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Today seems surreal. I’ve been telling people for months that I’m going to Dubai. I’ve been preparing and planning for the trip. I’ve been excited about the adventure. Yet, it’s hard to believe that I actually fly out of LAX to London and then on to Dubai TODAY. You can probably tell that I’m not a world traveler. I’ve never been much of a traveler until the last few years, when I started giving writing/publishing workshops throughout the U.S.

A few days ago, a friend called to say that Dubai is featured in the June issue of Vanity Fair. I ran right out and bought it, and just in time. At that point, my excitement was starting to wane and I was becoming nervous—not about the speech, but about the trip. After all, Dubai is a far off, foreign land. But, after reading the article and marveling over the photos of this amazing city, my excitement was renewed, and I went out and bought extra batteries for my digital camera. These batteries are to back up the back-up batteries. I don’t want to miss a photo opportunity.

I have packed a journal so I don’t chance forgetting anything about this amazing adventure. And what will I do with my journal notes? I have many things in mind. I will, of course, write about the experience—maybe an article for The Toastmaster Magazine. It was because of my articles in this magazine that I received this invitation, after all. And this is a good lesson for all of us. You see, you just never know what rewards your writing efforts might bring and when. The Toastmaster Magazine might be interested in a piece featuring tips for speaking out of the country, for example.

I may contact local newspapers to see if they’d like a story about my trip. This would also provide an opportunity to remind locals about my books for sale and my editorial services. I might come up with some angles that would appeal to travel magazines. Since I am the first woman to ever deliver the keynote address at a Toastmasters’ conference in this district, a woman’s magazine might be interested in a story.

I might even come up with some book ideas based on my experiences in Dubai.

But for now, it is bon voyage or whatever you say when someone is flying thousands and thousands of miles toward a wonderful adventure.

Keep writing and keep seeking out the adventures in life.

Patricia Fry is the author of 24 books, including her latest, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Order it at http://matilijapress.com/rightway.html

There’s nothing quite like positive feedback for your writing efforts. Whether it’s a complimentary letter-to-the-editor published in a magazine that ran your article, a supportive comment from a friend who read something you wrote or a good review of your book, praise is always welcome. Writers and authors thrive on accolades. Second to a desire to write, of course, is the need to be read. A close third is our longing to be understood and validated.

And it doesn’t take much to give us a thrill. Two SPAWN members who shared our SPAWN booth at the recent Los Angeles Festival of Books told me that they had followed some of my advice from one of my articles and it helped them to sell more books. I had mentioned the concept of giving something more than the consumer expects. One member brought his lovely books of poetry and small boxes of chocolates tied together with pretty pieces of pink ribbon. What lovely Mother’s Day gifts these will make. Another member used raffia to combine his book on grammar with a binder and a pencil. Both members thanked me for making this suggestion.

How refreshing it is to know that you are being read. And why should we doubt it? I have thousands of copies of my books circulating among the public. My articles have appeared in hundreds of magazines and newsletters. My work is posted all over the Internet. Why should I doubt that it is being read? Of course, it’s being read. But, hearing directly from someone who tells me how they are using my suggestions or how a certain passage, a certain article or one of my books helped them gives me a glorious boost in confidence and validates my intended purpose.

A good friend of mine told me just yesterday that she is having a very prolific period. She is just bursting with article ideas and she said, “Part of the credit goes to you.” She explained. “I read what you wrote about doing a different activity to stir up the creativity in your brain. So I’ve been working on my beaded earrings and that really got me out of a stagnant spot.”

It’s true, if you feel blocked—you can’t get an idea and when you do, you can’t drum up the enthusiasm to work on it, try doing something else for a while. I recommend pursuing a creative activity. For me, gardening works or working on a needlework project. Redecorating a room or just a portion of a room is the key for some people. There’s just something about shifting gears and actually experiencing success in another realm that helps to jumpstart the part of your brain that you need functioning in order to perform well when writing.

