I haven’t told you this yet, but over the weekend I purchased Your Big Beautiful Book Plan (and immediately became an affiliate). I have in the last few weeks given you a peek into my hopes, a little glimpse at what I am aiming for over the next year or so.

I have no illusions that I [...]]]>

I haven’t told you this yet, but over the weekend I purchased Your Big Beautiful Book Plan (and immediately became an affiliate). I have in the last few weeks given you a peek into my hopes, a little glimpse at what I am aiming for over the next year or so.

I have no illusions that I will have a book deal in place by 2013.

I would, however, like to have a rough manuscript and a mostly-solid book proposal in place by the end of the year.

I have ideas and I have dreams and I have wishes. But none of that matters without a little ACTION.

So this weekend I invested in myself (and in my family’s dream of me being able to work from home) and spent the money on PRACTICAL instructions for making my book deal a reality.

At least that one little step.

I haven’t read it all the way through – it’s over 400 pages for crying out loud. I haven’t even opened all the pdfs or thought about venturing into the video and audio resources.

But I did read Part 3: Creativity from beginning to end. And just that little 20 page clip was exactly what I needed.

In particular, the long (surprisingly long) list of very well-known and successful authors and all of their initial failures.

Case in point: Apparently Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind (one of my all-time favorite books that I’ve probably read 15 times) …. Got 38 rejections.

Exactly what I needed to hear.

I feel like that’s a good place to start …. Remind myself that I am not the only one who will be rejected. Build into my to-do list 40+ failures for just one book. Recognize it’s all part of the ride.

And then hunker down and get started…..

I have 2 really solid ideas – both of which I genuinely love. But I’m going to start working through Your Big Beautiful Book Plan before I reveal anything else.

Have you found any spot-on resources lately? Share them in the comments!

We have our keys

Ok. Actually, not yet since there aren’t actually keys to the existing locks and we are getting it re-keyed.

But still. It’s ours. It’s no longer trespassing when we go in ….

We still have A LOT to do …. Or, rather, for our contractor to do.

New floors throughout, [...]]]> AAAAAANNNNNDDDD … .

We have our keys

Ok. Actually, not yet since there aren’t actually keys to the existing locks and we are getting it re-keyed.

But still. It’s ours. It’s no longer trespassing when we go in ….

We still have A LOT to do …. Or, rather, for our contractor to do.

New floors throughout, new kitchen, new paint for starters.

I’ve posted a preliminary house tour at Those Crazy Schuberts. Head over there for a full look at the layout of the house….

Or, here are some highlights below.

Again, please remember the house will be clean and pretty when we move in

(below photo is the room that will be my office)

Again, take a look at the full house tour if you’re interested …. and I’ll be posting more as more work gets done and we move in!

One of the most amazing things about this little online community we have is the cheerleading and mutual support. I mean, really. Even though we are all *technically* competing for readers and customers you would never know it.

If I had a bunch of expendable income, I would love to do [...]]]>

One of the most amazing things about this little online community we have is the cheerleading and mutual support. I mean, really. Even though we are all *technically* competing for readers and customers you would never know it.

If I had a bunch of expendable income, I would love to do things like …. purchase notebooks from Campfire Chic, blog design from SrslyLiz, vintage dresses from Mandi and sponsor Rachel every month. I wish.

Even without the funds to truly support the writers, artists and shops that I wish I could, there are still several easy ways to support your fellow bloggers and artists using the resources you DO have.

Comment

You may not have money to support your fellow bloggers, but you probably have just a little bit of time to comment on the thoughtful blog posts they write, or comment on the creative DIY posts they provide.

Vivs wrote about what she learned by commenting a bunch – you may be surprised at the results!

Comments to bloggers are a solid confirmation that they are not just writing into the abyss. By commenting on a post, you are telling the writer that yes, you read it, and yes, you were affected by their work. Exactly what a blogger would love to hear.

Pin their work or retweet their links

Another way bloggers and artists need support is to have their work spread and their audience grow. If you follow Mollie on Twitter, for example, you could always retweet when she links to one of her products or blog posts. If you see that James has posted an adorable DIY, you could always ‘pin’ the project so your Pinterest followers can see it to.

In any case, MOST bloggers and artists would like a bigger audience (for any number of reasons). If you can help a deserving artist grow their audience, you can help support them.

Write (or accept) guest posts

Guest posts can go 2 different ways …. Let’s say one of your favorite bloggers is going on vacation and needs some guest posting assistance. Yes, you will get exposure out of writing a solid post, but by offering your help you are certainly helping the blogger/artist enjoy their time off more. Always a help to reduce stress or someone’s to-do list.

