Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been on vacation this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, though I've still been poeming my November away on the Poetic Asides blog.

Today, we all got out of the house and took a family portrait. Here's one of the poses:

Then, we went to one of those Christmas tree farms and cut down our family Christmas tree. This is the second year we've done that, and it's turning into one of those fun family traditions that I imagine we'll continue doing as long as we're able.

Anyway, you'll notice that Tammy and I have four boys between (and around) us. But today, we've both announced that there is another little Brewer on the way, though we don't know if we'll be 5-for-5 on the boys or finally get that little girl everyone's been wanting. If everything goes well, we should learn that in February. For now, we're happy that the baby seems to be developing good and has a nice healthy heartbeat.

2010 has been a great year so far. I'm definitely thankful for everything I have, including my amazing family pictured above and am grateful we get to spend the holidays together.

I hope you have a happy (and safe) Thanksgiving!

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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Celebrate Thanksgiving with these cool movies:

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
• Garfield Holiday Celebrations (including Thanksgiving)

2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 21

(Quick update: Since the Poetic Asides blog is not giving me permission to post my prompt and poem at the moment, and it's past midnight here, I'm posting the prompt and poem on my personal blog, which is more reliable anyway. I'll try to post again to Poetic Asides after I get some sleep.)

Well, I just returned from my 18-hour (actually, just slightly less than 18-hour) road trip to pick up my two boys in Ohio, and I've already discovered that the blog decided to get all psycho and erase comments from several recent posts. This seems to happen at least once each PAD challenge, though this one had been so smooth that I'd forgotten about it. Oh well. I guess that's what happens when I leave my blog alone for a whole 18-hour stretch.


Since it's past midnight here and I'm tired (and hoping to sleep in a little in the morning), I'm going to go ahead and post Day 21's prompt and poem a little early. And I see that I don't need anyone's permission, because...

The prompt for today is to write a permission poem. You don't need my (or anyone else's) permission to write your poem today, but it should somehow involve the concept of giving, refusing, asking, etc. permission.

Here's my attempt:

"The grave majority"

Eventually, we fear ourselves most.
With nothing better to do than listen
to nuts drop from these trees, we're entertained
by the swift movements of squirrels and birds
warning them from above. A man walks by
with an empty bag and laughs to himself.
Bikers pedal past without comment. We
listen as their gears shift purposefully.
Like squirrels and birds darting from this branch
to the next, the bikers change their colors
in the sun. We wait for them to join us.
In time, we will surely collect them all.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

(Use the #poettalk hashtag on Twitter to tweet poetic throughout the week and the #novpad hashtag to update your progress on this specific challenge.)

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Time for me to get some sleep! Good morning, good night!

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Check out some of my favorite poetry books this holiday season:

• Leaping Poetry, by Robert Bly (An instructional book with great poems in it.)
• Poetry Home Repair Manual, by Ted Kooser (Another great instructional book by a former Poet Laureate.)
• Ecco Anthology of International Poetry, edited by Ilya Kaminsky and Susan Harris
• I Was the Jukebox, by Sandra Beasley
• Honorary Astronaut, by Nate Pritts

Recipe: The best meat loaf ever

Okay, most people don't like meat loaf. Or if they do, they only like the meat loaf their own family made. My wife, for instance, did not even like meat loaf before she met me. Then, she tried my meat loaf and now she's the one who craves it.

So, here's my amazing meat loaf recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
3/4 sleeve of crushed saltine crackers
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon chopped onion seasoning
splash of milk
ketchup


Preparation:

1. Add everything except meat and ketchup in mixing bowl 
2. Add in meat and mix well
3. After mixing, spray 10x13 pan and form loaf
4. Spread ketchup all over outside of the loaf
5. Cover pan with foil
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 100 minutes
7. Let it sit in pan for 10-15 minutes before taking out to slice

If you try slicing before allowing that 10-15 minutes, the loaf will likely crumble.

Personally, I like to eat my meat loaf with A1 Steak Sauce, but Tammy prefers ketchup. We both like to have mashed potatoes with our meat loaf, but a baked potato or seasoned french fries would work well too.

Some people like cheese in their meat loaf. I'm not a huge fan, but it's easy enough to spread cheese over this meat loaf after cooking, and it should melt easily.

This is a true comfort food dish. I recommend fixing it up on days when you're planning to just hang around the house in your pajamas.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

Blogging Tips for Writers

In these days of publishing and media change, writers have to build platforms and learn how to connect to audiences if they want to improve their chances of publication. There are many methods of audience connection available to writers, but one of the most important is via blogging.

