I wrote this a while back and never published it. But it still holds true as I often sit down to blog and have no idea what to write. …

Lately, I’ve been searching for inspiration.  I want to write, I want to get words out of my head and onto the screen, but I’ve failed to make it happen. I’ve been searching for inspiration and waiting for something to inspire me to write blog posts here.

There are people who inspire me on a daily basis, but sadly I can’t draw inspiration enough for action.  So I sit in front on my computer with an empty screen and too many thoughts.

Unsure of what to write, I continue my search for inspiration.  I google it.  I listen to new music.  I read a new blog.  I am inspired for a moment but nothing sticks.  The search ends up leaving me more confused and muddled on what direction to take than when I started.

Inspiration, as it seems, is fleeting.

But still, inspired on a topic or not, I am compelled to do.  So I start.  I put words on the screen and think about them.  More often than not what started there will be deleted as I change my mind and head down another path still wishing for inspiration but writing anyway.

And then somewhere along the way inspiration suddenly hits me.  It’s only once I’ve forced myself to write and moved past the initial resistance that I start to feel inspired.  The words and the ideas that I tentatively started to work with grow into something that inspires new ideas and a work flow that can’t be stopped.

All because I started without being inspired.  All because I started without being sure of my destination.

If you claim to be a writer, as I so badly want to do, then you can’t wait for inspiration.   You have to write daily and you can’t skip out on it because you don’t feel the inspiration.  I’m learning this lesson slowly as I transition away from the mind-numbing hourly jobs of my past and take on more writing opportunities.

Sometimes you just have to write, whether you feel like it or not.  And you have to write well.

Do you think inspiration required? Do you for inspiration to strike, or do you start and find it along the way?

For the past two months I’ve been working on my first product, a ebook about health and fitness blogging. It’s finished, uploaded, and launches tomorrow.

Man, am I nervous.

I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. I guess because it’s my first time. There is no outside pressure on me. This is my project, it’s not for a boss or for school. If it doesn’t sell, then it doesn’t sell. If it does sell, then that’s awesome. There is no real reason to be nervous when it’s gone through multiple edits, at least 5 people have read it, and even more have told me how awesome/impressive it is.

Yet, I’m still nervous.

It’s the nervous feeling of the unknown. Will something go wrong? Will people actually buy it? Is it as good as I think? I’m nervous about the reaction and all the things I can’t control.

I wish I wasn’t nervous, but I am. What began as a fun afterthought turned into a huge project. I wanted to create a small guide to answer some of the blogging questions I routinely receive, and ended up creating a huge 65 page guide to health blogging. Who knew I would write a book this year? I certainly didn’t have that in mind at the beginning of the year.

It took a lot of my time and skill to create. I had to learn a lot about creating a quality digital product and how to sell it. Even with everything I’ve read and learned I still feel like I’m making rookie mistakes.

I felt the need to make this product as close to perfect as I could, packing in as much value as possible. What originally was going to be a short ebook then expanded and went from the price of $9.99 to $17 to $27. It’s grown in value and price since I first started. The pricing process was probably the hardest part, but when I finally settled on $27 it felt right, so I went with it. I haven’t heard any backlash about that yet, but I’ve yet to find out if it will actually sell at that price or not.

The product launches tomorrow and I’ll update later this week with my thoughts on the launch experience. Wish me luck!

I’ve decided to do site/internet activity updates, similar to what many other bloggers do.

Writing

Some of my favorite posts here include the post about changing your life through blogging and why instead of personal branding you should just be yourself.

On my personal weight loss blog I explained why it’s called “A Merry Life.”

This month I also wrote a couple guest posts, including “Don’t Procrastinate On Weight Loss, Take Small Steps Now” and “A Detour From The Skinny Goal” both about living healthier.  My goal for the next couple on months is to write more guest posts, because these were easy and fun.

Awesomeness

An item from my life to do list was accomplished – I took my mom on a vacation.

I found out New Zealand is awesome, just like I thought it would be.  After years of wanting to come here I finally managed to get here.  I’ve got two weeks left in the country and plenty left to see.

If you missed the post, you might want to go back and see the pictures and video from when I bungy jumped in Taupo, New Zealand.  Another item off the life list and the introduction to life as an adventure junkie.  (I loved it.)

Other Stuff

I’ve left my ad network that previously was used on my other sites.  I wanted more freedom with what I could do with my own content and felt like there were too many rules without much benefit.  It seemed like it was worth it when I thought they were paying the rates they claimed, but when the pay and page views no longer matched up I realized it was time to leave.  Now I’m looking into other ways to monetize and will be working on that this next month.

Other than that just pondering the direction I want to take with blogging in the future, when I get a free minute that is, because mostly I’m just enjoying New Zealand right now. ;)

2008 Awards Day at Union University

The Professor James Alex Baggett History Research Award, which recognizes the best original research papers presented in regularly scheduled history courses for the current academic year, was presented to Mary Thompson.

History Students Win Best Paper Prizes

Six Union University history students presented papers at the Tennessee Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference April 5 at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

Two students, Cameron Armstrong, a senior from Howell, Mich., and Mary Thompson, a senior from Millington, Tenn., won best paper prizes.

Thompson’s paper, “The Effect of Anti-German Propaganda During World War I on German-Americans in Tennessee,” won the prize in “Cultural History.