"How Can You Miss Me If I Don't Go Away?"

I know, I know ... you've been asking, "Where the heck has Brian been?"

Busier than a Van Helsing at a Twilight convention, that's how busy your not-so-humble typist has been!

First of all, I attended the amazing Popeye Picnic in Chester, Illinois in early September.  The people of Chester definitely know how to put on a party!  The town where Thimble Theatre creator Elsie Segar was raised, and where some of the locals inspired many of the characters in the famous newspaper strip.

On State Route 3, welcome home, spinach fan.  (photo copyright 2012 Cookie Morris)

I also got to see Nicola Cuti, filmmaker and former Assistant Editor at Charlton Comics and co-creator of E-Man.  This man couldn't know it at the time, but way back when, he sent me a small pamphlet on comic book production that set me down the path of writing. He was a kind man, just as he was when I saw him at an Indianapolis comic book convention back in the mid-'70s.

The freelancer and Nicola Cuti (R) at the 2012 Popeye Picnic (photo copyright 2012 Brian K. Morris)

I"ll scribble down my adventures on the banks of the Mississippi River later on, promise!  Needless to say, it was a good time, especially thanks to the kind people of Chester and friends like Debbie & Mike Brooks (presidents of The International Popeye Fan Club at www.popeyethesailor.com), artist Ken Wheaton (and his mom), new buddy Donnie Pitchford, and indefatigable hostess Cathy Rinne, to say nothing of the staff of  the Chester Public Library who all made for a great and memorable weekend. 

Also, I've been spending time setting up my business website: www.freelancewords.com.  If anyone tells you that setting up a website is easy, slap them for me, would you?  Granted, I had a template to work with, but it certainly wasn't easy ... although I admit I tend to overthink some things, my website among them, apparently.

Anyway, I am now in business.  My specialties are copy writing, multi-media scripting, and e-publishing.  I've spent a lifetime learning this stuff, now I can put my talents to use for you, your company, or your friend's business.  Please feel free to pass on the news of my website, which not-coincidentally is named after this blog ... or is it the other way around?  Who knows?

During this time, I collected ideas for future blogs which will be appearing over the next few months.  In addition, I'll be retooling this blog just a bit.  I'll try to add more graphics, keep you posted on Freelance Words (the business), and I'll be serializing my first two e-books.

The first tome will be a non-fiction book on networking and the other is a childrens book that I think you'll all appreciate.  Keep visiting this blog and my website for updates, okay?

Also, I'll be offering exercises for you that I hope will inspire you to kick down the barriers that limit your own creativity.  Plus, they'll be fun!

So what is the tie-in to this blog's theme?  While it was a pain to do -- and at times, I thought I'd never finish and almost gave up -- the final result was worth it to me.  I now have a website that's in MY voice that's delivering MY message to the world.  And as a "living document," the site will grow and change to reflect any changes in my business as well as my own personal evolution.  It's "good enough" right now ... but I know what will make it better, having written and designed the site.

I'd never written copy for an entire sales website before ... just as I'd never blogged before last spring ... but if I didn't try, I wouldn't know if I was any good at it.  Also, by doing this, I learned a lot about my new business -- what to offer, how to describe it and what to not mention -- as well as honing my design skills.

Just because you've never done it before, NEVER use that as an excuse for not attempting something new.  If you are an actor, try directing.  If you script nothing but comedy plays, write a dramatic monologue.  If you paint pastoral scenes, do a pencil study of a futuristic, Mega City One (for your Judge Dredd fans) on a winter's day.

Don't just step outside your box.  Kick the walls down!

Then take the lessons you learn back to your specialty.

Always challenge yourself.  Never stop growing.

So what can you do that will kick down your limitations?  Write me at bkmorris56@gmail.com and tell me.  Or check out the Freelance Words website (and don't forget to visit my friends' links ... tell them I sent you!), hire me for an estimate on a creative consultation, and I'll see you soon with a new blog entry.