#i do it to help me focus on tv or podcasts because otherwise i just Cannot

[lu-lus-duckies]

You all need sleep and I may not be the best sleeper but here's some tips. these especially go out to @xxx-angie @nunalastor and @the-aprilfools-bitch . I will be in your closets making sure you all get good sleep >:(

rest your eyes from tv and phone. Just blue light in general. instead you could listen to music or podcasts. those are much better.

try sleeping between 2-4 PM at the latest (which means either that or EARLIER). your body produces the most melatonin (the thing you need to sleep) at those times. It will be much harder to fall asleep later than that

Take a warm bath or shower. If I didn't have a bad relationship with liquids, I would be doing this all day. the warmness helps drop your body temperature and generally lower temperatures signal to the body that it's nighttime and consequently bedtime.

no coffee if you drink some, unless you got ADHD (angie). I've heard caffeine works backwards for people with ADHD

If you grew up in a home with the TV on constantly or just generally had some noise around you in your childhood whenever you went to bed, TURN ON SOME NOISE. It is what happens with me and I can't sleep without some noise.

It would be nice if your bed was only used for sleeping, but I know that's not happening lmao

midgnight snacks disturb your sleep. try to avoid those, since your body starts metabolism during nights. it doesn't need more food to process. but if you must grab a snack, it's best to choose something that's easily digestible and maybe even increases the production of melatonin. some of these are milk (obviously), bananas, nuts, eggs, tea, vegetables and such.

Don't rely too much on meds, otherwise your body will get used to it and will depend on it for you to go to sleep. Instead you could try pavlov effecting yourself with something similar that can always be available. For example, before going to sleep, perform a certain action (I used this method in school and my version was patting myself on the head or touching my cheek with the hand opposite to it). once you've done this enough times before sleep, your brain will associate that action with sleep and you'll get a little sleepy if you do it again. This takes a long time though, A month maybe I have stopped doing this, but if nothing else works this can be an option. Though this isn't perfect lulu side rant: tried to condition myself with a ring once. was really bad with doing homework on time, so everytime I was doing homework I would switch a ring I wore to my forefinger. And this was only used for that situation. I never moved my ring to my forefinger for any reason at all. Thought this would work, but the only conditional response I got was that everytime I moved that ring to my forefinger I started thinking about homework and not really doing it.

If that doesn't work, try changing your enviorment. It doesn't have to be drastic. for example: sleep backwards. lay your head where your feet usually are and your head where your feet usually are. or maybe try sleeping on the floor. I am paranoid about sleeping in other peoples houses but this is the reason I tend to fall asleep anyway

If your lack of sleep is caused by anxiety (like intrusive thoughts or thinking about the future), try listening to a mindless podcast or a youtube video. It will help distract from your thoughts and give you something to focus your mind on, plus most content these days tend to try and turn your mind off to get that sweet sweet watchtime.

If all else fails, you can try to tire your brain out I guess. that's my method for extemely bad sleepless nights. I start reading because that's the most tiring activity I can do in bed and usually I fall asleep in the middle of it.

#lulu facts #lulu is delulu #lulu is caring for you all so he can be the most mentally ill #lulu lore

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

i have so many things to post about, and many photos to share--including cat stories! and my new rapid-bruising superpower--but i’ve been trying to spend almost no time doing ‘fun’ things while i’m struggling so hard to focus on ‘work’ things. 

about a week ago, i finally gave up on that strategy, since it hasn’t been working, and i switched to aiming for acceptance about my limitations (rather than hoping i can overcome them with caffeine, or not sleeping, or self-shaming). @actuallylukedanes was a huge part of that, just by being my best friend and loving me as much as they do. it’s harder to believe you’re a terrible person when the person who knows you best disagrees. anyway, i’ve been feeling better this last week after letting go of that self-inflicted stress.

so tonight i’m going to a local ‘yarning’ group at the library for the first time, where they plan to make a knitted/crocheted vegetable garden to display there. little yarn vegetables! it sounds so fun. i’m nervous because New People, but it helps that i went to a group like once when i lived in utah, and i suspect the people i’ll find here are likely to be similar to the ones i met then--mostly older women who are genuinely friendly.

i enjoy my online social life and i don’t actually want to stay in our current city, so i don’t feel a driving need to make local friends. but my general leaving-the-house skills AND in-person stranger skills atrophied during the pandemic, and i’ve always been someone who actually enjoys those brief stranger interactions that come from shopping or appointments or public transit, so it is important to me to get those skills back (and go back to getting fresh air). 

thus tonight’s meeting, and my movie pass, which will be taking me to see m3gan on wednesday. last month i read two op-eds that felt as though they were trying to send me a message: one was about how movie trailers don’t represent things accurately, so people should just see movies for their own reasons and not bother with trailers. when i read that, i sort of agreed, because i once saw a movie with a comedic trailer that turned out to be a thriller. and THEN right after reading the op-ed, i saw a man called otto and agreed even more.because  while the trailer did show vaguely what the movie is about, it also left out a central storyline that i wish i had been prepared for going in. (maybe i’m just really dense and it was implied in the trailer? but i didn’t catch it.)

and the other op-ed was encouraging people to watch more movies outside their comfort zones. i no longer remember what the argument for that was, but it did remind me that my viewing habits have narrowed a lot over the years. i used to watch just about anything when i was younger, in terms of giving movies and tv a chance--i followed actors i liked more than caring about genre. and starting to watch more theater movies has reminded me of that as well, because i see more trailers and that can mean i become aware of movies that otherwise i would probably not even hear about. 

there was a trailer for a new creed film, for example, and i’ve never seen any movies in that series, so if i hadn’t seen the trailer i doubt i would have known or cared. but it stars michael b. jordan, who i adore thanks to his work in the black panther movies (i will always melt for truly good antagonists) and jonathan majors! (who had such heartbreaking range and power in lovecraft country i will follow him anywhere) and tessa thompson, which just makes it, like, a cast too good to be true. and my immediate thought as the trailer played was, ‘well, but it’s a boxing movie.’ and then i remembered, i watched a boxing movie! i saw the one with meg ryan, because at one point i tried to watch every meg ryan movie. so why wouldn’t i do the same for another boxing movie with a cast i love? i didn’t used to reject movies categorically the way i do now.

and then on top of all that, my favorite movie podcast (you are good) discusses all kinds of movies. but both the hosts are huge fans of horror movies, classic and current, and that means they discuss them a ton even when they’re not covering them officially on the episodes. i have never been a huge horror fan, so i’ve had fun listening to their episodes about old ones that i haven’t actually seen and don’t want to. (friday the 13th, halloween, texas chainsaw massacre.) and the frequent exposure to horror movies in a nice vicarious way...has made me kind of want to become the sort of person who does watch horror movies. at least sometimes, to see what i think. 

i saw the whitney houston biopic with kayla at the theater, and one of the trailers they played with it was for m3gan, and kayla was so horrified--she just started shouting ‘no’ at the screen at increasing volume, lol. but i think it looks kind of awful in a fun way, (the trailer gave me such pretty little liars vibes somehow) and once i realized that the lead actress was also from get out, i decided to make it my first ‘who knows if i’ll hate this’ movie day. (i want to see missing next, i feel similarly about that one.)

anyway, i’m actually letting myself have fun plans this week, and i’ll just have to balance work and appts and fun going forward. i bought a really pretty planner that will make figuring all that out more fun...and on top of the rest of it, i now have a therapist whose first focus is on how important sleep is to her with every client, so now i’m struggling to live on a sleep schedule--which isn’t something i even had as a kid! so it’s a work in progress. but aren’t we all? hopefully soon i’ll start catching up more here. i miss you guys. <3

#rambling #life stuff #movies #crochet #i have the best best friend #actuallylukedanes #coffee coffee coffee #michael b jordan #jonathan majors #tessa thompson #meg ryan #long post

[gregg-reuben]

Getting the word out

Getting the word out https://seths.blog/2024/04/getting-the-word-out-3/ “How do you get the word out?” I’ve heard this from presidential candidates, from small business leaders and nonprofits as well. It’s easy to believe that the goal of marketing is to shout, hype, hustle and otherwise promote. It’s tempting to focus on your story as the top of the pyramid, and decide that your work is to share that story to everyone downstream, downwind or near you. Hire a PR firm, run some ads, post more on social media and hype and hustle. After all, it’s important. But that’s not how the world works, and it hasn’t worked that way since network TV started to fade a few decades ago. Ideas that spread win. Horizontally, not from the rooftops. When we build something that our users want to talk about, remarkable happens. Remarkable means worth making a remark about. This is the engine that GOODBIDS is built for. A nonprofit uses the permission asset they’ve built with their existing donors to let them know about an auction. That’s anticipated, personal and relevant, and backers are delighted to hear about it. And then what happens? If the auction is interesting to friends or colleagues, the supporters happily tell the others about it. They do it to earn free bids, or they do it to help a cause they care about, or they do it because spreading the word about something interesting, worthwhile or fun feels good. In the last four days, GOODBIDS users have shared our initial auctions with tens of thousands of people… not because someone made them do it, but because they wanted to. Today’s auctions: An official NASA Apollo 11 shoulder patch, identical to the one that Armstrong wore on the moon. It comes with a signed, limited edition of David Meerman Scott‘s brilliant book on the marketing of the race to the moon. It also comes with a letter of authenticity. The patch is untouched, unflown and uncut. It will make your heart race and remind you of just how much we’re capable of when we work together with focus. Meeting Neil years ago made me cry, and I hope you’ll check this one out. A chance to have Simon Sinek and me on your podcast. We might not set any records, but we keep the crowd alert. And a hand-signed New York Giants helmet. It is difficult to ignore and something a fan would love to own.

#Seth's Blog

[adhd-adept]

I have self diagnosed adhd and i was wondering if you could provide some advice regarding reading. I used to be able to just pick up a book and read when i was younger, but now that I'm older it's a bit difficult to just pick up a book and read for the sake of reading. I love reading, but i just can't seem to motivate myself to.

Any advice? I'd really love to get back into reading, but I'm trying to find a way to do it easier

Hello! I’m sorry this took me so long to answer, I’ve been mostly off Tumblr for a little while. I saw this some time ago at 3AM and thought “this deserves a more coherent response than I can give right now” and then forgot that this blog existed for several days.

That said, I absolutely have some advice for reading! I was a big reader as a kid, too, and I’ve recently had to re-discover reading after a long gap in any time spent sitting down with an honest-to-goodness book. There are a number of things you might consider!

DISTRACTIONS

First and foremost, recognize the reason it is difficult to read! For me, it is because reading isn’t the most interesting thing available. That doesn’t mean I don’t love reading! If I can manage to sit down and read a book, it is immensely satisfying - but it’s the satisfaction of the effort you put into something paying off. My favorite hobbies - drawing, writing, reading - are my favorite because of that sense of accomplishment that they give me. 

I love the feeling of holding a book and watching my bookmark move through the pages each time I set it down. However, it doesn’t give me the same instant gratification of reading wikipedia, or tvtropes, or scrolling Tumblr, or checking notifications on social media; even when I am unsatisfied, or even frustrated, with the internet, it can be very hard to put down. I know that people will tell you all the time “You need to put your phone down more!!” It gets old. But they have a point. What people don’t tell you is how to do that. 

