Sharing is Caring: My Weekly Finds

The posts here are a mash-up of interesting things I’ve found or learned from during the preceding week. This could be material from blog posts, articles, video clips, etc.  

Current (Pop) Culture Chattering

• Is anyone surprised that there are rumors already circling that Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are splitting up? 
• Linday Lohan’s continuing criminal saga is back in the  news.  I noted her continuing issues several times in my former “Friday Fallout” posts and the fact that tougher treatment is needed.  This time she’s violating (yet again) the rules of her probation. 
• For conspiracy theorists, feast on Gaddafi’s Death Predicted By Sitcom “Second Chance.”  I must admit this does make me go, “hmm.”  Fast fun fact: Why Does “Gadaffi” Have Different Spellings?
• Sad news for all animal lovers, and especially us in Ohio, was the nutcase in Zanesville who released all of his exotic animals before killing himself.  I can only think his sick hope was to have those 56 precious animals attack and hurt others.  The police had to kill most of them for the public’s safety.  The blessing is for seven that were saved and are now being treated and housed at the Columbus Zoo.

Wicked Writing Wisdom

To paraphrase Kristen Lamb, if you have no “Big Boss Troublemaker,” you have no story.  Want to learn more?  Head over to read Structure Part 3 – Introducing the Opposition.

Jody Hedlund has two pieces this week that were a bit help to me.  How to Kiss Writing Jitters Goodbye gives tips on overcoming the nerves that can show up at all levels of our writing careers.  With 4 Ways to Add Caffeine to Your Story, we learn some avenues to add more fast-paced action to our work.

Jason Black’s Finishing NaNoWriMo talks about having an end-game for getting the manuscript you are working on finished so those 50,000 words aren’t completed in vain.

6 Ways to Reconnect with Your Work-In-Progress from Suzannah Windsor Freeman complements the NaNo piece and gives more guidance on getting back to a manuscript so it does not languish in the drawer.

Making Media Magic

The blogosphere took off this week with the discussion of an outed blogger plagiarist.  I’ll let these heartfelt posts speak for themselves:

• David Walker’s Plagiarism: The Worst Sin in Writing is the first that I read.  It opened up the truth of what happened to the community in a fair and honest way, and also allowed for everyone to both comment and comfort each other.
• Jami Gold asked How Bad Is Plagiarism?
• Amber West shared her experience and gut warnings with Beware of the Confidence Man.

10 Surefire Ways to Overcome Blogging Procrastination, from guest poster Marelisa Fabrega on Problogger.net, provides great tips for setting up and staying on schedule.

Another hot topic this week was numbers and measurements of writers’ platforms and what would be considered success.  Kristen Lamb’s post Numbers Are Our Friend – Writers and the Wild World of Metrics helped put it all into rational perspective for me.

Catie Rhodes shared several of her Social Media Dos and Don’ts.  These are great and include some I hadn’t thought about.

Carrie Spencer continues her fantastic series of WordPress tips with Ping Pong Pingback – Woodie knows WordPress.  Definitely check out some of the other tips.  All are easy to understand and carry out.

Frolicking Fun Finds

Stacy Green introduced me to the Pole Dancing Dolly.  While I chuckled, this doll is so so wrong on multiple levels.  Folks, it is an obviously girly girl cartoon graphic posed holding a pole, ready to get down.  Check this one out to see some other items that are not holiday gift worthy.

Where I come from, you can never go wrong with cats so Virginia Ripple’s Super Cats post was a treat.

Season two has started and The Walking Dead: Best Commercial Free Zombie TV from Jess Witkins is a great recap of the first night. 

Imaginative, Insightful, Inspirational

Setting the Scene for a Productive Day by Elizabeth Grace Saunders gives suggestions for creating the optimal environment for creative work.

Diana Murdock opened up her moment of grief to us and shared her last words to her father in I Am Now, Truly, An Orphan.  What a powerful post.

Are you registered to be a bone marrow donor?  Lesann Berry shares her experience in Be the Match.

The photos on Naomi Bulger’s blog are a regular treat.  Check out the beautiful floral images in What’s Wednesday without… a blossom party?

Doug Kelsey’s One Thing You Must Have To Get Fit will be on my repeat read list as I complete my ROW80 goals.