Category Archives: writing and publishing

Wrap Up: Writing Process

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First Step: “Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.” ~Melinda Haynes

Last Friday I gave a presentation about independent publishing and my newly released memoir to the Yampa Valley University Women. As a way of concluding my presentation, I mentioned how much I loved every part of the writing and publishing process –

  • the creative

  • the daily discipline of writing

  • bringing the voice of my stellar character alive for the reader

  • the end result of the feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction for having done it

Having a regular writing routine is easier for some than others, but for me I am a very disciplined person, so regular writing was not difficult. Authors have their own ways of motivating themselves to start, stay on task and seeing a project through until the end.

Inspiration-to-writeHere is an interesting article that I came across that speaks to tactics that some very well-known authors have used to tackle the problem of how to be successful in finding time to write. http://bit.ly/1fPjdd0 .

Some people go to all lengths to motivate themselves. I consider myself fortunate. All I have to do is sit down to the computer put my fingers on the keyboard, and pour my heart out. I don’t second guess myself until it is all out on the paper – it’s that easy! Then comes the editing part. Well, if I must be honest ….that’s a different story.

Do return tomorrow. We are going to switch gears.  I have “twin issues” on my mind that I will share with you. This blog brought to you by http://www.AllThingsFulfilling.com,

 

Baltimore Nostalgia Time

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Today on All Things Fulfilling: A visual look back at iconic images from my growing up in Baltimore.

Oriole CafeteriasReads drugstores

Berger cookies

Smyth

mary sue easter eggs

DR28_TimoniumAd

61outXDZsKL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_welcome to baltimore hon

That was a fulfilling journey revisiting my childhood through images this morning. Last summer when I was back in Maryland for an extended visit, my mom bought me a box of Berger’s cookies. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

As the stellar character in my memoir often stated to my mother after having eaten a box of  Berger cookies –

“Dem’s was da bestest, Miz Battoney!”

Indeed, being given a  surprise box of Berger cookies is as satisfying of being given a Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected!

In coming weeks we will be hunting down more images of Baltimore memorabilia… Stay tuned to All Things Fulfilling!

Sharing Sisters

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There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”  ~ Maya Angelou

“Set still, chile,” said the stellar character that you will learn a lot about in my upcoming book as she fed our little brother his lunch. Our mother had run to the store to get a gallon of milk and the woman, the star of my story, had been given the task of watching over us kids as we ate our lunch.

“What did yo’ sisters give ya?” she asked my brother, “a bunch of dem squiggly wigglies in your pants? Dem girlies is always carryin’ around dem squiggly wigglies deh dig up out da Earf. Must be God give us dem creatures for a reason, but I ain’t knowd what it is. My preacher man ain’t read me dat part yet from da Greatest Story Ever Tole.”

What a character! She was talking about the worms my sister and I always dug up out of the garden and shared with each other.

When my twin sister and I were little we always thought everything should come in pairs like we did and like the animals in the story of Noah in the Bible. When we only had one of something, my sister and I always shared it. We’d pull a worm apart until we had two equal pieces. Yes, I know – how cruel! But give me a break – we were only two little children. All we could think was that it wasn’t fair if one of us had something and not the other.

My twin and I shared everything and had utmost trust in each other until we became teenagers and when it came to clothes. We never trusted that we’d get things back from each other in the same condition as when they were lent out. But, have there ever been teenage sisters who have been good at sharing clothes?

Trust, attachment and caring are all inside the pages of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. But, the real treasure in the story will come from the enlightenment you will find through the unique perspectives and colorful dialogue of the stellar character.

lifes a garden dig it

Don’t miss out on the MP-3 audio book version of “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” when it comes out! This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Star Time

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Fulfilling feelings are the best words I can find at this moment to describe how I felt on Saturday as I shared the proof copy of “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” with the attendees of the monthly Colorado Independent Publishers Association meeting.

At each monthly meeting there is “Star Time” – the opportunity for authors to take the stage, with microphone in hand, and make announcements of book signings, accomplishments, new publications and the likes. I am usually the observer. My chance always comes each month when the associate service providers to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) stand and give a short description of how their company serves the industry of independent publishing. That’s the group I am accustomed to standing along side.