For me, that tends to be about making it inconvenient for myself to get online, or do whatever is distracting me. This doesn’t necessarily mean making it completely unavailable. The distraction just needs to be less available than the task I want to do. I am the kind of person who gets online out of muscle memory, and then gets stuck there. Thus, many of my tricks rely on disrupting the muscle memory that lets you pick up distractions. I will put my laptop charger in another room, so that my screen time is limited to its battery life. I might tie a string around my laptop, or tape it closed, so when I go to open it I will be reminded “Oh yeah, I don’t want to do this right now.” I will occasionally rearrange the apps on my phone, so when I try to open Instagram and end up with the weather app instead, the thought of “wait, how did i get here” will snap me out of the thoughtless habits that led me to pick up my phone in the first place. I’ve even gone so far as to tape my phone to the ceiling. Whatever works.

If the weather permits, I might also walk a little ways down the block and find somewhere to sit and read. This can come with its own distractions, but it gets me away from my laptop, and I get a tiny bit more exercise and sunshine than I would have otherwise! This depends, of course, on whether you have transportation and whether you feel safe. But getting yourself out of the house can be a great way to get away from the things that would otherwise draw you away from reading. If you have a local cafe or library that permits you to sit and stay, those are also great options! I will bring my phone when I leave the house, but I might put it at the bottom of my bag, or put a bit of scotch tape over the power button, so that I have my phone in case of emergency but it’s just slightly inconvenient to get to without thinking about it.

It may not be the internet distracting you. But whatever the distraction is, it doesn’t need to be less compelling than reading. It just needs to be less readily available than your book is!

ENTHUSIASM

Another thing that prevents me from reading is that it often doesn’t have the same sense of urgency that other tasks might, whether that urgency is real or not. Give yourself a time limit! I may own books I haven’t read yet, but I will get to a book sooner if I have borrowed it from the library, because I know there is a deadline to return it! 

You can also get other people involved. If you have a friend who wants to read the same book, commit to a chapter or two a week and then call to discuss it. 

Or, if you have a friend who would be interested, and you are comfortable with your reading voice, you could read to someone! It might feel weird to offer, but you’d be surprised how many people really do enjoy being read to. If you both have time in your schedules, you could try to set up a regular call to get through a few chapters at a time. 

Generally, having a friend who likes the book is great for maintaining enthusiasm, even if they’re not reading it with you - I get to books faster if someone with similar taste says “This is one of my favorites! You would love it!” If you have a friend who has read the book you plan on reading, announce to them that you intend on reading it. Their enthusiasm might help you feel more compelled to read it, and there’s a good chance that if you don’t sit down and read it, they will remind you by asking “Have you read it yet? What do you think?” the next time you talk to them.

PREPARATION

Another great way to make reading easier is to set up a reading space beforehand. It’s one thing to pick up a book and say “I’ve been meaning to read this.” It’s another thing to put on some pajama pants, make a cup of tea, and curl a soft blanket around your shoulders before you settle down to read. For one thing, it’s just nice. But more importantly, it can function as a signal that tells your brain “it is Reading Time now. We are in the Reading Zone.”

Do you ever watch a TV show or listen to a podcast, and you let the theme song play on the first episode, and then skip it for the rest? Even if I’ve watched a show before, I will play the theme song on the first episode I watch that day. It’s the same principle - it serves as a transition, an intro that says “this is where I am now, and this is what I’m doing.” Give yourself an intro for reading! Have a certain spot that you like to sit when you read. Have a certain snack you eat beforehand.

I have all kinds of tasks with little “rituals” before them that help me focus on that task, or certain items that I interact with which I associate with it. I call them “declarations of intent,” and once I’ve made a declaration it’s easier to commit to it. Sometimes that means simply saying out loud, “I am going to do the laundry now.” Sometimes it means I wear a certain shirt if I’m planning to go for a walk that day, or drink from a certain mug at breakfast if I want to get some homework done. I have a specific hat that I put on when I want to write a certain character. Try to find something you can do to act as a cue that says “When I do this, then I will read a book.” Because of this, it can help to really lean into whatever the “aesthetic” of reading is, in your mind. Embrace a reading atmosphere!

It may also help to recognize that reading is something you can work your way up to! There is no shame in being out of practice with a hobby. I took my reading proficiency for granted for a long time because it was just a part of my life. It may help to think of reading as a skill! Start with something smaller and work your way up. Pick up a book of short stories or folktales before you tackle that six-book series you’ve heard good things about! Set achievable goals for yourself when you’re setting out. An early success can make a huge difference to morale, and it’s much better to start “too easy” and accomplish something than to jump in at the deep end and be frustrated by an early setback.

FORGIVENESS

On the topic of working your way up to things, I would like to say a word about mindset. It is easy to feel self-critical about things. Things that you think should come more easily to you. Things that you feel like you have no reason not to be able to do. One of the biggest things I’ve done for my ADHD is recognizing that there is always a reason why I behave a certain way. Accepting that allows me to actually address my struggles, rather than just feeling ashamed of them. I’ve had to accept that I won’t always do things that I set out to do the way I set out to do them.

I bring this up because not all of my advice here may work for you. In fact, some of it doesn’t work for me every time - a technique may work once, but I might fail to make a regular habit of it. I may make a regular habit of something, only to have it become less effective as the novelty of it, or my enthusiasm for it, wears off. I may eventually talk myself out of implementing an effective strategy because there is some part of it that I find unpleasant; or an intentional unpleasantness I once found motivating may eventually become intolerable.

That’s okay. I’m telling you now, it’s okay if that happens. It’s okay if the first method you try doesn’t work. Don’t set yourself up to feel frustrated. If you become frustrated, take a step back. If you borrow a library book and you still haven’t read it by the due date, just give it back. If you don’t actually enjoy the first book you pick up, put it down and try a different one. If you feel badly about not reading something your friend wants you to read, be honest and tell them you have a hard time sitting down, and that you don’t want to disappoint them if they keep asking, but that you will let them know once you have started it!

It can be easy to convince myself that feeling badly about something means it’s important to me, and that maybe if I feel bad about not doing something, it  motivate me to do it. There is a balance between making commitments, and not committing to anything that is just going to distress me. Sometimes there is a benefit to a sense of pressure, but I have to recognize when the pressure I create turns into frustration. That’s a fine line to walk! For all I speak of inconveniencing yourself, or holding yourself accountable, your strategies should ultimately feel satisfying, and show results fairly quickly! You may not see immediate results, but if it has been several days and your strategy isn’t working out, change tactics! And the moment you feel apologetic or ashamed about the thing you are trying to do, drop that strategy. Again, this can be easier said than done, but it is so worthwhile to learn how to allow yourself to “give up” on things that aren’t actually helping you, without feeling like you’re giving up entirely.

You want to get back into reading again because you want to enjoy reading again. If you set it up to feel like homework, or a chore, or an obligation, you may make it more difficult for yourself! Getting back into reading is about focusing on what you love about reading.

And hey, I’m always happy to help! I do only check Tumblr every couple weeks right now, but I’ll do what I can to be supportive. If you’ve tried these suggestions and they don’t work out, no worries! Everyone is different, and it’s no insult to me if things that work for me don’t work for you. But feel free to reach out again, let me know anything you have learned about how you function best in the meantime, and we can reevaluate your strategies!

I hope that helps! Happy reading!

#thanks for asking!! #nezjazz #let me know how this works out #a lot of the advice i have for reading is advice i have for Doing Tasks With ADHD in general to be honest #i use the same tricks i use to get myself to read sometimes to get myself to do things like wash dishes #it's about making yourself more interested in what you want yourself to do #and making it easier to do the important things relative to the ease of doing the less important things #i will just straight up delete apps off my phone if i spend too much time on them #most of the time i dont miss them #and tumblr i can access from my laptop it's just slightly more steps to actually log in and type in my password #(i ONLY use tumblr on incognito mode so it doesnt save my login and i have to actually enter my password every time) #(that way i know that if i actually take the steps to log on it's because i WANT to) #(because something about doing that is worth it to me) #(i did that today to come and answer this question lol) #(but that's also why it's taken me so long.) #(do let me know if you have any other questions! i'll be back eventually to help as best i can!) #(and i love feedback) #(if you discover something that works better for yourself let me know that too so i can share with everyone!)

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Michelle Kiefer

Michelle has 55 stories at Gossamer. If you haven’t read them, what are you waiting for?! She has great takes on Mulder and Scully. I’ve recced some of my favorites of her fics here before, including Christmas in California, Making Other Plans, and Six Inch Valley. Big thanks to Michelle for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I’m not sure anyone is still reading my stories.  I haven’t migrated my X-Files ones to AO3. I don’t think Gossamer provides any viewing statistics. I’d be very happy to hear that people still like my work.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

My X-Files fandom experience was amazing.  I remember that sense of excitement and immediacy.  It was thrilling to write stories (and read those of other authors, of course) in an active fandom for a show that was on the air.  It was truly my first experience in an online world--a parallel world to my real life existence.  I learned how to keep a foot in each world.  As I recall, it was very hard to keep my focus in my “meat” world, when the online one was so fast moving and thrilling.  But I did get some balance in my life as time went on.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Message boards and mailing lists were my experience.  They were primitive compared to the pretty screens now.  I forged some amazing friendships, some of them with people I discovered lived relatively near me.  All I wanted to do was discuss episodes and fic.  The flame wars were a little intimidating, but also amusing if you didn’t get swept up.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

I was very passionate about the fandom--as I said, there were times when my online life seemed to overpower my real life experiences.  I learned to manage that, and think I’m all the better for that.  And I found some amazing friendships that are active and thriving today.  I learned a lot about writing with XF fanfic.  The level of quality was stunning.  A decent percentage of fic were as good or better than traditional published fiction.  But there were so many writers!  I wanted to make an impact on the fanfiction world, but that meant taking my writing very seriously and learning to develop a story, pace that story, make it compelling and believable.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I had a couple of coworkers that talked about the show all the time.  I was curious, so I watched an episode.  I believe it was the cannibal town one.  I thought David Duchovny was odd looking and wasn’t terribly impressed.  But I tried another episode - Wetwired, which blew me away with the morgue scene when Mulder thinks he’s going to identify Scully’s body.  Ah...I thought, now, I see what everyone is talking about!  And from then I was hooked.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

As I watched, I wanted more.  I was fairly new to the internet (frankly, the internet was new to almost everyone)  I found episode reviews, and some of them were fantastic.  Some mentioned fanfiction.  I was unaware of such a thing, though to be honest, since childhood, I’d been spinning stories in my head about characters on TV shows.  I found some fanfic. The first couple of stories were not great (at least one was horrible) but then I found some that were very good.  Probably a bit soap-operaish, but still readable.  And then I became voracious as I plowed through the mass of stories looking for the good stuff.  And boy was there good stuff.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I’m not estranged from it, but I don’t spend much time with it after all these years.  I’ve found fanfic in some other shows that I like and only occasionally read old XF stories.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I’ve not been as involved with any other fandoms, i.e. following commentary on the show.  I tend to dive into TV shows well after their heyday, so I’m always late to the party. I do read fanfic from other shows, and have actually written fanfic for other shows, but I need a really good idea to write.  None of the other fandoms for my other shows are as busy and active as XF, even ones currently in production.  And none of them have as much fanfic and certainly not the level of brilliance that we had in XF.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

I tend to go for interesting partnerships, very much in the XF fashion.  And a flawed hero is always a plus!  The partnerships don’t necessarily have to be romantic---in fact I find I prefer those that are not.  Really, Mulder and Scully were the only ones I felt deeply as a pairing, probably due to the chemistry between the actors. But the partnerships have to be well-balanced and realistic.  I loved the characters on Sleepy Hollow.  The two main characters were very much in the mold of Mulder/Scully.

