Welcome to the online home of me, some guy given the name John Cleveland Payne. In the grand scheme of life, I am just another guy with another blog. But to myself, and hopefully to all of you who actually read this, I am something a little more special. From a young age, I fell in love of the idea of ‘the message’ and medium in which you try to transmit.
Basically, everyone has a message to give to the world. Some are basic, some complex, some have the power to up lift and some are just out there to bring as many people down as possible. But everyone has a message, and most people have problems identifying their message. And the ones who get that far can seem to figure out how to get the world to listen.
Well, I have a message, and this is where I will get a chance to share it. Hopefully, you’ll get plenty of things to keep you motivated or inspired, provide knowledge and comfort, and just have a little fun. Apologies for the state of flux and state of seemingly confusing messages that you’ll get here for a while, as I am doing a lot of personal soul searching, and scrubbing of old ideas to take the best of the past to build a new beginning.
In 2007, I changed the name of blog from “The Mis-Adventures Of The Jazzy Cool One” to “Life In Fast Forward.” I began to tear down old blogs and newsletters and try to find places for them here. My goal is to take the focus off of me the person, and show the world the life I live and share with every human on the planet. I aspire to life at a very high standard, and instead of dealing with people who rather slow us down, I want to find ways to help people pick up there own pace. As you get to see an insight to the further adventures I hope to lead, hopefully you’ll enjoy the ride, and want to come along.
Other things
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Other things
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Who would have thought that a 233 word newsletter blurb written years ago would come to the light of day?
The blurb in particular deals with a name from my past (the 8th grade to be precise), in a writing for my You Already Have The Answers Newsletter (you can subscribe to this newsletter by sending a blank email to: youalreadyhavetheanswers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com). The name is Demeter McIntosh, and she was an instant crush I had from a grade school retreat a long time ago. The only proof I even have of her existence is a photo with her I have in a shoebox somewhere that I was almost too shy to pose for. Anyway, I used her name as one of five girls from way back when in a posting on giving up on blame and just letting go of hard feelings, which was written in my early 30's, 15 years after brief encounter where I was truly too shy to call the cute girl back when I got home.
So I'm going through some analytics on some of my websites and blogs, and I notice that I've gotten a rare uninitiated hit to the very scaled down Answers Website, and wonder what random search brought them there, and if I can use that knowledge to revive my very much loved if very long neglected site.
I don't know if it was a search for my Demeter McIntosh, and I don't really care. What I got was a reminder that you never really know what odd random search might bring new traffic to your site, and you never really know what will keep them there either. Just be careful to remember what you happen to post on that blog where you carelessly put random bits of your life. You may never know, for good or ill, what may find its way to your online world, and what they will do with this knowledge.
They say a plan doesn't exist until you put it down in writing, so here is my first draft of a the 2008 totally unrealistic blogging plan I have set up:
I've been in a writing funk. Not enough time, energy, ideas for writing. Bad grammar. To lazy for spell checking. Nobody reading my stupid blogs anyway.
You know what folks? I can't allow myself to by that! Writers write period. Good stuff, bad stuff, random stuff, even worse stuff, whatever. Even if no one gets to see it, if it goes done on paper or on a web page somewhere it exists.
Two ways to get out of a writers funk:
When Your In The Zone, WRITE AWAY: Stop whatever it is you are doing, and write. Get it out. Get it ALL out. Don't stop until you have some solid understanding that can become a solid piece of work written down. If your in the middle of something important (i.e., actually work to pay the bills) it only takes a few minutes to sketch out some ideas in a notebook and get back into life. If your just sitting around doing nothing, don't stop until you've finished. And you determined what 'finished' is.
When Your Not In The Zone, WRITE ANYWAY: The hardest part of writing is getting those first words down on paper. Until then, you've got nowhere to go. Your first sentence gives you a direction to go in, even if it is the wrong direction or no direction at all. The best thing to do when you don't feel like writing is to sit down and begin writing. I will get you creativity jump started, flush out a few not so great ideas, and may bring the surprise article topic or story idea you've but hoping would show up.
Deep Thoughts (Or Shameless Plugs...You Be The Judge!)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
This morning, as I drove home from my parents house after spending time at home for Thanksgiving, I started thinking about returning to work on Monday, I wondered to my self:
A newsletter I receive for talk radio host and producers recently had a rant on the basics you really needed to be a good talk show host:
1) have a personality 2) have something to say
For bloggers, the same applies, except you have to add a third axiom: have time to post. Under that point, I am definitely failing in the 'big-time' blogging talent department.
Excuses aren't really necessary, since no one is really reading my blogs these days (based on my lack of posting of course). It no one's fault but my own that I planned on growing these blogs (and other blogs and personal projects) and have been constantly sidetracked by my twin nemeses, “Real Life” & “Paying Job.” But it really hurts me personally that ever plan to make my personal business ventures and a personal sense of accomplishment/peace can be so easily hijacked.
Trust me, I'm not missing the chance to blog because of lack of ideas. What I have is a true lack of time and energy coming from personal exhaustion. 2007 was supposed to be my break through year, and it has turned into a near breakdown.
That's near breakdown, mind you.
Two more months and then a whole new year. Big plans missed in 2007 will hopefully mean a chance for bigger plans to come to pass in 2008. That is what I'm shooting for, and hope you will still be around for the ride.
To be a successful blogger, you basically need three things going for you, other than the obvious 'have a blog':
- be an engaging and interesting person/personality, that people will want to come back to hear what you have to say on whatever topics you deem worthy of your attention - have enough actual things to say to keep a consistently and timely update blog, whether you're a laid back weekly kind of poster or a frantic multiple post a day person - have the time and ability to post these frequently updated posts
I fancy myself engaging enough, and go through enough ideas that I for a very short time was successful in keeping up five online newsletters going with consistency, and a handful of blogs, even to the point this one got noticed by a prominent blog on small business. My main problem was having time, technically lack of time, catch up to me. An instant squeeze by growing responsibilities at work and actually trying to spend time with my family cut into any me time I had to read for, write, and grow my blogs, and the untold dollar in imaginary fortune that I knew was to come at any moment.
So potential oracles on the internets beware! Just when you think you have grown an audience, that's when those other priorities will catch up to you.
Enough crazy man rantings. Let’s make this tangible. How about some tips to keep you on the road of blogging bliss:
- BLOG LIKE IT IS A BUSINESS: Consider your blog as much of a priority as a paying gig. You know you have to post, or something bad will happen. There may be no real lost wages on continuity, but you have to make yourself believe those consequences are real.
- MAKE IT A REGULAR TIMED HABIT: Set aside a regular time of the day/week/month to work on ideas for posting. Make it event. Go to your favorite spot in your home, and empty company conference room, the coffee shop or wherever, sit down, and regularly scribble or type at something. Smoking jacket is optional.
- FOR INSPIRATION, TRY THIEVERY: Not out right stealing of ideas, but many of the posts I sift through in my feed reader are people telling their audience about posts they've read on other's blogs. Post on an article from an online newspaper or and blog post that caught your attention, and give your opinion. Make sure you include a link to the original post, and even take the time to comment on that person's blog.
- DON'T GET DISCOURAGED IF TIME/LIFE/LACK OF INTERNET CONNECTIVITY GETS IN YOUR WAY: I have personally gone months without blogging and felt like a loser for it. So I try to get back in the habit and make it happen. Over and over again. Don't let lack of posting get you down. Just keep working to get back in the habit.
