43 things I loved on the internet in May

Even though we have clearly established my non-expertise, I still want to share fantastic advice and resources with fellow writers and dreamers. That’s why I’ve added regular guest posts, interviews, and now, once a month, a collection of links to the best stories, articles, and resources I can find online. In case you missed them, here are 43 things I loved in May (and a little bit of April):

7 Ideas about Writing and Publishing

• J. Steve Miller explains why he gave up trying to build a big social media following and started focusing on other methods of book marketing, in this guest post at the Creative Penn.

• How do you select the publishing method that’s right for you? C. Hope Clark offers an overview of your publishing options to help you answer that question.

• Seth Godin explains why you need not worry about your writing being pirated. (Julie Anne Lindsey expressed a similar sentiment last month about plagiarism.)

• Author Roger Rosenblatt  wrote this poignant essay for the New York Times about what’s it’s like to be “the writer in the family”.

• Seth Godin says promoting ebooks through ebooks is a far more sound plan than it might sound.

• Julie Anne Lindsey passionately confesses her love for people watching — I can totally sympathize, Julie!

• C Hope Clark shares her struggle to find an agent who understood the particular Southern ambiance of her first novel — and why you can never write to please everybody.

3 Tips for Blogging

• After 6 years of blogging, Jeff Goins shared this list of 25 blogging tips that work for newbies or veterans.

• Tom from Leaving Work Behind offered a comprehensive list of tips to help you increase Twitter followers and filter the list of tweeps you’re following.

• Mashable explains how to stay focused and maintain mindfulness in a world of online distractions.

3 Articles about Comedy

• Adrian Nicole LeBlanc wrote this poignant feature about the late Patrice O’Neal, “the comedian comedians were afraid of.”

• My friend, comedian, and fellow blogger Ian John explains how the endless comedy of life gives him the go-ahead to get on stage.

• From packing to flying to rental cars to hotels, by.dana.sitar resident comic Stefan Davis shared his tips for comics on the road.

4 Videos

• Johnny Carson: King of Late Night | This edition of PBS’s American Masters series looks back at the life of the legendary late-night host.

• Watch Stephen Colbert’s 2-part interview with Maurice Sendak, just months before the beloved author’s death earlier this month.

• Marc Maron discussed his theories behind the origins of auto-erotic asphyxiation on Conan May 16, prompting Conan to ask repeatedly, “What’s wrong with this show?”

• 21-year-old Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland discussed her life-long struggle with kidney disease earlier this month and revealed her recent transplant to ABC.

3 Bits of Life Advice

• Alexis Grant explained how reading Chris Guillebeau’s new book helped her find the kick in the butt she needed to finish her latest projects.

• Check out this efficiency hack from Alan Chatfield to help you consume information more quickly.

• Chris Guillebeau says you can figure out what skills of yours are in demand if you just start listening to people.

4 Ways to Boost Your Career

• Thank you, thank you to Kelly Gurnett for sharing these tax tips for the first time freelancer!

• Alexis Grant is the one who convinced me that experimenting with my career is not only okay, but probably necessary, especially if I think of my career as a start-up.

• What do you have in common with Hollywood celebrities? Specialization, says Jessica Stillman.

• LOVE THIS! Pete Leibman busts the five biggest myths about networking, plus shares some tips for doing it right.

6 Things I wrote

For SF Weekly

My weekly column Awkward Silence covers local comedy in San Francisco, plus:

• I was tasked with explaining How to Be a Stand-up Comic in 500 words for SF Weekly’s Best of San Francisco issue this year.

• I also contributed 6 categories to the Best of issue to showcase the best of San Francisco comedy.

For Laughspin

See all of my Laughspin articles here. Here are some of my favorites this month:

• Review of Tenacious D’s ‘Rize of the Fenix’ – Why The D’s newest comedy rock album is better than most “real” rock bands.

• How Larry David Was Bribed into Joining Twitter – The breaking news behind the Seinfeld creator’s 140-character leap.

For SevenPonds

See all of my SevenPonds articles here. Here are some of my favorites this month:

• Taking Control of the End-of-Life – The importance of advance care directives

• Beyond Goodbye – Coping After the Loss of a Loved One - A filmmaker and photographer offers a space for others to grieve and heal after his son’s death.

12 People to Follow on Twitter

for Comedy

I’m always minutes away from tasting my own leg accidentally. — T.J. Miller (@nottjmiller) May 20, 2012

Crazy thoughts for the day: Adele’s not that fat, Justin Bieber is a bitch, ColdPlay’s overrated, & Vampire Weekend’s 2nd album WASN’T GOOD. — Erikka Innes (@nerdgirlcomedy) May 20, 2012

signs that things aren’t going well- 1) you stir soup with a crucifix. 2) your dog meditates, you bark. 3) you google puncture wounds. — eddie pepitone (@eddiepepitone) May 20, 2012

for Blogging and Writing Tips

Working on a beautiful weekend is totally worth it when I can send my completed ebook to my Kindle! #writing — Alexis Grant (@alexisgrant) May 20, 2012

Do you let “the odds” define what you can and can’t do as a writer? bit.ly/KOpdG0 #amwriting #writetip — robertleebrewer (@robertleebrewer) May 16, 2012

It appears that my new superpower is research. I agree – I always thought I´d be a good assistant :) Plus Iḿ an awesome curator. #ohyeah — Jade Craven (@jadecraven) May 19, 2012

for Career Advice

If you’re not embarrassed by work you did years ago, you probably haven’t evolved or developed much. — Chris Guillebeau (@chrisguillebeau) May 14, 2012

How To Skirt Resistance and Become a “Productive Procrastinator” su.pr/2nc5md — Emilie Wapnick (@emiliewapnick) May 18, 2012

Your Graduation Pep Talk: I Feed Myself, and So Can You ow.ly/aTRZ7 — Brazen Careerist (@BrazenCareerist) May 14, 2012

And One Great Quote

Clarity + optimism = a perfect time to make a crazy decision. – Eric Lunsford, Why Successful People Are Crazy – and You Should Be, Too

To get resources like these throughout the month, as well as an endless slew of clever quips and my desperate attempts for retweets and @mentions from people who are funnier and more successful than I am, follow me on Twitter @danasitar.

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