My newest passion is British detective shows and I’ve completely fallen for the “Morse-verse” shows, Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis and Endeavour.  Less of an XF feel, but compelling characters with interesting backstories.  Other favorite partnerships in the British detective genre are on Inspector Lynley and Broadchurch.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

A bit less now, though I’m still involved with a wonderful group of ladies who love the X-Files.  When we get together for a yearly weekend, we binge episodes and eat impressive amounts of junk food.  XF isn’t on network TV these days, but if it was, I’d probably watch it.

A couple of years ago, I listened to Kumail Nanjiani’s XF podcast on my long commute.  I loved the commentary and interviews so much that I did watch some old episodes.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I don’t read much XF fic.  I’m currently reading in some other fandoms, but it’s harder to find good stories--the ones I follow aren’t very active these days and the quality just isn’t what XF was.  We were so lucky.  We had maybe 20 incredible top authors at any one time, then maybe another tier of 50 to 100  good to maybe great writers.  And with new episodes, there was so much inspiration. We were so spoiled.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Everything from Syntax6, MaybeAmanda, Kel.  A special story for me was “Strangers and the Strange Dead” by Kipler because I remember reading that very early in the morning in my unheated basement in the winter because that was the only time I could use our single computer without others in the family complaining.  I remember actually gasping at the big reveal in the story.  I can even remember the story’s opening line!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I was just learning how to write fiction when I was involved in XF, so I’m not sure my best work is there, though the bulk of my stories are there.  I liked some of the work I did with others.  I wrote Bone of Contention and Out of the Everywhere with Kel and I think that those stories got the best aspects of both of our styles.  For stories I wrote myself, I think they’re not bad, but they are rather short and it’s always easier to maintain a theme and style for a short story.  I liked Black Cherry Velvet.  I’m writing some Inspector Lewis stories that I think are pretty good--they benefit from the years of experience that I was gaining through XF.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

Never say never, but I probably won’t write more XF.  I used to burn with it, but I think that got burned out a bit.  Still, I have such wonderful memories of the whole period.  It might be worth looking at again.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

As I mentioned, I am currently playing in the Inspector Lewis world.  It’s sad--it’s a very small and not terribly active fandom.  Sad that my best work is in an inactive fandom where I’m lucky if 20 or 30 people are reading them.  It doesn’t help that I don’t write the most popular pairing.  

But I’m really enjoying it.  I occasionally write for Man From Uncle, which really shows my age, as that was a childhood obsession.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

With XF, it was always a take on an episode--did I get a tiny idea that I wanted to develop, or was I not thrilled with the way something went on the show.  Now,  it’s usually a “what if” kind of thing where I get inspired by a possible event and explore how that would play out, i.e.  “What if this character had a one night stand resulting in an unplanned pregnancy?”  What would happen?  How would he handle the consequences of this?  How would it change his life?

What's the story behind your pen name?

It’s literally my own name.  I SOOOO wish I’d used a pen name.  But I was naive and fandom was so new to me that it never occurred to me that a pen name would be better.  I always told myself that my real name sounded like something made up, like a TV newscaster name, and I hoped people assumed it was a pen name.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My husband and my kids were the only ones who knew about it for many years. Then I went to a fandom/fic gathering for three days and had to explain to a few other family members and my work mates why I was going to Chicago on my own. It’s still mostly a need to know thing and they don’t really need to know.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

I’m on AO3 as msk.  And everything I wrote for XF is on Gossamer.

(Posted by Lilydale on February 2, 2021)

#new post #old school x #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic #xf fanfic author interviews #michelle kiefer

[invisibleicewands]

Staged's Anna Lundberg and Georgia Tennant: 'Scenes with all four of us usually involved alcohol'

Not many primetime TV hits are filmed by the show’s stars inside their own homes. However, 2020 wasn’t your average year. During the pandemic, productions were shut down and workarounds had to be found – otherwise the terrestrial schedules would have begun to look worryingly empty. Staged was the surprise comedy hit of the summer.

This playfully meta short-form sitcom, airing in snack-sized 15-minute episodes, found A-list actors Michael Sheen and David Tennant playing an exaggerated version of themselves, bickering and bantering as they tried to perfect a performance of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author over Zoom.

Having bonded while co-starring in Good Omens, Amazon’s TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s novel, Sheen, 51, and Tennant, 49, became best buddies in real life. In Staged, though, they’re comedically reframed as frenemies – warm, matey and collaborative, but with a cut-throat competitiveness lurking just below the surface. As they grew ever more hirsute and slobbish in lockdown, their virtual relationship became increasingly fraught.

It was soapily addictive and hilariously thespy, while giving a voyeuristic glimpse of their interior decor and domestic lives – with all the action viewed through their webcams.

Yet it was the supporting cast who lifted Staged to greatness,Their director Simon Evans, forced to dance around the pair’s fragile egos and piggy-in-the-middle of their feuds. Steely producer Jo, played by Nina Sosanya, forever breaking off from calls to bellow at her poor, put-upon PA. And especially the leading men’s long-suffering partners, both actors in real life, Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg.

Georgia Tennant comes from showbiz stock, as the child of Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson. At 36 she is an experienced actor and producer, who made her TV debut in Peak Practice aged 15. She met David on Doctor Who 2008, when she played the Timelord’s cloned daughter Jenny. Meanwhile, the Swedish Lundberg, 26, is at the start of her career. She left drama school in New York two years ago and Staged is her first big on-screen role.

Married for nine years, the Tennants have five children and live in west London. The Lundberg-Sheens have been together two years, have a baby daughter, Lyra, and live outside Port Talbot in south Wales. On screen and in real life, the women have become firm friends and frequent scene-stealers.

Staged proved so successful that it’s now back for a second series. We set up a video call with Tennant and Lundberg to discuss lockdown life, wine consumption, home schooling (those two may be related) and the blurry line between fact and fiction…

Was doing Staged a big decision, because it’s so personal and set in your homes? Georgia Tennant: We’d always been a very private couple. Staged was everything we’d never normally say yes to. Suddenly, our entire house is on TV and so is a version of the relationship we’d always kept private. But that’s the way to do it, I guess. Go to the other extreme. Just rip off the Band-Aid.

Anna Lundberg: Michael decided pretty quickly that we weren’t going to move around the house at all. All you see is the fireplace in our kitchen.

GT: We have five children, so it was just about which room was available.

AL: But it’s not the real us. It’s not a documentary.

GT: Although some people think it is.

Which fictional parts of the show do people mistake for reality? GT: People think I’m really a novelist because “Georgia” writes a novel in Staged. They’ve asked where they can buy my book. I should probably just write one now because I’ve done the marketing already.

AL: People worry about our elderly neighbour, who gets hospitalised in the show. She doesn’t actually exist in real life but people have approached Michael in Tesco’s, asking if she’s OK.

Michael and David squabble about who’s billed first in Staged. Does that reflect real life? AL: With Good Omens, Michael’s name was first for the US market and David’s was first for the British market. So those scenes riffed on that.

Should we call you Georgia and Anna, or Anna and Georgia? GT: Either. We’re super-laidback about these things.

AL: Unlike certain people.

How well did you know each other before Staged? GT: We barely knew each other. We’ve now forged a friendship by working on the show together.

AL: We’d met once, for about 20 minutes. We were both pregnant at the time – we had babies a month apart – so that was pretty much all we talked about.

Did you tidy up before filming? AL: We just had to keep one corner relatively tidy.

GT: I’m quite a tidy person, but I didn’t want to be one of those annoying Instagram people with perfect lives. So strangely, I had to add a bit of mess… dot a few toys around in the background. I didn’t want to be one of those insufferable people – even though, inherently, I am one of those people.

Was there much photobombing by children or pets? AL: In the first series, Lyra was still at an age where we could put her in a baby bouncer. Now that’s not working at all. She’s just everywhere. Me and Michael don’t have many scenes together in series two, because one of us is usually Lyra-wrangling.

GT: Our children aren’t remotely interested. They’re so unimpressed by us. There’s one scene where Doris, our five-year-old, comes in to fetch her iPad. She doesn’t even bother to glance at what we’re doing.

How was lockdown for you both? AL: I feel bad saying it, but it was actually good for us. We were lucky enough to be in a big house with a garden. For the first time since we met, we were in one place. We could just focus on Lyra . To see her grow over six months was incredible. She helped us keep a steady routine, too.

GT: Ours was similar. We never spend huge chunks of time together, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At least until David’s career goes to shit and he’s just sat at home. The flipside was the bleakness. Being in London, there were harrowing days when everything was silent but you’d just hear sirens going past, as a reminder that something awful was going on. So I veered between “This is wonderful” and “This is the worst thing that ever happened.”

And then there was home schooling… GT: Which was genuinely the worst thing that ever happened.

You’ve spent a lot of time on video calls, clearly. What are your top Zooming tips? GT: Raise your camera to eye level by balancing your laptop on a stack of books. And invest in a ring light.

AL: That’s why you look so much better. We just have our sad kitchen light overhead, which makes us look like one massive shiny forehead.

GT: Also, always have a good mug on the go [raises her cuppa to the camera and it’s a Michael Sheen mug]. Someone pranked David on the job he’s shooting at the moment by putting a Michael Sheen mug in his trailer. He brought it home and now I use it every morning. I’m magically drawn to drinking out of Michael.

There’s a running gag in series one about the copious empties in Michael’s recycling. Did you lean into lockdown boozing in real life? AL: Not really. We eased off when I was pregnant and after Lyra was born. We’d just have a glass of wine with dinner.

GT: Yes, definitely. I often reach for a glass of red in the show, which was basically just an excuse to continue drinking while we were filming: “I think my character would have wine and cake in this scene.” The time we started drinking would creep slightly earlier. “We’ve finished home schooling, it’s only 4pm, but hey…” We’ve scaled it back to just weekends now.

How did you go about creating your characters with the writer Simon Evans? AL: He based the dynamic between David and Michael on a podcast they did together. Our characters evolved as we went along.

GT: I was really kind and understanding in the first draft. I was like “I don’t want to play this, it’s no fun.” From the first few tweaks I made, Simon caught onto the vibe, took that and ran with it.

Did you struggle to keep a straight face at times? AL: Yes, especially the scenes with all four of us, when David and Michael start improvising.

GT: I was just drunk, so I have no recollection.

AL: Scenes with all four of us were normally filmed in the evening, because that’s when we could be child-free. Usually there was alcohol involved, which is a lot more fun.

GT: There’s a long scene in series two where we’re having a drink. During each take, we had to finish the glass. By the end, we were all properly gone. I was rewatching it yesterday and I was so pissed.

What else can you tell us about series two? GT: Everyone’s in limbo. Just as we think things are getting back to normal, we have to take three steps back again. Everyone’s dealing with that differently, shall we say.

AL: In series one, we were all in the same situation. By series two, we’re at different stages and in different emotional places.

GT: Hollywood comes calling, but things are never as simple as they seem.

There were some surprise big-name cameos in series one, with Samuel L Jackson and Dame Judi Dench suddenly Zooming in. Who can we expect this time around? AL: We can’t name names, but they’re very exciting.

GT: Because series one did so well, and there’s such goodwill towards the show, we’ve managed to get some extraordinary people involved. This show came from playing around just to pass the time in lockdown. It felt like a GCSE end-of-term project. So suddenly, when someone says: “Samuel L Jackson’s in”, it’s like: “What the fuck’s just happened?”

AL: It took things to the next level, which was a bit scary.

GT: It suddenly felt like: “Some people might actually watch this.”

How are David and Michael’s hair and beard situations this time? AL: We were in a toyshop the other day and Lyra walked up to these Harry Potter figurines, pointed at Hagrid and said: “Daddy!” So that explains where we’re at. After eight months of lockdown, it was quite full-on.

GT: David had a bob at one point. Turns out he’s got annoyingly excellent hair. Quite jealous. He’s also grown a slightly unpleasant moustache.

Is David still wearing his stinky hoodie? GT: I bought him that as a gift. It’s actually Paul Smith loungewear. In lockdown, he was living in it. It’s pretty classy, but he does manage to make it look quite shit.

#Michael Sheen #David Tennant #Staged #Staged 2 #Georgia Tennant #The tidy corner #we noticed it #Staged2 #SwedishFishAL

[successfullyadhd]

Brain Distractions

Being bored is the ADHD downfall. If something isn’t interesting, we aren’t doing it.

Sadly for us, there are so many boring things we have to do to keep our lives running.

Cooking? Boring. Eating? Exciting.

Answering emails? Boring. Getting paychecks? Exciting.

So how do you make yourself do the things the are necessary but dull? I have a few tricks but my favorite one is - trick your brain into thinking you’re doing a fun activity. Don’t get me wrong - you probably won’t ever think doing the dishes is fun. But you know what is? Watching TV. I have this pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones (that I’m obsessed with and carry around like a security blanket) that I sync with my laptop. I put the headphones on, turn on an enjoyable Netflix show and do the dishes while watching TV. All of a sudden, my brain thinks I’m having fun AND I’m still finishing my chores.

This works for ANY mindless task - dishes, snow shoveling the driveway, vacuuming, chopping potatoes - whatever you want. Here are a few of my favorite distractions:

- Series TV shows with lots of dialogue that don’t need you to physically see what’s happening on the screen for most of the show. A couple of my favorites for this are Supernatural and The Originals. It also works well with a favorite show you are really familiar with, so you don’t necessarily need to see the screen to keep up. You want something that’s interesting enough to entertain your brain without captivating it and making you stop what your hands are doing.

- Audio books. This is also my trick to get through long car rides by myself. A good source for audio books is Kindle Unlimited - it’s $10/month and while it’s main focus is ebooks, many of them come with a free audio book component. You can even narrow down a category search to “Read and Listen for Free” which helps. (Amazon also has Audible, an audio book app and subscription service. $20/month(I think). It comes with more premium titles but you get one credit to use and then two other Audible original credits) Another good audio book source is the library - many libraries have the newest audio books and you can just listen on an app like Overdrive.

- podcasts - I can’t get into them for some reason (if there is an amazing one you like that you think would change my mind, let me know!) but they do the same job for people who like them - entertaining your brain for otherwise boring tasks.

On the opposite end, something that I find isn’t good for tricking my brain during boring activities are phone calls. For me, I’m either too distracted to be a good conversationalist OR I stop what I’m doing to focus on the call. The reasons the other distractions are great is because they don’t require your participation, only your observation.

Also, I find this isn’t a good tactic when I have to do activities that require an internal dialogue to complete - writing emails, journaling, etc. It has to be a mindless activity where your hands are busy but your brain isn’t.

#adhd #adhd distractions #executive dysfunction #neurodiversity #life hacks #brain tricks

[growup-gloup]

I hate being alone it makes me depressed and sducidal when I am alone how do I learn to enjoy my own company without being bored after a half hour

How to mantein normality in quarantine? Sorry for my English.

Quarantine Survival Guide

I have been using the time to learn a new language and I do puzzles, listen to new music, hang out with my family. It’s good to go for a walk (if you can + it’s safe!!) every now and then to breathe.

I try to fill my time with things that make me happy. But at night when it’s inevitable for me to just be thinking, I try to focus more on the music or reading. If it gets bad and I find myself sad, I’ll take time to do something good for myself (skin care, drink tea, moisturize, etc) and remind myself that it’ll pass even if it doesn’t feel like it. It may take a bit of time but it’s temporary, we’ll be back out and with our friends/family again with time.

🥰

Routine really helps me - I make myself get up, shower, change clothes, put on (minimal) makeup, etc. because it makes me feel more put together and somehow that tends to make me more productive.

🍰

You gotta talk to people and have socially distant hangouts. It’s not the best, but it’s something:

On the phone

Skype/FaceTime

Discord/Twitch

Zoom

Online gaming/streaming, or any other online activity that you can do with friends.

👽

If there isn’t anyone present, or online you could talk to at the moment, here are some things you can do to get more comfortable with yourself.

Find journal prompts and write whatever comes to mind regarding that topic.

Consumer media, be it books, podcasts, documentaries, or movies/shows. I recommend a combination of all.

Use this time to work on your “glo-up”. Watch inspirational videos and learn the skills you always wanted to be able to do and not have time for. Organize your place and use the process to figure out what your personal style is, in fashion, in interior design, in anything.

If you can find a way, grow a plant. You don’t have to start an entire garden or an urban jungle, but growing something is good for your mental health.

Open a window. The fresh air will help elevate the mood indoors, especially if you live in apartment or area where you can’t go for a walk.

Move around, even if you can’t leave your place. Play some music, use headphones if you have thin walls, and dance around. You can also look up workout tutorials at home as well.

Take a break from screentime. Being constantly in front of the TV, phone, computer, etc. is exposing you to a lot more blue light and negative media than you would otherwise be exposed to, and adding the overall situation into the mix leads to not the most ideal mental health. Find something to do, like the aforementioned examples, that reduce your screentime.

💋

#carpe diem #health #coronavirus #AMA #Anonymous

[whencallstheheart]

Thank you all so much for the questions.  They were fun to answer.  There were some repeats so I skipped over them when they came up again.  If there’s more you’d like to know don’t hesitate to ask!  😀

It’s a little long so I’ll put it under the cut. 

I love a “ask me anything”!! what made you such a fan of the show that you started this blog??

I think I initially saw a tweet from John Stamos congratulating Lori on her new show and that was the first I had heard of it.  I think a couple episodes had already aired.  I hadn’t ever watched anything on Hallmark prior.  I'm a huge Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman fan (which was the first fandom blog I started) and when I watched the first episode it felt sort of reminiscent of that.  There wasn't really anything on Tumblr about it at that time so I started the blog and now here we are.

Are you a fan of historical dramas in general? If yes, have you seen Outlander?

I don't watch many historical dramas but, yes, I have seen Outlander. I'm behind but I do really enjoy that show and plan to catch up eventually.  Another one I liked a lot was Jamestown.  I also enjoy The Alienist.  And Dr. Quinn, of course.  

Where do you live (city) and what do you do to pay the bills?

I live outside Portland, Oregon and I work for a large bank in operations.  Currently working from home.

Were you ever a member of the crazy fanatical hearties group on FB?? Are they really that deluded about the show’s shortcomings?

I am a member of the Facebook group but don't participate or really look at anything but I like to be able to see if someone important posts something.  I just see whatever happens to end up on my feed when I'm scrolling.  Yes, but they're also not allowed to comment anything negative.  It's highly policed so fans can't really have discussions even if they wanted to.

What is your favourite food of all time? The food you would want as your last meal, the food that makes you glad to be alive.

These are hard questions.  Maybe a cheeseburger and fries.  I also really love Mexican food.  One of my favorite meals is something my mom makes which is porcupine meatballs.  It's basically a beef meatball with rice in it with a tomato soup sauce served over mashed potatoes.  Throw some peas on top and I'm a happy camper.

How do you stay so positive about the show when it disappoints you? Like the disaster of season 5!

There were some good things about season 5.  It's definitely just a mindset.  I was sick of people being so negative and dragging me down that hole with them.  I still enjoyed a lot of aspects about the show.  I still cared about the characters.  I wanted to focus on those good, positive things and be happy that we still had a show to watch.  And even now, I don't have many expectations.  I just want to watch and enjoy it and not pick everything apart to the point where I hate it.  It's not a perfect show but it's fun to watch and that's all that matters at the end of the day.  There’s plenty of other things in the world to be mad at and a Hallmark show doesn’t need to be one of them, you know?

What's your favorite pastime and favorite non-Hallmark show? Also, have a lovely day :)

I basically have no hobbies.  Tumblr is my second job.  I watch a lot of TV (too much these days) and I like listening to podcasts as well.  I play games on my phone.  That's honestly about it.  I'm super interesting, obviously.  My favorite show right now would have to be Yellowstone which just ended its third season.  I'm pretty obsessed.  Otherwise, The Killing is high up there.  ER.  Dr. Quinn.

If you could a character on WCTH to hang out with for a day, who would it be? If you could pick an actor on WCTH to hang with for a day, who would it be?

Rosemary/Pascale for sure.

What is your fav color? Music? Other TV shows? Books? What type of job do you have? What State or Country are you from?

Probably blue but it depends on what I'm picking the color for.  

I'm not huge into music or have anyone in particular I really love.  I've listened to The Chicks a lot lately.  I recently watched The Greatest Showman for the first time and promptly downloaded that soundtrack. I don't know.  I just listen to whatever suits my mood. If I'm listening to the radio, it's usually Top 40 stations or sometimes I'll throw a Russian pop station into the mix which is fun.

I watch a lot of shows.  I watch General Hospital and have for like 15 years at least.  Grey's Anatomy, Station 19, Roswell, all the Bachelor nation stuff including some foreign series, Love Island UK, a bunch of ghost hunting and adventure shows lately on the Travel Channel, random shows on Netflix, A Million Little Things, 911 and 911: Lone Star, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, 90 Day Fiance and all its shows, The Rookie, Prodigal Son, New Amsterdam.  I could go on.

I don't read as much as I would like to.  I enjoy the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr a lot (also a Netflix show now but the books are much better).  I mostly just read the trashy free ebooks in the Apple bookstore.

Realistically, could this show run for as long as Heartland has?? Does it have that kind of staying power with the fandom and l do wonder - is it growing it’s audience in any way? Cos that would help it stick around for longer.

Of course.  I think it'll be around for a long time.  We're at 8 seasons and with the reset, we're basically starting over with Elizabeth which is really exciting.  The audience certainly isn't shrinking.  I think the ratings generally stay about the same but more and more people find the show on Netflix all the time.

This is a very girly question but whose wedding dress is closest to your style - Rosemary’s , Elizabeth’s or Clara’s?

Rosemary's was my favorite.

Do you have a favourite colour?? And a favourite brand of make up?

I only wear mascara now because of masks and I honestly might not go back to wearing makeup.  I don't have a brand in particular that is my go-to but I just stick with drugstore makeup.  It works good enough for me since I don’t really care or spend much time on that stuff.

hi! I have some questions for ya! How did you get into watching WCTH? Do you enjoy period dramas in general? If you do, would you recommend any? Is anyone in your family or friends fans of WCTH? Do you like to read? Those are kind of a lot but I’d love to hear from you! Really enjoy your blog and fellow WCTH fans! Thanks for all you do!

No one I know personally watches it.  Or at least I don't know if they do.

