to 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Some weeks it’s just not going to happen. But that’s no reason to throw in the towel. I will keep coming back, until the current book is done. And then I will start the next one.
3. Be prepared
I know for sure that writing “The End” is only the beginning. Then there’s the editing, the proofing, the formatting, the cover choices, the quest for reviews. All of it takes longer than you thought it would.
4. Stay hydrated
Having water bottles in the middle of the hall reminds me to take sips all day long.
5. Stay flexible
Do a cobra stretch every hour to avoid Hunched-Over-Keyboard Syndrome.
6. Treat yourself
Have a cupcake. Have a cupcake with a candle on it. Celebrate something. Every one thousand words needs a cupcake.
7. Have a writing buddy
Report your word count daily. This does not have to be elaborate. Keep it simple. Something like this:
Subject line: report
Body of email: 129 words
8. Go for long walks, alone
Give the muse a break.
Breathe in the fresh air.
If it’s raining, carry an umbrella.
If the sidewalks are icy where you live, go skiing.
9. Have fun
Sure, writing is a business, but it needs to be fun if you’re going to stay in it for the long haul. If you don’t enjoy those long, lonely hours at the keyboard, do something else. Take up knitting, or learn French, or try skydiving.
10. Begin
It takes a long time to learn the Craft, and you’ll always be learning it. Part of the learning is the apprenticeship. You learn by doing.
Many writers think they need to read one more craft book, need to take one more course. But reading craft books does not equal writing. You’re already good enough. Start writing. Practice. It’s not set in stone. It can always be edited later.
Do you have any writing tips you’d like to pass along?
What do you think of The Chimes Café for a blog name?
Do you like cupcakes? With candles?
Do you let your candles burn all the way down to the icing?
Cupcake from iStockphoto.com #000012620129
keyboard from iStockphoto.com #000007155263
water bottle from iStockphoto.com #000007155263
yoga cobra from bigstockphoto.com #7947064
lots of cupcakes from photos.com #114302447
long walk from photos.com #137398544
skydiving from iStockphoto.com #000016403632
pen from iStockphoto.com #000014549265
by Suzanne Stengl | Mar 4, 2014 | Miscellaneous Moments
My Tuesday Café blog is three years old!
It started on Blogger in March 2011. Last Christmas, I moved it to WordPress. Even though WP has been harder to learn, I am enjoying the flexibility of this platform. Plus, I can make the pictures SO MUCH BIGGER. Like these cupcakes:
I know you’re all wondering what to get my blog for its third blogiversary. I expect it’s the same as any anniversary. The third year is traditionally leather. Such as my Oberon Ereader cover.
Don’t like Traditional? That’s all right. For modern times, it’s crystal and glass. Wine glasses and prisms.
Yes, I’d like prisms. Thank you very much!
And for you, I have a gift . . .
My sweet romance / coming-of-age ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING is currently free on Amazon until midnight on Thursday.
So, have a cupcake. Pour the coffee. Sit back and relax. And thanks for stopping by on my Third Blogiversary 🙂
cupcake and candles from photos.com #96928921
rose cupcakes from photos.com #114302447
prism from photos.com #179275767
by Suzanne Stengl | Mar 5, 2013 | Miscellaneous Moments
The year has passed quickly. I still feel like my little blog is in its infancy . . . well, it is, since it’s only Two.
In this past year, I’ve put up a short post every Tuesday. Sometimes, it’s a longer post. Next week, it will be a Survey.
What do I get out of doing this? A deadline. A little writing. Some chatting with fellow bloggers. And pure and simple fun.
Since it’s my Second Blogiversary, I know what you’re thinking. You know that the Traditional Gift for a Second Blogiversary is COTTON.
So what’s it gonna be? Towels, aprons, oven mitts? Or maybe you were thinking some of those pretty cotton roses . . .
My favourite piece of cotton is a hammock, and here I am in Vilcabamba.
If you were having a “cotton” anniversary, what would you want?
cupcake from iStockPhoto.com #000002992027
cotton from photos.com #80408292
hammock from the barista
by Suzanne Stengl | Jan 22, 2013 | Miscellaneous Moments
This is my Blog Centennial. My Number 100 post. When I started this blog on March 5, 2011, I had no idea I’d get this far. Since then I’ve done a blog every Tuesday, including:
- 21 with “You Tube” references
- 19 entries about Bandit Creek (11 showcasing books from the Bandit Creek series)
- 6 recipes
- a bunch of writing related how-to articles
- a movie review
- a handful of travel posts
- and 22 Miscellaneous Moments
And you know what? It feels kind of awesome. And that’s why we’re having cake today.
Lately, at the end of Aquafit class, my instructor has been reading us a couple of entries from
The Book of Awesome. Like this one:
“It’s awesome when you become a regular at something.”
I have become a regular at Aquafit, and I have become a regular here. I occasionally hang out with the WANA112 Facebook group and on Twitter. I haven’t quite perfected showing up at the writing desk every single morning, but I do it fairly often.
The funny thing about setting this goal to blog every Tuesday is that I never quite know what I’m going to write about. It’s just Monday night and I think, hey! Tuesday tomorrow. Better write something. I wonder what?
And now after doing this 100 times, the question is: to continue or not to continue. Check back next Tuesday and see if I’m here. It’ll be a surprise for both of us.
Are you a regular at anything?
(cake from photos.com #133429251)
by Suzanne Stengl | Mar 6, 2012 | Miscellaneous Moments
I started this blog on Saturday March 5, 2011. My second entry was on Tuesday March 8, while I was sipping a latte and trying to come up with a “name” for my blog. I chose Tuesday Café because, well, it was Tuesday and this was coffee.
Since then I’ve posted every Tuesday. This is my 54th post.
Starting in January of this year, I took Kristen Lamb’s Social Media course which covers not only blogging but other Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. I’m learning.
One of the things I’ve learned is that “Tuesday Café” is really a log line, or at least it should be.
According to Kristen Lamb the log line gives you a feel for what the blog is about. The idea is that log lines should be able to grow, as the blogger grows.
So, notice up there where it says Tuesday Café? It’s supposed to say Suzanne Stengl or Suzanne Stengl’s Blog. And the words in smaller font that say:
Suzanne Stengl . . . thoughts on writing, and miscellaneous moments
That’s my “sort of” log line, and I’ve got it reversed. My name should come first. Although when I google my name, I still come up on the first several pages . . .
But, will my blog readers start to think of me as Tuesday Café and never get familiar with Suzanne Stengl? In this second year of my blog, is it time for a change? What if I suddenly become allergic to coffee?
So I may change the “name” of this blog from Tuesday Café to Suzanne Stengl. And if I do, I may change the log line that follows in the little font as well.
In the Social Media class, Kristen Lamb suggested these log lines for me:
Suzanne Stengl’s Blog–Solace By the Sea
Suzanne Stengl’s Blog–A Room in My Heart
Suzanne Stengl’s Blog–Going the Distance
Suzanne Stengl’s Blog–The Secret of Life
Suzanne Stengl’s Blog–To Catch a Falling Star
I like them all. And I like Tuesday Café . . .
What do you think? Care to vote?
cupcake from istockphoto.com #0000109506