If you have a blog yourself, you can help support your fellow blogger/artists by ACCEPTING guest posts. Of course, make sure they adhere to your blog’s aesthetic, theme and standards. But, by allowing this blogger another venue for promoting their new product, you are supporting them in their work.

Sponsor

Of course only if you HAVE the money to do so. The first and primary thing I look for when sponsoring blogs is if I want to support the work the artist/blogger is doing. I would NEVER sponsor *just* to get access to their audience (because there’s no way to guarantee that will work). Instead, I try to think about sponsoring blogs like the old patronage system in Florence in the 15th and 16th century.

By paying the blogger just that small handful of dollars, you are providing them funds that they can use to buy themselves dinner or buy more craft supplies to post more DIY projects. By giving them a small bit of money you are telling them that you support their work.

Use the platforms you have

 The final (easy) way to support artists and bloggers is to use the platform that you have – your blog or website (or class or speaking gig, etc).

Try to link naturally to art that you love. Try to work into a post exposure to a blogger you think deserves attention.

For example, every Monday afternoon I post FOUND links to any number of things – all amazing work/art/writing I think people should see.

So, as I said …. There are ways to support your fellow artists and bloggers that don’t involve buying things you don’t need or putting you in debt. You don’t always have to buy the recent $2000 to support the artist.

Use what you DO have – your time and your available platforms – to support your fellow artists and bloggers and encourage them to continue creating the work that you love.

Note: I do NOT take sponsors at Lemon and Raspberry currently, but if you would like to financially support my work take a look at any of my eBooks.

One-term president from that  weird transition time between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War?

But hear me out …. I just finished reading John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel, and Mr. Adams’s Last Crusade by Joseph Wheelan (both affiliate links) and I do believe my [...]]]> A strange selection, I know.

One-term president from that  weird transition time between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War?

But hear me out …. I just finished reading John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel, and Mr. Adams’s Last Crusade by Joseph Wheelan (both affiliate links) and I do believe my admiration of the Adams family will be unceasing.

Before I started my American History class*, I knew nothing about John Quincy Adams. 6^th president. One term. First son-of-a-president to be elected. And that is it. Everything in his life before and after the presidency was non-existent in my mind.

Now, of course, I know better.

Warning: the following sentence may make me sound crazy.

When finishing BOTH books, I cried when JQA died.

True story. One of my library books actually has a couple wet spots from the tears. It’s ridiculous, I know. But I couldn’t hep it!

John Quincy Adams lived SUCH an inspiring life …. and then his death was just saturated with meaning and I couldn’t help but be moved by the death of a man nearly 200 years ago.

John Quincy Adams (or JQA as he would refer to himself) was born 1767 …. just a few years before his father (president John Adams) defended the British soldiers in the trial over the Boston Massacre.

Let’s just stop for a minute and recognize how amazing it must have been to be 9 years old when your father helped write the Declaration of Independence. (I love American History…. can you tell?)

JQA was old enough (at 11) to join his father in France (where John Adams senior was negotiating French support for the Revolution). JQA used his time in Europe to become fluent in French and in Dutch, as well as form a close nephew-uncle-like relationship with Thomas Jefferson.

You know. No big deal.

At the age of 14 he acted as secretary to the U.S. minister to Russia – leaving his father (he had already left his mother and siblings behind in America), living in Russia for 3 years almost entirely on his own.

When I was 14 I was in high school …. reading Of Mice and Men and doing Guys and Dolls in theater. …. I feel so lazy!

JQA was the earliest president to have been photographed

So, JQA clearly accomplished A LOT in his life – starting at 11 years old. … But more than that, his outlook and attitude toward the politics of his day were so admirable.

He truly hungered after learning: science and literature and poetry. JQA was primarily responsible for bringing an interest in German literature to America. He wrote poetry all the time – including translating Christoph Martin Wieland’s Oberon from the original German into a version that in 1940 was ranked one of the few outstanding translations done by an American and later in life dashing off extemporaneous short poems when signing autographs for his supporters.

Oh, wait. Before I forget, he ALSO served in the U.S. Senate AND as a professor of Rhetoric at Harvard.

Pre-presidency, JQA was America’s most capable foreign diplomat (serving in The Netherlands, Berlin, London and Russia) and then one of the country’s best Secretaries of State.

He served as Secretary of State under President James Monroe – JQA was primarily responsible for articulating the foreign policy that became known as the Monroe Doctrine and negotiated the Adams-Onis Treaty (that got the U.S. Florida) AND the Treaty of 1818 (which established the northern U.S. border).

Unfortunately, his one term as president was probably his least effective period. Partly because JQA refused to acknowledge that politics had changed and still imagined himself “a man of the whole country” rather than a party leader. But partly because JQA was genuinely ahead of his time.

