Guest Blog: Connections

So, it's Day 2 of my BLOGOVERSARY CELEBRATION. Today, to kick off my official blogoversary, Elizabeth Flora Ross of The Writer Revived returns with her guest post. If you missed meeting Elizabeth on Friday, you really missed out! Also, don't forget to leave a comment to keep your active entries to win 4 great prizes at the end of the month.

Oh. You missed that too? You can get all the details on my fabulous giveaway, just by clicking here. YOU could be the lucky winner of: a $15 Starbucks gift card, your choice of package at Genie Girl Graphics, your website at the top of my sidebar as Best Scoop of the Week for a month, AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card! So, yep. You might want to go back and check out the rules for this one. ;) Good luck!

I hope you enjoy the guest post today. I'll leave you in the very capable hands of Elizabeth Flora Ross now.

Normally, Stephanie gives her Best Scoop of the Week guest posters a prompt to work with. To me she simply said, “Since you are a writer, I'll let you go with whatever you want.” Thanks, I think. (dude, seriously, if you haven't been to her blog and read any of her stuff, you are missing out. She's FABULOUS. Okay. I'll shut up now.)

In honor of today being her blogoversary (Happy Blogoversary, my friend!), and blogging being the way we got to know each other, I thought I would take some time today to talk about the power of online connections.

I have a lot of friends I have never met. My husband has difficulty with this concept. You see, I am referring to my Internet friends. People I have met through blogging, Twitter and online groups. Wonderful people who have enhanced my life in truly amazing and unexpected ways.

I got into blogging for two reasons. First of all, I thought it would be a great way for me to write regularly. Having completed the proposal for my book and sent out my first round of submissions to literary agents, I was in a holding pattern. That’s not good for writers. We need to write.

I also hoped it would help me build the “platform” I need to get the attention of a literary agent, and later a publisher. Nonfiction writers aren’t ever considered without a significant following. From the perspective of the publishing industry, I am a nobody.

So I started blogging. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. And it showed. I alternately laugh and cringe when I look at some of my earlier posts. But I am proud of how far I have come in a short time.

When I got on Twitter, things really took off. Whoa. I simply cannot believe how many fantastic people I have connected with. It blows me away. I can think of no other way I would be able to “meet” so many people I can learn from.

I joined an online writing group called The Red Dress Club (Stephanie is also a member). Started to participate in writing prompts and chats, and got to know some extremely talented writers. They encourage me, teach me, and push me to be better.

The connections I have made online are real. Authentic. Amazing. The people I have met are my friends. They understand me. They know what I am going through. They support me. They laugh with me. They lift me up when I need it.

As a stay at home mom, I don’t get out to see my IRL (in real life) friends very often. And when I do, the little one is usually with me, so I rarely get to finish a sentence, let alone have a normal conversation.

In many ways, in the last two years I have felt more isolated than at any other period of my life. Blogging and being online expanded my world and helped me stay connected by enabling me to reach out to people around the constraints of real life.

I can share a piece of myself through my writing, and connect with people in the comments. I can spend an hour on Twitter while my daughter naps and interact with people who truly get me. This? Gets me through each day.

I have gotten so much more out of it than I ever imagined possible. And I don’t know what I would do without my online friends!

And you know she's right. Being a Stay at home mom can be incredibly isolating. Thank God for blogging, twitter, and all the other social networks that can make your house feel like a constant party. And this is exactly why I am still here, a year later, blogging. I can't live without the party. Love to you, my friends. Thank you for the past year of love, camaraderie, support, and friendship. This week is all about YOU.

BSOW: Once Upon a Time

I've got a fabulous post today from one of my favorite writers. While she holds the fort down here, I will be hanging out over at The Miller Mix as her guest for the day. Isn't that fun? I hope you will come see me over there.

Y'all know that I am a big fan of a writing group called The Red Dress Club. I officially met today's BSOW through this group, and she is fast becoming someone I would call a friend. She's a great supporter, always with a listening ear. She blogs about everything...the good days, the moments that make her feel nostalgic, how her dreams have come true. She shares her writing, and the fun of her daughter's speech therapy. Most of all, she shares her contentment with the good life she has been blessed with. She's also written a book, and stretched her writing muscles. She is a woman with many talents.

Please welcome Elizabeth Flora Ross, of The Writer Revived, to The Scoop on Poop today.





I asked Elizabeth if she could jump into a book and become a part of the story, which book would she choose and why?

Wow, that is a really great question! I had to think about it a bit. The first book that came to mind was one I read years ago and loved.  In fact I am currently planning to re-read because my life and perspective have changed and I think I’d get even more out of it now.

                                 

It’s called The Red Tent. It takes place during Biblical times, and includes actual characters from the Bible. Historical fiction is my favorite genre. I found this particular book so interesting because of the way it portrays women.

I’ve always thought of women as being powerless in that period of history. They were little more than property. They were primarily limited to the roles of wife (usually one of many for each husband) and mother. There were none of the freedoms and opportunities we have today.

What was so fascinating to me about this book was the strength of the women in it despite that, and the secret society they formed that gave them the things their outer lives were missing.

The “red tent” refers to the place women went when they were menstruating. In that culture, women were thought to be unclean during their menstrual cycle, and were separated from the rest of society. They were not allowed to be with their husbands. Or to work (in the fields, in the home, etc.).

So really, what the red tent gave them was freedom from the confines of their lives. They could rest. Relax. Relate to each other. The relationships they had and the conversations and activities that took place inside that tent were so inspirational to me. 

There was a great deal of laughter. But also sorrow. Life was hard in those times. I would love to jump in and have the opportunity to experience that. There was a feminine camaraderie I feel is missing from our modern lives.

In fact, I am currently working on a book about the Mommy Wars. I don’t think women today respect and support each other as much as they should. In the story of The Red Tent, they did.

I feel if I could live in that story, I would learn things I could bring back to our time that we could benefit from.

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Isn't she fantastic? She's going to be here on Monday to help me kick off my weeklong BLOGIVERSARY celebration. There will be PRIZES, good fun, great friends, and well, you'll just have to stop in to see what it is all about.