Of course, this is just one of thousands of useful tips I’ve offered through my articles and books. Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book for many, many additional tips and techniques. If you want to write a book or if you have a manuscript in the works, I have just one piece of advice—educate yourself. Become informed about the publishing industry, your options and the possible consequences of your decisions. Ideally, you will spend several months studying the industry. Hopefully, you will read books and articles written by many experts in the field. In so doing, you will learn who to trust and who to believe. Among your reading materials, please read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And if you want my list of recommended experts and professionals, please contact me through my Web site or through this blog.

Now, how can you get feedback for your writing? Here are a few ideas:

• Build a Web site related to your book or your writing.
• Run a survey among your readers.
• Circulate your own newsletter, you’ll receive feedback from subscribers.
• Send emails to customers who have bought your book and ask for comments.
• Start a blog.
• Ask friends and random readers to add reviews to your Amazon page.
• Teach a course related to your book topic.
• Send copies of your latest article to your email list and ask for comments.
• Send your almost finished manuscript to experts for back of book testimonials.
• Get your book reviewed many times over.

I’m heading off to Dubai next week to speak before a group of Toastmasters. I’m packing my camera, of course, and a journal. I’ll also have my laptop in case anyone would like to communicate with me while I’m there. Just comment to this blog or contact me through my Web site.

In the meantime, if you haven’t purchased The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, this would be a good time. It really is important that you understand the publishing industry, your choices and the ramification of your decisions BEFORE you even start writing that book. If the manuscript is completed, then you still have time to do the right thing—to make the right decisions—if you read this book BEFORE you start scurrying around trying to find someone to publish your book. You do NOT have to pay someone to publish your book. There are thousands of publishers out there looking for a good book. If this is news to you, you MUST read my book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I have many different thoughts going in many different directions these days, what with my business becoming increasingly busy and fulfilling and my business-related activities so varied and interesting. My mind is on my upcoming trip to the Middle East—to the magnificent city of Dubai. I’ll be giving the keynote address before a group of 1,000 Toastmasters. My subject: How to Present a More Creative Speech.

I’ve been asked to speak for a solid hour. It’s difficult to imagine myself being able to hold an audience’s attention for that long. But part of my work these next few weeks, before I make the 17-hour flight, is to continually reaffirm my abilities, skills and talents in this area. I’m also doing visualization exercises imagining myself performing successfully.

I have little time to keep up with my blog entries, but a need to do so—in order to stay clear and focused. Otherwise, my mind is a tangled mass of writing projects, client work, several upcoming speech topics and all of the other things that make up our lives. On blue-sky days I spend a few hours gardening. Between projects I make packing lists or shop for travel items. And I’m always in book promotion mode so that I can take advantage of precious snippets of time that become available to promote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

As you know, my Dubai speech theme is creativity. I realize that not all people (and this goes for writers, too) are or feel they are creative and I’ve provided some special help for them. The right-brain/left-brain theory teaches that, those of us who rely on intuition and who seem naturally creative, are right-brain thinkers. Those who are more analytical and logical, have a more well-developed left brain. For my audience in Dubai, I’ve designed the following guide offering some activities that will help them to become more creative. I thought that you might like to try some of the activities on this list. In fact, if you feel that you are not naturally creative and you would like to loosen up a bit and feel a little freer, I suggest that you pursue all 6 of these activities often.

1: Go out and play. Join in with a group of kids who are playing a game, jump rope, play with a puppy or a baby or go out dancing.
2: Get involved in an art project. Work on a paint-by-number kit, do mosaic or weaving, pursue creative gardening, a needlework project or a craft, for example.
3: Read a children’s story out loud to a child. Exaggerate the voices of the characters. You’ll have fun and the child will love it.
4: Enjoy something without analyzing it. Oooh, this is a hard one for left-brain thinkers.
5: Solve a problem using intuition rather than logic. Here’s another difficult challenge. But you can do it—I know you can.
6: Find a role model/mentor. This might be someone who you feel is creative—observe this person, copy him/her and ask them to help you to become more creative.

Here’s a quote by artist Mary Lou Cook. I think it really sums up the definition of creativity. “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.”

Patricia Fry is a full-time freelance writer, workshop leader, lecturer and the author of 24 books. To learn more about creating and producing a book, order her latest book,
The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book
http://www.matilijapress.com

While attending a Pen Women’s Writers’ Conference in Honolulu a few weeks ago as a workshop leader, I had the pleasure of meeting women and a few men from all walks of writing life. I listened to women describe their passion for writing. I read some of the words that came from their hearts. And I discovered something about myself: I’ve forgotten the joy of writing just for me. I’ve been a hardcore career writer for so many years that I can scarcely recall the process of writing from the heart and the feelings that this activity evokes.

I must admit that, when I first heard these women talking about the little ditties they had written or expressing delight because the local newspaper had published their poems, I was less than impressed. But the more I listened, the more I came to understand. They are not writing to make a name for themselves or to pen a bestselling novel. They are writing to fill their souls, to renew their spirits. These women are inspired, but not by fame and fortune; not by a desire to sell their work. No, it would be like selling their soul. These women are me thirty years ago.

After finishing my humble pie, I began tuning into each of the women I had the pleasure of meeting at the conference. I listened, I learned and I felt. I met women who write as part of their healing process. One dear lady—a grieving widow—began to emerge into the daylight only after picking up her pen and pad again. Other women were writing as therapy for their physical illnesses. Some of the women I met wrote in hopes of helping others in some basic or deep manner. And one woman wrote solely to spread peace. I even met women who don’t do much writing. They just love being around writers.

On my way home on the plane the night after the conference (I accidentally booked myself a night flight), I thought about the women I’d met at the conference. I recalled being aware of their demeanor when they spoke of their latest writing project or the inspirational poem they wrote five years ago. What was it that I detected? Oh yes, now I know—it was joy. I tried to relate to them. I had to dig deep in order to locate that young, eager writer who experienced such joy even when writing something as mundane as a grocery list. Yes, she is still there waiting to feel from the writing again. I’ve located her and I’ve begun to nurture her. I want to be that writer again.

Is there any reason why we cannot write professionally and joyfully at the same time? I hope to find out. I’ve devised a list of activities and ideas that I believe will help me to recapture my ability to write at a soul level—to write for spirit.

If you’re a writer who is searching for his or her writer’s spirit—who can no longer find that original in your writing—here are some steps that might help:

1: Keep a journal even if it is a public journal (blog). Focus on your feelings and your more gentle thoughts. Experiment with poetry and other literary styles in order to draw out some of your long-hidden feelings. And then read your journal often for insight and to monitor your progress.

2: Write letters to your former self. By addressing that vulnerable, joyful writer, you will soon begin to understand her and emulate her.

3: Get creative with letters to friends and family. Rather than shooting off those quick cookie-cutter emails and handwritten notes to loved ones, take just a little extra time to compose them using some literary flair. Strive to paint pictures with your words rather than just stating facts. Have fun. Your friends and family will love it and so will you.

4: Write something just for fun. Forget about deadlines and other writing obligations. Pen a poem. Compose a story for your children or grandchildren. Try your hand at a piece of flash fiction or a sci fi story. Or just write something from the heart.

5: Write something from the heart for publication in a smaller magazine or Web site. You may be accustomed to writing major pieces on complicated issues. How about stirring up your creative juices by writing something highly inspirational?

6: Make cards and give them for special occasions. You can either purchase blank cards or make them yourself using any number of methods. Write personal poems for each recipient.

7: Go out and play. Don’t neglect your playful self. That child still exists within you or he/she should.

8: Meditate/pray. There is no better way to tune into yourself than through prayer or meditation.

9: Do something creative. Get involved in gardening, needlework, painting, sketching, photography or something that will fulfill your innate desire to be creative and pursue this activity at least a couple of times each week.

10: Either locate or establish a writers group. This group should have no purpose other than to provide encouragement and praise. This group should not be about publishing or critiquing, but only about fun, joy and the process of healing through writing.

I would love to hear from writers who have recaptured their joy as a writer or who have some additional ideas designed to get to that place.

Learn more about Patricia Fry’s writing, consulting work and books. Patricia is the author of 24 published books including, Quest For Truth, A Journey of the Soul and The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com

What distracts you from writing? Do you have cats wandering in and out of your office while you write? Are there children in the house? Maybe your spouse is retired and at home a lot. Perhaps you’re distracted by something as simple as a sunny day or friends going out to lunch or for a round of golf.

Do you allow temptations to lure you away from your writing? Or do you stand strong against the call to go read a novel, watch a cooking show or mow the lawn? How do you handle the lure that threatens to take you away from your writing? If your writing is suffering, your earnings are down and you’re missing deadlines, you probably tend to cave in the face of distraction. On the other hand, if you collect enough money each month to pay the bills and add to your nest egg, you’ve probably established some excellent work habits.

What are some of the habits of highly successful writers? Read on.

1: Establish a schedule and stick to it.
Hobby writers write when they feel like it—when inspiration strikes. Most successful career writers write according to a schedule. At least they begin their career by adhering to a strict schedule. After time and practice, for most professional freelance writers and authors, writing is so much a part of their life that it has become second nature. They write according to the needs and expectations of their publishers, agents, readers and themselves.

2: Say “No” to distractions.
Most people find it difficult to write amidst activity. Barking dogs, a blaring TV, frolicking children, constant interruptions are not conducive to the process of writing. Choose your writing time and place carefully. Be prepared for invitations that you can’t always accept—learn to say no to lunch dates, shopping trips and those other luxury outings you enjoyed before you decided to become a career writer

3: Set rules.
Retrain your friends, family and neighbors to respect your writing time without totally alienating these people. I recommend that writers give when they take away. When you decline an invitation to lunch on Thursday, offer, instead, a jog together with your sister Saturday morning or offer a Sunday afternoon trip to the swap meet with your neighbor.

4: Look at rejection as an opportunity.
Rejection is often difficult for a writer at any stage of his/her profession to accept. But it is part of the career package. I met a writer once who said that he had never received a rejection letter. I say that he either lied or he wasn’t a career freelance writer–he only submitted a story now and again to a targeted magazine. Rejection is part of this profession and a writer or author must learn to accept this fact. Now, how can you turn a rejection into an opportunity? By not giving up. If your article or short story is rejected, send it to another similar magazine or change it to fit a different niche magazine. If your book proposal is rejected, look it over carefully–have a professional take a look at it and, when you are sure it is perfect, send it to some of the thousands of other publishers out there.

5: Say “Yes” to unexpected opportunities.
Sometimes we shine-on opportunities. We are quick to decline an invitation that might ultimately move our career forward. Sometimes we don’t recognize an opportunity when it kisses us on the cheek. I’ve learned to say ‘YES’ to most opportunities even when I’m unsure about the situation at first. For example, let’s say you get an invitation to speak on the topic of your book in another state. Here’s what you might temporarily perceive as obstacles:

* I don’t know how to get there.
* Travel is expensive.
* I don’t know the people there.
* I’m not a good speaker.
* What if someone in the audience knows more about the subject than I do?

Instead of running these negative tapes, say, “yes” and then figure out the rest. List the positives:

* I might sell books.
* I might have fun.
* I might meet new people and make important contacts.

An editor sometimes contacts me and asks me to write an article on a topic that I don’t know much about. I am often invited to give workshops or give speeches in places that are unfamiliar to me. I might get more editing work than I can comfortably handle. Most of the time I say “yes” and most of the time things work out. Sure there are some challenges along the way, but, for me, once I’ve committed to something, I can usually find a way to make it happen.

6: Take risks.
Writing for publication involves constant risk-taking. You’re always trying to write what the editors and the public wants—what publishers want. You do your research to find out what they want, but its still a constant process of second guessing them. What if you fail? There are risks in public speaking, in traveling and in investing in your book or a travel opportunity to promote that book. You could fail–or you could perceive that you failed. (And that’s another blog topic). But one thing is for sure, if you don’t take those risks, you won’t succeed.

7: Promote, promote, promote. Whether you are a freelance writer or an author, you must constantly promote yourself, your work and/or your products. Highly successful writers/authors, do not sit around waiting for success to happen to them, they are out there making it happen.

If you want success as an author, you really need to read and study my latest book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Order it at:
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html