Leaving Your Words Behind

The Importance of Creating a Legacy

 In our communities we have many watering holes, anywhere where people are congregating and conversing. The barber and beauty shops, nail salons, coffee houses, smoke shops, restaurants and bars. Places where the discussion is lively. Politics, religion, sports, family, are fair game for watering hole conversations.

We debate, dream, create, discuss, argue and lament about the world we live in today. We talk loud, laugh, interrupt each other, agree, and disagree as we talk about who did what, how they did it and what they need to do. Places that yields networking opportunities, business ventures and partnerships. Some of the best sales I made were from the many street vendors that dash in and out of these establishments, selling everything from a sandwich to a suitcase.

While moving in this “village” environment   I began to see that something else was going on, sometimes the conversation shifts. It gets a little uneasy, uncomfortable, silent, and people begin to disconnect, pulling out cell phones, leaving the premises, turning back to the task at hand, until someone changes the subject. Then the conversation picks up again, as we move on to the next subject at hand.

What happens in the uncomfortable and silent time of the conversation? As I ponder the question, I began to think about the times long ago when I sat in the beauty/barber shop with my mother, listening to the banter.  I heard comments like “when is somebody going to invent a …?”Or “all you need to do is…” I heard grand ideas of inventions and solutions that made perfect sense. I’d find myself nodding in agreement, thinking I hope somebody does that because one day I’d like to buy one.

I believe that it’s our own inadequacies that we feel in the uncomfortable times, our inability to place importance on that voice that tells us to create something for the future. It’s time to get busy; we must leave something tangible for our future generations to build on because our legacies are foundational. Often our creativity or business is so simple that we don’t put ancestral value on it. So I ask the question” if we don’t who will?”  Must we wait for the right time or situation to begin creating?  Must we wait on someone to do it for us??  Or will it die with us? Why are we brushing aside the inner voice trying to guide us? I shudder to think of our answers.

I can no longer ignore it, nor do I want to, it’s time to take responsibility of our God given gifts. A definition of legacy states-something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past. We must leave our words behind. Not only for future generations, but for present day situations, someone needs to hear our words now.  

For the past several years California State Senator Curren Price has seen the value of literacy and creating a legacy by sponsoring the Annual Curren Price Writers Contest along with the Genesis Writers and Reflections Publishing House. He is dedicated to doing all he can to give the writer the opportunity to begin the process of creating a legacy that he provides cash prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners along with a commendation from the State of California, that any participant would be honored to receive at the 6^th Annual Make it Happen Writers Seminar sponsored by Reflections Publishing in February 2013.

For story and submission guidelines: email dabellis@reflectionspublishings.net or call Deborah Bellis at 310/695-9800

Establishing goals for the next step workshop

You were never created to be employed. you were created to BE deployED

 When a tree bears fruit, it never brings the fruit to you; it attracts you to the fruit. Whatever you are born with… is never for you, it is for your serving/contribution to the world. This is the time of opportunity. Train your gift/calling by taking the next step in the writer’s journey.

 WHAT IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT MOTIVATION FOR YOUR BOOK?

Communicating values? Making money? Getting a Book Deal? Leaving a legacy? Educating community on history? Entertain? Tell a Story?  It is essential that you operate and establish your passion on the subject, content, by the time you reach the publishing stage.

Building a Platform – Promoting - Why you need a book proposal if you are self-publishing..

What is a Writer’s Platform and How Does it Help?

·         Your writing platform is a tool you use to promote yourself and sell your writing. To build a strong writing platform, you need to be an entrepreneur and marketing guru with established followers. It’s a tall order – but take heart! In our modern technological age, it’s possible and not too difficult to do.

·         Your writing platform proves your ability as a writer to promote and sell your book on a national or international level, which drives book sales. It provides a measure of security to the publisher and acts as a vehicle to promote your book and you, the writer.

·         Some writing and publishing experts’ say not having a writing platform is an automatic death sentence to an article query or book proposal. If you don’t have a writing platform, you won’t get traditionally published. Building your writing platform is not only necessary, it’s essential.

 IDENTIFYING SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM GOALS

What are your next step goals, in the journey of perseverance?

