Tuesday Takeover: Why So Serious by Derek Borne

When we were little, we were always asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

And the usual responses were: veterinarian, doctor, firefighter, policeman, and the list continues. Fast forward a few years, and there’s a change that takes place. Rather than asking you what you want to be, you’re slowly moulded into what this world thinks you should be. Most times due to circumstances, options become few. Those dreams you once had as a four or five year old are gone.

So what happened?

This world we live in has become too serious. So serious, that it tries to crush our hopes and dreams. True, we need to be grounded in reality. We need to work to keep food on our table for our families. Even free time seems to be as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Well this is a depressing article, where’s the positivity?”

And there you go. Go back, yeah, that right there, did you miss it?

The fact that we strive to look for the positive is a sign that our hopes and dreams are still inside of us. Everything we’ve ever dreamed of can still be accomplished when we tap into that positive energy. It can lift our spirits and be a driving force. It’s not easy, but once you harness the ability of positivity, what seems impossible can turn into the possible.

Positivity is the hero that can conquer the villain of seriousness. It becomes even more rewarding when we think about others, and inject some into their lives. Because we never know if we may be the reason why someone else kept their dreams alive.

Why not make more of an effort to be more positive?

Why so serious?

(Sorry, couldn’t help myself…)

Derek Borne is the author of the “Ultimate Agent” series, due to be released next year. Discover his world of superheroes and espionage at www.derekborne.weebly.com

Tuesday Takeover: Meditating for Sensory and Emotional Things and Stuff and Reasons by Empressa Komlo

Happy Tyr’s Day, writers and friends! Is it Tuesday? I’ve given up keeping track, especially with NaNoWriMo, the election, the holidays… Anyway! The lovely Sarah Noffke has invited me to do a Tuesday Takeover on her awesome blog (thanks, Sarah!) and I’m not sure she knows what she’s gotten herself or her readers into but I have a feeling y’all can handle my hot mess. Thus far in my dabbling with writing and novels, I have started a fantasy novel then done little else with it and I have made love with the plot and ideas for historical fiction – with a paranormal twist! –  about Her Royal Majesty, the Most Amazing and Admirable Queen Elizabeth I (I may or may not tend to fangirl just at the thought of her). I have long wanted to give some voice to the emotional shitstorms she went through, especially before her ascension to the throne of England. One of my favorite historians and novelists, Alison Weir, does a great exploration into the more intricate parts of Elizabeth’s character in “The Lady Elizabeth”. I wanted to take it further, though, and really get into her emotional reactions, or seemingly lack thereof, while she endured and persevered as a young woman and royal in 16th century England. So, uh, how the fuck do I do that?

After going through the archives of writing-related searches on Google, I thought about all the advice of visualizing scenes. What is your character wearing? What is she holding in her hands? Who else is with her and wow, I wonder, did Cecil (one of Elizabeth’s most trusted advisers) also visualized slapping the shit out of Robert Dudley? The thing with these exercises is they aren’t really time well spent for historical fiction. I mean, they aren’t a waste, it’s good to get your brain going but there are tons of paintings and I have been studying Elizabethan England since I was 9. I already know what she wore and where she was at most times.

What my novel needs is the essence of Elizabeth’s character. One can only imagine what it was like losing your mother because your father was an impressionable douche canoe and couldn’t stop obsessing over trying to father a male heir so he beheads her to try with another woman. How I wish I could go back in time and tell him it’s the father’s chromosome that has to break to produce a male but whatever, beside the point. Then there’s the years of being suspected of treason and fearing execution. Add to that the prospect of being forced to marry… It’s kind of overwhelming just to think about. I want readers to, on some level, feel and understand what that was truly like. Because our pain has the potential to become our strength and Elizabeth was a magnificent example of this. I want to know how she coped with being imprisoned by her own sister and being interrogated by men who switched faces and turned coat more often than middle school girls. She is the type of woman we base our heroines off of.

