Novels, Part 2 of 2: How to Finish
Consider Someday you’re going to be someone’s favorite author. –Flash Fiction Online Have you ever started a project with sparkling visions of the finish? Then, halfway through, an enormous gap opens, and the project has nowhere to go. In the world of concrete and steel, that happened while building two of Pittsburgh’s bridges. The first structure is officially called the Fort Duquesne Bridge. After years, “The Bridge to Nowhere’s” fix was seamless. Not so for the Birmingham Bridge where the huge mismatch remains visible. [See lower left side of photo at top of this post] ‘Mid Novel Slump’ is the notorious and insidious situation with a story’s beginning and ending can’t be, well, bridged. Why? In starting stories, the celebrated writer Ray Bradbury advised, “Find a character, like yourself, who will want something or not want something, with all his heart. Give him running orders. Shoot him off. Then follow as fast as you can go.” Too often, characters do run off and create situations where the beginning doesn’t seem capable of connecting to an ending. To keep going, Writers Digest recommends giving the ‘supporting cast more page time.” Because “Act One introduces [the main character] … it’s in Act Two that the supporting cast comes to life.” This article also explains the “Rule of Three,” a valuable story-building tool. See “What to Do when You’re Stuck in the Middle of Your Novel.” “Five Ways to Beat the Mid-NanoWri Slump” recommends, “Getting out of your usual writing space and breathing some different air can be one of the best things to do… Whether it’s taking a short walk, driving around the block, or doing a little shopping, the change of scenery gives your brain a break.” See four more tips. Also see “Six Tips to Avoid a Sagging Middle.” The videos below share enriching, empowering writing motivations. And, Pinterest offers insights from accomplished authors. One of my favorites is also from Ray Bradbury, Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way. Keep in mind, someone could be waiting for you to become their favorite author. Keep bridging the gaps between start and finish, whatever the type. Succeed and Soar! COMMENT. See Wordsmith Stars Part 1 of 2, “How to Start A Novel.” https://wp.me/p9Qn9N-Lx Ten Best Tips for Overcoming Writers Block Click Here to View. 12 minutes, 50 seconds. How to Get through the Sagging Middle of Your Book Click Here to View 23 Minutes, 59 Seconds Join me in drafting a complete novel [or memoir] during 2024. Each Weekly Class [via Zoom] includes: Inspiring Resources Enriching Discussions Encouraging Support Enlightening Feedback Goal: 430 page first draft by mid December Cost: $100/month. [Sample first class for $25. ] Write me with questions and to register. This Month, Shop Sandra’s Succeed & Soar Art on Puzzles As well as tote bags, tee shirts, journals, puzzles, phone cases, ornaments, face masks, towels, blankets, cups, pillows, shower curtains and more Puzzles are great for quiet time, focus and centering. A pleasant way to share time with others or relaxing alone. Puzzles are made from premium 0.2” paper stock A semi-gloss coating on top surface makes image pop Puzzles available in two sizes [18”x24”, 500 pieces and 20”x28” 1,000 pieces] Safe storage in in handsome, sturdy box with artwork printed on top Puzzle pieces are unique shapes Prices vary, from: $40 NOTE: Sometimes art size must be adjusted for whole image to fit on item. Use CUSTOMIZE. tools with item to: Enlarge, reduce size of art Change placement of art and text Over 60 background colors can be chosen [shades of yellows, blues, greens, grays and more]. NOTE: Sometimes art size must be adjusted for whole image to fit on item. Use CUSTOMIZE. tools with item to: Enlarge, reduce size of art Change placement of art and text Over 60 background colors can be chosen [shades of yellows, blues, greens, grays and more]. Purchase this Puzzle View All Puzzles Thanks for your support!
Chocolate
Consider There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate. – Linda Grayson What are flavonoids? They’re six compounds found in some fruits, vegetables and plant products like wine and tea. Flavonoids regulate cellular activity and help the body function more efficiently. They are powerful antioxidants that fight harmful molecules and the free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Flavonoids may also help the body reduce inflammatory reactions to allergens, germs, toxins and other irritants. What delightful food contains flavonoids? Chocolate! The darker the better!! Among Life Hack’s “20 Health Benefits of Chocolate” are: Reduction of damage to nerve pathways caused by Alzheimer’s disease Lowered blood pressure Calmed coughing [safer than codeine with its undesirable side effects] Beyond the belief that chocolate’s theobromine and phenethylamine could be aphrodisiacs, Organic Facts list of “Ten Amazing Benefits of Chocolate,” includes: Reducing heart risks Managing diabetes Increasing intelligence [because flavanoids ‘boost blood flow to the brain’] Medical News Today also describes chocolate’s benefits as well as side effects like weight gain, sugar-based tooth problems, bone health and, possibly migraines [more study needed]. Read more. While indulging in chocolate, remember: enjoy in moderation, buy from quality sources, exercise, brush and floss, and the darker – the higher the chocolate content — the healthier. Succeed and Soar! Chocolate Recipes To control the ingredients, Adriana Harlan shows how to make 84% dark chocolate from scratch. How to make your own dark chocolate, including ganache. Eleven Healthier Ways to Enjoy Chocolate, includes: Chocolate Date Cookies Chocolate Protein Balls Healthy Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle 20 Best Healthy Chocolate Recipes, includes: Chocolate Avocado Mousse No Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies Healthy Fudgesicles Shop Sandra’s Galleries This puzzle is a poster from the Contemplative Art that illustrated Succeed and Soar’s Path’s to Joy series. Puzzles are made from premium 0.2” thick paper stock Include a semi-gloss coating that makes the top vibrant Arrives in a puzzle box with artwork printed on top for safe storage Puzzle pieces are unique shapes 18×24-inch 500-piece puzzle is $40— 20×28-inch 1,000-piece puzzle is $44.50 CUSTOMIZE. Use tools with item to: Enlarge, reduce size of art Change placement of art and text Choose background colors Purchase this puzzle. Shop All Collections HERE. Keep in Mind All information offered here is meant to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. With a Masters Degree in Fine Arts, Sandra Gould Ford is an artist, author, educator and former steelworker who intends to lift hearts and spirits, our awareness and humanity. Know that information explored here may be time sensitive and could have been updated. This material prescribes neither drugs nor therapies. Further, this brief post cannot cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic responses, adverse effects or appropriateness for any individual. This presenter uses her best discretion in sharing resources. She recommends readers do the same, including consulting appropriate professionals [including doctors, nurses and/or pharmacists] to make sure this information fits personal circumstances. Blessings and Good Health.
The First Five Pages
Consider There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you. Beatrix Potter This Wordsmith Stars post reminds that agents and editors must choose a special few manuscripts from thousands received each year. How do they decide? Here are insights I’ve gained from the Associated Writing Programs Conference & Bookfairs. As explained in the video below, agents and editors hunt through piles of submissions every week looking for quick reasons to say, “No.” Erin Cox began her publishing career in publicity, then became an agent and publicist. Of selecting a book, she reminded that agents often receive material no one has seen except the writer’s mother and, perhaps their writing groups. Of the first five pages, she asks: Do I want to read the next five pages? David Graff had been an editor at Crown and became an independent editor. He advised writers, “to make sure material is as ready as possible.” Graff added that the first sentence and the power and the authority of the writer is what grabs. What market and readers demand is suspense. Of those opening pages, Graff reminded that every novel is a mystery novel. There really has to be a sense of a major question being posed from page one. If you can thrust the reader into the midst of something, suggesting what could happen, then you could have a reader or an editor miss their subway stop because they’re engrossed. How? Writers Relief offers five valuable ingredients for those first five pages, including skipping a prologue, focusing on characters, showing where the story happens and more. Write me with your story goals or questions. Succeed and Soar! Shop Sandra’s Galleries Buy Sandra’s art framed, on canvas, as posters. Also on totes, weekenders, tee shirts, journals, caps, baby onesies, puzzles, phone cases, ornaments, face masks, towels, blankets, cups, pillows, shower curtains and more. Purchase this puzzle. Shop All Collections HERE.
How to Pitch Your Story
Consider A piece of writing’s purpose is to express oneself, convey information, persuade … earn money. – Richard Martin, AuthorsCast.com David Graff had been an editor at Crown Publishing and was working as an independent editor when I attended his “The First Five Pages” panel at the Associated Writing Programs Conference. In contacting an agent, Graff said the query letter should answer these questions: What’s the book about? Who’s the book by. Publishers want to publish authors (people). What other books are like yours? What tradition is your book in? Who would read your book? What “groups” will be interested? What about the book is new, interesting and fascinating, making it different from similar books (perhaps through your voice or humor or unique vision)? Understand: The query letter should be shorter than 200 words. Those words must entice an agent/editor to spend a year of their life on your book. Drafting a query letter can be a good way to envision the book. But the book needs to be well planned if not finished before querying an agent. This post’s videos provide great information. That said, all advice offered here should be considered: General Tips. Agents’ web sites will present their specific requirements. Shop Sandra’s Gallery Buy Sandra’s Art framed, on canvas, as posters as well as puzzles, shirts, infant onesies, phone cases, ornaments, journals, blankets, clocks and more. Each item is individually made, just for you. Purchase this puzzle. Shop All Collections HERE.
Earth’s Best Hope 2: US
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. – Marcus Aurelius Because Aurelius is right, wouldn’t you agree, we now need leaders who can unite the United States? “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” was part of Abraham Lincoln’s address to the 1868 Illinois Republican State Convention. Those words are in the Bible dozens of times, in the books of Mark, Matthew, Luke, even Psalm 133:1 which says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” Consider: This country’s founders wanted a Republic with strong Democratic values to avoid factions, special interests, oligarchs, despots, monarchy, weak central government, and mob rule, which happens when a “pure” Democracy devolves into anarchy. Read more. Here’s the difference between a republic and a democracy, which decides how people can and cannot live, as when baseball was illegal on Sunday and using condoms was against the law. See Booze, Bets & Sex That Built America. Until the 1960s, these were criminal acts: birth control, especially for single women. shopping on Sundays marriage [even sex] outside one’s race More. At the annual meeting of the International Society of Political Psychologists, Shawn Rosenberg stated that democracy is devouring itself and won’t last. Why? “When people are left to make political decisions on their own they drift toward the simple solutions right-wing populists worldwide offer: a deadly mix of xenophobia, racism and authoritarianism.” More. Bill Maher’s comments in the following video add insights. Succeed and Soar! Illustrated Wisdom Collection The inspiring and beautiful work in these Fine Art America collections is available as prints, framed and on canvas as well as on journals, greeting cards, weekender bags, shower curtains, puzzles and much more. Shop Here Thanks for your support! NOTE: size and placement of the art and words]can be changed as well as background colors.
Soul Words: Emotional Intelligence
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. – Henry Ford In my twenties, a theory about relationships became very real. Back then, I worked in a three-room office. ‘Clark,’ the department manager occupied a large room that claimed half our space. ‘Everett,’ the assistant manager had a little office. As clerk-stenographer, I shared the small reception area with ‘Logan,’ who handled the department’s legwork. Logan’s desk was behind the door we shared. One day, ‘Logan’ took over the big office. From then on, ‘Everett’ took orders from instead of giving them to ‘Logan.’ ‘Clark,’ the manager who hired me, vanished. While ‘Logan’ was very skilled at our department’s work, he was also buddies with the company’s new superintendent. That day I learned that, in real life, it may not be what you know, but who you know AND who likes you … that really counts. Emotional Intelligence is, “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” Of this skill, The Center for Creative Leadership writes, “Seventy-five percent of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle interpersonal problems; unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust.” Dave Lennick, an American Express Senior Vice President said, “Emotional competence is the single most important personal quality that each of us must develop and access.” Wondering about your Emotional Intelligence? These materials are not intended for diagnosis. They are offered for personal reflection. Emotional Intelligence Skill-building and Self Awareness A test for school age children A self test for relationships Remember, Getting to know and like people and getting people to know and like you are the two top cards in the game of success. — Source Unknown Succeed and Soar! Inspirational Jigsaw Puzzles Click Here to Visit Puzzle Details Two sizes: 18×24 [500 pieces] or 20×28 [1,000 pieces] Premium 0.2” thick paper stock Vibrant, semi gloss coating Custom size the art and choose your own background color Handsome and sturdy puzzle box with picture on top Click on picture or here to purchase Sun Mint Tea puzzle Shop All Sandra’s Art Puzzles
Rumi & Soaring Spirits
Consider Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuilt my life. – J.K.Rowling Please enjoy this post’s two short videos, chosen to lift the heart and spirit, our awareness and humanity. The first is two minutes long and presents love as transcendent and sacred. Prepare to swoon. As March Madness ends, the second offers basketball as both poetic and energizing. [Did you root for Cinderella St. Peter’s, too?] Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Presenting art to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thing and inspire. Shop Sandra’s Art This puzzle is a poster from the Contemplative Art that illustrated Succeed and Soar’s Path’s to Joy series. Puzzles are made from premium 0.2” thick paper stock Include a semi-gloss coating that makes the top vibrant Arrives in a puzzle box with artwork printed on top for safe storage Puzzle pieces are unique shapes 18×24-inch 500-piece puzzle is $40— 20×28-inch 1,000-piece puzzle is $44.50 CUSTOMIZE. Use tools with item to: Enlarge, reduce size of art Change placement of art and text Choose background colors Purchase this puzzle. Shop All Collections HERE. Thanks for shopping!