Finally, this month, I was in both line-ups! As a newly published author and a service provider! Hard to describe my feelings of accomplishment! Yay!!!

celebrate accomplishment. jpg

Have you recently published a book and are looking for a little “star time?” There is nothing that says “STAR” better than winning a book award. The Colorado Independent Publishers Association is accepting non-member submissions to their annual book award contest, “The EVVYs.” For information on contest rules, and submission fees, please visit www.cipacatalog.com. You have until May 16th to submit! But don’t wait until the last minute!

This blog brought to you by www.AllThingsFulfilling.com. See you tomorrow –  over the next two days I will be sharing stories that are just a little messy. But I may as well take ownership, they are part of my personal history and story.

Roads toward Building Community

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Tomorrow it’s time to head to Denver for Saturday’s monthly CIPA meeting (aka Colorado Independent Publishers Association). This month’s educational focus will be on social media marketing – attendance should be high. There are so many authors and publishers who want to know more about selling and marketing books effectively over the internet. I will be heading up a roundtable discussion on Taking Facebook to the Next Level, beyond the basics of using Facebook to promote independent publications on the world-wide-web. I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge.

I’ve got my work cut out for me on the three hour drive from where I live to Denver. I will be listening to my own audio book recording of “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” The recording has been edited but I’ve not had the chance to listen from beginning to end for any glitches.

helping othersThis is a good time to give a shout out to ColoradoMountainCollege student, Bryan Dow,  who was so helpful to me throughout the recording process. He edited my audio recording quicker than I could have ever expected. It was his first job at editing an audio book, but he has a wealth of experience with the program. Among his already deep curriculum vitae “c.v.” is the title” musician” so uses the software frequently. I enjoyed getting to know this college student a little bit. Someday I hope he tells his own story through an independently published book, film or music or perhaps a multi-media publication. He is working on a fascinating project, while trying to balance a busy schedule of work, study and building a future for himself.

It’s a wonderful thing to have people in this world who are whizzes with technology and can do great things with their hands, creativity and intellectual talents. Thanks again, Bryan, for lending me a hand, and helping me with the production of my audio book (in MP-3 format) “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” You are a person who can help build community in many different ways with your diverse talents. I am glad our paths crossed.

See you back here on All Things Fulfilling on Monday! This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Songs Stir the Memory Bank

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songs and memoriesYesterday’s blog about my experience of working in a factory in Baltimore City when I was in high school, stirred up all kinds of fulfilling memories – particularly of the music of the 1960s.

Here is an image that will bring a smile to many faces, as we look back and recall the place that Motown holds in musical history. This was my favorite album. Oh, how hard my sister and I worked helping our mother with household chores and babysitting just so we could save enough money to buy this treasured album, Love Child by Diana Ross and the Supremes.

What was your prized LP record or favorite song from the Motown era?

love child

I wonder whatever happened to all my Motown albums? They probably got discarded when I went off to college or when my parents moved to a different house.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Oh, To Have Faith

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I have to laugh at my sister. I think she is more excited than I am about my book. Just revealing the front and back cover last week has given the entire family a thrill because I have been very secretive about what’s between the covers.

The other day my twin sent me a link to an article saying “You’ll appreciate this story.  In addition to having common roots in Baltimore along with this featured author, you two share the experience of having been  factory workers. (The link to the story Factory Worker turns Poet wins $100,000 is below.) Yes, it’s true I am now  a published author and I was a factory worker but my prize money has yet to come through!

One summer, when my sister and I were in high school in the late 1960’s we worked in a factory in the middle of BaltimoreCity. The facility handled medical records via micro-film (micro-fiche). My job was to cut and splice the film and stuff the film into plastic sleeves for historical recordkeeping. I worked all alone in a dark room, so that I could see what I was doing.

I was so envious of my sister! She worked in a big bright room next door with six or eight other women. They jived all day long to the sounds of Motown as they labored. So many times I was tempted to ask the boss if I could trade places and jobs with my sister. At the end of the day, my sister kept recounting how the women she worked with got up and danced around the room when a song from the Temptations or Supremes or Four Tops hit their fancy. The women really had heart and soul, evidently.

decision to tryI share this article about the factory worker turned poet who wins $100,000 with anyone out there who has dreams of becoming published:

http://on-msn.com/1cUH8MB.