Then it dawned on me – I’ve had a past life regression. I won’t get into details but in it I was in 1560s France and when I wrote it in my journal I was able to give some pretty exquisite details. My task, I realized, is similar to recreating that; however, in this meditation I observe Elizabeth. I have found many blog posts and articles about using meditation to open creativity and invite the muses into your writing life. I’ll link to those at the end, if you’re interested. These are valuable techniques but, again, not what I need. In my meditation, after grounding and centering myself, I pick a scene in my plot/Elizabeth’s life. I then start with the room, walls and tapestries, tables and hearths, wardrobes and writing desks. But! This is a step that you can easily get carried away with. If you do try this, which I think it’s definitely helpful even for non-hist fic writers, remember that the exact color of the furniture likely isn’t going to affect anyone other than a poor high school literature class whose teacher insists there is a reason the curtains are blue. No, unless your character did something with those curtains, they’re just goddamn curtains. Anyway…try not to get too caught up in this unless you really want to and have time. My focus is on Elizabeth, her interactions with others, and the outcomes of those interactions. After creating the setting in my head, I throw in some dialogue relevant to the scene I’m wanting to write. In my novel this is usually going to be said between the men who were put in charge of keeping her under house arrest, her sister, and some noble ladies. My main observations are centered around Elizabeth’s facial expressions in each scene and, after the other characters have left her presence, what her next actions are. I usually am more or less done with the exercise after this because I can take this and pants the bajeezebuses out of a few scenes based on the ideas it has given. It’s particularly helpful for scenes that I’m struggling to transition into/away from and ones where the dialogue is feeling mechanical.

If you have questions or would like some more info on anything I’ve mentioned here, let me know in the comments or email me, the address is in my bio here! 🙂 I’m off to spend time in my head. If you don’t see anything from me by January, I might have gotten stuck in the year 1585. Feel free to visit!

Links to meditations for writers/creatives: http://shawnradcliffe.com/mindfulness-writing-creative-thinking-meditation/ http://www.copyblogger.com/writing-meditation/ http://www.copyblogger.com/writing-meditation/

Bio: Rae (otherwise known as “Empy” by friends and foe alike) is a weird hybrid of writer, editor, coach, and social media manager. She is working on her first novel, a slightly paranormal historical fiction about her longtime idol, Queen Elizabeth I. She’s also creating an online business offering editing and content management with sides of SEO and marketing. Outside of the web, she has a 5 year old spawn, fiance, 3 dogs, 3 cats, 2 horses, snakes, and a small army. You can visit her new e-home once it is built enough to be habitable at TheCommaSutra.net or you can email her at EmpRKomlo@gmail.com

Tuesday Takeover: Go Your Own Way: Writing With a Unique Voice by Ashley Kemp

Reading is such a fundamental part of my life that I’m convinced it must be encoded in my DNA. I probably wouldn’t know what to do in a world without books. Thus, when I write about today’s topic, it is not from the perspective of an author, nor an editor, or even a blogger.  Rather, I am writing as one who lives and breathes between the pages others have provided for me to read.  As one who devours at least an hour of type every day.

One could argue about what makes for good reading material for a good year and still not cover all the bases. There are, after all, hundreds of thousands, nay, over a million books available within a few clicks of a button these days.  Therefore, I want to be a bit more specific and discuss one aspect of what I find makes for the best of books.

For me, you simply can’t go wrong if you write with a unique voice. It doesn’t have to be composed of just one trait but it should be original to you as the author. For example, if I grab a handful of books off a bargain shelf, I can easily confuse them and get bored within minutes.  However, if I pick up a Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, I would know it without a cover or title pages because I would recognize the sly, slightly skewed pop culture references and satirical taste of humorous fantasy rife with zany wizards and dimwitted guards.  When you write with a unique voice you stand out in the sea of anonymous authors who hit “publish” on Amazon.

Your voice can most certainly include your characters. I am loathe to imagine a Sarah Noffke Dream Traveler book book without Ren Lewis, but that shouldn’t be the whole of it.  Are you sarcastic and dry?  Go with it.  Do you like to describe everyday minutiae using culinary metaphors? Be my guest.

More succinctly, write from within expounding upon what you already know. Don’t be afraid to borrow from others, but don’t be a carbon copy.  Give me something to remember, to make me feel, think, and want to tell my friends about.  Give me you.

Tuesday Takeover: Read this when you want to quit by S.M. Boyce

Hey there, creative soul.

This may hit close to home, but you need to hear it. Truly understanding and applying what I’m about to say will set you apart from other authors in a career-changing way.

Before I start, let me give you some background. I’m a tough-love cheerleader. I say what needs to be said, stuff that’s not always easy to hear, but I’ve had incredible honor of more than one author telling me that I’m the reason they didn’t give up, that my encouragement and support got into the tough times, through the moments where they were going to throw in the towel on this writing thing.

I published in 2011 but I’ve been writing far longer. I even set my scholarship to get a dual degree in creative writing and marketing. I’ve been called a pioneer in the world, and while I’m not so sure about that, I work hard to constantly improve my writing business—because that’s what we are, entrepreneurs.

So what do you do when the muse fails you? When you hate everything you write, or the sales aren’t coming in?

What do you do when you want to quit?

You get clear.

Expectations vs. The Why

Get clear on your why and how that differs from your expectations.

• Expectations – what you plan to get out of a situation, like this class or your writing career. It’s an outcome. It’s external.
• The Why – your reason for doing something. Your motivation. It’s what drives you forward even when everything is falling apart. It’s internal.

When we got into writing, even the best of us had expectations. Expectations for how much we would sell, how many hours a day we’d write, how many books we would publish in a year.

The Why, however, is important because it will carry you through self-doubt, failure, fear, rejection, and all the less-than-glamorous parts of our career that often kick people to the curb. Knowing your why will motivate you when expectations aren’t met.

Let’s face it: expectations don’t hold under scrutiny. When times get tough and expectations go unmet, you’re less likely to pick yourself up and carry on if your WHY isn’t strong enough to propel you forward.

My challenge for you: drop your expectations for your writing career.

(cue collective gasps and fainting)

Hear me out. Instead of establishing expectations—which I’d like for you to reframe as goals—focus on your why when the going gets tough.

Why do you write?

I practice what I preach, honey. I’ve faced incredible failure and had plenty of opportunities to quit. Every successful person has. It’s the way of this life.

If you rely on only your expectations (external factors you can’t control) and don’t know your why (internal factor you CAN control), you won’t have the strength to pull through these times because it won’t seem worth it.

The most common example I see: If you’re like me when I first started (and thousands of other authors), you probably want to become an overnight success. You may expect it, even.

The first step to cleaning house and understanding your own personal WHY is to get real with the truth behind every “overnight success.” The concept of overnight success is a myth 99% of the time, anyway. Why, you ask? Because we as the admiring public only see the tip of the iceberg.

If you’re feeling depressed, hold up. Success is absolutely achievable! More on that in a second. First, I want to talk about overnight successes.

Forbes ran a fantastic article about how overnight success is a myth. Here’s the formula to success, according to author George Bradt:

1. Find an unsolved problem and solve it
2. Continue improving on your solution to stay ahead of competition
3. Nail your positioning
4. Find the right resources
5. Work harder over time

Statistics are rampant, but on average (from 6 to 15) it takes about 10 years to create an “overnight success.” It’s all about perception: we see the achievement, not the years of self-doubt and backbreaking work it took to get noticed and embraced on a large scale.

So have patience, grasshopper. Patience, tenacity, and motivation.

Not convinced? Let’s take a look at some “overnight successes”:

• Apple’s iPod took 3 years to reach success status. The 1st edition wasn’t efficient. It wasn’t until the 4th version that sales took off.
• Gmail was considered a doomed project and took 2.5 years to create
• Amazon wasn’t profitable for the first 7 years
• Pandora wasn’t profitable for the first 10 years
• Rovio, creators of Angry Birds, went through 50 apps before creating their hit
• Fedex made a loss of $26 million in its first 26 months of operations in 1973 and didn’t become a success until the late 10s

Success takes talent, patience, luck, and tenacity. So keep on truckin’.

Some final thoughts

If you walk away with only one tidbit from this article, remember that success is relative. You and you alone decide what it means for you to be a success. For some, it’s making enough money to write full time. For others, it’s selling one book. For others still, it’s making a million dollars.

