Blogging – Page 5 – Catholic Writers Guild

Remember Your Priorities

April 4, 2012/3 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Inspirational/by Karina Fabian

Last week, during the Catholic Writers Conference Online, I was reminded of something that I’m going to just go ahead and remind you of, too.

Because you know what? We all need to hear this.

Remember your priorities.

You are Catholic first, everything else second.

That means your big-V vocation–spouse, parent–comes before your little-v vocational pursuits or jobs–including your writing.

Blogging is something that’s easy to get into. But that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. It doesn’t mean you should blog.

When you’re not sure how you’re going to fit one more thing into your schedule, here’s my advice:

STOP. Pray. Listen.

I know, that’s so idealistic. You don’t have time to go to the bathroom unsupervised, and yet I’m challenging you to find somewhere quiet and turn up your ears? All you can hear is your own screaming. What the heck?

I was asked in two different chats, by at least four different people, how they should figure in blogging time.

“They,” after all, say that you should blog to build or grow your platform.

“They” say that blogging is a must.

But you know what? “They” are a bunch of idiots.

Do They have the same priorities you do? Are They called to the same Vocation and vocation as you? How are They even speaking to you?

Take what’s good and discern what’s not, and after you do, don’t look back when you leave it in the trash can.

Not everyone can blog, not everyone should blog, and hey! That’s OK!

We’re here to encourage each other, and I want to cheer in your corner.

Remember your priorities.

Frequent the sacraments, first and foremost, especially the Eucharist and Confession.

Spend time with Jesus BEFORE you spend time doing your work, whether it’s your primary vocation or your work pursuits.

Give it to him FIRST. Everyone else SECOND.

If you’re really stuck, take it to Adoration. Sit in the silence before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and lay your head in his lap. Let his mother stroke your temples and close your eyes.

This is where you belong. This is where you are headed. This is why you struggle through the day.

If blogging is something you are truly called to do, you will. You can.

It’s not easy to do God’s will, but it’s even harder when we’re deaf to what God’s trying to tell us.

Let’s pray for each other, shall we? It’s not an easy thing, being an artist. It’s not an easy call we’re heeding.

But easy isn’t what we’re after. Heaven is.

That rosary is one I got via Trendy Traditions.

Managing Multiple Personalities

March 7, 2012/9 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

Usually, in this space, I give you advice and pointers, but I find myself needing some direction and insight. Hey, I thought, why not tap into that group of writer friends over at the CWG blog?

Besides, this may be a problem you find yourself facing someday, so here goes.

I love social media. Most recently, I’ve discovered Pinterest, but my first love is Twitter. (If you don’t like or love or even get Twitter, no worries. I advise staying away if that’s the case. Don’t force it. Not so different from my ongoing advice about blogging, actually.)

Since I have a strong background in marketing (a whole degree, as the case may be), the thought occurred to me that, though I had firmly established myself in the Twittersphere as @peerybingle, I should make sure I also had user names that were part of my “brand,” namely @SnoringScholar (my blog name) and @SarahReinhard (my name).

Now, some might advise that I should trash @peerybingle (which is a reference to The Cricket on the Hearth) and go with my name. I’ve seen other well-known writers do that.

We sell books by our NAME, after all. We market who we are by our NAME, right? We are selling US, as in the NAME.

But…but…but! I LIKE @peerybingle. It’s fun, and, more importantly, it’s ME.

Oh, and, I’ve noticed there are other Sarah Reinhards. It’s not a unique name, really (though I like it very much, all the same).

There’s a business side of things. But for me, so much of what I do is ministry. So much of what I do is personal. And to get through the low pay and long hours, I have to enjoy myself to some extent.

What I’m trying to say is that @peerybingle STAYS. Period. It’s the “me” I like, the “me” I choose to be, and, really, the “me” who is honestly more like the Real Life Sarah than any of the others.

I have been manually managing things with my other identities using HootSuite. I’ve come up with some “rules” for how I use each identity:

–> My @peerybingle identity gets everything. My blog posts go there, as do links to all my columns and articles in other places, as well as all my thoughts throughout the day, links I like, and conversation. I follow people back, chime in, and get all goofy, serious, and Sarah.

