Image by robinsonsmay via Flickr/Creative Commons

Yesterday after stuffing myself with turkey, dressing, macaroni & cheese, greens, and yams, I somehow resisted slipping into a food coma and started chatting with my dad about my future. During our talk I announced that I had plans to start my own business, sort of. I saw his face light up. My father, who's always been my biggest cheerleader, was eager to know more. So I started to tell him a bit about See Jane Write and how I had plans to transform my little networking group into a non-profit organization. "OK, tell me what it will do," my pops asked.

I had an answer, a very looong and detailed answer. As I was explaining what See Jane Write has done in the past and what I hope the group will do in the future I felt I was rambling. My father listened intently, hanging on my every word, and showed how confident he was in my future success, but that's because he's my daddy. If I were pitching my idea to a potential sponsor or to a woman I hoped would be part of See Jane Write I would have been tuned out after my first few sentences, I thought.

Immediately after this conversation I decided I needed to draft an elevator speech for See Jane Write. Chances are you need to draft one for one of your project as well, whether it's a business you hope to start, a blog you recently launched, or a book you'd like to publish.

An elevator pitch, as I'm sure you know, is a brief speech that you can use to spark interest in your organization, project, or idea. Obviously, it should last no longer than a short elevator ride of about 30 seconds -- hence the name.

An elevator pitch should answer three important questions -- WHO, WHAT, and WHY -- and should state a goal. Who are you? What do you do and what problem do you seek to solve? Why is your organization/project/idea unique? Explain your short term goals.

Here's what I've come up with:

See Jane Write is an organization for women writers of Birmingham. 
It offers free programs, such as workshops and panel discussions, to help fiction and non-fiction writers sharpen their skills and to help women writers learn how to promote themselves and their work. 
This group also strives to build community among women writers through social media and networking events. 
My hope is to register See Jane Write as a non-profit organization within the next year so that we can be eligible for grants that will allow the group to do even more for local women writers and launch a program for teenage girls interested in writing careers. 

Clocking in at 39.1 seconds, it's a bit long, but I think it will do the job for now. Feel free to leave tips for improvement in the comments.

What's your elevator pitch? 

Cross posted at the See Jane Write blog.

Happy Turkey Day!

I figured since today is Thanksgiving it made sense to, well, give thanks. Sure, it's not very original to post a gratitude list on Thanksgiving, but being grateful is never cliche.

Today I am thankful for...

my fun and loving parents
my daddy's good cooking
the fact that my dad doesn't think that cooking is "a woman's job"
my talented, hilarious, and loving little brother (I say "little brother" but he's 24 years old)
my wonderful husband who has the patience of Job (because you have to in order to be married to me)
my cousin Tasha, a.k.a. my person
the women of See Jane Write
the amazing women I've met through Church of the Highlands
the She Reads Truth blog which has me excited about morning devotions again
the blog The Very Worst Missionary which reminds me being a Christian doesn't mean I can't be myself
the fact that the Iron Bowl is only two days away (Roll Tide!)

What are you thankful for today? 

From ICanHasCheezburger.com

It's Thanksgiving eve which means pretty soon the Christmas season will be officially here. Actually, I feel like it already is. Some of my neighbors already have lights strewn about their patios and obnoxious holiday songs are already being played over loud speakers at the supermarket. 

If you know me well you know I hate Christmas. My head is pounding and my stomach is in knots for much of the month of December. During the holiday season I am completely stressed out and it's usually over money.

Every year I threaten to "boycott Christmas." Don't get me wrong, I enjoy buying gifts for my family and friends. I love the smiles the presents bring to their faces. I especially enjoy giving gifts to my sweet husband. But to be honest we get carried away. You see since we don't have kids he showers me with gifts at Christmastime. I'm spoiled rotten by him. And I feel he deserves to be spoiled too. The result: we way too much money on each other every winter. My credit debt balloons as does my number of migraines and stomach aches. 

I also spend too much money on myself, something I just recently realized. I am in no way a shopaholic, in fact, I rather abhor the mall. But something comes over me on Black Friday and I become one of those desperate people standing in a long line in the rain outside of Target, one of those crazy chicks peering through the doors of Victoria's Secret before the store opens trying to get a glimpse of this year's free tote bag given to customers who spend at least $65. I shop and shop because I feel like it's just plain silly to miss out on these great deals when I call myself a frugal fashionista. 

Then I'm sick with shopper's remorse and just general disgust at myself for the next month.

I also have trouble receiving gifts. If you give me three presents and I only have one to offer you I will go to the bathroom and cry. (Yes, I know I probably need therapy for that.) And after I've dried my eyes I will resolve that next year I will have FOUR gifts for you! And inevitably this will only increase my credit card debt and my need for medication. 

 

This year as I've been reflecting on the many reasons to loathe this season, I've also been reflecting on, well, stuff. For years I've been letting stuff ruin the holidays and even my self-esteem. I've yearned for a nicer car, a bigger TV, and a fancier apartment not because I truly wanted those things but because I thought others judged me because I didn't have them. And most likely they didn't even notice or care or if they were judging me then they shouldn't be in my car or my home in the first place because they're a jerk face. 

I believe God has me doing all this soul searching about stuff for a reason and I don't think it's because the Creator is worried about me having happy holidays. (Let's remember that Jesus didn't even ask us to celebrate his birthday.) I believe God wants me to learn to be a good steward with my money so I will have more freedom. Think about how so many of us are weighed down by our stuff. And I think God wants me to use my resources on things that really matter.

Furthermore, I believe God wants me to learn to measure my worth by who I am in Him, not by what I have in my bank account.

It’s time to make some changes. I have no idea what those changes should be. I’m married so I can’t just sell everything I own and start from scratch. I don’t think hubster would be too happy about that. But something must be done.

