As 2007 draws to a close we naturally look back on the year that’s gone by and forward to what we want to achieve in the year ahead.  I’ve been doing some of that too.  I’ve got bundles of ideas that I want to take forward as part of my writing coach work and I know that I need and want to make this the priority for 2008. 

This has consequences for my time spent blogging.  Even for a prolific blogger like me I can’t maintain my Confident Writing site, guest write at four other blogs and give Coaching Wizardry its fair share of attention.  So I’ve decided that this – the 150th post – will be the last live update here. 

I’m going to maintain the site as an archive because there are lots of gems contained within it, and I hope people will continue to enjoy exploring it in the months and years to come.  I’ve been doing a bit of work dusting down the archives and will post a few ‘best of’ pieces in the next day or so to make it easy for new readers and visitors to find their way around.

But I couldn’t close this particular chapter without a huge thanks to all of you.  This is the site where I started blogging – and caught the blogging bug as a result of the huge amount of support, encouragement and feedback that I got from all of you.  It meant a huge amount to me, and I treasure the blogging friendships that have emerged through our conversations and exchanges here.

If you want to keep in touch please do come over and join me at Confident Writing – I will continue to blog with a passion and a fury there.

For now though I all I can say is thanks.  Sincerely, thanks.

Joanna

And it wouldn’t do to close without a thanks to Erik Kastner for the fantastic spell with flickr service – and thanks to Rosa for pointing me towards it.          

I was reminded of this the other day with a challenge from Liz Strauss to test our concepts of being time rich and time poor. It’s the link with the picture that tells the more compelling story – the one that lingers, the one that flickers through our mind to slow down when we’re moving too fast.  (You’ll have to take the test to find out which link takes you to the picture.  What do you mean you don’t have time?!)

Thought about it some more this afternoon – a most glorious early winter day in Edinburgh, when the leaves are dancing in all their faded glory.

You’d have to be moving really fast not to stop and feel thankful on a day like today.

And I did.

Slow Down

Slowed down and stopped to take some photos.  To breathe in the wonder of the day.

And I found some words to express that feeling of gratitude.  But I’m left with the lingering feeling that it’s the pictures that I took that will stay with me like the rays of winter sunlight, piercing my consciousness long after the last leaves have fallen.

How about you?  How do you express these waves of gratitude?  Is it through words, pictures, music, song?

"find out who you are and do it on purpose".

The more I explore the writing work the more I realise there’s a coaching dimension behind it all – overcoming fears and lack of confidence; tapping into our motivation, purpose and intention; and moving out of our comfort zones. 

I’m also learning from the search terms from both sites and how I can apply the lessons from one set of searches to inform the other. 

For example

"slow down, you move too fast"

is something I talked about here several months ago in relation to the changing pace of city life, but people keep on arriving by typing in those terms – and it keeps on making me think about the value of slowing down (when you’re moving too fast) – and how we can apply that approach to help us write with clarity and confidence too. 

Anyway, crossing back over the other way I was focusing last month on writing with authenticity – and how writing can maybe help us towards a more authentic life.  I used the conversation to write an e-book (my first) and I figured it might be of interest to readers here too – not least as it quotes the great Dolly Parton a couple of times!

You can download it here – let me know what you think, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Truth is I’ve been writing like a crazy woman over at my Confident Writing blog and it’s left little time and energy for reflecting and sharing here.  There are things over there that I think you’d enjoy reading – things that reflect some of the themes I’ve been exploring here too – and I was tickled to find that one of my centre posts in the month long exploration of authentic writing was finding out who you are and doing it in purpose…

But there was something about this shift in focus, purpose and direction that I wanted to chew over here.  It was something I read the other day at Joyful Jubilant Learning (another place I’m now writing, and another reason for some of the radio silence here).  The words went like this:

Making a difference is about picking your spot.  It’s about knowing confidently what’s the right spot for you by believing in yourself.  It’s hitting the target dead-centre, finding your niche in life, relationships and work, and hanging on for the roller-coaster ride!

It struck me because I know, sense, feel that I’m tapping into a lot more energy, creativity and inspiration by narrowing my focus, by concentrating on one core purpose: coaching people to write with confidence

But it also reminded me that picking your spot takes some courage, some conscious, explicit decision to turn your attention away from all the other things that are calling to you, that you could spend your time on, that might be fun to explore, that are worthy causes for you to commit to. 

And sometimes you need nudges, reminders, pointers, permission maybe that say: it’s okay to narrow your focus, to turn your attention away from everything else.

Walking outside gives me some of those nudges.  Reading gives me some more.  This time I’d been reading some bright thoughts over at Sylvia’s place.  She was talking about this very thing – and quoting one of my favourite poets, Mary Oliver.

"One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began."

And I don’t know about you but sometimes these small, seemingly insignificant signals can be enough: to affirm our decision, to give us the confidence to make our decision, to move on.  These words helped me – and when I read the whole poem – The Journey -  I recognised the deeper meaning, the bigger sense of permission that I was seeking, and needed to give myself.