Since I've spent several years successfully blogging--both personally and professionally--I figure I've got a few nuggets of wisdom to pass on to writers who are curious about blogging or who already are.

Here's my quick list of tips:

1. Start blogging today. If you don't have a blog, use Blogger, WordPress, or some other blogging software to start your blog today. It's free, and you can start off with your very personal "Here I am, world" post.
2. Start small. Blogs are essentially very simple, but they can get very complicated (for people who like complications). However, I advise bloggers start small and evolve over time.
3. Use your name in your URL. This will make it easier for search engines to find you when your audience eventually starts seeking you out by name. For instance, my url is http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/. If you try Googling "Robert Lee Brewer," you'll notice that My Name Is Not Bob is one of the top 5 search results (behind my other blog: Poetic Asides).
4. Unless you have a reason, use your name as the title of your blog. Again, this helps with search engine results. My Poetic Asides blog includes my name in the title, and it ranks higher than My Name Is Not Bob. However, I felt the play on my name was worth the trade off.
5. Figure out your blogging goals. You should return to this step every couple months, because it's natural for your blogging goals to evolve over time. Initially, your blogging goals may be to make a post a week about what you have written, submitted, etc. Over time, you may incorporate guests posts, contests, tips, etc.
6. Be yourself. I'm a big supporter of the idea that your image should match your identity. It gets too confusing trying to maintain a million personas (even Herschel Walker couldn't do it, and he's Herschel Walker for crying out loud). Know who you are and be that on your blog, whether that means you're sincere, funny, sarcastic, etc.
7. Post at least once a week. This is for starters. Eventually, you may find it better to post once a day or multiple times per day. But remember: Start off small and evolve over time.
8. Post relevant content. This means that you post things that your readers might actually care to know.
9. Useful and helpful posts will attract more visitors. Talking about yourself is all fine and great. I do it myself. But if you share truly helpful advice, your readers will share it with others, and visitors will find you on search engines.
10. Title your posts in a way that gets you found in search engines. I could've titled this post Blogging Tips and left it at that. However, I know many people who read my blog(s) are writers and that this post is more likely to raise to the top of a more specific search on "Blogging Tips for Writers" than a generic "Blogging Tips" post. (Click here to read more on this topic.)
11. Link to posts in other media. If you have an e-mail newsletter, link to your posts in your newsletter. If you have social media accounts, link to your posts there. If you have a helpful post, link to it in relevant forums and on message boards.
12. Write well, but be concise. At the end of the day, you're writing blog posts, not literary manifestos. Don't spend a week writing each post. Try to keep it to an hour or two tops and then post. Make sure your spelling and grammar are good, but don't stress yourself out too much.
13. Find like-minded bloggers. Comment on their blogs regularly and link to them from yours. Eventually, they may do the same. Keep in mind that blogging is a form of social media, so the more you communicate with your peers the more you'll get out of the process.
14. Respond to comments on your blog. Even if it's just a simple "Thanks," respond to your readers if they comment on your blog. After all, you want your readers to be engaged with your blog, and you want them to know that you care they took time to comment.
15. Experiment. Start small, but don't get complacent. Every so often, try something new. For instance, the biggest draw to my Poetic Asides blog are the prompts and challenges I issue to poets. Initially, that was an experiment--one that worked very well. I've tried other experiments that haven't panned out, and that's fine. It's all part of a process.

Now, leave a comment on this post and get blogging!

Also, feel free to leave your own top blogging tips in the Comments. I'm always eager to learn new tricks and tips.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

Tweet

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Here are a few other blogging resources to check out:

• ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
• Essential Blogging: Selecting and Using Weblog Tools, by multiple authors
• Blogging for Dummies, by Susannah Gardner and Shane Birley

When did it get all November?

Seriously, how is it a week into November already? 2010 has been such a busy year, and this weekend was no exception.

Today, we celebrated Reese's 7th birthday. During his birthday party, he made the comment, "The years sure go by fast." Boy, do they!

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After the party, we (Reese, Tammy, Will and myself) went to watch a Gwinnett Gladiators hockey game. We met up with other members of Pack 420 to watch Cub Scouts participate in the flag ceremony at the beginning of the game. The Gladiators won 6-1.

Reese really got into the game, and even Will was dancing around with all the music bites they play throughout the game.

