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Be The Hero

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Written by Karen D. Swim

Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life is a new book by Noah Blumenthal. The book is essentially about overcoming self-inflicted victimization.  It inspires us to change the stories we tell ourselves, rise above and be the hero.

The book made the Top 20 in all books this week and it’s close to making the New York Times bestseller list for the week. Here’s the really cool part, all sales through Saturday, August 8th will count toward New York Times bestseller status. If When the book makes it Noah will donate  100% of his royalties from this bestselling week to the Miami Children’s Hospital.

Not a bad deal, you get a life changing book, and the chance to change the life of a child.

Novel Beginnings

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Last November, I wrote my very first novel during National Novel Writing Month. I chronicled my adventures on the blog and did a happy dance on Thanksgiving Eve in the wee hours when I finished.

I dutifully walked away  as experts advised and let it sit for the month of December.  In January, I thought about it but was busy implementing the 2009 Master Plan (cue ominous music).

Spring came and I finally took my USB drive to the printer and printed out my first draft. I giggled all the way home as I looked over at the box of printed papers that represented my first “first draft.”

Later that day I opened the box with nervous anticipation – Would it be so awful that I would cry? Was the whole thing a big dream? – I started to read and smiled as I found myself enjoying “my novel.” Yes, there were holes and inconsistencies, and things to be fixed but overall I did not want to burn it.

Each day I opened my box and made notes on the pages, periodically checking books and sites on editing to answer questions. I was working at my book and it felt good.

I got through my first rough edit and now it was time to type. I closed the box with every intention of continuing my work…the box taunted me in the open so I moved it to a shelf.  I moved it to dust but there it sat until this week.

Tired of my inaction, I pulled my dust free box off the shelf and moved it to my office where it sits with “First Draft” written proudly on the top (as if I would forget what’s in there) screaming at me to open it. Okay, not screaming but whispering very loudly.

Train Derailed
Image by bredgur via Flickr

In spite of our best intentions, we can get off track. For awhile I felt like a failure for not making progress on my goal. Today, I choose a new beginning. I may have missed my own self-imposed deadline but I learned new things and endured challenges which can only help me to view my book with a fresh perspective.

Today is a new day. Today is the day that I write again. I am not finished but I am getting started.

Any words of wisdom to share? Are you dusting off any goals of your own? Shall we encourage one another to the finish line?

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Why You May Not Be Smarter than a 5th Grader

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I stood up from the pile of work on my desk to stretch. I was hot, my hair was sticking up and I was tired and cranky. I looked out the window and sighed.  It was a beautiful summer day. The branches lifted ever so gently, the cloudless sky was clear and blue and the sun seemed to beckon me with its rays.

As I took in the moment and simply breathed in, two little girls came into view. Both wearing brightly colored shorts and tops chatting happily. They part ambled, part skipped as they made their way closer to my window.  I watched them with a smile remembering the summers of my youth.

The little girls sat down across from my window where there’s just a bit of curb at the end of a grassy hill that leads to a pond. They sat facing each other in intense conversation (which at age 10 could be about anything from Hannah Montana to world peace). I cocked my head as I watched the ease they exhibited. One of the little girls held up her cell phone and snapped a photo as they continued to chat away (now that’s one thing I didn’t own as a kid!).

Children buy, sell and negotiate every day of their life. They do it naturally, without sophisticated strategies and tools. They sell their ideas to other kids (which is how you find yourself playing boogey man instead of dress up); they negotiate with teachers and parents.  Children do it without questioning the ROI or metrics, it is as natural to them as having a conversation.

Those two little girls reminded me of our “new era” in marketing. We talk about engagement, transparency and conversational marketing but are we really doing it? Have we simply took our fancy corporate branding and toned it down with everyday language or are we really talking to people?

While I am very much in business to make money, I want to do business with other human beings. I want my marketing to talk to and not at people.

If you really want to reach people, then talk to them. Lose the industry jargon and corporate speak and talk to them as though it were just you and them sitting on a stoop on a hot summer day.  If you want your messaging to convey authenticity then be real.  What would you say one on one in a non-sales situation when asked about your business? Compare that message to what’s on your website and in your printed collateral – how does it match up?

We have fallen into this trap that people will only take you seriously if you use the “right” language.  So, we start there and we strip our messages of all humanity and warmth.  People are smarter than that, give them a little credit. Talk to them, really talk to them and you may be surprised at how they respond.

Do you find that you describe your business or even job differently in social settings? Are you more natural in social settings? What makes you not use that approach all the time?

Hot Sweet Cup of Possibility

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Crowned Lily
Image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton via Flickr

Written by Karen D. Swim

Possibilities, shades of maybe, bouncing prisms of what if. Nerve endings tingling as you wonder,  could this be the one? Blank page breathlessly waiting for ideas to caress. Fragments gently spill to fill the space, heart beats faster, mind and fingers rhythmically strumming the chords, pieces moving, transforming blank to creation.

Alas, work is done, satiated, deep breaths, luxurious stretch, languishing in the moment. Next step, are we ready?

Query, viewing, sharing. Anticipation, hope, not breathing, waiting for yes, eyes closed, kaleidoscope of maybes, cautious optimism interrupted by blissful expectation.

Accepted, chosen, hope realized, heart leaps, elation, fruits of labor, then back again to the blank canvas. Pens up, fingers attentive, ready? New day, fueled by what can be.

It’s Friday people, time to play.

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March of the Illiterati in E Flat

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Written by Karen D.  Swim

Two weeks ago, my Grandmother retired her old school TV Antenna for a digital converter box. If the FCC had not mandated that the US switch to digital on June 12th, my Gran would have kept using the rabbit ears.

In the world of early adopters one might say my Gran is a no bloomer. Yet, her diehard dedication to “rabbit ears” is not unlike those who hopelessly cling to the notion that social media is worthless and digital media is solely for the illiterati.

In a recent conversation with an erudite writer, I listened to what has become a familiar litany:

People who publish on the internet are not real writers. I am a noted journalist/writer/editor and accustomed to spending 6 weeks, writing 15 drafts before publishing.

My crowd is very literate and will not possibly be on Twitter. ( I pull up Twitter screen) Oh, look there’s Bill /Jane/ Buffy, they’re on Twiter?

I do not have time to waste engaging in urbane conversations with plebian strangers.

Internet publishing is for hacks.

Overlooking the fact that I had just been called a moronic hack who spends time on inane platforms talking to a motely bunch of idiots, I patiently explained this new world that has “killed newspapers” and made superstars out of the unknown.  I politely declined to point out that a truly impressive insult would have described “my people” as having brains as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage.

Alas, we no longer use insults such as: “Away!, Thou art poison to my blood.” Yet, in spite of the evolution of the English language we have managed to make amazing discoveries, and advances.  Who’da thunk it? (See what fun online writing can be?)

Those who view online writing as a dumbing down of provocative thoughts and ideas are missing the point entirely. It is an expansion of creative thought, discussion and collective collaboration. While other forms of publishing aim to “talk at” digital publishers “talk to.” It’s the sharing and exchange of ideas and information in real time.

Literature, and great writing are not dying, we are simply evolving in the way we communicate. Many will hold on until the bitter end, until change has steamrolled over them leaving no other choice but the truly erudite will not only embrace the change but lead the way.

What do you think? Are we diminishig the art of writing with online publishing?

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Down the Rabbit Hole and into the Archives

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Written by Karen D. Swim

Yesterday, I went digging through my writing file. Not the nicely polished, edited pieces file, nope. The file. The electronic brain dump with snippets of poorly written dialogue and half baked story ideas.  Some were so awful that I blushed with embarrassment as I quickly closed the file. Others were like freshly turned planting soil, ready for seeds to take root with just the right amount of careful nurturing. A few were so good that I had to check to make sure I hadn’t swiped it from someone else.

I was tempted to share the “so bad, it’s funny” bits here but decided to spare you.  Tripping the light fantastic through my own archives however was less painful than I imagined.  It allowed me to step back in time and visit with my history. Buried in the fiction were nuggets of truth pulled from my life – Death of a Fairytale, Confessions of a Schitzophrenic Serial Optimist  (sigh, my title struggle remains consistent) – all revealed a little bit of me layered with big fat swaths of imagination.

I love writing.  A peek into my files validated what I have always known. The end result is not always lovely but the process is delicious. Even the really awful writing is fun to write and allows me to shake off the dross to get to the gold.  I don’t spend much time looking back but on occasion it is good therapy. The look back can remind you why you keep moving forward, especially when new challenges are on the horizon. My dive into the archives was like flipping through my running journal. As I logged the miles I only thought of one step at a time, one run at a time. Somehow they added up over time. 

I did not delete the bad or mediocre writing pieces. All had contributed to the total miles I have run thus far. The good, the bad and the truly awful after all have gotten me right here today. 

If you’re in the mood for some great writing on this hump day, I highly recommend:

Ladders on the Right Wall – a straight from the heart, thought provoking piece by Janice Cartier. The post and comments are brilliant and provide such great insight into moving forward towards the “scary ” thing. 

Turning Point – Brett Legree is back with a two hanky post that will tug your heart and stir your soul. While the post itself is filled with raw emotion, it also delves into our corporate work culture and why it is imploding around us.

And don’t miss Kelly’s book review and cool giveaway, plus a chance to give a shout out to a deserving business. 

What’s in your archives? Any surprises?