*Woke up, got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat –

Then it hit me.  I had nowhere to go but to my home office.   So I turned and –

*Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
Somebody spoke and I went into a dream…

Which soon became a nightmare as I began staring blankly at my computer screen.

This is how I spend many mornings as a freelance writer – thinking of ideas to write (and hopefully sell) in the solitude of my pre-Civil War apartment with no one around but Hugo, my dog.  My husband seems the lucky some days, headed morning to his office where he’ll laugh it up with co-workers throughout the day.

Sure, I’m laughing, too, well, laughing sardonically, if you will.  I haven’t come up with a decent story idea in hours. Then suddenly, one idea pops into my head.  Duh!.  I could write about the things I do when my ability to write isn’t happening.

So here’s the piece – five things that may boost your own writing process.

1. To hell with all those caffeine naysayers.  Drink coffee. Lots of it.  It works for me. But if coffee’s not your thing, try guzzling a few Chai teas, Red Bulls or whatever it takes YOU to get where you’re going, which inevitably hopes to be “The End.”
2. Call a friend, introduce yourself to a stranger, meet someone for lunch. Open dialogue can be a tool of inspiration, a dramatic device, even a cathartic means of getting words to the page.
3. Jump up and down screaming, run around the block, hit the gym – whatever it takes to get those endorphins pumping and the creative juices flowing.
4. Sift through your old document files and re-read all those uncompleted stories you’ve written. Sometimes love, er, story ideas are better the second time around.
5. Never give in to writer’s block.  Seriously.  Turn off the computer, turn on the world.  There IS a story to be told somewhere, anywhere, everywhere you look, inside and out, up and down, there and back.

*My thanks to John Lennon and Paul McCartney for writing “A Day in the Life” recorded at Abbey Road Studio  ~ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967, Parlophone, Capitol, EMI)

Lisa Hanock-Jasie lives in New York City. She is a Writer, blogger, and driven, astute, business- and media-savvy PR/Marcom/Social Media professional.

Originally published June 2009 by Fuel Your Writing http://fuelyourwriting.com

The new platform is exciting but, it has become a double edge sword!  How in the world can I possibly start an article about a sword?  CremeMagnolia began as a community to promote and market women owned businesses, up close and personal.  We succeeded in that today CremeMagnolia is now ranked just over 1 million in terms of website traffic worldwide.  While that may not sound significant – a Google search using the word “business” results in 1,700,000,000 (that’s 1.7 BILLION) – by narrowing my search to “women in business” Google returned 108,000,000 (108 MILLION) results.  So you see where I’m going here.  However, this article isn’t about sounding the horn and banging the drums, it’s about looking at where we are and where we can be.

Probably the most exciting about our new community is the ability for each Partner to control her content, easily interact with other partners, and in so doing provide herself with additional presence and exposure.  Further, as we move into the future, our current community will grow with us and provide for fewer “growing pains.”  All that said, the community launched but is far from finished.  In the coming weeks you will see design changes on our home page to highlight our Partners, Artists, Relevant Topics, Tools, Pets, Featured Interviews & Downloadable Podcasts.

The most difficult part of my “driving the boat” is keeping all the “wants” in check with the “needs!”  As is often my way, when something starts to gain momentum I run like a banshee to make it better and often learn to regret my whirling dervish!  One such case hit me in the face this morning as it occurred to me that simply because it’s “there” doesn’t necessarily mean everyone knows where “there” is.  Bear with me as I explain a very important aspect of our new Community.

When we changed platforms it was necessary that we move a mountain of material from one database to another.  The first compulsory action by each partner is to sign in and create a password.  What I failed to explain is this is only step ONE. Creating a username and password gives visitors, Partners and casual guests’ access to the Community.   The object is to allow guests to visit our community without necessarily becoming a Partner, which comes with more responsibility but more benefits.  The SECOND compulsory step for every existing Partner is to create a profile. Both of these steps can be easily accomplished using videos and walk-throughs designed to make the process simple (see below for a list of these links).  It was physically impossible for us to enter profile information for each Partner and if you haven’t yet completed a profile please do so immediately as you are not showing up on CremeMagnolia.  All the information, articles, blogs etc., which you contributed on the old site now reside on the new site (in various group categories) – which makes your information searchable once you have created your profile.  The fact that you are receiving this newsletter does NOT guarantee you have already completed steps one and two above – newsletters are generated from a completely separate database and program.

As I began to experience the grandeur of our new Community with its technological abilities, in retrospect I took my eye off the original mission of CremeMagnolia.  Adding a plethora of new programs without the manpower or resources to do so serves no one.   With the Whirling Dervish lesson learned, I’m back on target and our focus and mission is to grow CremeMagnolia by helping our Partners market and promote their companies.  Weekly we will feature one Partner in our newsletter and on our home page.  With a minimal commitment of time, our featured Partner will have her ad placed on the home page and the newsletter; and either an article submitted by the Partner or an interview available as a downloadable podcast.  Our newsletter now has an astounding 70% open rate … so being featured in the Magnolia Wire is a very good thing.  In return for the free advertising Featured Partners must participate in the community, its group discussions, and blogs.  Free really isn’t free but you have to admit, if you’re promoting yourself anyway, CremeMagnolia is a wonderful place to do it!

Now down to the real business.  What can I do for you?  We want to know what you need to make your business grow.  What can the community do better?  We’ve created a new group called “How can I help you?” and we really want to hear what you think.  This is a place where you can vent, comment, criticize, or contribute ideas that will help us all.  If we don’t hear from you, then we must be doing everything perfect.

