To visit my current blog, click on the link below...

http://blog.WritingSpirit.com

 

Thank you, Julie

Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 03:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

#WriteChat -- A chat for writers on Sundays at Twitter

To help writers make the most of the wonderful ability to make connections with other writers on twitter, I’ve created #WriteChat. 

Every Sunday at 12:00 pm PST / 3:00 pm EST (and lasting approximately 3 hours),  I pose a question to get the conversation started. However, as this is about connecting with other writers, feel free to discuss anything and everything about writing, life, and this creative journey we all share.

To help you connect with other writers, share what kind of writing you do, what genres interest you, where you’re at on the writing/publishing journey, or anything else that’s swirling around your mind and heart about this writing life.

  • Join in
  • Don’t just follow—connect!
  • Have fun

You can follow along on:

http://search.twitter.com 

http://www.TweetDeck.com

http://www.TweetChat.com

As hundreds of writers participate in #writechat every week, the conversation goes quite quickly. So don't worry if you can't read every post when the conversation is jumping. Relax, enjoy, and trust that you'll meet the right people, get the support you're looking for, and have a wonderful time.

Here are some tweets about #writechat:

@llunalila  
Mondays are less cruel now that they begin with a #writechat session the night before.   ;)

@julieawallace 
Wow! Thank you everyone. My first #writechat & I have books to read, people to follow, etc. Fantastic info & lively discussion.

@DebraMarrs 
LUV everything about #writechat, it’s a Sunday must. So glad to have found this community of smart writers.

@marciamarcia 
Lurking on #WriteChat for a few minutes led to a break-through on how to approach an article. Thank you @WritingSpirit + fellow writers.

Julie (@WritingSpirit) 

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 10:32 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Book promotion using "extras," like they put on movie DVDs?

After finishing a movie, I watched all the "extras" that came on the DVD along with it. That started me thinking about what a book's extras might be. And I realized we already have book extras. They're the articles, videos and audios we put on the book's website, or on our author's website. I also realized these "extras" serve two main purposes...

Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 04:24 PM in Book Promotion | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Creativity is alive, is fun, is now!

I made this video late at night, so there's not enough light--but I had fun!

Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 04:07 PM in Writer's Block | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

The 15 Minute Writing Miracle!

15 Minute Writing RuleWriting Tip: Whatever your reason for not wanting to write when you've promised yourself you would--whether you feel too tired, busy, or blocked--write anyway for 15 minutes. There's magic in putting pen to paper (or fingers on keyboard). 




The 15 Minute Writing Rule


When you've promised yourself that you're going to write, then write--no matter what--for 15 minutes. 

  • If you're scheduled to write for an hour, it doesn't matter. Write for 15 minutes.

  • If you're exhausted and about to collapse, it doesn't matter. Write for 15 minutes.
  • If there's not one single thought in your head, it doesn't matter. Write for 15 minutes, even if all you can write about is being stuck.

Sometimes the desire to write sparks some inner resistance. That's why excuses are so easy to come by. The antidote is to grab hold of the idea of writing for ONLY 15 minutes.


That small amount of time isn't intimidating. And because it feels doable, it gets you to start writing, which is the key that unlocks writing's magic power.


You see, the act of writing frequently…

  • energizes you when you're tired

  • reconnects you with your material, or writing practice, when you're feeling disconnected
  • opens pathways for inspiration to flow through when you're blocked
  • clarifies your ideas and vision when you're confused

And often, once you start writing, you catch fire and simply write and write and write.


All of these good things happen because the things you think you need before you write, in order to write (inspiration, feeling connected to your project, energy, clarity, enthusiasm), all the things you're not willing to write without--are what you get FROM writing.

Even when writing doesn't give you all, or any, of these benefits, and you actually do end up writing for only 15 minutes, you feel good that you at least wrote something on a day you promised yourself you would, and rest easier knowing that you really were too (tired/busy/blocked/etc.) to write, and weren't just procrastinating. 


The idea of writing for only 15 minutes may be what lessens your resistance, draws you in, and gets you to start writing, but it's the act of writing, itself, that is the miracle.

Try it and see for yourself.  


Monday, May 04, 2009 at 01:25 AM in Tips, Tools & Techniques | | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Anthologies ROCK!

CE Flat I recently received copies of my latest book, "Conscious Entrepreneurs: A Radical New Approach to Purpose, Passion & Profit." If you look the book up on Amazon.com, you'll see that my name is not on the cover. It is, however, on the table of contents. I wrote chapter 37, "Writing: A Journey of Creativity, Consciousness, and Connection."

I LOVE anthologies! I recommend them wholeheartedly. They offer a variety of benefits:

  • They're equally open to new and experienced writers. 

