Everything You Can Imagine....

by C. Wolfe

“Everything you can imagine is real.”   -Pablo Picasso

When I came across this quote, it stuck out to me. I've always read fantasy novels, stories with dragons, elves, magic, dwarves, trolls, etc. They're just me. When I was a bit younger I came up with a theory of my own regarding the stories we write. I've heard a lot of writers say that when they write, the characters speak to them, trying to get them to write their stories! This hasn't happened to me yet, but it got me thinking.

My theory (and I've heard of other people who agree with me on this) is that every story we tell has happened somewhere else in all the vast galaxies about. Perhaps there are dragons, werewolves, and other such creatures elsewhere in the galaxies. There are any number of worlds out there that could hold life just like ours and the characters we write about could be out there somewhere, or could have lived in the past on those worlds.

But, even if I'm wrong for some inexplicable reason, everything we can possibly imagine is still real to us. It's real to the writers, and if the writer does a good enough job, they're real to the readers as well. To the movie directors, the actors who play the characters. To everyone involved in the telling of a story, and especially those who watch the movies and shows, and read the books. It's alive to all of us, and that is why everything you can possibly imagine is alive. We bring them to life as we tell the stories and they keep them alive as they read them, listen to them, and watch them. 

Dedication

By Jennifer Debenham

Few things are more inspiring to me than the Olympics. Watching the athletes from different countries compete in literally hundreds of events leaves me captivated. Normally I'm not much of a sports fanatic, but when the Olympics come around on the even years, I find myself positively glued to the television screen. Suddenly even something like badminton or archery or beach volleyball has me following along anxiously as though I were watching the season finale of my favorite television drama.

Partly this is because of the personal interest stories that often follow the Oympic athletes. Partly it is because of the seemingly impossible feats the athletes are able to accomplish. But I think MOSTLY it is because of the example of dedication I see before me when I watch these athletes.

When watching the women's marathon, for example, I marvelled at the story of Edna Kiplagat, from Kenya. She is not only an amazing runner, but she is a mother. Her dedication to running has enabled her family to increase its quality of life significantly. Later I learned that she is six months younger than I am--just turned 38, and there she is running 26 miles in less than 2 1/2 hours.

And who isn't a little bit awed to witness the spectacular performance of Michael Phelps as he solidified his place in history as the most decorated Olympian? Or to cheer on Ashton Eaton in his quest for the Olympic Decathlon gold? Or to hold your breath as the women's gymnastics team sought and ultimately claimed the gold for the first time since 1996?

One theme runs through every single story of Olympic triumph. These men and women dreamed a dream and then paid the price to see it come true. Of course talent is helpful, but I believe the biggest thing that separates Olympic champions from other athletes is their complete dedication to becoming the best that they can be.

And so I can't help but apply that conclusion to my own life. I am still working at my dream of becoming a successful writer, but if I'm completely honest with myself (which I try to do as often as possible) I must admit that my efforts in that category are often pretty abysmal. There are too many things I allow to get in the way of this goal. Some of them are necessary at times--I will never regret the time I have spent and will continue to spend being a mother, for example. But just as often as not, I allow less worthy distractions to take over my writing time and to keep me from accomplishing any significant goals.

To that end, one of my favorite quotes is this: "Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't."
--Jerry Rice.

The Olympic athletes seem to follow this creed. I am ever more convinced that following it as a writer will prove just as valuable to me.

Happy Writing!

Ways To Help Your Favorite Authors

By Bonnie Harris

I've been struggling to come up with a topic this week, probably because I've been loving the Olympics so much. Go, USA! It's amazing what all those athletes have accomplished. It's been quite a ride. :) So, I finally decided to do a post on something I've been thinking about for a long time. How to help promote our favorite authors.

Some of my suggestions you may have thought of already or may seem obvious, others may not. Hopefully, something here will spark an idea and you can take it from there.

As a writer, I've done my best to support and promote new authors, since I know some day I will be in their shoes. What I've learned from doing this is that it really is all about marketing and word of mouth. Those authors that are out there, meaning online, promoting their books are the ones I see being successful. Those authors that have teams helping them are the books we know the best, whether we've read them or not. So, how can we help our favorite authors, especially those that are not "well known" as of yet?

• Buy their books. This may seem obvious, but consumers spend money on what they like. It's as simple as that.
• Along with that, once you've discovered an author you like, try to purchase their book directly from the publisher. That way, the author gets a bigger portion of the pay, whereas if the book is purchased through a third party, their cut isn't as big. This may not be possible for everyone, but Indie authors you should be able to get the book directly from the publisher. I've been surprised at what I've been able to find from a publisher, and the cost isn't all that different.
• Post a review. Whether that be on your blog, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Facebook, really anywhere. It lets people know the book exists and that you liked it. One of the most powerful tools for an author is positive word of mouth. I'm amazed at how many people are now coming to me directly for reading suggestions just because I've been vocal about the books I've read.
• Post an interview or have the author do a guest blog post. Again, it's exposure and gets the name out there.
• Participate in blog tours. Your blog is one more stop that the book gets to make which makes it known to how many more people. You never know how far the word can spread.

There are many more things I'm sure others have thought of, but this is what I've found as worked for me. It doesn't take too much effort to do any of these things, and I'd like to think that I've been able to help out some of the authors out. And hopefully, when I'm published others will return the favor. In the meantime, Happy Writing, Reading, and Promoting!

Dreams of a Chubby Gymnast

When I watch Olympic gymnastics, I flash back to my childhood and am no longer in reality.  My kids know when gymnastics is on TV, they are to sit still and be quiet.  The kitchen is closed and an emergency, baring choking or bleeding to death, will have to wait.

I mean really, the tricks and flips those girls do, put me in another state of mind.  How could anyone think realistically while watching talent like that!

image found here

Then, I start to remember how I used to feel as a little girl.  I wanted to do those tricks more then anything else in the world.  I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast.  When I was four, my mom put me into my first gymnastics class.  Boy oh boy, was I in heaven.  I loved the cartwheels, the splits and the backbends.  A year later that was still all I could do.

Moving on to age 6, then age 7, I progressed a bit to running round-offs and front walk-overs. I loved all the rotations and was will to work hard, practice hard and do whatever it took to go all the way.  I walked up and down the balance beam, kicking my leg up a few inches in a well-disciplined sort of way.  My arms stretched out; a balancing act that took every bit of concentration I could muster.  I would swing on the parallel bars, until my wrists started to hurt.  The coach stayed by my side, giving me a little push as I rotated myself around the bar.  I remember running down the mat to the pommel horse, stopping to jump on the dismount board, then bouncing a bit.  I never made it over the pommel horse.

I started to get older and taller.  I’m sure it was obvious to my coaches I wasn’t built to be a gymnast.  My mom is 5’11 and my genes were more suited for girl’s basketball.  I wasn’t the thinnest either; a deadly combination if you want to float in the air for several seconds at a time while flipping and twisting.

But, it didn’t matter that I didn’t make it to the Olympics.  Dreaming about being an Olympic gymnast was what made me happy.  I would practice in the basement of my home or flip on the trampoline and in my mind, I was being watched by thousands of cheering fans. 

Watching the girl’s gymnastics team reminds me how important it is to have dreams.

image found here

I’m older now, but I still remember the feelings I had when I practiced gymnastics.  Now, I dream of being a writer.  I feel the passion and idolize the gold-medalists (New York Times Bestsellers) just the same.  A few months ago started a young adult novel called The Chubby Gymnast.  I bet you know where I got that idea.  Wish me luck.