Have a wonderful week! Karen

Video Links:

This week’s walk-through: How to register on the CremeMagnolia website

Previous Video’s and Walk-throughs:

• How to edit your Profile Page
• How to Add Friends on the CremeMagnolia site
• How to send a Private Message on the CremeMagnolia site

I have a guest visiting who had never seen the movie “Pay it Forward” so I rented and watched it again for at least the fifth time.  While the movie is compelling, it bears little resemblance to the book.  Watching it again did give me inspiration for this week’s article.  The Pay it Forward concept is the foundation for CremeMagnolia and the following are quotes from the book, Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

From the book, the original assignment to a seventh- grade class was; “Think of an idea for world change and put it into action.” Again from the book; “Knowing it started from unremarkable circumstances should be a comfort to us all. Because it proves that it doesn’t take much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients.   You can start with the world you’ve got.”

These quotes resonate with me as all too often we don’t recognize that the world we’ve got has great value and can be shared with someone who has less.  Paying it forward isn’t meant to be easy, rather the giving to another person at times is difficult.  Further, paying it forward means to have no expectation of return, or paying it back.  Too often we have Read the rest of this entry »

Social media may still seem like a “toy for the young” and something to do when you’re bored, but in reality these tools are fast becoming a significant element of small business success.

The benefits of social media for your small business are numerous, but let’s review of few of the best reasons for incorporating social media efforts into your business plans.

1. Social media provides a simple way for customers, and even potential customers, to comment on your products or services, or to ask for more information. Because it leaves all the interaction up to the buyer, customers feel more comfortable looking for the information they need. When they are ready to share, or need your services or products, they will let you know!
2. Social media provides an outlet that can “go viral” far more quickly than typical advertising opportunities. For those of you who are not familiar with the term, “go viral” in the online world is when a blog, or article, video, or other social medium, is picked up by enough online outlets that it receives literally millions of views in hours. This Read the rest of this entry »

In an effort to provide more help for members trying to navigate the new site for the first time, we’re slowing developing walk-throughs and videos. This week, Bill Sklodowski, CremeMagnolia Partner, has provided us with a wonderful video on editing your profile on the new site.

If you haven’t yet, register as a member on the site, and you can follow along with this video and get your information front and center on the new site!

Ingredients for “Paying it Forward”

Karen R. Vowell-Mager, Founder & Publisher

I have a guest visiting who had never seen the movie “Pay it Forward” so I rented and watched it again for at least the fifth time. While the movie is compelling, it bears little resemblance to the book. Watching it again did give me inspiration for this week’s article. The Pay it Forward concept is the foundation for CremeMagnolia and the following are quotes from the book, Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

From the book, the original assignment to a seventh- grade class was; “Think of an idea for world change and put it into action.” Again from the book; “Knowing it started from unremarkable circumstances should be a … Read More »

Sponsored Partner

Founding Magnolia Partner, Christina Baird has found a wonderful way to stay in touch with her customers – and create new customers as well. Her business, SendOutCards is about changing people’s lives for good one card at a time. Christina can show you how to also create residual income and start a great little business.

Read the rest of this entry »

Not everything ends up in my spam box, in fact, most ends up residing proudly in the several in-boxes I have.  I am having a difficult time doing what I know is best for me, that is to say – hit the unsubscribe button!  Little by little I have unsubscribed to in-flight gift companies; seed and plant companies – given I no longer live on 8 acres; Mr. Obama’s attempt to give me free funds to work at home; wine companies who by law cannot ship to my state; $5000 platinum credit card offers for product companies – versus real credit cards; offers to send me $1000 gift cards for WalMart; and the list is pretty short after that.

This morning I opened my Outlook client only to find two offers that caught my eye; an offer from Extenze that says it’s guaranteed to work; and free Lasik surgery!  Read the rest of this entry »

The advantages of an interactive, social community like CremeMagnolia.net are many. Just a few include:

• The ability to create connections with other members.
• React directly to articles, discussions and comments made throughout the site.
• The ability to create topic-chosen groups to drive promotion of your own business.

Of the above, the most lucrative for a small business owner looking to increase their reach online is creating groups that can help drive promotion for their own business interests.  Creating your own groups on the CremeMagnolia website is fast and easy, with the potential for great benefits. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Create a group that matches the topical interests of CremeMagnolia members, but also can dovetail with interests related to your products and or services. For example, an individual whose business is coaching new entrepreneurs on writing business plans could easily find a topic related to funding new businesses, and weave in the benefits of a great business plan.
2. Read the rest of this entry »

My sister in law was born in China and, rightly so, celebrated the Chinese New Year. Many of you may already know that February 13 and 14 were the official days for the Chinese New Year and we are in The Year of The Tiger. Additionally, it’s the year of the “Metal Tiger”.

What does that mean for someone like me -a Tiger, according to Chinese Astrology, celebrating the Year of The Tiger? In general, it means, WOW!!! Get ready for the ride.

You are a Tiger if you were born in these date ranges: 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1074, 1986, 1998, and 2010. Generally from around Mid February through February of the following year. Tigers always land on their feet, ready for their next act in life, pursuing it with unyielding energy and hunting it infallibly.

Having been born in 1962, I am considered a Water Tiger. “The Water element gives the Tiger a soothing characteristic Read the rest of this entry »

Connecting with members on the site is the first objective. Not “just” connecting, but communicating when possible as well. Right now the site is pretty new so there isn’t as much activity as there will be in a few months. But certainly establishing friendships with the members is a good foundation.

Next, create a group (I’ll have a walkthrough on that up on the site hopefully by the end of the weekend). Make it a topic that is related to something our members would be interested in, but also related to your academy. Perhaps, since your focus is on parenting, the group is about women business owners as parents, or something. Then (and this is the more tricky part) you’ll want to invite some of the members on the site, and engage them in topical conversations. You may have to prop this in the beginning by contacting some members you already know, or members you think might be interested by private message and ask Read the rest of this entry »