The Next Chapter: The Joy Diet

Our next book is The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life by Martha Beck
Start date: Friday, September 18th.

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Welcome to fourth session of The Next Chapter book blogging group, a creative satellite of Jamie Ridler Studios. I hope you'll join us on the journey!

About The Next Chapter

The concept behind a book-blogging group is that a community of bloggers work their way through a book together, sharing their experiences by posting on their own blog and by reading what other participants are sharing. You can choose to share as much or as little as you like. You can join at any time. This blog will be our home base and will host the blog roll of participants. I will be sharing my own personal explorations through the book on my site, Jamie Ridler Studios.

If you have any questions at all, you can email me at jamie(at)openthedoor(dot)ca. You can also check out this FAQ for the book club.

About Our Fourth Book: The Joy Diet by Martha Beck

From the inside cover: "Welcome to The Joy Diet, a menu of ten behaviours you can add to your way of living and thinking to enhance every day's journey through the unpredictable terrain of your existence. You can add these behaviours gradually and watch your life become steadily more vivid and satisfying. Or you can go on a "crash Joy Diet" to help you navigate life's emergencies."

Over the course of our journey we will spend a week each with:

• Nothing
• Truth
• Desire
• Creativity
• Risk
• Treats
• Play
• Laughter
• Connection
• Feasting

How delicious is that!

To Join In:

• Simply sign up in the form above.
  
• You will need a copy of the book. You can purchase it here in Canada and here in the US.
  
• You will need a blog. If you don't have one yet, you can set one up quickly and for free on Blogger.

Timing

• Start: Friday September 18
  
• Finish: Friday November 27
  

Posting

Sometimes at the beginning there's a bit of confusion about what to post when. Click here for a simple schedule.

Badge

If you would like to put up a badge on your blog, here it is:

If you need help with adding a badge to your blog, check out The Next Chapter FAQ here.

Here's to a diet like we've never experienced before!
Here's to a joy-filled year!

Our Schedule

Sept 18: Welcome & start your week of Nothing

Sept 25: Post about nothing & start your week of Truth

Oct 2: post about Truth & start your week of Desire

Oct 9: post about Desire & start your week of Creativity

Oct 16: post about Creativity & start your week of Risk

Oct 23: post about Risk & start your week of Treats

Oct 30: post about Treats & start your week of Play (how cool is it Treats is almost on Halloween!)

Nov 6: post about Play & start your week of Laughter

Nov 13: post about Laughter & start your week of Connection

Nov 20: post about Connection & Start your week of Feasting

Nov 27: post about feasting & celebrate!

The Next Chapter: FAQ

Can I still join?

You are always welcome. You can join at any time.

How much of a commitment is participating?

It's entirely up to you. There is no pressure to participate. You can post once or every week. You can visit a few other blogs, all the other blogs or none. You can write a paragraph or an extended post. Whatever you are called to do is just right.

What's a direct link and how do I post it?

When adding your link to each week's secret, you want to use a direct link. A direct link is the address that takes you directly to the relevant post instead of to your blog generally. For example:

• Direct Link (okay to post): http://starshyneproductions.blogspot.com/2009/01/12-secrets-of-highly-creative-secret-1.html.
• General Link (don't post) : http://www.starshyneproductions.blogspot.com/

To get that url, click on the title of your post and see the new url that appears when you're looking directly at that post.

Scheduling

There’s no hard and fast rule about when to post. Each Friday I will put up a post and create a space for you to leave a direct link to your post. In my experience, the closer you post to the Friday, the more likely people will come and visit. But remember, everyone has their own rhythm. This is supposed to be fun and inspiring. So find what works for you.

All the links are gone. What's up?

On occasion, Mr. Linky hiccups and for a time the links appear to disappear. It usually only lasts a short while and they are all back, intact and ready for more additions. If this happens, come back a bit later to check the status. If after a few hours it hasn't resolved, feel free to let me know, and I'll contact my hero, Mr. Linky.

How do I put up a badge?

If you're using Blogger, the easiest thing to do is:

• Add a Gadget in your Layout.
  
• Choose Picture.
  
• Add the address for the badge you want: http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b38/true-diva/The-Joy-Diet-Badge-120.jpg
• Add the address: http://tnc-thejoydiet.blogspot.com/

For direct HTML, please email me for the HTML code. I haven't yet figured out how to post it without it simply giving you the badge itself.

Do I have to go to everyone's blog? I'd love to but there's just so many people participating!

Not at all. This is meant to be a joyful adventure, not a chore. Let's drop the pressure on ourselves and each other. Drop in and visit when you have the time and don't be hard on yourself when you don't. When you do have a chance, consider a mix of old friends and new faces so that our community can continue to grow with support and connection.

Why aren't people coming to my blog?

Sometimes it can be a simple, technical thing such as not posting a direct link to your post with Mr Linky. If people come to your site and can't find your Next Chapter post, they'll likely just leave. If that's not it, it can help to visit other people's blogs, find ones you really relate to, and connect through leaving comments. Try not to take it personally. Sometimes, it's just a busy week.

If your question hasn't been answered, feel free to email me at jamie (at) openthedoor (dot) ca.