Category: From The Author

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From The Author

Why Not Blog About It – Everybody Else Is!

Why Not Blog About It – Everybody Else Is!

Each day 576,000 websites are created! It is estimated there are over 600 million blogs.

Just Starting Out?

Is the dream of creating a website and becoming a blogger close to becoming a reality?

Don’t Be Discouraged.

You can find your voice. You can develop a following. You can change the world one reader at a time.

Be patient. Be persistent. Be consistent. Be dedicated. Be resilient. Be confident.

If you do not start, one thing is certain. No one will read your blog.

Accept the idea that it takes time to build an audience.

Overnight Success?

Think that overnight successes are a myth? In the writing profession, people who have written for decades, become overnight sensations.

Mind Your Data

Turn on the data analytics function on your website. After a number of months, you may wake up to discover there have been thousands of website visitors and thousands of page views.

Archives: The Value of a Wealth of Information

The content you created long ago becomes part of the archive that establishes you as an expert. One friend wrote a blog for years. When she interviewed for a job, she learned the employer had read through her archive. She received her job offer, in part, due to the historical record that documented her expertise.

Eureka! “I Found It.”

People want content. The right content. Well-written content. Give it to them.

Once the right person finds it, he or she can post and share your website address or link to the blog so it becomes a viral sensation.

Are You a Veteran Blogger?

Keep writing.

Nearing Burnout?

Reexamine why you started to blog. New bloggers are often excited and enthusiastic. Knowing why you blog can keep you going when others give up.

Do Not Give Up Before You Start!

Do not give up based on the startling statistic about the number of websites and blogs. Rather, have the determination to forge ahead. If you read to the end of this blog, you have what it takes to rise to the top. You can develop a following. Dream big dreams. Write Well. Do not give up.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.

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From The Author

Remember to Celebrate Veteran’s Day

Remember to Celebrate Veteran’s Day

November 11, 2021

Although I never served in the military, I have had the distinct pleasure to know and work with many veterans and active-duty members of the armed services.

For example, earlier this year, I posted information about my friend, Tom Foster, a retired Marine Corps Major. (A Friend Remembered)

Do you have veterans you know or have known?
I have been meeting at least twice a month for nearly twenty years with another friend who served in the United States Army.

At home is a picture of one of my wife’s relatives in his World War I uniform. My father-in-law served as a Marine and fought at Guadalcanal. My Uncle Jack fought in World War II in Europe. At the same time, my Uncle Johnny served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. My nephew retired from the Coast Guard. My sister and great niece worked at Veteran’s Administration hospitals.

When I taught a Political Science class at the Menifee Campus of Mount San Jacinto Community College in 1990, I invited a Pearl Harbor survivor to speak to the class. The talk left a lasting impression on the students and me.

As a professor of Speech Communications for Barstow Community College, I worked for seven years at Fort Irwin, the National Training Center for the United States Army. In that capacity, I taught soldiers and their dependents public speaking and writing skills.

Do the following to preserve the legacy of the veterans in your life. Thank veterans for their service. Encourage veterans to write their recollections for future generations. Consider making an audio or video recording of the veteran’s stories. Preserve scrap books, flags, and other mementos. Visit a museum to become familiar with the history.

May God bless our veterans, and God bless the U.S.A.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.

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From The Author

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Starts Today!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Starts Today!

TEvery November, tens of thousands of people accept the challenge to write a 50,000-word novel during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

I exceed the 50,000-word goal on two different occasions. For example, during November, 2020, I was not alone. That year, I was part of a weekly support group that met to provide affirming encouragement. We shared our progress, discussed how to overcome setbacks, and rejoiced as we celebrated victories. That year our group logged over 350,000 total words.

Want to accept the challenge? Here are a few tips that may make your dream of writing a novel in a month become a reality.

  1. Know what kind of writer you are: So-called plotters plan in advance. They create character sketches, write detailed outlines, and do extensive research before writing their novel. In contrast, so-called pantsers simply write by the seat of their pants. They start with an idea and write. Most people are hybrids.
  2. Focus on getting the story written then get it right. Many people are perfectionists. Don’t become distracted. Make your NaNoWriMo goal to create the first draft. Wait until December to start editing.
  3. Do not get derailed. Make a notation or add an asterisk to indicate more information is needed. Search the asterisks in December and make the corrections then.
  4. Write every day. November has thirty days, so an author needs to average 1,667 words every day.
  5. Dictate! Open an email. Address it to yourself. Find the microphone and start transcribing the text you want. When finished dictating, send the file to yourself. Open the email. Copy the text to a word or Scrivener document and edit. Then count the words as part of your word count for the day.
  6. Silence the critics. Do not listen to the internal voices that can sabotage creativity and zap motivation. Do not listen to naysayers. Manage the self-talk and negativity. Zero in on the task of writing.
  7. Sitting at the keyboard and nothing is happening? Free writing can jumpstart the creative juices. Start writing anything. Write about the day. What was for breakfast? It often takes a few minutes. Once warmed up, get back to writing the story.
  8. Do not give up!
  9. The NaNoWriMo website (https://nanowrimo.org)provides a way to track daily word count totals. Sign in and customize your page. Read the encouraging emails from those involved in the challenge.
  10. Earn a certificate if you sign in, log in your progress every day, and reach 50,000 words. Plan to frame your certificate. Did I say sign in every day before 12:00 midnight.

Get motivated, get inspiration, and write.

Have fun. You are not alone.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.

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From The Author

Data Mining Leads to Great Discoveries

Data Mining Leads to Great Discoveries

Data mining is the process of sifting through a large amount of unusable raw data to extract useful information.

A few years ago, I set out to data mine the accumulation of things in my garage. I started to go through file cabinets with drawers filled to the brim, bankers boxes with reams of filed and unfiled paper, journals, and notebooks.

Inside my home, I looked through long-forgotten computer files and shelves of pamphlets and books.

In the process of systematically searching, I made a host of discoveries along the way.  One example follows:

A square envelop revealed a single folded card with the words “Certificate of Baptism.”

Would it be my mother’s or mine?

Opening it revealed a thin sheet of slightly transparent tissue paper concealing the name.

The left side offered an engraved image of Jesus in robes with long hair and a beard. He was holding a staff. There was a picture with sheep and scenery.

Under the picture it read, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. St. Matthew 28:19”

On the other side of the card written in ornate calligraphy printing the words:

“Certificate of Baptism, This Certifies that DENNIS ALAN CONRAD ,,,California, was by me Baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost On the Tenth day of June In the Year of our Lord 1962.

At Bethel Lutheran Church.

Los Angeles, CA.

Willis F. Erickson

Pastor”

Don’t delay. Start data mining today. You never know what discoveries you may find. Happy hunting.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.

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From The Author

Five Obstacles to Achieving Goals and How to Manage Them

Five Obstacles to Achieving Goals and How to Manage Them

Have you set goals and failed to reach them?

Be encouraged. You are not alone. Hold tight to your dreams. Keep setting goals. If you have experienced a setback, reset, and commit to making progress.

Perhaps you are familiar with goal setting, and you set goals according to the acronym, SMART. Yet, even though the goals were Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive, there was a breakdown. Bottom Line: The goals were not reached.

For years, I have studied goal setting and the gap between setting goals and actual achievement.

Here are a few reasons people fail to attain their goals:

Technology

The complexity and the endless challenges people face with technology can derail any project.

Have backup equipment, saved files, and help ready to step in when a glitch or full-blow crisis happens. Most people are forgiving with it comes to technological glitches. However, when service failures and goals are not attained, there can be consequences.

Too Many Goals

Imagine setting goals. Then more goals are added. The overload becomes obvious. Schedule the goals on a calendar, and when it becomes clear deadlines will be missed, stop and ask yourself, “Which of these goals should be handled first?” That way it is possible to see the big picture and establish priorities. Do not forget to delegate. Practice reverse delegation by giving a task or tasks back to the person who assigned the goal or goals.

Workspace Turmoil 

Clutter can lead to all kinds of problems. File disorganization and misplaced documentation increase anxiety. Not being able to find important information can lead to unmet goals.  Set a SMART goal to clean up the workspace. Make this a priority. Be sure to meet the goal.

Insufficient Resources or Money

If a project is underfunded or the resources are not available, goals may come to nothing, For example, use Gantt charts to schedule the arrival of supplies and personnel. Set and monitor budgets. Anticipate supply chain interruptions. Put policies in place well in advance.

Emergencies

Although emergencies may be beyond our control, there can be plans in place to mitigate the fallout from an emergency or unplanned absence. If someone has to step into a given position, make sure a contingency plan is in place. For example, have a set of written procedures, so another person or persons can take over in the interim.

As I mentioned, you are not alone. Others have been where you are. Be encouraged. Keep setting SMART goals. If you are overwhelmed, communicate the situation and delegate. Don’t give up.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.

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From The Author

Want to Go To the High Sierra?

Want to Go To the High Sierra?

“Yes, I’ll go.”

One summer, in the mid-1970s, I agreed to go on a backpack trip to the High Sierra with David Gould, my debate partner from high school, and his brother, Marc. Marc had four or five other friends who planned on meeting us in the mountains.

With seven or eight of us going, we had a lot to prepare. On the weekends, we took shorter practice hikes near Griffith Park Observatory and on Mount San Gorgonio.

Since this was my first backpacking trip, I borrowed a Kelty backpack. I took a regular sleeping bag, fishing gear, and Mountain House meals. I also found an old hat.

We made our gorp, better known as tail mix. We would take a mixture of salted mixed nuts, raisins, M and M’s, and granola. For lunch, we would eat sliced salami and crackers.

Once in the mountains, we would hike from early in the morning until about noon. One sunny afternoon, we finished hiking for the day and set up camp next to a mountain stream. Everyone sat in the shade playing cards. I lost one game, so I had to wait for the next one to start.

Wasps busing around our heads during card game didn’t seem to bother anyone, but it gave me an idea. What if I used my hat to stun a wasp, and use it for fish bait?

I finally got one, put the wasp on a hook, and went fishing. That is when I caught a trout. As soon as I showed the others my fish, everyone threw down their cards and ran to get their rods and reels.

That night, we had plenty of fresh trout. I can practically taste them.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.