Category Archives: Learning

Believe it, Achieve it!

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“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things!” ~ Napoleon Hill 

Last weekend, as I climbed the ladders to the caves of the cliff dwellings in Bandolier National Monument in Jemez Springs, New Mexico I was fulfilling a dream that for many years I had been wanting to see come to fruition. The ultimate pleasure of all was being able to share the dream with those that I love, my husband and my son! 

It is important to have dreams in our lives! They give us hope, they give us a reason to believe, things to aim for and things to fulfill. Without dreams, we accept life as ordinary and mundane, and we can fail to thrive. 

Before we reach our dreams,  we must first climb the rungs of the ladder! We need to set goals and reach them. Sometimes the steps to success can be fraught with fear, self-doubt and setbacks. The timeline we set for having our dreams come true does not always follow the path we would like it to. 

This weekend, I will be attending my second women’s retreat! Last year at the retreat, our leader, Mary Nelson of www.reclaimyourselfandmore.com  asked the retreat participants to map out, through pictures,  how we saw our lives. I am pleased to report, a year later, the picture of my life, is very different. Some of the images should be exchanged, old for new, some should be revised. Make no mistake, I have moved in the direction I set for myself because I have done the personal work it takes to find success. As I have climbed the ladder of personal fulfillment, I know that whatever I believe, I can achieve. Granted, sometimes change does not happen as quickly as I would like. Sometimes the situation is out of my control, and sometimes not. What is important is that I have learned lessons along the way. 

As time marches forward, so do my dreams!

Pain Free Writing?

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“..sometimes I wonder all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage …” ~ Graham Greene

CNN news recently took a survey and technical writing ended up #28 on the top 50 list for best paying jobs with best growth potential in the coming years. It also ranked as #5 for lowest stress (quality of life) jobs. My interpretation of these statistics is that if you have the technical knowledge in any field, and can write, it is a fulfilling way to make a living. Interested in seeing how other careers rank on this survey? Go to http://bit.ly/3L5eRk. 

However, I do question whether technical writing is low stress. Perhaps to the reader it is – if the writer has done a commendable job of researching then communicating his points and data to the audience. For a writer who is focused on excellence,  writing is rarely low stress. Editing, tweaking, rewriting to get the words to flow just right, so that the reader can easily follow the writing, is no easy task! 

Some of the basic things it takes to become a technical writer is addressed in a new article, Tips on How to Become an Independent Technical Writer.  Please visit http://bit.ly/aIo1L6. 

Are you someone who has technical or educational information to share? Consider sharing your knowledge through independent publishing! Technical writing is applicable in so many fields – cooking, science, coaching, how to paint, draw or sketch, how to play a musical instrument, computer science, medicine and much more! Wherever your field of expertise lies, there are always communities of like minded people who will search and find and buy your book through the internet, the big wide web of information!

 

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Georgia, On My Mind!

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“Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.”         ~Henry Ward Beecher 

Georgia O’Keeffe, on my mind,  that is! All of my friends and family know by the gardens that surrounded my home in Vermont that flowers are my passion. Working in my gardens fulfilled my soul for many hours every spring, summer and fall. It wasn’t until the last pretty perennial was killed off by frost that I would then spend my idle hours reading about flowers from my library of gardening books. The square footage of our gardens exceeded the size of my home. 

In this dry climate of Steamboat Springs, CO I rarely see homes with flower gardens on the same scale that mine were in Vermont. I miss that! Vermonters sure can and do grow flowers, unlike any I have seen elsewhere. The cool, dewy nights give the perennials just what they need to thrive – a nice drink of water. 

Now residing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a new opportunity with regards to flowers has arisen. We are that much closer to an art museum that I look forward to visiting sometime very soon. Our travels to visit our son in New Mexico will bring me close to the area of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. 

I may not be able to pick a posy at the Museum, but, I know my eyes will pop when I set foot inside the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. Once again I will be surrounded by flowers and my art education will continue too!

P.S. Don’t you just love this O’Keeffee poppy? Thanks to my friend, Vesna from Macedonia, this image hangs on my wall, where I can view it all year long.

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Get Behind Them, Encourage!

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“There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come through encouragement..” ~ George Matthews Adams 

Yes! I have finally found a cause that all sides of the political spectrum can agree upon. It is the importance of art and humanities in the lives of children. 

Since 1998, Presidential First Ladies, Republican and Democrat alike, have been Honorary Chairman (chairwomen, to be P.C.) of the Coming Up Taller Awards.  The National Endowment for the Arts has selected their list of 2010 finalists that fulfill the requirements to be considered for this award. All of them exhibit excellence in arts programs for children. 

There are three primary partners in this award:

  • The National Endowment for the Arts
  • The National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services

 This award is not limited to organizations within the United States. There is an international component to this award as well. These awards recognize the good work arts and humanities programs do in providing outstanding opportunities for children to learn their craft, understand the discipline and commitment it takes to become artists and scholars in their fields of accomplishment. 

The deadline of January 29, 2010 is quickly approaching for selecting the award winners.To see the list of finalists for this year, please visit:  http://bit.ly/bVGkZv. 

Meeting the needs of children who thrive in the Arts is so important! When children are supported by parents and organizations in what they love to do, they do stand tall and they thrive!

 

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A Change in Landscape

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“I think one of our main strengths lies in being adaptable, hitting smart, things like that.” ~ Franklin Brightwater

You are business owner. So, have you noticed how the landscape has changed? If not, you had better take heed! It is not a change in scenery due to seasonal weather. I am referring to the marketing landscape. It has stepped from an old season to a new season. One that now includes focus on e-marketing (internet marketing). 

Did you know that 88% of marketers are now using social media marketing as part of their overall strategy?  It is for good reason! Internet marketing generates increased exposure for business, brings awareness to your brand, improves search engine rankings, and helps to generate qualified leads. 

How about you? You are in business to stay in business, and that means changing with the landscape, too. It doesn’t mean you need to do completely away with the old marketing strategies of print advertising, direct mail and face to face selling, it means adding a new dimension to the landscape. 

The principles of internet marketing are the same whether you are selling a product or service. Visibility on the internet is the name of the game! If your business needs help in becoming more visible, do exactly what you always do in this day and age of the internet when you are looking for information, search it! Look for an e-marketing company for independent publishers. They can paint a new marketing landscape for you. One that includes e-marketing!

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Reading in the Boat

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“Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music – the world is so rich~ Henry Miller 

Count me in! The City of Steamboat Springs, CO is embarking on an all-city reading program. One of the classics of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, will be the subject of much discussion over the coming weeks. Added to the already jam-packed schedule of events at the Bud Werner Library will be an official 50th birthday party kickoff with cake and tea, a scavenger hunt to find 10 free copies strategically placed throughout the city, discussions and a culminating event which will include the screening of a documentary about this book, with filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy in attendance. 

My first reading of this classic was in high school, and it has been on my list for decades  for books I MUST READ AGAIN. Here is my chance! With age, wisdom and a better appreciation for good literature, I can’t help but think my second time through will be even more rewarding than the first. 

People in communities travel in the same circles, and many of this city’s citizens will be in the same company – with Atticus, Scout and Boo! Want to learn more about our city’s One Book Steamboat program? Please visit http://onebooksteamboat.wordpress.com and while you are at it, check out www.steamboatlibrary.org, too.

  

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Old Concept, New Location

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“The thing I would encourage you to do is go where your love is. Go where your heart tells you to go.” ~ Bill Billachick 

Are you one of the many who has been traditionally published but for one reason or another wish to do things a little differently this time around? Perhaps you are disillusioned by the way the integrity of your writing can be changed by your publisher. Maybe you are interested in being more directly involved with the sales and marketing aspect of your publication. Is it that you would like to earn a higher percentage on your sales or do you wish to find out for yourself why, according to Bowker, independent publishing grew a whopping 181 percent between 2008 and 2009? All of these are good reasons for making a switch. 

One of the most valuable skills you will need to know as an independent publisher is how to reach communities of people, through social media marketing, who will purchase your book. 

Although the concept of social media marketing may sound “new age”, it really is an old concept, in a new setting. Instead of locating people that share the same interests as you do at church, at PTA meetings, in gyms, in bars, at knitting clubs or through fraternal organizations – you meet them over the internet and communicate with those like minded people. By building relationships, you will locate potential buyers. 

Don’t know where to start? Help is readily available. Search the internet for  e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. Professionals can assist you in becoming more visible over the internet, which will increase the potential for sales of your independently published book all over the world.

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Welcome back, Jonathan Franzen!

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“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Well, well, well – look who is back on the Oprah Book Club list – author Jonathan Franzen! In 2001,  Jonathan Franzen landed on the “O” pick list for his book “The Corrections.” Now he is fulfilling Oprah’s need for outstanding, thought provoking reading with his latest book “Freedom.”

Although the Oprah Show will be coming to a close after this season, her book club will continue on. Over the years, Oprah has created quite a buzz for authors and their books. Millions of readers worldwide participated  in Oprah’s on-line book club discussing new thought leader, Eckhart Tolle’s book “A New Earth.”  For authors such as David Wroblewski, being thrust into the limelight as a first time author with his book “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” had to be a thrill. I personally flat out loved that book!

“Freedom”  will be added to my long list of  I want to read, will someday read or might read books. Perhaps I will move it ahead of the pack, to the top of my MUST read list.  That way, I won’t have to see if it was worthwhile waiting for.  I will know right away! Join me in discovering what the rage over this book is all about. Oprah promises it will be a fulfilling read!

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Weekend Indie Publisher News

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Hurry and Register! October Writers Conferences are coming up, soon! Writers Conferences are beneficial to all writers – seasoned and first time publishers! Click on the links to get all of the details of these popular conferences:

Emerald City Romance Writers – Greater Seattle Area October 1-3, 2010  www.gsrwa.org/conference.

James River Writers Conference – Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA  October 8-9,2010   http://bit.ly/bQ6Aph

Fisherman’s Wharf Conference, San Francisco, CA  October 13-17, 2010 www.fwalgonkianconferences.com.

Florida Writers Conference, Lake May, FL  October 22-24  www.floridawriters.net.

Can’t attend these conferences? You can always tune into “Cover to Cover” each and every Saturday on-line at www.wnzf.com.  There is a wealth of information free for writers and publishers on this radio show.

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Common Clarity

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  “Almost all new ideas have a certain aspect of foolishness, when they are first produced.” ~Alfred North Whitehead

Having good language and writing skills is important for all of us. It helps us to communicate in our jobs, with family, friends and through social media, too! But using lofty, big words that no one else understands can be frustrating and a turn-off for the reader. A book or film with a message that is clearly communicated, is the most fulfilling to me.

If you visited this blogsite yesterday, I am glad you returned today! Yesterday’s blog writing was filled with archaic words that may have left you feeling the need for a reference book on weird, wacky words. It takes time that few readers have, to continually look up words you do not quite understand. I will spare you and provide you with a clear interpretation, right here and now!

The internet is a sciniary( keeper of archives), so it should be able to rally to the task of helping me find the right words. So useful is the worldwide web to writers in so many ways. Without it, I would need to practice the art of scoteography (writing in the dark).  Poets seem to find words that work in the context of their writing, so very easily that I have become a musophobist (person who regards poetry with suspicious dislike). I believe that poets can’t possibly come up with all those magnificent, creative words without extra God- given gifts for language. A gift that was not given to all individuals.

This blog is becoming somewhat naufrageous (in danger of a ship wreck)! If I continue, it will end up a capilotade (hashed together story).You will call me a cumber-ground (someone who is useless in their job) and suggest that I become a bouquinist(a dealer of second hand books).

Does it sound like morology (foolish talking) to you? Well, PLEASE do not discerp (tear it to shreds) unless you have linguipotence (mastery of the languages).

Enough of being inaniloguous (full of idle talk). These words are not drogulus (not able to be verified). They can be verified. I will deliciate (make myself happy) by ending this blog.

In the meantime, I will go try to open some boxes of books, that are hard to get into because they have segilbond (encircling plastic bands that hold shipping cartons shut – you know- the kind that are so hard to remove until you use them as a handle).

A girl just wants to have fun on her new computer, and use a lighthearted start. In coming days this blog will be more recognizable with fulfilling content!

 

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