A Good Book...

If you're into non-fiction, self-help books, I just reviewed a great book about choices. The book is called, Why Good People Make Bad Choices by Charles L. Allen. To read the review, you can go to Simegen.com

This book is great for people who struggle with unhealthy behaviors and the feelings of guilt that ensue after engaging in those behaviors. I really appreciated the author's insights and feel that this is a must-read for anyone who is looking for guidance.

I'm introspective by nature and these kinds of books, when they are written as well as this one, can be very valuable. I must have checked out hundreds of self-help books in my life, but only a handful were as helpful as this one by Charles Allen. Check it out here!

How Do I...?

That's the question of the day. The more I blog, the less I seem to know about blogging. After feeling a little discouraged, I decide to scour the web for tips on creating a better blog. This is what I found:

• There are alot of websites out there that tell you where you can blog, how you can blog and why you should blog.



• There are alot of links to websites that tell you the best ways to blog.



• There are alot of blogs out there.

What I didn't find were useful tips on making your blog the best it can possibly be. This seems to be one of those areas where you've either "got it" or you don't "got it." Please excuse the grammar. In desparation, I decided that I would read as many blogs as I could and then decide for myself what seems to make a good blog.

After hours of reading one blog after another, this is what I came up with:

• You have to write about what you know. If you try to fake it, your readers will know. People can pick up on a fake, even over the internet. In other words, be sure you know what you're talking about before you open your big mouth.



• If you are going to ask for comments from your readers, find a way to acknowledge participation to keep readers engaged. No one enjoys being ignored after they've taken the time to respond to a post. After all, how do you feel when you post to your blog night after night and never receive even one comment. Not even a resounding, "You suck!" Acknowledge your readers!!!



• Link to other bloggers who share your values, beliefs, interests, etc. This just makes sense. There's strength in numbers. The more people you can find who share your distorted views about life, the better. Eventually, you can form your own cult. Think about the possibilities.



• Don't cut off your nose to spite your face...or something like that. What I mean to say is that even if you hate someone, remember that that person has a fan base somewhere and that some of those fans might also be your fans. Is it really necessary to go after someone full throttle simply for the sake of getting attention? Well, sure...but is it necessary to fill your blog with hateful passages that leave your readers upset and angry. No. It really isn't, so, go easy on Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton and even Rosie O, they've got feelings, too.



• Promote yourself, but try not to get tunnel vision. Readers can only hear so much about that one short story you published three years ago. For God's sake, keep it fresh and pertinent to what's happening today. If you're not making new things happen, then try not to draw attention to how stale your product has become by constantly talking up the same ten pages of story.



• Learn something...and then tell people how you found it, how you learned it, and how you feel about having found it and learned it. Pictures work well here. If you learned how to knit a sweater, take some photos of your progress from start to finish and then put some helpful tips on your blog to go with your photos. Show that you are multi-talented, multi-faceted, interesting, damn it.



• Be gracious. Please and thank you are still acceptable in our culture. Don't forget to thank your readers and to say please when you ask them for participation, suggestions, comments, contest entries, firstborn children, etc.



• Have fun. That one should be self-explanatory...if it isn't, you might want to scroll back a couple and find someone who can show you how.

That's all I've got, folks. Thank you for listening and by all means, please let me know if you have comments or suggestions for future blogs...I'd love to hear from you.

rebecca@rebeccabenstonwrites.com.

Until next time...

Bye, Bye Bob

With Bob Barker's retirement from The Price is Right, I have to mark a significant goal off of my list of things I really, really, wanted to accomplish in this lifetime. Being a contestant on Bob Barker's Price is Right was one of the top five things on my list of things to do before I die. It was right up there with meeting Prince and becoming a best-selling author.

I'm really hoping that what I saw on Yahoo! isn't true. If they are, in fact, thinking about replacing Mr. Barker with Rosie O'Donnell, we must rally in protest. Please, can we at least try and maintain a level of composure and class on the set of TPIR? All we need is Rosie berating the contestants when they can't get the Plinko chips to land in the right slots. While I like to throw around sarcasm as much as the next gal, I really don't like to throw stones at people. I don't know Rosie, nor do I have any reason to dislike her, however, I feel that it would be a terrible mistake to let the greatest game show on television morph into another platform where Rosie can stir up controversy.

TPIR is supposed to make you happy when you watch it. I'm just not sure that Rosie can make that happen. She seems so unhappy and bitter these days and she's just not as much fun as she was back when she played in Sleepless in Seattle. I really liked her when she first appeared on the scene, but something has changed in her and it's both unpleasant and unfortunate. Granted, I'm nobody in the grand scheme of Rosie and Mr. Barker and I know that Rosie has alot of fans out there, too. What are your thoughts on who can fill Bob's shoes? Write to me at rebecca@rebeccabenstonwrites.com. I'd love to hear your views on this!

Until next time...

I've definitely been there...

I'm sitting here watching Bruce Almighty while I update my blogs, check messages, etc. I had to stop and pay attention when they got to that part where he turns on the news crew and says, "Back to you, f*!#ers!" I swear, I've felt just that way so many times that I can't even count them.

I need to get together with the person who wrote the dialogue for this movie and see if they can help me bring my Rona Shively stories to life on the big screen. I've been thinking alot about what it would be like to see the movie version of In the Wash. My choice for playing the part of Rona Shively would have to be Pink. She's got the right look, the right attitude, and her music even fits the moods of my character. Wouldn't that be great?

For those of you who have read my stories, do you have any thoughts on who could play the parts of Rona, Norm and even Delvecchio. I've often thought Stallone would make a great Delvecchio and Matthew McConaughey would be terrific as Norm. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Just e-mail me at rebecca@rebeccabenstonwrites.com.

Until next time...