One minute we are traveling down the highway at 60 mph and the next thing you know we are off on a dirt road in the boondocks… lost.. totally lost.
This not only happens as we are driving our vehicles and it can happen as we live our lives.
It is not that we intentionally start the day with the thought, “I’m going to get off track today”… it just happens.
That’s why today is Writing Wednesday for me. One of the hats that I wear is that I am a writer – a published author. That didn’t happen when I was watching television or running errands or cleaning the house.
I write stories when I am sitting at my desk at my computer. Nothing else is a good substitute for hard work.
What is your passion? What is your dream?
If you are a photographer, then you need to take photographs.
If you are want to make movies, then you need to get out your movie camera and start filming.
If your dream is to be a writer, then you need to start writing… today!
Who will join me in this challenge? Yes, you. You can do it!
Are you ready?
Close your office door if you have to, or if you can. I know you can’t close your eyes because then you wouldn’t be able to read this. So let’s pretend, let’s pretend you are a writer. You know pretending is where all the best stories begin.
You are sitting at your desk with pen and paper or your laptop or tablet and you are going to write the story that’s in your heart. You know it’s there, it’s been there for a long time. When Uncle Fred told you he had written an article and got it published, inside you said, “If he can do it, I can do it.” And the truth is you can.
But you have to start. You have to believe that you can. You can learn the skills. We were all born to tell our stories. It’s your time to be a storyteller.
There are many moving parts to a story but let’s start with some basics. We need a main character and we need to know where this story takes place, the setting for the story.
So my question for you today is, where in the world would your story take place? Take some time to think about it. Maybe take a couple of nights to dream about it. Let it settle in your heart and in your mind. This must be a place you would like to ‘live’. I say live, not in actually physically moving there, but a place where you will create your story. You will create the details, the people, the stores, the houses, but you must have this place fixed in your mind.
Maybe it’s a place where you have taken a vacation or the destination spot of your dreams. You will know this place like the back of your own hand by the time we finish. So ponder it for a while. Dream big. Google it. Look at some pictures. Check out some books from the library.
The second part of the challenge is to share your destination with me. Email me. My email address is barbara@barbarahollace.com.
I want to know the place where this great masterpiece will be situated in all of the world.
No need to share any more than the location unless you want to tell me why you chose it.
Dare to dream.
Enjoy the journey!
Barb the Writer
The post If you were writing a book… first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>
The post Use Your Gifts. Let Your Voice Be Heard. first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>Fifteen days later those shouts are mere echoes of a happy place without the challenges of daily living. How have you been? Have you been caught in a vortex of chaos or are you walking on a carefree sandy seashore?
I have to admit that I am not as organized as I had hoped to be, but I’m surviving. In fact, I am trying new things. Pushing out boundaries and rewriting old scripts.
As a writer, if I see a contest or blog opportunity that I’d like to try, I jump in with both feet, just like jumping into a mud puddle. I’m choosing to be BRAVE in 2016 and hear the words “WHY NOT?” rather than “NOT ME”.
What is holding you back from reaching your dreams?
What is pushing you forward?
I am realizing that I have more skills in my toolbox than I realized…. go figure.
How about you? Is there something that is a hobby that might be an income-producing activity? Do you need to replace watching television or playing video games with a volunteer activity? There are plenty of organizations who could use you and your special skills.
Take a moment. Take a breath. Take a leap.
Enjoy your Saturday.
Barb
Author.Editor.Speaker
Identify the good and magnify it!
The post Halfway through January… How Did We Get Here? first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>
You can’t serve anyone if your tank is empty.
A blank page has a different meaning to different people.
A blank page to a writer might signify a realm of possibilities or an empty page labeled “writer’s block”.
A blank check might represent unlimited earning potential.
A fresh start is one where the “I should have’ voice is put to sleep and we listen instead to the voice that says “Yes, you can”.
I invite you to listen to the voice that encourages rather than condemns.
I invite you to listen to the voice that says, “I can and I will”.
I invite you to speak words that invite achievement rather than invite defeat.
There are power in our words. Use your words to speak wisdom and peace and power to yourself and others.
And we will be grateful for your contribution to the positive environment you create. Our world will be a better place because of you.
Write on!
Barb
The post A New Year, A Clean Slate first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>
As the hours wane on the year of 2015, it’s time to reflect for a moment on the year that has just passed.
We often set goals and sometimes we achieve them but often they remain on our wish list and get transferred from one year to the next.
Many of us want to be an author, we talk about it and dream about it. but it will only become reality if we sit in the chair and write.
As we enter the new year, I have goals of my own to write and speak and share my experiences with you.
On the other hand, I have a goal of helping some of you become published authors as well.
Let’s work together and see if we can make our dreams come true in 2016.
The post 2015 Will Soon Be History first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>Author of A Scribe for the Lord
Armour Publishers
The post Light for the Writer’s Soul: 100 Devotions by Global Christian Writers first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>
Author of A Princess and a Duke
Dr. Bernie Siegel has long observed how relationships with animals have helped his patients, alleviating their suffering and heartbreak. Now, he’s gathered many inspiring true stories, including delightful tales from the “Siegel Family Zoo” where “squawks, purrs, chirrups, squeaks, barks, and so on” fill the house. Other stories reveal animals as teachers and messengers, doctors and nurses, healers and miracle workers, and often as guileless clowns. Bernie writes that animals are here to show us how to be nonjudgmental and live better, healthier lives. Let these stories teach you, and apply their lessons to your daily life.
The post Love, Animals and Miracles: New World Library first appeared on Barbara Hollace.]]>