THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY – Page 6 – Story Catcher Publishing

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Take Pride In Your Pride

August 9, 2018August 6, 2018Donna L

It’s human nature to want to belong to the pack. Practically hardcoded in our DNA to seek out social interaction from the day we are born. Animals feel it too. The urge to become part of a larger group, even when it results in a pecking order. Lions are known to live and hunt in groups called prides. Guided by the wisest alpha male, these prides of lions can maintain generations of family members through tight bonds and familiar relationships. This writing community is like that pride of lions.

We take care of the new cub writers and help them assimilate into the larger group. Through nature and nurture we welcome our newest members into the community. We smile at their first hesitant steps because we well remember our own first steps on this path to publication. We nudge and encourage until one day we see those new writers begin to grow into their writer’s voice.

Wisdom comes with time and lessons are learned along the way. Soon those newbies aren’t cubs anymore, but young authors who carve their own path in the writing wilderness. Sometimes they challenge the leaders of the day with various outcomes, but it is done for the greater good of the group and leaders can change with the seasons.

I look around this writing community and realize I am no longer that newborn cub who gazes in wonder around her. I am a member of a pride of writers who are fiercely loyal to their own. I am still young on this journey and have much still to learn. I am comforted by the knowledge others are watching over me. Ready and willing to lend a helping hand and offer words of support as I grow into the writer I was meant to be. Take pride in your pride for nowhere else will you find a family quite like this one.

Run with the pack and enjoy the ride…unless, of course, you are that lone wolf with something to howl about…

lunadar

(Available now as ebook on Am

azon)

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of Lunadar. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of Lunadar at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

International best selling, award winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Dreaming Big

August 2, 2018August 2, 2018Donna L

When I was little, I had little dreams. Dreams about getting my first bicycle. Dreams about getting a puppy. But as I got bigger, my dreams got bigger. Dreams about becoming a writer. Dreams about seeing my name on the cover of a book.

No matter how big the dream might have been, I knew if I can dream it I can do it.

Eighteen years ago I walked into a martial arts school. I had a little dream of maybe learning a little martial arts. I worked hard even though I was scared I might not be able to get it right. I even managed to break my little toe the first week I started my training when my toe turned one way and the rest of my body turned the other.

But still I kept the dream.

After my first belt testing came along and I didn’t die from fright, my dream got a little bit bigger. Maybe I can make it all the way to first level black belt.

If I can dream it, I can do it.

The years passed, my training continued, and I discovered every time I replaced my belt with a new one, the dream continued to grow. I wasn’t held back by the confines of my limitations. Instead, the challenges to overcome my “disabilities” only served to feed my passion until I received my Four Star Fourth Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo. My dream stayed big enough to carry me to a place I almost didn’t believe I could reach until I actually did it.

Story Catcher Publishing is like that black belt to me. A dream that means the world to me. Something bigger than I ever thought possible. But if I dream it, I can do it. And there is nothing wrong with a little dreaming…

lunadar

(Buy at Amazon)

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of Lunadar at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Stay True To You

July 26, 2018July 23, 2018Donna L

true

Do you remember the days as a teenager when you struggled to figure out just who you were going to be when you grew up? For years I thought I was going to be a animal trainer or have a horse ranch where I could commune with nature and live among the animals.

But staying true to my internal compass was hard at times. Here I was trying to please others…to be what others wanted me to be…to act in a manner which did not remain true to the person I was inside and in the end I paid a heavy cost. I lost a piece of myself and spent more years than I’d like to admit in search of myself.

But I’m happy to report these past eight years have been a wonderful journey of self discovery. A time of putting the pieces of my life back together and reconnecting with my true compass. It wasn’t easy. I had to become stronger than I ever thought possible and take a long, hard look not only at the values I hold dear, but also the connections and relationships of those closest to me.