Can you identify the next step?
It is important to define your strategy – that’s what we accomplish in the Intermediate Writers Workshop
What writing goals have you accomplished so far?
How can you benefit from completing your writing project?

Purpose always attracts prosperity. You were not born to just make a living; you were born to deliver a purpose to your generation.  You need an incubator for your dreams

Living your life from the inside – The inner purpose is inside, whatever you were born to do is inside you.  In the right environment the seed in you can germinate. You never retire from what you were born to do. You must fertilize water and seed your purpose. Reflections Publishing House is providing the incubator for the development or next step of your project.

Define 3 goals that you will accomplish in the Intermediate Workshop.

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2.
3.

 Writers Society  Intermediate Workshop

July, 2012

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Join us at The Leimert Park Book Fair

Hello Fellow Writers

Here we go again, Reflections Publishing House is exhibiting at the Leimert Park Book Fair on June 30th in Leimert Park, for a day of workshops, entertainment, forums, and books books books.
Whether you are new to the writers journey, or taking a step in completing your journey of writing, stop by the booth for the exciting news that we have for you.
CALLING ALL AUTHORS
Reflections is once again opening up the booth for all published authors and individuals to sell your books, and materials for a nominal fee. Meet us on June 23rd, at our monthly Reflections Writers Society Meeting at 3pm, located at the Yvonne Burk Community Center, 4750 W. 62nd Street, to sign up for a slot, and get the 411 on what's going on at the fair.
CALLING ALL WRITERS
Reflections Writers Society is moving leaps and bounds, our members are receiving valuable information, feedback and resources as they move forward on the writers journey. So..for the who hasn't t been able to join us YET this is the one you don't want to miss!!  I'll leave it at that.
See you Saturday, and/or drop me a email and let me know where you are with your writing projects.

I want to personally thank all the writers who are part of the Reflections family, yes you are family and I have something for you on the Book Fair on the 30th, so if you have joined us along the way, you may have taken a workshop, talked to us personally, used us to publish your book, met us at a writers conference, if I've been your ghostwriter, writers coach or if you've attended one our seminars or society meeting... Thank you, thank you, for showing and teaching me how to believe in the power of purpose, and just how far passion has taken me.

I am so excited about the next step, however, mums the word right now, you have to see it, you have to feel it, so that's all for now. Feature program coming soon!!

Drop me a email or a post and I'll see you on the 23rd or the 30th

I am a Writer!!!

Today I'm at the Yvonne Burk Community Center, getting ready for the March meeting of the Reflections Writers Society monthly meeting. the subjects today is blogs and affirmations. At our first meeting Jose brought in a list of affirmations that I'd like to share with the group

I AM A WRITER

• My destiny is in my brillance
• I am inspired within my heart and spirit
• I always have time to write
• I am always writing and

Reasons to Write

Why Do You Write??? 

Are you writing to feel good, accomplished or creative?

  Are you writing for money and/or recognition? 

Many of us are writing up a storm. Writing nurtures us, we love our words, they feel good, they feel right, and they make us laugh and cry. Writing asks and answers questions, we ponder our words. Tossing them around much like a ship riding a storm, our words are worn, or fresh, crisp words jumping off the page, into our head and our soul. We paint a picture with our poetry, poems as fresh as the dewdrop glistening in the morning sun.

 We picture ourselves as the next bestselling author, sitting at a crowded table selling books.  We write poems for our friends and give them out as birthday gifts. Or we write for ourselves, filling journals, notebooks in the creative time of day when our minds are open and the words pour out, quickly, powerfully as we try to keep up with them, writing feverishly.

Now, I create myself as a serious writer. I add writer, publisher to my bio and I tell people that I am a writer, but something is not quite right. I write when I feel like it, I write when I have a deadline, and then I don't write at all. I have brilliant ideas of stories I want to write, short stories, life stories. I start, keeping a notebook by my bed, ready at all times for the creative impulse to overtake me.

Who am I accountable to? Where is the responsibility to my writing? How do I practice self-discipline?

These are important questions, and now is the time to answer them...

Welcome to Reflections Writers Society.

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Next Step

Next Step

I have a challenge for you. I'd like to know what you feel is the next step in your writers journey. So I challenge you to respond and answer these questions.

