Social Networks

Let Us Never Forget!

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Let us NEVER forget 9/11/2001. Today is the 17th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in our nation. To see the original news coverage check out: Flashback 9/11: As It Happened

“2,996 people were killed (including the 19 hijackers) and more than 6,000 others injured.[1][2] These immediate deaths included 265 on the four planes (including the terrorists), 2,606 in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area, and 125 at the Pentagon.[3][4] The attacks were the deadliest terrorist act in world history, and the most devastating foreign attack on United States soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.[5]”

 

 

Communicating the Old-Fashion Way is So Much Better

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 9 Comments

If you read nothing else, read  Duck-Face for the Deceased by kalanleitch.

A Friend and often guest blogger here in the Cow Pasture takes an honest look at how we communicate condolences on the day of tragedies, whether a local, state or worldwide event.

I realize people mean well, but so often we get caught up in the social media bombardment of the moment. We feel bad. We want to do something, offer our expressions of concern, sympathy, or comment on the “trending sentiments”.

But, stop for just a moment and think before jumping on the bandwagon. Is there a better way? Could you send a personal, hand-written note? Call and ask what they might need? Donate? Send flowers? Take a dish by, or call and have a real conversation?

Social media has taken the place of personal interaction, real communication, and emotions. It becomes so easy to hide behind an emoji, Twitter handle, or other distance and impersonal handle. So, take a second, check out kalanleitch‘s post, Duck-Face for the Deceased and rethink that next social media “Like,” condolence, or Tweet.

We are first and foremost people who thrive on personal interaction, touch, eye-contact, the much-needed shoulder or a hug.

Just my two cents and thanks to kalanleitch for sharing.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Conversations – A Lost Art

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 9 Comments

The Daily Post Prompt – Conversation 

Conversation, aw, such an old word with an antiquated meaning, and almost extinct in practice. The dictionary defines it as a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged. What a novel idea.

We used to enjoy these on a regular basis. We talked to people we met on a bus, in a store, theatre, museum, class, and sometimes over the dinner table; another antiquated practice.

We got to know the people we met by the conversations we enjoyed with the nuances of language on full display. We understood it was more than simple words. We listened to the tone of the other’s voice, paid attention to the subtle languages of the body, and read the eyes like a roadmap to the soul. Once upon a time, we enjoyed the give and take of thoughts and ideas; even the occasional debate.

Unfortunately, we’ve replaced conversation with cryptic text messages and snap chats; emotions with emojis, and the subtle art of courtship with photo swipes, no dialogue needed. Who needs to talk? It’s so much easier to hide behind a message board, filtered photo, or a digital world void of nuance and feeling.

No longer in vogue, we’ve lost the art of conversation. It’s backward, old-fashioned, outdated, too mundane, and requires too much effort; texting is so much easier. Is it any wonder our country, our families; our genders are so far apart, so torn asunder, or in such strife?

We used to enjoy a lazy afternoon conversation with our friend over lunch, our kids after school, around the dinner table, or after dinner with our husband, wife, or significant other. We used too, but no longer.

Conversation is a lost art, a treasured skill, and without it, we are doomed.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Recommended Reading for Writers – Taking Control

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

For those of you who enjoy a stroll through the Cow Pasture, sorry if my lack of presence has disappointed you. OR, maybe like me, you have been too busy with your hectic life and holiday schedules you didn’t realize I was missing. The point being, it’s okay. I understand.

From October through December is probably the busiest and fastest moving months of the year. They are also, often the most anxiety-producing, at least for this writer. Between family holiday get-togethers, cooking, shopping, gift wrapping, and all the other holiday festivities, it gets more difficult every year to manage time, stick to a writing schedule, or slow down enough to enjoy the moments.

Throw in a few family health crisis on top of the mix, and you have the recipe for neglect. Something has to give and more often than not, it’s writing – be it a blog, WIP, or networking via social media.

Of course, truth be told, I laid off most social media a long time ago. Not, because I don’t want to connect with you and other writers, I do; but, because it seems to have turned into more than a network. Instead of a way to network, it has become a platform for everyone to spout their opinion or a propaganda tool. I wrote about this topic once before in my article, Has Facebook Become Toxic? It’s all too much sometimes for this writer. I don’t want to belabor the point, but, suffice it to say, I don’t need the added anxiety.

As writers, I believe, we put more pressure on ourselves than most people, and it seems to escalate during this time of year. Who thought November would be the best time of the year to run a 50,000 word novel challenge. Yet, NaNoWriMo is one of the most popular challenges for writers. Even I jumped on the challenge bandwagon this Fall. I didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo, but I did take on the 10 K Social Writing Challenge through ChapterBuzz. I admit, my anxiety increased, substantially as I attempted to stay on track, I also made enormous progress on my novel, Hello Hell. We writers are a glutton for punishment sometimes.

Whether it’s a blog post, short story, or current WIP, it seems there is always another self-imposed deadline. Throw in this hectic time of year, other family crisis, the news, and the result is escalating anxiety.

Some things are beyond our control and those we must learn to accept as part of life, but we are not without resources and choices. Deciding what or who takes priority in our lives and how to manage it is up to us. Which brings me to one of the best articles I’ve read in a long time, Winning the Anxiety War by Piper Bayard, guest blogger for Writers in the Storm.

If increasing anxiety has invaded your world, especially this time of year, check out this article, Piper’s  take on the role of social media plays in our increasing anxiety, as well as her suggestions on how we can manage –  Three Elements of  Compartmentalization.

“Media Is A Battleground. Messages Are The Weapons. Our Anxiety Is The Prize. He Who Holds Our Anxieties, Holds Us.” Piper Bayard                                                         Click to Tweet

What about you? How do you manage all the demands on your time during these winter months? How do you glean the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, from social media, or have you, as I pushed it to the back burner?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.