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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; writing</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>What Blogging is REALLY Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-blogging-is-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 16:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Style/Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology/Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beginner blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Funny]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leaf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newbie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6541</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is blogging REALLY like? An addiction. I mean, it&#8217;s a &#8220;good&#8221; kind of addiction… but it still takes over your life. You&#8217;re out for a walk and see a cute boutique… Potential blog post? That cupcake you treated yourself to after lunch was super tasty… Blog post! A leaf falls off of a tree and lands softly on the sidewalk… YES, there is definitely a blog post in there somewhere because why are leaves falling off trees in the end of May? Time to get educated. Everything you see and do is automatically filtered through a blogger mindset – can this be revamped to go on the blog?  If you thought you were social media-addicted before, just wait &#8217;til you start a blog that you want the online community to notice. Hello, shameless self-promotion. You&#8217;ll be posting more than you ever thought you would post and doing a ridiculous amount of networking and taking sooooo many pictures because who ever thought you would have to take 100 pictures before you got that angle that&#8217;s just PERFECT? And sometimes it&#8217;s 1000 but, hey, #DoItForTheBlog. As a blogger, my head is always spinning with ideas, so much so that I could not live without a planner, and I know many bloggers who would say the same thing. Gotta write that stuff down before my head gets too full and thoughts start escaping! Blogging is way harder than people think because, if you want to excel at it, you will need skills in photography, writing (especially grammar! Like, please stop confusing your/you&#8217;re, people. You&#8217;re better than that.), business, networking, social media and so much more. I know firsthand that it can be overwhelming and I debated closing my account at the beginning, because no hobby should be this much work. I&#8217;m just not passionate enough, I told myself. But I was lying. Blogging is what I was born to do. And I haven&#8217;t even told you the best part! Bloggers (for the most part) are not all in competition with each other – they are so so supportive! Bloggers help each other out and broadcast opportunities and follow back and will definitely let you know if you&#8217;re doing a super awesome job. No cute detail goes unnoticed. So, yes, my head is spinning with new post ideas and blogging opportunities 24/7 and it takes up about 200% of my free time, but I found my passion and you know what they say (cheesy quote alert) – when you do what you love, you&#8217;ll never have to work a day in your life. Love, Erin from erinfinity.com &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here with the tag “WIRL Blogging”. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed by Erin Hesselink. She is a beauty/DIY/lifestyle blogger from Canada and  loves to connect with people. WARNING: She think she&#8217;s pretty hilarious (direct quote from Erin herself!). She can be found at her website, on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. &#160; &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Mad, Mad World Of Blogging</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-mad-mad-world-of-blogging/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-mad-mad-world-of-blogging/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[editing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life of a blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It has become somewhat of a whispering joke amongst family members. Oh, look at her! Maybe this is the year she gets a REAL job! The truth is that bloggers work hard —DAMN HARD — probably harder than most. We are writers, editors, proofreaders, and pimps: hustling our lives and submitting our stories for the sake of personal gain. We are also critical of ourselves and thick-skinned because we have to be, which often makes it hard to face the keyboard, but we do. And we do it all for minimal pay with little time to second-guess our strategy. We are also critical of ourselves and thick-skinned because we have to be, which often makes it hard to face the keyboard, but we do. Starting out, I had no idea what to expect —still don&#8217;t. Every day delivers a new set of skills and I take each one with pride. I have learned how to build a website from scratch, design my own comics, promote on social media, support fellow bloggers, and triple check spelling and grammar like a boss. Even so, I still don&#8217;t know it all. In the past two years, I have built a foundation for what is to come and in doing so have made friends for life. You see, blogging isn&#8217;t just another job; it is a way of being. And those of us who get to wake up every day and do it are the happiest people you&#8217;ll ever want to meet. Hello, my name is Lisa. I am a mother, writer, blogger and juggler, and there is nothing about blogging that I don&#8217;t love. &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here with the tag “WIRL Blogging”. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed by Lisa René LeClair, who is a writer, humorist, social media junkie and, most importantly, a mother. When she&#8217;s not giggling with her pint-sized Protégé or pretending to sign autographs in front of a bathroom mirror, you can find Lisa sitting at her desk; wearing coffee stained pajamas and a shit-eating grin… Living the dream. You can contact Lisa at Lisa@sassypiehole.com.  &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>What Motivates YOU? Here&#8217;s My Story of What Motivated Me.