What? Google Reader is leaving? WHY????

I jumped on google reader over the weekend to try to catch up on my reading. And what popped up? A message telling me that google reader is leaving on July 1st!!! Leaving? Why?

Didn't I eat enough chocolate chips with you? Didn't we share enough little secrets to keep us close? (Okay, I know those were just blog posts, but still...)  Didn't I clean our my list of awesome peoples every week? (almost...every week...sometimes once a month.)

I use Google Reader to keep in contact with...well...all of you. It makes me sad that there will be no way to organize all the blogs I'm trying to keep in contact with. =(

So for the next few weeks, I am trying to add everyone I keep in contact with on my facebook (I know!) 

Looks like things are changing. But change is good. Right?

So tell me, how do you keep your blogging friends organized?

Jealousy

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was viciously and brutally attacked!

With the worst weapon of all....WORDS. This friend was devastated to find out that someone she looked up to and hoped to have a meaningful friendship with was not only speaking behind her back...but spreading things that were not true! (No this person was not a writer, but still...same result. Except they can't write a cool story about said bad-speaker in a story, who unexpectedly falls off a cliff.* How did that happen?)

Unfortunately, jealousy is out there. Especially in the writing community. Why? Because let's face it. Many of us are emotional, self conscience, and a little insecure. That's why we can write from the heart.

Jealousy can cause friendships to rot, time to be lost,  and even take out whole countries! (See history teacher in 9th grade. I was listening...a little.)

But how do we stop it when it hits our door? Here are some suggestions:

1:  Be truly excited for a friend or colleague who is having success. Support them and share the love. (That's the hardest but most rewarding)

2:  Stop comparing. Your book is just as beautiful and lovely as the next writers (maybe even better). What you are seeing, is not always the truth of what is in the heart. (Remember that book came from the same place your book is coming from. We are all in this together.)

3:  Remember how awesome you are. You are! So is your book (with it's cute little words and immense pages full of breathtaking twists and turns).

4:  Buy yourself a nice pair of new boots and a box of chocolates. Don't forget the sad movie that you will need when you invite your girlfriends (or guy-friends) over.  A little jealousy may creep in from time to time, just don't dwell in it (and try to get over it if possible). Remember the wreaking friendships part above. Nobody wants that.

Last by not least: When jealousy is aimed at you, try to be nice. From personal experience, it doesn't always work, but keep trying. Maybe buy them chocolate, or take them out to lunch. If worse comes to worse, there is always the *fictional falling over cliff. But let's hope it doesn't come to that. (But they do say that writing it out helps the soul. hummm.)

Okay, I think that covers a part of it. What do you think? Did I leave anything out? 

What are your jealousy experiences?

Thoughts from an Author

So I was doing some research online and ran across this. So awesome and so true. 

Thanks Maureen Johnson!

You can find Maureen Here!

Now get to work! ;) *whip crack*

LTUE

I've been gone! But it's been for a good reason.

I've been at LTUE (Life, the Universe, and Everything). I think it's been one of their best conferences yet.

It was so fun to see everybody. And I got great notes! Love conferences.

The only problem is trying to recuperate after so much awesome information! I think chocolate is called for. I'm hoping to add some insights in the next few weeks of what I've learned.

If you ever have a chance to attend a writer's conference near you, do it!

What conferences do you want to attend in the future?