New Blog

I've continued with another blog 'The Writer's Mentor' so I can be more in-line with my writing goals. Come over and take a look! http://thewritersmentor.blogspot.com

Owning It

Sometimes it amazes me when we fumble around with our actions. We are unsure of what we do. Although we want to do them, we still have this sense of uncertainty, of being judged or seeming a bit wishy-washy because we don't know how we will be perceived.

In everything we do, we need to own it. By this I mean embrace it, take responsibility for it as yours. Walk into that room owning yourself, your walk, your talk. Write that book or whatever, and own those words. Don't think about them and if someone will like them--own them.

Own the way you drive, your decisions, your feelings, your thoughts. Own it all.

Once you own it, yourself, you will truly be alive.

Writing Number 2

I had a few people ask me how I managed to make a corporate brochure exciting...well, let's just say that it did take a couple of days of thinking and not thinking to figure it out.One thing that I did do was create 'exciting' subtitles for each section. Catchy phrases, terms, whatever that would catch the reader's attention. From there, the content had to be 'fast-paced'. I looked at all of the important things that I needed to include into the brochure. From there, I turned the information into something snappy, using 'action' words or words that will excite (or somewhat excite) the reader. Another thing I had done was write down whatever was in my head at the time, without judgement. So, if a funny phrase or goofy way of saying things came to mind, I'd just write it. At that point, I was desperate for something exciting and was taking whatever I could. Hopefully, this will give you some idea on how I wrote the brochure. I think the clients liked it too since they haven't asked for changes. P.S. Sorry for the lull in writing these posts. Currently, I am dealing with an ill mother as well as being 7 months pregnant; I'm absolutely exhausted.

Just Write

The other day I was trying to do some writing work that I just didn't have the creativity to do. It was a corporate brochure and I had already written a copy for the client, but they wanted it to be "spiced" up. Isn't a corporate brochure supposed to be boring? How do you add a little spice to a brochure on commercial real estate, especially when there aren't any pictures?

What I did was stop for a moment to write some thoughts down. Just whatever came to mind. At first, my brain was telling me that I was wasting time and I needed to get cracking on this project. But how could I write the 'spicy' project when I was running low on spice? I was just staring at the paper anyway, I might as well just write some thoughts down.

So I wrote for about 10 minutes. I wrote whatever came to my mind. I don't remember what I wrote because I don't have my book with me, but that small exercise opened me up to creativity. Even though I wasn't able to complete the project for a few more days, eventually that flow came back and I was feeling somewhat normal again (whatever that is!).

Taste

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that you are starting the year off right. For myself, I don't write out resolutions; instead, I choose to write out goals. Set something in your mind and go for it. Don't beat yourself up if you fall every now and then. Just get back out there and keep doing what you want and eventually things will come to fruition.

Over the holidays, there are so many memories surrounding taste as we are constantly eating during this time of year. For me, cabbage rolls and perogies* are great taste memories. My grandmother's perogies slathered in butter and onions always have a distinct taste to them that you can't find in store bought perogies.

The cabbage rolls are a different story. They remind me of a time when I was twelve and at a family wedding. The cabbage got stuck in my throat and I had to cough it up, eventually placing it in the ashtray in front of my sister and cousin. They weren't very happy about that.


Experiencing taste and texture in food becomes a part of writing. It assists the reader with what kind of party is happening in the character's mouth. Taste doesn't have to be a huge part of your writing, but letting the reader know that the dough of the perogy was something that your character is not fond of or something they enjoy will put them right in the middle of story.

*(For those who are unsure: A cabbage roll is meat and rice etc wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked; add tomato sauce or ketchup for more yumminess. A perogy is like a dumpling. Fillings like cheese and potato, potato and onion etc are folded inside a piece of dough and boiled and served with sour cream and onions. They can be filled with cherries or plums for a dessert alternative.)

Chances

I was browsing through the bookstore one day (something I often do for inspiration) and noticed an artist had displayed his paintings inside the store. I was thinking that this was a bold move on the artist's part because there must have been some inner dialogue going on about what others might say, etc. This man probably had an expectation of people hating or loving his work. But, to him, it was important that he took the chance and let others see it.

Of course, this applies to writing as well. How many times have I been afraid to send out work because of what others might think? It's all subjective, isn't it? What one person doesn't like, another one will.

I guess this all goes back to taking a chance and getting past that fear. No, not everyone will like my work. But how can I reach those people who might like it if I don't give it a shot? At least I should try.

Creativity Stopped by for a Visit

I am currently working on a project (for someone else) that is consuming all of my time. Of course, this is when my creativity decides to stop by for a visit. And, of course, this is when I have no time to do anything about it.

But isn't that always the case? You have nothing do and your work is languishing somewhere on your desk. In some cases, you may not even know where it is or where you saved it on your computer. Then, all of sudden, there's a flurry of activity and inspiration hits.

Perhaps this is one key to creativity....just writing, no matter what it is. It could be writing a grocery list, a Christmas card or a brochure for a home builder.

I just hope that when this project is done, creativity decides to stick around for awhile longer.