Finding the Perfect Workshop Venue for You

February 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

How do you know when you’ve found the perfect workshop venue? It’s usually when your students ask you to teach more workshops in that space! Now depending on what you teach you’re going to have different requirements for your students. Some of you may even use your own home as your workshop space, but you folks aren’t the people I’m talking to today.

Finding the right space for what you’re teaching is vital for your students to return and for your workshops to remain profitable. I’m currently teaching all of my live workshops at the Center for Excellence in Raleigh, NC and it’s been a fabulous partnership. The Center for Excellence offers tiered memberships depending on how many times a month you will use the space—this is a great arrangement, but there are other options out there besides dedicated workshop spaces—you can also teach at community centers or lifelong learning programs that will take a percentage of your participant fees or pay you a flat rate from your workshops. I used to teach at several of these centers, but have now streamlined all of my workshops at the Center for Excellence because it makes sense for my business.

If You Teach Writing Workshops Here’s What a Great Workshop Space Looks Like

  • The location is good with easy access from major highways and the parking lot is not on a high or low slope. Folks shouldn’t have to pay to park! If it’s possible to meet ADA requirements, the workshop space is on the lower floor or there’s an elevator nearby. At one of my workshops I once had a woman fall down the stairs and although she wasn’t too badly hurt, this incident made me think twice about upper level workshop spaces.
  • There are plenty of tables and comfortable chairs and the room can comfortably hold 20 people. (I know you want big classes, right?) Save your students’ necks with tables, not clipboards!
  • Good lighting is very important both inside the space in and in the parking lot for night classes. I love spaces that have large windows and natural light.
  • There’s a whiteboard, easel and projector available.
  • The space gives you access to a copier or printer when that extra person walks in.
  • There’s a kitchen available with a water cooler and coffee maker.
  • The space is clean, free of vermin and well-maintained.

I’ve been teaching live workshops for six years and can attest to the importance all of these points above. Cost is also something you need to think about and a more expensive workshop space can be worth it if you give a lot of workshops.

Your Turn:

What’s missing off of this list? If you teach workshops, please share some of your words of wisdom with us!

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Top 10 Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way in the World of Blogging

August 8, 2011 by 1 Comment
Today I’m introducing guestblogger, Ashley Acornley, RD, LDN who blogs at Fresh From the Farm, which is packed with useful information about finding nutritious and tasty farm fresh foods in your area.  Enjoy as Ashley shares with you some of her first-time blogging experiences: As part of my graduate practicum project at Meredith College, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and enter the world of blogging. As any of my friends and family members can tell you, I am not a computer-savvy individual. Although I was raised in the era of computers and smart phones, I would much rather write my work by hand than touch a laptop. Nonetheless, as a large component of my practicum, I decided to create a blog entitled, “Fresh From the Farm.” The purpose of my blog was to expand the knowledge and consumption of local foods in the Triangle region. To my surprise, my new blog has been quite a success since it has been launched in early May 2011. I have found that my weekly recipes, farmer’s market reviews, and nutrition tips have allowed my followers to become more aware of the benefits of consuming local foods. However, my blog has thrown a few challenges my way, and has consumed a large part of my summer. Since many of you visit blogs frequently, or are bloggers yourselves, I thought that it would be helpful to share some of the lessons that I have learned along the way, so that you can pave your way to blogging success! 1. Brainstorm the content of your blog ahead of time Once you have the title and idea of your blog planned, the next step is to brainstorm a few weeks’ worth of blog topics and content ahead of time. This way, you get a good feel for what your overall theme is going to be. This will also help your readers to determine what to expect from you on a weekly basis. Writing the content of your blog ahead of time is also a real time-saver when you have a busy week and do not have much time to devote to your blog. 2. Spread the word: market and promote your blog I have learned that the best way to attract new readers to your blog is to constantly promote your blog using blog traffic, social media, and local businesses. At first, I started promoting my blog on my Facebook page, Twitter account, and by commenting on other people’s blogs to increase blog traffic. However, I also started to use the old fashioned approach to advertising, which is sending mass emails to friends, family members, and co-workers- these people will always be your biggest fans! In addition, I contacted several local authors, bloggers, chefs, and business owners who were more than happy to advertise my blog. This was probably the best exposure that my blog received, and I am very grateful for it! Finally, I took matters into my own hands by creating my own business cards, so that everyone I network with has my contact information and my blog site for future reference. 3. Be confident in your work! Although it is scary to display your personal thoughts and opinions to the public, do not be afraid to display your work to the world! Your best work is when you are just being yourself. Your fans will love your blog posts, no matter how unique they are. 4. If you are stuck, be sure to seek help This statement can involve moment’s when you are having trouble with writer’s block, designing your blog, determining the direction of your blog, creating catchy blog titles…and the list goes on. It is always best to seek the advice of another individual in order to get yourself out of your “rut,” you may just create an even better idea together! For instance, when I was initially creating my blog, I contacted both my mentor and graduate advisor to help me with my troubleshooting issues on WordPress. Not only was it more time efficient to get quality advice, they also helped me to create some amazing content on my blog! 5. Take plenty of pictures! People are definitely more attracted to pictures rather than text on a blog. I recommend using a camera or a smart phone to take pictures of your subject matter. Always carry a camera or phone with you for spur-of-the-moment events, because these tend to be the best pictures to display! Also, if you are describing a recipe or a “how-to” tutorial, it is helpful to provide a picture with a caption for every step of the way, so that your readers can follow along. 6. Be creative! Always use catchy titles or phrases to attract your audience to have them visit your blog on a consistent basis. Try new fonts, colors, captions, and pictures to accentuate your blog! 7. Increase variety throughout your blog Although your blog pertains to one central subject, try to mix up your content as much as possible. For instance, post interviews, provide monthly guestblogs, review books, explore new recipes, or talk about recent experiences. This will keep your readers intrigued and coming back for more! 8. Always be prepared for the unexpected A large component of my blog involves cooking and baking different meals using local foods, and to take step-by-step pictures of how to make each recipe. However, in the middle of June, my camera unexpectedly broke, and I was not able to display pictures for about one week until it was fixed.  When in doubt, improvise! In this instance, instead of posting a weekly recipe, I blogged about a local Community Supported Fisheries Project in Raleigh, a topic that I feel my readers would benefit from. Although I missed out on one week’s worth of recipes, I educated my readers on additional local food topics that didn’t involve as many pictures as before. 9. Back up ALL of your documents Be sure to save all of your documents and pictures along the way, because you never know when your computer in going to suddenly crash, you lose your disk, or your paper copies get accidently thrown away. All three of these instances has happened to me along the way, and it is not fun to start from scratch again. It is best to save your work to a central drive that does not stray too far away from your computer. 10. What do you think??? What have you learned during the creation of your current blog? Did you encounter any struggles or experiences that you wish you knew ahead of time? Please share them with your fellow bloggers here! Find Out More About Ashley Acornley, RD, LDN Ashley is originally from Philadelphia, PA and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Kinesiology from Penn State University in August 2008. She completed her Dietetic Internship at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC in May 2010 and is currently working on completing her Master’s Degree in Nutrition. Ashley is also an AFAA certified personal trainer and has been training clients for the past four years. She enjoys staying active by participating in 5Ks, triathlons, and other competitive events. She also practices boxing, yoga, and strength training at her local gym. Besides physical activity, Ashley has found a new interest for cooking, baking, and visiting the local farmer’s markets in Raleigh. Ashley is especially interested in wellness and sports dietetics and enjoys teaching her clients how to stay healthy, motivated, and physically active! Ashley’s blog, “Fresh From the Farm,” can be found here
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Guestpost: Cris Cohen, Where To Write?

July 25, 2011 by 2 Comments
Cris CohenToday we welcome a guestpost from Cary, NC author and comedian, Cris Cohen! Cris is going to talk to us today about his favorite place to write–almost anywhere! When people find out that I am a writer, the first question they usually ask is, “How long have you had a drinking problem?” After a few awkward moments of conversation (“Lots of people have Merlot at breakfast”), they will move on to questions like, “Where do you write?” There is a temptation to tell them that I have a wood-paneled office in my house that has walls lined with first editions of Dickens, Hemingway, and “Bomb Defusing For Dummies.” You want to make it sound like a mystical experience involving the full moon and maybe some sort of animal sacrifice, even if you are just referring to barbecue. “Are you sure the ancient Druids used a smoker.” I also consider feeding into the myth by saying I write with a quill, one of those huge ones that you see in movies, the kind that look like they were pulled from a bird the size of a Winnebago. The truth is not quite so majestic, though. I write pretty much anywhere, except, say, while driving. “Honey, I want to jot something down. Take the wheel and let me know when to brake.” Although our house has an office that I use, it’s not like what I described above. Instead, the walls are painted and are lined with paperbacks, signed album covers, and roughly six hundred power cords. I write in the office some of the time, but I can’t spend all day in there. Not that I would mind that. Sometimes my dream vacation involves being put under house arrest. “I carved a slot at the bottom of the door that you can push my meals through.” However, I have to leave the office and even the house for errands, appointments, and to reacquaint myself with things like, well, the sun. Be it out of the office or out of the house entirely, I usually have a notebook with me. Sometimes it is a composition notebook, the type that they give school kids that has a kind of black and white Rorschach design on the cover. “We use these to test if any of the children have been experimenting with hallucinogens.” Otherwise I have a small notebook with me, something that can fit in a jacket pocket. I will then write whenever and wherever I have more than five minutes to kill. This can be: In a doctor’s waiting room, where the only other option is to read one of those celebrity magazines. “How this famous actress courageously got back into shape, relying only on her determination, personal trainer, nutritionist, chef, masseuse, psychologist…”  At a store when my wife goes to the dressing rooms to try on a couple of items. It is either that or walk around the women’s department like a man who is fighting the urge to be a transvestite. While at the mechanic during my car’s oil change. “And that thermos in the lounge contains either coffee or something from Penzoil. I can’t remember.” When my son wants me to stay in the room while he watches a DVD. After all, I am quite happy to sit on the couch with him. But after the fiftieth viewing of a video, I am no longer in suspense about what Elmo is going to do next. So when people ask me where I write, I usually answer “Almost anywhere”. I then give a more thorough explanation about why I don’t have a drinking problem. About Cris: Cris Cohen, the author of the “Nothing In Particular” blog, was born in Buffalo, NY, and grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, eventually graduating from the University of Southern California. After a stint in rock radio in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Cris started writing his humor column for a collection of California newspapers. He eventually gravitated toward the tech world and Silicon Valley, working for companies such as Netscape and Cisco Systems. Cris, his wife Michele, and their young son Max moved to Cary, North Carolina, in 2008. Cris’ blog is available at http://criscohen.typepad.com. Read about how Cris and his creative website to land a job here, from Raleigh’s News and Observer. His first book, Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane, is due out in the fall of 2011. For more information visit www.stayingcrazy.com.  Your Turn: Where do you write best? Do you keep to a certain schedule and if you do, are mornings or evenings or somewhere in between the best time to write?
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