What Does It Take To Be A Good Writer?

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

Don’t Waste Time Trying to Please People. -Stephen King.

Wanting to do their best work, new writers are naturally anxious. They ask questions. They probe. They Gorge. They sweat. It’s hoped they sweat while writing and not about how to start. Stephen King in his memoir titled “On Writing” stressed don’t waste time trying to please people. Indeed this is applicable in many situations as individuals attempt to develop their own Identity.

In a public authors forum, the question was asked “What does it take to be a good writer?” Writers chimed in. Here I share a few of their responses.

Writers…On Writing

  • Read a lot. Write, write a lot
  • Patience and Perseverance
  • Finding the connection between your soul and your writing hand. It will require a number of disciplines like grammar, voice, tense and genre. But the key is opening your spirit to the process…

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Success. Your 7 Determinants…

All you need to know is that it’s possible.

Success. We all strive for it. In talking to a group of new college grads as they contemplate the next steps in life, their dreams and goals differed. Common was the the ideal job, home ownership, beautiful car, marriage, and family to name a few.

But though Success means different things to different people, here are 7 determinants involved in the pursuit of success:

    Dreaming
    Planning
    Hard-work
    Dedication
    Determination
    Commitment
    Resilience

Of the 7, how many do you possess? Which are you best at? Which do you need to improve? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

New Entrepreneurs. The Goals And Dreams Carried…

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For the months I carried you, growing inside of me...

For the months I carried you growing inside of me… Entrepreneurs  know the travails of starting and growing a business. The challenges associated with carrying a business from incubation to reality. It’s no easy task.

Career transitions, college students, and goal seekers all know how difficult it is to carry the burden of studies to get to the finish line. It’s no easy task.

Parents know how difficult it is to bear the burden of the change in lifestyle as a newborn is expected. It’s no easy task.

Let’s not forget authors whose stories became known from a dream, to a thought, to a page, to a book. Published! It’s no easy task.

So it is with whatever we put our minds to. Whatever we decide to do from idea, thought, dream, goal… it is not going to be easy until it becomes a reality. Success involves dreaming; it involves planning; it involves hard work; it involves dedication, determination, commitment, and most of all resilience. Many are the athletes whose stories have been told of the journey that they had to embark on and overcome. Not only days, months but for many years, athletes stood the test of time to achieve their goal. They were able to achieve because they stuck to their dream.

Today whatever your dream is … don’t give up. Strive, put in the hard work; put in the dedication, put in what needs to be done, and your success is inevitable… however you define it.

Need help? Lets connect.

Cheers!

101+ Empowering Quotes For New Entrepreneurs..,

Books and Books, MIA

The dream became a reality.

Such a joy to receive the first copy of my new book 101+ Empowering Quotes For New Entrepreneurs. So fitting to have it by my fav HGTV’s Fixer Upper Author Joanna Gaines.

Be among the first to Get yours

Cheers to your success!

The Comforts Of The Zone…

Life is hard for two reasons: Because you’re leaving your comfort zone; or because you’re staying in it. Lori Harder

To Wither. To Flourish. The Choice…

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We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals. ~Steven Covey.

I was chatting with a colleague recently about a celebrity who showed the withering signs of drug abuse. A successful actor he was, then began his downward steps to deprivation. One taste, one touch, one excuse rationalizing …doing it only once. His curiosity sparked, then began his trek.

To Wither means to lose force or vitality; to become diminished; wane. On the other hand, to Flourish means to grow well; to be healthy, to be successful, to hold up and show something in an excited or proud way. Which do you choose?

In life we can’t always play it safe. But we must be wise. We must know which goals to pursue; which friends to keep, which decisions to make. Once done, we must take responsibility for our action.

To be successful, one has to take risks. So be wise. Then step out into the unknown. Who knows, anything can happen. Dream. Believe. Achieve. Flourish.

Cheers!

Someday I Will…

Never give up; for even rivers someday wash dams away. ~Arthur Golden

Someday I will do this. Someday I will do that.

How many of us often sit or live at the ‘wishing well’ that someday I’ll do this, or that. Someday I’ll get that perfect body. I’ll have that perfect house, job, spouse, marriage with the perfect kids; go on that dream vacation, and much more! Oh if wishes were horses so many would ride.

Someday is Today

Why not let someday be today? I reflect on the movie Hidden Figures where each of the three women at NASA — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into space.

The inaugural team at NASA decided to step out and do something that was never done before. From the astronaut, NASA’s president, the judge, and naturally the women. They all stepped out and did something different. And guess what? It worked! Their efforts changed the world (well outer space– orbit)!

Start Here. Start Now

Why not let your someday be today? Start here, start now. Step out. Go do that thing that you’ve always dreamed of. Become an entrepreneur! Write that book! Enrol in that course! Start that blog! Take that vacation! Leave that stressful job! You are capable. You never know what’s out there unless you try.

May your someday be today.

Cheers!

Books. The Gift Of Motivation…

So many books. So little time.

 

Steal away for a few and join us at the local BookSigning. Plan to get stocking stuffers for the readers in your life at work, school and more. Not in the area and Can’t make it? Get your copies here.

Travel. It Makes A Difference…

Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.” – Anthony Bourdain

If You’ve Always Done It That Way…

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If you have always done it that way, you’re probably wrong.

The ‘Very’Alternative For Those Who Write …

Style means the right word. The rest matters little.”
—Jules Renard

 

Remarkable resource shared in an Authors’ forum. Great ‘very‘ alternative for those who write.

My Favorite Author Is: Readers Tell All…

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A book is a gift you can open again and again. ~Garrison Keillor

Barnes and Noble asked Readers to identify who their  favorite Author was and the reason. Here I share excerpts as Readers chimed in telling all.

  • Sarah J. Maas because characters are one of the most real and complex characters of all time because
  • Sarah J Maas, because she tells stories of strength, epically and fantastically, and the writing is like music; just as amazing as any symphony.
  • Cassandra Clare. Her books inspired me to write more stories, and not stop loving books
  • My favourite write is Paul Coelhobecause he impresses me with each sentence and teaches me a lot, both about life and writing
  • J.K. Rowling, because she wrote Harry Potter
  • Megan Whalen Turner because I love her characters.
  • Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, his books changed and inspired so much my life that I decided to translate them in Italian! Such a blessed decision
  • J.K Rowling because she gave us the greatest Wizarding World
  • Stephen King because his talent is bottomless – as is my fascination with everything he writes
  • Agatha Christie because she gave me Hercule Poirot, the greatest detective in the world
  • Danielle Steel because she’s a master of romance
  • My favourite author is Andrzej Sapkowski because he got me thinking outside the box.
  • Danielle Steele because she keeps me entertained the whole book through.
  • My favorite author is John Green because his books are filled with mysteries and I love his way of writing.
  • Shakespeare because he is just timeless. Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte because when I read their books they take me to another world and the women in their stories are strong and what ever they dream of doing they do and that inspires me to be and do what I want to do.
  • Elizabeth Gilbert, because she wrote one of the most inspiring and life-changing books I’ve ever read.
  • Jane Austen, because her books are an insight into characters who we can relate to from a time when people and places were different.
  • Madeleine L’Engle is my favorite because she was able to write for a range of readers. She wrote children’s books, YA, adult, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. My second favorite is Jane Austen. Her works transport me to the nineteenth century in England, which is my favorite setting to read about.
  • John Hopkins because Lost Cactus is awesome!
  • James Patterson. He thought what life is about… I lived through his stories.
  • Truman Capote because he somehow makes beautiful stories from such simple words.

So who is your favorite author and why? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

 

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