January 21, 2008 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

Here’s a decidedly “ballsy” article by “rock star” muse Sandy Grason. Enjoy! -LV 

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Last week I was having coffee with a new acquaintance, “Jen” who just happens to be one of the most successful business women I’ve ever met. I was sharing one of my crazy manifesting stories when Jen leaned into me, as if she was about to share some juicy bit of gossip and said; “Sandy, you have got such big balls.”

Ahhhhhh! I fell backward, mouth wide open and began to laugh hysterically. “What are you talking about?!”

The rest of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jen said and wondering “What does it mean to have ‘balls’?” Is that even a good thing?

When I really stopped to look at some of the amazing and FUN things that I’ve experienced in my life, I noticed that often times ‘it’ required me to step out of my comfort zone- sometimes in a major way.

So I came up with these tips and inspirations gleaned from my new favorite compliment. I hope, in some way, you’ll feel more empowered to step out of your comfort zone today and find your B.A.L.L.S.

 B = Belief
You must have unshakeable belief in yourself and the World around you. It starts with a vision, and you have to believe that you wouldn’t have this vision if you didn’t already have everything you need to make it a reality.

A = Authenticity
You must be willing to authentically express yourself, even if it makes people uncomfortable. Be Big, be the Rock Star, do not make yourself small in order to make others like you or to fit in. When you allow yourself to shine in your Fabulousness, it will spill over onto those around you and lift them up.

L = Let’s Get Loud
These are the lyrics to Jennifer Lopez’s song “let’s get loud”, “You want to live your life, you got to live it all the way and don’t you waste it. There’s a feeling that could be so very sweet you gotta taste it. You gotta do it your way, you gotta prove it, you gotta mean what you say- you know what we’re here for! Let’s Get Loud”. Words to Live, Love and Laugh by.

L = Licious-ness
This is that Unique-ness that is only YOU. When you are clear in your Unique Essence - There is no competition. There is only one of you. You must express your most Delicious & Fabulous Self in every moment! (If you need support in discovering what makes YOU so Unique, send Debbie@SandyGrason.com an email for more information about my Rock Star Coaching Programs.

S = Super-Hero
You must be The Super-Hero of your life. There is no knight-in-shining-armor coming to save you. Imagine that your life is a movie and YOU are the hero, the Super-Hero. Your life is waiting to be written, you might as well make it a blockbuster hit! BE that which you desire. Starting now…… Go!

Have a Faabulous Day!

Peace and Love,

Sandy

Sandy Grason is an Int’l Speaker, Founder and “Rock Star Author” of the bestselling book, JOURNALUTION: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life and Manifest Your Dreams. Sandy defines the word JOURNALUTION as the act of revealing your inner wisdom through writing. Get some Free Gifts including “Top Ten Tips for Starting & Keeping a Journal” article *and* 30+ FREE journaling prompts now at www.SandyGrason.com

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December 12, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

(Note: This comes from my hubby and fellow scribbler Allen Voivod, from a writer’s newsletter he wrote back in 2005 - still useful today!)

I’ve read (or tried to read) more than a few books on writing, and most of them don’t do a thing for me. Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way works for me, but only on an annual basis at best. But some of us - yes, me included - need help on a day-to-day basis, and there’s only one book that’s worked for me, and it’s one you might not have heard of.

I got Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art as a gift back in 2002 - a pre-publication version, actually, from a guy who picked up copies for everyone in our Artist’s Way group when he went to the big annual L.A. Times book fair at UCLA. The hardcover version is also the coolest looking writing book you’ll ever see. It’s mostly about identifying and combating your internal resistance to create, and that’s as much as I’ll say about it. Head to your local library and take it for a test spin.

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August 22, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

The following is an article by Marcia Yudkin, a prolific writer, author, speaker, and marketing guru I’ve been following (and learning from!) since the turn of the century.

Marcia sends out a free weekly email newsletter called “The Marketing Minute.” I highly recommend it - for both its information and its style. Marcia knows how to pack brief anecdotes, stats, opinions, and guidance in less than 200 words. She’s really in her own league.

I’m sharing this particular article because I, too, am always amazed by how many writers leave their writing talent in the hands of others’ opinions, as if their talent and potential is a finite and one-time-only quantifiable measurement set in stone.

If you’re one of those people, please….STOP THAT RIGHT NOW! Write regularly for a stint - whether it’s once a week for three months, or once a week for a year, or every day for 60 days - and experiment with different styles, writing exercises, techniques, etc. Read a few good books on writing. (Check out the resources in the “A Muse U Can Use” and “Craft Caddy” categories of this blog for some recommendations.)

At the end of your stint, set an Artist’s Date for yourself and re-read what you’ve done. I’ll bet you $100 you’ll notice you’ve “magically attracted” more talent to your work!

“TALENT SCHMALENT!”

by Marcia Yudkin

Over the years, many people have asked me to look at their writing. “I need to know, do I have talent or not,” they say.Their request is seriously flawed, I’d reply. Anyone can become a better writer. When I taught English 101 at various colleges, I saw proof of this. Students with hackneyed, half-dead writing turned in lively, interesting essays by the end of the semester.

According to Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck, I was right to question the query about talent. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, reports research showing that in education, the arts and business, people who believe talent is fixed and inborn do not fully develop their potential and do not recover easily from setbacks.

Those who believe talent can be developed, regardless of apparent starting point, not only achieve more but also prompt greater achievement in their children and staff.

Her best news: You can change your mind-set about talent or intelligence. In only two months, kids who were taught that the brain, like a muscle, improves with exercise saw their math scores rocket from F’s to B’s.

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August 2, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

Ever experienced one of those divine situations in which the perfect book magically appears in your hands? Don’t you love when that happens?

That’s how I came Steven Pressfield’s book. The timing was especially synchronistic because I was midway through an Artist’s Way cycle with a group of creative friends. One of the guys went to UCLA’s annual “Festival of Books” and came back with an “Advance Reader’s Copy” for each of us. Boy, that was a great day!

In this short yet vital guide, best-selling author Steven Pressfield (of The Legend of Bagger Vance fame) brings us through these tiny little chapters – some of them only two or three sentences long! – on that invasive scoundrel known as RESISTANCE (”Book One: Defining the Enemy”). He then moves to COMBATTING RESISTANCE (”Book Two: Turning Pro”), and finally brings us to BEYOND RESISTANCE (”Book Three: The Higher Realm”).

Rather than tell you about the book, I’m including three teaser quotes here:

From a chapter entitled THE UNLIVED LIFE: “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”

From a chapter entitled A PROFESSIONAL IS PATIENT: “Resistance outwits the amateur with the oldest trick in the book: it uses her own enthusiasm against her. Resistance gets us to plunge into a project with an overambitious and unrealistic timetable for its completion. It knows we can’t sustain that level of intensity. We will hit a wall. We will crash.”

From a chapter entitled APPROACHING THE MYSTERY: “…[W]hen we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen. A process is set into motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose.”

Glory, glory, Hallelujah! My hunch is you’ll make room on your shelves for this beauty faster than you can say, “Break Through the Block and Win Your Inner Creative Battle,” which happens to be the new subheader for the edition pictured above.

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July 19, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

I am so excited, proud, and delighted to be sharing the following writing resource on The Wild Quills Blog for two reasons:

1. It’s AWESOME - thorough, engaging, interesting, gamut-running, inclusive, essential, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, entertaining, and utterly useful.

2. I’m thrilled to be one of the contributors!

What IS this muse? This Craft Caddy must-have?

It’s The New Writer’s Handbook 2007: A Practical Anthology of Best Advice for Your Craft and Career

Although editor Philip Martin contacted me way back in February to ask if he could include one of my blog posts from Epiphanies, Inc.’s “A-Ha Blog” in his anthology, I told myself I wouldn’t get excited until I actually held the book in my hands.

I guess it’s the Achille’s heel of the creative soul - we have so many ideas in our hearts and minds, and so often opportunities present themselves that ultimately never make it to fruition, that we set up a few guards for the things we TRULY want, just in case they don’t pan out.

Well, last week I received an envelope in the mail. I tore open the envelope, reached in, and pulled out the book and a check, just as Mr. Martin had promised.

This book has been parked on the island in our kitchen since then. Now granted, our family has been busy. We’ve had out-of-town guests, our son’s swimming lessons, work deadlines, prenatal appointments…the usual stuff of life.

