I've been radio silent for the last 3 weeks because I needed some time off at the start of the year. And because last week my dad passed away -- peacefully -- in the presence of me and my mom.
You can read about my remembrance here. (Facebook link)
Needless to say, I've been in a daze, reorienting my life without a lot of my time and energy spent as one of my father's caregivers.
If this whole experience in caring for my ill and dying father has taught me one thing it's to reflect on what deeply matters to me.
Yesterday as I was preparing for my twice-monthly teaching and coaching call to my year-long group of novelists, I realized I was doing exactly what I loved and cared about: writing fiction and helping others do the same.
I want to leave a legacy through my stories and I want to help you do the same.
I encourage you to ask these question too: - What really matters to you?
- Are you doing it? Being it? Living it?
If so, awesome! Yeah! Rock on and onward and forward!
If you are a fiction writer, let me know how I can help!
I am a writing coach and teacher who helps fiction writers experience clarity, so that you can write and polish your novels, and proudly publish them to the delight of your readers.
If you're not doing what really matters to you, I invite you to have compassion for your current state, first and foremost.
And I also invite you to dip a toe into inquiring, with compassion, why not?
And, what small step could you do to take action and do something that is about what you love and what matters deeply to you?
When I first started my first novel, I only wrote once a week on Saturdays at the cafe.
When I was picking up steam and writing my YA fantasy novel (my third novel I wrote), I wrote during my lunch break at work.
Even now, while I run a business, and while I was helping with my father, I only worked on my novels 4-6 days a week, for 20-30 minutes at a time or more.
Writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint.
Each day you focus and do the work, you are making progress.
Today all I did was plan the next batch of pages to edit and vow to print them out. I got clear and that felt good.
♥
Last Week! Giveaway Ends Soon!
Especially for Fiction Writers!
I've created a giveaway of character development tools for fiction writers and brought together with other writing teachers and coaches to help me make it really something grand.
We want to help you get a better handle on your characters, so that your readers will fall in love with them.
We're giving away 18 prizes -- so 18 winners -- including a $75 Amazon gift card.
I'll pick the winners next week! So enter now!
The rest of the prizes are: - 1 30-minute Skype consultation with Rachael Herron (normally $100)
- 1 30-minute phone consultation with writing expert Alicia Rasley (normally $50)
- 1 seat in Lynn Johnston’s course, Creating Archetypal Characters (normally $37)
- 1 seat in Beth Barany’s course, Creating Compelling Characters (normally $97)
- 1 ebook by Britt Malka, ABC Character Method (normally $14.97)
- 1 paperback copy of The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and a FREE scene analysis for character by a certified Story Grid editor, J. Thorn (normally $285)
- 1 paperback copy of The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction by C.S. Lakin (normally $14.95)
- 10 ebook bundles containing: Quick and Dirty Character Tips by Heidi Angell, Seven Secrets to Creating Great Characters by Margaret Lucke, and Don’t Write Like We Talk by Catharine Bramkamp (normally $13.97)
Go here to see the great prizes (valued at over $650) and to enter:
Good luck! | 
