Share My World

~sigh~

I’m feeling much better. ~laffs~

My monthly visitor showed up so…my PMS always go away when it does and today was a good drama free day.

I started out with a smile and was grateful for that. I spent the entire day doing internet networking, which means, randomly emailing people that I feel could provide me with tips on success or possible job opportunities. It’s not easy at all because once you come up with a person you think might be able to help you, you have to research their background and learn as much as you can about them before you contact them.

If the person is REALLY big-time, there’s no contact information for them on the net. If they aren’t, you’ll find their email easily. If there’s no direct contact information you have to be creative. If you know of the company they work for or the last company they worked for, you can contact the communications or PR department and ask for an email or phone number.

Once I was looking for a certain editor but couldn’t find his email anywhere. So I found a press release that mentioned him and I contacted the PR person who wrote the press release and asked her if she knew his contact info. She wrote me back with the information but asked me not to share how I found it.

Sometimes I’ll find a phone number to the company but it will be someone’s voice mail. So then I’ll go down the list calling all the numbers until I reach a real person. Like, if the number is 691-3533, then I’ll call 691-1000, 691-1001, 691-1002 until I get a live person and then ask for that person.

If you still can’t find the person, try the receptionist. If she can’t give you their number, then ask for her email address and write the email and ask her to forward it. This has worked for me in the past for a well known media mogul and she still keeps in touch with me to this day.

Yes, it takes some effort.

Then when you contact them you have to mention some of their successes and why their success inspires you. Then you ask them for advice on your career after sharing some of your goals.

I’d say about half the time, you will get a response. But if you don’t, keep trying.

The rest of the day was spent jotting down ideas for this chapter of my book and contacting sources for the current newspaper story I’m working on. One source gave me what I needed in 10 minutes, but the other still hasn’t contacted me yet. My editor is cool, she knows I’m trying so I’m not worried.

One of the authors that I contacted recently inspired me to get moving on my latest entrepreneural venture. After reading a little bit about my life and my internet adventures, she asked me if I could help out with her website and developing her web presence. I thought this must be fate because I had JUST developed a 10 point strategic plan to attract clients and help them to develop their web presence over a variety of web platforms that I am affiliated with. On one of my bios, I went so far as to say that I am an expert on building a powerful web presence.

Hey..I believe I can do it. Now all I have to do is attract clients who agree.

I love the internet!

I also spoke with dreamy Mr. Donovan Daniels today. Our convo was wild, we discussed some of his latest financial investments, the state of the economy and even dating. He is sooooo smart! I love asking him questions and hearing his passionate opinion. He just moved to Maryland, his job transferred him up there so now he’s even further away from Miami.

I learned a lesson today as well. Remember the man I went out with last weekend? Well, i was not nice to him simply because I was PMS’ing and I wasn’t attracted to him and I didn’t want him to be all over me. ~shrugs~ I had no business going out with him if I felt like that but I promised myself after the last guy, Luke, that I would give the next man who approached me more of a chance to learn who he is.

Anyway, I should have been nicer to him BEFORE i learned that he worked for the TV station that I was trying to get on with. Because I was so snotty, that man hasn’t called me and I never even saved his number in my phone before we went out so I don’t have his contact info to get back in touch with him.

Lesson learned: You never know who God is sending on your pathway. Be nice to everyone, because you never know how they could connect you with your dream.

I got a reply back today from a writer who has a LONG list of credits on the net. She is a full-time freelancer and can SELL her shit across the board. She gave me specific advice about two publications that she has worked with, how to pitch them, what they are looking for, how other writers have gotten on.

As I did my research to become more familiar with the current topics that are being delivered, my confidence deflated a bit. I mean, I can write these little 3 sources, quotes drive the piece, type of stories, but I’ve never written a REAL story before. I mean one where it’s mostly MY voice explaining what’s going on and painting a picture. Sure, I’ve come up with creative leads and nice little anecdotes but I’ve yet to write a REAL story.

So I’m not sure how I can pitch myself. This is real writing. This isn’t the play play stuff I usually do.

I want to get my name on Salon.com It’s kind of a pinnacle for freelace writers.

I want to be on staff or a regular contributor to sites like MSN.com or About.com

These Black owned websites aren’t feeling me, they won’t give me a shot. I’m gonna try to break out of my mold and use my voice elsewhere and see how it goes. The caliber of writing is so much different and the subject matter is not so focused on the struggle of the Black community. Can I really do this?

We’ll see…

I mean, all I can do is try.

I need those bylines man.

I remember back when I used to see this tag on various writers websites and I’d say to myself, “Wow. I’d love to be an Ezine Expert Author.” Child please, all I had to do was submit a couple of articles and they reviewed them and sent me my tag! LOL! ~shrug~ I guess that’s a goal accomplished. LOL!Here’s my profile.

For the most part, I use this blog as my emotional venting place.

When I find myself in a confused state or even reflective state, I’ll log in and then pour out my heart, step back and look at it and try to sort it all out.

Even through all the PMS, the drama and the uncertainty…

You know what?

I’m really happy.