Focus on YOU. Only you. What does success mean for you, personally? This will help you manage and understand both your expectations and your Why.

Your homework

Ha! Didn’t think you’d get homework from a blog post, huh? That’s how I roll.

1. Write down your expectations (of yourself, this course, and your writing career).
2. Drag a big ole line through ALL of those.
3. What’s your why? (What drives you, this course, and your writing career).
4. What’s your concept of success?

Share in the Facebook group or email us privately (this one is completely optional, but the rest aren’t!)

About S. M. Boyce

When S. M. Boyce graduated with a degree in creative writing, she realized that made her well-qualified for serving French fries. It would take years of writing hundreds of thousands of words of all kinds before she became the fantasy and horror novelist she is today.

Boyce specializes in action-packed stories that weave in fantasy, mystery, and heroines with a knack for mischief. All romantic leads are based loosely on her husband, who proves that soulmates are real.

She has a deep love for ghosts, magic, and spooky things. If you’ve already finished her books, check out her blog or twitter feed for a dash of adventure.

Find her online:

• Buy her books
• Visit her author website
• Visit Boyce Ink, her free resource for writers

Tuesday Takeover: Life is….a Serving of Pie and a Lesson in Perseverance by Elora Mitchell

Back in May of 2015, I finished something that was a lifetime in the making. I published my first novel. I had been writing/re-writing for just over a year, but it’s been a wish of mine to write since I held my first book as a child.

 For those of you who don’t know me personally, I’m a perfectionist. I’m the woman whose house is always clean and in order. I’m the wife who wakes up early to make a lunch for my husband. I’m the mom who stresses over every little thing I say and do to my kids.

 Being a perfectionist is the one thing I truly hate about myself. I’ve spent the last few years trying to break free from its snare. My husband and kids all try to get me to relax more, and while I take it easy more than I used to, I’m still a work in progress.

 Back to my first published novel. I wrote, I rewrote. I proofread, then read it backwards, sentence by sentence, looking for mistakes. Then I read it a couple more times.

 When I was sure it was good, I loaded it into Amazon, hit publish, and gave myself a huge pat on the back.

 I did it!! I finished!!

 The reviews started coming in—one here, another there—four and five star reviews. I was stoked. Then a dear friend of mine reviewed the book. It was a nice review, a kind review, a four star review, but it contained those words that chilled me to my very core—“there are a few mistakes.” She later e-mailed me and encouraged me to get a proofreader.

 I was HORRIFIED. My first thought was to pull my book off the internet, burn the pages, and hide from the world. But thankfully, I’ve grown up over the last few years and have learned that we are human. We make mistakes. It’s a part of life. What matters most is what we do next.

 So I cut myself a slice of humble pie, found a proofreader, and tried again. It’s scary, and to be honest, embarrassing. But it’s life.

 The point is, we ALL have something like this in our lives. We all get knocked down from time to time, and sometimes, we stay down for awhile. Some of us have been knocked down so many times that we feel like we don’t have the strength to get back up. It’s then that we need to work extra hard. It’s in those moments that we find out how far we can go, what we can come back from.

 It doesn’t matter how many times we’re knocked down. It doesn’t matter how long we stay down, as long as we get back up. No one finds personal satisfaction without failing at some point.

 I’m so thankful that my friend encouraged me to not give up. I love writing too much to let go. And maybe this time, the pie I’ll eat will be apple.

So whether you’re riding high on success or struggling in a valley so dark you can’t see the light of day, I encourage you to remember that we’re all human, that we all make mistakes, and one of the most important things we can do is come alongside one another to help each other get back up.

By day, Elora is a stay-at-home mom who enjoys reading, running and exploring Southern California with her family. By night, she is a super hero (or maybe villain), doing good (and maybe a bit of evil) in the worlds of her imagination. You can usually find her with a cup of coffee and a book in hand. And while she enjoys baking the occasional goodie, you generally will not find her cooking, as she finds it a chore.

Redemption is her first novel. She has a few more in the works.

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