But the truth is, I’m still in a quiet shock. I know this by my behavior of the past week. While the book has perched confidently on the island of our kitchen, I’ve been walking past it, circling around it, almost afraid to even touch it or confront it directly.

A few years ago I caught myself wondering how one gets to be included in a niche anthology of any kind (nevermind how one gets to be part of a collaborative non-fiction book that’s got a preface by legendary author Erica Jong, who wrote one my personal favorite books/feminist anthems of all time: Fear of Flying).

Is it who you know? Do you have to have an “in” with the publisher? Do you query? Barge in? Beg?

To my utter joy and amazement, it turns out I just had to be surprised by an email in my inbox from a wonderful person who found something I wrote online, liked it, and had his own mission and vision to pursue.

This is the ultimate fairy tale for me. This one opportunity supports everything I believe - and want to believe - about how life works when it’s at its best.

1. You do something with passion. In my case, I wrote that blog post when I was particularly fired up about the amazing power and potential of blogging.

2. You put it “OUT THERE.” For everyone, someone, or no one in particular. But at least it’s “OUT THERE,” and “OUT THERE” means there’s a chance for something to happen to it while you’re busy doing other things.

3. You get rewarded. I’m now part of a professional anthology about my favorite thing: THE CRAFT, CULTURE, AND ACT OF WRITING.

My name is among more than 50 experts on all things writing.

We’re talking award-winning authors, journalists, bloggers, teachers, essayists, industry leaders, literary agents, editors, and unstoppable enthusiasts (including Jane Yolen, Richard Powers, Ridley Pearson, Marcia Yudkin, Katha Pollitt, and many, many more!).

The more I flip through this book, the more I see it’s a dynamic, cover-to-cover gotta-read about everything I love AND everything I want (and need) to know about.

I’m so darn grateful to Mr. Philip Martin, to the universe, and to whatever twist of fate that invited me into this opportunity so gracefully and effortlessly.

I’ve put a lot of things “OUT THERE” over the years. Some of it’s been let loose with a rigid strategy behind it. Other stuff has been sent out with a wing and a prayer. And still others (like the rant on blogging included in this book) has been put “OUT THERE” because it felt like a raging necessity, and I had to get it off my chest in the itty bitty time slot I had available, or I’d be weirdly bitter, or implode, or self-flagellate endlessly.

If I had known this particular rant would soon be in a book alongside articles, excerpts, and essays written by some of today’s most celebrated and talented writing professionals, I probably would have agonized over it so much I would have either:

a) Never let it loose, or

b) Watered it down so much it would have never caught the fancy of dear Mr. Martin.

Thank goodness for the small miracles of life that turn out to be such wondrous whoppers to your own personal journey. I’m so glad I didn’t get in my own way.

THANK YOU, MR. PHILIP MARTIN, and Scarletta Press, and Erica Jong, and everyone else who’s a part of this book. You’ve all made THIS writing enthusiast very, very, VERY happy.

To find out more about The New Writer’s Handbook 2007 from its Scarletta Press homepage, click here.

To buy the book RIGHT NOW at Amazon.com, CLICK HERE!

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June 5, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

Sometimes the best way to combat your life’s ninnies and naysayers is to call upon reinforcements, something akin to an experienced cavalry of creative gladiators. Lucky for us, Chris Dunmire – a creativity coach and prolific hunter, gatherer, and producer of high-end content for writers, artists, and creative explorers – has done it.

Creativity-Portal.com is an incomprehensibly robust site that covers everything from creative depression to decoupage to getting published. (Seriously, you could spend weeks diving into the crafts section alone – whether or not you ever even considered doodling with artsy playthings!)

Just to give you an idea of the site’s depth, quality, and focused attention toward helping you “explore and express your creativity,” check out what they have to offer on “Dealing with Critics and Managing Criticism.” Seven useful articles written by pros who know, right off the bat. Nice.

Lush, positive, inviting communities like this one do wonders for writers of all stripes. When you see how many people have encountered (and defeated!) the Dark-Side Dwellers, and how many pursue their own passions – and even cross-train with other artistic outlets! – you can’t help but thrive.

