Surviving Your Creative Hangover

As I lay on the couch in the pitch black room sipping soda water and mindlessly watching terrible television reruns, I wondered how I had landed myself here.

I’ve had hangovers in the past. As a girl who likes red wine from Trader Joe’s and delicious artisanal microbrew beers (sometimes over the course of a single night), the fuzzy headed dead-inside feeling of dehydration and alcohol withdrawal is certainly no stranger.

In fact, I used to joke that my hangovers were a result of too much blood entering my alcohol stream.

Since I’ve been so sick over the past year, I’ve cut back my crazy partying days a fair bit. I’m sure turning 35 and recognizing that I can’t drink like I used to, or – more appropriately – perhaps I don’t need to.

But this article isn’t about drinking and hangovers. Though, I’m guessing this New Year’s weekend many folks will be nursing themselves through some sluggish days as a result of excessive consumption.

This is about a totally different type of hangover that afflicts the artists and entrepreneurs of the world.Continue reading

Lincoln Never Said That! (Or Why You Should Research Quotes Before Sharing)

Having an online presence—and a social media account—is a must nowadays, especially if you’re running a business. The internet expands your reach, widens your market, and makes it possible for you to communicate with people around the world in just a matter of minutes.

One of the strategies highly recommended by online marketers and social media experts (e.g., Social Media Examiner, Search Engine Journal) to increase social media followers is quote sharing. You’ve probably seen how effective it is, at least in terms of getting shared, based on how many quotes you see daily on your feed.Continue reading

Do or Do Not. There Is No Try.

Fan or not, it is hard to deny that Star Wars is chock-full of inspirational, quote-worthy material.

One of the most legendary quotes is, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

For those of you who have not seen The Empire Strikes Back, allow me to set the scene: It’s the X-wing fighter sequence on Dagobah, and Luke Skywalker is doubtful about being able to raise his fighter from the swamp. After Jedi Master Yoda chastises him for having a defeatist attitude, Luke halfheartedly responds that he will try. Having none of that, Yoda hits him with the epic one-two punch.

Check out 25 seconds of Yoda taking Luke to school:Continue reading

NaNoWriMo: The Aftermath

The time was 11:58 AM, the date November 30th. My contacts had dried in my eyes a few hours ago, but there had never been an instant to take them out. I had to stay focused on the computer screen in front of me, on the words my fingers were rapidly typing as the minutes flew past, careening towards the 11:59 AM cut-off point. Most importantly, I had to submit my NaNoWriMo word count for the final time.

If you read my last article, you’ll know that NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is an annual event that pushes writers to compose 50,000 words during November, with a goal of 1,667 words per day. You’ll also know that this year I decided to participate.

So how did I do?Continue reading