Elvis and Princess Di Tell All!

Maybe I Should Write Better Headlines?
DATELINE VALRICO - ”ELVIS PRESLEY AND PRINCESS DI JOIN PRAISE TEAM AT LOCAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH!”Some opening, huh? I wonder – and I’m not pointing fingers – how many people actually clicked on this post because they simply couldn’t resist the words, “Elvis”? or “Princess Di”? Of course we all know that Princess Di was C-of-E (Church of England), and that Elvis likely wasn’t a Presbyterian, but The King is the all-time #1 most successful tabloid news-lead keyword, and Diana runs a close second.
Every day I’m curious to see which of my posts people click on and read, and to note what gets passed around beyond my usual circle of readers, and then to wonder why some content gets completely ignored!
I’m actually getting enough hits now to generate some interest from advertisers, but so far I’ve said, “Thanks but no thanks.” Because I’m really not interested in either carrying ads or embedding pre-paid URLs in my text. If I recommend a link – such as the one I often include to First Presbyterian Church of Brandon, or an Amazon.com book page – you can rest assured that it was my idea and not from somebody else.
TABLOID SENSATIONALISM: A lot of people only click if they’re pulled in by the title, and I guess I could work on more compelling headlining for my posts. I used the phrase “London Riots” a couple of days ago and pretty much doubled my readership for that entry. But, again, I want to be accurate. Spiking my numbers via sensationalism would – to my way of thinking – run counter to my core message. I want people to visit this blog confident that they’re always going to read something relevant to the fundamental notion of living a “Life-Charged Life.”
This morning’s musings, then, appear to be keyed in to the “What’s the point” question; or, “Why am I doing this?” I’m writing – as I do every morning – to connect with my Muse, and to discover my creative direction for Thursday, August 11, 2011.
Today, as is typically the case, I really don’t know what I’m writing about until after I begin – my direction tends to reveal itself once I get under way. There’s a solid lesson in that thought. How often do we fail to even launch because we want to know all the details before we get started? But – and I know this is an old illustration – you can’t steer something that’s not under way.
I honestly believe that, most of the time, what God is most interested from me is a little forward motion.
Me: “Where are we going, Lord?”
God: “I can’t say it matters that much, Derek. I’d just like to see you move off your rear end once in a while…”
Me: “All-righty then….”
Err, that’s my cue to exit. But I think I know where I’m going with today’s chapter in my new book - DEREK