That Which Makes You Happy

Would you say you're generally happy?


via GIPHY

Or do you feel that you have to wait for something to happen before you can be really happy. Some people do feel that way, right? They may be happy, but they won't be really happy until such and such happens.


via GIPHY

I remember being in high school and thinking I wouldn't be really happy until I met my soul mate. Very typical romanticism for the age, I suppose. I didn't meet the man who eventually became my husband until I was twenty-six, and even then we didn't get married until I was thirty-one. Between the years of sixteen and thirty-one, several circumstances clued me in to the fact I could be content with my life as it was. I didn't need to wait for something or someone to make me happy.

Reading the Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean Pierre de Caussade helped me understand I have the power to be happy myself. While I can't honestly say I remember any specifics, I do remember being impressed overall about not wishing for the future, but rather appreciating the present. It probably was the beginning of my journey in regards to mindfulness.

Also, my sister died when I was twenty-nine (a year or so before I was married.) Although she was sick with Multiple Sclerosis, it was a huge shock when she died. It probably sounds trite, but her death at thirty-two made me realize my mortality. I still am very aware that no one of us is guaranteed another year, another day or even another breath. If we don't enjoy each moment we have, then we are potentially missing out on having the best last day of our lives.

When thinking about what makes me happy, I could just list "family" or "children" and that would be true. But there's so much more in each moment, so many specific things that make me happy, that I would remiss to make such a sloppy list of generalities. So, forgive me if the list is a little weird...

My non-exhaustive list of things that make me happy (in no particular order):

Warm, squishy hugs

Listening to Boy 2 laugh with delight

Being around trees

The way my hand fits inside my husband's

Holding my husband's hand when we go on trips

Boy 1's smile

Being outside in general

When nature looks like a Bob Ross painting

When I'm writing and am hit with inspiration

Listening to beautiful music (Right now I love David Nevue)

Listening to my children play music on the piano and cello

Listening to Tom Hiddleston read poetry (haven't done that in a while, but it does make me happy.)

Being helpful

Watching Troll Hunters, Doctor Who, Murdoch Mysteries, Murder She Wrote, Monk with my family

Going for walks with my family

Playing Tennis and riding my bicycle

The feel of the breeze on my face and pushing back my hair

When my dogs grunt with happiness when I rub their ears and/or tails
Picking out books from the library

I could go on, but I really need to go to bed. I kind of forgot I was blogging again until 8:30 on Sunday night, and so am writing this rather quickly!

What specifically makes you happy?

Getting on the Branding Bandwagon

Image by kromkathog courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Last week I attended the Indie Recon Marketing Mania, and the first session was with author CJ Lyons. After a wonderful post on how to brand yourself (in practical, easy to understand language), she spent the day visiting people's websites/blogs and giving them feedback. I was so impressed. 

Her feedback on my website is listed below. Some things I can change, and some I can't.

If my blog is going to be geared toward writers (and the name "Motivation for Creation" implies a blog for writers), I should make sure readers know that up front on my website, or change content. Also, I should have the blog open in a new window.

I can't change the way the blog opens, unless I move my blog, and I'm not willing to do that. So, that is a no change. However, I've been contemplating what kind of content I have on my blog for a while. After three years of writing motivational and inspirational posts, I was already trying to come up with a new direction for blog content. So, I have come up with a new editorial calender, writing about things that interest me and hopefully will interest others (including you, who are currently reading this post.)

Funny Friday Photos will continue, with the addition of a post on Tuesdays which will follow this pattern (to be referenced on the side-bar, as well.)

• Week 1 Tuesday: Theme Park (Themes and values found in the stories I write. These can still be the inspirational type posts, or about other things - like parenting and loss.)
• Week 2 Tuesday: Creature Feature (A look at the different creatures found in the different mythologies.)
• Week 3 Tuesday: Something Bizarre Happened... (An anecdote about something strange or funny that happened to me or I witnessed during the previous month, like the time I saw a cryogenics truck driving on the interstate on my way to work. We'll see how this one goes.)
• Week 4 Tuesday: For the Writers (A writer related post about something I found helpful or think other writers might be interested in.)
• Week 5 Tuesday: Off! There's not many five week months, so it'll be a Funny Friday Photos only week

I don't know what to call the blog now. Maybe just my name with a tagline?

The header is generic, and I should create one that evokes my books. She stated twice that the cover art for my book is fantastic (thank you, Ivan Zanchetta). She believes that the portal on the cover implies adventure and fantasy, and as fantasy should be the focus of my branding, my cover art would be a great place to start.

This is going to take a little more time and work. I'm kind of concerned that my cover art is different shades of gray (no jokes!) and might make the website kind of a downer. Also, I don't think I'd like the header and the book to be exactly the same. So, I'm going to have to contemplate that aspect of her feedback for a bit.

I do agree that I should look to fantasy to be the focus of my brand. I turned to my Facebook friends to help me come up with a tag line. (Huge thank you, to Rick Bylina, Jo Eberhardt, Brin Jackson and Cathy Yardley for some great suggestions.) I'm trying to decide which one of five I think would evoke both the magic of fantasy, and the adventure that might go along with the portal. 

So, that's my plan. Don't be surprised if you click over for Funny Friday Photos and find something new and different.

Have you ever changed up your blog or website?

What worked for you?

The Blogger Book Fair Is Coming!

Check in to the Blogger Book Fair, and book your trip to far away places!

July 22-26, 2013

Authors and Book Bloggers, Sign ups for the July 2013 Blogger Book Fair will close on June 15 at midnight central time, so get your registrations in to participate!

As of 5/31/2013, we have:

Authors: 89 Books: 233 Bloggers: 14 If you haven't yet registered, you can find all of the information on the Blogger Book Fair page.

1. Check out the Code of Conduct
2. Fill out either the Author Sign Up form or the Blogger Sign Up form (Deadline June 15)
3. Kayla will match everyone with hosts and send out this information to you after sign-ups close
4. Check out the events--all authors are eligible to participate in the events, and if you have an event you'd like to host, just fill out the simple Event Sign Up Form--all of this information can be found on the Events! page (Deadline July 8).
5. If you're interested in hosting a giveaway to drive traffic to your site, sign up via the Giveaway Sign Up form (Deadline July 15).
6. And if your book will be FREE or $0.99 for the duration of the Fair, you can sign up on the Free and $.99 Book Sign Up Forms (Deadline July 15).

Events:

as of 5/31/2013

Art Fiction Gala hosted by Lucie Smoker

Does your fiction promote the visual arts--through featuring an artist, painting, sculpture, performance art, etc? Then, consider entering Lucie's Art Fiction Gala. The Art Fiction Gala is a virtual celebration of fiction that highlights the visual arts. Dress up in your finest, pick up some friends--a bottle of wine--and sample mind-blowing fiction that crosses the line between literary and visual art. Plus a gallery of art featuring reading. More information & entry instructions

Three Wishes hosted by Kirstin Pulioff

Introduce your characters to the world. Kirstin Pulioff invites you to ask your main character, "If you found a magic genie lamp, what would be your three choices?" More information & entry instructions

Flash Fiction Challenge II hosted by Thomas Winship

Get ready to exercise your flash fiction muscles. For the Flash Fiction Challenge II, Thomas Winship will provide an opening line. From there, entrants will craft a flash fiction piece of approx 500 words. Entries will be displayed on Thomas' blog Vaempires during the BBF, spread out evenly across the five days, in order of receipt. More information & entry instructions

Snapshot Synopsis Contest hosted by Fel at The Peasants Revolt

Challenge: chisel your synopsis down to 50 words or less. Voting will be open throughout the fair for visitors to vote on their favorite Snapshot Synopsis. More information & entry instructions

Reader's Choice Awards hosted by Sherri at Shut Up & Read

All books registered for the Blogger Book Fair are automatically entered into the running for the Reader's Choice Awards. Voting will be open from July 22 to July 25. More information

Indie Soap Box Files hosted by Shah Wharton

Take a turn on the Soap Box. Shah invites speculative fiction writers to write a guest post about being an indie (or hybrid) writer. More information & entry instructions Restrictions: Speculative fiction writers only

Monster Menagerie hosted by Noree at Trip the Eclipse

What's your favorite monster or supernatural creature? Feature your creature in a flash fiction piece (500-800) words to be featured on Trip the Eclipse. Visitors will vote on their favorite piece. More information & entry instructions

Ways to Help:

Donate to the Blogger Book Fair via the BBF Donation Fund. To help get the word out about BBF, we would like to place ads on Facebook, Goodreads and other places, but to do, so we need a little help. We'd also like to have some BBF sponsored giveaways, so money donated would also go toward prizes. NO MONEY WILL BE KEPT BY ANY ORGANIZER OR PARTICIPANT. Spread the word! Share the Fair on your social media accounts and show off the Blogger Book Fair logo in your blog's sidebar.

Join us on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Google +

Self-Publishing - Cheating or Ownership?

Photo Courtesy of Africa/freedigitalphotos.net

I'm over at Hugs and Chocolate today! The post, Self-Publishing - Cheating or Ownership, begins the trio of guest posts discussing my experiences with self-publishing. 

I'm so excited to visit H & C for many reasons, but mostly because the site is gorgeous and has excellent posts (craft, motivation and inspiration) for writers. For example, the most recent post by Jamie Raintree explains How to Cure the Sagging Middle. I read it and now totally get the mysterious subplot!

Please come and visit!

The Magic 8 Ball Comes to the Rescue

Hope Roberson is quickly becoming my favorite person on the blogosphere!  Not only did she offer me the opportunity for the great interview last Friday, but now she's tagged me for the The Magic 8 Ball Meme.  This is great for two reasons. 1.) I needed a blog post and 2.) I need some help with the beginning of Finding Meara.


Before I move on with the meme, I wanted to let you all know I'm over at Vaughn Roycroft's blog today sharing  The Way I Like My Rejections.  Obviously something I'm living right now!


I'm going to share the rules of the meme first and then it'll all become clear, I promise.


Rules for the Magic 8 Ball Meme:


1. Post the button and link to Jaycee deLorenzo (following would be nice, but not required). 

2.  Share an excerpt from your current WIP, perhaps something you're struggling with, are stuck on, or just can't "get right."  

3.  Ask a question about your excerpt.  It can be something easy such as "What do you think?" or something more in-depth, such as "Can you suggest a better way to word such-and-such," or "How can I make the emotions in this scene more realistic?"   

4.  Tag 8 people. 


I contemplated the whole query letter thing because I think my query stinks, but I decided to ask for your knowledgeable help on the first couple pages of Finding Meara, instead.  I have had contrary feedback on the beginning.


One person who would know said it was sufficient, but not strong.  Another person who would know said that it was a great beginning.  So, I'm giving you a little over the first two pages (the entire chapter is only five, but I didn't want to be greedy) and would like to know what you think I could do to make it stronger.


Here goes:

The beautiful fall day didn’t give any hint of the unbelievable mess my life was to become.

By late morning, I’d opened all the windows in my apartment.  The outside smells of dried leaves and cool air flowed through the rooms.  They mingled with the infrequent rumble of large delivery trucks coming off I-25 on their run into downtown Denver.

I focused on my laptop’s screen, and wished my online racing bet would download faster.  I wanted to get going.

The loading bar ticked up to ninety-seven percent, ninety-eight…

“And…done!” I said to the empty apartment.

I snapped the lid of the laptop shut, and set the computer on the coffee table.  Clasping my hands behind my head, I stretched the kink out of my back when the sound of heavy footsteps outside the door grabbed my attention.

Curious.

Nobody had access to my floor without being buzzed up.  I crossed to the door, while I checked my cell phone for messages.  No alerts showed on the screen.

No one on the other side of the peephole, either.

“See there.  You’re just hearing things, Hazel.”  I checked my watch and headed for the bedroom to change into my workout clothes.

I made it halfway across the living room before the door shattered with a spectacular cracking noise.  Shards of wood flew by me.  Instinctively, I covered my face with my arm, and dropped to the floor.

Silence.

I uncovered my eyes, and stared at the hole where the door had been.  My heart pounded.

A gigantic man watched me from the hallway.   He said one word.

“Meara.”

“Who?”

The man strode through the wreck of the doorway.  His black trench coat rippled around his legs. A fedora, pulled low on his forehead, obscured his face.

“No! I’m Hazel… Hazel Michelli.”  I scrambled to my feet. “Stop!”

He didn’t stop.  Who I was didn’t matter.  He was going to kill me.

I searched the room for a weapon, but found nothing.  No vase or lamp to throw.  No baseball bat to beat him with.

The bathroom, I can lock myself in the bathroom.

Sprinting down the hallway, I slipped on the wooden floor and skidded past the sharp left into the bathroom. Crashing to the ground with a bounce that made my teeth hurt, I lost my grip on the phone.  It fumbled from my fingers, and slid away from me.

Phone or bathroom?  Indecision rendered me motionless.

The guy had made matchsticks out of my front door.  A flimsy bathroom door would be no protection.

I lunged for the phone.  A decision made too late.

An oversized hand wrapped around my ankle.  The man flipped me on my back, and pulled me toward the balcony.

My breathing rasped in my ears. If he got me out of the apartment, I’d be a goner.

I stretched for a chair leg, then the coffee table as they slid by.  Each time I grasped some piece of furniture, he gave me a violent shake, and I lost my grip.  Whatever I held on to slipped away behind me.

He was way too strong for a man.  I quit fighting long enough to really look at him. 

My heart stopped.

His hat had fallen off.  The skin on his bald head was grayish-green and had the waxy sheen of day old death.  Bulky knots protruded from above his shoulder blades, while his arms reached to his knees.

A cold chill flooded through my blood.

He wasn’t a man at all.

So there it is!  Please let me know what you think, as I'm trying to decide what to do with both my query letter and my first chapter before I start sending it out again.


Now for the tagging, which may be difficult because I know a lot of people have already been tagged.  If you've already been tagged, just know I like you so much I tagged you again!  Of course, if you haven't been tagged and I don't tag you, I still like you!