[walkingshcdow-a]

Longtime follower, big time fan! I love your writing and I wanted to know what you would suggest or have any tips or recommend about how to start writing a book? I want to (and have a bit of an idea) but I don't know where to begin?? Thank you!!

I want to start this ask, first with thanks and then with a disclaimer. Firstly, thank you so much for following me and for reading/enjoying my stuff! I really appreciate it and it makes me feel very warm-and-fuzzy to know that someone on the other end of the internet reached out to me and thought highly enough of my writing to ask for advice. Secondly, I am a writing teacher. I teach high school creative writing and have degrees in English and Secondary English Education. I have written numerous short stories and one day hope to get a PhD in English or an MFA in creative writing. On the one hand, I am Supremely Qualified to answer your question. On the other, I’m... not. I am not a published author (yet) and most of my writing energy goes towards roleplay and fanfiction. The longest finished work I’ve created as an adult is my “Wooden Overcoats” fanfiction “The Greatest Undertaking”, which doesn’t “officially” crack novel length (50,000 words, give or take). When you say you seek advice on writing advice, I’m going to tell you something I’d never tell my students: you don’t have to take my advice. If something else works better for you (this part I do usually tell them), do that. I am not and no writer is the font of all writing knowledge. Anyone who says they are is trying to sell you something, usually, a book on how to write, written by an author you’ve never read or heard of. 

Okay, now that that’s out of the way... let’s talk about what helps me in hopes that some of it helps you!

Don’t be afraid to start. People will make you feel like your idea isn’t worth pursuing. Most of them are doing it on accident and would be horrified to know that their thoughtless comments are holding you back. For years, I did not write characters who had parents because when I was eleven, my mom read a fanfiction I wrote and the main character was critical of her parents and my mom asked me, “Is this how you feel?” If a circumstance hit too close to home, I didn’t write it even if my mom wasn’t going to read it. Thankfully, I’m past that. People won’t be the only thing that will hold you back. Time, fear of failure, impostor syndrome... all sorts of insidious things will give you excuses not to start. Do not let them win. 

Some form of pre-planning is extremely useful! It’s not necessary. Most of my short stories have never been outlined. I just sit at the keyboard and type until I have a short story and then I edit later. But for my longer stories, I find an outline keeps me organized and on track. Currently, I’m writing a story called “Catch and Release”. “Catch and Release” has two separate outlines (I kept the original, even though I scrapped at least half of it), both about five pages long. The outlines, for me, include character summaries (who is this character, what did they do in the last story- “The Greatest Undertaking” - that is relevant, what is their goal now, how do they perceive themselves/others, how do others perceive them, what other details are important), and chapter summaries with bullet-point lists of what plot points and emotional beats need to happen in each chapter. I did this in Google Docs because it means I can access it anywhere (and often do) and so I can use the strikethrough function to cross off plot points and emotional beats I’ve hit in writing. This keeps me on track when I take breaks from writing. I haven’t worked on the writing since a little over a week ago, since real life has picked up. I opened Chapter Nine the other day and was like, “Why did I start with Sid Marlowe?” I checked my outline and remembered exactly where I left off. It’s nice. I wasn’t as thorough with “The Greatest Undertaking” and there was a point where I took a month-long hiatus from working on it (I was teaching remotely from a different city because of the pandemic) and when I picked up “The Greatest Undertaking”, I thought to myself “What would have made writing easier for me?” Your outline doesn’t have to be as detailed as mine. It could be more detailed. Just create a guidebook for yourself in case you get stuck or have to take a break from your work. 

Speaking of preplanning... Brainstorm! Keep a list of your ideas for future fics/stories/etc. Write little plot summaries to refer to later. I like to you the “[Somebody] wanted [goal], but [obstacle], so [climax], then [ending].” model when I’m too busy to write a detailed summary. I’d also recommend looking at and utilizing traditional outlines, like Freytag’s pyramid or the “four-act structure” a professor suggested to me at a Shakespeare conference if you want to push back against traditional storytelling that allows for a longer focus on the resolution/consequences as the characters establish a new normal. Something. Anything to make you know what ideas you have and what shape they might take. Pictures can be helpful!

Even though preplanning is useful, don’t get married to your outline. If you love your outline too much, you might spend all your time working on it instead of the story or you might not give yourself the flexibility you need and deserve to write the story of your dreams. I realized when I was writing “Catch and Release” that I needed the latitude to add in a scene between Chapman and Calliope and to have Chapman and Antigone interact at least once in the series, since they didn’t in “The Greatest Undertaking”. I was able to edit the outline easily enough to add a whole chapter (Chapter Nine, which I’m working on). I might have to add up to three more chapters to hit all of my bullet points and I know my ending has changed from the first outline. That’s okay! As long as I keep writing and preserve the emotional beats, I’ll be content. Some people would hate this edit-as-you-go approach and insist upon sticking to the outline. If that works for you, great. But I’m not going to commit myself to subplots that don’t serve the narrative. 

Decide if you’re a plot-driven or character-driven writer (or, rather, if your piece is plot-driven or character-driven). I’ve put so much emphasis on outlining plot in this thing because I’m character-driven. I am constantly thinking about “but why are they like that?” and “What motivates character X? What is their payoff if they act?” I think in terms of character relationships. This is great! Super helpful! But when it comes to getting my characters do things... I need to outline a plot otherwise they will sit around and talk about their feelings for 30,000 words and nothing will happen. I compensate by making sure my characters have goals outside their intimate relationships, other interests/hobbies/struggles, and lots of things to do. In “Catch and Release”, I had to think of an event that would allow my characters to act out their feelings, rather than think about them privately. If you’re more plot-driven, you will need to make character outlines to keep track of why your characters are doing things that they do and to keep them somewhat consistent in how they behave. People in real life are sometimes inconsistent. In fiction, readers are more likely to notice “out of character” behavior... especially if it isn’t tied to an important motivator. You might need to make character arcs instead of a plot event list. And that’s okay! Do what you need to do to make sure that whether you’re plot- or character-driven, the two tie nicely together. 

Practice writing and read a lot. There are two ways to become a better writer. The first is my favorite: write a lot. In between short story projects and novella/novel-length fics, I write my RP characters here. I experiment with style and voice and character development here all the time. This is my “take a break from writing” writing corner, lol. It’s made me a lot better and the partners with whom I write make me better. It keeps me in continual practice with both story craft and mechanics. The second way to improve as a writer is to read a lot. I’m going to say something my colleagues would probably hate: watching TV and listening to podcasts counts as reading, too. Study how the author or writers craft the book/episode/movie you’re consuming. Look at the dialogue and plot structure. Imitate the parts you like, mix and match pieces of media, use one author’s style to tackle another’s subject material. Decide what you think is good writing and what you think isn’t. I’m having my students do an activity from the book called “No Plot? No Problem!” by Chris Baty, the founder of National Novel Writing Month. It asks writers to list all their favorite tropes, conventions, stylistic choices, etc. and all their least favorites and then to only include things they listed as favorites and to avoid writing about things they hate. Writing is a self-betterment activity, but you don’t get better by punishing yourself. You want to enjoy writing, right? Don’t “write what you know”. Write what you know, what you love, and what you want to know more about! Imitating writers you admire is a good thing for both original and fanfiction. Practice, practice, practice!

Set goals for yourself. I have an app called Habitica to help with my to-do lists. I have three things that are writing-related on it right now: “Respond to writing prompt” (habit), “Work on creative project” (daily), and “Finish Catch and Release” (singular event). On Habitica, you rank the level of ease for each thing. “Respond to writing prompt” is “easy”. It can be a prompt here, working on a chapter of “Catch and Release”, or doing a separate writing prompt. “Work on creative project” is “medium” and can be any of the above... plus outlining or another artistic expression, because sometimes I forget to branch out. I can’t check “Catch and Release” off my list until I finish the actual story and that’s ranked as “difficult”. I get a different amount of points for doing the things I need to do and I lose points for not doing them. I also (unofficially) have a goal that all of my chapters must be between 2000 and 5000 words. There’s no formal system for that one. Either way, these keep me motivated to keep writing. Find a system of accountability for yourself. Some people do well if they reward themselves (I don’t. There’s nothing I want enough to work for except things that have intrinsic rewards, like... I get to keep my job if I do my job. Telling me that is more motivating than telling me I’ll get ice cream for finishing my lesson plans. I can get ice cream even if I don’t. I’m an adult with a modest amount of disposable income or I’ll decide I don’t want ice cream. The only times I’ve done this self-denial tactic and seen results I also dehydrated and deprived myself of sleep. I do not recommend that in the slightest). Others thrive on working competitively against friends, the clock, or themselves. Still others accomplish their goals only by having external people hold them accountable. I will admit: I sometimes need a shove from a friend which is why...

Enlist friends to get opinions from. I have the world’s best group chat on Discord. All three of them are writing partners here and familiar with my fandom (”Wooden Overcoats” in this instance; though at least two of them are familiar with “Phantom of the Opera”/Susan Kay’s “Phantom” and I’ve forced the whole group to know about my original characters). Each of them has a different perspective so I can ask their thoughts and brainstorm with them, throw ideas at them, etc. or just ask them to make sure I’m writing once a week or so. I have other friends who know nothing about my fandom or my stories but who are willing to listen objectively to look for plot holes. And then I have friends who are content to know I’m writing and never ask for more info. Writing is such a solitary activity that it’s important to find support and community where you can! 

Believe in yourself. You can have all the support in the world, but you have to remind yourself that your story is worth telling and that no one can tell it quite like you can. Get writing!

I wish you the absolute best of luck on your writing endeavors! If you ever want to talk or follow up, I’d love to hear how it’s going! Take care!

#;;signifying nothing | {personal} #;;told by an idiot | {out of character} #x. asks #((I am so flattered!!!!)) #((Thank you anon!!!!)) #((I hope your writing project goes well!!)) #((If you have other questions or updates on your work hmu!))) #Anonymous

[morethanaprincess-a]

@ahogedetective​ said:  1, 4, and 12!

Asks for Writers

1.) Is there a specific environment you prefer to write in?

Yes! And it’s entirely based on what time of day it is, actually.

Daytime/sun is still up: At the dining table, with a spotify playlist, and with water, hot tea, or a light meal. I take periodic breaks to wash dishes and turn on the kettle, and when I’m being a bit delinquent, I’ll write during work breaks or general lulls in my workflow, too. Sometimes I can write when others are in the room but I don’t prefer it, and I know I can’t when others are speaking to me directly.

Nighttime/after sundown: In pajamas, on a sofa, with a thermos of tea and either a spotify playlist or something streaming/playing on TV in the background. Sometimes it’s inspo for a muse or just a comfort movie or playlist, but I need something going on to temporarily distract me when I’m either stumped on ideas or just can’t fit the right words together.

I used to write over larger meals and alcohol, but I haven’t done that for months now due to health reasons.

In general though, I like being full, hydrated/caffeinated, and in comfortable clothes when I write. Sometimes with various beauty treatments. It feels almost like a spa and an office combined when I’m doing a multi-step skincare regimen and I’m waiting for a serum to set or a sheet mask to work while working on a draft.

4.) Do you like to plan something out, or just wing it?

I try to work with what my writing partners are comfortable with most of the time. Some muns really like to plot and are open to conversation about it (sometimes chatting all night about plans!) and others are very much hands-off, preferring to see how the thread spontaneously evolves. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of the former but it relies upon having a good rapport with a writing partner to make it work. 