No matter what you are doing now, it’s possible to add “writer” to your resume. Only you can make it happen! For me, it all started with writing a blog. In today’s world of independent publishing, there is nothing in this world that should stop you.  Dream, take action and find your own personal fulfillment in writing!

Oh, my sister has so much faith in my writing. She says she knows she will love my upcoming publication “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. ” Let me tell you a secret. She will! There are parts of the tale that are uniquely mine but part of the story is hers also!

Look forward to your return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Film Friday: Top Irish Movies

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St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner. A few years ago for the “Wearing of the Green Day,” I featured outstanding Irish writers. If you missed the blog, here is a link to it. https://allthingsfulfilling.com/2012/03/17/irish-city-of-literature/.

 Today on this Film Friday, I thought I’d feature the top ten Irish movies. I’m going to put “My Left Foot,” a story about a disabled artist, poet and writer on my list. I’ve been hoping to see this movie for quite some time now, and still haven’t.Click for Info & Ordering

Here is the list. To read summaries of each of these movies, please go to IrishCentral.com, through this link. http://bit.ly/1dMBPwP.

  • The  Commitments
  • The Quiet Man
  • My Left Foot
  • The Field
  • In the Name of the Father
  • Intermission
  • The Snapper
  • The Crying Game
  • Once
  • Waking Ted Devine

On Monday, Irish writing prompts will be the subject on All Things Fulfilling. I’ll be offering some lead sentences that might just be the thing you need to start writing your tale about Irish gents or ladies who have been in your lineage. No one can tell better stories than the Irish because there are many colorful characters to draw from in most Irish families.

irish limerick

 

 Live, laugh and love! See you back here on Monday. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Thank you, Patient Souls

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St Francis quote about doing few things wellI have always been too good at multi-tasking as most women are. But there are consequences that come with allowing ourselves to do too much.

I think this sign should hang in front of every mirror in every household where there is a woman present. Some lessons are easier learned than others, and this reminder hanging plainly in the face of women might alleviate the guilt feelings that come along  when we CAN’T do it all.

Over the past few years, as I have written my memoir, there are things that I know I am guilty of – having neglected certain people, circumstances or tasks. I apologize! It’s not like me at all. But, I guess since I am only a human being, like everyone else, sometimes I screw up or overcommit.

There have been compromises that have been necessary to getting the “other job done.” I am talking about writing and independently publishing a book. Thankfully, my regrets are few. Penning my story has been most personally fulfilling thing I’ve done in my life.

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, I’ll have a surprise for you that has made my transgressions all worthwhile.

god bless you and thank you

Today I ‘d like to honor anyone who has had to be patient

 with me and who has had to sacrifice, so that I could get the job done!

Signed, Forever Grateful.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com  .

 

Believe it or Not

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 Y'all ain't gonna believe this.Being a twin, my sister and I were partners in crime. Only our silly, foolish double-trouble was more of the innocent kind.

For a child, there is nothing more fulfilling than having someone to pair up with who is also “game” for participating in childhood foolishness – I had that partner in my sister. For instance, once when we had tired of playing with our baby dolls we took up the challenge of trying to diaper two big toads that were leaping about our yard. “Kleenex and mini-sized safety pins, will work perfectly,” we thought. Yeah, I know, “Oh how silly.” An impossible task to achieve, when the toads were intent on hopping around. It kept us busy for a whole afternoon.

The stellar character my upcoming memoir “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” caught us in action. “Lord a Mercy,” she said, “what is ya’ll doin’? Y’all leave dem leapin’ lizards ‘lone. You’ll be growing in all da wrong places if ya keeps on touchin’ dem warts on dem frowgs!” 

Ahhh…that’s only one story that was left out of my memoir. Believe it or not, I’ve got plenty more to tell.  Other tales are  coming on Mother’s Day, when “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” is released.

If you haven’t done so already, go to our new About the Book page on All Things Fulfilling,  you can see the book cover image and read some reviews from pre-publication readers, too.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow!