The Secret

by: Maryanne

Most of my writer's boards have been abuzz lately with talk of The Secret, a movie that promises to unlock "the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted".

Pretty powerful stuff, huh? Even Oprah jumped on The Secret bandwagon and had a panel of The Secret teachers on her show yesterday to talk about how people can change their lives.

The only problem I found with The Secret is that....well, it's not much of a secret. The idea that what you can see with your mind’s eye is what you will create in your life has been around for years. That if you believe positive things will happen, you will attract positive things into your life. Not only have these ideas been around for years but most truly successful people have espoused these beliefs in interviews and books for as long as I can remember.

Now I don't want to seem like I'm knocking this new craze. I'm all for people bettering their lives and reaching their dreams. And, if you need to spend $29.95 for a dvd on how to do it, I say go for it.

For those of you who aren't ready to whip out your credit card just yet, let me offer a few suggestions I've found helpful in my quest to becoming a successful writer. I'll call these Maryanne's Secrets, although, chances are, you've all heard my secrets before.

1) Define success for yourself. Is success making a lot of money (or money period)? Is success seeing your name on the spine of a book sitting in a bookstore? Is success writing ten or fifteen minutes every day?

For example, my writing dream has always been to make a living (i.e. money) as a writer. For years I worked on different novels and magazine articles and made some money along the way. But I never felt successful. It was only when I realized that I personally would only feel successful when I made a certain amount of money that I recognized I needed to change courses and do a different type of writing (one that would make me the money I sought).

2) Once you've defined exactly what success is for you, write down the necessary steps to achieve that success.

3) When you've defined what steps you need to take to be successful, make a plan for implementing these steps in your life.

Another added bonus of defining what you need to do to reach your goal, is to also see what you need to NOT do. By defining the steps I needed to take, I was able to comfortably turn down writing opportunities which did not funnel into my ultimate goal of making a living as a writer.

4) You have a plan in place and now you must not only stick with that plan but visualize yourself at the place you're trying to get to. If your goal is to be a successful author or freelancer, take five or ten minutes a day to visualize yourself as a successful author or freelancer. When you work, think success and feel success. Feeling and acting successful will draw success and good things to you.

Did Maryanne’s Secrets not do it for you? For those of you who want more or want more from people who actually know what they’re talking about, check out SuccessConsciousness or read M. Williams' article Banishing the Bogeyman: A Writer's Visualization. Both are interesting reads and can give you some pointers in reaching your full potential as a writer!

Taking Good Advice

by Chris

TIP OF THE DAY: read, read, read your genre!

In 1980, when I was graduating from 5th grade, the school librarian signed my yearbook. I don't remember her name (I was only at that school for that one year) and I have no idea where that yearbook is ... but I remember what she wrote: "Summer Reading: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson". This was shortly after the book won the 1978 Newbery Award for the most distinguished American children's book (kind of like the Oscar of children's writing).

Even then, I loved to read and I loved to write, but I looked at the title that the librarian had written in swirly perfect cursive and thought, 'that book sounds weird' and proceeded to ignore her advice...

Fast forward to today, to a crazy world moving at a breakneck pace, where I spend a good part of my time writing books for children -- and Bridge to Terabithia -- the movie! -- is opening next Friday in theaters everywhere.

This fact, of course, makes me desperate to read the book. The movie is NEVER as good as the book, after all, and my nine year old is already begging me to take her. Besides, why can't I shake the memory of that librarian's autograph (I can still SEE it on the page!)? So -- 27 years later, I finally take her advice and check it out of my local branch.

Now I know why she was so eager to plug the book; it's wonderful. I'm about half way through, but I am fully invested in the main characters -- a young, misunderstood boy and his new neighbor, a girl. I already love them, I already fear for the inevitable obstacle that will cause them some sort of pain, I am already wishing them victory. I already know that at the end of this book I will cry.

My writer's mind begins to think... How did Paterson do it? How did she and writers like her paint believable portraits of children when they themselves are far removed from childhood? I guess that's the key. Maybe we are not as removed from childhood as we think.

In quality children's books, no matter which era they were produced, we see familiar emotions, fears, disappointments, triumphs and memories. We are reminded of the vital ingredients of a well-lived life: family, friends, faith, and a constantly blossoming sense of our role in the world. Even as adults we struggle for these things.

Do I think that if I had read this book as suggested long ago that I would have passed through puberty and young adulthood unscathed? No. I read what I was interested in at the time, I adored mysteries and biographies and books set in the past -- and I found plenty of characters to relate to in those. I just wasn't into contemporary novels with weird titles, and so I never visited Terabithia.

Am I glad I am reading the book now? Oh Yes. Not only is it a tool for learning about effective character development (chapter six is priceless), but it is making me really happy. When I read, I vividly remember what it felt like to be 10 and I know that Jess and Leslie are still more than happy to let me swing into their magical world.

Aren't books wonderful that way?

What a relief to know that in this moving at the speed of light world, some things are still timeless, like the good advice of a kind librarian, or the simple power of the well-written word.

Baby it's cold outside...

I'm not sure, but I think I'm Freelancer Number 3, of the "Three Freelancers and a Blog." Maryanne is Freelancer #1, Chris is Freelancer #2, which must make me Freelancer #3.

So...hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

That sorta sounds like welcome to my home, but it's not really the same thing. Or is it? I mean, this isn't really my home. I actually live in Michigan, not online. Then again, while I spend 95 percent of my time in Michigan, and the remaining 5 percent of my time "out of touch with reality," the truth is that about 98 percent of my overall time -- regardless of what state or state of mind I'm in -- is actually spent online, so maybe this is where I live. Huh. While I enjoy learning something new about myself and the world I live in on a daily basis, I have to say that bit of information really stunk and I'm so sorry I brought it up. I assure you I wasn't searching for a reality check.

So, yes, I'm in Michigan and yes, this is winter. I know I should expect it to be cold in Michigan in winter, but we had been spared so long I was hoping this year, at least, that winter wouldn't arrive. After all, we had to figure out how to celebrate Christmas without snow -- that was a first for us. We were up for no winter at all...another first.

Still, like it or not, winter has arrived and this week Mother Nature is making up for her tardiness. We only have about 4 inches of snow, but the cold snap that came with it is debilitating. My poor stray cat, Spooky, is freezing! But not to worry, my husband, the softy, made her a little house. (Yes, folks, I have a cat house on my porch.) Electrician that he is, he created a heated house for Spook by inserting a caged light on the inside of the house. I simply screw in a 25-watt light bulb (any color but red) and viola! Heat! Not much, but I guess it's enough for a chubby stray and a friend or two.

Anyway, now that Spooky is warm and safe, and my electrician is taking a little cat-nap before Boston Legal, I should get back to work. This year has been wonderful for freelancers -- at least it has been for me. I'm up to my ears in work, and that's exactly how I like it. I even was accepted for two Chicken Soup stories this year. And that was my first attempt at submission to that venue, so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.

More importantly, I have my eyes set on a big job that I've been working on for the past three months. (Don't you guys hate proposals and the waiting period between sending them out and actually receiving a response?) So far my project has passed two green lights, but I don't want to jinx myself so I can't say exactly what it is. Suffice to say it has to do with a book. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I should know in about 2-3 weeks if it's a go. I can hardly wait! And I promise, you'll be the first to know...

Until we meet again...keep your fingers to the keyboard and accept the fact that if you're a freelance writer, you, too, live online.

G'night, neighbor!