Guest post by Jessica L. Beck Leadership Lessons Children Teach UsAfter the birth of my son, I found it a huge struggle to return to work, not because I didn’t enjoy my job, but because of the constant juggle between competing priorities. I needed to switch from work-mode immediately to parenting-mode at the end of the day. But are the two roles really that different? As I found my footing as a working parent, I have noticed many parallels between leadership at work and leadership at home. 1. Modeling Good BehaviorAfter making my fruit-averse toddler strawberry pancakes, from scratch, I was sitting in frustration as I watched him drop every piece to the floor. The toddler-feeding class I took told me not to react. So, I began peeling and biting into an orange. I was about to give in and give my son some breakfast biscuits when he pointed at my orange and said “orange?” and opened his mouth. If it was good enough for me to eat, he certainly wanted to try. We can preach all day long about our company values, but if you are not alongside your employees performing the behavior you want them to perform, you lose credibility. You may also not understand what you are asking people to do if you are not doing it yourself. Maybe the food is stale but if we are not eating it, how would we know? 2. Allowing Failure to GrowWhen we see a child struggling to perform a task it can be tempting to swoop in and do it for them so they (and we) can avoid the discomfort. If we can hold back and instead encourage them to do it themselves, they can learn. When my son struggles with his puzzles and starts to get upset, I say, “try again” and often he gets it after a few more tries. Sometimes he puts his hands up and says, “I did it!” and smiles. He would not have this level of joy if he did not accomplish the puzzle himself. We must also sometimes let go of perfectionism to allow others to learn. My son now puts his clothes in the hamper every night. Sometimes he misses the basket, but I let him keep trying till it makes it in, no matter how tired I may be. Most employees want stretch assignments. It can be a struggle to trust others, especially if you are a senior leader. We need to help guide and coach but only by trusting and allowing others to try that will they be given the beautiful gift of growth. We are often scared to learn new things for many reasons. We are sometimes afraid of the new responsibilities that may come with the newfound knowledge, and sometimes that is routed in a fear of failure. As leaders, we must learn to overcome this fear and nurture an environment where the employees are encouraged to grow as well. 3. Nurturing CuriosityDoor handles and locks are opening and closing. The microwave beeps after some buttons are pressed. The TV lights up after some attention is paid to a remote control. My toddler is quietly watching all of it. Every day he is figuring things out and learning something new. Children naturally ask “Why?” to pretty much everything. As parents we will need to explain things we may have never even thought about before. Occasionally in explaining why, we realize things don’t make sense. The answer “because it has always been that way” will not satisfy a child and will not satisfy an employee either. Praise employees when they ask questions and suggest new solutions. A suggestion may not always be plausible, but if an employee doesn’t feel like their ideas are being listened to and considered, they will stop contributing them. 4. Finding JoyI ask my toddler “where is the ball?” He then runs from place to place in the house looking for it. When he happens upon it, he exclaims “ball!” and picks it up and throws it and laughs wildly! A simple question turned into a joyous quest. Sure, the weight of the world has yet to rest on his shoulders, but if we take a minute to reflect, isn’t there something here that we’ve lost along the way? We invest so much of ourselves in our professional lives. Believing everything is a crisis will surely cause us to experience burn out. Worse, these perceptions we carry could cause the employees that depend on us for guidance and direction to experience burn out too. As leaders, we can set the tone within our structure and influence how our employees engage with each other. We can laugh. We can say kind words. We can bring donuts to celebrate a team achievement. Brazilian writer and singer Paulo Coelho said, “A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be curious, and to fight tirelessly for something.” We encourage our children to continue to learn and grow and we should be asking the same of ourselves. What have your kids taught you about being a better leader?