Here’s how it ends:

But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I need words – a fragment, a poem, to show me the way, to open the door to new possibilities, to give me much needed permission, to wake me up.

Because sometimes when we know that we’re ready – well sometimes that’s all that it takes.

Joanna Young is a writing coach who loves exploring the power of words to change our worlds, to transform our experience of reality.   You can read more of her writing and find out how to work with Joanna at her Confident Writing blog.

I’ve just been paid the loveliest compliment about my writing here.  DazzlinDona has awarded me this Dazzlin Badge of Excellence for my work at Coaching Wizardry. 

Now this little old blog has been a bit neglected of late as I’ve been paying more attention to my Confident Writing site – but I know there’s good stuff here, stuff that people search for, stumble upon, read, enjoy…  and feedback like this is more than enough to keep me going.

Here’s what Donna says in giving me the award:

To me, this blog is inspiring. It inspires thoughts and emotions, choices and actions, visions and lessons. I mentioned that Attitude is a key aspect to your success, and in my opinion, you can use blogs like Coaching Wizardry to help define that attitude

She makes the point that although I’m a writing coach this site isn’t about writing as such.  I thought you might be interested in my reply to Donna – it reflects my growing realisation about how the writing work I do connects up with my coaching philosophy and some of the ideas, dreams, possibilities that I like to explore here.

You’re right, the coaching wizardry site is not about writing but is an exploration of words, stories, metaphors, pictures, movies… all the things that help us to learn, to reflect, to grow, or maybe even to wake up… I have another site that’s dedicated to writing – but oddly enough the more I write on that one too the more I realise that learning how to write, to find our voice, is also about learning how to shine, to emerge from the cocoon.

Donna signs off her posts with these words – and I’m totally delighted that she connects them in some way with what I do, and what I write.  It’s a great mantra for all of us:

You’ll never shine if you don’t glow

The words were from Douglas Adams and this is what he said:

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.

It reminded me that we often find ourselves places that we didn’t mean to go – and that’s okay.  It doesn’t mean we need to head back again – perhaps we just need to stop and enjoy the view, explore the paths that head off from here, or just accept that this is where we were ‘meant’ to get to in the first place.

I’ve been reflecting since my holiday on where I was going with my writing, coaching, and blogging.  The conclusion I’ve reached is that I want to focus on my work as a writing coach, and writing (and blogging) about writing with confidence.  I don’t think it’s possible (or sensible) to put equal effort into two different ways of writing (and coaching, learning, teaching and blogging).  You end up splitting your focus and attention, and reducing the quality of – and your enjoyment in – both.

So from here on I’m going to make the main focus of my work the Confident Writing blog.

It’s going from strength to strength (I think!) and I’d love to see you over there if you haven’t visited before.  Just click the link…

This shift in focus means writing less here, but continuing to develop it as a site:

Where I share some of my own more reflective writing. It’s a place to explore what happens when we start playing with language, and possibilities. A place to daydream. A place to share words and ideas inspired by stories, metaphors, pictures, films, music, nature, each other. The best learning comes when we share our stories together so please feel free to read, to explore, to add a comment, to explore new possibilities and conjure up new realities…

Thanks for all your support so far – I’ve learned so much from the connections that have already flowed from our exchanges here.  Although I’ll be posting less you should expect to see many of the same themes and aims as before, so I hope you’ll carry on visiting, and reading, and sharing your own thoughts, words, learning and stories.

Anyway, I think I’ve finally cracked it – found the right format, the right tone, kept it short, simple and (I hope) of value to my readers.  Once the shape was there I couldn’t wait to finish it, which was why I was up so late.  I’d just dotted the last i and crossed the last t, saved my changes, when up popped a message from my news reader.  "It can be done, honest!" it said.  Spooky!

The message turned out to be a perfectly timed (for me) post from Anna Farmery at the Engaging Brand, with some words from a verse on doing what ‘can’t be done’.  When the doubts strike – your own and other people’s – Anna reminds us to

find the inspiration to do it anyway.

Thanks Anna for sending me just the right words at just the right time…

For those of you interested in confident blog writing, you can find the ‘coaching tips’ guide at my Confident Writing site.

I’ve written elsewhere about the function of stories within a blog, not just as a way of constructing an individual post but the overall story that the blog is telling: about the author, the business, the network of readers.  I am finding that blog writing is also helping me understand and tell my own story – and to shape and develop the chapters that are still to come.

How does that work?  Well, I’m still learning but it’s something to do with the ability to develop new ideas, express your values, find confidence in your own voice. 

It’s the way the words and ideas and connections are shared – with other writers, blog owners and readers.  It’s amazing how new characters and voices keep appearing from across the net!

And it’s the way the material takes shape.  The posts don’t follow a plan.  Well I start off with a plan, but then something else asks to get written.  And so I watch the blog unfold before me, growing organically, just like the best of stories.

For me it’s very much so far, so good.  Thanks to everyone who has dipped in, offered feedback, left comments, made links. 