</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-motivates-you-heres-my-story-of-what-motivated-me/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-motivates-you-heres-my-story-of-what-motivated-me/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2015 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alessandra Macaluso]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Style/Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wedding planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weddings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4925</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; This is my story of what motivated me. I felt like I didn&#8217;t have a choice, this needed to come out. What motivated you? What&#8217;s something that you didn&#8217;t pick, but instead IT picked YOU? After my husband proposed I remember feeling blissfully happy; sharing the news, celebrating with friends and family, and walkin’ on clouds, viewing everything through my bling’d out, rose-colored glasses. What I also remember is being really surprised at what I hadn’t prepared for when it came to actually planning the wedding. We attend weddings, but don’t see “behind-the-scenes” until it’s our turn. When that curtain cracks open for us and we excitedly peek behind it, out of nowhere – BAM! – we are hit with a giant sandbag swung from the rafters full of financial stress, pressure, and relationship challenges. And when I say ‘relationship challenges’, I’m talking about alllll your relationships: family, friends, business (because get ready, you’ll have lots of contracts to sign), and the postman, who is already a) assuming he’s invited and b) requesting you “don’t seat him in the nosebleeds”. There were many stages of wedding planning during which it became glaringly obvious to me why people elope. The race to measure up, keep people happy, stay financially stable, and balance all the moving parts can cause a slew of unforeseen obstacles and tricky situations, and most of this will naturally fall on the shoulders of the blushing bride-to-be. When the wedding planning began I suddenly felt that I’d stepped onto a malfunctioning factory conveyer belt that seemed to get faster as it progressed, operated by individuals who had apparently slugged one too many mimosas. People were standing by at their stations along the assembly line ready to package me up: the dress, the venue, the cake, and the opinions. Oh, the opinions. My head spun. I attended a bridal show, and wondered where the striped tent was above it all because it felt like a circus. “Take this to lose 40 lbs. before your big day!” “Register with us and get your free cake-mixer-slash-nose-hair-remover that you surely can’t have a happy ever after without!” “Your wedding will not be perfect until you get this undergarment designed to help hide all your back-fat! Our must-have wedding day accessory, inspired by Spanx and Satan, will hide away all your – wait, you didn’t know you had back-fat? Well thank goodness you came today so we can save you from looking like a giant sweaty wildebeest spilling out of her dress! You won’t be able to sit down or breathe, but that’s okay, because you will look breathtaking.” (*GUSH*) And the surprises kept coming. Suddenly, certain people whom I never thought had it in them were competing and comparing. My ring became an object of scrutiny and silent judgment. Expectations crept in, along with “to-do” lists. If I was the one getting married, why did it feel like I was throwing a wedding for everyone else? I couldn’t believe how overwhelmed I felt! I was grateful for our wedding, and there was much beauty amongst the chaos. So much beauty, and so much love! But the reality today is that planning a wedding is a pressure-filled, emotional time, and navigating through while keeping your sanity, finances, and relationships intact is like trying to complete a triathlon with no training. You may cross the finish line, but not before collapsing a few times while gasping for air (and maybe losing your wallet along the way). I thought I might have been better prepared – maybe even done things differently – if someone let me in on the “real deal” of what to expect, and it prompted me to write about my experience. What started as a small article that ran in a local magazine evolved into a book, The Bitch’s Bridal Bible, filled with stories from former brides and grooms, interviews with therapists, hilarious anecdotes and nuggets of wedding and marital wisdom reminding today’s bride to slow down, breathe, remain true to herself, and keep the focus on what it’s really all about: celebrating the decision to spend the rest of your life, with the love of your life. That you can in fact do things your way while remaining happy and keeping your relationships healthy, and that there are plenty of alternatives to side-stepping the faulty conveyor belt. If you’re planning a wedding you’ll likely encounter some of the obstacles that are inevitable along the way. But at least now you can enter the race with some training under your belt. I’ll be on the sidelines, cheering you on. I’ll hand you a towel and a bottle of water. And I certainly will not try to sell you a god-awful undergarment from hell. Promise. &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Be Careful &#8211; and Thankful &#8211; What You Wish For</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/be-careful-and-thankful-what-you-wish-for/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/be-careful-and-thankful-what-you-wish-for/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 18:30:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Philip Deal]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3540</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[  Years ago, while living a life that is very different than the life I&#8217;m living now, a writer whose opinion meant a lot to me (both then and now) told me that a story of mine I had asked him to read was, well, let&#8217;s just say I&#8217;ve heard nicer things said about ax murderers. &#160; I was so agitated by this writer&#8217;s criticism that I stormed to my writing desk, saying You want something interesting? I&#8217;ll give you something interesting, and then fired off the first part of a novel that would shape my life for a long time. &#160; The arts &#8211; whether writing or making or playing an instrument &#8211; have a power all their own, and in a letter I shared with friends and family, just a few nights before finally finishing this novel born from anger, and then eventually nurtured by love, I did my best to describe the greatest gift that art has given me. &#160; Read To My Friends A Few Days Before Finishing OHM ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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