Would you like you if YOU met you? Did you become the person who stayed true to yourself? I thought about this last night when a friend and I were discussing the possibility of my entering the upcoming Highlights contest for fiction. We talked about where we both felt our careers as writers of children’s books should go and for both of us the magazine route isn’t in our immediate future. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with pursuing publication in magazines, but for me, its just not staying true to my own visions.

There will be many avenues to tempt new writers…self publishing, print on demand, traditional publishing houses, online ezines, magazines…the list is almost endless and we can get caught up in the sole pursuit of becoming a published author while forgetting to remain true to our integrity as a writer.

For myself, my inner compass is in the permanent upward position and I will follow wherever it may lead…

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: How Do You See Yourself?

July 19, 2018July 19, 2018Donna L

I enjoy watching the surprise on a toddler’s face when they first discover a mirror. My boss’ daughter came into the school when she was younger and walked up to the mirror like it was a magic portal. I wonder what she saw on the other side? Hunched over with hands on hips, she would sashay in front of that mirror as if fascinated with who she saw staring back at her. It made me wonder, as a writer, who I would see if I looked into that mirror?

When I was younger, I didn’t look into the mirror much. I thought I already knew the person I would become. I had big dreams and set my course on a path I thought I wanted. What I did in my day job wasn’t as important to me as my writing and I thought it was enough to simply write every day. I wasn’t focused on bettering my skills and it reflected in the things I wrote.

But writing was something I thought I couldn’t live without. Writing gave a voice to my feelings when I thought I was alone in the world. Writing was the barrier between the incredibly shy teenager I was and the confident woman I wanted to become and so I wrote. I realized I wasn’t quite like other people. I was content with a solitary life as long as I had my pen and paper. But sometimes life throws you a curveball.

The ego can be a fragile thing and I listened to those closest to me who said I couldn’t write. That my words didn’t matter. That I didn’t matter. And I believed them because I lacked the confidence at the time to think otherwise. I put aside my writing. I pursued other dreams…dreams that were important to me, but not nearly as important as my writing. But I discovered if a person is meant to be a writer, the cosmos finds a way to make it happen. At least that’s what happened to me. I returned to my writing a more confident person who sees I have a talent for this dream I follow now. My words matter, even if just to myself and sometimes that is enough.

What do YOU see when you look in the mirror today? Do you see the amazing person you can become one day? I do! Do you hold on with both hands to the dream you have of making a difference in the world around you with your words? Writers have a power no one else may have. The right word can lift a spirit. The right word can change a life. The right word can alter the course of history and leave your stamp upon mankind like nothing else can. You decide which path you will choose whenever you look in the mirror…

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Dreamers vs Storytellers

July 12, 2018July 12, 2018Donna L

New writers often hear people telling them to “find your writer’s voice”. Well I think I might have something wrong with me because I’m not just hearing one voice. It’s more like a whole chorus. And I’m not sure where those voices are coming from. It seems like my mind never stills and those voices range from small children wishing for grand adventures to young adults finding themselves in the middle of a mystery and everything in between. Voices all dying to come out and spill their stories.

A friend of mine commented the other day it seemed like I could somehow conjure sensory images in my stories until the reader could almost feel what the main character was feeling. That I could capture just the right words to describe a world which invited others to come in and stay awhile. They, however, sometimes seem to struggle to bring their own visions to life. At the time I gave what I hoped were some useful suggestions, but I have thought a lot since then about their observation of my work and I’ve come to a conclusion. I believe beginner writers evolve over time into one of two types of writers. Some are Dreamers and some are Storytellers.

Dreamers have wonderful stories swirling around in their heads. True to life characters and worlds so real one could almost touch them. But there is where they stay…in someone’s head. For whatever reason…either through lack of a skill yet to be learned or simply the inability to bring that story to life no matter how hard they try, Dreamers are trapped in the land of dreams and readers are never invited into that world.

