Tag Archives: blogging

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This is post #17 in a series of reflections on spirituality and living that fellow blogger, Jason, has been posting every Monday. Each post relates to a letter of the alphabet. Who knew that “Q” could generate such a useful series of thoughts that are both timely and timeless? – Morgan

Jason E. Marshall's avatarLiving In The Now

This is my seventeenth post in a series, where each Monday (if possible) I will post about a point of reflection or insight that I will use to reflect and meditate on during the week. In order to make it a bit more focused and interesting, I will attempt to do this with topics beginning with letters from A to Z. I have often found that having a specific topic to reflect and/or meditate on during the week really lends itself to interesting insights and growth, because you not only have several days to reflect and meditate on the topic, but you have several days to put any lessons and insights that you discover to work in your every day life. For those that follow me on Twitter (@JasonLivingNow) I will try to write updates as the weekly topics come up during meditations, moments of reflection, or just during everyday…

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Quite a few writers I know follow Kristen Lamb’s blog. She writes extensively about blogging, publishing, and the nuts and bolts of being an indie author.

Now, in response to the copyright lawsuit filed against Roni Loren (http://wp.me/pYql4-2fA), Kristen is using her organization, WANA (We are not alone) to create another source of copyright free images – the WANA Commons. Best of all, everyone is invited to contribute. Here’s a chance to give back to the blogging community, upload your own visual art to an appreciative audience, and strike (as the Jefferson Starship put it a long time ago) blows against the empire! Please check out Kristen’s post – to me, this is a very exciting project! – Morgan

Author Kristen Lamb's avatarKristen Lamb's Blog

First of all, I want you guys to know that I MISSED YOU! July was a whirlwind month for sure and reminded me of the days when I used to be on the road for sales. Wandering out of bed in the night to go to the bathroom, yet suddenly realizing you’re in a coat closet. Fun stuff!

We will talk about LA another day, because I have a GIFT for you guys. I KNOW! Another one? Hey, y’all are like my kids, and I’m a terrible mother because I dig spoiling every last one of you. Here, have some cake.

Most of you guys know I am all about writers blogging. Blogging plays to our strengths. Blogs are far less volatile than other types of social media. Twitter might be gone in a couple years, and Facebook could implode, but blogs will likely remain. This makes them one of…

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A warning about copyrights

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Yesterday, friend and author, Amy Rogers, sent me a link to a recent account by a blogger who was sued after posting a copyrighted photograph.  In this case, attribution and a willingness to take down the image were not enough.  The photographer demanded compensation – “a significant chunk of money” – for the use of the photo over several week’s time.

Anyone who grabs or has grabbed pictures from Google images or related sources should read blogger, Roni Loren’s story. http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/7/20/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.html

As I first read through the post, my thought was, “that’s nasty,” with a head shake for the litigious society we live in.  Then, as I scrolled through the comments, I saw several photographers say they were sick of seeing their images used without permission.  Regardless of anyone’s opinion, this is how it is.

Fortunately, Roni Loren provides some good info and links on finding millions of pictures that are okay to use.  Two sites in particular are Wikipedia Commons and Creative Commons.  Here is an exceptional article by Megan Ward on finding photos on Creative Commons and what the various usage codes mean.

http://meghanward.com/blog/2012/06/21/where-to-get-photos-for-your-blog/

I used Ward’s guidelines to search for replacements for several landscape photos in an earlier post, and found 60 nice ones to choose from, licensed by the artists to Creative Commons, with simple conditions like attribution and links to a website.

The first link given above, to Roni Loren’s article, references  a Wikipedia article on public domain, with websites for literally millions of images bloggers are free to use, arranged in dozens of categories.  I clicked on one link of public domain photos from WWI, and was pleased to recognize the site I had used for an earlier post on the Christmas Truce.  In general, copyrights are time limited, but research is necessary.

I had already learned to read the fine print in books I set out to review.  Some allow you to quote small sections for review purposes and some do not.  This is a similar exercise and one that is clearly just as important.

Many thanks to Amy for bringing this to my attention, and to Roni Loren for sharing her painful experience.  She urged other bloggers to pass it on, so consider doing so.

Happy Belated Birthday!

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June 28 was the second anniversary of this blog, and I forgot about it until yesterday.  I’ve been preoccupied with offline things.

An out of town series of Tibetan teachings involves a lot of driving as well as study and practice.  The special needs of a very elderly dog (who is doing better for now) takes time and energy.  A neighbor and I were splitting large tree trunks when the rented splitter conked out, and we have to get back to it this week.  Most recently, Mary and I have been discussing a possible trip to Iceland (that’s Iceland not Ireland), with a small group of storytellers in late September.  You’re sure to hear more if it pans out.