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Guest post by Rose Atkinson-Carter 3 Tips for Writing Immersive Story SettingsThe world of a story is as important as its characters — in many cases, the setting can even become a character during this journey. Truly immersive stories though, evoke different emotions and feelings and remain firmly lodged in our memory long after reaching the ending. To help add this depth to your writing, here are three tips for writing immersive story settings. 1. Capture the right setting for your story.Mountains come and go as easily as train stations when creating worlds on the written page, which is why understanding your ideas with the three levels of story setting in mind is vitally important when creating a fictional world. Temporal setting is the time and period of your story. Whether contemporary, sci-fi and fantasy, or historical, you must pick a specific time for your writing. Environmental setting is the location of your story. Are your characters in outer space or the center of the Earth? In small town Hay, Australia, or in a bustling city like London? Not only do we need to know when we are, but also where. Small town’s are as vivid as big cities, and the personality of your story’s world is defined by your use of it. Individual setting consists of the specific places in your environment. If you’ve written about a small town, is there a supermarket, hairdresser, police station, or pub with locals? Does your big city have train or bus stations in your protagonist’s neighborhood? Your fantasy village lies upon the banks of which river? How are these places important to your story? Combining these three levels of setting helps create unique landscapes to tell your story. 2. Focus on what is unique in your setting.Are you getting carried away with world-building, crafting endless histories for your world, or having fun researching relevant topics? Remember not to lose focus on what’s unique about your world just because you’re having fun discovering it. A great way to keep focused is to understand the setting’s relevance within your story. Are the individual places you’ve written about special to your character? Do they have larger meanings in the story world, or are they placeholders towards other scenes? A unique setting should have a unique purpose for your idea. If settings appear irrelevant under scrutiny, flesh them out to improve individuality and relevancy. 3. Use senses to draw the reader in.Just as all good creative writing classes suggest, a well-timed sensory bomb triggers a rush of emotions for the reader. Which not only heightens a scene but also links a story to unlocked memories. Smell, in particular, is a powerful stimulant. A cold ocean brings gooseflesh and the scents of salt and seaweed. Meanwhile, a burnt hand stings and singed hair nauseates, staining our mind with the unpleasant experience. The more you combine sensory experiences in your setting, the more vivid your fictional world becomes to the character and reader. As your character discovers the sights, sounds, smells, and feeling of their world, so should we. Think of your book as a blank canvas. By the end of the story, your reader should see an engaging world full of life before them, and also feel as if they have experienced the journey which dipping below your book’s cover brings. Rose Atkinson-Carter is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace and blog that helps authors with everything from preparing for NaNoWriMo to using book templates to format their books.
Guest post by Lynsey Patterson The Cure for Writers BlockWriter’s block is a term we often hear being thrown around. Is this just a term we have created for times when we struggle to put pen to paper? Is it an excuse that we make when we haven’t even tried? I know months go by when I haven’t sat down to write, and I have heard myself say it’s writer’s block when it is a case of me not having carved out time to write. However, it is true that sometimes when we sit down to write the words do not flow as freely as other times. Here are five different strategies to overcome the dreaded writer’s block. Shake up your writing routine.Who says we have to commit to create a regular writing practice? Numerous articles tell us we have to have a structured writing practice but do we really? Are you a night owl or an early bird? Grasp those times and use them. Whatever time works for you. It might be four am in the morning just before the kids wake up or it could be 12pm at night when the whole house is asleep. Rather than creating a practice just write when it suits you. What works for you might not work for someone else. When you write is a personal matter. Enjoy DistractionsToday we have more distractions than ever. Give yourself a certain amount of time to be distracted. It’s ok to spend a bit of time mindlessly scrolling through Instagram reels and Facebook. You might see something that inspires your writing. Who says we shouldn’t be distracted? Sometimes distractions make us think of other ideas. In a world of distractions go with it rather than fighting against it. Get PhysicalHow many times do we sit and stare at the screen or a blank page and find that nothing comes to mind? It’s as if you have never written a word in your life. As Jane Fonda said, “Let’s get physical.” Getting up and going for a walk stimulates the mind. Exercise and movement help the brain and create endorphins in the body which can be helpful for our writing practice. Change of SceneryWrite somewhere different. Instead of writing at home can you write in your local coffee shop or write outside. Being in nature can be transformative. Is there a local garden that you can find to write in? Maybe writing by the river might inspire words to flow. Being around water can be therapeutic and rousing enough to help your writing. Take yourself out of your usual environment and see how it impacts your writing. Do something completely differentThere is no doubt that there are times when writing can be more difficult than others. During these times you could take a break and do something else. Play chess, play a musical instrument. Do a crossword puzzle. Do the housework or laundry. Anything that directs your attention away from writing. Then you can return to your writing fresh and ready to write. The important thing is to shake up your writing routine. If you keep doing the same thing the results will always be the same. Mix it up and see how your writing improves. Think about what you can do differently to feed your creative mind. by Arielle Haughee Five Common Revision Problems and How to Fix ThemWriters often confront similar problems with their stories during the revision process. It can be frustrating to think your manuscript is too messy to fix or has more problems than other writers’ work. Fear not! Many authors confront the same challenges as they revise. Remember, any issue is fixable—some just take more time than others to set straight. So to help save you some time on your journey, here are five common revision problems and ideas for how to fix them. Problem 1: Info dumpLet’s start with a problem many writers have at the beginning of their stories: filling up those precious first few pages with back story, what is commonly called an “info dump.” This is part of a larger issue: not giving information at the correct time and place to the reader. Either information is given too much, too soon, or too late, confusing the reader and making the story inorganic. Information such as backstory, worldbuilding, or other explanations should be integrated within the plot and given to the reader in small doses as needed to understand the story. Solution: Story Information ChartMake a list of information you need to communicate to the reader in order for them to understand the story (not active plot points). This could include things such as the childhood flashback that shows why the character is afraid of water, or for fantasy, how the monetary system works. Turn this list into a table using the example below. Notice a lot of info given in a certain place in your draft? Time to redistribute! Problem 2: Saggy MiddleThis might be the most common problem for writers with their manuscripts. The cause of a drippy, boring middle? Not enough conflict. This slows the pacing. Layering conflict as the story progresses increases the tension and maintains reader interest. Make sure your scenes contain conflict in a variety of forms. Solution: Brainstorm and Integrate ConflictThere are seven different types of story conflict: battling self, others, society, nature, machine, the supernatural, and fate. Write out a list of the current conflict you have in your story and brainstorm other conflicts that make sense for the character. Do they have crippling self-criticism? (battling self) Do they have to deal with an incredibly judgmental person? (battling others) Does a major storm blow in? (battling nature) Plan where and how you will add the new conflict to the middle of your story. Problem 3: Character Didn't Change MuchSteve is still the same Steve at the end of the book. He went through this whole saga and didn’t seem to learn or change at all. This one usually sneaks in without the writer realizing it. A critique partner or beta reader may point it out, or upon review, you realize Steve is a bit flat at the end. The root of the problem is an incomplete character arc. Solution: Character Journey ExaminationWrite out your character’s learning journey. Start with their initial motivation or goal and which story events impact that motivation. Determine if their goal changed as a result of what happened to them in the story. Then write what the character has learned as a result of the totality of their experiences. How are they different at the end? Integrate this change in mindset in the appropriate places in your story. Problem 4: POV Unclear or Not Distinct Between CharactersPoint of view is the flavor of the narration. A bland flavor, or POV without a distinct voice, is boring for a reader. It can also be confusing when there are multiple POVs in a story and they all sound the same. POV is often something that is developed more during revision, after the writer has spent time going through the story and learning the characters. So don’t beat yourself up if you have this issue with all of your first drafts. Solution: Put on Character GlassesImagine that you have a pair of tinted glasses for each of your POV characters. They are all different colors and each of them represent the lense in which the character experiences the world. Put on those green tinted “Steve” glasses. His green lense is built from all his previous experiences and his attitudes about life. Look around at your setting. How does Steve experience it? Do the bushes remind him of his grandmother’s roses? Now go through a scene with the Steve glasses. Let’s say he’s a very pessimistic person. How does he think and react when the woman bumps into him? Flavor your narration with everything Steve. Then take off the Steve glasses and put on a different pair for the next POV, adding in details specific to that character. Problem 5: Cluttered ProseThis is the biggest issue that will cause a reader, editor, or agent to put down your book after the first page. Cluttered prose is a red flag showing the reader your book is going to be laborious to read. The brain has to work harder to determine meaning, therefore making the whole experience less enjoyable. Writers often tell critique partners not to worry about the small stuff because they only want feedback on big issues. Well, problems with the “small stuff” is a big issue. Solution: Cut, Cut, CUT!Writing crisp prose takes practice and ruthlessness in the revision process. Take out any unnecessary words and go by the Jefferson motto “never use two words when one will do.” Look out for these frequent offenders that clutter up sentences: that, just, very, felt, suddenly, really, began/beginning to, adverbs, and excessive gerunds (-ing words). Go through your manuscript and act like you have to pay a nickel per word to publish your book. See how much money you can save! These are just a few of the frequent issues writers have during the revision process. What problems often pop up you as you revise?
Guest post by Iqra Mujeeb From Mom to Wordsmith: |
Iqra Mujeeb is an Author and Early Childhood Educator who received her certification from Gulf Montessori Center, Dubai. She currently lives in Karachi, Pakistan with her two beautiful daughters and published her first children's picture book in July 2023. She is always on the hunt for good restaurants, parks, and good books, and also has a passion for baking. Instagram: iqra.writer30 |
Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a five-time RPLA-winning author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She is an editor, speaker, writing coach, and the Executive Vice President for the Florida Writers Association. She is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers, Falling Into You, the children’s books Grumbler, Joyride, and Pling’s Party as well as the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series and the creator of the Focus Journal line of journals. She was honored with the President’s Award from FWA in 2020. |
Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a multi-genre author living in Florida. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. Arielle is an editor, speaker, and owner of a small press. Learn more about her at www.ariellehaughee.com or www.orangeblossombooks.com. She is also on Facebook and Instagram (@orange_blossom_books). |
Arielle Haughee is the owner and founder of Orange Blossom Publishing.
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