  • It's fun to hold a book in your hands that has your poem, story, or article in it.
  • Inspirational stories are easy to write, because they're based on your life.
  • If you're having trouble writing, an anthology call will give you a specific topic to write about and a very real deadline to write towards.
  • Every publication helps build your writing credits and platform.
  • You can use your 50-100 word bio to drive traffic to your website.

Here are some links for anthology calls for submissions:

This link takes you to Chicken Soup for the Soul's website. Go to: Submit a Story/Possible Book Topics.

Anthologies Online may not be the prettiest website, but it has monthly listings of new anthologies looking for content, including poetry, short stories and stories about your life.

This link takes you to the online classified section of Poets & Writers Magazine.  The current magazine's listings are always online. 

Creating your own anthology can also be fun and profitable. You can write a book proposal, gather some sample stories, and find an agent or publisher (I have an anthology book proposal currently making the rounds that's been seen at HarperSanFrancisco and Inner Ocean Publishing, among others), you can self-publish, or you can turn your content into an ebook.

The biggest benefit of creating your own anthology is that your name goes on the cover. You are considered the author of the book, whether your name follows "edited by," "compiled by," or stands alone. It makes a great first book. If your own author's platform isn't very strong, get some name authors to commit to your anthology and stand on their platforms.  Once you have a book published, you've got your foot in the door and it's a little easier to get your "next book" published. Make no mistake, however, an anthology is still a book and takes time, commitment, and lots of work.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 06:01 PM in Anthologies, Articles | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

100 Day Writing Challenge

September 22nd is the 266th day of the year (this was a leap year). That leaves 100 days until the end of 2008.

  • Have you achieved all the writing goals that you set for yourself on January 1st?
  • Are you happy with the progress you've made, so far this year?
  • Is there more you'd like to achieve before the year is through?

The next 100 days offer you 100 opportunities to reconnect with goals that have faded into the background, or that have been moving forward more slowly than you'd like.

The next 100 days offer you a chance to end the year strong! Imagine that it's December 31st and you're looking back over this year. What do you want to feel proud about achieving that you haven't finished, or even started, yet? You've still got time.

The next 100 nights offer you 100 chances to go to bed feeling good about the progress you've made on your dreams and goals.

What would you like to accomplish in the next 100 days?

Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 08:11 AM in Articles | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

50+ Authors & Publishing Professionals to Follow on Twitter.com

To see how published authors, and other publishing professionals, use Twitter.com to connect with their audience and promote their books and services, I've gathered together a list of 50+ "Tweeters" that I thought you'd be interested in. This list includes authors, literary agents, and book publishers, as well as writing coaches and other tweeters offering writing related information, such as links to video book trailers, poetry resources, and more.

Because the basic question that's being addressed is "how do writers use Twitter.com?" I picked people to follow based on their connection to traditional publishing, and not on the topics they talk about.  So, some may talk about writing a lot, while others may say very little about it. Some may promote, promote, promote, while others may share more of the day-to-day realities of their life and let the promotion simply be their presence at Twitter, and the website link in their bio. Some may post a lot of tweets, while others may post only occasionally. This grab bag of micro-bloggers was chosen purposefully, so that you could see the many ways writers actually use Twitter.

So, here goes...

Daily Writing & Creativity Tips for Writers on Twitter

Authors

Writing and Creativity Coaches

Publishing Professionals

Poetry

Other Writing Related Twitter Users to Follow

Tuesday, July 08, 2008 at 02:18 PM in Social Media Marketing | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write

A Fabulous Spiritually Based Book on Writing!!!!

Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write
by Mark David Gerson

Voice_of_musesmall

When I was on Twitter.com one day, I connected with novelist and writing teacher Mark David Gerson. Having said our hellos online, I went to check out his books at Amazon.com. On the page for Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, I clicked on “search inside this book,” and started reading. The more I read, the more it felt like the words on the screen were coming from my own heart. I was completely blown away. So, of course, I immediately ordered the book, along with the companion CD set of guided meditations for writers.

I’ve read dozens of books on writing, but none have moved me as deeply as The Voice of the Muse. Mark David’s words are not only eloquent, they have a meditative quality about them that takes me directly to the core of my own creative being. He picked the perfect subtitle, “answering the call to write,” because his book is the embodiment of that call. Every page invites me to open, and then compels me to write.

His approach is decidedly spiritual, yet it’s the spirituality of being totally present, open, courageous, alive, and consciously connected to your creative source. He often talks of surrendering: to your writing, to your Muse, to your deepest and most sacred Self. He says that “when you sit down at the black page or screen, you have three simple tasks: Trust. Let go. Leap.”

There are several guided meditations in this book, but simply opening to any page, and reading, can give you something to meditate about. This morning, as I was using The Voice of the Muse as an intuitive guide, I was led to an idea that I would like to spend some time with.

