Tuesday Tech

Goodness! I almost titled today "Monday Musings." As you can see, the weekend swallowed me alive, only to spit me out at work, wondering what day it is.

Here are two articles for today:

Something fun: "Iron Man" Phone by Samsung

Something professional: 15 Body Language Secrets of Successful People


I just got a new phone, but it's no where near as snazzy as the Iron Man phone (the one in the movies or the one Samsung is releasing). I did try to find some cool cases that cover part of the front, making the shell and the empty space on the front look seamless, but alas, I'm just not that cool.

The second article is pretty interesting. I know I have a slouching problem (something that is considered disrespectful), a lot of people my age do. For me, I don't mind when people slouch because I do and it never means I'm not interested or engaged, that's just how I sit. It's when people lean back in their chair and put their feet on the table do I cringe (in a meeting that is).

The second article would be good for writers, and artists, since body language is a good way to tell the characters attitude or interest in a situation without having to spell it out for people.

Tuesday Tech

I found this article yesterday: Step 1 to Selling Your Book? Don't Pretend It's 'Free.'

I had mixed feelings about it. At first it read like "How to Cheat the System," with some good advice on how to promote your book.

Then, well, it still felt wrong to me. I had to read the article several times to find what was missing: the writing itself.

One thing this article didn't express, which I feel is essential in any business, it the quality of the work you are producing. Yes, you can produce garbage, and people may by garbage, but like so many of my business professors have said "garbage in, garbage out." Basically, you don't put forth your best effort going into the process, you can expect less than stellar results.

This article focuses on promoting your book, something absolutely essential in this day and age, but it fails to highlight that one key detail of actually having something to sell. It almost read like "you want to make some money, write a book, promote it, and then you can go on to your next idea."

I agree, building your audience is crucial, but passion is a MUST if you are going to do anything the "hard way." Writing a book, and having it published, is like starting your own business. I wrote my first MS as a way to challenge myself while I was looking for work. I found that I love writing and I'm willing to work at it to improve my craft.

This article does focus on entrepreneurial people who are writing books (by the sound of it), but again, write something good. Just like in business and query letters, you need to have what makes your book special compared to all the others out there.

Anyway, take my thoughts, and the article, for what they're worth. I do recommend reading the article - or at least skimming through it - for ideas on how to promote your work (writing or not) that are outside the usual Twitter and Facebook.

Tuesday Trade

I changed the name for Tuesdays. It's a (fun) business day and isn't necessarily technology related, though it is most of the time.

Actually, I'm changing the topic for today. I was going to post about an Entrepreneur article about how creative people are (often) undervalued and underemployed. But, while I was looking for the link to the article, I found 10 Motivating Quotes to Help You Spring Into Action. I'm really in need of motivation at the moment. I've got 8 days of extreme stress left, the kind where you just have to wait it out. It drives me nuts not being able to do much. It's also very disheartening.

I didn't really post about the start of Spring. Instead, I encouraged the creation of Nutella stuffed cookies. So, to make up for it, let's discuss moving into action.

Spring cleaning is something I have been doing for the past month or so. This is the first thorough cleaning I've done. Of course, a lot of this cleaning has been cleaning up after the tornado that is my week.

But what's more, people are coming out of hibernation and starting to do things again. While New Year's resolutions are probably, mostly, broken, here is another new beginning to start a new habit.

My favorite quote from the article is number 6:

Being defeated is only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. -- Marilyn von Savant

 The publishing industry, and life in general, throws a lot of rejection our way. It's only those who don't keep fighting are the ones who are truly defeated. So keep going! Keep writing, jogging, painting, studying, what-have-you.

I'm still moving. It might be at a snail's pace right now, but it's still movement. Besides, a snail's pace is normal for a snail.

The motivational quotes article didn't have my favorite, so I thought I'd share it:

To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality. -- Anita Roddick

It goes back to my insistence that persistence and determination really make the difference in life. So keep working toward your goal(s) and I'll work toward mine.

Does anyone else have good motivational quotes that weren't in the article?