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On Saturday, I spoke at the Red Clay Writers Conference in Kennesaw, Georgia. It took place on the Kennesaw State University campus, which has really improved over the years. (I first spoke there in 2002 or 2003 when I was still living and working in Ohio.)

This event was fun, because I already knew quite a few people--both online and off. Plus, I learned new things, which is always exciting.

Actually, getting out to events is always fun, inspirational and usually kickstarts me into getting things done with my own writing. Surrounding yourself with fellow writers and editors is always a great time.

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Throughout this month, I'm running the November PAD (Poem-A-Day) Chapbook Challenge. If you haven't been participating, get over there now and catch up: http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides

It's a lot of fun and is a great way to work up some new material to revise.

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Anyway, I'm a bit scattered and tired after a busy weekend, but I wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and poeming. Also, I'm still losing weight (now more than 30 pounds have been lost in 6 weeks!) and leading my cub scout den to fun times and cool advancements. But yeah, pretty much the same old, same old for now.

Hope y'all are doing well. Tammy and I may be headed up to the Dahlonega Literary Festival next weekend. If we do make it up there, I hope we'll get to see a few new and familiar faces.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

Poem in 32 Words or Fewer

The crew @32poems on Twitter tweeted a contest today (with a 10/30 deadline) to write a poem in 32 words or fewer. Of course, I had to give it a try.

lost & found exploring
she splashes through waves in the moon's shadow
as he chases her laugh breaking against
the sand we wander through looking for shells
that hide like everything from the sun.

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Quick update on me: I'm still on my diet with Tammy, and I've now lost 22.6 pounds in just over 4 weeks. Plus, I haven't been getting headaches anymore, which were getting pretty regular--even with some temperature swings (which always used to cause headaches). Plus, my skin feels amazing. I totally recommend this diet to any and all.

Also, I've been doing the whole Den Leader thing, and I'm getting more and more into the role. My den is making progress toward their Tiger Cub advancements, and I think we're having fun doing it.

I'll be speaking at the Red Clay Writers Conference on November 6 in Kennesaw, Georgia. My topic is on building a writing platform, but there will be many other talented writers there too, including Collin Kelley, Stephanie Davis, and others. (Click here to learn more.)

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

The Best Weekend to Visit Southwest Ohio...

...is always the weekend after the first full week of October, which just happened to be this past weekend. And as luck had it, I was up in Ohio visiting Ben and Jonah this weekend. We went to the Eaton homecoming football game on Friday night.

On Saturday, I watched Ben's soccer game before picking up my mom who went with us (Jonah was there as well) to this pumpkin patch we visit every year that has a very cool hay ride. Then, we dropped off mom and headed to downtown Fairborn to experience Foy's and their annual Halloween takeover of the city.

It was warmer than usual, but the trees in Ohio are changing colors and the sky is usually a unique shade of blue this time of year. Anyway, this may be the last time I get to enjoy my favorite weekend in Ohio, so I tried to get the most out of it with the boys.

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Speaking of which, the boys' mother seems prepared to move down to Georgia as soon as possible. They've already been down here looking at homes and have stated multiple times they'd like to get down here by Christmas, which I'd appreciate. Not only would the boys be closer, but I wouldn't have the stress of driving through the mountains of Tennessee and foothills of Kentucky during the winter months.

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Tammy and I have completed the first two weeks of an 8-week liver cleansing diet. So far, I've lost 13 pounds and Tammy's lost around 5 pounds (men lose weight faster than women). The weight loss has been nice, but it's only one of many reasons to try this diet. A healthier liver means a healthier body overall, since the liver is responsible for removing natural and unnatural toxins from the blood.

Eating liver conscious should improve weight loss, appetite, skin, energy levels, and even other things such as gall stones and chronic pains. Or at least, that's what I've been able to gather from the book we've got combined with online research.

All I know is that the diet has been easy, and it doesn't involve counting calories. I just eat whenever I'm hungry--as long as I eat the right stuff. I'll keep everyone looped in on my progress during the final 6 weeks. Of course, the 8-week program ends the Monday before Thanksgiving--when I'll gain like 20 pounds in one day!

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Here are a couple links to cool stuff happening over at Poetic Asides:

• 2011 Poetic Form Challenge. I'm challenging poets to create their own poetic form between now and mid-February. The winner will be recognized on my blog and also in Writer's Digest magazine (so kind of a big deal).
• 2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge. The third annual November PAD Chapbook Challenge begins on November 1 and runs through November 30. As with previous years, poets will have all of December to revise and assemble a chapbook to submit. More details in the post.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer