Love Autumn Season

Well, the weather cooled off significantly today. So I can blog a bit today.

I noticed in the last several weeks the big controversies about books, bookstores, writers and publishers. Our local Borders store closed recently, and I do think it disappointed a lot of our local residents. I know it affected me.

I am sure in the coming months, you will see a big resurgence in independent bookstores. They have to fill the gap that the big box bookstores created. Will they still be able to survive the online bookstores BN.com and Amazon.com? This will be interesting to see.

I think that writers today HAVE TO be specialized in their writing. No longer can they serve the general public, unless you are a Dan Brown or Ken Follett.

Writers have to be like the fall season. I am sure you have noticed how beautiful fall colors are. They can only be found at certain times, certain locations and at certain altitudes. Certain colors can only be found on certain trees as well, and in specific weather conditions. We all know that if you want to know when fall season tree colors appear, you can easily check online for fall color reports.

It’s the same for writers and readers. The writer has to create content that appeals to a certain segment of the reading market. Then know where to put it, announce it and promote it. Then you expect the readers to come and enjoy it. Just like fall color marketing.

Fall season, to me, creates a sense of urgency, orange zippyness, a dash of loud promotion and beauty.

It is all about planning, travelling, enjoying the good stuff before it’s gone. I love travelling to places like Bishop, CA and Convict Lake, CA to see the fall colors. Places where there are lakes, and where there are mountains starting to be covered with snow.

Places like pumpkin patches, and places where I can have a hot beverage, and go on a hayride with friends, and pick apples and late season gourds and indian corn.

I’m coming out of my summer break and getting back to writing, especially now that my daughter has gone back to school. The cooler season will prevail and I will do more writing.

I even have a book proposal being reviewed now, and a novel book idea in my head. Perhaps for November I will do the novel writing in a month project.

Get the new Writer’s Market 2012. Read it  over, and then get busy doing writing projects.

For I know there are plenty of readers out there who want books and articles for the coming months.

Enjoy the coming fall season. Do make the most of it.

Summertime Is Nearly Over

I see my last blog post was on June 12th. It’s been a very busy summer.

My daughter goes back to school next week, and many summer events are just about over, so I should be able to blog more frequently starting after next Wednesday.

Summertime is very important for me. I get to enjoy the long days, observe people out and about, see the crops going, and travelling as much as I can. All these things recharge my writer brain.

Although the recession appears severe, I do think in many ways it is improving, especially for writers. I notice more and more of them are using social media now, to improve their writing networking and sales. It’s really a huge advantage for me, since I definitely don’t hear well.

Also, I’m hearing more and more reports about people moving and getting new jobs. The stock market is going up and down, and my husband (a long time securities advisor) thinks that is a positive sign.

Now is the time for everyone to take stock of themselves and plan for the fall season. I took my daughter in for a checkup this morning, and she’s good to go for the new school season. This year, she’ll be a junior in high school.

For me, I’m getting ready to go back to writing, reading and researching. My husband and I are considering purchasing a new computer, to improve my writing output. I’m pretty thrilled about that.

Finally, the best piece of summer writing news: I’m pleased to report my book proposal about hearing loss passed the second level of editorial scrutiny. I should know in the fall sometime if I’m given the green light to write the book that everyone wants to read.

Fall season is always an exciting time, and I really can’t wait for it to start.

Summertime!

The last several days in SoCal have just been fantastic. Cool, lovely and no winds. Flowers everywhere, and no heat whatsoever.

Although I have significant hearing loss, I can hear children playing and talking outside my window, and sprinkers and water hoses are gushing. It’s a good time now for everyone here.

Before too long, the summer heat will be setting in.

I think that writers should not really be writing during summer times. Well, perhaps I should say they should do a bit less writing. If you look at many successful writers, many travelled extensively. Good classic examples are Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway and Jack London.

I’m going to be busy this week planning my summer schedule. It’s going to be much easier doing what I want to do, mainly because my younger daughter is out of school. It gives me more time to do other things.

Recently I went to a fundraising walk in Long Beach. It was right by the ocean too. The weather was fabulous down there. I met many new people and learned many new things. It generated a lot of new ideas for my writing, for the next several weeks.

I think summertime is the best season for learning and doing new things that are outside your comfort zone. It’s the best time to think and plan for your future too. Be lazy physically, but thinking hard.

For this season, I suggest you get a pad of paper and a pen, and go outside somewhere frequently. Start making a list of things you haven’t done yet. Include travel spots, new restaurants and social and local nature locations you haven’t been to yet.  Include water locations, such as a lake. Then do them. You won’t regret it. If anything, it will make you a more interesting person because you have something new to share when you come back.

Writers do well in new places. This is because we’re always registering things happening, and recording them in our brains. And then it comes out through our writing.

If there is anything that inspires me to write, it is traveling to water locations. I love water in all forms. I especially like waterfalls. If I could, I would travel to every major waterfall in the world. I am so lucky to be living in California, because we have some of the best waterfalls in the world, and that would be in Yosemite National Park. (If you never have been there, this is the year to go. The waterfalls are awesome, due to the heavy Sierra snowpack this year.)

This is why I have waterfalls as part of my blogs. Water is essential, it will eventually arrive, no matter what, and is beautiful in all shapes and forms. It can go over, under, or around obstacles. We cannot live without it, and life cannot occur without it.

I have a project for those who don’t know what to do this summer. Go somewhere where there is water. Go to the ocean, rivers, creeks, puddles, waterfalls, lakes, streams, hot springs, swimming pools, sprinklers, waterslides, waterparks, whatever. Where there is water, there is bound to be something happening there.

Summertime is here, so go out and enjoy. And I will too.

 

 

 

Using Time Well

A few days ago I received notice that my book proposal is now undergoing editorial review. The editor said it would take some time to complete the process. Which is just fine with me.

This brings me to a point about using time wisely. We all are allotted a certain amount of time on earth. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know how much. Some get a lot more time than others. The trick is to put your priorities in order, and get them completed as quickly as possible.

And so certainly we all should do what we want to do, as quickly as possible. The problem is that many people don’t know what to do, how to do it, or when to do it.

If you’re not sure of your goals, your passions or what you want to do, I suggest developing a list and tacking it somewhere where you can see it everyday. There are people who have developed lists like “100 things I want to do before I’m gone for good.”

I would suggest, for most people, to do a list of maybe 20 or so. You want to be realistic and inspired, not discouraged.

If you can’t do the list for some reason, you need to ask yourself why.

In the past, also, I have suggested doing what is called a “lifeline”. What is that? What you do is go to a whiteboard or get a big, long piece of plain paper. Then you draw a line representing your life, from left to right. You draw high when a highlight happened in your life. Say, a baby is born, or you got married. You draw low when a low point happens, like you got a divorce, lost a job, or a death of a beloved person. Whatever. Make sure you put the dates underneath them.

This is also great for people near the end of their lives, and they can check to see what they haven’t done yet. There’s always a bit of time, I assure you, to do something.

When you finish your lifeline, you should sit and study it for a while. I am sure many personal observations will leap up at you.

This is also great for writers to do. It creates ideas, goals, inspiration, and creates more passion for the writing life. You can look back and see what you have done, what you haven’t done, and what you have planned for the future.

Another thing writers can do is to get out your lifetime body of work, and look at the dates they were printed. Analyze what  you did, and why, and what you enjoyed writing. Not to mention what you didn’t like penning. Patterns should emerge from this.

I guess what I am saying is that you need to stop and take the time to analyze what happened in your life, and where you are going from here. You want to accomplish as much as you can, for the time you have left.

Life is wonderful and good.

Don’t waste a minute of it.

In Favor Of All Things Traditional

Okay. I admit it. I am a sucker for all things traditional. I’m also a fan of all things British. Maybe it’s because my grandfather was born in England. Maybe because I’ve always loved weddings.

In a way, there’s not much that is traditional today. And that’s sad. So that is one reason why I am so looking forward to Kate’s and William’s wedding.

Many people think we shouldn’t have traditional things, because it supposedly represents bland, boring, predictable events and ideas. History has shown how many upset and angry people go and (unfortunately) destroy such traditional things.

For me, I love and respect all things ancient and beautiful.

For example, the long line of English kings and queens over history fascinates me. It signifies all things occurring over and over again. Royalty isn’t always necessarily political or even required, but it does promote the concept that stability and traditions are good to have.

Don’t forget that London was founded by the Romans. And that all things European were influenced by traditions and ideas from Egypt, which of course, is much, much older.

Let’s face it, everyone likes to hearken back to ancient times. For when we look back, we also see the progress we have made since then.

And so here is another reason why writers are so critically needed. We are here to write and comment on anything that happens in human history — for posterity, for recording our history, to future generations. I mean, look at the Rosetta Stone. It sits there in the British Museum in London. It’s all written in three ancient languages — Egyptian, Greek and demotic script. It’s like it was a bridge between really ancient and old times, and today we respect it, because without it, we would have never understood the Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The preparations for the future British king and his soon-to-be wife are already underway. And for that, I am delighted.

For it represents a traditionally wonderful time, and something to record for future generations to enjoy. We really need this event, for it gives us hope and positive feelings for the future. I just wish William’s mother was alive to see this.

Excuse me for ending this posting, as I want to go and enjoy this royal wedding, with all its traditional pomp and pageantry.