One Stop For Writers: An Online Library Unlike Any Other

 

I've been giving a lot of thought to the time and love put into establishing a trusted and professional author network. This includes writers that I trust to hash out ideas with, inspire me to do better and seek resources to make my work the best it can me.

What if someone put together a place where you could go to meet every writerly need?
Some incredibly generous and talented people have done just that. And I'm sharing all the awesome with you here.

Every once in a while, something comes along that changes things for the better.

And in the world of writers, this is especially welcoming, because we all know just how much sweat, courage and persistence it takes to write a book and then release it into the world.



Today I’m pointing you toward a new website which I hope will help writers brainstorm stronger characters, craft deeper, more compelling plots, and teach us how to be more effective with our description so we draw readers in.

One Stop For Writers is a collaboration between Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, and Lee Powell, creator of Scrivener for Windows. This powerhouse online library is filled with one-of-a-kind descriptive thesaurus collections, tools, tutorials and much more, all geared to provide the resources you need to strengthen your prose and write more efficiently.

Want to check One Stop For Writers out?

Hop on over to Writers Helping Writers for their Launch Week festivities (October 7-14th)! If you know Angela, Lee and Becca already, you probably can guess there will be some great prizes, and probably a bit of paying-it-forward too.


I always feel a little bit of pride that my friends are so awesome--like it says something about the type of individual that I am drawn to--successful, hardworking, talented types--and I think that is contagious. So happy to be friends with you all.

Confession: I'm Afraid and mildly OCD

Change scares me, it always has and never seems to get its fill of putting me on edge.


I don't try to prevent changes from occurring and am often known to actively seek out opportunities and experiences that require change in one form or another.
 

Recently we sold our house.
It went much faster than we anticipated. There are no rentals available in our area. Shocking right?
Makes me feel twitchy.
I'm excited we will get the opportunity to build a home in the near future. The in-between time might include long term and winter camping.... (I really hope not).

 

Progress is a form of change that also intimidates me. I have had some progress in my writing and feel that brink of 'something' that makes me excited and terrified.


My solution to all the vague change and progress? Bring out the OCD!
 I'm not kidding.


I seriously get all tedious, detailed, and over do things like jogging. Not helpful things like cleaning or making loads of cash. Nope, I get OCD over about timing, patterns, distances, rates, and methods.
I know that I tend to fall back on to the comfort of OCD when change and progress compound on me.


For instance:
When running three miles, if my pace was 6mph yesterday it has to be the same or 6.1 mph the next run, or I have to run one tenth of the distance farther, or I will count in odd number patterns the whole time and make weird faces that I'm sure freak out the cars driving past me.


Knowing this super annoying tendency I do something I hate most of all...
I change my running path and distance on a regular basis so that I CAN NOT fall into too crazy of a numbers/patterns obsession.

What's the point of this post?
The point is change and progress scare me.
They terrify me--make me feel raw and exposed.
Maybe I'll rise to the challenge or maybe I'll be skinned alive. I don't know.

 

I let myself feel afraid. I can't stop that from happening.
That feeling doesn't define or determine my moments.

I allow a small degree of my tendencies toward OCD come out, which for me can play a role of comfort; like counting in odd patterns while I jog or making weird faces at passing cars.
But, not so many or much obsessive actions that I can no longer function in a positive and healthy direction.

Yes I'm afraid and mildly OCD.
I'm progressing toward goals I desire and have been working hard to achieve.
I don't know what the future holds and I'm still moving forward.



Write on, move up, and make weird faces jogging.

Talent Direction Goal Snowball Post: A Two Step Guide to Being Awesome

That's a dumb title, I know. I'll roll it all up nice and tidy at the end and you'll be like, "Great Title!"

Let's begin.
Even if you struggle with believing in yourself, let's admit you have Talent.
(look at that. I even capitalized it).

We all do. It doesn't have to be the same level of Talent as the person witting next to you or staring back at you on the movie screen. Your Talents can grow as much or as little as you Direct them- kind of like a Snowball filled with hope and a whole lot of effort.

But,

 Talent needs Direction. Let's make those Talents do what we want them to do.

Do we have Goals?

Let's call that Direction you seek a Goal. Now let's not get crazy. I'm not ringing in the New Year over here. (remember like a month ago when everyone made unrealistic resolutions? This is going to be easier--because we'll apply the snowball method of debt reduction to Goal completion and Talent investment). 

Ha! I'm tying it all together!

Good point. I make stuff up a lot. I am a writer after all...

Anyways. Directing Talent= Goal Setting.
Resolution face?

Don't worry I have a plan!

Apply the Goal Snowball mentioned earlier:
In other words, once a Goal has become a habit--then a new Goal can be introduced.
This is our budget of sanity and Direction with balancing time and priorities. Not to mention energy.