Denise Falvo
Emily R. King
Leigh Covington
Hildred Billings
Suzi at Literary Engineer

Okay, I'm stuck, so I'm going to cheat and only go for five! Thanks so much for any thoughts you might share on my pages.

Please Meet Vaughn Roycroft!

If you are looking for the Query Corral Blog Hop entry, please go here.  Otherwise, read on!

Who is Vaughn Roycroft, you may be wondering?  Well, he is a talented writer, new-ish to blogging blogger, and embodiment of kindness on the internet.

Vaughn has guest posted on Writer Unboxed's blog a time or two, and written book reviews for the sister site Reader Unboxed.  It was through these posts that I became aware of the fine writing skills Vaughn has, and in my comments, I selfishly encouraged him to get his own blog so I could read more of his writing.  Thankfully, that did happen, and his blog, Seeking the Inner Ancient, went live (along with his cool website) this year.  My only complaint is that I wish he'd post more often! (And I mean that with all kindness, Vaughn!)

We finally bonded a little over my post The Magic of Star Wars and Writing.  Through Facebook I learned that Vaughn is a kind, interesting person -- just the kind of person I would love use as my guinea pig for my first blog interview.  So, without any more talking from me, I would like to present Vaughn Roycroft, the first ever interview at Motivation for Creation!

Welcome, Vaughn! Could you please introduce yourself to us, and share with us some of your favorite things? 

I’m a husband, a writer of historical fantasy, a carpenter, and a former businessman. I love spending time with my wife, my black lab, music, reading, a good laugh, walks on the beach, cooking, the spooky feeling that accompanies being imbued by the muse.

Would you care to share a little about your current work? Where are you in the process of publication?

I completed the first draft of a trilogy a few years ago, and have subsequently written a ‘prequel’ manuscript, examining the trilogy’s backstory (kind of like Star Wars, eh, Lara?).

Short version of all four, starting with the prequel: A Goth chieftain sets out to restore his father’s honor, and is told by a mystic that he and his progeny are destined to greatness. He begins a disastrous war of conquest with the Roman Empire. In seeking to ensure his foretold legacy, he marries two prominent women who each bear him a son. One son goes on to be raised within the fold of empire, and the other is raised in his tribe’s homeland among his mother’s royal clan. The trilogy examines the rise of the sons, and how each responds to his so-called destiny, against the backdrop of the their two peoples’ epic culture clash. Oh, and there’s an all-female warrior sect entangled in there. Can’t go wrong throwing in some kickass warrior chicks, right?

I’ve gone through two rounds of submissions with book one of the trilogy without a sale. This last time I was fortunate enough to receive several wonderful rejections (that’s a funny phrase, but it’s true—anything you get beyond a form letter, be thankful and listen up). I’ve worked on ideas to streamline the opening with my fabulous critique editor (Cathy Yardley, of Rock Your Writing) and some wonderful writing friends who’ve been kind enough to beta read. Round three coming up! 

Name the three things that are most important to you.

My wife is clearly numero uno. I’d be lost without her. She’s my first reader, my biggest supporter, my best friend and my soul mate. 

 Next, my cottage in the woods and the life we’ve built here in our little beach community (including daily walks along the shore). 

 The third would have to be my writing journey. It began a bit late in life, but it has been hugely rewarding. I’ve learned so much and have met so many wonderful people (like you, Lara). My relationships and insight into my life and the world around me have been greatly enhanced. I am blessed, whatever comes of my quest for publication. 

What/Who are your writing influences?

I’ve often mentioned the importance of Tolkien in my life, but reading the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings affected my literary life more than any other single thing. It demonstrated the possibilities for being immersed in another world and yet inspired to emotions that are definitely of this world. I didn’t want it to end. Turning the last page, and being satisfied and yet left with that longing for it to go on, was what led me to imagine the possibility of trying to create such a world and to inspire such feelings in others.

Currently I’m working hard to adapt my work, and my future method, to utilizing the elements of story structure. This is largely in response to the positive influence of my online writing tribe—most prominently in the person of my aforementioned editor, Cathy (plotter extraordinaire). I was a dyed-in-the-wool pantser during the writing of the trilogy. Now I’m going back through and adapting/honing my work to fit the elements of structure. It’s a big job, but I was fortunate to have had either the instinct or dumb luck to have crafted fairly good bones in my early drafts. And I can see what a positive effect it’s having on my work. 

Do you believe in everyday magic? If so, give an example of why.

In a recent discussion about the mystical versus the scientific in regard to writers having a muse, I weighed in on the side of the mystical. I believe there is so much more going on than can be easily explained. Those on the other side claim that those amazing story elements that occur are just a byproduct of our brain’s complexity—the result of accessing our cognitive subconscious. Even if science proponents are right, it’s still pretty damn magical to me. Even if I’m self-deluding, why would I want to live in a world without magic?

