tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.comments2023-03-28T08:27:39.209-07:00Ramblings Of An Under-Used MindLauren Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-7095263849946856932012-08-14T13:00:09.147-07:002012-08-14T13:00:09.147-07:00Agreed. I just worry sometimes that my 'brand&...Agreed. I just worry sometimes that my 'brand' is scaring away potential readers. Ha<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and saying hello, Caryn!Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-82996501140483661852012-08-14T12:58:35.045-07:002012-08-14T12:58:35.045-07:00Of course I know where we met! Remember, we both t...Of course I know where we met! Remember, we both thought we'd met elsewhere. So how could I have forgotten meeting you almost-sort-of-kind-of twice? :)<br /><br />Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-57242845724162146662012-08-14T12:55:56.710-07:002012-08-14T12:55:56.710-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-41545593421617280672012-08-14T12:50:23.731-07:002012-08-14T12:50:23.731-07:00P.S. Forgot to say that I met you at RWA 2012. It ...P.S. Forgot to say that I met you at RWA 2012. It was fun to talk to you there! I'm finally getting around to visiting everyone's blogs.Caryn Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15338655819410392107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-41258241516304476142012-08-14T12:47:57.701-07:002012-08-14T12:47:57.701-07:00LOL! Love it! Though now I kind of want some Dorit...LOL! Love it! Though now I kind of want some Doritos. Yum...<br /><br />I, too, have heard the branding advice. Honestly, the blogs and tweets and Facebook statuses I like most are where the authors are not trying too hard to be anything at all except themselves. They are their brands. And judging by their numbers, that's the most effective branding of all.Caryn Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15338655819410392107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-47224283775144169652012-07-23T14:18:11.235-07:002012-07-23T14:18:11.235-07:00I've read your work, Sue, and I'd complete...I've read your work, Sue, and I'd completely agree with your description.<br /><br />I don't think readers are given enough credit. And, as a reader myself, I find it odd. I really am grown-up enough to decide the kinds of things I want to read. And the kinds of things I want to write. <br /><br />And there are enough books and writers to go around so that readers can taste a variety of genres by one author or stick to just one. Okay, I think I'll quit the food metaphors now, they're just making me hungry.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by, Sue!Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-68470983279624769702012-07-23T13:32:58.845-07:002012-07-23T13:32:58.845-07:00Lauren, you are so right! I've always been ala...Lauren, you are so right! I've always been alarmed/disgusted/annoyed by the effort to pigeonhole us--to me that just stifles my creativity. I am not a can of tomatoes or a bottle of ketchup--I'm a writer and like you I write all over the map--comedy, contemporary, historical, paranormal, sweet, XXXX-rated and so on. So it was really hard to figure out what distinguishes my brand of fiction from others--but finally I pinpointed my brand: fearless, fast-paced fiction, so that's at the portal page of my sites and is the title of my blog.<br /><br />Thanks for an interesting post!<br /><br />Sue Swift/Suz deMelloSuz dehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17236960359162948178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-13857475257788304892012-07-23T13:31:40.876-07:002012-07-23T13:31:40.876-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Suz dehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17236960359162948178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-30446146256317596502012-07-21T09:25:59.587-07:002012-07-21T09:25:59.587-07:00Salut, Lucie!
And yes, you are totally wrong. Ha....Salut, Lucie!<br /><br />And yes, you are totally wrong. Ha. j/k<br /><br />I hate being in a box. They're incredibly uncomfortable and always make me look fat. :)<br /><br />IMO, one of the hardest parts of being a writer is knowing your own strengths and weaknesses well enough to be able to determine which rules you can break well. Yes, we are artists, but we are also craftspeople. We tell stories. Some guidelines seem absurd, but others exist for a reason--to help us communicate our ideas with our readers. If you can't do that, then you'll be the only one reading your work. Which isn't bad either. If you are a writer, you need to write. And writing only makes you better at your craft, your art.<br /><br />My favorite writers are all rule-breakers. They push boundaries, introduce fresh ideas and characters, and definitely don't play by all the rules. The trick is that they know how to make it work.<br /><br />So ultimately, you get to make your own box, in any shape, color, or size. And from each fold of the cardboard, you learn.<br /><br />Figure that out and you are golden. Oh, and make sure you let me know too. :) Good luck!Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-46155119447516786032012-07-21T01:57:14.909-07:002012-07-21T01:57:14.909-07:00Hi Lauren,