We do not have to be super-human to be successful.

Even the most successful people feel like this sometimes.

Don't let unrealistic ideals slam the door in your face.

So get that hug, and invest in your Talents with the Snowball method.

This is how.
STEP 1:  
Focus on the one thing that you can accomplish the fastest.
Yes, I said it. Don't pick your biggest weakness or most daunting flaw first.

It may be the thing you want to tackle most. You may have been trying for YEARS to overcome whatever weakness, strengthen whatever Talent, but still fall short.
Put it on the list.

But, start with a sure winner.
For example: If you have a crutch word--eliminate it. Just the one word. No more.
(You get it, pick something you can nail).


Nailed it!

Sweet. Let's move on to the second aspect of the Talent Snowball. Grow it.
Your confidence is up. You nailed a Goal set to Direct your Talent.

STEP 2:
Now roll that confidence and increased skill into the next easiest thing on the list.

Let me guess? You're thinking, "Well that was a waste of time. What good is it to build up a bunch of tiny little Goals all the time?"
Can this be my point?

I'm adding up in my head all the basic skills this kid needed to learn to even begin learning this kind of movement. (lift head, roll over, sit, crawl, stand, walk, groove, backflip hand on floor face save)?
Seriously, did this kid go from rolling over to backflips or something?
Sheesh, that's awesome.

So yeah, I'm telling you to build these tiny little abilities and make them massive!
Start with STEP 1 and continue repeating STEP 2.

Keep adding up the small things: YOU'RE AWESOME!


This has been a Talent Direction Goal Snowball Post.
Nailed it.

Body Image: Let's Change It

I'm an adult.

I think things like, "How do I look?"

I look in the mirror and cringe on a regular basis. It doesn't strike me as an abnormal reaction. I don't often bother to verbalize my thoughts about it...

And yet today when I waiting for my six year old daughter to change into her swim suit I heard her say, "the top of my legs are so fat and ugly."

My first reaction was anger. "What?"
Then reason, "We don't talk like that about ourselves."

She looked at me stunned. I'm not sure what she thought my reaction would be, but I definitely did something she wasn't expecting.

Good! I thought. Now I have her attention. I had to figure out what to do with it, and fast.
I know my girl and there is only a limited window of use of sustained attention.

"In our family we only use the words healthy or unhealthy. Are you healthy?"
"I guess..."
"Good. I think so too. When we get home we can make a fun poster to highlight all the ways we choose to be healthy." (She is a sucker for posters--seriously. She's constantly begging to make charts and posters. It's cute).

This also gave me time to gather my thoughts and develop a plan for the new body image regime I had just instilled for my entire household.

Here's what I came up with. Body image should not be solely defined by our visible characteristics. Thank goodness I told my girl we were using healthy and unhealthy! I could use more than just physical appearance criteria! Phew, dodged a bullet on that quick reaction.

It's not perfect--and didn't cut and paste nice and dandy, but it's a place to start. Also I had columns- it just wouldn't cooperate with the blog thing at my skill/knowledge/tech level)

The Poster:

Approved terms for Szymanski Family Body Image

HEALTHY OR UNHEALTHY

HEALTHY

Adequate sleep

Active (physical activity)

Good hygiene (clean and groomed)

Learning about/working on things/skills

Develop talents

Service minded

Grateful

 

UNHEALTHY

 

Not enough/too much sleep

Unbalanced food choices

Inactive

Poor hygiene
Disinterested in things/skills

Stunted talents/loss of talents

Self-centered/entitled
Selfish


If the majority of your behavior is within the healthy choices you are healthy.

 

If the majority of your behavior is within the unhealthy choices you are unhealthy and must pick one area/behavior to work on. Start with one and build from there.           

 

 

Being healthy isn't easy. It takes a lot of work. Dedication, determination, and discipline are all required to be healthy. Few, if any, of us have all the areas of health listed conquered at any given time. As long as you are majority healthy, you are healthy If you're not- guess what it's not the end of the world!!! You can pick one single area to improve. Make a goal for just that area, maybe two goals if you want to be an overachiever. Bring that area back over to the healthy side and if your still off balance pick one more until you are once again majority healthy.

I for one m constantly cycling.

It's okay. I'm human.

And I do things like make my family group costumes like this (I'm proud of this BTW Aquabats rule)

 

 

Disclaimer:

I like fat. It's not a bad word.

However, using it in a way to speak negatively or oneself or others is not the proper use of the word. Fat can be good and I have a great appreciation for it when in proper context.

Honor fat, use it for good.

Let's rethink how we encourage good choices in our families. Not to mention how we frame body image in everyone. It's not just what you see.