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April 2, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
by Sarah Ban Breathnach

I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I first came across this book in 1997. I was working at a bookstore in Los Angeles, and it was flying off the shelves. Female customers were buying it in bulk to give to their mothers, sisters, and girlfriends for the upcoming holiday season. I judged its pink cover, saw the word “Victorian” somewhere, and promptly determined it was far too frou-frou for me, or as the Amazon.com review suggests, something akin to “Martha Stewart on Prozac.”

Fast forward eight years later. It catches my eye at a second-hand store, and I decide to pick it up for $1.95. This was one of the best decisions I made all year. Although the book is comprised of 366 short essays – one for each day of the year – and I didn’t start reading it until May last year, it’s been wildly useful and on target more days than I can count. Sure, there are some domestic ideals that have had me laughing out loud at their incongruence with MY life and tastes, but for the most part the author speaks about how to infuse creativity and authenticity (and ultimately JOY!) in our overwrought lives, and the essays have inspired many a well-timed breakthrough…or at least a sense of connection.

If a gentle nudge into a more serene, genuine, and manageable life is something that interests you, get this for your bedside (or “powder room,” eh-em). Give Ms. Breathnach a week, and she’ll have your grateful audience for the rest of the year.

To find out more about Simple Abundance and the author’s other works, visit SimpleAbundance.com.

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December 27, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

Sometimes it helps that even the most brilliant folks know firsthand the winning stench of bumbling defeat. Fortunately, creativity consultant David Straker has compiled a short list of some pretty impressive FAILURES in history who somehow transcended their shortcomings. (Hopefully, the info’s accurate!)

Here’s a handful of his picks with a few of mine:

• Beethoven’s music teacher once told him that as a composer, he was hopeless.

• J. K. Rowling was rejected by an agent – and then by several publishers – before Harry Potter found his passage to the Muggle world.

• Charles Darwin’s father told him he would amount to nothing and would be a disgrace to himself and his family.

• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he, Disney, had “no good ideas.”

• In 1962 the Decca Recording Company turned down the opportunity to work with the Beatles, claiming, “We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out.”

• One of Thomas Edison’s teachers told Tommy he was too stupid to learn anything.

• Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.

• Deemed unattractive by producer Darryl Zanuck, Marilyn Monroe was dropped by 20th Century Fox in 1947 after only one year under contract.

• Steven Spielberg dropped out of high school in his sophomore year. He was persuaded to come back and placed in a learning disabled class. He lasted a month.

To enjoy Mr. Straker’s massive list of quotes involving FAILURE and creativity, principles, tools, articles and quotes about all matters around being creative and using creativity,” visit CreatingMinds.org.

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September 22, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

Brought to my attention by Sue Ross (just one of the glamorous charges from the Wild Quills Writers’ Group!), The Writer’s Almanac® is a perfect resource for scribes and scribblers. Why?

• Broadcast on public radio stations nationwide, it’s “a daily program of poetry and history” that you can either listen to via streaming audio or read in its textual splendor.

• It’s hosted by the velvety-voiced storyteller and word wiz, Garrison Keillor.

• It’s less than five minutes long – a perfect meditation, portal, or segue to seduce you from your Logic Brain to your Artist Brain.

• Once you SIGN UP, it just SHOWS UP in your inbox for you to scan/enjoy/absorb/delete as you see fit!

Mr. Keillor tells you about famous authors’ birthdays and the personal and craft-related anecdotes of their lives, coloring things with historical context, cultural tangents, and his incomparable, reverent, buttery style. Then he reads a poem, and even if you have no idea what the author’s talking about, you understand that those words in that order mean something beautiful and profound to someone out there, and an appreciation of an elusive art form is forged.

To find out more about this lovely gift to writers, visit www.WritersAlmanac.com.

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April 13, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

If you haven’t been turned onto this color-full, play-full, fantastically SUCCULENT author yet, it’s time you made her acquaintance. SARK is an artist, a muse, a truth-sayer, and a celebrated author of more than a dozen highly-unique books – including the best-selling anthem-in-print, Succulent Wild Woman. Even if you’re the serious-type, give her a chance. She’ll change the way you look at things. Before you know it, you’ll be diving into your juicy creations with rabid, free-doodling delight.

On a personal note, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting SARK at a weekend workshop at The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. I am thrilled to say she is every bit as entertaining, inspiring, and authentic in real life.

To find out more about SARK, visit www.PlanetSARK.com.

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