“Stand at the top of a cliff and jump off and build your wings on the way down.” ~
“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” ~
Don’t Follow the Herd
The herd mentality is alive and well in the writing business. You look at what’s selling on Amazon and decide that you should follow that herd because if other writers are making a killing in sci-fi, why shouldn’t you?
Or you hear of someone in a Facebook group who is making a bundle writing romance, so you figure, why shouldn’t you, even though you’ve never even read a romance, much less written one.
Just remember this when you decide to follow the herd; sometimes the herd turns and tramples you into the ground.
Rather than following the herd, look for ways to start your own herd. You do that by focusing on becoming a better writer, not a better follower.
The flavonoids and nitrates in apples may help protect against cardiovascular disease15 by lowering blood pressure, as well as improving endothelial function to regulate blood flow.16 . . . Research also indicates a connection between eating apples and the reduced risk of certain cancers, specifically colorectal cancer. . . . Polyphenols found in apples may have benefits as well.
To get the most out of your apples, make sure you eat the peel. Research shows that this part of the fruit contains the highest amount of antioxidants compared to other parts.22 Just make sure that you’re consuming organic apples to avoid pesticide contamination.
Autumn
Rainer Maria Rilke
The leaves fall, fall as from far,
Like distant gardens withered in the heavens;
They fall with slow and lingering descent.
And in the nights the heavy Earth, too, falls
From out the stars into the Solitude.
Thus all doth fall. This hand of mine must fall
And lo! the other one:—it is the law.
But there is One who holds this falling
Infinitely softly in His hands.
I’m good friends with 25 letters of the alphabet.
I don’t know Y.
To His Love
William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm’d:And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d.But thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owest;Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou growest:—So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Write Every Day
This should go without saying, but here goes. To become a better writer, you must write every day. Writing is like every other skill that can be improved through repetition and practice. Or a muscle that must be exercised to grow big and strong.
It’s the old “How do you get to Carnegie Hall” routine. Practice, practice, practice.
Or the “10,000-hour rule”, which states that to master any skill, you must practice for 10,000 hours or more. If you want to become a better writer, write more words more often. End of story.
“Some of the happiest people in the world live in Mexico, and they are much happier than their income would suggest. Mexicans have a higher self-reported happiness level than most other people around the globe. It is also home to one of the blue zones happiness hotspots in the world.”
The reasons for the high happiness levels in Mexico include the following:
Adequate sun exposure
A personal sense of freedom
A culture that nurtures laughter
Having just enough money
Having faith
Socializing with family and friends
Putting family first
The pursuit of contentment
A horse walks into a bar…
The bartender says, “Hey.”
The horse replies, “Sure.”