Mark David pointed out that there’s a difference between a good idea and the right idea. Being the Brainstorming Queen that I am, with an ability to mass produce ideas, I know that the line between the two often gets blurred. I view discernment as the key to making sure I start down the right path, rather than following a creative detour that will eventually lead me to a dead end after days, or even weeks of work. But Mark David got me thinking, what makes an idea the right idea? What do I need to know, or do, or feel to be able to accurately discern the right path? This is something that each of us needs to discover for ourselves.

  • Of the many good ideas you have, how do you distinguish which of them is the right idea for you to work on at this time? 

Unsure how to end this article, I opened up The Voice of the Muse to see where it would lead me. The page I landed upon was the title page for chapter 5. There, in large bold letters it said, “listen to your heart.” What a perfect message to receive, for the call to write both emanates from, and ends within, the heart. It is with our heart that we hear the voice of the muse calling us to write. And it is from the still and silent center within our heart that our “yes” joyously arises to answer the call.

So go to Amazon.com and check out Mark David Gerson's The Voice of the Muse. The book's detailed Table of Contents will both intrigue and inspire you:

  • The Muse Stream
  • Awakening your vision
  • Birthing your book, even if you don't know what it's about
  • Breathing light and life into your writing
  • The heartful art of re-vision
  • Your words are your teachers
  • Surrender to the journey
  • What is it you fear
  • Leaps of faith

After reading the excerpt, it's fun to hit the "surprise me" button and see where it takes you. Enjoy.

Mark David's website is http://www.MarkDavidGerson.com

Tuesday, July 08, 2008 at 01:53 PM in Recommended Books | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Biographical & Fictional Movies About Writers

I just watched the movie, "Miss Potter," starring Renee Zellweger as famous children's author, Beatrix Potter. It's fun to watch movies about famous authors, and see how they overcame the naysayers, their own self-doubts, and any other creative obstacles they faced, which made their heroes' journey worth making a movie about.

Here are just a few of the movies that have been made about real life writers:

  • Beloved Infidel (1959) about F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, and Tender is the Night. Starring Gregory Peck.
  • All The President's Men (1976) about Bob Woodward (author or co-author of 10 #1 national bestselling non-fiction books, more than any other contemporary author) and Carl Bernstein. Starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.
  • Cross Creek (1983) about Marjorie Kinnan Rowlings, author of The Yearling. Starring Mary Steenburgen.
  • Gothic (1987) about poet Lord Byron and novelist Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. Starring Gabriel Byrne and Natasha Richardson. (Directed by Ken Russell)
  • Hemingway (1988) about Ernest Hemingway, author of For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. Starring Stacy Keach.
  • Henry and June (1990) about Anais Nin (Delta of Venus) and Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer). Starring Maria de Medeiros and Fred Ward.
  • Impromptu (1991) about George Sand (Aurore Dupin), author of 80 novels and 20 plays. Starring Judy Davis as Sand.
  • Kafka (1991) about Franz Kafka, author of The Metamorphosis. Starring Jeremy Irons.
  • Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) about poet and essayist Dorothy Parker and Manhattan's legendary literary cadre known as the Algonquin Round Table. Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.
  • Quills (2000) about the Marquis de Sade, author of Justine or the Misfortunes of Virtue, and Letters From Prison. Starring Geoffrey Rush.
  • Iris (2001) about Iris Murdoch, author of Under the Net, and The Sacred and Profane Love Machine. Starring Judi Dench.
  • The Hours (2002) about Virgina Woolf, author of Mrs. Dolloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and A Room of One's Own. Starring Nicole Kidman as Woolf, along with Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep.
  • Sylvia (2003) about the poet Sylvia Plath, author of the semi-biographical novel The Bell Jar. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
  • Finding Neverland (2004) about J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. Starring Johnny Depp.
  • Capote (2005) about Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
  • Miss Potter (2006) about Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, and many other children's books. Starring Renee Zellweger.
  • Becoming Jane (2007) about Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. Starring Anne Hathaway.
  • Miss Austen Regrets (2008) also about Jane Austen, the author of Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. Starring Olivia Williams.

And there are also many movies about fictional writers, and their creative trials and triumphs. Such as:

  • Misery (1990) Kathy Bates as an author's worst nightmare. In this case, the author is played by James Caan.
  • Deconstructing Harry (1997) Woody Allen as an author who decides to write a novel about his best friends.
  • Finding Forrester (2000) Sean Connery portrays a famous novelist turned recluse, who helps a high school basketball star (Rob Brown) who wants to be a writer.
  • Adaptation (2002) Nicolas Cage as a screenwriter, battling his own creative demons, as he works to adapt a novel (written by Meryl Streeps's character) for the screen.
  • Stranger Than Fiction (2006) Emma Thompson plays a novelist struggling to kill off her main character (played by Will Ferrell), but things get out of hand.

What are your favorite movies about authors or about the creative process? Leave a comment and let me know.

Monday, May 05, 2008 at 11:01 PM in Articles, Playwriting/Theatre Resources | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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