The Tao of Blogging, Part 6
I thought I had turned the corner, only to run into a wall.
After all the great contributions from the previous week, I thought it was clear sailing to the end of the book. Wrong, as usual. The extra quotes I still had to work out were transformed into a massive wall, and all my attempted treatments were bouncing off them harmlessly into the old circular filing cabinet.
I’ve found there’s almost a feng shui at play in my professional life. When clients put a project on hold, or can’t get their board to make up their minds, it seems like all the other, unrelated clients have delays and business starts to slow down to dangerous levels.
The book took on the same dynamic. I had quotes with no stories, stories with no pictures, and pictures with no quotes. We went four or five days without getting quotes, either because we couldn’t find one, or the candidates we reached out to didn’t respond.
I couldn’t figure out how to write a story for David Graham’s quote, until my younger son gave me the fire truck line. Following his direction, we brainstormed a bunch of ironic deaths and a crack appeared in the wall.
Almost immediately, we found some new quotes, and were honored to get another Medium heavyweight and master barfer Devon Henry!
I also wrestled mightily with Braveen Kumar’s quote about Skittles — and after you read it, you might agree that I need to get back in the ring — but as soon as I posted it, guess what? My creative block was broken and I figured out the conundrum posed by Todd Hannula 🤓’s quote within five minutes!
Props to Denise Smith and Tremaine L. Loadholt for their continued sleuthing activities.
But we still need help!
We now have 41 quotes, plus one that requires approval (did Hassan S. Ali get kidnapped?)
That’s only ELEVEN (11) quotes left to go! We could be finished in two weeks!
Thanks everyone, and keep up the good work!
Next order of business: the writer intro page.
My idea here is to get a picture of every contributor for an extra spread in the book. If you know other contributors who live close to you, it would be really cool for you to meet at a donut shop and take a group shot. I think we have multiple contributors in a few cities, so I hope you will reach out to your neighbors to do something fun for the book.
Naturally, I encourage all of my SoCal homies to meet me at the mecca of donuts for a donut feast on ME… (and if that attracts out-of-towners, just remember I’m buying donuts, not air plane tickets!)
If you’re by yourself, please email me a picture of you with your favorite donut. If you’re shy, take a picture of the donut with you in the background. Here are some acceptable ideas:
And now, without further ado here are six more spreads. (Sorry, smart phone users, I know the images will be small, so I included live text.)
From Insideout I am an introvert, hiding in plain sight
Masks
Sometimes the saddest tears belong to the clowns. Sometimes, the life of the party suffers from depression. And sometimes the loneliest person is the one in the biggest crowd. Reach out and learn about the person behind the mask.
From David Graham, In the future the leading cause of death will be irony
Don’t worry, be happy
Someday, fire trucks really will burst into flames. Someday, Jager bombs really will be confiscated and defused by the NSA. And, someday it won’t be “if looks could kill,” but when. A good sense of humor will always be a saving grace.
38. I am and have nearly always been a feminist, transgender, gay, black loving white liberal. Which is really to say I was trying to approximate something close to a decent human being. Todd Hannula 🤓
Empathy
Once upon a time there was a frog prince, but no princess would kiss him because they didn’t believe he could possibly be a prince under that hideous green skin. So he left the pond to become a civil rights activist. THE END
39. Embracing diversity means acknowledging an innate variety in humanity that’s a whole lot more complex than a bag of Skittles. Braveen Kumar
Skittles are racist
Everyone wants the red ones, so the “Man” makes sure he gets to choose first. On the other hand, if you scrape the candy shell off an M&M, everybody stills get chocolate. And that, my brother, is the sweet taste of justice.
40. Magic is the hot sauce on top of a burrito you made with your decisions and actions. Devon Henry
The burrito of life
You’d like to make your own burrito, but friends, lovers and parents always throw in a few surprise ingredients. Then that burrito guy Fate adds a bunch of junk you never asked for. The magic comes when you learn how to savor every bite.
41. I don’t know how to send selfies… I can’t figure out how to smile like not a serial killer Jing Jing Li
Misinterpretation
That makes me think of my sons. They pounce on anything I bring home and kill it… Captain Crunch, Rice Crispies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms… Oh… it’s “serial,” not “cereal?” Well, never mind.
Oh writers of Medium, show your wisdom in one great quote and have the chance to become part of a published collaborative book! Send in your submissions or nominate someone else in the comments below. If you’re shy, send me a private note, or email me here.
Only 11 more spots to go. Please keep searching for those quotes!
Thanks again to everyone who has contributed.
