I have so many great ideas for blog posts. So many deep thoughts and interesting observations and funny stories to share. And yet . . . I can’t seem to get them from my mind and my heart onto the screen.

I can’t seem to write.

I’m not sure what the culprit is. Perhaps I have too much on my mind. Maybe I’m bored. Or could it be that I need to switch up my writing strategy?

“Clean off the desk” has been on my to-do list for about two months now. I can get my entire house organized, but that desk foils me every time! But now that I’m thinking about finding a new place, a new time, a new way to write? I think I need to get cracking on that desk.

Where do you write? When do you write? What do you do when writer’s block strikes?

A few years ago, someone very close to me had an emotional affair. I will never forget that person saying, “I wish we’d just had sex. Then I could go ahead and get divorced.”

Until that moment, I had no idea what an emotional affair was, much less how damaging it can be to a marriage or family. Amy Bennett knows, because she’s been there. And now she’s written a book about it.

Entangled: A Woman’s Guide – Recognizing Your Emotional Affair, Restoring Your Marriage is an honest look at emotional affairs and practical guidance for getting yourself out of one. Amy uses what she experienced and learned during her own affair to help other women who are struggling with this issue.

Even if you’re not pursuing or participating in an emotional affair at the moment, even if you’ve never even been tempted to do so, this book is a good and important read. It’s not simply a cautionary tale of someone who messed up. It’s a heartbreaking recounting of something that can happen to any marriage – yes, even yours, even mine – and the beautiful story of God’s redemption.

Here’s a summary from the Entangled website:

To learn more about Entangled or to buy a copy, visit Amy’s website.
 
This is the season of ebooks, it seems. Here are a few other great books my friends have written. Check them out!

Your Best Thanksgiving Ever! This ebook by Tara of Feels Like Home walks you through the planning and preparation of a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Her book includes a planning checklist, a grocery list, a checklist for tools you’ll need and 12 delicious recipes. Get ready for the holidays and make this year’s Thanksgiving your best one ever with this book!

OAMM Holiday eCookbook: Tricia has put together an amazing resource for the ultimate no-stress, planned-ahead holiday meal. The eCokbook includes grocery lists, recipe cards, labels, and step-by-step instructions for serving 8 or 16. By cooking in advance and freezing your holiday meal, you’ll be ready for your guests (and way less stressed out!) before they even walk in the door!

Not a DIY Diva: How to Create an Authentically Inspired Life in a Pinterest World: I love that title! It’s so true that our world creates discontent and competition – with each other and with ourselves. Melissa of The Inspired Room has written a book that inspires us to seek authenticity and find beauty and contentment in the home and life we have. Whether you are a DIY genius or not-so-much-one, you’ll find encouragement to live a life that is authentic to YOU.

Are you an ebook reader? Have you read any good ebooks lately? (In addition to this one about planning parties, that is? Haha!)

Affiliate links were used in this post.

Remember when I said I was starting a new blog called Mama Loves Her Shows? Yeah? It was about two months ago. And . . . I’ve decided to shut it down.

Yes, it’s been fun. And, based on the market, I still think it’s a great idea and has fairly solid financial potential. If only I had the desire to put more time and energy into it.

I haven’t found many television blogs focused on women. And everyone knows that niche blogs are more easily monetized. But you know what everyone doesn’t know? Just how much time it takes to build and monetize a brand spanking new blog.

Even if it is a great idea. Even if you do launch it right before the new season of shows begins. Even if you do come up with a cute title and header and font.

When I started this blog, I didn’t know anything about analytics or subscribers. So I didn’t watch, day after day, as my numbers started small and stayed small. It turns out – that is painful. And kind of an enthusiasm killer.

But even more than the slow start and the realization of how much work it would take to really build an audience for my new blog, I realized – almost the moment I hit “publish” – that television is not my passion.

No, I never thought it was. But I thought I enjoyed it enough to sustain an entire blog. And . . . I don’t. I love TV, but I don’t love it enough.

So it appears that 2011 is the year of trying new things only to quit them. (Oh, who am I kidding? That’s kind of the theme of my entire life! But THAT is a thought process for another blog post.)

Soon I’ll be moving all of the posts from Mama Loves Her Shows to a separate page on Giving Up on Perfect. I’ll still write about TV, and you’ll still be able to subscribe. It will just all be in one place, without the pressure of growing and doing more and tweeting and promoting and all that. It will be, you know, fun again.

Have you tried anything new – that didn’t work out – recently?