Remember in the Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch of the West caught on fire? Bystander Dorothy did what any concerned person would do. She picked up a bucket of water and tossed it onto her. Sounds logical, even downright heroic, doesn’t it? The only problem with that is it was the wrong this to do. The remedy did more harm than good. I can hear the witch screaming, “I’m melting! I’m melting!” How many times have you experienced someone tossing water on your fire, only to give you a meltdown? Well-meaning people, especially those closest to us want to help us. The try to do what they think is best for us, particularly when it comes to our writing. They say things like, “well, honey, don’t get your […]
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When Things Heat Up, Part One: If You Can’t Take the Heat. . .
Most of the country completely skipped over spring and went right to scorching summer heat. Wow! For writers, June also means getting your manuscript ready to pitch at fall writer’s conferences. This month we’ll discuss the rigors and how to keep your cool when things heat up. I know you’ve heard, “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Well that would be great advice, if you didn’t need to eat. Someone’s got to cook or you don’t eat, right? A better goal would be to learn to endure the heat. Let’s say your heat is not in the kitchen but at a writer’s conference, umm… gulp… in front of all those agents and editors. You can’t very well abandon the kitchen or you’ll never see your […]
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Showers of Creativity Part Four: Go Forth and Create
We’re at the end of the month and you’ve come through three weeks of discovery and planning to give the world the best of YOU that you can offer. That’s quite an accomplishment. I have no doubt the world will be a better place for it. When this series ends and I’m not showing up in your email inbox every weekend, the tendency will be to “get back to normal”. No worries. The thought crosses nearly everyone’s mind. But what will you choose to do when that thought comes? After all, you’ve worked hard over these last few weeks in attempts to wax creative. You deserve a rest, right? Ummm, no. Here’s the thing. If the train isn’t moving, wouldn’t that be a dandy time to jump off and go […]
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Showers of Creativity, Part Three: Develop Your Creativity
Hopefully, over these last couple of weekends, you’ve discovered and embraced your area of creative genius. There’s no greater feeling than knowing you are operating in your areas of giftedness. The question now is do you want to make the greatest impact you possibly can in the world? If so, you need to use your time and resources pursuing those things. In other words, I’m not gifted in the area of voice. I can sometimes carry a tune… if that tune is in a book that I’m moving from one room to the other. My contribution to the world will not be in song. So, if I really, truly want to make a difference, it simply would be a waste of time for me to take voice lessons. I’m not […]
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