A year ago, I appear to have been a more contentious blogger.  I wrote a summary of my experiences at the one year anniversary that made Freshly Pressed: http://wp.me/pYql4-10O.  One thing I mentioned then still happens – I post something and get up thinking,”That’s it.  I’ve run out of things to say.  It was a nice run while it lasted.”

On other occasions, I’ll read an older post and wonder, “What on earthwas I thinking?”

My rule of thumb for such moments is, “Don’t sweat it.”  A few days go by, and I get caught up in another idea.  Now I even know what my mission statement is, though I give myself permission to ignore it when necessary:

“To explore the reality in all fantasies and the fantasy in realities.”

One more thing hasn’t changed – readers keep me going.  People who visit and leave a comment, who point out a flaw or something they like, make it all worthwhile and keep me going.

Thank you very much!!!

Michael Meade on Genius

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We all know what genius means in the modern sense of the word:  people like Einstein, Shakespeare, Leonardo, and Beethoven.  As far as I know, the image of the solitary genius, often suffering and at odds with the culture, is an artifact of the romantic era.  The word and original concept came from Rome, where it meant something else.

“In ancient Roman religion, the genius was the individual instance of a general divine nature that is present in every individual person, place, or thing.  The rational powers and abilities of each and every human being were attributed to his soul, which was a genius.” Wikipedia.  

The Three Graces – Pompeii fresco

In his blog on the Huffington post, Michael Meade has started a series on genius that delves into this classical meaning. Meade says:

“Genius involves deeply subjective qualities and an inner pattern that marks each person as unique in some way and genius tries to leave that mark on the world. Since the genius in a person is ageless it can awaken at almost any age.”

He then adds,

“An old Greek word for happiness translates as having a satisfied genius. Recognizing and following the promptings of one’s inner-genius can be one of the most fulfilling experiences of life even if all else has been reduced to garbage and scraps.”

Michael Meade

In these terms, genius has little to do with most of our cultural assumptions about the word, like IQ, conventional success, or 15 minutes of fame.  It is more like what we mean when we speak of “marching to one’s own drummer.”

I invite everyone to read Meade’s post and watch for the next in his series which will focus on “the genius zone.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-meade-dhl/genius-fame_b_1563235.html

Regulating Bloggers?

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Disclaimer: I certify that I have received no financial renumeration, goods, or services for the content of this post.

I know you’re all shocked that the superPacs have yet to contact me, but under a proposal before the California Fair Political Practices Commission, bloggers expressing political opinions might have to insert such a disclaimer.  Last Thursday, FPPC chairwoman, Ann Ravel, announced plans to make such disclosure “suggested” for this November’s elections, and mandatory thereafter.  http://tinyurl.com/773olq2

This stirs up many questions, the first and foremost being, why?  Why focus on bloggers when we all know victory in this election will cost hundreds of millions of SuperPac dollars?  For attack adds on TV, not a few hundred blog posts.

The current FCC push to force TV stations to post the sponsors of political adds is news.  A district court decision to allow superPacs to solicit political add time on PBS stations is news.  The fact that bloggers post their opinions is not.

I believe some politicians cannot abide a medium that is beyond their control, and political blogging is a macguffin as defined in Neal Gabler’s marvelous book, Life, the Movie (look under Book Reviews here for more info). Gabler writes:

“It was with Kennedy in mind that Norman Mailer in 1960 prophesied that ‘America’s politics would now be also America’s favorite movie’…Candidates were the putative stars, the primaries open costing calls, the campaign was an audition, and the election itself the selection of the lead, while the handlers served as drama coaches, scriptwriters, and directors.  As for substantive issues, though they couldn’t be purged entirely, they largely became what film director Alfred Hitchcock…once called macguffins-that is, they were the excuse for setting the whole process in motion though they have virtually no intrinsic value.”

That helps me understand why Ms Ravel would float such a silly proposal.  How would the California FPPC try to regulate bloggers living out of state?  How much money would I have to rake in to be required to disclose?  Five dollars?  Fifty?  Five-hundred (I wish)?  Will twitter or Facebook users have to disclose as well?  What about book reviews?  Will I have to disclose which publishers are buying my pearls of wisdom?  What about lucrative Hollywood kickbacks for my movie reviews?

I think this proposal is a bluff intended to float the notion that bloggers need to be regulated, a move toward the slippery slope of controlling what we can and cannot say.  This being America, the pols still have to tie such actions to some concept of “fairness,” although here it’s pretty thin.  To go after bloggers who might somehow make a buck when Citizens United rules the day is like meeting a Martian invasion with mosquito spray.

But now it’s time for a quick commercial break:

Come on, SuperPacs, make me an offer!  Show me the money!  This space for sale!  Get it while you can!  Bargain prices!  Show me the money!  Will write for loot.  Everyone has their price.  Show me the money!  Did I say that already?  Try me out!