A new-to-writing Writer comes up to you and asks for your advice. What would you tell them?

I would tell them not to wait around. Start! Today! 

I always knew I’d write, but I wasted a lot of years saying, “someday, when there’s more time, I’ll start.” Just begin, anyhow, anyway, even if you only spend fifteen minutes a day on a rambling outline. Don’t muse, write! Get something on paper.

Another thing I would advise might sound controversial. I’d tell them to avoid seeking online writing advice or publishing information—at least during the writing of the first draft. Read a craft book or two (I’d recommend On Writing, by Stephen King and The Art of War, by Steven Pressfield), but then stay off the internet and just write! 

Your head will be swimming in the ocean of the online writerly world soon enough. Get out a draft without any of that influence. Do it for the love of it. Do it for you and no one else. All future work will belong to others (editors, agents, readers, etc.). During that first draft of that first manuscript, just rejoice in the exhilaration of freeform expression—rules, advice, gatekeepers, readers, et al be damned.

Optimist, pessimist, or realist?

I said earlier I’d be lost without my wife. This is part of it. I’m a realist with pessimistic overtones. All too easily, I get caught up in a woe-is-me mind-frame. My wife is the eternal optimist. She believes in me more than I believe in myself.

What motivates you to be creative? (i.e. Write, but any other type of creativity is fine, too!)

Hardest question, by far. When I was in business, most of my creativity was devoted to problem-solving. For example, designing a system or a new piece of equipment to overcome an obstacle to production. This creativity had the simplest motivation: profit. I also developed a love of cooking over those years, mostly as a way to relax. Over time a secondary motivation crept in for both: I was being praised for doing them well. It felt good.

Writing, at first, was a completely different beast. For a long time I kept it secret, and honestly never planned to show it to anyone. It took me several months to even tell my wife about it. Even after she knew, I told few others. It’s still a huge, difficult leap for me just to hit the send button, every time (and will be even for this interview). I do feel quite gratified by praise, but it wasn’t what I sought in starting, and I’ve come to see there’s more at work here.

I’m taking a long road to get there, but bear with me. I think I started writing in a quest to answer some big questions about life. It was ’03. My old feelings from Tolkien were reawakened by the release of the LOTR movies and a rereading of the trilogy. 9/11 was a fresh memory. We’d suffered some tough losses. In hindsight I see myself grappling with the meaning of love, honor, choice, destiny, and legacy (we have no children). I was also coming to grips with death (my own mortality, the loss of loved ones, and my fear of losing others dear to me).

When I finally started allowing a select few to read, the first outside of family was a dear friend. After he finished, he and I literally spent an entire day talking. The fact that he was moved, that he was able to apply the work to his own life, and that it left him grappling with the same issues as I had in writing it, threw a whole new light on my journey. I knew then this was my life’s work, that it could really matter. It’s the greatest motivation there is.

Thanks so much for having me on your wonderful blog, Lara!

Now that you've had an introduction, head over to Vaughn's blog and read all the great posts he has there, such as Originality Isn't Everything, What Building my House Taught Me About Writing (and it's a beautiful house - there's pictures!), and of course, because you can't have too many warrior chicks, Regarding Kickass Warrior Chicks.

Please come back on Friday to help me celebrate my Life List Club Milestone party.  I'm going to try and incorporate Funny Photo Friday into the celebration, and I'll be giving away an Amazon gift card to a random commentor.  Also, between now and then, I've got some awards to pass on, as well.  It's going to be a busy week!

The Relationships of Writing - Part 2

Photo by kramkathrog/freedigitalphotos

Having joined the My Name Is Not Bob Platform Building Challenge, I've been thinking a lot about social media relationships. There seems to be two arguments going around the web.  On the one hand, writers are called to support each other and social media is all about "friends", "followers" and "tribes."  On the other hand, the legitimacy of these relationships are questioned as fake.

Personally, I don't know why it has to be an either/or kind of argument.  It seems to me that the relationships we make on the internet are what they are, no more, no less.

Although we might like the idea of writing being solitary, it has always required relationships and partnerships. A writer has always had a relationship with the reader.  Whenever I read autobiographical accounts of writers, it seems like they also had relationships (friendships) with each other.  And then they had to have relationships with their publishers and agents.

I can't imagine that writers of the past (pre-internet and pre-social media) had close relationships with all these people. The relationship depended on the need for the interaction, and probably the length of the relationship, as well.  Why isn't it the same for social media?

Just because we call someone a friend doesn't mean they are in the same category as the person we've known since kindergarten.  We define our relationships.  We make them important or not.

