You Say I'm A Dreamer, But I'm Not

I loved Dinner for Schmucks. Hilarious movie. Steve Carell's character was loveable yet drove you nuts at the same time.  There was one scene in the movie that although it makes me laugh because he misinterprets a great John Lennon song, it also makes me think.

"You say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not."

Really the line from the song is "You say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." While I love this song. Maybe the schmuck got it right.

I've been trying to prep myself for this headlong dive into finally publishing. It seems surreal, exciting and at times somewhat terrifying. I remembered I had downloaded Smart Self-Publshing: Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters a while back. And while I had read a good portion of it, I went back this past week and started re-reading it. She has some great advice and is definitely someone I find to be a decent role model in this indie world.

Among all the good advice Zoe has managed to pack into this book one thing stuck out in particular. Something that really can be applied to anyone, not just a writer.

Dreamers are those that think about all the what if's and wouldn't it be nice. They don't actually DO anything, but dream...

But those that set goals...well they work toward them. Not to talk about the all-mighty roller derby again but, I set a goal to be able to play in games. I passed my tests...and now I will probably be playing in a game soon!

For the longest time I always said I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to publish something and have people read my books. Dreaming about it didn't get me anywhere.

It wasn't until I got off my lazy ba-donk-a-donk, finished my drafts, finished all the initial edits and started actually working towards publishing it that anything got done.

I know this is sort of a well  DUH post, but I just thought sometimes we need a reminder to stop dreaming and start setting goals. Things feel so much harder to obtain when we are dreaming about them. But they become a reality when we start striding toward them.

So my goals right now are finish the final edit, get Mistaken to the publisher and formatted and uploaded for electronic sales.

As I finish reading her book I plan to set some more goals as well as figure out more my road map.

It is sometimes hard for us to actually grasp when one of our goals is within our grasp, and I feel like that is where I am now.

Just a few more steps...

Check out Zoe winter's blog here  .

Hunger Games

I know that there is a lot of buzz going around about this trilogy as well as the movie. I will admit I saw the movie trailer first before I knew there was a book, but I was intrigued from the start. Honestly when I found the books it didn't really surprise me because many times when a story seems new, different and riveting such as this one, it almost always is based off a book. 

Anyways, I bought the trilogy on my kindle and over the last week finally got time to get through the first book. I am in love with this trilogy now.

While I was reading I took note of some things that I liked about Suzanne Collins writing style and techniques. Things I felt she really did an amazing job on, things that made me turn the page.

She kept everything moving. There was nearly constant action from the get-go. Never once did I feel like the story was dragging. There was almost always danger or tension lurking around every corner and building up the plot.

She threw in some great surprises. Without giving away things for those of you that haven't read it, she has some great twists thrown in there that a few times made my jaw drop (literally).

Serious internal conflict with the main character. How do you care about someone when you know at some point one of you has to die?

As it gets into the other two books, it starts to become apparent that it isn't only about the Hunger Games and the enemies aren't each other. It gets so much bigger than the characters themselves.  I was absolutely in love with this trilogy, as it seems many are doing. 

Hate to jump on the bandwagon...but I am already buckled in and waiting with bated breath to see the film adaptions of the next two. And I have seen the first movie already twice.

For those other Hunger Games lovers like myself, here are some funny Hunger Games related vids you might find amusing.



Enjoy!

Guest Post: Be by Liz Finch

Guest Blogger Liz Finch

I’ve been trying to write this article for hours now. Every time I get part of it done, I hit the delete button and start over.

To be honest, I don’t know much about writing. I can honestly say that everything I’ve learned I’ve taught myself.

Here’s what I do know: 

Be Passionate. Passion will fuel your writing and help you take it to new heights. Passion will be the thing that keeps you writing when no one believes in your work except for you. Passion will chain you to your writing desk.

Be Real. Your readers will know when you are not being honest with them. Tell them your weaknesses, your fears, your hopes, your dreams. When you open up to your readers, they will open up to you.

Be Committed. Athletes work out every day, why should writers be any different? Constant practice is what will separate the mediocre author from the great author.

Be Angry. What is keeping you from writing the next break out novel? Who is holding you back? Get angry about these negative influences in your life and then cut them out. Life is too short to be a willing hostage to those who wish to hold you back.

Be Open. Sometimes people will have feedback for you that you don’t like. But it’s important to be open to all kinds of feedback, remember, they are your audience.

Be-lieve. Believe in yourself, your powers, your ability. Believe in your book, your article, your short story. Believe that you have the power to change lives with your writing.

Be Courageous. People are not always going to like what you write. That’s okay. Just remember to keep standing up for what you believe you.

So remember these short truths, and you are well on your way to becoming the next big thing!

Cheers!

L Finch

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About Liz

Liz wrote her first novel at the age of 13, her adaptation of "The Hobbit" as a play was sold at age 16, second novel was drafted at 21. She is currently working on her third novel.

Be sure to follow her blog at Novelist Liz !