Finding a Story
By Sandra Lee Schubert | July 12, 2010
HOT!
Sunday was hot. I had a long day ahead of me. There was sweating involved but not from exercise or frolic. It was the type of humid New York City summer day where sweat pours from you when you breathe. Not that you can breathe because the air is a thick, soggy cesspool of air that has not moved in days. The ground shimmers in the heat. The smells from this sidewalk have been there since the cement was poured. It was hot. I mentioned that right?
I started out in Church. A really big one. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I wanted to be sleeping but I was slated to be on the healing team of one. Holy obligation propelled to church in the avoidance of hell. Summer at the Cathedral means being short staffed. The clergy are switching roles by doing things they might normal do. As an example the Dean of the Cathedral had to be the sub-deacon for the 11 am service. The Dean and I have one particular thing in common we have a deep distaste for NYC summer heat. If you are in the service on a Sunday you are wearing your street clothes and a alb and may be another vestment or two. I just had my alb over my skirt and top. Nonetheless, we were sitting in a very large, warm cathedral and near the end of the service I was really uncomfortable and slightly queasy. Despite queasy and short staffness the service was lovely and I believe the holy spirit was present.
After the service I had over to the congregation meet and greet party where I had some warm cheese, rice crackers (for my gluten free tummy), grapes and unsweetened ice tea. I then left for my next appointment the 30th b-day party of my niece, Aimee. I tried to finagle a pick up at the train station in Great Neck but was told to take a cab. Geez.
It turned out the #1 train was not running from 110th to 96th street. Since it was 96 degrees walking fourteen blocks was not on my plan. The downtown bus had just left so I found a bit of shade and waited for the next one. While waiting for the bus I decided to head over to the bank so I could have some cash for the cab. The bus pulled in just as I crossed the street but had filled up so fast the bus driver kicked us stragglers and the door. I chatted with a woman telling her a bus was on its way but she was convinced I was seeing a mirage. When the bus pulled up a bunch of us sweaty passengers piled on. But someone snuck in the back door pissing off the bus driver who wouldn’t move until the guy paid. The reluctant passenger moved up and paid, got into a fight with the driver, prompting the driver to lock down the bus for ten minutes and then kicking us all out. The third bus came right after and we headed to 96th where the trains were running local until 42nd street. I had orginally planned on taking the 1:52 train, moved to the 2:19 and then surrendered to the concept of the 2:52 train.
By the time I got to Penn station I was really queasy and thirsty so I went for french fries and iced coffee and waited the twenty minutes for the train.
Are you catching the drift of the kind of day I was having? I mean it was a lot of frustrating twists and turns, coupled by oppressive heat and humidity and cranky bus drivers. Despite it all I was having a great time with the people I was meeting. At church we did it all with a sense of humor. The passengers, though overheated, were funny and ironic in the way NYer’s can be in situation like these. This part of the story is my mini oydessy to get to get to the party.
I’ll share the next part of the story, it does take a different turn.
Topics: Stories, essay | No Comments »
Tips for Fun Outside
By Sandra Lee Schubert | June 28, 2010
I am posting some of my earlier writing tips.
Write about these.
First, get outside. Take along your pen and paper, even a camera or drawing pad. Walk around your neighborhood and see it for the first time. Imagine you are a tourist. What is your first impression? Notice the colors, smells and sounds of where you live. Write about it from that point of view. If you brought along a camera and something to draw – take some photos, sketch your next-door neighbor. Later create a collage of what you wrote, add any photos and drawings you might have.
Please help with a book project for a client by filling out this survey.
What is death? http://bit.ly/9K3JQr
Topics: tips | No Comments »
How to create an Internet empire (resource)
By Sandra Lee Schubert | June 3, 2010
Today I would like to introduce you to Tiffany Dow.
“6 Years After Leaving My Position as Top Ghostwriter to the Gurus, I’m Teaching Others How to Achieve Six Figure Incomes on the ‘Net!”
I was recommended to her by another online marketer. As writers and artists we need the extra income to support us while we create. There are a lot spammy types at there, but not Tiffany. She is very helpful and accessible as a marketer. Not only that she is a good writer.
She knows the behind the scenes stuff. Her products are basic how-to information that can help you make extra money with ebooks and other products. You can sell the products she has set up or you could learn from her and create your own to sell. I have provided affiliate links to some of her products. Either buy them or sign up as an affiliate. It would be a win for us all. Click on the images for the links.
Topics: Affiliate link, How-To | No Comments »
The weight of books
By Sandra Lee Schubert | May 29, 2010
What do books weigh? 15 pounds. The photo has all the books and one CD (it came with the book) that I collected at the Book Expo America at the Javits Center this past week. The weight doesn’t take into account the additional five pounds of miscellaneous stuff I carried around for three days. Read my post here about BEA.
I love the feel of books. There is a certain pleasure in holding them, feeling the covers, carrying their weight in my hands. I also know that is ending. After carrying around all the weight of the books I couldn’t help but think how nice it would have been if the publishers could have just downloaded copies of their books into the electronic device of my choice. Or, I could have scanned them to request review copies. When I went to the Small Business expo at the Javits center the exhibitors had scanners. Instead of taking your card they scanned your badge and immediately collected the information. So at the next book expo I could request a review copy of a book, the publisher would scan the book(s) and my info and we would be done. My back would feel better and the load I carried around at the expo would have been lighter.
Book lovers across the world bemoan the loss of books. I know they do. There is a lot to think about when giving up publishing hard copies of books. There are the people that manufacture them. The editors, the designers, the artists who create books. What happens to them? How do they translate the change in their worlds? There is the ink, and the paper, the stores that house them where do they go for business? When I go into a bookstore I see books I may not have thought of buying. Will that spontaneous buying be lost if we go completely digital? We may lose something but what might we gain? It will take a whole change of mind for me to conceive of being totally digital.
I am not sure of the answer to what the future holds for the book world. In the meantime, I will make room for the fifteen pounds of books I brought home. And maybe think about digital to save space and paper.
Please help with a book project for a client by filling out this survey. What is death? http://bit.ly/9K3JQr
Topics: Research, books | No Comments »
Resource Thursday
By Sandra Lee Schubert | May 20, 2010
Compiled by David Mathison (natural E creative, 2009)
Forewords by Kevin Kelly and Douglas Rushkoff
The goal of BE THE MEDIA is to promote positive social change by enabling people-powered, community-based, participatory media.
The book helps independent artists create and distribute content without selling their royalties, rights or souls in the process.
This is huge! SARK just announced you can download a free recording of her Dream Boogie class!
Please help with a book project for a client by filling out this survey. What is death? http://bit.ly/9K3JQr
I am an affiliate for Be The Media and for Sark. I am being paid a small fee for the survey project.
Topics: Affiliate link, Business resources | No Comments »
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