Happy New Year!

This year I hope to continue to be braver, stronger, kinder, and happier. 

I wish you the best year ever as well. May we all realize our fondest dreams and take time to recognize and enjoy each and every blessing. I pray we all have love, hope, health, happiness, peace, and a fierce determination for accomplishing good. Stay safe. Be good to each other.

I'll be back on January 8th for the next IWSG post. Until then...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

IWSG: Story Ideas

UPDATED: 7/10/23

So sorry for the confusion on the first posting of this entry. I've been out of town and unable to update the changed topic. The below should be on point now.

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JULY QUESTION - Juneta Key says "99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?"

MY ANSWER - While I have indeed been inspired by dreams, I have just as often been inspired by songs, snippets of overheard conversations, emotions I'm exorcising, and people and places I come across in my travels.

How about you? Where do your story ideas come from?

IWSG: 2023 Words and Visions

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JANUARY QUESTION - Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? 

MY ANSWER - I have three. My words for the year are JOY, PEACE, and ACCOMPLISHMENT. 2022 was full of many major life changes for me - multiple family deaths, estranged and/or difficult friend and work relationships, and a lasting sense of being overwhelmed in work, relationships, and creativity. My goals for this year are to focus more on the positives, accept what I cannot control, and to be content with what I am able to accomplish.

How about you? Do you have one or more words for the year? How about a Vision Board? If you've never made one check out this link: Vision Board

Happy New Year Wishes!

This is a photo from about 2009, or 10. One thing I always loved about my visits to Disney have been the fireworks. The neighborhood I live in now tries to rival this type of show during holidays including Fourth of July, Texas Independence Day, and New Year's. While I always enjoy these shows, at least at Disney I don't have the added concern of a stray firework catching my house on fire. Luckily, this has yet to happen.

A new year means goal setting, rekindling hopes, and a time for wishing and dreaming. This year I hope to be braver, stronger, kinder, healthier, and happier. I pray we all have love, hope, peace, and a fierce determination for accomplishing good. What are you hoping?

I'll see you again on Wednesday for the IWSG post. Love to all - stay safe!

Interested in reading an old New Year poem I wrote in 2011? Check it out here: http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-poem.html

IWSG: Dream Beta Partner

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive.Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

SEPTEMBER QUESTION - If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

MY ANSWER - Without hesitation - Nora Roberts. As a bestselling author of multiple genres I would love to get her advice and insight. Attending a conference with her would be another dream.

How about you? Who would you choose, and why?

Vision Board

New Year Resolutions have long been a habit. Individuals make a list of the goals, dreams, and habits they want to include in their fresh start on life. However, this "checklist" practice may only be setting some up for failure. It implies a specific rate at which these objectives must be obtained - whether that be before the next new year, by the end of the month, or on a weekly basis. If that timeline is not reached, individuals frequently become discouraged and give up altogether.

Instead, I'd like to suggest you attempt a vision board. I will be doing these with my own children, as well as with the students I teach. 

Thanks to social media our society has increasingly become image sensitive. We scroll through and save meaningful images. If we apply this same methodology to our targets, instead of the checklist, we may be more likely to remain vigilant. 

A Vision Board is a collage of images and words representing a person's wishes or goals, intended to serve as inspiration or motivation for a compelling life. They are meant to be fun to create and can serve as an invaluable tool to motivate and inspire you towards concrete daily action in pursuit of your biggest and most important life goals.

Benefits of a Vision Board:

1) Creates an emotional connection that motivates you.
2) Makes real the dream in your mind so you begin to believe it’s possible.
3) Helps you clarify what you want out of your life because it forces you to put something down.

Possible Supplies Needed:

1). Something to attach images to such as cork or poster board, or large sheets of paper.

2). Glue, clips, or pins.

3). Markers, pens, pencils, paint.

4). Colorful or plain paper for adding personal flair.

5). Magazines/books that can be cut up.

6). Scissors

7). Calculator

Obviously, you can adapt the following to just focus on your specific goals. Your board can be a general "happy life" type scenario on which you include multiple aspirations, or you can make it all about one specific dream such as your new home, or job. Of course, if you are design efficient, you could do all of this on the computer and avoid any mess. However, there is something to be said for the tactile version of production.

Here are a few suggestions:

Step 1 - Find a picture of yourself that you like, or at least don’t mind others seeing. This will become the center of your vision board.

Step 2 - list at least 10 jobs you might like (these can be end game, or stepping stones) and the average salary for them.
Step 3 - find pictures (online or magazines) and create collage of your dream house - This means images of what the outside and individual rooms might look like for you. 

Step 4 - Go online and find out what it might cost (Zillow.com is a good source of research). Think about location, square footage, acreage, etc. Use a simple mortgage calculator to research about interest and calculate monthly payments.
Step 5 - Find pictures or images to represent your dream vacation(s). Go online and research the total cost of travel, lodging, food, attractions, and souvenirs.

Step 6 - Giving - watch this video: https://youtu.be/JDOro6Ru0b8. Then write charities that you might want to support. Find images to represent those charities or foundations. Try to pick at least three and list the possible donation plan – one lump sum versus monthly, or seasonal donations - either as a dollar amount or percentage, or ways you can help a charity without money (volunteering).

Step 7 - Find words, or images that appeal to you and your personal lifestyle, health, and hobbies. If you can’t find the words you want in a magazine, use your pens or markers to create them.

Step 8 – Take a picture of your completed board with your cell phone before you display it. This way, you will always have access to your “vision”. While you enjoy the images, think about the habits you must create to obtain your ultimate goals.

If you create one, please tag me on social media because I'd love to see it. I'm on facebook, twitter, Instagram, and pinterest.


For more on the benefits of creating a vision board, check out this post.

Happy New Year!

This year I hope to continue to be braver, stronger, kinder, and happier. 

I wish you the best year ever as well. 

May we all realize our fondest dreams and take time to recognize and enjoy each and every blessing. I pray we all have love, hope, and a fierce determination for accomplishing good.

I'll be back on January 2nd for the next IWSG post. Until then...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

IWSG: Love Your Genre

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive.Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

FEBRUARY QUESTION: What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

MY ANSWER: Happy Endings. While I've written a few cliffhangers, or downright unsettling endings for my characters, I usually prefer the "Happily Ever After" conclusion. Real life is hard with many disappointments. Even though my characters struggle, I want them to achieve their goals and dreams - at least for a little while.

How about you? What is your preferred genre and what do you like most about writing it?

IWSG: Writing Schedule

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive.Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JANUARY QUESTION: What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?

MY ANSWER: Obviously, we all have little control over when we are published (unless we choose self-publishing). However, we can control our output. My resolutions this year include diligence both in my writing, and in my personal life. I want more of my decisions to be on purpose instead of just sort of letting things happen around me. I will chase my dreams and goals this year. I hope you will too!

Happy New Year everyone, and congratulations to the IWSG anthology contest winners!