Everyday I wake up smiling and I walk outside, across the yard to the Student Union for breakfast. I chill and eat, smiling at the kids and thinking about my day. I go back to my room and I write or research or interview or create. I do that until it’s time for lunch and then I stroll back over to the Union and have a leisurely lunch.

Then I come back home and study, write or research some more. I feel so good by the time it’s dinnertime and I stroll back to the Union for more food and then over to class for some good theoretical discussions. Then I go back to my room and write, research and study some more, connecting with the smartest people I know, learning from them, sharing with them, dreaming with them.

Shit…

I lead an amazing life.

My life is as beautiful as the Miami sky.

No matter what the day brings or tomorrow, or the next day, the uncertainty, the emotions, the drama, the whatever…I’m cool.

I’m straight.

I’m on my way…to wherever I’m supposed to be.

And that I truly believe.

I got another ‘A’ in my class.

And now I’m about to get another one.

This semester I’m taking Issues In Marriage & Family. I had no idea what this course would be like but I was pleased to see that it was more than a course on romantic relationships. It’s more about how life transitions like divorce, death, getting your first car, your first boyfriend or whatever, affect the family unit.

Hmm.. Never thought about that. If I’m going to be counseling families, it’s important to take a look at what stage of development each individual is in and then be mindful of those individual transition stages.

So we watched a movie about a crazy ass family. Each individual had his own issues but as a whole, their individual issues affected the way their family related to each other.

We have two projects in this class. The first is a group presentation of a transition- our group chose graduation. We have to come up with a 20 minute skit and presentation about how a graduation affects the entire family. My job is to write the skit, others are doing more research and stuff.

My second assignment is to do an interview and write a paper about another transition and then present the paper in class. I was going to write about my little sister’s divorce but now I think I’ll have to change it something else. Maybe I’ll find someone who fell in love or maybe I’ll find someone who fell out of love. Or maybe I’ll write about losing a job or something. How does that affect the family? I don’t know. We’ll see.

I’m only half way focused on this class because my mind is so set on finishing this book. It’s all outlined and half way written, but I can’t FORCE myself to write it. I have to be relaxed and inspired which means my mind can’t be cluttered with a lot of other issues. I don’t want it to be a bunch of junk, I want it to really read like it’s straight from my heart.

I also am really hoping to be published in at least ONE major magazine soon. I’m gonna try Essence again. ~sigh~ They rarely even write you back to say No, but I’m gonna try.

I think I’m more focused on becoming an author because that makes you an expert on the topic you write about and it will be easier to get writing and speaking jobs if I’ve written a book on the topic I want to pitch article on. ~shrug~

Ok. It’s gonna happen. I’m nearly caught up on my articles and blogging all across the net, so I’m gonna spend tonight doing my thang, sending the chapter drafts over to my designer and hopefully by next week, I’ll have a rough draft of my book. At least I’ll be able to see how long it is and if I need to add more content and where I need to add it.

I’m shooting for around 100-125 pages. I want it to be a quick read and easily transferrable from purse to purse and hand to hand. The title of the book is a guaranteed winner I promise you, but I want the content to be equally stimulating. Lemme go get some cookies or something, I’ma try again to pull an all nighter and get two more chapters drafted.

I’ve done the introduction, the How to use this book section, chapter 10, chapter 8 and chapter 1. Oh, sorry, I didn’t mention it’s a self help book so that’s why I can write the chapters in whatever order I want to.

After tonight, I should only have 4 more chapters left.

It’s all in my head. Let me try to get it on paper.

Wish me luck!

I just got the new Plies CD for a dollar from this dude on the corner of the grocery store. Damn! I just listened to Ol’Lady and hell naw…. love this dude’s CONFIDENCE!An excerpt from the lyrics:I don’t want yo side ho nigga I want yo main bitchThe one you call baby the one you in love with & then make yo hoe pack yo shit And make her call you right now and tell you its over wit, Befo she hang up the phone she gon tell you she’s plies bitch And when you call her back gonna have her numba switched And imma f**k her everyday until I get her thick and Make her put my name on her nails and shit And keep her hair did fa her and full of dick I Might move her out the hood nigga just to pick I know how to make you niggas lose weight real quick And have you walking round this bitch looking real sick I’ll have ya ass embarrassed hanging around ya own click I’ll make you call me nigga and say plies I quit Imma tell you im counting money so I’ll hit you bike jit And hang right up the phone and lay on yo bitch DAYUM!!!! I almost fell out! Damn Plies…you’ll do all that?!!Lord!I remember the last time I went to the club, I saw this chick that I thought was supercute. So I walked over to her and told her, “You’re georgeous.” She smiled at me and said, “Thank you.”So I sat back down with my drink and watched her dance for her man. She was all sexy and shit. So after I finishd my drink I walked back over to them and I touched her man. He bent down so I could whisper in his ear.”Ima take your girl,” I said and smirked. I walked back to my chair and sat down, lit my Black and started puffing.Dude was sooo MAD! He was cursing and pointing at me and his girl was trying to calm him down. He kept saying, “You ain’t got no dick! You ain’t got no dick!” I sat up straight and smiled at him. He got so mad that he left!Hahahahahaaaaaa!He crazy! I was only playin….