Outlook on 2018...

Outlook on 2018....

For the first time in many years, I was awake to bring in the new year without being scheduled to work. There was no magical transference allowing me to forget or leave my grief behind. I can honestly say that I'm both deeply saddened and glad to see 2017 come to an end. I lost the love of my life, my dearest honey but it also brought an end to her suffering with cancer. Oh how I miss your sweet kisses my girl!

It seems only fitting then, that the new year started out with record breaking cold here in Iowa. Sub zero temperatures not seen since 1887...actual temperatures at -20, with windchills as low as -45 below zero. It mirrors the arctic wind that howls thru my heart.

My honey had a list...one that I'm trying to honor as best I can. My knee joints have been replaced and are healing on schedule. I returned from a trip to Tennessee a few days ago, returning my beloved's ashes to our boys along with mementos collected over the years. Regrettably, the trip was cut short by inclement weather both in Iowa and surprisingly, Tennessee as well.

This weekend I packed the majority of your clothing as you wished for a local charity. A task that should've taken a few hours took two days and a river of tears....each piece a memory to let go of. I kept a handful of things for myself and family. For me, this was harder than the knee replacement surgeries by far. One of your friends came and took things I know she'll use...you would've liked that and I thank her for sharing some of that burden. There are a few other things to sort through, mostly fitness or police gear and books but that can wait for another day.

Another PT evaluation in the morning and then I will deliver your clothing to the shelter. The final tangible task on my honey's list....and I can't help but wonder what next? I know I still have a month's worth of work to do before I can return to my job but that purpose alone does nothing to calm the ache or the sorrow.

I know my girl...promises. I'm doing the best I can. As for the rest...One day, sometimes one minute at a time. You were my peace and my purpose. My happiness and joy...and while I treasure our time, I cannot help but mourn it's loss. Still.

I can't see what the new year holds...none of us can. I only know that the love in my heart still belongs to you...always and forever, my honey.  

Reality Check

Until recently I was a resident of TN and my heart goes out to the families of those killed in a senseless act of cowardice and terrorism. Those brave souls where some of our nations finest. Volunteers.

Soldiers and law enforcement are the tip of the spear folks. They defend our rights and freedoms, doing dangerous work that to often gets them ridiculed or worse, forgotten and ignored. Are they perfect? No....All to human, like you and me.

It's time for our politicians to state things as they are. Terrorism isn't limited to a color or creed. It's carried out by fanatics with little or no regard for how or who they hurt, kill or maim. 

Our soldiers and law abiding citizens are berated for wanting to carry firearms. This isn't a gun control issue...it's a truth issue. Spinning things to distort the truth...to distill the core of a problem is madness at a truly magnificent level. Call it what it is. 

There's a famous quote that says: "All that is necessary for evil to flourish in the world is for good men to do nothing." That's never been more true...

This is not a call to arms. It's a call to become our neighbors keepers once again. To help each other and slow down enough to be a real part of your community. To be vigilant and supportive. To not be afraid to HAVE standards!

We needn't be disrespectful to those that are different but the equality must be EQUAL across the board. Just because we disagree doesn't mean that there  MUST be hate or bigotry involved. There shouldn't be. Diversity is the foundation and strength that built this great country. Principles....thing's we seem to have forgotten in the name of political correctness. 

The harsh reality is the world we live in doesn't follow the rules. In some places there aren't any, which is one of the reasons our country is so attractive. Our rights have NEVER been free...it's paid for...constantly with the blood of our patriots. 

The Fallen

                                                             The Fallen

On this long weekend above all others, most Americans gather to enjoy the start of summer, shrugging off the last effects of winter and breaking out the BBQ grills and summer toys. Many do thank service members on this day…mistakenly and good naturedly.

For those whom served this is hopefully meet with grace, regardless of what your feelings might be… for this is not our day. It is reserved for our brother and sisters that sacrificed all. For their families, who know the pain of promises lost and uncertain futures.

For us, we veterans; this day of remembrance is bittersweet…of the hardships shared and the camaraderie that is found nowhere else in human existence.  We have the same questions, with no easy answers; as the families and those feelings are often compounded by the guilt of survival.

What all of us must keep foremost in our thoughts is this…our friends and family members, those brave warriors who gave their all, did so freely and without remorse or hesitation. For God and country? Perhaps in part but mostly for those whom stood beside them united in the ideal of right over wrong and the certainty that those basic freedoms must be protected and safeguarded from those who would do it harm.

On this day, I thank their families. The children most especially, who will grow up without fathers and mothers. Please know that their sacrifice was not in vain and that the world is both safer and richer for having had them in it.

I would ask that on this day, we each honor that by extending a helping hand to those families still struggling with such monumental loss, remembering that our freedoms are rights earned thru sacrifice, not inalienable privilege.

For myself, I am honored to have served amongst them.