Storytellers, however, command attention. They play with the written word and invoke their readers’ senses until the worlds and characters of their stories seem as real as the readers themselves. To read a great book is to catch a glimpse of the storyteller’s mind and oh what dreams are hiding there just waiting to be shown to the world.

For myself, I hope one day I evolve into a true storyteller. Until then I will keep writing and keep encouraging those voices in my head to speak to me. Maybe one day I will tell enough stories that those voices will finally quiet down…but I don’t think so…

donna

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Let The Crazy Train Pass You By

July 5, 2018July 1, 2018Donna L

Publisher’s Weekly posted an article a few years ago about the potential danger of libraries no longer being able to lend books to the public.

WHAT???

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/52874-in-supreme-court-filing-libraries-say-decision-in-wiley-suit-threatens-lending-rights.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=00778e7307-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

If I’m understanding the article correctly, the Supreme Court is trying to decide if libraries have the right to lend e-books and other books to their patrons. Now they are taking things one step farther and thinking about making it illegal to lend any “foreign” published books within the United States as it might infringe on someone’s copyrights. Would the same apply to US published books no longer being allowed to stock the shelves in the libraries of other countries?

Again I say…WHAT???

How is it even possible that there are people sitting around debating this issue? When did we board the CRAZY TRAIN???

I could be completely off base, but I thought libraries purchased the books they stocked their shelves with? And all John Q. Public needed to do to have access to said books was to apply for a library card. Following this line of logic, the original author received fair compensation for their work and what the library chooses to do with the book after the purchase is their business. And when you consider the ever increasing number of struggling readers and rising illiteracy around the world, in my mind ANYTHING which encourages someone to read is a GOOD THING!

Think about it. We might never have been able to pick up a copy of A Christmas Carol from the local library when we were children because Dickens lived on the wrong side of the pond. And as for reading the Harry Potter books? Forget about it! Where will the CRAZY TRAIN stop? Will I have to wonder if the book police will handcuff me should I choose to read a book purchased from one of my Australian friends just because I didn’t ask permission first? Or maybe we just need to go back to the caveman days and do away with books all together. We can gather around the one storyteller in the village that can remember it all and hope WE won’t forget ourselves in the process!

I know this is a bit extreme, but it’s as silly to me as the Supreme Court having to spend their precious time deciding a case like this. Don’t they have better things to do?

Hey, I have an idea! How about some people not being greedy to the inth degree and spoiling it for the rest of us? How about some people acting like adults, even when they write for children, and thinking about the greater appeal of seeing their books in the hands of the intended audience in the first place without trying to nickel and dime the public to death?

I know I’m a small published author in a larger publishing pool, so maybe some people would think I have no write to speak, but I DO have a right to my opinion and I have an overwhelming LOVE for books in all forms. I simply don’t understand the whole idea of having to fight for the right to pick up a “foreign” published book from the library as compared to a “homegrown” one.

For myself, I am going to let the CRAZY TRAIN pass me by and I hope others will do the same.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments…

donna

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Enabler or Encourager?

June 28, 2018June 25, 2018Donna L

Sometimes people think they are watching out for your best interests, but what they really are doing is just holding you back. If I am struggling with an exercise program, I don’t need someone telling me it’s okay to skip a day…I need someone to kick my butt into gear. If I am dealing with doubts about whether I should keep writing or not, I don’t need someone saying I really didn’t have a chance of becoming a published author anyway so I might as well give up…I need someone reminding me why I started writing in the first place.

Enablers like to hold back, hold down, and hold off.

They hold back when they place obstacles in the way of someone else’s vision. They hold down when they shower words of doubt on an already beaten spirit. And sometimes they hold off honest praise for the effort made because they wish it were themselves pursuing that dream.

Encouragers, on the other hand, hold up, hold out, and hold on.

They hold up someone who might be having a bad day and remind them of prior accomplishments. They hold out a helping hand, offer words of support, and guidance to keep someone on the right track. And they hold on to the dream as well so they may be there at the finish line to join in the celebration.