I will say for many of my romantic ships, especially ones with a lot of AUs and various threads, I’m plotting quite a bit with the muns of those muses. I prefer to do that for those sorts of interactions because I’m not an auto-ship sort of writer and I like seeing how that sort of intimate relationship can and will evolve over time and many threads.

I tend to have more confidence in my writing when some of a story is planned out, too. That’s also a perk, and helps me reply to threads and interactions far more easily. And when I’ve hit a writer’s block or have a question for the other mun regarding their muse and/or verse (especially when it comes to crossovers and OCs I’m not familiar with), it’s far easier to reach out and ask if I’m already plotting with them.

12.) What’s your best advice for someone struggling with their writing right now?

First and foremost, take a break. Sleep, eat a good meal, indulge in another hobby, see family and/or friends. Step away from tumblr and possibly the computer in general. You’re not getting paid to RP. Take some of the pressure off you. Any writing partner worth writing with will understand and will be eager to welcome you back when you’re ready.

Otherwise, I try to follow this advice: write what you want to read. And in order to do that, read the sort of content you want to write. I find that there’s plenty that can inspire writers in their work, their characters, their plots, their content: TV, movies, video games, comics, podcasts, blogs, etc. However, RP is very much a writing hobby. It’s just as much about the actual writing, putting ideas and words to paper or a digital document, as it is reading. 

I don’t necessarily mean sticking to the ‘great novels’ or ‘great poems’ or what have you, the sort of thing you may have analyzed in classes in school. But I do mean seeking out the sorts of stories, characters, even general writing styles that inspire you and that you really enjoy reading. 

For me, that’s a mix of all sorts of writers, from those who penned some of the worldwide ‘classics’ that have been discussed in plenty of schools and made and remade into plenty of films to contemporary offerings and even some things that...ahem...I’d never admit I read in a public setting (and am glad I can purchase secondhand online!). I like to write about royals/aristocrats/rich people problems, luxury, class divides, romance, thriller, horror, and history the most, so I focus on titles about those topics. I’m less interested in writing fantasy, science fiction, and battles/war/fighting scenes, so I don’t usually choose those to read for fun or inspiration.

#more-than-a-princess answered #more-than-a-princess musings #ahogedetective #(Asks for Writers meme) #(Thanks for the asks!) #(I tried to condense my thoughts on these because I could've easily rambled on)

[fluentlanguage]

Tips to Improve Your Vocab Memory

Do any of these describe your relationship with vocabulary?

I keep forgetting new words.

I don’t like using lists, flashcards, etc.

I feel like I’m not making progress because I don’t know enough words.

When it comes to language learning, vocabulary is a different kind of monster. Instead of jumping out to scare you (like grammar), it hides until you figure out the right trick to help you learn. The most frustrating part is that what works for someone else might not work as well for you.

But if that’s the case, what can you do to find a method that truly helps you learn new vocabulary?

Why are you learning?

All language learners have a reason for why they’re learning a language in the first place. But what’s your motivation for learning a particular set of vocabulary words?

Maybe you’re still working on the basics or using a list of words to learn from a textbook or an app. Either way, it’s not the most exciting material. In some cases, it might not even seem useful.

One of the benefits of learning solo is that you can choose exactly what you want to learn next. You can focus on vocab for more interesting topics or ignore words you’ll probably never use. Even if you’re having trouble learning essentials like numbers or directions, you can put them in a context that’s important to you.

Give Your Vocab Meaning Any Way You Can

You might not care about a list of numbers in a textbook. But you do want to know how to say dates and times, and knowing numbers can also save you money!

Back when I was a regular business traveller, I spent a good amount of time in Kazakhstan and Russia. These are not places where a regular taxi will give you the best deal. Most people just stand at the side of the road, flag down a car, and haggle for the cost of a ride.

I’m a people person and ever curious about everyone’s cars, so for me this sounded like heaven! The only problem was that I spoke no Russian at all.

After several half-bungled negotiations ("Holiday Inn...Ulitsa Shevchenko! Hundred Tenge??") and some support from local colleagues, I picked up the expression “tri sti” for 300.

From then on, every single ride in Kazakhstan AND Russia had to cost me 300 of whatever their local currency was. I simply couldn’t agree on a different amount! 😄In Kazakhstan this may have been driving a bargain...in Russia I was more like their best paying customer, every single time.

After a few months of this, I did start picking up Russian and the motivation to learn numbers was top of my list.

What’s your motivation to learn these words?

How can you see yourself using them? Most textbooks will at least give some sample dialogues, but it’s just WAY cooler to say your own birthday in your new language.

In addition to making note of your motivation, it helps to understand learning vocabulary as a process or a system that includes three stages:

Growing vocabulary (figuring out what words you need or want to learn, selecting your sources, and taking good notes)

Memorizing vocabulary (strategies to make your words stickier so you don’t forget them easily)

Revising or reviewing vocabulary (using new words or testing yourself regularly so that they become anchored in your long-term memory)

Not sure what you should learn?

Before you even start trying to memorize new words, you have to figure out which ones you should try to learn. Once you’ve covered basics like greetings, colors, directions, etc., it’s easy to feel a little unsure about where to go next.

There are a few different options you can choose to start feeling more in-control of your vocabulary learning:

Download My Topic List for Beginners

Using a list that is already created can save you quite a bit of time when you're busy. It's perfect for you right at the start of learning a new language.

My vocabulary checklist for beginners is different from most lists because it gives you topics and skills. This is more useful than just a list of words, and it will help you create a solid foundation without getting bored.

Create your own list of words

What do you want to talk about in your target language?

Consider your interests and hobbies as well as things you’d usually talk to your friends or coworkers about. Consider both individual words and expressions.

One great way to go about this is to choose a topic and do a mind map or create a quick list of every word or expression you can think of that relates to your topic. Then, edit your list and translate the words into your target language.

If you want to add on more vocab to your list, try searching social media with your translated words as well.

Learn more vocabulary from what you enjoy

You can also choose to create a list based on the things you watch, read, and listen to in your target language.

Here are a two great apps that help you understand and find resources in your target language:

Lingq for books, articles, videos, and podcasts with transcripts

Yabla for native videos designed to work for language learners

Pay attention when you listen or read something in your target language. Is there a word that keeps coming up when you listen to songs or watch your favourite tv series? Put it on your list. Do you have a book you’d like to read in your target language? Go through and write down all the words you don’t know to start learning them.

Most importantly, remember that you should always have a solid system for compiling new words and expressions.

Switch up your language learning methods

Even if you’ve got a great list of words to learn, it doesn’t help if you can’t remember them. This is especially true for abstract vocabulary. You can’t see the word for "brave", so how are you supposed to remember it in another language?

Luckily, there are 4 different methods that can help you learn both the simple words and the more difficult ones.

The Post-it Method

For words like "coffee" and “door”, it’s easy to write the word in your target language onto a post-it note and stick it on the actual object.

But what do you do for those abstract words?

You can still write them on post-its, but you’ll have to get a little creative on where you place them. Think of quirky places that have some sort of connection to the idea. For instance, you might decide to put a post-it with the translation for "awake" on your coffee cup.

As a bonus, the added creativity involved in connecting the abstract concept to the object will help you remember even more as you have to spend time contemplating the word.

The Language Play Method

In addition to associating abstract words with an object, you can also use the linguistic characteristics of the word you’re trying to remember. Link the word you’re trying to learn with similar sounds or spellings or take the time to look into where it came from.

Quick tip: Google the word you’re learning and "etymology" together, and you’ll find out more about its history.

You can use rhyme or look at the cognates of a word, or the parts of a word that borrow or share origins with another language you already know.

Chunks of Language

In this method, also called "chunking", the idea is to study chunks of language rather than individual words. That might mean choosing to learn short sentences or phrases, such as “I’m so hungry” or “Where is the bathroom?”

This can be even more helpful if you’re trying to learn abstract words because you can connect those words to a sentence you might actually use or remember.

Examples of the concept in music and art

Have you ever learned a new word only to suddenly see or hear it everywhere you go? If so, it probably made you more likely to remember the word later on.

Seeking out examples in music, movies, or even advertisements can help reinforce words that might otherwise slip your mind.

Final Tips to Keep in Mind

Don’t beat yourself up for forgetting something.

The leading scientific theory is that humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they consciously review the learned material. This is known as the forgetting curve.

In other words, you simply can’t expect to remember everything all the time. Even native speakers forget words in their native language from time to time.

Remember to continue reviewing and revising your vocab list.

You might find that some words still give you trouble, so you need to make use of a few different methods if you want to learn them. If there are words that you find difficult to remember, it is okay to also decide that some of the words on your list might not be as important as you thought.

True fact: If a word is important enough, it will make sure that you remember it!

Make sure to apply what you’re learning.

You should always make a conscious effort to use a few new words outside of dedicated study sessions. This might mean actively using new words in conversation, using your vocabulary list to search social media or find new hashtags to follow, or looking for news articles about related topics.

Above all, don’t worry about your level when you’re trying to learn vocab. As long as you’ve got a handle on the basics using new words in sentences and questions, you can learn any vocabulary words you want. After all, you never stop learning new words.

#vocabulary #memory #vocab

[buzrushcommunity]

Succeed Through Online Marketing

How Electronic Advertising and marketing Will Change: 17 Forecasts for 2020

Electronic advertising is not any unknown person to modifications.

Succeed Through Online Marketing - We have to stay on our toes if we want to stay relevant with the never ending changes to algorithms and regulations and part of that is positioning ourselves for success.

Precisely what is digital marketing planning to look like in 2020?

We experienced possessed 17 computerized entrepreneurs weigh into tell us what they see about the horizon, therefore we can all prepare accordingly and also a great season ofclicks and engagement, and sales.

Allow me to share 17 forecasts for electronic advertising and marketing in 2020.

Benton Crane, CEO of Harmon Brothers

Ad platforms (looking at you Facebook or twitter) continues to highlight shorter content material (needless to say, they want to offer more thoughts). Brief-type, nonetheless, limits what you can do to construct your company persona, voice, and world.

We foresee the profitable strategy may be to perform advertising chess, not checkers. In chess your parts have various strengths and weaknesses, whilst all checkers parts are identical. If you build up your web marketing strategy use a mixture of simple, medium sized, and lengthy-develop information. Don’t stop building your brand character, voice, and universe with longer-form content, although use the short-form content to appease Facebook���s algorithms.

Logan Fletcher, Content material Marketing Administrator

If you aren’t posting videos on social media, 2020 NEEDS to be the year you start, otherwise, you’ll get left behind, Succeed Through Online Marketing -.

Beyond that, we foresee a higher appearance of companies on social websites, since they try to create a technique that can help them purchase an advantage on opponents. Online video on sociable systems will probably continue being with the fore-front of effective methods.

Not only are B2B companies going to focus on creating video for LinkedIn, but they will also start to take notice of IGTV. With changes to Instagram’s algorithm formula, video clip placed on IGTV will go to the top of your followers’ rss feeds, and also be discovered much more prevalently on users’ investigate web pages. This will result in more movie prospects, a more substantial audience, and more advantages.

What different will we see in 2020? We believe that online marketers will begin focusing more on consumer demands, instead of “marketing requires.” Entrepreneurs will start responding to customers’ questions directly that will create campaigns that solution these inquiries. The only real individuals who actually make a difference are definitely the people who we want using our service or product. Refocusing what exactly is sent to customers will be a pattern in 2020 that many firms will not be capable of disregard.

