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Blogging

Hipstercrite Life, Thirty-something, Writing

My blog died & then it came back & I thought I should write a post

Last week I realized my site was gone.
Kaput.
Sent to the graveyard of neglected blogs.

I contacted my hosting company, Bluehost, who said, “Sorry you missed a payment and your blog is gone-gone. Like, we totally put it on a row boat, set it on fire, and pushed it out to sea.”

Upon hearing that my blog was dead, a calmness washed over me.

I wasn’t angry or sad–I was mostly stunned.

I’ve had this blog for at least 12 years (I’m too lazy to see when I started it) and losing it felt like a little piece of me drifting into the ether. It is the digital record of my early days as a single, emotionally loud twenty-something assistant living in Los Angeles who moved to Austin to become a writer. It chronicles my slow evolution from working three part-time jobs seven days a week to becoming a working professional to meeting my partner (who I’ve now been with for 8 1/2 years) to writing a movie with him to becoming a full-time writer. The blog is also my repository of pop culture ramblings, (more…)

September 16, 2019 by
Hipstercrite Life, Thirty-something

Remember when we used to write super personal blog posts?

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A recent work photo, where I was asked to bring something I love and I brought my NPR tumbler

 

Tonight my roommate and I went down a Gawker rabbit hole, which led to an Emily Gould mouse hole, which led to a “Why don’t I write super personal blog posts anymore?” ant hole.

Refreshing myself with Emily Gould reminded me of the late-aughts heyday of personal blogging, when I and many of my peers spilled our guts through our tiny real estate on the web. But as the years went on, many of us went on to careers that took priority over our blogs due to financial reasons. We also grew out of our twenties, having accumulated spouses and children on our exit, and not finding the time, energy or the inspiration to write about the nitty-gritty of our dramatically different personal lives.

But today…today I decided to write an good, ol’-fashioned Dear Diary post.

And it was way more difficult than I thought it would be.

You see, I’m seven years older than the 25-year-old (more…)

March 24, 2016 by
Writing

Why you should have a blog

Hipstercrite

LinkedIn recently notified me that I was celebrating a work anniversary: Hipstercrite is six years old.

In truth, this blog is seven years of age; it was conceived from a volatile relationship between me and Los Angeles. Eight people read the site then. It was called PlasticLA, and I mostly wrote passive profiles on the men who dumped me (I’ll never forget that one asshole who thought he was James Joyce).

Six and half years ago is when I left my career in Los Angeles and moved to Austin to work on my writing. My first year in Austin I worked two jobs and a total of 60-70 hours a week, but I made sure to chronicle my adventures of being a stranger in a welcoming city. Everything about Austin inspired me; the local community helped revive my creativity, which had laid dormant for the five years I was in the City of Angels.

And I guess I’ve never stopped writing on this damn thing. Some months I’ve written multiple times a week; some months I’ve written only once a week (like (more…)

May 4, 2015 by
Hipstercrite Life, Writing

Anatomy of Writer’s Block

via Three Hundred Pages

Do you ever find yourself staring blankly at the computer screen with a large and heavy brick sitting smack dead in the middle of your right cerebral cortex?

Of course you do. You’re a writer and writer’s block happens all the time.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck ass any less.

The way writer’s block occurs is different from person to person. When many writers find inspiration from any upheaval in their life, I want to retreat into my head and turn away from anything that resembles a blank computer screen or pen and paper. I need structure and normalcy in my life to feel creative, though out of both those things comes nothing remotely interesting to write about. Only in living life do we truly have fodder worth writing.

Having been interested in creating “stuff” my entire life, I randomly find myself in creative ruts from time to time. It often seems that there is no rhyme or reason to the blockages, but I know that is not true. It takes a lot of (more…)

June 25, 2012 by
Writing

When Sharing is Too Much: Tips on Healthy Self-Promotion

Recently, The Austin Post was kind of enough to write a feature on me. It was very sweet of them considering I’m about as interesting as a ADD-tainted squirrel these days.

In the comments someone bemoaned that I “brag too much about my connections” and “whine about turning 30”. I would be lying if I didn’t admit these sort of comments bother the living shit out of me, but I typically get over them in about five minutes (of drinking). Though I don’t think the commenter is correct in that I brag about my connections (having Jeff Goldblum rub his boner up against you doesn’t mean you know him!), it did make me contemplate the nature of over sharing in blogging and social media.