* What have I done in the last month to further my writing?
* What limitations do I have that has stopped me from writing?
* Have I set a time in my day to write?
* What do I feel that I need, that I am not receiving, to jump start my writing?
* Do I have writers block?
* Am I a procrastinator?
*What are my fears about my written words?

I'd like you to answer these questions, and I will post the answers. My goal is to have an interactive dialogue with you. I am so passionate about the transformational power of the pen that I want to do all I can to help you make your dream come true. Look forward to interesting tidbits of writing.

Please sign up as a follower!!

Have you given your writing the raise it deserves?

On my blog a few days ago..Interesting Facts For the Book Industry I researched and found valuable information in the journey of writing. I invite you to read it.

I recently talked to a marketing exec, who has written and published a few books. I made a startling discovery, and that is that all authors that have backgrounds in sales are the most successful in their book venture. Why? Because they know how to sell. So as a creative person, all I want to is write and teach the creative writing process. I don't like sales. I fell like it's hard, full of possible rejections and can't somebody else do all the messy labor intensive work?  Well..yes they can, but I must sell myself before I can reach the stage to afford someone else to do what I don't like to do. So, now I grudgingly accept the fact that to be successful in my field as a writer, ghostwriter and publisher I have to also sell my products and services.  I am happy to say that I am working on bringing on a marketing expert into Reflections family. More information is coming about this. There are always so many reasonable obstacles to writing and all of them sound just great, I heard on the radio yesterday about getting out of your own way.  So right now forget about the marketing, and let me get the point of this post.

How to give your writing the raise it deserves.

Write.. write every day, period. There are so many things that you can write to combat writer's block. For example, if you find yourself stuck about the next thing to write, then write something else. While ghostwriting a book, I often hit a wall, I won't call it writers block, I was ready to stop and sometimes I did, telling myself...this is too hard, I didn't know it was going to be all this work. Yep, I was absolutely right, it is hard, it is work, but I can't tell you how good I feel when I have a good writing session. I feel like I'm accomplishing something, I feel positive, creative and happy, and I want more of that feeling so I press on, writing in the midnight hour. Oh you have to know the time of day when your creativity peaks, mine is nighttime after the phone stops ringing, etc. I think its something about being tired, that all the inhibitions fall away and it's just me and the writing.

I am sorry to say that the voice that tells me that I have a million things to do that are more important than writing NEVER GOES AWAY!  Just like in the movie The Beautiful Mind, he learned how to live with the people, he just ignored them...that's pretty much the same thing a writer has to do, Ignore the voices. Remember there are forces that we all have to deal with, like work, food, family, bills and the list goes on. However those elements are part of life that NEVER GO AWAY. So now what???  I guess I'm saying I have begun to see how important it is to give my writing the raise it deserves without giving in to my fears.

So that's why it's so important to be around a community of writers. Writing is such a private and personal experience, that nobody will know when I'm procrastinating, playing or having problems writing. Another writer would know, someone who tells me that they too spend hours playing Bejeweled,
Someone to vent with, someone to bounce strategies and thoughts too, you are right, I can do all that with family members, they often have really good feedback and ideas that I have incorporated into my writing, Family and friends have answered questions, helped me through writer's block, the whole nine yards. I just feel different when I'm around writers and authors. Kindred souls, birthing the stories that are within us all. We need each other.

I love the nurturing power of the words, the creative process, no different than building a house, designing a dress, creating is creating. I love to read the words and feel them. I love to feel the peace that I get from writing.

Now, I'm about to go deep, this conversation is for those of us who know we have a god given gift of writing. So let's talk about that!!!  God blessed me with the ability to write words that inspire, teach, discover and help. So what am I doing with this god given gift? I write, I write as though  my life depends on it. I write and move on in the publishing field because I believe God knows the breakthroughs that we achieve from writing. Recently I got in touch with the understanding that writing is all about kingdom building.  So many of us are suffering from a inability to break through in our writing, and to trust someone in a field that is full of sharks and predators of all kinds. Oh but for the grace of god, he directs us to the right source, and the door opens and everything is as it is supposed to be.  So now i understand that writing is not for me it's for the world, it's for the kingdom, because God works through people.

Please join me as a follower, let's get the ball rolling and send your comments, suggestions and let me know how you are breaking through