–> For my @SarahReinhard identity, I only include links to my blog posts and links to other writing work I’ve done.

–> For my @SnoringScholar identity, I only include links to my blog posts.

YOUR TURN: Do you have this problem? What solutions have you found? I’m all ears (and eyes, as the case may be).

Your Chance to Ask Questions

February 29, 2012/0 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

Do you ever have a day where you just come up blank?

Today, I was immersed in the joy of using a brand-spankin-new software system for my parish’s ministry scheduling. We’re not a very big parish, but wow, is ministry scheduling the bane of my work there!

I was excited and dreading it in equal amounts.

After about four hours of work and finagling, I was all happy and proud of myself for the work I’d done.

I walked away from my laptop and went to surprise my seven-year-old by picking her up from school.

In the hour (or less) while I was away from my computer, the work I did…vanished. Gone. Even support, in all their wisdom, couldn’t put it back together again.

So here I am, after another hour (or two) of work (thank goodness for a dinner miracle), with the work finally done that wasn’t supposed to take even close to that long.

I have a blank page (or screen) in front of me, and no idea of what to put on it in the five minutes I have left in my working day. All the topics I have slated to cover here take more brainpower than I have left.

I thus declare it open forum on the topic of blogging.

Go ahead, ask away in the comments.

I can’t promise an immediate answer, but I will answer. And maybe you’ll inspire a future post.

Shameless plug: if you haven’t already registered for the Catholic Online Writers Conference, you’re missing your chance to have my full attention! I’m teaching not one, but TWO, forums this year and doing at least that many chats. I’m not an expert, not by a far shot, but I’ll share what I know and point you in the direction to get started. (If you’re an expert, get on over there

Lent and Blogging

February 22, 2012/14 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

Over the years, my approach to blogging at Lent has remained pretty consistent: I keep doing it.

I have observed many others who either lighten their blogging load or give it up altogether. Some folks restrain themselves from their stats or turn off comments.

I’ve always just sort of kept going with it.

It’s worth exploring, especially in this space, how our writing endeavors (and thus our blogging endeavors) are affected by this important liturgical season.

Do you stop your blogging or lighten it up or something else? What’s the right answer?

That’s for you to decide.

As with so many other things, penance and our approach to Lent is highly personal. Some of us share it publicly, as a way of keeping ourselves accountable. I find that I’m helped, so often, by catching glimpses of what helps others in their spiritual walks.

Other people prefer to keep quiet and private about their Lenten approach. I have been doing that lately, in part because I have plenty of other things to write about and in part because I’ve discerned that, right now, that’s what’s right for me.

Some years, I’ll kick off a special series during Lent. This year, I’m starting a series of posts considering the Hail Mary word by word. The series will extend well beyond Lent, into the dog days of summer, but I’m looking forward to how it will surely help me during my Lent–and beyond–this year.

How about you? What are your blogging plans this year for Lent? If you care to share, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

image credit: Marc Cardonella

Does Blogging Lead to Podcasting?

February 15, 2012/10 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

A few years ago, I attended a new media event as a fairly new blogger. I was raring to go and excited about my part in the New Evangelization.

It was a sore disappointment to me that, among the folks in attendance, the attitude was almost one of “so, when are you going to start to podcast?” It was as though podcasting was something you graduated into from blogging.

Blogging, in other words, was a stepping stone to podcasting.

Recently, I was emailing a writing friend and I told her she should share audio of some of her talks. The conversation then led to a mention of podcasting.

Which brought me back to the question at hand: does blogging lead to podcasting?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: maybe. Sometimes. It might.

The answer is no different than the discernment that needs to happen when you decide whether or not you’re going to blog.

Podcasting, generally, takes a different kind of effort than blogging, but it also reaches a sometimes much wider audience. One well-known Catholic media professional told me recently that, when she was at her height with podcasting she reached FAR more people than she does with all of her writing efforts combined.

But wait…if you’re wondering what a podcast is, here goes: it’s (often free) downloadable audio content. I use iTunes primarily, but there are other outlets for podcasts as well, including PodcastAlley. You subscribe to a show and it’s updated on your computer or mp3 device whenever a new show is released. (Want to learn more? Start here and follow the rabbit trail.)

