From journal to lens in one morning

Earlier today I put together two new lenses. The first was from my morning pages... you know, those pages formerly known as a journal until Julia Cameron started her "Artists Way" revolution and assigned them as "morning pages." The Cameron book I'm now working my way through is The Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart.

Anyhow, I got into a spiritual mood this morning and produced the text for this new lens: Prayer for Healing the World. My prayer is that we'll all be able to overcome anger and pray for those who are most misguided and causing the most trouble in the world. We cannot stop the madmen of this century any other way, apparently. So pray for them, en masse, and see what happens!

The other lens I created today was a simple lensography for one of my secondary accounts: AmericanCitizen. You see, I've cordoned off my spirituality lenses into the Geniyyah account, and the political lenses into the AmericanCitizen account. Actually, I still have bits to transfer, but it is slow because I need to keep my main account at over 100 lenses.

Right now I've got 108 lenses in the main account (LindaJM), 7 in the AmericanCitizen account, and 11 in the Geniyyah account. Total, 127 lenses, and growing.

Back to Lensmaking

After a brief stress break, I'm back to lensmaking. Fortunately, now that I've made over 100 of them, it comes easily. Could nearly be second nature by now!

I started back in by making a lens for the next Bigfoot book I'm planning to read and review on my blog, Bigfoot Sightings. The book is Bigfoot Sasquatch Evidence by Dr. Grover Krantz, an anthropologist who studied Bigfoot for many years.

That SquidLit lens was a pleasure to make and I resolved to make more in future months. Of course, I've made them before, but not as a specialty. Over the months I've found that my book lenses bring in good returns so I think it worth my while to make more of them.

My next new lens was about another book: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. I featured this book because I believe it is one of the best novel-writing books ever written.

A few days after that I had to make a lens to tell people about Deva Premal and her beautiful mantra singing. I learned about her only recently and totally fell in love with her CD, "Deva Premal Sings the Moola Mantra". I don't suppose anyone has found her through my lens yet but I hope people will, and that they'll love her singing as much as I do.

Next I made another SquidLit lens, Get High Now - about a book I learned about while listening to a favorite radio show. The author, James Nestor, wrote a fascinating book about things people do to alter consciousness without the use of illegal drugs. The book informs, explains, and suggests methods including breathing exercises, herbs (no, not THAT herb,) and meditation. Well, it is complex; he's found over 175 things to do that can relax, energize, or inspire. Fascinating!

Lastly, tonight I had a brainstorm. I created a lens to list my ten most recent lenses. With this lens linked on my profile page in the "Featured Lenses" section people can easily find out what I've been working on most recently. I thought this was such a good idea that I issued a challenge on SquidU for other lensmasters to make them: Quick Challenge: Your Ten Newest Lenses.

Squidoo Burnout?

Yes, how can it be? I've worked so hard on Squidoo the last couple months I felt compelled to take a vacation and try something new. I think it is a time of regeneration -- a chance to re-think my goals, destinations, the journey, the intent. So I backed off a bit. I'm suddenly able to get more Squidoo Angeling done, which is a cool thing. But I haven't made a lens in a couple of weeks.

How could this happen to me???

Instead I decided to get my amazing Bigfoot blog back on the road. I whipped it into shape and am now enjoying the fruits and especially new friends I've made through the blog, like Linda Newton-Perry who is now sending me her Bigfoot column once weekly to post on my blog. How very cool is that?

So, why the Bigfoot blog? Oh my goodness. I've always wanted to see a Bigfoot, but have never been so fortunate even though I live in the middle of a Northern California forest in what is supposed to be a hotbed of Bigfoot activity. I got curious a few years ago, as to whether or not this town has anything to brag about regarding Bigfoot. Yes, we've got Bigfoot statues, Bigfoot businesses, and an annual celebration called the Bigfoot Jamboree, but are there any real Bigfoot sightings hereabout? Well, back in 2005 I couldn't really say... but now I can!

