Sunday, April 29, 2012

Appreciation and Feedback: Liebster Blog

Writers, at least most of the ones I know, are always unsure about their writing. Is it good or bad? Will others like it? And the answers I give myself are always changing.

Sometimes I look at what I've written and think, "Wow, this is absolutely genius! I'm gonna win endless awards with my innate ability to put words together in awe-inspiring ways!!"

Then, five minutes later, I'll look at that same passage again, and think, "This is absolute garbage! I'm completely worthless as a writer and I don't know why I ever attempted to put words on a page."

Then, I'll read it through again, and wonder, "What will everyone else think about this? Will anyone like it?" It's so hard to gauge how others will view your work, especially when you can't decide what you think about it yourself.

So, I was absolutely thrilled to find that I'd been nominated by Ann Stanley for the Liebster Blog!! I looked it up and liebster means "beloved". I'm so happy to know that at least one person out there enjoys reading the words I put together. She even went as far as to say this about my blog, " I always enjoy her lightness of spirit and the fun range of topics and occasional bits of fiction." I'm a little in awe. Thank you so much, Ann, for your thoughtful appreciation.

The Liebster Blogger Rules are:
1. Thank the one who nominated you by linking back.
2. Nominate five blogs with less than 200 followers.
3. Let your nominees know by leaving a comment on their sites.
4. Add the award image to your site.

Since I've already thanked Ann, I'm moving on to my nominees. This was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. There are so many fun blogs out there that I wanted to list here. But, alas, I could only pick five, so here they are for your perusal and pleasure.

1. Dana Dampier's Crazy, Poetic Life - Dana writes great poetry and has three kids (like me) so I like her a lot!! ;)
2. Lara Britt's Writing Space - Lara lives in Hawaii and posts about local stuff on Fridays. She also posts about writing nooks, which are my favorite places to be!!
3.Lauri Meyers's Your Imagination is the Limit - Lauri has a great voice and I often laugh out loud when reading her posts.
4. Kelly Williamson's This is Mine...Seriously - Kelly has been writing about tough times with a mental illness in the family. She's in the process of changing up her blog and I, for one, am excited to see where she takes it.
5. Linda Hatton's The Whatnot Shop - Linda posts about lots of different topics, all interesting.

Okay, now I have to go and comment on these sites and let them know. ;)


Oh, and here is my ROW80 update:
This only thing I accomplished last week was my blog post on feeling overwhelmed. Not a very productive week at all. I'm starting off a little better this week. Hopefully, I can keep it up. ;)

28 comments:

Lara Britt said...

Thank you so very much! This means so much to me. And you don't have to go find me to tell me, because I love you back that much!

Bonnie Vesely said...

Congratulations, Rebecca! And after feeling overwhelmed and melancholy, this must be an especially wonderful surprise - and a well-deserved one!

bolton carley said...

i completely agree with you that on any given day i love or hate my writing! glad to know i'm not alone!

Unknown said...

Thanks so much, guys!! It's this feedback exactly that keeps me going when I get melancholy and overwhelmed!! You guys are the greatest!

Dana Dampier said...

Thank you so much! I REALLY appreciate this award... more than you know! I get the love/hate relationship because I have the same crazy thoughts when I write.

Kelly Williamson said...

You took my breath away! Thank you a million times over! Can't wait to get my post up and pay it forward. Like you, I doubt myself all the time. What a boost!

Unknown said...

So glad you guys are happy!! WooHoo for new writer friends!!

Jennifer Chow said...

Congratulations, Rebecca from a fellow MNINB platform challenger. Your words are so true, and it's inspiring to know that you're raising three children at the same time (I have two).

Tia Bach said...

I'll check out your recommended blogs. Hopping to offer ROW80 support... hope you have an excellent week coming up.

And I SO get what you mean about the ups and downs of writing. Thanks for sharing!

Lauri Meyers said...

Congratulations Rebecca! Your post is very true; there must be crazy endorphins released during the creative process that turn our vision rosy and make our heads swell. Then editing activates some sort of evil laser that shrinks our egos to peas. Thank you so much for the acknowledgement- it really means a lot!

Jo Ann J. A. Jordan said...

Such a true post. I am always at a loss as to how others will react to my writing. Most often I am sure I should not have posted what I wrote, but I am working on that... My creativity project has forced me to let some of what I write see the light of day.

I hope you will visit my blog at http://www.hopefuljo.wordpress.com my google accounts are secondary.

Ann Stanley said...

You said it! Some days, I read my stuff and think it's pure garbage, and other days it seems pretty good. I guess we're all like that. I just hope I never go down so far that I burn it all.

I'm glad you're having fun with this award and nominating some great blogs. I wish you well and hope it brings you more readers.

Sarah said...

That's why I love writing so much: when you're doing it, you can lose perspective completely. But when someone else reads your words - or when you read them with the distance of time - you see something else entirely. Or see more layers. Definitely a case of more eyes are better . . . Thanks for the post and congratulations on the award!!!