Last week, in the comments to my post about being comfortable with “small blogging,” Jen Fitz said of blogging,

If you love it and are good at it, it’s a lot of punch for little or no financial outlay. Because you can set the pace and the topics, you can choose the amount of time and energy you put into it. And anyone can start a blog, whereas not just anyone can book speaking engagements, open up a rolodex of client contacts, get a great newspaper gig, etc etc.

She makes a point that’s valid to a discussion of podcasting as well: anyone can do it. It can be a “lot of punch” for the amount you invest.

But…I think it’s important to be good at it. (I think the same about blogging.)

I have discerned, over many years, that I am NOT going to start a podcast anytime soon. That said, I do dabble in some audio stuff, which I call podsquatting.

Podsquatting, in my world, is where someone else has the show and the production, and I provide segments. If you want examples, you can listen to my latest Mary Moment over at iPadre or my latest Mary in the Kitchen at Catholic Foodie.

So when someone asks me (and I’m sure they will) whether I plan to start podcasting anytime soon, rest assured that I’ll be saying a polite “No,” just like I always have.

YOUR TURN: Have you considered podcasting? What’s your idea for a show?

Being Comfortable with Small

February 8, 2012/10 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am a Small Fry Blogger. Chances are, so should you.

Maybe there’s a chance we’ll be discovered and hit the Big Time. We may or may not make a pile of money because of that, but we’ll be Known. People will ask us for our opinion on things and when we go somewhere, they’ll know who we are.

Isn’t that what we’re after? Isn’t that why we blog?

Really?

As a Catholic writer and blogger, I find I have to fight a few natural causes of Writing Publicly (and writing online, even if for an audience of two, is public writing). One is pride, which seems to manifest itself in Feeling Important. Another is distraction, which manifests itself in an attitude of “The Internet Needs ME, RIGHT NOW.”

Both of these, in my experience, can be battled by constant discernment, frequent prayer, and vigilant humility.

In the last six years of blogging, I’ve changed. My blog has also changed. I’ve gained new readers, lost others, and learned a lot in the mean time.

My publishers seem happy with my platform, but I still consider it very much Small Fry Blogging.

We could get into a discussion of quality versus quantity, but my point is this: we have to be comfortable, first and foremost, with who we are as bloggers.

Food for thought: Who are you as a blogger? What’s your passion? And can you be comfortable with the smallness that is probably an inevitability of your blogging?

image credit

Using Facebook and Twitter to Promote Your Blog

January 25, 2012/2 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

Though I have a reluctant relationship with Facebook at best, I’ve come to accept that, many times, Facebook is where I’m going to get readers and interaction.

The people following me on Facebook are, in theory at least, interested in what I have to say on my blog and are invested in me since we’re “friends.”

Today, I thought I’d point out a few ways you can use Facebook and Twitter to promote your blog posts, since your followers/friends in those venues might not take the time to click to your blog or even know that you have a blog they want to read. They also might not want to read everything you write

Here are a three easy-to-use tools that can help you use Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about your blog. They are all very similar in their capabilities and ease of use.

For people who use Facebook (or Twitter, for that matter) like a feed reader, this is an invaluable service. For those of us who don’t, it doesn’t hurt anything.

dlvr.it (pronounced “deliver it”)
I have Jen Fitz to thank for bringing this to my attention in the comments of a previous discussion of traffic. It’s an all-in-one service, including both Facebook and Twitter. You’ll need to open an account with them and then link up your blog feed (for those of you non-technical types, this is usually as easy as just entering the web address of your blog, if you haven’t changed things or set up a feed).

Networked Blogs
This is a popular service that I’ve been using for quite a few years to deliver my blog posts to Facebook automatically. Here’s the way it works: you enter the information and bam! Your blog appears in your Facebook feed. You can also set up a feature called “Syndication” that will let you publish your blog’s feed to your Facebook profile/timeline, any or all of your Facebook pages, and any or all of your Twitter accounts.