JQA’s domestic policies involved a strong belief in internal improvements – that the government should focus on building roads, canals and support learning and education. He called for observatories and was ridiculed for it.

But, his post-presidency career was truly remarkable. JQA was one of the ONLY presidents to serve in Congress after his presidency (Andrew Johnson served in the Senate for 3 or 4 months). And he did it for 17 years. Until his death.

“The light he craved led John Quincy Adams toward not one but two causes. Both would benefit the American public as well as humanity at large. The first was a defense of the right of petition. The other was to create a federal institution devoted to scholarship. These stands were often so unpopular in Congress that Adams had the pleasure of thinking he stood alone against all the malevolence in the universe” (Nagel 354).

JQA’s work in the House of Representatives went a long way toward defending the first amendment. He insisted on repeatedly presenting petitions from his constituents (and abolitionists and women and freed slaves and more) requesting the end of slavery when the slave-holding majority of the House tried to “gag” them. He was one of America’s most prominent slavery opponents and was the primary anti-slavery voice in Congress.

He also was the mover behind creating the incomparable Smithsonian Institute (I love the Smithsonian). America received a bequest from James Smithson that was intended for “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” – a fortune that would have likely been frittered away in superfluous offices and other congressmen’s pet projects.

Not to mention, JQA fought depression much of his life. His 2 brothers and 2 of his sons died from alcohol-abuse-related causes, and the melancholy that drove them to it also dogged JQA. His stamina and effort in overcoming those feelings of defeat are amazing.

All of this WHILE writing in his diary nearly every day! JQA took the time to write (lengthy) passages in his diary for around 50 years – the thoroughness combined with his experiences make his diary probably the most valuable diary written by an American. It’s so long that many parts of it haven’t even been published yet (160 years after his death).

Fun trivia: JQA served in the House of Representatives at the same time as Abraham Lincoln (1847), making JQA likely the only prominent American to have know BOTH the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln.

And after this long, incredible life …. what did he do? He died in the harness.

After serving 17 years in the House, JQA stood to vote and collapsed in a stroke. He lingered for 2 days in the office of the Speaker of the House before dying. In the Capitol Building.

Amazing.

What an incredible life …… He might be my new favorite president.

“Few public figures have been as highly principled or as extraordinarily intelligent as Adams. Few have worked as hard as he.” (Wheelan viii).

As I re-read through this post, I realize I haven’t even touched on his personality – which is the reason I really admire him.

JQA was constantly trying to do better. Granted, he did often feel depressed or inadequate, but his constant striving to learn more, do more, accomplish more is so inspiring to me. He (like his father) had the strength of his conventions in the face of many (many many) enemies and doubters.

I admit it. I kind of love him.

If you don’t know anything about JQA, I would strongly recommend either John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel, or Mr. Adams’s Last Crusade by Joseph Wheelan (both affiliate links).

Learning about John Quincy Adams plants a seed of inspiration to:

• quit my job and spend all my time reading history. First all the way through American history, and then on to British history, and then I’m thinking maybe French, or Chinese or Russian or Japanese or Greek history. That won’t be for awhile yet, of course.
• Write a history book. I want to be David McCullough. How much fun to spend years in a library doing research? Oh, just me? Ok.
• Watch the John Adams HBO miniseries. I adore John Adams; we borrowed this miniseries from Andrew’s parents and haven’t watched it yet
• Visit the Smithsonian. I’ve been once. Maybe twice (I don’t remember specifically). Obviously I need to spend a week or so there.
• exercise more. If JQA can find the time, so can I.
• Read Nagel’s other books. He has a couple more about the Adams family, and one about Robert E. Lee’s family….. Fascinating!
• Make up my list of things to do when I’m feeling down. Like this.
• wake up earlier to get more done that I want to. More books that I want to read. More books that I want to write. More change I want to invoke.

*I haven’t done a full post about my American History class yet. Basically in fall 2008 I started reading books about American History starting with the Revolutionary War period…. and then I just kept going in very rough chronological order. Which is why it’s 3 and a half years later and I’m only as far as the 6th president. I’m calling it my self-guided U.S. History class. Full post someday.

I already showed you the layout of the pages – using my own templates adapted from Blurb’s. Here’s a glimpse at the finished book.

I printed this as a 7×7 inch hardcover image wrap …. Take a look at the binding close-up and book [...]]]> The final December Daily 2011 update: I FINALLY got my Blurb book printed …

I already showed you the layout of the pages – using my own templates adapted from Blurb’s. Here’s a glimpse at the finished book.

I printed this as a 7×7 inch hardcover image wrap …. Take a look at the binding close-up and book spine below!

(here compare the book size with my iPhone so you can see the size)

Did you do December Daily this year?

I love the idea of having a row of 7×7 December books on our shelf ….