This week my cyber friend who stops in here at the cafe on a regular basis, nominated me for an award – The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. Thanks, Tracy Ruckman! You’ve been an encouragement to me, and I’m honored that you thought of me.
The “rules” that go along with the award are that I need to name ten other blogs for the award and then write seven random things about myself. So this becomes a sort of “chain award” like the old chain letter, only you don’t get thirty thousand dollars or recipes in your inbox. What you do get is get the satisfaction of passing the love along. I like that. We should encourage one another.
Where I get hung up is picking only ten. Which ten? The ten who will play along or the ten who really need a boost here in the deep dark of winter? Or the ten bloggers who have it all together and make a significant contribution to the blogosphere? Or the ten who have beautifully designed sites that give you blog-envy? You understand my dilemma then?
So, I’m going to bend the rules. As a matter of fact, I’m going to salute bloggers everywhere – the good, the bad, the sweet, the sarcastic, the beautiful, the stragglers. This I do by giving seven random thoughts about blogging and at the end, a special announcement.
~ It is guesstimated that there are more than 100 million blogs out there. Personal blogs. Corporate blogs. Topic blogs. Hybrids (combining two or more types). Suffice it to say that if you are blogging and people are finding your blog, you are very special. And you deserve the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.
~ By blogging, you are investing your time and energy to share what you know. Whether you write about how to plant a garden, weave yarn into a rug, or write a book, you are sharing a part of yourself, a knowledge that is uniquely yours. You are generous and deserve the Award.
~ If you are sharing personal journey stories, you are opening up a window into your soul. Your vulnerability is to be admired. Please take the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award and make it your own.
~If you view life through a quirky lens and can make people laugh with your words, please don’t quit blogging. The world needs more people like you. The Award is yours!
~ Have you ever read a blog and sighed because the words were so beautiful or the message so poignant that you were inspired to be a better person, to try harder, to be more patient. You know the kinds of stories I’m talking about. Bless you who can inspire others. The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award was designed with you in mind.
~ Much of the craft that I’ve learned about writing has come from blogs – either a special tip or a resource that sent me in the right direction. I cannot imagine writing without the research tools at our fingertips through the internet and niche blogs. I’m grateful to those who share tips, who give directions, who’ve brought hope and inspiration to me every day. A double helping of the Award to you.
~ As promised, I said I’d end this with an announcement. I’ll preface that by saying that nearly every blog out there is in transformation – it’s not the same today as it was in the beginning. That’s the beauty of blogging. It’s a learn as you go process. So, Carla’s Writing Cafe is also in the process of transformation. Within the next couple of weeks, this page will be integrated into a NEW and EXCITING new webiste – everything under one domain name. Carla’s Writing Cafe will remain in place, but will no longer be updated when the new site is ready.
It’s almost bittersweet that the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award comes to the Cafe now since we’re hanging a “Moved” sign on the window, but you’ll want to be on the lookout – I’ll be celebrating the move with some fantastic book giveaways and other goodies. And if that’s not a sweet deal, I don’t know what is.