Wanna Learn Some Stuff?

One of my resolutions for 2013 was to learn something new.  Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for.  This past year has been full of life lessons, mistakes, and do-overs.  I am grateful for all of the learning I’ve done this year, and grateful for the teachers.

I’d like to share two sites in case you’d like to learn some groovy stuff too.  The author is the same for both, and she is a wealth of information.  Stop by, learn, and enjoy!

Farm at Coventry

Homestead Herbalism

 

Social Media and the Age of Aquarius

A reluctant user to begin with, I am becoming even less of a fan of social media. 

I know that writers are supposed to have blogs and Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.  I know that self-promotion is part of the deal if you want people to buy your stuff.  But all the “look at me” stuff is difficult for me to take.

I was dismayed to see that “selfie” was recently chosen as the Word of the Year.  Bluh. . . .   Are we all really THAT self-absorbed?

As I am wont to do, I tried to put things into astrological terms.  Social media is very much a child of the Aquarian Age.  Aquarius rules all things social and all things electronic.  It is the symbol for friendships and groups and intellectual exchange.

So maybe we humans are just trying to figure out who we are collectively.  Maybe all this navel gazing is our way of understanding how each of us individuals fits into the group, which is, after all, a big part of what Aquarius means.

But we should also remember that Leo is the other side of the Aquarian coin.  Some of the challenging aspects of Leo include self-centeredness, arrogance, childishness, and look-at-me-ness.

Perhaps we humans just have a need to be a bit egocentric on our way to becoming evolved and enlightened.  After all, how can we know the creature we are trying to improve unless we examine it closely?

For me, I am going to try to fuse the best of Aquarius and the best of Leo:  social awareness (Aquarius) with a heart (Leo).  Unless it comes from the heart, I’m not putting it out there.

What do you think about social media? 

 

Bloodthirsty Friday Fun!

Happy Birthday, Bram Stoker!  On this day in 1847, the creator of Dracula was born, and so for today’s writing prompt, why not imagine your own dark creature?

Describe your character, his flaws, his wants, his dreams, his motivation.  Have fun coming up with eye color, personality quirks, daily habits.  What does she keep in her pants pockets?  What would you always find in her bag?

Stick your neck out a little, and write a great character!

NaNoWriMo Friday Fun

Happy National Novel Writing Month!

NaNoWriMo challenges you to write 50,000 words during the month of November. . . in other words, write a novel!  You can get all the scoop here:  http://nanowrimo.org/about

In honor of this project, today’s Friday Fun challenges you to write your first 100 words.  No thinking!  Just write!

Pencils up!

Image used courtesy of National Novel Writing Month