I've written about a few of the local Bigfoot sightings and am researching others. I intend to put together a chapbook of Bigfoot sighting information for the locals by next year's Bigfoot Jamboree. Then I can get a table there and sell my chapbooks and hand out business cards, and hopefully get more sighting reports. Well, it's a plan.

I'll be back to writing for Squidoo soon. I need to back off, get my bearings, and re-evaluate. Refresh my spirit, then everything will come together when the time is right.

It's been a two-article day!

The first thing I did today was write a bio for the Rocket Moms blog, and even before 11 am Bonnie had already put it on the web! Check it out: Who is Linda (LindaJM)? I'm so pleased to be featured there!

After I watered the garden I wrote another article - this one, for Qondio. It is Inspiration Week there. I don't see it in the Qondio queue yet.. I submitted one yesterday and it is still waiting for five reviews before it can be publicly posted. As soon as it is, I'll add links here, there, everywhere.

A two article day! I think that's cool.

This week's big project is putting the finishing touches on the content writing promotion strategy I developed last week. I've got 2/3 of the work done. The final touch involves creating a form to keep track of my progress.

So many challenges, assignments, and new lenses!

I'm sure a lot of you have a similar problem. You want to be involved in some of the fascinating challenges going on around Squidoo, but it gets to be a bit much after a while. Can you identify?

For the last couple months I've been making lenses with the Rocket Moms, Giant Squids, and Senior Squids. I finished all my assignments except for two of the Senior Squid challenges. I'm struggling with one of those.

Consequently I have a lot of new lenses and am very happy about that. When Rocket Moms and Giant Squid Summer School ended on August 7, I breathed a sigh of relief and sort of melted like a lump of butter on a hot day. I just wanted to relax!

Then I found a cool article writing site I needed to explore: Qondio. I joined months ago when it was called Qassia, but never participated. I was probably still working at the pizza restaurant at the time -- and there's only so many things you can do when you're working outside the home. Even when I'm not working, I find it hard to get things done.

Today I posted my first "intel" at Qondio. It links back to my Lemon Balm lens, which is one of my first four herb lenses. My goal is to create an online herbal, so I expect to do many more herb lenses over the course of the next year or two.

This week I've been working on developing a new promotion strategy for my lenses. Right now I'm mainly promoting my black cats lens. August 12 has been named a special day for bringing awareness to less adoptable pets, and my entire point about writing on the topic of black cats was to point out that many people won't adopt them, and that they are in desperate need of homes.

Anyhow, I'm not going to sit here and link in all my new lenses. There were quite a few. I'm mainly just writing to let off steam about all the work I did to complete all the assignments and challenges... and to say how very grateful I am to be part of these motivating programs, and to have such a great group of Squidoo lensmasters to work with!

Writing contest! ...please participate!

I've made a new lens that is a contest - and the prize is a $25 Amazon gift certificate. I hope you'll participate...

This is the 2009 Descriptive Writing Contest - an opportunity for you to exercise your creative skill in writing, and for all of us to have a lot of fun reading everyone else's descriptions.

There are ten pictures. I'm asking for a descriptive passage for each. Be sure to read the intro module as it contains all the contest rules.

Have fun with it!

A Giant Squid 100 Hopeful

I've got seventy-seven lenses, several of which need massive updating or revision. And for some reason I think I might be able to make 23 more before the end of June! That would qualify me to be considered for the Giant 100 Club at Squidoo.

Please wish me luck!

Today I decided to also join the Giant Squids Challenge... I looked at all the Greeters lenses for this challenge and chose Rajay's Rocking Squids because he had the fewest members at that time, plus I looked at his lenses and was intrigued by his guru lenses... I'm planning to feature them on my lens, Gurus Online. Honestly, it was a hard decision re: which team to join because I like all those lensmasters very much!

I'd better get hopping... I have a lot of new lenses to make!