Alyice Edrich in South Dakota is making daily posts to DM Speaks (short for The Dabbling Mum Speaks) where she shares "off the cuff" movie, book, and product reviews and more...
Why did you decide to do this project? The simple answer: I needed to jumpstart my creativity. I needed to find my passion for writing again.
The long answer: A few years ago I lost my mother...her death, accompanied with the dramatic drop in my business due to our economic situation here in the U.S., and a nasty bout of seasonal depression since moving to South Dakota, sent me in a downward spiral. Though I was functional, and upbeat around family. When they were away at work or school, I simply had no desire to do the things I loved, the things that used to drive me. Over time, I simply did "just enough" to get by.
Then last March (2011), I realized that if I wanted to get my passion for writing back, I needed to be inspired.
It wasn't enough to simply post a few reviews on a blog, or join in group discussions in forums, or even write queries for possible paid writing gigs. I needed to feel the passion others felt for their writing.
And I figured that if I needed that, there were probably other writers who did too. After all, so many have shared with me that they were in the same boat when it came to their writing... losing their passion because they have to work so much harder just to make ends meet or to land a decent paying gig as a writer.
That got me to thinking, "Why don't I pay it forward by allowing others to showcase their talents and their books?"
One of the prerequisites for getting published on my blog is that the author has to be willing to take their eyes off themselves, for just a moment, and answer questions that essentially "pay it forward"...answering questions that may help a seasoned writer get out of a rut or help a beginning writer find their way. Then, and only then, can they talk about their latest book.
At first, I had planned on doing one featured interview a week, but the response was so fantastic that I had enough material for 3 features a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have been doing this project since March of 2011, so nearly 2 months now. But it feels like so much longer since I currently have 3 months of posts scheduled to go live on the blog, with at least 3 months worth to go. And I cannot tell you how AMAZING it's been.
First, to be able to help a deserving writer spread the word about their book and their talent as a writer is a wonderful feeling. I forgot how great it can feel to do help an author spread the word about their books. And truth-be-told, there's no way I would've been able to offer that many unbiased reviews. So being able to pay it forward through these interviews has been great.
Second, the interviewees have loved the whole "paying it forward" idea and it's been so inspirational reading about the different ways they handle certain situations; especially how they deal with writer's block.
Third, the readers can't get enough! Though the blog doesn't get a lot of comments, I, myself, and the interviewees, themselves, have received personal emails thanking us for the letting them know about the books, and for sharing so many personal stories.
All that aside, it's also done wonders for me on a personal level. I can feel my writer's soul coming back to life and I know that soon, my passion for writing will be rekindled.
See what the Dabbling Mum is saying today HERE.
Why did you decide to do this project? The simple answer: I needed to jumpstart my creativity. I needed to find my passion for writing again.
The long answer: A few years ago I lost my mother...her death, accompanied with the dramatic drop in my business due to our economic situation here in the U.S., and a nasty bout of seasonal depression since moving to South Dakota, sent me in a downward spiral. Though I was functional, and upbeat around family. When they were away at work or school, I simply had no desire to do the things I loved, the things that used to drive me. Over time, I simply did "just enough" to get by.
Then last March (2011), I realized that if I wanted to get my passion for writing back, I needed to be inspired.
It wasn't enough to simply post a few reviews on a blog, or join in group discussions in forums, or even write queries for possible paid writing gigs. I needed to feel the passion others felt for their writing.
And I figured that if I needed that, there were probably other writers who did too. After all, so many have shared with me that they were in the same boat when it came to their writing... losing their passion because they have to work so much harder just to make ends meet or to land a decent paying gig as a writer.
That got me to thinking, "Why don't I pay it forward by allowing others to showcase their talents and their books?"
One of the prerequisites for getting published on my blog is that the author has to be willing to take their eyes off themselves, for just a moment, and answer questions that essentially "pay it forward"...answering questions that may help a seasoned writer get out of a rut or help a beginning writer find their way. Then, and only then, can they talk about their latest book.
At first, I had planned on doing one featured interview a week, but the response was so fantastic that I had enough material for 3 features a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have been doing this project since March of 2011, so nearly 2 months now. But it feels like so much longer since I currently have 3 months of posts scheduled to go live on the blog, with at least 3 months worth to go. And I cannot tell you how AMAZING it's been.
First, to be able to help a deserving writer spread the word about their book and their talent as a writer is a wonderful feeling. I forgot how great it can feel to do help an author spread the word about their books. And truth-be-told, there's no way I would've been able to offer that many unbiased reviews. So being able to pay it forward through these interviews has been great.
Second, the interviewees have loved the whole "paying it forward" idea and it's been so inspirational reading about the different ways they handle certain situations; especially how they deal with writer's block.
Third, the readers can't get enough! Though the blog doesn't get a lot of comments, I, myself, and the interviewees, themselves, have received personal emails thanking us for the letting them know about the books, and for sharing so many personal stories.
All that aside, it's also done wonders for me on a personal level. I can feel my writer's soul coming back to life and I know that soon, my passion for writing will be rekindled.
See what the Dabbling Mum is saying today HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment