The World Needs to Hear Your Voice
“Save the whales! The whales are in trouble!”
I strolled along the beach in Oak Island, N.C. on my vacation and spotted a large circle with writing in the sand plus a large drawing of a whale. The sand message intrigued me so I stopped to read what she wrote about the whales.
A young girl (11 years old) came up beside me. I introduced myself and found out her name is Callie. I asked Callie about her writing and drawing. She explained the plight of the whales.
I got down a little closer to the sand to read what she wrote, “How interesting. What kind of response are you getting?”
“You’re the only one who has stopped or noticed.” She said her voice tinged with sadness. 
“Well, you wrote something and reached one person and if you reach one, who knows how many others may be affected. I’m going to write a blog post about this and so anyone who reads it will be educated. What would you like people to know about the whales?”
“That they’re intelligent. People think they’re stupid, but they re not. Whales know about natural disasters before they happen. The navy sonars are exceptionally strong and they mess up the whales mind. The sonar confuses them. When they get confused, they beach. The Navy people are not aware of it or they don’t think about the whales. People are the problem because they throw things in the ocean because they’re lazy or they do it accidentally, like balloons or plastic.
Maybe it doesn’t hurt the whales because they’re big enough, but it hurts other sea animals like the dolphins. If humans aren’t careful, some of the species of whales could become extinct and mess up the eco system.
The whales need help from us humans. Eight of the ten species migrate to this beach. Do you know what an Atoll is? I know more than most adults. I don’t like to brag but I’ve read more.”
I listened to her intently tell me all about the whales and then exhorted her.
“I encourage you to read and educate yourself all about the whales. Then learn how to write. Write about your passion for the whales. Be polite and considerate of those who don’t agree. Many will probably ignore you, but you never know, someone important might take notice. The world needs your voice to tell us about the whales.”
Now, her message reaches you and who knows how many others. We need to encourage others, regardless of how young or old. to find their message, write and express their voice. Who knows the difference this young girl will make for the whales and our world?
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Are You a Pond or River Writer?
Are you a river or a pond with your writing? Do you let what you have to say flow out of you or do you keep it gathering inside of you?
A river writer lets what they have to say flow out. A pond writer keeps it to themselves.
I have a confession to make. For many years I was a pond instead of a river. I gathered all this wonderful knowledge, wisdom and insight and would not get around to writing about it.
Fears and busyness held me back. Fears and questions bombarded my mind. Will other people be critical of my writing? Will I write it right or write it perfectly enough? What if no one even bothered to read it? How can I fit writing into my busy schedule? What will I have to give up to take time to write?
I gathered my stories and thoughts into the pond. The only problem is that it wasn’t flowing out of me to anyone who could benefit from it. When it gathered in the pond, the writing stagnated. I lost the freshness of the ideas and they became stale.
In the last few years, I’ve started pouring out more. Yet I’ve still held back out of fear of not writing perfectly.
Well, I’m making a decision as of now. I’m not going to let those fears stop me anymore. I’m going to start becoming more of a river writer instead of a pond writer.
I self edit my writing carefully and believe in doing all you can to write well. However, the flip side of that is perfectionism which can keep you from getting out a good message which can help others.
If I make writing mistakes, let me know and I’ll correct them but I’m not going to let fear of mistakes hinder me.
How about you? Are you going to jump in the river with me? Are you afraid? Here’s 5 strategies to overcome those fears.
5 Tips to Overcome Your Fears of River Writing
1. Begin now. Whatever level of skill you’re at in your writing, start there. Start giving to others with your writing.
Zina, one of my students from my writing course started a blog to encourage those with handicaps. At one point, Zina expressed concern that her writing wasn’t as polished as she would like. I wrote her, “Zina, you’re having a huge impact encouraging others at the skill level you’re at so keep writing!”
Last year, Zina had 12,000 views on her blog. What if she’d let her fears stop her? So many people would have missed out.
2. Understand the principle of increase. The more you use something the more it will increase. You understand this in exercising. The more you exercise, the stronger you get. You go from strength to strength. The same is true in writing, you go from skill level to skill level. The more you write, the more you learn about how to write, the more you’ll grow as a writer.
3. Let it flow. Sit down and simply start writing. Don’t worry about whether or not you do it right. Turn off the critical side of you and let it come out. Tap into your right brain instead of your left brain and go for it. You can correct it later but for now, let it go.
4. Grow little by little. Take time to add to your writing knowledge. If you want to learn how to write or write better, take the “How to Write for Fun and Profit” writing course.
If you’ve taken the course, pull it out and review it or read another book on writing. Implement writing tips and continue to learn how to write or improve your writing.
5. Take responsibility. You have a river inside of you but it’s your responsibility to let it flow out to others. Maybe you’re busy. Most people are. That’s where the 15 minute concept came to be. Don’t wait until you have a lot of time or another season of your life. Grab that pen and take advantage of the small increments of time you have now. Let the river flow, 15 minutes at a time.
People out there need to hear what you have to say. Even if it’s an audience of one, they need what you have to give.
So, jump in the river and let it flow. Instead of a pond writer, be a river writer. Refresh others and you’ll be refreshed.
Go write now.
Share the Gift of Writing!
How about you? What fears hold you back? How do you feel when you’re in a pond instead of a river? What is your experience? Share with us in the comments below.
Image of girls by Admar at http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
Writing Tips — Big Impact in a Few Minutes
What could you write today, to impact someone with your words? You may think you need to write a novel, a story or a book to make a difference in someone’s life. You are absolutely correct. Those are effective ways to influence others. Stories and books transform our lives and thinking.
However, think with me for a minute, what you could write now to impact somebody? Maybe it’s a blog post or an article. Maybe it’s simply a comment on somebody’s Facebook or a tweet. You could write a letter, email or thank you note.
Words have power. You can either destroy or build up others with your words. In addition to the longer things you want to write, I want to encourage you to think about small ways you can use your words to encourage other people and to spur them on in positive ways.
Recently, in an online class, the power of words struck me in a new way. Our coach came down with an illness and had to go the hospital. She had been recovering for a couple of weeks. When she stood for even five minutes, she become extremely dizzy. She was not able to teach class. However, she wrote these words in our membership area, “So, just because I’m down & out doesn’t mean YOU get to be! Share what you’ll do this week to advance your speaking. Or what you need help with. Go.”
Immediately, the power of her words stirred me to action. Even in her weakened state, she impacted me. Her comment motivated me to the next step in moving my goals forward. This brought a lesson home to me. You don’t have to have strength to impact other people. Sometimes you may feel inadequate or challenged in some way and you hesitate to write. Don’t let that stop you!
Regardless of the way you feel, you can impact other people in a positive way with your words. Words of encouragement can motivate someone to change, to have confidence in themselves or to move forward towards a goal. Words of affirmation can encourage someone to believe in their value and worth. Words of compassion can bring healing to someone who is going through a tough time.
What could you write today to encourage or influence someone in a positive way? Today a writer friend wrote me, “Go on and write . . . do what 
you were meant to do.” Those words spurred me to write this post and now I pass on this encouragement to you. You take it from here and keep it going. The power of your words and the ones we can generate together is simply astounding.
Set aside some time today, 5 to 15 minutes and use the power of your words change your little corner of the world for the better!
Did this post motivate you to write something? If so, let me know. Let’s encourage each other.
Image David Castillo Dominici FreeDigitalPhotos.net
5 Ideas to Share Your Heart with the Gift of Writing
Have you ever wanted to give a more meaningful gift than something you buy? Are you experiencing tight finances? Have you thought about giving a gift of something that you write?
My friend and her husband had an unusual anniversary this year. As part of a special dinner they prepared and served, her four children, age 6-14 put on a skit they wrote and one of the daughters sang an original song she’d penned. The kids gave their parents the gift of writing. These gifts blessed their parents far more than anything they could have purchased.
Once a year at my writer’s club, instead of a speaker, we have a “night of sharing.” We read stories we penned that inspire us, make us laugh, and cry. For our Christmas party, we read Christmas stories & poems we wrote. We give each other the gift of our creative writing.
At our church, we have a Christmas talent show. Members put on skits or share stories they wrote or original songs. They inspire us and make us laugh. We will share with each other the gift of our writing and creativity.
Here are some ideas from my personal life. On my aunt’s 70th birthday, I wrote her a tribute. The idea came to me when my sister said, “Why do we wait until someone is dead to let them know what we appreciate about them? Why not let someone know while they are alive? My aunt wrote me and told me how much my tribute meant to her. If someone you love has died, you can still write a tribute to give to those who loved them or a poem or story in their memory.
One time, my sister gave me what she called a “praise bouquet” filled with encouraging, affirming traits she saw in me. Her gift greatly encouraged my heart. I’ve done the same for her. We encouraged each other with our gifts of writing.
One of my adopted sons is especially gifted with words and has written me letters filled with encouragement. One of my adopted daughters has written me the sweetest little love notes or thank yous. These gifts of writing bless my heart.
A friend wrote something for my birthday, rolled it up, tied it with pretty ribbon, and put it in a beautiful gift box. Her gift charmed me with her creativity and effort.
Another time, I wrote a Christmas story about one of my adopted daughters and got it published in the Chicken Soup book series. Even if I had not gotten it published, the story is there for her to bring back a special memory. I also wrote a story about some childhood memories to leave a legacy for my children and in this way give them the gift of writing.
What can you give in writing as a gift?
5 Ideas to Share Your Heart with the Gift of Writing
- Stories – Write a story about a special occasion, a holiday memory like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation or a birthday or an event from an ordinary day that is worth sharing.
- Drama – Write a skit or play and perform it for a special event or create an event to share it.
- Song – Write a song and either sing it or have someone sing it for you.
- Tribute – Write a letter of encouragement or a letter to honor someone.
- Thank you – Send thank you letters on special days or holidays or for any reason to brighten up an ordinary day. Let people know you appreciate them.
Another idea is to give someone the gift of learning how to write. Do you know someone in your life who wants to learn how to write or who enjoys writing and would like to improve their writing skills? Do they have stories to share or a book they want to write? A perfect gift that would delight them is an online writing course. Consider the course I have to offer, “How to Write for Fun and Profit” with proven tips and strategies to make someone’s writing dreams come true!
However, you choose to do so, brighten someone’s day by giving them the gift of writing.
What ideas do you have? What have you done to share a gift of creative writing? Share with us in the comments below.
Letter Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Christmas gift Image: Naito8 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How to Write: Share Your Stories While You Can
Do you have stories to write but you haven’t gotten around to it? Do you want to share your stories with others to help them?
At an English Tea Room during the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate, I met a couple of retired women dressed in color coordinated outfits with matching hats and purses. They asked what I did and when I shared that I am a writer, we started talking about learning how to write to leave a legacy for your family. One of the women said, “I need to learn how to write my life stories so my children and grandchildren can know me.” She laughed, “I want my children to know why I like the color blue.”
A father of two teenagers shared with me,“I have so many thing I would like to say to teenagers to warn them about some of the things that trapped me and how to avoid them. I’d like to share some of the lessons I learned but do it in a way that won’t bore them.”
A retired friend shared with me, “I believe some of my life experiences would inspire others and show how God worked in my life. I don’t know how to write the stories.”
Another young adult man said, “I would like to write humorous stories from my life that would teach lessons in a fun way but I know I need to learn how to write.”
An additional friend confided,“I have some amazing stories to share about miracles that have happened in my life. I know these are stories that need to be told but I can’t seem to find the time.”
How about you? What stories do you to tell? Many of us have stories to share but they are locked up in our hearts like items in a storage bin. We haven’t thrown them away but they are not being used and shared with others. Think of the difference your stories could make if you would get them out there and share them!
This week a beautiful friend died of age 49 with brain cancer. She generously gave of her time, her wisdom and her care to so many of us as well as loving her own family of seven children. She invested her life in others and in her kind and gentle way made a huge difference in my life and all she touched. The flowers at her graveside spoke of the beauty of her life. She loved well and we will miss her. However, in her final days, she wondered, “Did I do enough? Did I love enough? Is there more I could have done?”
How about you? Do you have stories you want to tell but you have not shared them. What if someone’s life could be changed for the better by what you write? Would it be worth the effort? If something happened to you, would you have written all you wanted to?
If you are not sure how to write and need some support and encouragement in creative writing, check out the “How to Write for Fun and Profit” online course. If you are like my friend who feels pressed for time, I’ve divided the course into segments you can read and do the assignments in 15 minutes segments. I would be delighted to support you as you learn creative writing to be able to share your stories.
Whether you take my course of not, the important thing is to write. Don’t leave this world without sharing your treasures with your family, friends and the world!
How to Write: How Can You Profit From the Problems in Your Life?
Do you ever get discouraged with your writing or writing business? Do you get down? Frustrated? What do you do?
I’ve written about the fun and creative part of writing, but there is often another part that goes with the writing journey.
Today, I am in a funk. I didn’t sleep enough hours last night. I got discouraged because of some technical problems with my website and email program. I have some ergonomic problems that cause my hands to hurt and backaches etc from sitting too long at the computer in an inadequate chair. In fact, I’ve been in kind of a funk for the last week for these and various other life challenges.
Why am I writing about this? Why am I sharing my “negative” feelings? Well, because I want to help you. I want you to know that it’s okay to be down sometimes. It is part of a normal life experience. Like everyone else, for various reasons, you can end up in a pit of negative feelings. You can run into a wall of discouragement especially when you learn a new skill such as how to write, or when you write a book, learn to develop in a new area of creative writing, deal with the grammar gremlin or do the obligatory writing needed for your work.
Compost Bin
We live in a culture that doesn’t like to admit their struggles, and so people have a tendency to feel isolated and believe they are the only ones who have difficulties. This is not good or helpful for you. One time I saw a quote that said, “We learn how to suffer by watching others suffer.” How in the world are we going to learn how to deal with the negative in our lives if we don’t know how others struggle and watch how they overcome the various obstacles they encounter?
What do you do with your negative feelings and problems in life? My friends have a garbage compost for the garden. They throw out all the garbage on the compost pile and then use it to nurture growth in the garden. Then they harvest beautiful, nutritious veggies. Take your depressing life experiences and put the garbage on the compost pile. Recycle it! Use them in a positive way to support life and nurture growth.
5 Writing Tips to Turn Your Problems into Profit
First of all realize that profit is not only about money but about personal growth and helping others as well. If you keep this perspective, you can profit from whatever comes your way.
- Write about it. Journal your negative feelings while you feel them. Acknowledge rather than deny your feelings. Let yourself have them. This is wonderful therapy. If you don’t know why you feel funky or how to get through it, many times answers will come as you write. This can also be great material because as you find your way through the dark tunnel, you can help others find the light too.
- Look for the opportunity in the adversity. If you are a person of faith, pray and ask for help in solving the problems and wisdom on how to use the negative in a positive way. Anyone who asks God in faith for wisdom receives it.
- Persist despite the discouragement in moving forward toward your goals. Use the things coming against you to actually propel you forward toward a solution instead of hindering you. “The pressure you feel will drive you to find the solutions you need.” Curt Brown
- Allow the experiences to carve a compassion in your soul for fellow travelers so you can help them along their life journey. There is nothing like a struggle to break down the walls of pride that often separate us. When you can share your life experiences with others, they profit and you profit. Our shared suffering connects us.
- Use the lessons learned in some way in a positive way. Learn how to add creativity to your blog writing and write a blog post about challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Learn how to write and write a story using the complexity of your feelings for a character to make your story or novel richer. Write a how-to article or book on how to overcome some of the issues you face.
Turn Garbage into Dollars
There are numerous ways to turn your trash into treasure. People will pay you big bucks if you can offer them solutions to their problems. Now I am feeling good about feeling bad. LOL!
Well, this is what I did in the midst of my problems in life. I wrote anyway. Did you get that? Wrote anyway! I had a deadline on a blog post I needed to write so I wrote this.
Go Write Now!
What about you? How do you profit from the problems in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Rubbish Bin Image Grant Cochrane/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Dollars out of Trash Image Scottchan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Sleeping Woman at Computer Image: Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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How to Write: Write and Bring Money to Your Bucket
People will give you money
What if a unique expression of your creativity in your writing could result in people handing you money with a smile on their face?
I enjoyed an extended visit with my sister who lives in San Diego last summer. One night I took a walk for exercise. As I walked down the streets of San Diego, I happened to wander into the Gas Lamp district where there are alot of restaurants and partying going on. It is a historic district and entertainment center. People crowded the sidewalks as the energy and excitement lured them. Since I’m not from around this area I got a little lost and ended up in front of an Irish Pub. There a large black man caught my eye.
He had on a huge mad hatter type hat, dreadlocks, layers of beads around his neck on top of an African print type loose shirt. He carried an orange bucket with decoys on it and a black boom box with a mike. He’d ask people their name and then sang a rap style song with their name in it. In this particular situation, he sang Irish songs, rap style. How unusual! He totally delighted me with his creativity so I put $1 in his bucket. I noticed it was full.
He turned to me and asked my name and then began to sing to me using my name and rhyming rap. Joy filled my heart as I stood there and enjoyed the gift of his talent. As other people passed by, charmed by his ability to use words to create rhymes on the spot, they also dropped money in his bucket.
I later learned from the one of the restaurants hosts that the rapper uses no curse words and encourages kids in his songs to obey their parents. He also supports a group who encourage young people in the arts. Everywhere he goes, he creates an environment of fun and positive vibes with his creative rap. He personalized his songs. Everyone loves individual attention and their faces light up with joy.
What can you learn from this relating your creative writing?
When you create a positive fun environment in your creative writing, people are drawn to you. There is so much focus on the negativity in the world that it’s important to find ways to engage people in positive ways. When you learn how to do creative writing, you will refresh them and lift them up. You can draw people to you by letting your light shine in how you write. As you write, you sing your song. Personalize it and people will feel loved, cared for and delighted in. They will reward you for your creative writing efforts.
Be Unique
Express your uniqueness as you learn how to write and increase your creative writing in your chosen area. Find your voice and sing it. Be your positive self. As you learn creative writing you will find ways to reach people with the skillful use of words. You can grab people’s attention with personalized attention. Then people will flock to you and put money in your bucket. Soon it will overflow like the man whose main skill was his knowledge and use of words.
If you’ve always wanted to write but lacked the skills, I can help you make that dream come true. If you’ve always wanted to write but lacked the skills or you want to improve your writing skills, go to a writer’s conference or take an online writing course. You can learn “How to Write for Fun and Profit” and enjoy the positive energy and rewards our friend with the top hat did.
How about you? What can you do to create a positive environment through your creative writing and draw people to you?
Go write now.
Share the Gift of Writing!
photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net by anankkml
5 Tips to Nurture Your Creative Side
What do you do to nourish the creative side of you?
Often times you get caught up in the day-to-day routines of life. You work in various capacities, do household chores, take care of kids or parents depending on the stage of life. These tasks are necessities of life but do you do them to the extent that you neglect your creative side?
Recently, I found my creative self in dire need of nurture. I worked long hours to establish an online business, develop three websites, and create an online writing course. Though I wanted to do this and enjoyed much of it, it involved technical tedious “left brain” work, which means you are not always in the creative zone.
After several months, though proud of my accomplishments, I began to get a little burned out with overuse of my left brain. Then I read in one of my writing books that it is important to cross pollinate and develop your creativity in other areas. They stated by doing so, you will come up with new ideas for the things you have to do.
That was all the permission I needed. Gaining that perspective was well timed because I was getting ready to go visit my creative sister, who teaches art. She has successfully established a wonderful business teaching people who don’t know how to draw a straight line, how to draw beautifully.
We have a creative feast when we get together because we both love art and other creative activities. I decided I would learn to draw flowers. At the same time, I also took an online photography class. My whole world began to lighten up!
As I took photos and focused on drawing principles, I began to see correlations between those two arts and the one I had chosen, learning how to write. I felt refreshed as I explored new levels of creativity and it started showing up in my creative writing.
How can you incorporate creativity into your life?
5 Tips to Nurture Your Creative Side
- Make creative appointments with yourself. Give yourself permission to actually schedule creative activities into your day, week, or even take a creative day once a month.
- Go to a conference or creative, stimulating event. If you have the resources, you can even schedule a block of time to travel to a conference or workshop in your area of creative interest. Even if you don’t have a lot of resources, often times art shows and local festivals are free.
- Go to the library and look through art books or gardening, nature coffee table books, magazines on decorating, scapbooking or crafts, anything that stimulates your right brain.
- Get out in nature. Even something as simple as taking a walk in a scenic area can be refreshing and stimulating to your creative side. Go walk somewhere new or go to a local park and write.
- Take an offline or online writing course to learn creative writing or further your writing skills. If you can’t travel to a conference on how to write, set aside time at home to take online classes to further expand your creative writing skills. For example, if you want to learn how to write or expand your creativity in writing, you can take my online creative writing course, “How to Write for Fun and Profit” or some other course teaching you how to write.
A healthy person has a balance in their life of work and play. You can even justify this if you need to. Often when you take those times for play and creativity, ideas to solve problems in other areas of your business or home life come to you. When you go to have fun, work happens. With these writing tips, you can certainly justify your creative development.
Creativity needs some structure. Accountability, support and encouragement is a winning formula to achieve your dreams. You don’t have to be stuck, you simply need a desire to express your creativity and a commitment to achieve your writing dreams.,
If you want encouragement, productivity tips and strategies to overcome your fears so you can fully express your creative side, Check out the book I wrote to encourage you, “From Stuck to Success:Conquer Your Fears and Achieve Your Writing Dreams.”
Don’t simply go through life, nurture the creative side of you and enjoy your life!
How about you? What are you doing to nurture the creative side of you? If you are not, then what promise are you going to make to yourself to do so? Let me know what you think in the comments below.