Stage Fright?

I've been doing a fair amount of writing lately but not very much publishing. The pieces I've written are more personal than those I prefer to publish on my blogs. I'm really proud of what I've written, and the stories I've put together are great, but I'm torn. I want to share what I write, but I just don't like the idea of sharing much of it on a blog.

It's not that I'm afraid to publish these pieces in a public place. In fact, over the last few months I actually have published some intensely personal thoughts and shared them on Twitter, ADN, and Facebook. It's just that what I've been writing lately doesn't really seem to fit a public forum. I don't want to just release these thoughts and leave them hanging out there. I'm not really an exhibitionist.

I'm a conversationalist.

So I'm starting an email newsletter where I can share what's happening in my life. I'll write about work I'm doing, road trips I'm planning, the antics of my pets, my own personal growth, and just about anything else that's on my mind. Over the last year I've seen that I actually have a lot to offer the people in my life. This newsletter is one way to begin reaching out to more people to find new opportunities to share.

It's publicly available, so anyone can join, but the difference is that the email format allows readers to respond directly to me instead of posting a comment on a website. It also allows me to write directly to human beings that I have a real chance of getting to know. Posting on a blog doesn't provide that same promise of connection.

I'm constantly looking for new ways to connect with more people and to strengthen existing connections. If you'd like to connect with me, sign up now to begin receiving my newsletter.

Thanks!

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You care about your words and ideas. I care about them, too.

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Vintage Tweets

I'm a road tripper by nature, and this month I get a chance to fully indulge that part of my personality. Today I'm hitting the road with a group of people I barely know, and we're driving from Chicago, IL to Austin, TX to take part in the mayhem that is SXSW. We'll be filming our adventures and sharing them on our blog, our Twitter feed, and elsewhere. If you'd prefer not to be inundated with everything we share, you can just follow my Twitter account or talk with me on App.net.

In fact, if you'd like to participate in the journey—even if you can't leave your work and family behind for 10 days—I've got the perfect opportunity for you!

Introducing: Vintage Tweets.

Vintage Tweets are the offline equivalent to standard Twitter updates. Instead of receiving your tweet on your computer or mobile device, my Vintage Tweets will arrive at your door! This brand new social expression is sure to bring a smile to your face and a spring to your step as you imagine yourself visiting all the cities I visit with the RVSX crew.

All you have to do to receive your FREE Vintage Tweet is fill out the form below. Just choose a city you wish you could visit and I'll send your Vintage Tweet from that city as I pass through.

While Vintage Tweets do not support video or music, each and every one includes a beautiful photograph, representative of your chosen city. Sign up today!

Note: Limit one Vintage Tweet per person. Also, this offer only applies to those living in the United States. Sorry!

Gratitude

I'd like to take a moment to thank a few of the people who helped me make Sweating Commas come to life.

Thanks go to the podcasters who so graciously invited me to their shows over the past few weeks. They gave me a chance to share what I'm doing with Sweating Commas, and I've met some great people because of those opportunities:

Patrick Rhone and Myke Hurley of Enough
Iain Broome of Write for Your Life
Aaron Mahnke and Dave Caolo of Home Work
Brett Terpstra of Systematic
Chase Clemons of Support Ops
Michael Schechter and Mike Vardy of Mikes On Mics
Jordan Cooper of The Blenderhead Podcast

A huge thank you goes to Sarah Hatter. I worked with Sarah for a time before she launched her own business, CoSupport. Sarah is the expert when it comes to customer support, and if you need help with your customers, you'd be a fool not to contact her.

Sarah has been a huge support to me over the last two years. Working for CoSupport kept me afloat through the most difficult period in my life. I honestly don't know where I'd be today if Sarah and her company hadn't provided me with so many opportunities during this time. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself and her support and friendship mean the world to me. Thank you, Sarah.

And thank you to all of my wonderful clients who really do care about improving your communication. Your dedication to impacting your corner of the web is evident in everything you write. I'm so proud to work with all of you!

Open For Business

I believe:

• words are powerful.
• all writers should have their say.
• a reader's attention is a precious thing.
• messages are lost in the rush to publish.
• ideas deserve more than a single draft.
• I have a part to play in making the internet a better place.
• you have a part, too.

We can make the internet a better place by caring about the words we publish. Taking our messages seriously—giving our readers a reason to come back to our sites—will show the world that we have something to say and that it's worth listening to.

As the founder of Sweating Commas, I am dedicated to honoring the ideals of the writers I work with. As your editor, I work hard to make you look good and ensure your messages and your voice are clear and strong. You write for a reason and you deserve an editor who takes you and your work seriously.

Besides, wouldn't you like to prove William Zinsser wrong? In On Writing Well he wrote:

Nobody told all the new computer writers that the essence of writing is rewriting. Just because they're writing fluently doesn't mean they're writing well.

If you're a computer writer who is serious about writing well, join me in making the internet a better place.

A Letter of Encouragement

Patrick Rhone is a good friend of mine and he just shared one of his 2013 Intentions. I'd like to offer him some encouragement.

Dear Patrick,

As you begin a new year and set your mind to improving yourself by writing every day, keep in mind that you're on a journey. There isn't a single destination to signal you have arrived. Publishing a new piece each day isn't an end, but it's simply a path, maybe even just a small part of your path. Even if you don't publish one day or one week or one month, you're still traveling on the path in front of you. Choosing to write every day is a decision to set yourself in motion instead of staying still. An object in motion can change direction more easily than one at rest.

You will very likely miss a day. At the very least you'll be tempted to skip one. Facing the choice to write or not to write is still a victory in itself. That struggle over whether or not to write, that twinge of guilt when you skip a day, those are both signs that you're alive and moving forward. When you let out that sigh, confessing your choice to not write, realize that you made the choice and that's good. Setting your pen aside for one day is a decision that you made and not something that was done to you or against your will.

A single paragraph can shake the world. President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contained fewer than 270 words. If I visit a friend's site, and their post for the day only said, "I laughed," I'd smile and be glad for them. Wouldn't you?

Finally, you have nothing to prove. Look around at your beautiful daughter, your loving wife, the business you've built, and the books you've written and realize you have done great things. The blog post you're unsure about is just one more entry in an already impressive CV. It won't harm you because it doesn't have power over you. It will only be what you make it to be. Make it to be honest, and you won't go wrong.

Take care.

Jason