7 Questions You Will Ask at the End of Your Life Email A few months ago I shared twelve pieces of wisdom my grandmother left behind for me after she passed. This wisdom was written in an old leather-bound journal she aptly named her ‘Inspiration Journal.’ Today I want to discuss seven questions she had written at the bottom of her final entry. Although my grandmother never wrote down her answers to these questions, the questions alone are extremely thought provoking. I’ve listed them below and shared some of my own thoughts about each one. 1. If you don’t express the passion inside you – the ideas and deeds that make you feel alive – you will die one moment at a time without ever having lived. Don’t be scared of death. Someday inevitability will take place and your life will flash before your eyes. 2. Some of the best discoveries in life come when you least expect them, in places you never even thought to look. Life’s greatest beauty is found in its surprises. 3. Everything in life is gamble. 4. 5. 6. 7. Stay strong.
Creativity and the process of ideas A guest post by Simon Townley of WriteMindset As a writer, having ideas is one of the most important parts of your craft. But often it seems like one of the most difficult and challenging parts of the whole process. How do you keep ideas flowing? How do you create a wealth of ideas to choose from? How do you make sure you get to the one killer idea that will make your advert, novel, article or blog post really stand out from the rest? Some people like to wait for inspiration to strike. Luckily, there is a formula for producing ideas on a consistent basis. But if you need to produce strong and creative ideas regularly as part of your writing career, then it pays to know the formula, and how to use it. First of all, what is an idea? “An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.” So how do you combine old elements into new? “The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships.” How do you cultivate it?
6 Questions That Will Make You Fee Peaceful and Complete “The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.” ~Swedish Proverb When I was in my mid-twenties an unhealthy relationship with an unhealthy guy sent me packing off to the corner of New Mexico to find myself. In a new age, self-discovery kind of world—a hubbub of a town filled with people in transition—I was graced to meet many powerful healers, gurus, shamans, and teachers. I became a workshop junkie. I went on Shamanic power journeys to spiritual centers around the world, chanted with Indian gurus, and became a certified yoga instructor and Reiki master. I got rolfed, (and got more intense body-work by thick-boned Maoris) and rebirthed with conscious breath work. I went on vision quests in the desert, called leading psychics, mapped my astrological chart, figured out my Enneagram number, dreamed lucidly for nights in an upright chair, and drew down the moon in Wiccan circles. I know. I was a perpetual seeker. 1. Yes, there is inner work to be done. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Unsorted [/writers] James Patrick Kelly - Murder Your Darlings - "When time comes to make that final revision, however, you must harden your heart, sharpen the ax and murder your darlings." Greda Vaso - Determining the Readability of a Book - includes formulas for Gunning's Fog Index, Flesch Formula, Powers Sumner Kearl L. Kip Wheeler - Literary Terms and Definitions L. Style - Grammar - Errors in English [/writers]American Heritage - Book of English Usage - free download Band-Aid AP StylebookPaul Brians - Common Errors in EnglishCJ Cherryh - Writerisms and other Sins The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ Gary N.
50 Ways to Waste a Life post written by: Marc Chernoff Email If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never get it. If you don’t ask the right questions, you’ll always get the wrong answers. Spend time regretting the past and feeling sorry for yourself.Complain about problems and do nothing to solve them.Follow the path of least resistance and quit when the going gets tough.Ignore your passion and follow the money.Setup your lifestyle so it’s dependant on your next paycheck.Spend more than you earn and rack up lots of financial debt.Try to control everything and then worry about the things you can’t control.Focus on what you don’t want to happen.Fear the things you don’t fully understand.Let everyone else make decisions for you. If you’re guilty of some of the bullet points above, remember, no matter how long you have traveled in the wrong direction you always have the choice to turn around. Photo by: Lauren Rushing If you enjoyed this article, check out our new best-selling book.
113 Things You Can Do to Grow Your Freelance Writing Income -- Now 3inShare Aren’t you sick of the negativity out there in the freelance writing community? I know I am. You know the spiel. The economy is still so awful, bla bla bla.All articles are now $5 or less.I can’t believe this Craigslist ad asks for three free samples. The fact is, some freelancers are still earning a great living, and you can, too. To help you take charge of your writing career, I put together a list of 100+ proactive things you can do right now to build your income: Tell your clients your rates are going up.Raise your rates for new clients.Raise your rates every year in the fall, to take effect the following year.Let your current clients and all your friends and former co-workers know that you’re looking for new clients and you’d appreciate their referrals.Grow your network.Write for more parts of your existing clients — does that publisher have other magazines? (Yes, there are a few affiliate links in there, for products I have used and highly recommend.)
Fear Note: This article is a follow-up to the guest post I wrote for The Bold Life (thanks, Tess!) about how to flourish in the face of fear. “The presence of fear is a sure sign you’re trusting in your own strength.” If you’re a human being, chances are you experience fear. Which is fine if a hungry lion is chasing you. A Sacred Choice Simply said, running from fear doesn’t work. Here is my question to you as we move into 2011. Facts About Fear Fear-motivated thoughts are all about “can’t.” Learn about fear. How have you dealt with fear? I'm so glad you're here! Bookmark the permalink. or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
One Sentence - True stories, told in one sentence. How to Build Self-Discipline Discipline is freedom. You may disagree with this statement, and if you do you are certainly not alone. For many people discipline is a dirty word that is equated with the absence of freedom. In fact the opposite is true. Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Work on an idea or project after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded awayGo to the gym when all you want to do is lie on the couch and watch TVWake early to work on yourselfSay “no” when tempted to break your dietOnly check your email a few of times per day at particular times In the past self-discipline has been a weakness of mine, and as a result today I find myself lacking the ability to do a number of things which I would like – e.g. to play the guitar. If you struggle with self-discipline, the good news is that it can be developed. 1. Discipline means behaving according to what you have decided is best, regardless of how you feel in the moment. 2. 3. 4. 5.
20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Gets Wrong I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That Lay and Lie Moot Nor
Instructions It’s Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Two San Francisco entrepreneurs are pitching their ventures to potential investors today. They’d both agree that this is one of the most important days of their lives. This is the story of Jane and Joe... Jane was up until 4 a.m. putting the final touches on her deck. Joe, on the other hand, went to sleep last night at 11 p.m., as he does most nights of the week. Which entrepreneur would you bet on? And, which entrepreneur most closely resembles you? Jane and Joe are fictional characters but having been immersed in the world of startups in both New York and San Francisco, I see a lot of Janes. This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak with my friend Mike Del Ponte, who resembles the character of Joe. "Every day I need physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance to tackle everything that comes my way," Mike said. Here are the six simple rituals he uses to perform at his highest, which you too can begin implementing right away: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
WriteWords - Writing Community - jobs, directory, forums, articles for writers - StumbleUpon 365 Thought Provoking Questions to Ask Yourself This Year “Asking the right questions is the answer.” That’s the tagline at the top of our sister site Thought Questions. The site thrives on the philosophy that a question that makes you think is worth asking. Over the past year we have received countless requests to compile all the questions and place them on a single page that can be easily printed and reviewed. When was the last time you tried something new? Also, we’d love it if you visited Thought Questions and shared some of your answers with us. Photo by: Jacob Botter Related 25 Questions that Provoke Thought If the question makes you think, it’s worth asking. January 4, 2010 In "Hacks" 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind These questions have no right or wrong answers. July 13, 2009 7 Questions You Are Too Scared to Ask It’s not about finding the right answers; it’s about asking the right questions.