It's difficult enough to write some...Hi Lauren,<br />It's difficult enough to write something worth reading and editing so if I have to think of myself as a brand... My head will explode! <br />Why everybody has to be part of a little box, be labeled to be normal ? Naively, I thought that an artist is somebody who don't like to conform, whose value is its creativity, its ability to think outside the box ? Am I wrong ?<br />Lucie<br />http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr/Luciehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03702706708536682797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-80084963202431154702012-07-13T06:13:30.649-07:002012-07-13T06:13:30.649-07:00Your writing is great for winter nights? Okay, I&#...Your writing is great for winter nights? Okay, I'd go with that.Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-61186744295338236302012-07-13T02:51:33.070-07:002012-07-13T02:51:33.070-07:00Lol, you made me so hungry! Damn you Lauren!! Awes...Lol, you made me so hungry! Damn you Lauren!! Awesome post. I don't have a brand either. Can I be wooly socks? Great for winter nights O:)Stefanie J Pristavuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18445250707790220690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-22476183718371589502012-07-12T16:10:57.910-07:002012-07-12T16:10:57.910-07:00Spoilsport!Spoilsport!Alicia W.B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16406949351935052807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-84013758191728684122012-07-12T15:39:19.998-07:002012-07-12T15:39:19.998-07:00I refused to comment.I refused to comment.Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-84495318725527363052012-07-12T15:36:19.311-07:002012-07-12T15:36:19.311-07:00I do like Pringles . . . and things that are Pring...I do like Pringles . . . and things that are Pringle-can-shaped. Speaking of which, I wonder if my husband will be home when I get there. Random thought. :PAlicia W.B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16406949351935052807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-35982308330664781262012-07-12T15:22:47.864-07:002012-07-12T15:22:47.864-07:00What's wrong with you?!? How can you not like ...What's wrong with you?!? How can you not like Doritos? Not even the Cool Ranch ones?<br /><br />Alright. How about, for you and you only, I will be more like Pringles? You can never have just one. But I will have NO mentions of the shape of the container they come in, do you hear?Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-50512311855519779462012-07-12T15:15:30.904-07:002012-07-12T15:15:30.904-07:00Actually, I'm not fond of Doritos. :-|Actually, I'm not fond of Doritos. :-|Alicia W.B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16406949351935052807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-67129636507843162842012-07-12T14:36:47.974-07:002012-07-12T14:36:47.974-07:00You're so sweet. Yes, it has been a little whi...You're so sweet. Yes, it has been a little while since I last posted. I'll admit that. :)<br /><br />But I promise to do better, I swear. This one came to me this morning over coffee, of all things, not Doritos. :)Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-25663566390533319712012-07-12T14:18:30.610-07:002012-07-12T14:18:30.610-07:00Love this blog post! It was worth waiting for :)Love this blog post! It was worth waiting for :)Christina M. McKnighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09556438221251810456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-90994806786432294372012-07-06T18:02:15.599-07:002012-07-06T18:02:15.599-07:00Thanks, Mary. It's great to meet you. Ah, Twit...Thanks, Mary. It's great to meet you. Ah, Twitter. My new, and completely confusing obsession. I haven't been stalking you, have I? :)<br /><br />I hate to tell you this, but that isn't possible. Your child is 27? Nope, it's impossible. Seriously, is that your twenty-seven year old in your avatar? And no, that's not false flattery--I don't lie and I don't flatter. Dang it! Well, now I feel REALLY old.Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-56213305811108013722012-06-18T13:14:33.660-07:002012-06-18T13:14:33.660-07:00Just discovered your blog through twitter. Love yo...Just discovered your blog through twitter. Love your sense of humor. My kindergartner turned 27 today. How's that for fast. Time flies. <br /><br />Mary Merrell<br />@MaryMerrell7<br />www.maryemerrell.comMary Merrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10917087693932738368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-85029586697336319322012-05-24T09:35:43.088-07:002012-05-24T09:35:43.088-07:00Yay! But I actually don't have a kindergartner...Yay! But I actually don't have a kindergartner anymore--now she's a first grader, soon to be second grader. Did you know that they get older every year? Which, I believe, makes us older every year too. Dang kids. :)Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-2599533792479115762012-05-24T09:31:56.356-07:002012-05-24T09:31:56.356-07:00Zombie hugs? That sounds disgusting. Sorry, but I ...Zombie hugs? That sounds disgusting. Sorry, but I have an abject fear of zombies, let alone the idea of hugging one. They freak me out and now my day is ruined. Thanks a lot. ;)Lauren Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12887393856861966255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-46294356944929283872011-12-12T17:34:38.279-08:002011-12-12T17:34:38.279-08:00I have a kindergartner too! I so love your blog!! ...I have a kindergartner too! I so love your blog!! I joined!Fantasy Floozie- Kenya Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18231969339092635972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004562140362189540.post-21226088807311328782011-06-06T22:50:51.436-07:002011-06-06T22:50:51.436-07:00That is so cute!
I've started saying "zo...That is so cute!<br /><br />I've started saying "zombie hugs" (based on a rather strange icon in our chat program at work; I THINK it's supposed to be a woman hugging, but its arms are stretched out just like a zombie...). Air hugs are cuter though.Julie Bihnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com