My Favorite Things ... yep, it's a Monday!

I debated about what should be my favorite thing.  I’ve got so many swirling around in my head.

I could go with the personal aspect:

weather, hot tamale candies, butterscotch coffee, fresh linens.

I could go the mommy route:

snuggles in the morning, mini-me- Dylann’s- dimple, I love you mommy’s.

But I think today I’m going to go with the writer in me and my most favorite thing is

the Microsoft Word Navigator. 

I LOVE IT!!!

I’ve always written my books in order. 

If I had an idea about another part of the book,

 I’d start a new document, save it and, usually, lose it!

Then I stumbled across Helene Boudreau’s blog. 

In this AMAZING site is a writer’s toolbox tab.

 If you ever do anything for yourself, go play in this site and this tab!!

This is what the navigation pane looks like. 

In here, you can flip from chapter 1 to chapter 20 like this:

And then, just as easily flip back to chapter 2 and repeat. 

This may seem extremely simple,

but to a girl who would create whole new documents for ideas…

this was fantabulous.

Voila! 

Two must-have, my favorite things!

1.      Word Navigator and 2. Helene Boudreau’s Blog!

Who's Your Heroine???

It's a really important question!
Is your heroine this:



A little on the weak side?
Begging for someone not to steal her man.

Or is your heroine this:



Completely sure of herself.
Willing to kick your ass if you mess with her man?
Someone who will fight for love till the death?

Is your heroine Bella Swan or Hermione Granger.
Here's the thing...
There is no perfect heroine.
They're both flawed.
They both have character flaws they have to deal with and journeys they must follow.
And those flaws don't always have to include a hero. 
Let's face it, if your heroine handled everything perfectly, then she wouldn't be entertaining to read.
There would be no black moment.
And there definitely would NEVER be any character redemption.
It's not wrong to have a weak heroine, if in the end she finds some strength in herself.
It's not wrong to have a kick-ass heroine either, as long as she has to admit she has some vulnerable element to her make up. 
The key to amazing heroines, weak or strong, is that you stay true to the character you're creating. You make them confront the very things we, as readers, are screaming at them to fix!
As a writer, you have to stand by every bad decision they make because that’s where they grow.
That's where they become the heroine worth saving.
And THAT is where your reader is entertained.

A Pee-My-Pants Big DREAM Post!

It’s not so scary to dream.

What would I do if I won the lottery?

What would I do if I had a million dollars?

What would I do if I had three wishes?

But those aren’t dreams.

Those are fantasies.

Did you know one definition of fantasy even goes so far as to say a fantasy is:

An unrealistic or improbable supposition.

A hallucination.

On the other hand a dream is defined as:

A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration.

To regard something as feasible or practical.

To conceive of; imagine.

Crazy, right?
How can two words that are so interchangeable be so vastly different?
And, here’s the BIG question:

Are you fantasizing about your career or are you dreaming about your career?

And, if you’re dreaming about your career, is your dream BIG enough?
Does your dream scare you?

I dream of signing with an agent.
I dream of having my book published.
I dream of having someone, not my family, buy my book and post a review.

Big dreams, right?

Wrong.

Why?

Because I wasn’t specific.
I have a DREAM agent. But you didn’t hear me say that before.
I have a DREAM publishing house. But you didn’t hear that either.
I DREAM of not just someone buying my books (yes, plural) … I dream of LOTS of someone’s buying lots of my books.

What’s the difference?

My first set of dreams are really doable.
I can see the roads I have to take.
I know the steps I must complete, the classes I should take, the networks I should connect with, the way to spread the word.
My second set of DREAMS … they pee-my-pants, huddle-in-a-corner, eat-till-I-pop, SCARE me.
They scare me because I can’t see the entire road to take to get to the amazingness of all of those BIG DREAMS.
They are just out of my reach, require just a bit of growth and a guide I don't have, yet.
They'll require some really hard, concentrated work and a bit of faith in me.
They scare me because anybody can dream the small ascertainable dream, but few are capable to see the BIG DREAM and not assign it to the realm of unrealistic fantasy.
And, few think they deserve to dream BIG DREAMS.
So here’s your assignment for the day, and I TOTALLY stole it from my coach, Tom Ferry:

Write yourself a letter from December, 2012.
Yes, that’s the future.
Have your future self to you what you accomplished in 2012.
In vivid detail, tell yourself about all the doubts you overcame and all of the BIG DREAMS you accomplished or set in motion.
Then, if you’re brave enough, post the biggest most scariest part of your dream in the comment section below.
You’ll be surprised how many people think your borderline fantasy is really just a BIG DREAM you’re to afraid to say out loud.
AND!!!!
You’ll be surprised how many people really are there to support you.
C’mon.
Don’t be afraid.
I triple dog dare ya!
Print that letter out.
Put it in your purse, wallet, idea folder.
Next year, you’ll be amazed how far you’ve come.