Perception And Probabilty

As writers we're happiest when the words are flowing at a breakneck pace. When the muse isn't simply speaking but screaming for our attention, hopping up and down and gesturing wildly like a man caught in the throes of a grand mall seizure! For those rare moments, the pages pile up and the word counts soar...it's AWESOME...but for each storm there is a calm and of course the inevitable wreckage created in its passage.
So what is writers wreckage you ask? Composition debris...especially when we're on fire! We all have these at some point ...plot holes, unresolved threads, inconstancies in charator or story. Too much filler...too little dialouge or anything that fails to progress or more importantly, drops the reader OUT OF THE STORY!
As the creators of our worlds we take liberties with reality and thats ok...to a point BUT when we sacrifice believability simply because its convienant or it "makes" the story work, we cheat ourselves and our readers. A hard core criminal suddenly has a change of heart and becomes compassionate for a stranger...a little old lady takes down a SWAT team...a top notch investagator 'forgets' a basic procedure. These are real scenes from published works, that made me (and many others, by the reviews) pause and throw the red BS flag!
It didn't sound real...it was a wave of the magic wand...the whole thing was a dream kindia resolution that drives readers AWAY.
As writers we know what the backstory is...we KNOW how these things happened and have rationalized it; to. by. damn. WORK! This is why it's vitally important to get an outside perspective. Let a Beta reader, a trusted colleague, someone you trust to give you unbiased feedback, and to review your work before you send it for submission. In the fictional genre, probability is the meat of our stories...what IF, is our hook...that which sets our stories apart and makes them uniquely our own.
What we must not do is give in to the temptation of finishing by taking the easy path...find a solution that could happen, even if its improbable. It just can't be IMPOSSIBLE! If we've done our work well, our charators are multi-faucet people of depth...get inside their heads... make THEM figure it out!
Ask why...how...where...would they do this thing? What would motivate them? Inhibit them, ect.
When we get the perception down we'll more clearly see the story from the perspective of our charators and more critically, our readers.

Endurance

When we think of endurance, many things come to mind. Sports, fitness and even relationships are often connected to that term. So what is endurance? The definition is more complicated than you may think...
Enurance is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from and have immunity to trauma, wounds or fatigue.

As authors most of us know that to be successful, endurance isn't just handy catch phrase, it's a prerequisite! Only a tiny percentage of us will ever have the luxery of writing a single piece that becomes an instant sensation or a national best seller. For most of us, we need to be prepared for the long haul...to write consistantly, producing solid stories that we not only love but that are worthy of publication.

Think about it. When we send our work into the world several things will happen. Elation...that wonderful bliss of completion and satisfaction that comes from doing all that hard work. Doubt...usually followed by self recrimination. We asks ourselves..."Was it REALLY ready?" Of course there's also the aforementioned fatigue...and there WILL BE trauma...and wounds....so hang on! Not EVERYONE will enjoy your labors...nor should you expect them too. Visibility is difficult to obtain and even harder to maintain. Publishing is merely the first step in our journey!

Writing is with few exceptions; a solitary endeavor, so how does one build that endurance from within to "resist, withstand and recover?" The glib answer is to keep writing and that's true but it's also SO much more complicated than that!

With work, (most of us have 'real' jobs!) family, social commitments and the day to day necessities of simply living are exhaustive enough BUT add in writing schedules, research and that pesky but all important 'building a social media presence' thingy AND book promotions/sales and signing events.....ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

So how DO we eat an elephant? Of course, one bite at a time! To build our writing endurance it's vital to set goals and task that are both realistic and obtainable. While its important to be consistent, its IMPERATIVE to balance your writing activities with experiences that will strenghten your writing immune system to critique, frustration and burn out.

Go to a seminar or workshop. Get togather with other authors ( or readers!) and have coffee. Toss around some ideas and swap stories, laugh and enoy yourself! Read. Then read some more...read outside your normal genre, volunteer at a library, VA or shelter to help with their literacy programs.
Be involved in something that helps to recharge and inspire your interest! Do these things....find that balance and your writing cannot help but get stronger and more relatable.

I guarantee you'll have more new ideas than you can shake a stick at AND your writing immune system while shrug off attacks like a pack of super hero's!

Web interview

I just interviewed with Erik Van Mechelen on writing your first novel. Check it out here:
http://www.shakeup.tv/translate-world-travel-martial-arts-first-novel-jim-hellvig/

Maintenance

It starts the moment we draw our first breath and continues even beyond our existence. Without it, civilization crumples and biology’s fail. We’re educated and trained in this multi-faceted art form throughout our lives and most never give it more than a passing thought. I’m speaking of maintenance of course!

      Think about it…our homes, cars, bodies, relationships… everything in this world requires regular maintenance. Even when properly serviced most things deteriorate but when neglected …well sooner or later expect the catastrophic!

As a professional electrical maintenance technician, I thought myself well versed in the methodology BUT after consideration I realized I’d committed the cardinal sin for someone in my profession…I ASSUMED!

