I recently read “The Bestseller Code” by Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers. Of course, their title captured me instantly. Is there a formula for a bestseller? If so, how close is my novel, ‘Death by Roses’? Can such a code help with my future writing? What about yours? Call me fascinated.
What astounded me most was their particular fact about ONE word. Did you know that using the word ‘the’ too often in novels actually rips energy out of a story and bores your readers? Really? Apparently so. ‘The’ nails a story’s coffin shut?
Do you remember childhood days when you and your siblings or friends would get rowdy in the house and Mom would say, “Take it outside”? There were four of us kids less than six years apart so we could get out of hand whether we were playing or fighting. Out we would go until Mom let us come back in—typically after we had used up some of our abundant energy.
“I no longer have any idea what my preferences are,” a young mother lamented to me last week as she struggled with her unhappiness in her job. It’s a common problem for busy people and particularly mothers. In fact, if you study the word ‘mothers’, you can see it split between ‘m’ and ‘others’, yes? Isn’t being a mother mostly about others? Of course it is!
On a radio interview not too long ago, the topic of purpose came up. I was asked how one finds their purpose and was unable to provide a satisfactory response. I could tell people were disappointed, as if they hoped I had some magical formula to share. Life purpose is a big question and one that we tend to think we have to hunt for in order to feel fulfilled.
Every Sunday I pull down several decks of ‘oracle’ cards and ask for messages for my up-coming week. These are beautiful and I always benefit from reading and studying whatever comes up.
“I don’t care.”
Yes, there’s a ‘p’ missing because we’re talking about an artist becoming ‘blue’ after their work is released—ahem—delivered.
Yesterday was book launch day! ‘I Was a Yo-Yo Wife…Until I Learned THIS’ is in print, on-line and going public!* Seems like a great day to talk about Marital Martial Art #10: Suggest to your spouse that he or she needs counseling (and you don’t).
It’s a wedding ring; not a boxing ring!
This might look similar to #6 which was “Try to Control Him or Her”, but we’re taking a different path here. It’s subtle so read closely.