5 Ways to Slay Boredom During a Zombie Apocalypse (pt. 4)

Alright good people, we are very close to the end of this series! Hopefully my previous lists have been helping with your boredom, or at least given you some clarity on who and what exactly "Rick and the gang" is. For this session, get your Michonne on, pull out a mini version of her katana sword, and get ready to cut up in the craft realm. While these ideas don't necessarily require all that, we can hold on to the dream that we too will look as awesome as Michonne, while we're at it 😎.... 

4. Create Something Great (via You)

Because the notation of “creating” can be so vast, I have broken this section down into 2 parts (with sub-topics), that will hopefully lead you to the beginning of something great!

Digital Content 
If you have a business or even a hobby, you should definitely take this time to make a website, social media page, or even a podcast for it. Below are some of the benefits and differences of each.
-Website: Sites such as this one (Blogger), along with others such as GoDaddy and Wix, will help you to get started on a website. While these sites are fairly easy for me to navigate, I would suggest watching YouTube videos and reading information on how to use each, the pros and cons, etc. before making a solid choice on which is best for you. Note, that while some of these are free to use, some of them have more features if you are willing to pay for one of their plans.
         Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash

-Social Media Page: If you are looking for something that may be much easier to set up, consider starting a social media page instead. I have both an Instagram and Facebook account for this blog, and I will say that while I make sure to stay updated on here—as far as reading comments, responding back, etc.—it is much easier and convenient to work with apps. You can customize your settings more, use hashtags to draw your specific audience, along with so many other perks.  

-Podcast: While I have been looking into adding a podcast feature to this blog in the near future (wait for ittttt...), this is an area that I have yet ventured into firsthand. Nevertheless, I thought it was worthy of an honorable mention, because many people are starting to use podcast more and more. Whether you create a podcast by yourself, with a friend, or have one that features guests, there are so many possibilities with this option, that a website or social media page, simply does not have.

Some sites have subscriptions where you have to pay for so many minutes/hours per month, nevertheless, people have used sites/apps such as YouTube, IGTV, Anchor, to host their podcast for free. I do want to note that depending on some of these sites/apps, the content you upload can become owned by that sites/app—meaning you no longer have the rights to your podcast. Thus, make sure to do your research when searching for podcast hosting. A simple YouTube search of how to start a podcast, how to start a podcast for free, etc. will quickly yield information on what options will work best for you. 

Written Content

There are so many possibilities when it comes to this option; you can write something as creative or simple as poetry or a diary; or write something more complex, like the start of a book or prayer journal. Here are some ideas to get you started...

                                                                                             Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

-Poetry: The great thing about this choice is the fact that it can be quick and simple. You can dedicate a specific notepad to poetry pieces, write only when you feel like it, and don’t have to feel rushed as far as a deadline. If you want to get even more creative with this, @nanowrimo is a writing account on Instagram, that has been hosting Instagram Lives, in which they give viewers writing prompts that they compose in the comfort of their own homes. These prompts can easily turn into poetry pieces or even bigger works. Also worthy of noting, the account just launched #campnanowrimo today, so be sure to check out their account to learn more.

-Book: This is a venture that I actually started months before our apocalyptic lockdown: writing my 2^nd book. If writing a book is something you are interested in, there are many resources on the web about writing a book, publishing, publishing for free, etc. that can really take the stress off of this seemingly daunting endeavor. 

First, there is the marvelous woman who helped me to self-publish my 1^st book with her writing course, ReneeBobb—also known as “The Book Publishing Lady.” With her help (and empowerment coach, Jazzy Sdlihc), I published my first book. Since everyone is stuck in quarantine due to the virus, Renee Bobb is actually hosting a webinar series on publishing and promoting a book. It is free and starts today (I just learned about it), so be sure to sign up. Trust me when I say you won’t regret it!

A second resource that I’ve been using since before these quarantine days started, is a book which I strongly suggest: Angie Thomas’ new book-writing journal, Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal forWriting Your Truth. This journal has been extremely helpful and is definitely worth buying, with all the tips that are included. It really is a step-by-step guide to get you to the very end of your 1^st draft.

-Business Plan: I put this one in here as an honorable mention, because it may be a little lengthier and an ongoing process, but If it’s something you’ve always wanted or thought about doing, now is certainly a great opportunity to do so. From my time of working as a researcher/consultant for the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC), one of the most important things I learned is that writing a business plan does not have to be a super hard, complicated piece of work. You start simple, then branch out into each step, building on little by little. Your business plan does not have to be perfect, but you do have to put some work into researching your idea. Thankfully, the TSBDC has a lot of free resources that can get you started. Click here to check them out.

              I hope this section has given you some good ideas to get your creative juices 

           flowing! The final part of this series drops tomorrow, be sure to subscribe to 

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