Though I’ve been blogging for over three years now, I’m still learning the rules as to what is too much when it comes to self-promotion. I tended to lean on not broadcasting my accomplishments for my social network to see, but then I realized that most people do. In fact, most people who get ahead do a healthy (more…)

June 15, 2012 by
Writing

How Social Media and Blogging Can Help You Get a Job

As I’ve mentioned before, back in September, I went the freelance writer/social media marketing route.

It’s been such a rewarding and educational experience. To do what I want to do, finally, for the first time in my adult life has been so incredible. Going freelance has given me the confidence in knowing that I’m capable and have something to offer.

However, this time has not come without its down moments. There have been many somber times of me standing by the mailbox waiting for a check or lying awake at 3AM thinking about what kind of taxes I’m going to owe.

Luckily, the work keeps coming in- with the ebb and flow that freelance work does. Sometimes I’ll hear nothing for a few weeks, then a bunch of offers coming streaming it at once. Sometimes the offer is big, sometimes it’s little.

When thinking about the work I’ve received over this time, it dawned on me that most of my work I received through the powers of social media. Facebook, Twitter and my blog. I’m still learning (more…)

January 18, 2012 by
Writing

Using Social Media for Hate

Yesterday, the president of the University of Texas College Republicans, Lauren Pierce, tweeted in response to the shooting at the White House, “Y’all as tempting as it may be, don’t shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we’ve EVER had!” #2012″.

source

Obviously that shit didn’t fly well with the majority of Americans- Democratic or Republican- and Pierce was not only attacked with a barrage of hate tweets on Twitter but the story was picked up by ABC, Huffingtonpost etc.

I was fascinated by this story. Here was this young lady who has a position of power at a reputable university saying such ignorant crap. Her Twitter photo showed that of a bleached blonde with her boobs shoved together and a big toothy smile. Her Twitter profile said she believes in American Exceptionalism. She is a young Ann Coulter. A hate machine, not even thinking about the consequences of running their mouth. I don’t particularly care for her. I don’t like what she said and (more…)

November 17, 2011 by
20-Something, Hipstercrite Life, Writing

When Good is Never Enough: A Dilemma for the Twenty-Something Blogger

I switched my blog over to WordPress a little over a month ago and I love it. Well, actually my wonderful web designer did because I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I mean, I could have maybe figured it out but I resorted back to that illogical fear that I’ll somehow make my blog implode by pushing the wrong button.

I love the options, the freedom I feel in writing multiple posts and the ability to respond to individual comments that the new blog brings. I still need to add some design work, but all-in-all, I’m very happy with the change.

One thing that stinks is that my traffic took a plummet. I’m still trying to figure out why and trying to correct the problem- if that’s possible. It kind of stressed me out. More than I care to admit. A lot of aspects of my writing have stressed me out lately and I hate to say it, but they’re for fairly superficial reasons.

Writing online is both extremely rewarding and mind-f’ing. One post you get a bunch of feedback or shares or likes (more…)

November 10, 2011 by
20-Something, Hipstercrite Life, Writing

How to Become a Social Media Manager

I mentioned two weeks ago that I finally made the leap from 9-5er to freelancer. I’m still acclimating to the change and trying not to feel guilty about waking up at 9:30AM and working in my underwear. Listen, I know that sounds all wonderful-like and you’re thinking, “Shut your face!”, but I have to figure out stuff like getting my own health insurance, paying quarterly taxes and hoping that none of this falls apart, so there.

My freelance works involves two regular writing gigs and one social media managing gig.
It still dumbfounds me that anyone would pay me for my writing. There is this semi-prevalent concern that one day people will call me out on the fact that I can’t write at all. But if I’ve learned anything from my “How to Make it as a Freelancer” research, that attitude is a no-no. Believing in yourself is the only way you’re going to be successful. So far both publications I write for haven’t said, “Get lost, assface!” so I must be doing something right.

The social media (more…)

September 26, 2011 by
Writing

What Makes You a Writer?

When you try to maintain a daily blog, it is easy to lose sight of your other writing goals. Blogging takes a up a lot of time, and if you work a more than full-time job during the day, coming home and writing one blog post is hard, let alone trying to write anything else. Or even tending to normal grooming habits. My eyebrows have retreated back to their 1995 state. When I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I am startled by the large caterpillars crawling over my face, only to remember I forgot to pluck. Five months ago.

There are times where I begin writing the semi-makings of a book or screenplay only to have them abandoned wayside like a Gosselin child. They start piling up in the graveyard of forgotten stories, occasionally seeing a sliver of light when free time and creative spark coincide- which rarely happens these days. Free time means relaxing. Writing can often be anything but. Where some people feel it is therapeutic, I feel that writing is a constant struggle, trying (more…)

July 20, 2011 by