Michelle Barnum Smith, AMZ Messenger Bot Group

The Amazon marketplace is consistently in flux. There are far more individual label retailers now than before as well as the marketplace may become much more competing. To stay in the video game, sellers really need to be tough and flexible.

Probably the most crucial methods to adjust is to possess a brand name-attitude. A product is not pretty much turning up having a individual merchandise-it’s about creating a local community of fervent buyers. The best and easiest method to start off is by using driving a vehicle your very own outside website traffic employing Talk Advertising and marketing tactics by way of ManyChat.

ManyChat tends to make chat advertising and marketing an omni-channel expertise. Now dealers can operate multichannel promotions through a single tool and reach their viewers in the most efficient techniques possible. Chitchat advertising will certainly make market developing, item establishing, and item advertising seamless for Amazon . com Dealers.

Tara Robertson, Director of Customer Marketing and advertising at Sprout Sociable

2020 is all about refinement. Brands not just need to focus on who they really are but moreover, the way they are different from competitors that will create remarkable experiences for customers. In ahead of time, online marketers will emphasis much more about becoming buyer obsessed by making certain each and every touchpoint is steady and purposeful. Supplying outstanding consumer experiences has stopped being a “nice to have,” but an hope-specifically as businesses aim to get noticed inside their saturated markets.

For that conclusion, there will be an increased desire for content and experience that favors high quality more than quantity. We are living in the age of authentic marketing along with the a lot more related and relatable your marketing and advertising is, the better dedicated your market can become. It is not simply regarding the new system, sophisticated AI, or even a powerful technology stack. The truth is, I actually think it will likely be the opposite.

We have to cut back time contemplating our automation plus more time considering the way you can connect with our buyers and each and every other. We expect far more customization than ever before as buyers and it is essential that marketing and sales crews fully grasp the and this need for connection.

Jenna Snavely, Creation Content Manager at DigitalMarketer

I talk to a lot of experts in the industry, as host of The DigitalMarketer Podcast. From all of the my podcast job interviews across the minimum year, the marketplace developments we have been viewing carefully at DM, and my own acquiring habits-I believe the easiest way to get support in 2020 (or maintain your steer) will be serialized consumable online video content.

It is a huge opportunity to outline your company sound and make a crowd, and the majority of importantly…it’s a way to more than-produce.

Manufacturers which do the difficult job, receive the payout.

Nathalie Lussier, Founding father of AccessAlly

Succeed Through Online Marketing - In 2020, I forecast that more men and women will carry on and “cut the cord” from cord and proceed to streaming options for their entertainment. It’s approximated that 45 mil men and women will depart their cable tv or satellite suppliers in 2020.

Exactly what does that pertain to digital marketing and advertising?

This means that as interest changes far from classic Television set advertising, more marketers will have to get innovative and find approaches to get to individuals on-line alternatively.

That may be the two a true blessing and a curse: It’s going to raise the cost of advertising on the hottest platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Google, although it’s going to create more work for digital agencies.

Brand names may not be moving all their dollars to “pay for every click” advertising, they will often also up their content material advertising and marketing budgets in order to happen in social offers and chats, also! Content marketing organizations, be aware!

Splintering Community Platforms

For businesses that want to boost their communities on the internet (and who does not? ) there is an intensifying have to take acquisition of community place.

For many years the right spot to host a group has become via Facebook organizations. There is a great deal of growth and engagement on Facebook or twitter, because of an previously a built in habit (or possibly is it an dependency? !).

However, the tech giant has experienced some political and ethical backlash and more digital business owners are looking for alternatives.

I foresee that programs that permit you to generate neighborhood “on your very own turf” like Palapa, Mighty Sites, BuddyBoss, and Wp are going to see plenty of development.

However, as much as I see people building these networks outside of the Facebook ecosystem, those that have tried and failed say the the vortex is strong… and engagement isn’t as high.

So, there will likely be a splintering of communities across different platforms, and I suspect also a consolidation for those groups that don’t get enough traction off Facebook when they return.

Intensifying Polarization & Woke Advertising

So will the political polarization in 2020, as the planet’s climate continues to heat up.

Brand names can have an option to help make: remain neutral or have got a perspective.

The companies that stay higher than the fray will steer clear of the drama and the unpredictability that comes with going into the chat on everyone’s thoughts.

But those businesses that can genuinely share their point of view, will get long-term customer loyalty for being happy to place their ideals above short-run income. According to Cone Communications, 92% of consumers say they have a more positive image of a company when the company supports a social or environmental issue.

Yes, you will see drop out from businesses that embark on “woke marketing” and combine activism or national politics inside their message.

More businesses will be willing to put their reputations on the line to connect with Gen Z and Millennials who are more discerning about where they spend their hard earned dollars… and how it impacts the world at large. That is my prediction.

Rachel Pedersen, Chief executive officer in the Viral Touch And Social Media Marketing United

2020 is the 12 months the facade of flawlessly polished marketing burns and crashes. A lot of people happen to be burned up by influencers faking it with ideal photoshoots, and people are desperate for validity.

They will be looking for context outside of keynotes, as consumers get hungry for REAL answers. They are looking for signs and symptoms of congruency - proof that the favored individuals on systems are jogging the stroll.

In 2020 the internet marketer who supplies all-access, behind the curtain, contextual marketing is the winner. It is the entire year of humanized marketing.

Right here is how you can beat the band wagon internet marketers in 2020:

1.Tik. Tok: The clock is ticking. TikTok is actually a rare foundation that reveals a lot more measurements and permits audiences to adore your creative, impromptu and unpolished or UCG content.

2.Go live. Anywhere. Display the mayhem of getting prepared for an occasion with 3 kids when your baby provides the influenza along with your previous thoroughly clean outfit was *coughing* messed up.

3.Report your podcast in person situations. Enable your market to FEEL your life and surroundings with the mp3.

4.Decline Photoshop. So you have a scar on your eyebrow? The vacation consuming magically extra another 15 pounds in your photographs? Permit it to be. Let them see.

5.Online video conveys all. Shoppers are looking for contextual signs in your marketing with video. They desire over a best established and script. They need to see your identiity. Let them have more to work alongside.

6.Tell the reality. So, 2019 was a hard year? Tell them. And do not just clean it off with all the common ‘Oh gentleman, it was a challenging calendar year! ’ Tell them what went wrong. Inform them the way your cardiovascular system shattered. Let them know regarding the nighttime once you almost cease. Let them know concerning the mistakes that almost ruined you. Just inform them the truth.

Jody Milward, Founding father of Interpersonal Charlie

A game changer for Mentors and Electronic program designers starting 2020 is to include a Personal Liquidating Offer (SLO) at the front end conclusion in their Facebook or twitter Advertising. Because with the rising costs of Facebook ads, these offers weren’t profitable, over the years coaches have been told to drop the low ticket offers and focus entirely on High ticket sales.

But that is EXACTLY why they should be part of product suite in 2020. We’re experiencing individuals generating 6 stats in less than a 12 months by using a $27 provide. As an example, Allie Bjerk, runs Facebook advertising to frosty traffic on her SLO using a $27 offer you. This has made practically $500,000 in 9 months having an total 2.4 by ROAS. So, not only is she generating covering and leads her ad spend, she’s also making money. When she promoted her higher ticket offer she experienced a good quality market of consumers and of individuals who joined, 70% got bought her $27 offer.

Then there’s Ashley who has an SLO for Freelance writers and it is covering up her ad invest as she will grow her subscriber list. Engaged community and her SLO was a major contributor to the success of her five figure program launch, by having people come into her community via a paid offer she’s seeing significant growth in her Facebook Group with a lively.

A great SLO can not only cover your advert invest but in addition make you funds when attracting an excellent audience of buyers, as an alternative to plenty of tyre kicking inexpensive leads who never ever even go and available your emails. When the intitial front end offer you is mixed inside a product sales funnel with complementary upsells, we are finding what starts with a $27 provide actually have a standard purchase price of $61 along with an average charge for every transaction of $33.

So, rather than pouring money into free lead magnets and filling up your CRM with cheap unqualified leads, turning that lead magnet into an excellent low ticket offer to bring in quality customers who are actually paying to get on your email list, will make a massive difference to your Facebook Ad Budget and business in 2020.

(NOTE: Need to have a helping palm along with your electronic advertising initiatives? Or you would just like established, workable advertising and marketing instruments, techniques, and layouts to put into action in your organization? Look into the most up-to-date bargain from DigitalMarketer, and you will be moving toward aiding your small business grow.)

For more info visit:- BuzRush

[wrex-writes]

Any tips on getting yourself to fall asleep? I can't write and focus if I don't sleep, but I hate going to bed. I say I'm going to stay up and write, but instead all I do is watch youtube videos for 'inspiration.'

Oh anon, I wish I knew the secret! I’ve got insomnia as well. Here are some common tips for sleeping better. I find them difficult to adhere to and they don’t help everyone, but they’re worth a look.

Late night often feels like the only time we have to ourselves, without responsibilities and other people encroaching on us, so it makes sense to want to write then, and also to stay up and prolong that free time. But then it becomes really hard to sleep. Writing and YouTube are probably cranking your mind up too much - not only from the mental activity, but from the anxiety created by wanting to write but avoiding it (which it sounds like you’re doing). 

If possible, I’d write earlier in the day, or at least in the early evening, and reserve late night for sleeping. If you’ve done some writing earlier, you might take some of the pressure off yourself and find it easier to relax. 

One tip you’ll hear a lot is to avoid phone and computer screens too close to bed. Of course, I avoid sleeping because I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts, which makes it hard to put down my phone. Recently I found a middle ground: listening to things. Watching TV is too stimulating, but listening to a podcast or an audiobook is not. It has to have words in it, not just sounds, though - otherwise it won’t distract me from my thoughts. I try to pick something that’s not too emotional or high-energy, that’s interesting but not too interesting, and that’s recorded by a person with a soothing voice. Here are some things I’ve fallen asleep to:

Nocturne

The Boring Talks

Zencast

Anything on Librivox

A lot of people find ASMR videos helpful - I personally don’t, but you might!

I’m sorry you’re going through this, anon! Sleep is a really tough thing for a lot of folks, but it’s not hopeless.

#cw:insomnia #cw:anxiety #wrex wreplies

[warehouse13pod]

Show Notes 104 "Claudia"

Knock, Knock, Agents.

At long last, Claudia has joined the Warehouse!

 To listen to this weeks episode, click here or click play on the embedded player below.

Let’s kick things off! We started out this week with shout outs to our Patreon supporters. You could get a shout out too, if you support us on Patreon. Check out our Patreon here. (How many times can I type out Patreon before you click on our Patreon link? …Patreon) 

P.S. We’re considering adding sending you actual fudge as a reward tier! Let us know in the comments if you’d be interested in that!

We also talk about seeing young Artie. Miranda questioned the darkness and bushiness of Saul’s eyebrows in the flashback scenes and thought they were, perhaps, a bit overdone. Turns out nothing could be further from the truth!

Check out those brows on young Saul Rubinek!!!!

I haven’t read any fanfic about the moment of glorious off-screen storytelling that was The Monkey Mission, so I can’t recommend any. But if anybody knows any good fanfic on the subject matter, I’m happy to update this post so I can link to it. Because, honestly, it’s one of the funniest moments of the show so far.

Anyway, on to the truly important stuff:

CLAUDIA IS HERE!

For those tracking our color theory of orange vs. purple, we did mention that there was a subversion in that, for the first time, something that seemed dangerous (Claudia’s handcuffs) glowed purple instead of orange, and it made us question whether or not Claudia was a “bad guy.” Spoiler: She’s not a bad guy.

Here’s a screengrab of that moment.

Miranda (and Eddie McClintock) gave us an amazing Actor’s Spotlight on Allison Scagliotti. She mentioned that she first saw Scagliotti as the character of Mindy Crenshaw on the Nickelodeon series, Drake & Josh. (For listeners and readers in countries outside of the United States, we discussed the enduring influence of Nickelodeon on mine and Miranda’s childhoods in the show notes for 103 “Magnetism”).

Here’s a younger Scagliotti as Mindy:

Miranda mentioned getting the proper pronunciation of Scagliotti’s name from Episode 21 of the podcast Let’s Talk About Me, Baby. That’s also where she learned that one of Scagliotti’s many artistic endeavors was time in the band Nice Enough People. She noted that Scagliotti had a starring role in the show, Stitchers and also that her work as guest starring roles in various TV shows goes under appreciated. We talked about the show Person of Interest in the show notes for our Surprise Interview with Eddie McClintock. Remember? That guy who is such a deep, intensely dark character that he even makes the lighting dark? You know, this guy:

 Scagliotti guest stars on the 20th Episode of Season 2 of the show, titled “In Extremis” and does a really remarkable job. Here’s a screengrab of her in that role.

In the episode, Miranda and I also talk about how we were the exact same age as Allison Scagliotti when the episode aired. Here’s a pick of Miranda and I at that age making goofy faces for reasons neither of us remembers.

Moving on a bit, we talked about how cool the durational spectrometer was!!!!! For more information on real life spectrometers and what they’re used for, click here.

In that same scene, we learn that Pete’s sister is deaf, and that’s why Pete knows how to read lips. If you’re looking to learn how to lip read, here’s a website devoted to it.

We also talked a lot about the discussion of mental health in this episode. Miranda mentioned that young women in the Victorian era were often institutionalized for things that were incredibly absurd. She shared this list of actual reasons that women were institutionalized in the 19th century on Twitter.

Miranda got this list from here.

We’ve also mentioned in these show notes, several times, the Audible original podcast Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets. The podcast continues to be relevant to our own, as Episode 9 of the podcast focuses on the history of Victorian asylums.

We also wanted to be sure to mention that while we don’t know the statistics of how many people are voluntarily vs. involuntarily committed to mental hospitals, we do know that voluntarily committing yourself is a massive sign of personal strength and nothing to be ashamed of. Content warning for suicidal ideation, but here is a powerful first person account of a person who chose to check themselves into a psychiatric hospital that is well worth the read. Around the same time, we also discussed the well-documented fact that people who live with mental illness are much more likely to be the victims of crime than they are to commit crimes.

Miranda also talked about how Claudia’s bloody nose is similar to the one Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer used to get from using too much magic.

She also theorized that this occurs in science fiction when a character becomes physically involved with a force beyond their control.

Our awesome guest, Dr. Kathleen Crowther—who is also a fan of Warehouse 13, gave us some amazing information on Rheticus. She mentioned that he wrote poetry and had read one of his about the Beer of Breslau. You can find that poem and its translation here. She also said that his poetry could get quite racy and was based on or inspired by Ovid’s Art of Love.  She also mentioned that Rheticus was a student of Nicolaus Copernicus and that they both believed in a heliocentric rather than geocentric model of the solar system. Revolutionary stuff! Get it? REVOLUTION-ary!?!?!?

Anyway, here’s some more information about Rheticus.

Miranda also gave a shout out to the person in charge of hair and makeup for this episode. That person is actually two people. Susan Exton-Stranks was in charge of hair and Marie Nardella was in charge of makeup. They both did an excellent job!

We also talked about how powerful it was that Drew Z. Greenberg—the focus of our Writer’s Appreciation Corner for the week—worked a beautiful story of same-sex love into the story which featured a real queer man from history (Rheticus) at a time when gay marriage wasn’t even legal in the United States yet! He talked a bit about his commitment to queer representation here.

Dr. Crowther also mentioned that the picture used to signify Rheticus in the episode was actually a picture of his contemporary Philip Melanchthon., who was one of Rheticus’ mentors and teachers at the University of Wittenberg. Also, related to his representation of a queer man of history, Crowther told us that one of his friends and, likely, lovers was Heinrich Zell, a German (Prussian?) painter and cartographer.

Then we talked about the heartbreaking scene where Claudia talks about her brother staying up to read her Maria Looney on the Red Planet. This is especially sweet, not just for the reasons we talked about in the podcast, but also because further research on the subject revealed that the Maria Looney book series was a spinoff of the Matthew Looney series which focused on Maria’s brother. So the strong brother-sister connection was present down to the subtext and research. It’s just so sweet.

We also talked about how we finally got to see Artie’s nice car, which friend of the show, @ElZilcho on Twitter pointed out was “Jaguar XK150” and adds that “The XK150 ran for four years, 1957-61” and was an interesting and offbeat choice. El Zilcho also was kind enough to include that they got this information (and the picture we shared below of Artie’s car) from the Internet Movie Cars Database, which is a wonderful database that I would never have even known exists otherwise! Thanks, El Zilcho!

We also mentioned that giving Artie a nice red car was an excellent nod to Giles doing the same thing for himself in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Artie’s Car:

Giles’ car was a similar red car. It is a Red 1987 BMW 325i Convertible that Buffy affectionately calls a “little two-door tramp.”

Picture of Giles’ car for comparison:

We talked about seeing Mrs. Frederic WALK THROUGH AN ACTUAL DOOR THIS EPISODE!

Alas, alack! I was unable to find a gif of this historic moment. She probably ordered Claudia to delete all evidence of this from the internet.

We talked a bit about the show framing Ben Franklin’s lightning rod as an artifact. Learn more about Franklin’s lighting rod here.

We also talked about how Mrs. Frederic uses the word “glean,” which Pete finds weird. I, personally, didn’t find the word that strange. But what do you think? Try incorporating it into your vocabulary. Here’s the definition of “glean” from Merriam-Webster.

We also talked a little bit about how sweet and vulnerable Artie was with Claudia. He immediately goes into Dad-mode and lets his guard down with her. It’s the first time we truly see Artie showing how much he cares about other people.

Later in the episode, Miranda changed my life by helping me realize that Rheticus’ compass is A PORTKEY!

That’s all I have for this week.

Hope you gleaned what needed to be gleaned from these show notes, Agents!

#podcast 13 #claudia donovan #104 claudia #wh13 #pete lattimer #myka bering #ovid #art of love #beer of breslau #dr. kathleen crowther #fanfic #saul rubinek #drake and josh #drake & josh #mindy crenshaw #allison scagliotti #nice enough people #let's talk about me baby #drew z. greenberg #nickelodeon #lgbtg #lgbtqia+ #queer #queer representation #steampunk #rheticus #maria looney #warehouse13 #warehouse 13 #cch pounder

[measuringlife]

Measuring Monday: A look back at 2018

By the numbers:

350.27 - Miles walked/hiked/run for fitness including tonight’s 4 mile race

22.1 - Pounds Lost

217 - Days I worked out

322.5 - Measuring Life related  work blocks of 50 minutes since July 2 aka 26 weeks

189 - Hours spent exercising since July 2 aka 26 weeks

1010.40 - Amount of money I made dog sitting since the end of September

2 - Number of semesters I taught Urban Hiking

0 - Amount of credit card debt I have

Changes I made (in semi-order)

Weight Watchers: recommitted on New Years Day 2018

Journaling: In February-March, during Lent, I used those 40 days to get back into journaling. I did it daily during Lent, but I aim for 1-2 times a week now.

Working with a Life Coach: For a while, I had listening to this new “find your purpose” podcast called “Life Amplified” from Dan Mason on my to listen to list. Finally, in May I listened and was jolted. A week later I was on a free webinar, then scheduled an exploration call. I worked with Dan in a 12-week group program from June 30 - mid-September. I got crystal clear on my purpose and have been making moves ever since. I continue to call Dan my coach and hope to work with him 1/1 later in 2019.

Therapy: Doing the deeper work is important, a lot of time was spent this fall working through some big stuff.

Paper Planner: As soon as I started working with Dan, I got a paper planner which has helped me maximize each day. This is why I know how many hours I spent working out or on Measuring Life projects because I logged everything and I love it. My planner helps keep me sane and motivated.

Body Pump Certification: This has been something I had thought about for a while, but used not having enough time and not being fit enough as excuses not to pursue it. Well, fall 2018 was my time. After successfully negotiating comp time to spread over a few months due to all the insane overtime my job requires in the summer, I was able to focus on this goal. It was hard to “try” for the first time in a while. I’m not naturally coordinated or athletic, but I put in the work and I’m excited to see where this takes me in 2019 and the new friendships that will continue to bloom within my fitfam!

Finances: I started obsessing over money, in a good way. Starting in July I began tracking every dollar my fiance and I spent. Thanks to Dan I also began to explore additional income streams - dog sitting with Rover, AirBNBing our guest room, selling clothes through ThredUp, and doing the cashback apps like GetUpside and Dosh - if you are interested let me know and I can send you a referral link where we both get money! I also have been using Acorns to “round up” my purchases and put the rounded up amount in a separate money market type savings account - I literally have accumulated $2K in there without trying over the last 3+ years. I was hoping my 403b was going to hit a very significant milestone before the end of the year, but the market has been absolute trash since September. In December I took a baby step into the Dave Ramsey world and joined EveryDollar, even upgraded to the plus version. It’s like Mint, but I never was able to fully get on board with Mint and I just can’t fight Dave Ramsey anymore #thisis35

Phone Addiction: My fiance calls my phone “my precious” because of how obsessed I am with it. My phone time is mostly spent during TV time which annoys my fiance to no end. I just can’t sit on the couch and not be on my phone. My phone addiction was really becoming a problem at bedtime. I would lose hours scrolling endlessly, or when I’d get up for something in the middle of the night I “had” to check my phone which would lead to me getting sucked in for varying around of time. My sleep was really suffering, particularly this summer when my schedule is extra busy and sleep is harder to come by. After listening to the Forever35 Podcast I heard the hosts talking about charging their phone in a different room at night and I couldn’t even fathom that. The fact that I was so shook by someone’s decision to charge their phone in another room made me decide I needed to try. I first kept the phone charged in the other bedroom like across the room, then I moved it to a closer outlet in the other bedroom - mainly because the alarm was blaring AF and I was already up and moving to shut it. Now that we sometimes AirBNB our guest room I charge it across the room of our bedroom. I’ve only been tempted by it twice, but otherwise, I’m fine plugging it up ~10:30pm and leaving it there until my alarm goes off the next morning. I have some more phone related goals for 2019, but more on that later.

Measuring Life: Last, but certainly not least. Measuring Life went from being this mistress of a Tumblr I had since 2010 into being my lifeblood. It was my anonymous pen name for years, but it was also really a way of life. The frequency of my blogging was a good indicator of how my health and fitness was going. By taking Measuring Life to Instagram, Facebook and beyond this year has given me the best kind of accountability, confidence, creativity and best of all connection with others on their journey. I’m excited to continue to measure all aspects of my life in 2019 while staying on my purpose driven journey of self care, recovery, and alignment.

Thank you 2018, I’m a better woman because of all I learned, changed, developed, healed, shared, felt, and tried.

#MLabout