Social media is an introduction, an entry point for making a connection with someone else.  What level of connection is up to us to decide, no different from "real life."

I view writer's relationships with each other as similar to being on an Olympic team.  Sometimes Olympic athletes compete against each other, but they are still working for the greater good of the whole team.  We are Team Writer, and it is the nature of the business to compete against each other.  However, we can certainly have good sportsmanship.  We can help each other get better, we can make those connections, and share our success with others.

Does it have to mean we are BFF's and inexorably linked until the end of time?

No.  Not unless we want it to.

Our internet relationships are what they are.  They are a unique-unto-themselves type of relationship.  They may come and go quickly, because we don't see each other face to face.  They may lead to longer and stronger friendships, or to business partnerships.  It depends on the people behind the keyboard, and the connection that is made.

I (Finally!) Get to Celebrate!

Photo Courtesy tungphoto

It's finally happened!  Thanks to all you lovely people out there that decided to hang around for a while, I have reached the big 100 Followers Milestone.

Wow.

When I started blogging, and my first followers came on board (my friends and family - Stacy, Carolyn, Lola and the first non-related follower known only as wolfe.mailbin) I was overjoyed.  I wasn't just shouting out to empty cyberspace anymore.  There were people out there that might actually want to read what I posted.

The feeling has not changed.  I am still so surprised and super-happy when I get new followers.  I know how many blogs are out there.  The fact that something about my blog made you all want to click into membership thrills my heart.

I have been so in awe of all you bloggers out there who have been blogging for, let's say... two months, and have a zillion followers!  I haven't been jealous, but just amazed.  I've wondered how the heck you did it!

It has taken me a year and a half to get to this blogging milestone.  I began thinking about how to celebrate the occasion since I reached about 80 followers. (I'm an optimist, remember?)

However, I am going to let you all onto a little secret.  I have terrible luck with throwing parties.

No one comes.

Really.

The last party I threw (Mary Kay), of the people I invited, guess who came.  My mom and my sister.  And they lived in the same house as me.  That's how bad it is.  You can't see it, but I'm hanging my head in shame. I was so surprised when people actually showed up to my wedding.  And no, I'm not joking.

But this is a big writerly moment for me!  I want to celebrate, so I'm going to throw us a party and you are all invited!

No party (or household) is complete without some kind of sweet-something...  Don't those look yummy?!

SuraNualpradid/FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

We have to have some sort of beverage...

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

And for those of you who don't drink alcohol...

Toa55/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

And the big surprise...

duron123/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Because who wouldn't love to have an elephant at their party!

Last but not least, I have two party favors.  I am not able to offer helpful services to anyone (like critiques) because I am so busy right now.  I have had a person's manuscript since January (hi! You know who you are - and I'm still sorry this is taking me so long.  I love what I've read so far!) and so I don't want to set anyone up for frustration.  But, what I can offer is a random drawing for anyone who comments on this post for two $15.00 Gift Cards to the place of your choice.  That way, if you live in another country, you can still play.  I'm going to open the drawing up to those of you who commented on the last post, as well, for being a Freak and proud with me!

Before I forget, I was tagged again, but I can't find the comment that tagged me, so I can't answer the questions.  I do appreciate being tagged!  It's so fun.  If I do locate the comment, I'll get over to your blog (whoever you are - you nice, friendly person) and get the questions.

I need to especially thank all the blog-fest hosts out there, and Leigh Covington for interviewing me.  Finally, thank you to each and every one of you of the 100 for coming over here and talking with me, and supporting me.  You are all great blogger-buddies!

Blogging Your Naked Passion - Are You Brave Enough by Jenny Hansen

The day has arrived!  It's Life List Club Friday and the witty, thoughtful Jenny Hansen is here to guest post!  Please give Jenny a warm welcome and enjoy her wonderful post about blogging bravery.   If you're wondering where I am, you can find me over at Sonia G. Medeiros's discussing Extreme Perseverance.  Welcome, Jenny!

Blogging Your Naked Passion – Are You Brave Enough? By Jenny Hansen

Courtesy of janellesalah.com

There is a magnet on my refrigerator with a phrase by Zora Neale Hurston that says, “There are years that ask the questions and years that answer.”

Sometimes, if we’re very lucky, a year does both.

Some of the questions the last few years have asked me are:

• How to be a mom?
• How to blog?
• How to own a home?
• How to balance work, writing and family?
• How to plant a garden and keep up a yard?

All of these questions share one common thread: the answers can’t be easily explained.

You just have to forge ahead and try things out to see what works and what doesn’t. Sure there’s manuals, but it’s usually quicker to forge ahead and just try rather than reading 20 books first, especially with parenting.

I’d say the only question above where this “give it your best try” approach DOESN’T apply is blogging. There are a number of wonderful resources available for bloggers. However, I recommend a shortcut: social media genius, Kristen Lamb.

Kristen’s books We Are Not Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer  should be required for ANYONE who wants to blog, but most especially for writers.

If you have a blog, want a blog or just have the idea of one tickling the edge of your mind, I’d make fast tracks for Kristen. She says that your blog should…

OMG, wait for it…
…MATCH YOU.

That’s it. No big hidden secrets of blog success (besides getting yourself on social media so people can find you and your genius). Your blog should be about the things you love and the things that interest YOU. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t interact with your followers, just that every blog starts with you.

Courtesy of Google Images

I sum it up as: you need to be authentic.

The same way a writer’s fiction shouts, “This is who I am,” your blog will too. I’m pretty sure that’s why so many bloggers ran screaming for their pillows when Kristen posted this on what writers should blog about (hint: not just writing).

I’m sure many of them were thinking:
You want me to be personal? To hang my passion out naked for the world? Are you kidding me?  This is NOT Weiner-gate, Kristen! This is MY BLOG.

Authentic is scary. It’s exposing and humbling and real. If you’ve read Margery Williams’ book, The Velveteen Rabbit, she describes this perfectly:

“What is REAL?" asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day... "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When [someone] loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand... once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.”

― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real

In today’s world, where “reality TV” is staged and we watch our public figures lie without qualm, our blogging pals give us an important slice of real.

Are you letting your naked passion hang out for the world to see? What do you like about blogs? What makes you bookmark or subscribe to a blog?

About Jenny Hansen

Jenny fills her nights with humor: writing memoir, women’s fiction, chick lit, short stories (and chasing after the newly walking Baby Girl). By day, she provides training and social media marketing for an accounting firm. After 15 years as a corporate software trainer, she’s digging this sit down and write thing.

When she’s not at her blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Twitter at jhansenwrites and at her group blog, Writers In The Storm. Every Saturday, she writes the Risky Baby Business posts at More Cowbell, a series that focuses on babies, new parents and high-risk pregnancy.

I Feel (more) Like a Writer Now!

And what, are you wondering, is making me feel a little less like a pretender?  The fact that my first ever writer-ly interview is slated to be published on the blog of the fabulous Leigh Covington on February  21st!  I know I have been giving out information about myself left and right, but with the interview from Leigh, I actually talk about my work in progress and other writer-ly things.  So, please, if you could stand to learn a little bit more about me, please head over to Leigh's blog and say hello! (Did you catch the double-please? I'm trying not to beg... Really, I am.)

Photo by  Rob Wiltshire

This week is going to be another whirlwind blogging week, as I will be posting my entry into the first challenge for the Campaign later this week.  I meant to do it today, but the rest of life got in the way.  The good news is that today I got a substantial amount of editing done.  Not enough, of course, but I feel like I made headway! 

Friday is a Life List Club day, so I will be welcoming Jenny Hansen to guest post.  She has a great blog called More Cowbell, and I recommend to everyone to go check her blog out.  You all know how much I like to laugh, and her posts make me chuckle more often than not.  To give you an example of her sense of humor, the blog published yesterday was titled "Help Prevent Sinning with the 'Sin Collar'"  Gotta love it!  

I will be guest posting over at Sonia G. Medeiros's blog on Friday.  Sonia, if you remember, was my guest during the I'll Tumble 4 Ya' blog hop, and gave us all a laugh by choosing Alf as her crush before fessing up to Ricky Shroder.  After checking out Jenny's post on Friday, if you have time to stop over at Sonia's and say hi, my day would be made!

What are you all up to this week? 

So Many Fun Things to Do!

There are so many wonderful, fun activities going on in the blogging world lately!  I have just signed up to participate in the Fourth Writer's Platform Building Campaign, created by Rachael Harrie at Rach Writes.

I decided the Campaign was something I wanted to do when I read "The Campaigners are all people in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs."  


I believe in supporting others, and really appreciate it when people are supportive of me.  I've never been one for forcing myself on people, and the whole concept of platform building has always been a little scary.  The idea of mutual support and community building warms my social worker heart, and makes me feel a whole lot better about the process of platform building.


Plus, the Campaign is highly recommended on the blogs of several of the people I have become acquainted with through other means (David Powers King, Mark Koopmans, Nick Hight).  I am looking forward to the start of the Campaign, the challenges and getting to know like-minded bloggers!  If you want to join in, head over to Rach Writes, and sign up. The list will close on Wednesday, February 15th, so be sure to get over before then!


Besides that, I have the "It's Getting Hot in Here" Blog Hop on Valentines day.  I think you can still join up over at Cassie Mae's Reading, Writing and Lovin It.  She and Hope Roberson are co-hosts. There's a ton of people participating and it should be a whole lot of fun.


You also may have noticed a new Blog Hop badge over there ---> in the margin.  It's Mark Koopmans "Got Green?" Blog Hop!  The linky list will officially open from March 12 to March 16, then on the 17th (St. Patrick's Day) we all share what St. Patrick's day means to us - any traditions, foods, memories or future plans of Ireland.  The total word count is 333 words, and there are prizes involved, so head over there on March 12th for some good old "Oirish" fun.  


Because of all the fun blog activities, I am finding that I am not exactly paying that much attention to writing fiction, or editing. So, once I post this post, I am going black for the weekend, and am going to be focused on editing, and doing a little creative writing.  I don't dare get on the computer, or I will easily spend several hours socializing by blog hopping, and tweeting.  So, I will see you all on Sunday night at the earliest!  Have a great weekend!

What's With the Blog Face Lift?

Over the last month, you might have noticed a few changes I've made to the blog.  The biggest change is the new title, blaring my name at you at the top.  I must admit, I'm not exactly comfortable with some of the changes (aka my name blaring at you at the top of the blog) so why would I make them?

Photo courtesy of Ohmega1982

Back before Christmas, I began reading Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer by Kristen Lamb.  The book is a collection of her blog posts related to writing and blogging.  I hadn't really read anything by Ms. Lamb prior to December, but some of the people she is associated with started following me on Twitter, and then I found her book on sale on my Nook, and so I snapped it up.  I can always use help with blogging, after all.

Next, I read the blog post Your New Writing Blog: Avoid These Faux-Pas by Roz Morris, author of Nail Your Novel, about blogging basics.  She suggested many of the same things that I had read in Are You There Blog? It's Me, Blogger.  Hearing the same advice from two different sources moved me to action.  I have made links to both sources, so you can go read their great advice, rather than detailing all of the advice here and making an insanely long post.  I will share the changes I made, so you can get a sampling.

• I deleted the left sidebar.  I also deleted some of the extra "stuff" I had needed when I started to fill space.  This did clean up the blog significantly, and moved the posts to the most visible place.
• I moved the "About Me" back to the main page.  It is now up at the top where it is visible, complete with an updated picture of yours truly.  That's one of those uncomfortable changes, by the way, but both Kristen Lamb and Roz Morris were adament that people want to see who they're reading and don't want to go hunting for it.
• I added a search box. Now that I have a blog history, I need help relocating specific blogs.  Up it went. I also added a subscribe by e-mail.  It's a relatively new feature on blogger, and can allow people who aren't google affiliated, or don't want to join the follower block, a way to follow your blog.
• I started tagging my name in all my blog posts. It increases people's ability to search your name and actually find you.
• And finally, this weekend, I put my name up at the top of my blog.  I kept Motivation for Creation as the URL, because I know how hard it is to spell 'Schiffbauer'. (It's my husband's fault.  That's the reason my twitter handle is @LASbauer, too.) I wish I could change font size, so my name could be a little less...well, large, but I can't figure out how to do that, and leave the Motivation for Creation big, so it is blaring at you, and I'm sorry.  However, you certainly know whose blog it is!

It was a tough sell to put my name up there.  I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to do it.  What finally convinced me to do it were my own experiences this Friday.  I went on a four hour blog reading bender, trying to get caught up with the reading and commenting that got neglected during the week.  When I was catching up on the Nightgale blog challenge I would look for the names of people who had commented on my blog, and not be able to find them.  I had no idea whose blog I was reading.  It was very frustrating.  I decided to save anyone who might want to find me (hopefully!) the same frustration.

Are you happy with your blog design, or are you ready for a blog face lift?  Do you have any other blogging tips you'd like to share?

Happy New Year - Let's Get This Party Started!

I thought I would do a quick New Years Eve post about the small additions I made to the blog.  I have seen several blogs (like Trisha at Word + Stuff) that have their goals listed on a page of their blog. 

I thought this was a great idea and decided to jump onto the bandwagon.  I made a goal page of my own and came up with a list of goals for 2012, so if you're interested about what I'm doing (or how I'm doing) feel free to check it out.

Amazingly, Yoda tweeted me today with the quote about "Try not. Do or do not." I have heard the quote used many times in writerly circles, but it was so fitting that the message would be sent to me on New Years Eve when I'm looking forward to goals of 2012 that I made it part of my page.  If you want Yoda to tweet you, put a hashtag (#Yoda) at the end of a tweet and the Yoda-bot will pick it up and tweet you.  It's pretty cool!

Finally, I would like to say a big "Thank You" to all of you who come and read what I have to say, follow this blog, or follow me on twitter.  I have had a wonderful 2011, and have made several new friends, thanks to you all.  I look forward to seeing what 2012 has to bring with you!



Happy New Year!!