Twitterfeed
Much like dlvr.it, Twitterfeed is an all-in-one service. You set up an account, link to your Facebook, Twitter, and blog accounts, and you’re done. You’ll get some stats that are available to you through this, such as how many people clicked through or read from Facebook or Twitter.

If you have a WordPress blog…
It bears mentioning that if you have a WordPress blog (as I do), you can set it up to automatically use your Twitter account and post your new blog material there automatically. I’ve used the Twitter for WordPress and Twitter Tools plug-ins with some success.

YOUR TURN: what questions does this bring to mind? Do you have any tips of your own to share?

Blogging for Beginners: Stats & Stuff

January 18, 2012/6 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

In my less compulsive moments, I like to think that I don’t care about my blog stats.

And really, I blog anyway. Even though they’re not spectacular or crashing the server with their high numbers.

It’s not about the numbers.

Go ahead. Laugh. I just did. Because it’s SO EASY to forget.

What they are:

Stats tell you how many visits you have to your blog. They can vary in the amount of detail they give you, depending on the software you use or the blogging service.

Your stats (or statistics, if my shortening the word is giving you the shakes) can tell you a few things. They can tell you how many views your blog is getting. They can tell you where people are coming from and what’s bringing them to you. They can tell you that on a certain day in July, you had some highly unusual traffic.

They can drive you crazy. Be warned.

You can usually find them through the Dashboard of your blogging service. (In order not to make this a highly technical post, I’m going to point you to Google for specifics beyond that.)

How to look at or use stats:

Using your stats as a guide can be helpful. You can get a feel, for one thing, of who your audience is.

To check the number of people you have in Google Reader, you click on “Feed Settings” at the top, and then on “View details and statistics.”

And no, I won’t be sharing my numbers with you, though you can check them for yourself. (I made the mistake of checking a few of my favorite bloggers first. My dignity is still intact, but barely.)

You can see what topics or posts are popular. One thing I’ve noticed is that at certain times of the year, certain posts from my archive get popular. I’ve also noticed that I get a bit of traffic from Google Images, which isn’t the same as people coming by to read my stuff (though maybe, just maybe, one or two do).

A few ideas to improve your stats:

Improve your post titles. Say what you’re going to say, but do it in a way that catches someone’s attention, as in “The “Control” of Self-Publishing.” Or be straightforward and use a list, as in “5 Reasons Your Would-be Publisher Was Not Very Nice.” Want some tips? Read this, especially the part about search engine optimization.

Interact elsewhere online. Be part of the community. Make people want to visit you and read what you have to say.

Read the blogging blogs and do all the little tricks. Though, arguably, if you’re blogging just to get traffic, maybe you and I have different ideas about why we blog in the first place (see the point below about blogging purpose).
Write for your audience. So you have a group of committed readers. Who are they? What do they like about what you’re writing? They’re already coming and reading, so tap into that!

How to stay sane despite your stats:

Be realistic. I have to remind myself, day in and day out, that I am not the next Jennifer Fulwiler or Simcha Fisher or Danielle Bean. I can only be Sarah Reinhard, and that is all. In fact, there can be some very detrimental things with comparing myself too much with those pillars of blogging, those bastions of my feed reader, those favorites of mine. I have to be happy with who I am.

But…it’s good to set goals, to set high standards, to not settle. (How’s that for contradicting my previous paragraph?)

Revisit your blogging purposes. Why are you blogging? Should you blog? Do you need more or different focus? Would another alternative–such as a Facebook page or a general website–build your platform in a way that’s better for you?

Blog traffic is not the same as book sales. Sometimes, you have to just stay sane and ignore your stats. I know one heavyweight blogger who gives up looking at her stats for Lent. If you find yourself too attached to the numbers, I would encourage you to do the same.

YOUR TURN: What questions do you have about stats (aside from the technical “how specifically do I check them in my blogging software”)? What tips and pointers do you have to share?

image credit

Living Life Offline

January 11, 2012/8 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing/by Karina Fabian

My husband made a comment in a teasing sort of way, mid-December, that there was no way I could spend a week offline. I needed no further impetus to answer a pull I’d been feeling for a while.