Which are you?

When I began to fully focus professionally on my writing career , I decided not only to surround myself with Encouragers who would fill my world with positive energy, but to be an Encourager myself with this blog so others may be held up in their time of need. With that kind of attitude, there is only one direction for all of us to go…

donna

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Are You A Floater Or A Sinker?

June 21, 2018June 20, 2018Donna L

yellow submarine.jpg

Come on everybody…sing it with me:

We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine…

That is, we all do if we call ourselves a writer. But it’s what we do while ON that boat that determines just what type of writer we can call ourselves…

floater

We can be a Floater…

A Floater plays it safe. Hanging near the surface, they chose simple plots with no depth and hope the surface ripples will trick readers into thinking there’s more below the surface. Writers who choose to float throughout their writing career will always keep land in sight because the fear of the unknown keeps them tethered to their safe place.

Or we can be a Sinker…

Sinkers don’t let the safe current keep them stationary. They take that chance, diving deeper into unknown waters and taking risks with their visions in the hopes they will come up with a treasure to share with the world.

In my heart, I’m a Sinker. Though I fear the depths at times, life beneath the surface calls to me. There is an energy there that I can build my stories upon. A place where I can go to discover the other Sinker spirits around me. Which are you? Where will your yellow submarine take you today?

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Life Weighing You Down?

June 14, 2018June 11, 2018Donna L

My best friend teases me sometimes because I had a run in with a crazy squirrel once. My wild squirrel wouldn’t let me out of my own house. He would sit, watching my back door until I opened it and would then charge it like a bull…chattering away in squirrel language about whatever issue he was having with me at the time! This went on for days and then suddenly he was gone. It was a time when my days were weighed down by one angry squirrel.

burnout

Then there are times when we feel the weight of our obligations and daily struggles are simply too much for us to bear. We think if one more person asks a favor of us, our cart will tip skywards and we will be left dangling in frustration. Writers get like that sometimes. I have discovered this past year that it isn’t as simple as saying to oneself, “I’m going to write a picture book”, or “I’ll be published by Christmas”. It takes time and the struggles can be overwhelming if we let it. I have also discovered three simple steps we all can take to prevent overloading that cart…

Step One…Relax. Take a chill pill. Like the song goes, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. Writing should bring you joy. While every writer has a dream of hopefully becoming a published author one day, I still write just for the pure joy of it…it fills my need to share a bit of myself with the world and THAT makes me very happy.

Step Two…Take some time out to read a good book…or two. I like reading everything from children’s books to classics. From self-help to non-fiction and everything in between. Sometimes burying yourself in a fascinating story allows you to forget about the day’s stressful events for a few moments and allows you to simply be.

Step Three…Have some fun! We are only given one lifetime so why not enjoy it to the fullest? Don’t worry if you might look silly…just get out there and try something new. You never know what a great time you might have until you take that first step. Pretty soon you will realize the things you thought were weighing you down were actually helping to lift you up into becoming a stronger person. And THAT is what living is all about. Just remember one thing, though.

Everything isn’t always what it appears…

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Just Imagine

June 7, 2018June 3, 2018Donna L

Just Imagine
By: Donna L Martin

Just stop and imagine
What you could achieve
If you thought that you could
And then just believed?

What wonders exist
For you to uncover?
What brand new worlds
For you to discover?

No walls in the way
Or mountains to climb
What could you create
With your wonderful mind?

Would you fly to the moon?
Take a trip out to sea?
Would you change up the world?
Or just let it be?

Would you feed all the hungry?
Wipe the tears from the sad?
When you see all the problems,
Would you get a little mad?

Would you stand on your soapbox
And beat on your chest?
Or simply look away
Like some of the rest?

Would you write down your thoughts?
Give flight to your dreams?
Would you give up so easily
When it’s harder than it seems?

Just stop and imagine
What you could achieve
If you thought that you could
And then just BELIEVED!

***************

donna