Misky said...

Great post, and well done!

Gene Lempp said...

Congrats on the Liebster award. As for ROW, we all have off weeks. One thing I always tell myself is that every day is a new day and a fresh set of opportunities. Regardless of what is past, all the possibilities are open to you today.

Have a great week, Becca :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the award! I think every artist that takes their craft seriously has the "did I write this crap?" feeling about something they did (even when it is good). It's quite the rollercoaster.

I've found that even my bad weeks on ROW are helpful, since they remind me to try again the next week :)

Linda G. Hatton said...

Rebecca,
Aaaawww ... how heartwarming that my blog is on your list. Thank you so much. You just made my week!!

And I can so relate to your process (and scheduling writing time around kids - I have two). I've found that I usually post the stuff I doubt in the middle of the night, but that's also the most raw writing.

Thank you again. I'm so happy to have met you (and the other) MNINB participants. It's wonderful to have such a great support system.

Muddy said...

Rebecca, this whole Liebster Blog award and the writer's up and downs when evaluating their own work are just great! I can't believe this is my 1st time to your blog...what am I doing with my time? I'm subscribing now and looking forward to reading more!

Rebecca Green Gasper said...

You couldn't have said it better! I, too, am very ambivalent about my writing. It's hard not to question why someone would what to read what I have to say. Congrats on your nomination!

Anonymous said...

Congrats, Becca! So exciting, and much deserved.

I totally understand your sentiments about your writing. The same feelings plague me every time I write something. We just have to believe in ourselves and keep on writing. :)

alberta ross said...

Def. not alone there - are we a genius or a lousy writer?depends on which the ants are running that day:) - thats whats nice about ROW80 we suddenly find out we are not as crazy as we thought - well we are, but so are all the other folk writing:)

all the best for this week

Jane Ann McLachlan said...

Congratulations, Rebecca,
A great blog, obviously.

KM Huber said...

Yet another refreshing blog, Becca, and thank you. When it comes to evaluating our writing, I love Alberta's comment on which ants show up that day.

Hope this week is better for you.

Karen

Romelle Broas said...

Congratulations, Rebecca! What do everyone think? And don't worry. We all think your fabulous. You have been such a loyal and hard working platform challenger. You really know how to reach out to people. I have you to learn from. I still feel somewhat behind in all this social media stuff. Anyway. Great blog! You deserve the award. Your signature EYES is probably one of the reasons for your success. It's very alluring. :o)

Kasie Whitener said...

Hey, Becca, I put you on my Liebster list! Thanks for keeping your prose so readable and conversational.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Jennifer! Finding time for yourself when you have kids is tough.Just hang in there and make it happen!

Tia, I hope you like the blogs!

Thanks, Lauri! You deserve it!

Hi, Jo Ann. I actually subscribe to your blog already. I love how your pictures of everyday things, like weeds, are so beautiful!

Ann, don't burn it!! I'm sure there's a bird cage or litter box in need of lining somewhere... ;)

Thanks, Sarah! So glad you could stop by.

Thanks Misky!

Thanks for the encouragement, Gene. I guess we all need it sometimes.This week hasn't been much better, but I think I'm finally starting to figure out a schedule that works for me. So, hopefully, better times are ahead.

Thanks, wosushi. I think the term "rollercoaster" describes it perfectly.

You're welcome, Linda! You deserve it! I love your blog and can't wait to see what else you have in store... The MNINB community is great!

Thanks for subscribing, Muddy! Glad you finally made it here. :)

Thanks Rebecca (Green Gasper)!! I often feel like that. It's sometimes hard to see what makes my writing unique and worthwhile. But it's great when someone else sees it and lets you know!!!

Thanks, EB! That's the truth! Believe and keep writing... I need to work on that.

So true, Alberta. We are crazy, but everyone else is too, so it's okay. :) Good luck with your goals!

Thanks for stopping by, Jane! Glad you like it.

This week hasn't been much better, Karen, but I think I might be getting used to my schedule, so next week will be!

Thanks, Romelle!! It's so good to hear that at least a few people out there like what I'm doing here. ;) The challenge has been a great place to step out of my comfort zone a little and meet lots of great new writer friends. And it took me FOREVER to get my eyeliner just right. So I had to record the victory. ;)

Thanks, Kasie!! Glad you like it!

Shoo! Sorry it took me so long to get around to replying to everyone. I tried a few days ago, but my browser froze up in the middle and I was too mad to try again. :) Finally had a chance today, and it worked!! Hooray! I am so thankful to everyone who stops by and leaves a comment! You guys are the reason I keep at it through the tough times. Thanks again!!

Becca♥

Lynn said...

I'm coming by way of MNINB FB bloglist - making my way through them all!
I feel the exact same way about writing - thinking it's good and then turning around and thinking it stinks.
Keep on writing!

Unknown said...

Thanks Lynn!! Glad you made it! Have fun looking through all the great blogs on the list!