Writing Retreat. Alone Or With A Group?

As a writer you have to have the three D’s: drive, discipline and desire. If you’re missing any one of those three, you can have all the talent in the world, but it’s going to be really hard to get anything done.

Nora Roberts

An author at a Writers forum asked the question whether to attend a writing retreat alone or with a group. Intrigued I dived in. Here are top responses as authors chimed in with their preferences.

  1. A combination. Alone at first to get some writing done, then others can join after to chill
  2. Always with at least one person, Would never travel anywhere alone
  3. Either. Done it
  4. Alone
  5. I like both. But prefer to have a couple of other writers. That way there is someone to talk over plot points and such with.
  6. Would probably accomplish more alone, but a group is nice too
  7. I have done both. You can also go to the location (Tennessee Williams Writers Festival in New Orleans) with non writer friends who will go off sightseeing and leave you blissfully on your own to attend master classes, panel discussions and book signings. But bring your new writer friends with you to dinner so you have something satisfying and intelligent to talk about.
  8. Both could be fun
  9. Alone but towards the end I want to meet up with a friend for dinner
  10. Writing retreats are so fun with a friend, but the point as in writing is not to have fun, but to be productive. Learn, write, make a few new friends after hours but you are there to write.

I think point 10 sums it all up. Writing is indeed fun but the point of writing is to be productive. Personally, I believe writers write alone but after compile the pieces and celebrate together.

As a writer, what’s your preference? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Bird Attack!

A lil bird! Yep a lil tiny bird. A simple walk to get the cardio steps in, turned into a run for our lives! Sounds funny but it’s true. A little bird perched atop a light-pole swooned in above our heads. It attacked Zeus the dog first as if attempting to pick him up for a quick getaway. When my youngest countered, it went after her. She ran. Then it went after me! What in the world? We galloped running for our lives from a tiny bird! I can hardly believe it.

Life’s Little Things

Has that ever happened to you? A seemingly little thing attacks? We have all been through it when a little flu-like feeling turned the world upside down. We thought it was too little a thing to cause harm. A tiny sound taken for granted causes serious accidents to many on a highway. A newborn changes the lives of many relationships causing you to wonder who’s in charge? A simple mistake on the job has devastating consequences leaving many unemployed.

Yes life’s little things can have a great impact. For the positives we scream with joy! But when the negatives happen, we are thrown off. When fear of life’s little things happen, be confident and know that it will pass. Don’t give up on your goals. Build your resilience and look back at your learnings. Later, you’re sure to bask in your success.

Confused about a life change in your career or new business? Learn how to overcome in the book Ditch It Switch It.

Cheers!

We Are The Caribbean

As we commemorate National Caribbean American Heritage Month, the tribute written by talented Poet Charmaine Allwood-Hanson sums up the history and cultural perspective. Be intrigued as you read.

Charmaine A.'s avatarI Speak. You Read.

WE ARE THE CARIBBEAN
COUNTRIES AND ISLANDS
CONNECTED BY THIS VAST BLUE SEA
PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RACES
RELIGIONS AND CREEDS

WE ARE THE CARIBBEAN
A GREAT MELTING POT
BRED FROM SLAVES, COLONIZERS
MERCHANTS, INDENTURED LABORERS
AND INDIGENOUS TRIBES
CULTURALLY WE ARE SO DIVERSIFIED

WE SPEAK ENGLISH, FRENCH
SPANISH AND DUTCH
PATOIS AND CREOLE
OUR LANGUAGES EMBODY
THE NEW AND THE OLD

WE ARE THE CARIBBEAN
OVER 26 NATIONS STRONG
LET ME NAME A FEW
AS THE LIST IS LONG

WE ARE GUYANESE, BARBADIAN
BELIZEANS AND JAMAICANS
PANAMANIANS, HAITIANS AND GRENADIANS
CUBANS, DOMINICANS, AND ANGUILLANS
WE ARE THE NATIONS OF ST. VINCENT
MONTSERRAT AND MARTINIQUE
WE ARE COUNTRIES, SMALL AND LARGE ISLANDS
WHICH MAKES OUR REGION UNIQUE

WE HAVE MOUNTAINS, VOLCANOES AND TOURIST RESORTS
WATERFALLS, HEALING AND HEALTH SPAS
TOP NOTCH SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES
WE ARE KNOWN FOR OUR DIVERSITIES

WE HAVE MANY HISTORICAL SITES
WE TRADE TOBACCO, SUGAR AND BANANAS…

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Caution: Success and Stress

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies


We often dream of success…however, we define it. But to place a twist on attaining success, one wonders whether the good life is always good. Are the very things that so many individuals strive for, such as a high-paying and powerful job, a beautiful house, a wardrobe of nice clothes in desirable sizes, and a fancy education for children to prepare them for carrying on this way of life: Do these very things turn out to be more trouble than they are worth? In fact, it is believed that the psychological burdens associated with being a low-status individual (i.e., poor) grow lighter as people move up the social ladder, but that is true only to a certain extent. Once individuals achieve more success, the mental and physical health benefits associated with greater affluence fade away. As individuals near the top, life stress increases dramatically, and its toxic effects essentially cancel…

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Dear Intern, It’s All Good…

Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new

Albert einstein

Twitter’s Tales Of Mistakes And Blunders

So many inventions have been made from the blunders and mistakes that we make. The post-it notes was a mistake on the part of 3M setting it aside because it didn’t work for their purpose. Then kudos to Fry who thought it a cool tool to mark his page hymns. It’s now a tool that writers, readers, researchers, teachers, corporate and a gazillion more can’t live without. Keep trying people. If you never made a mistake you really haven’t tried anything new.

Here are a few responses to the tweet. Stay encouraged.

Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com

Fatherhood On Father’s Day…

How Do Dads Do Things Differently?

CNN Headline news posed the question to fathers. Tune into my Conversation with Senior IT Expert Daveyton Blake who is a Father, Coach and Community young adult Mentor. Dads of all kinds will be intrigued by the intense truths explored in this interview.

Listen in now and share with a dad this Father’s Day.

Cheers!

Success Strategies of Caribbean American Leaders in the United States…

Success Strategies of Caribbean American Leaders in the United States is a product of my research on Success Strategies designed to help emerging leaders rise to new heights.

The Book was birthed after in-person interviews with with top industry leaders in healthcare, politics, education, media, aviation and more. Leaders were either first or second generation immigrants from the English and non-English Speaking countries.

Intrigued but don’t have a copy? Snatch yours here and learn the challenges they had to overcome to be successful.

Intrigued? Let’s connect.

Goals. The Power Of The List…

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

Henry Ford

Goals, write them down. Then work them. In a recent post Yendi shared her 10 Goals.
Years ago when I was expecting, I went to Lamaze class where my only child at the time would play with the instructor’s teen, Yendi.

Big Goals

Recently Yendi reflected how she wrote down her 10-year goals. Many reveal that they cannot even think that far. In Yendi’s case her dream was to enter and win the Miss Jamaica World contest. She worked it and yep, she did it! From the entry to the steps to win it … and that she did.

So make sure that your goals are BIG so you can’t miss them when they come through!

How old are you now? What dreams are you carrying. Take the time to write them down. Then once you do, work them and there’s no doubt that you will achieve them. Don’t know where to start? Let’s connect or dive into the book Ditch it Switch It and it will show you how.

An expert? Still write the goals for your next chapter since we’re always growing.

Cheers!

3 Intriguing Post Covid Etiquette …

I’m a hugger! I give hugs. A Hug has always been my mantra to business associates and colleagues. But with the Covid pandemic, not so anymore. A fist or elbow pump or shoe touch had to do. But it’s been hard for huggers and those touchy-feelers. So it’s with great news that the CDC cleared us! Yea. But now we must learn how to properly greet those we meet. Here are 3+ from what those in the news say.

Ask. Just Ask.

  1. Ask just ask. Ask do you mind shaking my hand?
  2. Do an air-handshake. What’s that? It means extending your hand and telling the other person you’re greeting them from a distance (smirk)
  3. Wear a mask. If you feel the need for extra protection, forget about the mass, do what makes you feel safe.
  4. In a place where everyone else is wearing a mask? Do it. The response… when in Rome, do as the Romans do

Yesssss we are still learning the new norm. Hope this etiquette tip that I gleaned, helps. Want to learn soft skills? Check Maxine for more. Any missing from the list above? Do share, we would love to hear.

Cheers!

15 Authors Tell How To Spot A Hater…

A person who has an intense dislike for another person or thing

dictionary.com

A hater is someone who speaks trash…said a 5th grader. This term was not as rampant a decade ago. These days, the media shares stories which spread like wild fire at the click of a button. All you have to do is simply tune into any channel. Suffice it to say, writers on a social media forum was asked to Explain what a hater is or tell their experience. Here are 15 extracted.

  1. Someone who despises anything contrary to what they think is right.
  2. A jealous, envious, bitter person angry at another’s success
  3. A person projecting his/her shortcomings to the other person. Unwilling to accept his/her role in the incident in case it is directed at a person or racist/nationalist when directed towards a skin color or a country
  4. Those who can’t do it, teach or complain
  5. The process by which a miserable and/or failed person attempts to achieve equality with a happy and/or accomplished person not by improving themselves but by ruining whatever achieves beauty or virtue. In short an egalitarian of the latrine
  6. Literary folk who discover you write genre
  7. Those who latch out with with vitriol to mask their fear
  8. One who is experiencing the absence of love – the result of serious disconnection
  9. They are those who are so broken inside that they only find joy in causing pain to others they envy
  10. Someone who repeatedly expresses their dislike of someone or something which dislike is firm and unshakable despite any evidence tending to show its inappropriateness or error
  11. Severe dislike or disgust, abhorrent
  12. Someone whose self-esteem is so low, they can see the good in those who are different from them
  13. A person who due to bitterness, envy or jealousy, looks at others with disdain, being incapable of showing them support, compassion of kindness
  14. A person who is obsessively negative about a particular target
  15. Someone without kindness, tolerance or forgiveness

When Haters Hate Fill Them With Love

It’s crazy that we look at such terms these days. In a recent Instagram post, I shared a quote to which a fellow writer expressed surprise that she shudders to think that there are those who wish to see her stagnate. Sadly, as the above definitions show, there are indeed many who dislike the progress that others make. To them it would be wise to not dwell on it but fill them with love.

Ever had a dissatisfying experience with a so-called hater? How did you handle it? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

Travel! You Only Live Once…But Be Careful How

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You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough

~Unknown

Travel. See the world. Party. Think about you and making you happy. That’s what they say. But think about that. Do those things bring meaning? Let’s examine this philosophy closely.

Travel. Oh to see new places and bask in the ambiance. A change of pace incites creativity and value for the things that exist. But in your haste to travel, make sure you spend time basking in the culture of another’s land. Understand the host culture. There are always do’s and don’ts. Foreign Language may be a problem. If you’re not prepared, you won’t be able to communicate. For example, once during my business travel, I ordered bacon through room service and got something totally different. Another time during an international conference a colleague wanted to order hot dog during lunch. She indicated to the server “caliente woof, woof”. Bet you didn’t know that means hot dog (well at least by her definition). As hilarious as that was, she received her correct order.

Be Happy

Be Happy. Think Only About You. Well-intentioned but life is more than you. We must collaborate in order to co-habitate. Everything we do affect those close to us–be it family, friend or foe. So think before you act.

Remember, life is about living. But live in such a way that those who interact in your space are positively affected. Definitely something to think about, and remember… only what you do for Christ will last.

Cheers!

The Sea. The Beach. The Waves. Quiet Reflections…

The sea. The beach. The waves. It’s my safe place. I never want to leave. I sit coiled at the edge of the lazy beach chair, gazing in melancholy at the morning’s sunrise. All is still as time stops. As the sun began its heated quest, I sat pensively not wanting to leave.


Still fast asleep there’s no one in sight. Just me, as the waves batter the shore. My heart tugs as I long to rid life’s woeful work-related stress. I just want to stay to listen to nature’s quest. In quietness is where the heaven’s awake and gives me the strength to reach forward to start a new day, a new chapter, a time of serenity. I pray that I’ll listen as the spirit quietly leads, guides and directs my path.

In stillness is where I find my strength. Strengthen me lord, strengthen me. Speak and make me listen.

Blessing overflow.

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