Call me….

Versatile Blogger(s)

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Thanks very much to JT, who blogs at Food4thoughtFood4life, http://food4thoughtfood4life.wordpress.com/, for presenting me with the Versatile Blogger Award.  (Queue up the sound track of applause and cries of, “Speech,” “Speech,” which I modestly decline).

The thing about this award is, there’s homework.  Luckily, it’s fun homework.  Section one is multiple choice:  I pass on the award to other bloggers.  I’ve chosen blogs that, (1) I follow and read on a regular basis, and (2)  do not already display the Versatile Blogger Award.  Check them out:

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Reviews and Ramblings:  http://blizzerd03.wordpress.com/
“Book reviews and whatever else I feel like talking about,” says Adam of his blog. He’s a voracious reader with a bent toward fantasy novels, but when he ventures off topic, you find he is articulate and learned in a host of different subjects.

Lily Wight: http://lilywight.com/
A blog I have just started to follow, by an author with a great depth of knowledge of old fairy lore and contemporary retellings.  The artwork on her blog alone is worth a visit.

Albert Bert’s Unsanity Files: http://unsanityfiles.wordpress.com/
A lot of flash fiction and bizarro book and movie reviews, and sometimes some real zingers. One of Albert’s posts caught me right where I was last December, and helped shift some attitudes and priorities significantly.  I haven’t posted about it yet, but I will.

Jayde Scott: http://jayde-scott.blogspot.com/
A fun blog on fantasy by Jayde Scott, an indie author in London whose work I have reviewed here.  Check out the YA novels Jayde has written in between college classes.

Simone Benedict’s Blog: http://simonebenedict.wordpress.com/
This is a fun and quirky blog I have also just recently started to follow. Simone lives in the wilds of Kansas, 3/4 of a tank of gas from the Prairie Library (pronounced “perry liberry”).  Her town has a feral burro, and Simone wants to race in the Iditarod.

therootsystems: http://therootsystems.wordpress.com/
Lois says, “My posts here at therootsystems touch on the idea of roots of and within history, both personal and universal; of how the past lives among us.” A thoughtful and inspiring blog.

Living In the Now: http://livinginthenow.net/
James is a man with a mission and a blogger with a mission statement: “In order to explore the journey of life, and living life to the fullest, this site will explore topics and techniques involving: spirituality, self development, stress reduction, and even the occasional how-to and current events discussion.”  He does what he says he is going to do.  Good stuff!

Barbara Kloss: http://scribblesnjots.blogspot.com/
Barbara is an ex-Sacramento resident and author of Gaia’s Secret, a YA fantasy novel I reviewed here. Her blog has book reviews, articles on writing, and fun/quirky posts, most recently about a 107 room, “authentic” medieval castle, recently built in California’s Napa Valley. Barbara says she found plot inspiration in the torture chamber. Better stay tuned to her blog.

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Homework Part 2.  In this section, I will tell you seven things you may not know about me.

1)  I was born in Poughkeepsie, NY, a distinction I share with one celebrity, Ed Wood (1924-1978), the cross-dressing director of Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), in which aliens attempt to use zombies to stop earthlings from creating a doomsday weapon.

Clearly Wood was ahead of his time!  He gained a cult following after being named the “Worst Film Director of All Time.” Johnny Depp stared in the biopic, Ed Wood, 1994.

2)  Because my family moved around a lot, I went to four high schools in four years.  That set me firmly in the mindset of an “outsider.”  This caused problems in academia, workplaces, and in general, places with party lines and sacred cows that are not to be questioned.  The few organizations in which I fit are quirky and tend to attract oddballs.

3)  I commuted by steam train to the second of those four high schools.  My father took a two year assignment in the south of France, so I attended a bilingual school in Cannes.  We lived about 15 km. away, so my sister and I rode between two stops on the morning and afternoon Paris trains, which were pulled by steam engines.  This only lasted through the second semester of 9th grade.  Over the summer, the English headmaster absconded with the funds, so the school did not reopen.

4) When I was 15, I attended the Cannes Film Festival.  That’s because the history teacher at the school I mentioned in #3 scored half a dozen tickets and took the high school class.  The festival was only six blocks away from the school, so we walked over after lunch one day.  The movie was Romanian with French subtitles, so I understood nothing, but I still came away with bragging rights.

5) I’ve always loved funky roadside attractions like the giant oranges that used to dot Hwy. 99 in central California.

Most of them are gone now.  A Facebook friend who drives a truck assures me the giant brontosaurus still stands in the desert near Riverside, but the gentrification of our highways has swept most of the others away.

6) Ever since an overnight field trip to the Mojave when I was a kid, I’ve loved deserts of all kinds, from the saguaro deserts of southern Arizona to Death Valley and the high deserts of eastern Oregon and northern Arizona.  Saying “deserts” is like saying “forests.”  Each has its own character, but for me, they have something in common that has to do with the light of fall and winter (it’s not so nice to visit in mid-July!).  There’s a clarity in the air and the colors that always raises my spirits.

That’s only six facts, but I think this post is long enough, so I’ll owe you one.  Thanks again to JT, and please be sure to look at the blogs I listed.

My 301st Post

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Confession time.  I slipped in post number 300 without saying anything. Double-digit posts, like end-of-decade birthdays, make me a little nervous.  Such events seem to require wisdom, but I don’t do wise-on-demand especially well.  So here are some blogging thoughts, commemorating post 301, which I think we can all agree is a more humble and friendly number than 300.

Blogging as a means of discovery.  I’ve experienced this in other modes of writing, notably fiction.   At times I’ve also kept a journal, not to record my thoughts, but to discover what they are.  Because of its public nature, I wasn’t sure for some time that blogging had that capacity.  I discovered once and for all that it does while working on some recent two-part posts.  Every time I ended with, “I’ll share my conclusions next time,” I wondered what those conclusions were going to be.  Typically all I had was a hunch – nothing as solid as a conclusion.  I found in every case that the act of writing itself generated conclusions.  

It’s immensely satisfying to know that blogging can help me discover where I am in the present moment.  Everything changes, and it’s important not to be bound to outworn habits of thinking, feeling, and acting.  If the public nature of blogging sometimes causes self-consciousness, it also demands a rigor that (hopefully) keeps me from entertaining or posting my silliest notions.

Just Blog.  If you visit writing blogs, read writing magazines, or go to a writer’s conference, you’re likely to hear about using social media to “build your platform.”  I don’t want to put this idea down, just look at it critically.  I’ve met several successful ebook authors who work very hard to promote their fiction and think up inventive ways to do it.  But the reason for their success is compelling fiction.  Promotion works because they have something worth promoting.

I started this blog because I’d been told I should get a platform.  That idea lasted only a week or two.  Curiosity about blogging as a unique medium took over.  There are lots of Zen stories advising us to do what we’re doing with single minded focus.  Just run.  Just cook.  That kind of thing.  My effort here is, “just blog.”  If the day comes when I need a platform, I’ll do what I have to do.  Like I said in a recent post, I’m skeptical of “whisperers.”

What to write about my social and political concerns?  I don’t like blogs that harp, yet I find it hard not to write about these issues.  I’ve never had so much concern about the future of our democracy, or feared that the very word, “democracy,” is an artifact of nostalgia, like a Norman Rockwell painting.  Consider the following definition from Webster’s College Dictionary:  oligarchy:  a form of government in which the ruling power belongs to a few persons.

Back in the ’90’s, my employer, like many others, provided free training in Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Success.  One of the concepts that stayed with me is “circle of influence vs. circle of concern.”  Covey taught that outcomes I can affect lie within my circle of influence.   My circle of concern, however, includes things I cannot change.  If I spend my time worrying over these, I miss the chance to do what is in my power.

It’s like the serenity prayer:  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the power to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Covey goes a step further.  He says that changing the things I can will grow my circle of influence.  For example, complaining about the government is a useless hobby, but it is within my power to write to elected representatives.  All of them say direct communication carries weight because so few bother.  If I do so, my circle of influence grows a little bit.

Growing one's circle of influence by acting within it

What about blogging? Does this activity alter outcomes?  I believe it can, by carrying information if nothing else.  Have you heard about the “99% Spring,” initiatives starting on April 9?  Here’s a link: http://billmoyers.com.  Elsewhere on the website, Bill Moyers offers these words of hope:

Many of you have asked what you can do to fight back. Here are some thoughts. First, take yourself seriously as an agent of change. The Office of Citizen remains the most important in the country.

Second, remember, there’s strength in numbers. Find others like you in your neighborhood, apartment building, community – and act together. The old African proverb is still true, “If you want to walk fast, walk alone; if you want to walk far, walk together.”

Amen to that!  There is strength in numbers and strength in sharing hope.  As bloggers, that lies within our circle of influence.

Writings.  I appreciate all of your comments; they are one of the main things that keeps me going.  I’ve been especially happy with the response to recent articles on mythology and folklore.  This is like returning to something I lived and breathed 20 years ago.  In one way, it seems like a new emphasis for thefirstgates, but in another, it clarifies what I’ve been reaching for all along.  I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, for it has really become my mission statement:  To discover the reality in our fantasies, and the fantasy in our realities.

Thanks to you all and stay tuned!  Here’s to the next 101 posts.