In the meantime, remember not to buy me any gifts unless we’ve decided on a price cap or I'll be having a nervous breakdown in your bathroom.

In a post about why she blogs, Birmingham-based blogger and editor Erin Street quoted my favorite Ani DiFranco song, “Joyful Girl,” and inspired my blog post for today.

For years I've thought that this song, particularly the first verse, describes perfectly my love for writing. It explains why I've wanted to be a writer since the age of 7 even though it's a rather thankless and low-paying occupation that most people regard as a hobby. 

But last week as I was listening to the song (on repeat) in my car I realized the first verse also explains why I'm so determined to build up See Jane Write. I've been asked plenty of times why I bother organizing events for local women writers even though I'm not making money off my efforts. In fact, I usually spend money to make these events happen. And yes, the time I spend on these programs I could be using to work on my own writing. But the joy, the downright giddiness, that I feel when working on See Jane Write activities is invaluable. 

I do it for the joy it brings

Because I'm a joyful girl 

Because the world owes me nothing

And we owe each other the world. 

I do it because it's the least I can do 

I do it because I learned it from you

I do it just because I want to

Because I want to

-- Ani DiFranco, "Joyful Girl" 

Crossposted at the See Jane Write blog.

Last week Glamour magazine hosted its annual Women of the Year Awards. Honorees for 2012 include the likes of actress Selena Gomez, photographer Annie Leibovitz, Girls creator Lena Dunham and USA gold medal Olympians. (Click here for a complete list.)

As Evette Dionne mentioned on her blog, The Huffington Post's women's website, Huff Post Women, captured the spirit of the evening at a reception dinner, asking several honorees and attendees this question: "What do you appreciate most about being a woman?"

This got me thinking: What do I love most about being a woman? It didn't take long for me to reach an answer.

The thing I appreciate most about being a woman is sisterhood.

I believe in the power of sisterhood.

Most women understand that when we band together we are an unstoppable force.

In my nearly 32 years on this earth in this female body I have learned that your good girlfriends make accomplishing goals more manageable and a lot more fun -- whether you're working toward artistic or professional aspirations or a goal to get in shape.

This #bloglikecrazy challenge is a perfect example.

I've now blogged for 19 days straight even though I've been juggling my full-time teaching job, freelance writing assignments, and church and family obligations. I've also had to make time to develop writing prompts to send to other bloggers participating in the challenge. One of the primary reasons I've been able to do this is because of ladies of See Jane Write and other female bloggers across the country who've been blogging like crazy with me. Their posts keep me inspired; their energy keeps me motivated.

And what I've seen happen this month on the See Jane Write Facebook group page has been fascinating.
I've mentioned before that the women of See Jane Write have been sharing their blog posts with the group and have been forming incredible connections, even with women they've never met IRL, as they discover things they have in common. But what I've also seen is women who were intimidated by blogging or had left their blogs sit dormant for months getting in on the action too. They've started or relaunched blogs because they saw we were having so much fun.

All this has inspired me to strive to take See Jane Write to even higher heights and I know I can do it because my sisters will be there to help me along the way.

Crossposted at the See Jane Write blog. 

She's my person.

People often say that friends are family we choose. 

What's behind that statement is the truth that family members are "friends" you're stuck with -- forever! 

I've been thinking a lot about family today and not simply because I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Last night I attended the latest Arc Light Stories event, which features unscripted storytelling before a live audience. Saturday night's stories were all about family and aptly dubbed "Thicker Than Water."  (Check out hubster's article on last night's event.)

Last night I was thinking about that idea of friends being family you choose and realized how blessed I am to have (some) family members that I'd spend time with even if biology and tradition didn't dictate that I do so. A perfect example is my cousin Tasha. She is one of the funniest, smartest, and nicest people I know. She's beautiful and creative and a woman of strong faith. 

Tasha recently had a birthday and in a sappy Facebook post I told her that the title "cousin" just doesn't quite seem sufficient. Even cute phrases like "my sister from another mister" don't cut it. 

I need a phrase that expresses that she's family I would choose. If I got a do-over and had the chance to hand pick all my relatives she'd still be on my family tree because she's not just my cousin but my best friend. 

I think the writers of Grey's Anatomy gave me the phrase I was looking for. As Cristina Yang and Meredith Grey say about each other, "She's my person." 

She's my person because we understand and appreciate each other's quirks. Our lists of things we love and things we loathe are nearly identical. And since we our college days she's always been my biggest cheerleader. I could call this girl right now and say I've decided I want to be an astronaut and she wouldn't discourage me or call me crazy. She'd just say, "OK, let's figure out how we're going to do this." 

I hope she knows I'd travel to the moon for her too. 

 

Image via

Back in January I gave up blogging and all forms of social media for three weeks for a time of prayer and fasting my church calls "21 Days of Prayer." I didn't even allow myself read blogs during this time.

I decided to do this because my obsession with blogging had become just that -- an obsession -- and I had begun to neglect more important things like spending time in prayer and studying Scripture.

When I launched #bloglikecrazy this month, I feared this would happen again and for about a week it did. I began to wonder if God wanted me to blog at all. Then in the most roundabout way I happened upon She Reads Truth, a blog and online community that seems just perfect for young women who love God and social media. She Reads Truth offers daily devotions through the blog and the bible app You Version. There's online discussion on the blog and Twitter.

Currently we're reading through the book of Colossians. Here is the verse that stood out to me the most this week:  

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. -- Colossians 3:17

This reminds me that blogging and social media shouldn't be something that takes me away from God. I should instead use it as a way to thank God and as a way to carry out the work that I believe the Creator placed me on this planet to do -- empowering women and girls through the written word.