2015—THE YEAR OF LIVING EMOTIONALLY

As you've probably noticed, January, being the month of new beginnings, has been filled with articles to make you think both on a personal level and as a writer.

Today my guest is romance author, Saralee Etter. Saralee's topic is on goals.

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!” Goal-setting can be very difficult, when that weak flesh gets in the way of our best intentions. 

Our spirit, and our emotions, are what keep us on track. It's hard to get ourselves to go for our goals unless we've got the proper emotional drive to power us forward.

For 2015, let's try to find ways to help the spirit give us a kick in the, er, fleshiest part, using these five emotional principles:

Focus   Feelings     Desire   Allowance  Alignment

                             

Focus. What are the areas of life that you focus upon most? Where do you direct a lot of your attention, excitement, and feelings? What do you talk about the most? What articles do you read, what shows do you watch – where does your energy go?

Now, think about this: What do you get in terms of your own emotional feedback when you focus on these things? If you got what you wanted from each area of focus, what would you have? What would you be excited about? What are you worried might happen?

First step in goal setting is to pick the top 3 to 5 major areas of focus. No more than five – don't scatter your energies. These will be the goal areas.

 

 Feelings. Feelings are the core essence of what you want in your life. Everything you do, everything you own, is there so that you can feel something  – happy, excited, fulfilled, connected, respected.

Now, think about this: What would your ideal life be like, described as a feeling? How would you describe your current life? So are there any differences between those two? What can you do to bring those two sets of feelings into alignment with one another?

Your second goal-setting step is to identify the compelling reason why you chose your areas of focus.

Desire. What things do you desire most? How do the things you desire lead you closer to the feelings that you already identified in the previous exercise? For instance, if you really want to increase your income, what would be the emotional states you might expect to experience if you had more income?

Now think about this: What are your biggest complaints about your current life? Flip them around into positive desires. Make sure the desires are things you want to bring into your life, not things you want to avoid in your life. Recognize that you are worthy of good things in your life – reinforce that idea by writing a list of things that complete the phrase: “I am worthy of...”

The third step in goal-setting is to describe what your desired emotional state is, and specifically how the thing you desire will provide you with that goal.

Alignment. How can you get from here to there? The popular saying is that one's reach should exceed one's grasp – but sometimes people have a hard time believing that it's possible to actually have the thing one desires most. In order to envision the reality of a goal, you need to be in alignment with that goal. That is, you need to have a compass that lets you know if you're going in the right direction toward reaching your desired destination.

Now think about this: Can you find evidence in your own life that you already have at least a part of your desire? If you can, expand on that by showing another person what you do have, or sharing your resources in some way. For instance, share some of your writing with another writer, or with an encouraging reader. Explain or teach something you've learned to someone else. Do you have any limiting beliefs that stand in your way? Think about how your life would change if you found out tomorrow that your limiting belief wasn't true.

The fourth step in goal-setting is to get into alignment with your goal – take the next step, act as if your goal is possible and move your mental energies and your beliefs closer to your success!

Allowance. Don't stop the good stuff from rolling in! Know that you are able to receive your goal. Don't push away your success, or discount the possibility that the success you want is possible. Examine your life and think about all the people to whom you give of yourself and your resources. Do you let others give freely to you as well? Giving and receiving must be a two-way street.

Think about this: Do you downplay or ignore compliments or praise from others? Just say thanks! Don't try to deflect or explain away someone's appreciation. Learn to receive the good things that others offer to you. List ten things right now, big or small, for which you are thankful.

Here's to a powerful and productive 2015!

                                                                                                                                                     

If you are still in the mood for a sweetly romantic tale of Christmas during the English Regency, check out Her Very Major Christmas.

Widowed Rosalind Joslin is an extra female in her in-laws’ household. Longing to prove she still has value, she uses her skills to make remedies and medicinal preparations for the poor. She misses the warmth and sun of India where she was raised but looks forward to her first real English Christmas with holly and the traditional feast.