You’re helping me to tell my story, to let my story fly.

Generating new ideas – by asking yourself ‘how is my situation/product/service like this…? How can I make use of this idea or connect it to what I’m working on?

Writing - reading different styles will help you develop your own.  What do you notice about the blogs you’re drawn to -  tone, vocabulary, length, structure, clarity, a great headline?  What could you borrow for your own writing?

Creativity – some great blogs out there (eg Creative Think) which will leave you thinking and creating all day

Learning – look for sites where you can pick up tips and suggestions – I’ve already learned loads from some of the blog writing advisory sites and know I’ll be going back for more

Networking – there are people out there who share the same interests or viewpoint as you – follow the blogs, leave a comment, make a link, build a network…

Seth Godin argues that the blog-reader is asking "how can I do what I do better?"  He says:

It’s a thirst for insight, for shortcuts and for results.

So if you’re thirsty for insight, how do you pick your way through the terrifyingly huge number of blogs out there (50 – 70 million from a quick google search… ) 

Well one way is just to pick up on links and connections from the blog that you’re starting from.  If you like that site, chances are you’ll enjoy at least some of the sites that they’re pointing you towards.  Some blog sites have blog rolls running into the dozens (if not 100s) so there’s plenty to choose from.

In that spirit of sharing I’ve added my own list in a blog roll at the left hand side of the screen – don’t worry there aren’t hundreds, just the top twelve or so that I’m currently following.

Let me know if there are other great blogs you follow and you’d like to see here.  Meantime, happy reading.

And I don’t know about you but I think a blog site with comments looks a lot more friendly and lived in too. After my first five days of live blogging the place already looks a lot more complete – so thanks very much to my early callers

I’m guessing though that there are lots of people out there who’d like to chip in but aren’t used to leaving comments, may not know how to go about it or might not be sure what to say.  If that sounds like you then keep on reading to find out how to join the conversation…

Okay, I’m not a technical expert but here’s what I’ve worked out from my own experience so far…

The technical bit

Where: There’s a comment section at the end of each post.  If you’re on the home page and can see lots of posts you’ll need to click on the word “comments” at the bottom to open up that same comment section.  Once your comment is done it will appear on the right hand side under “recent comments” (don’t be scared! see below)

How: You will be asked to leave your details: your name (which then appears alongside the comment) and your e-mail (which doesn’t get published, it’s just to verify who you are).  Then there’s a space for your URL which is the address for your own website or blogsite if you have one.  (If you want to make sure you direct people to your own site check up-to-date advice from the Business Blog Angel Claire here.)  You will then be asked to type in some letters and numbers from the screen – it’s a way of checking that the comment comes from a human rather than a machine

When: I’ll be glad to hear from you anytime, even if it’s a little while since the post was first published.

Why: To join the conversation of course!  But there are lots of business as well as social benefits and if you are interested in that side of it you can find out more from Claire here

The writing bit

I’ve seen comments on other blogs from people who say things like “I’ve never had the courage to comment before” or “I’m not normally brave enough to join this conversation…”.  Even my oft-quoted blog angel Claire has admitted to some early qualms about chipping in to blog conversations:

When I first started blogging I was often moved to comment on other people’s blogs but then suddenly overcome with shyness, feeling that my opinion was in some way ‘not worthy’!

This made me realise that leaving a comment is just like any other form of writing and the same principles (and anxieties) apply.  Here are some tips that you can use to boost your confidence in writing comments:

Purpose

Spend a moment thinking about why you want to comment – is it to offer encouragement, support, an idea, to promote something you’re doing, to make a connection?  Hold on to that thought and it will help you get over your fear and mean you get less hung up on the words.  The positive intention will drive you forward.

Style

Adjust the style of the comment to the purpose.  Is it just a quick hello, a simple question, or a full-blown analysis of someone’s position?  That will affect the tone and length of the comment.  Short and sweet is fine if you’re just dropping by!

Impact

Read it back to yourself.  Does it sound like you?  Remember this is a format that’s very conversational in style.  If you have a business web presence you might also ask yourself – what will this say about me and my business?

Edit

Check it before you send it.  Most comment forms have a preview pane – it’s worth using it to check you’ve said what you meant, the way you meant to say it.  You can also go back and edit from here.

The conversation bit

One of the best things I’ve discovered is that this really does start a conversation.  In my first few weeks of commenting I’ve had welcoming comments back from blog owners, some interesting questions posed, a very friendly personalised reply to my in-box, new visitors to my site and a strong sense of an emerging network.  One of the things that feels good (to me anyway) is when you get a comment back, even a very brief acknowledgement, so I’m definitely going to try and do that here.

Phew!  Well what started off as a short quick post has turned into something of an epic…but I realised as I was writing there was more to it than meets the eye.  Even so I’m guessing there might be things that I’ve missed so…

What else would it be useful to know?

What are the things that put you off commenting?  What are the things that encourage you?

How can I make it easier for you to join the conversation?

Look forward to hearing from you!