In my writing life, I mistakenly ASSUMED that as long as I continued to write I was maintaining, right? WRONG! Writing is the operation! It’s the function or the work of the process it’s NOT maintenance! So…how does one preform maintenance on a craft? There are no lube points…no fluids…no electrical nor mechanical checks…Hmmmm.

For starters, on a regular basis I suggest you challenge your skillsets…do writing prompts that take you far beyond your comfort zone. They needn’t be long exercises but they should take you down paths you normally wouldn’t tread.

Attending seminars and conferences is another maintenance must! Not only will it tune your writing engine but it will also enable you to build a rapport with like-minded folks and other professionals in the industry.

Too often as writers and human beings we ‘circle the wagons’ drawing ourselves into a tight knit, small cluster of people, limiting our exposure to the dreaded unfamiliar. If you truly wish to empower your writing, open yourself to new experiences, places and people! It’s like dumping high-octane booster into your fuel tank…you’ll get MORE POWER! OOOH---OOOH----OOOH!!!

Being Social On Media....

            Being Social On Media

   

 It’s everywhere these days AND we're told, "It really IS necessary!" As authors, words are our chosen conduit for expression. We devote enormous amounts of time and energy to it, we craft and we mold, chipping away until we agonizingly send our 'darlings' into the world...but the world has changed.

Publishers today require more of their writers. Platforms, forums, followers, networking and the list go on. Why? Partially because the digital age has made self-publishing easier than ever. Today’s readers have more choices then ever, which makes finding your book akin to finding the proverbial needle.

So in publishing houses of all sizes, they require a…presence.

Facebook…Twitter…Pinterest…Google+…sound familiar? It can be overwhelming. Setting up profiles, what content to add, getting followers?! ARGHHHH!!!!

While I would agree that such profiles can be helpful and can generate word of mouth for your books, finding a balance will be challenging. Spending too much time takes you away from what you should be doing…writing your next book!

Indulging in repetitive self-promotion will quickly get you ignored or even BLOCKED!  I suggest a few simple things.

1.    Concentrate on ONLY one or two sites, making scheduled and relevant updates weekly or even monthly.

2.    Share things with your audience besides your product!

3.    Social means just that…you MUST remember that this is a PUBLIC forum… Ranting, raving or responding to negative feedback cannot happen!

4.    Breathe deeply and let it go.

The technology is here to stay folks…while we may not all embrace it; it’s a tool like any other. How you use it and how often are up to you.

When stuck in a rut....

When stuck in a rut…

We are all at some level, creatures of habit. Routines and regular schedules are comforting and even necessary for our daily existence. Its how we get things done in a timely fashion BUT every adult (and most teens!) have felt ‘stuck’ at one point or another in life.

We become bored with the sameness of it all! While it’s not practical (and unwise) to change some of the major routines in our life like work, school, commute, ect.  We should strive to shake things up in other areas. Not only is this healthy, it can give us a fresh perspective and a renewed vigor in our endeavors.

Einstein said:  

Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

When it comes to our writing and our efforts to market and publish our works, this quote is especially apt. There is no magic bullet, no secret path to becoming a successful author. It’s consistency, attention to detail, WORK! Sounds suspiciously like a rut…BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE!

While there are exceptions, most professional (full time, paid) authors compile a volume of work over a decade, (YUP, 10 years!) building their platforms and reader bases until they begin earning a modest living. So what can we do to avoid the dreaded RUT?

Diversify! Write in as many genres as interest you. Do freelance copywriting. Write short stories. Attend conferences and seminars…HOST a seminar! Speak publically and do signings. Giveaways, newspapers, libraries, volunteer events, everything can be a marketing opportunity.

Perhaps more importantly, NEVER stop learning! Experience new things and challenge yourself not just in your writing but also in your day-to-day living! If you have a fear conquer it! Do you have a dream or a secret desire? Then set concrete goals and chase that dream!

Nothing is impossible if approached with the determination, desire and willingness to work steadily towards its completion.

The only difference in a successful author (person) and a failed one is simply this…successful people never give up!

You’ll be rejected…told no…feel disheartened…so what? EVERY SINGLE successful person has experienced this too! Keep swinging…. sooner or later that bat’s gonna connect and when it does…. well… that’s a whole new kindia rut to get used to!

Amazing Grace, FREE weekend!

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of my thriller Amazing Grace this weekend and the next here: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006ZPQYNQ
What's it about?

It’s about being pushed to the brink...to the breaking point, then discovering that if you want to, there are other paths.  Life is change…and change is pain.

Special forces Major, Tammy Fuller knows this firsthand. As former delta force commander she’s given all she has.

     Despondent and medically retired Tammy drifts without purpose until a chance encounter with a child presents her with a painful choice.

            “Life is change….and change is pain.”

With each new challenge her heart is slowly healed and her spirit restored. Redemption seems possible…but turning the other cheek has never been her strong point.

A series of events inexorably draw Tammy back into a world she thought she’d left behind and she will need all of her former skills and experiences to survive.

Review and comments are always welcome and thanks in advance for the look.