I spent the week between Christmas and New Years mostly offline. I didn’t read blogs, post status updates to Facebook or Twitter, or read my email.

I read four books, an advance manuscript, and a friend’s first-draft manuscript. I puttered around the house, doing my usual assortment of household things, and waited for my phone to ring (it didn’t, though I’ll bet that would have changed if I had refused to text).

The week was wonderful, in many ways. It was a tangible reminder that, as online as I may be with so much of my work and communications, I have to live my life offline.

My best ideas and my best inspirations come from the world around me.

Though I read plenty of things online and there is a lot of room for inspiration, for me, the best is what’s happening around me: the brilliance of the sunrise, the book I’m reading, the antics of my family.

When I am online all the time, I run the risk of living an alternate life. I become the Sarah people think I am, as opposed to the Sarah who’s really here, right now, tapping away during the baby’s nap. I lose sight of the humor and heartache in my real world, and while there’s room for my world to include the internet, I have to remember my priorities.

My best source remains real life. The rest is extra.

Immediacy is sometimes overrated.

As I’ve been at this writing thing longer, I’ve noticed that the ideas that really need to stay…do. The more I try to catch and capture and keep, the more they seem to slip between my fingers.

On the other hand, the more I sit back, rely on God for my inspiration, and trust in His ways, the better everything seems to go.

(All of that, mind you, is easy to type and advise you. It is much harder to follow it myself.)

When I’m online, it’s harder to slow down, to think, to ponder, which leads me to my next observation.

I’m less distracted when my online time is segmented.

The internet looms around me. It will take over every single minute that I let it have.

Now that I have an iPad, it seems it never stops. I can drop in and check email after the kids are in bed, even though my laptop’s tucked away and I’m technically offline. I can ignore what I dubbed “Offline Evenings” a few Lents ago, because I’m just popping in.

The problem is, the “popping in” lasts all evening, and I’ve not only lost the only real reading time I’m guaranteed, but also any chance I could have had to interact with my husband.

I’m a better blogger because of time spent offline.

I am forced to focus, to keep it real, and to be efficient. I have to pay attention to my priorities, and if I’m not careful, they’ll creep in the wrong direction.

Do you spend focused time offline? What have you found?

image credit

Taking My Own Advice (and an Invitation to You!)

December 14, 2011/4 Comments/in Blogging/by Karina Fabian

It’s December and, thanks to mysterious graces from above, I’m less stressed than I was at the beginning of Advent.

I found my Advent wreath! And I set it up! (Yes, it was well into the second week of Advent before I did, as the picture proves.)

We’ve made it through one family Christmas, with another to go before we hit Christmas week. The tree is up, the kids haven’t electrocuted themselves yet, and I appear to be keeping most of my sanity.

Let’s not talk wrapping. Or even whether all the gifts have been purchased.

If you’re interested in seeing how a blog carnival works, (and hey, if you want to participate) visit my place this week. I’m soliciting pictures and posts from people of their Advent wreaths (today’s the deadline to submit, though I’ll do my best to get everyone in, whenever they submit).

In terms of taking my own advice, I’ve requested a break for the rest of the month from our illustrious blog editor. I promise to return in January and to regale you with stories of my blogging adventures. (We are working on some behind-the-scenes things with this here space!)

Sometimes, you just need to cut the cord, and that’s what I’m doing, at least here. (I’ll also be taking a break at my place, but not until the end of the month.)

How do you rest and rejuvenate this time of year, in the midst of the stress?

What blogging topics do you want me to cover in January?

—
When Sarah Reinhard isn’t blogging at SnoringScholar.com, she can usually be found on Twitter and Facebook. She’s in denial about the amount of reading time she doesn’t have right now and has authored a number of titles, including her latest, Welcome Risen Jesus: Lenten and Easter Reflections for Families.

Remember Your Priorities

Remember your priorities.

Remember your priorities.

Your Chance to Ask Questions

Lent and Blogging

Being Comfortable with Small

Blogging for Beginners: Stats & Stuff

What they are:

How to look at or use stats:

A few ideas to improve your stats:

How to stay sane despite your stats:

Living Life Offline

Taking My Own Advice (and an Invitation to You!)

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