Major Harry Joslin never expected his cousin’s death to thrust him into the unwanted role of nobleman. Still recovering from the emotional and physical injuries inflicted at Waterloo, he’s not ready for the demands of a new position and his family’s pressure for him to marry a debutante. His cousin’s widow is just another complication.

But it’s the season of miracles and two wounded hearts may find love blooming in the depths of a snowy Christmas day. 
BUY: AMAZON,  ELLORA'S CAVE

                                                                                      

Saralee Etter loves to read, and always knew that writing was the only career for her. What could be better than to think up stories all day long? As a constant day-dreamer, it seemed like the ideal occupation.

Sadly, however, she couldn’t see a way to make a living writing the romantic and exciting stories that filled her head. Instead, she wrote other things: Newspaper articles, public relations releases, legal briefs.

Now Saralee is beginning to share the stories that she has been dreaming about for so long. They’re mostly light-hearted and fun.  As a devoted armchair time-traveler, she finds writing stories set during the English Regency period is the perfect way to enjoy history, romance, and delightful adventures all at once. Website, Facebook

 

Beating the Blurb Blues - Part One

Last week Sia wrote an article on the trials andhair-tearing frustration of writing blurbs and pitches.

Since I have a business writing blurbs/cover copy, I offered to share some quick tips to make it less frustrating.

Your blurb is your most powerful tool for enticing readers to buy your book. All the good reviews or social media shouting isn’t going to work if a reader doesn’t get excited about the book’s content. You want to lure the reader in, hook them with an intriguing setup, and land the sale by leaving questions open that can only be answered by buying the book.

First, some terminology:

 

Tagline/Logline: This is the quick summary on the front cover that serves as a hook. It’s usually no more than twelve words, and is best at around six words.

Pitch: Also known as the “elevator pitch” because it needs to be short enough that you can recite it to an agent/editor in the duration of an elevator ride. Aim for no more than about two or three sentences and be able to recite it without blinking. My all time favorite pitch was from Judi Fennell pitching the romance In Over Her Head: “He’s a merman and she’s afraid of the water.” Fewer than ten words. She got the contract.

Blurb, Cover Copy, Jacket Copy, Product Description: Here’s where things get murky. Technically, a blurb is the line or two of praise on the front cover from a reviewer or an author who is well known and writes in the same genre.

Cover copy (on the back cover), jacket or flap copy (on the inside flap of a dust jacket) and product description are all pretty much the same thing, but most folks today have taken to calling all of them a “blurb” and use the terms interchangeably. For the purpose of these articles, I’m going to use the term “blurb” to mean the description of the book that appears on the cover and in product descriptions.

Here’s a secret: for fiction blurbs, there’s a formula, and you can learn it. Really. Non-fiction is different, and I’ll cover it briefly at the end of part two next week. Ready?

• Step One: Create a one or two word description of your protagonist(s). The description is usually a job, relationship, or status: Starfleet Captain James Kirk (job). Orphan (or spinster) Jane Eyre (relationship). King Arthur Pendragon (status). For sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal it may be a creature type, tribe, planetary affiliation, etc. (hobbit, Starks of Winterfell, Vulcan). If you only have one main protagonist, you may want to come up with this descriptor for your villain, which is often used in mystery and thriller blurbs.

• Step Two: Define the external GMC for your protagonist(s). GMC stands for Goal, Motivation, Conflict/Obstacle. It helps to define internal and external GMC for your characters early in your writing process. Blurbs are generally only concerned with the external GMC. To create yours, fill in the following sentence for one or two protagonists and/or your villain: Character wants/must do (Goal) because (Motivation) but can’t have/get it because (Conflict/Obstacle).

• Step Three: Mention or imply your setting and/or period. Victorian-era Egypt. The starship Enterprise. The ruins of a place once known as North America.

 

Next Wednesday in Part Two, we’ll work on expanding your blurb, discuss requirements of various publishing platforms, and why hyperbole is your friend when it comes to blurb writing!

For now, in the comments, try your hand at writing the GMC for your character(s) and if possible, include the character description and setting. Here’s an example:

In order to protect her little sister (Motivation), 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen (character description) must survive a brutal game (Goal) in a land once known as North America (setting), but in order to do so she’ll have to kill all other opponents, including a childhood friend (Conflict/obstacle).

Feeling brave? Try your hand at a tagline and a pitch, too!

OK, your turn!

Part Two of Beating the Blurb Blues

 

Kat Sheridan helps fellow authors create compelling product descriptions for their books. Read more about it or contact her at www.BlurbCopy.com


Image courtesy of africa at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

MONDAY MUSINGS: THE BANE OF MODERN LIFE

I’ve never been one for resolutions perse, but I do take stock of where I’ve been and where I want to go or things I want to try. I think that’s a natural progression when a new year rolls around.

Many have had to face some nasty stressors this past year and I believe stress is the bane of modern life. One we don’t always consider or learn effective ways to handle. We see the effects on our bodies but healing is more than taking a pill to treat the symptoms and moving on.  It’s a matter of recognizing the underlying causes and finding effective ways to diffuse stress in our lives.

As I take stock this year I realize there was more stress than my mind and body could handle. Stress affects the body more than we realize. Cause and effect isn’t always immediate.

It’s kind of like fighting a battle. You face your opponent(s) and your goal is to keep on your feet and moving forward with as little damage as possible. Survival.

Part of your mind is analyzing body language, moves and counter moves, both yours and theirs. Adrenaline is rushing through your body. You’re aware of body hits but you don’t always feel the full effects until it’s all over.  Once you’re in a safe place and the excess adrenaline slowly abates you become aware of the immediate injuries. There is a certain feeling of euphoria that you’re okay and survived and as that feeling fades away, you become conscious still other injuries.

It’s not just the physical wounds that have to heal. Your mind needs to process and heal as well and that takes time—especially if you’ve had to face a series of battles or traumatic events—with little time in between to recuperate or heal.

It’s important to recognize stress reactions and how to find tools to counter the stress.

The most common stress reactions include:

Slowness of thought Difficulty prioritizing tasks Difficulty initiating routine tasks Preoccupation w/minor issues and familiar tasks

Indecision and lack of concentration Loss of initiative with fatigue Exhaustion

Some tips to help with stress:

 

·        Be Thankful: Keep a gratitude journal. Make a list of all the things and people you’re grateful for. Create a Happiness jar or box. Each day, on a piece of paper, take a moment to write about a good thing that happened. Even the worse days have a good moment. Drop the note in the box or jar. At times of stress take a moment to pull out a ‘memory’ and read it.

 

·        Enjoy the Weather: Sunshine and fresh air is good for you whatever the season. In the winter dark days tend to add to stress. Take advantage of sunshine and stand in the sun and let it warm you. If you work, take your break outside. Even when there isn’t sunshine and it’s cold, still take a few moments to stand outside and breathe in deeply. Focus on what’s going on around you. Does the sun or breeze feel nice? Is it snowing? Raining? How does it smell? What wildlife is there—even cities have birds and squirrels and both fun to watch.

·      

  Find Peace: Modify your environment with music. Meditate, use deep breathing—pull in cleansing breaths and exhale the crap of the day. Pay attention to how your body feels when you do deep breaths. Learn mindfulness skills. Take a walk either solo or with a pet.

·        Practice Positive Thinking: Smile and be able to laugh at yourself. Practice positive self talk or use a journal for positive self talk.

·        Have a Plan: There are some stressors you can’t avoid but you can have a plan on positive ways to handle those stressors. Plan time for yourself and adjust that to your day. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time when you’re working. It’s amazing what 15 minutes spent on nurturing you can do. In the morning or evening give yourself time to do what relaxes you, reading, music, gardening, talking to a friend or just sitting outside in the quiet. Make a plan to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is your enemy and it amplifies the effects of stress.

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Too much stress can take a toll on your physical and psychological wellness. Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

Happy New Year! I hope yours will be healthy, productive and satisfying.