How Courageous Are You?

 

Courage. What a marvelous word that is! We could accomplish soooooo many things ... if only we had the courage. As writers, we need courage. We need the courage to imagine a project, the courage to begin it, and the courage to follow it through. We need the courage to create our own boundaries ... and the courage to blast through self-imposed boundaries and create brave new worlds. We need to have the courage to not allow others to define who we are as individuals, or what our work stands for,

Without courage, our projects will all look like the work that has come before them. Without courage, the blank canvas that we begin with becomes nothing more than words in a sea of gray ... words without real meaning, words that tell a stilted story ... if they tell a story at all.

Where do you find your courage? What path (or paths) are you following? Who or what are you using as a role model/mentor/path finder? Do you  need a retreat to find the real you? Is your courage found only when you are surrounded by like minded people? Does your courage step back when you enter the "real world"?

Where do you want your work to go? What do you want it to say? 

How courageous are you?

(c) January 2013 Bonnie Cehovet  

Writer's Wrtie

 

What do writer's do? They write, of course! The deal is ... few of us are working on just one project at a time. Speaking for myself ... that would be pretty boring! So what am I working on right now? I am a reviewer of books, decks, and oracles ... at this point in time I am about to review a Tarot book, I have two Tarot decks waiting to be danced with, and two Tarot based fiction books that want to have a conversation.

I am co-authoring a book on Joy with my friend Brad Tesh. Many of you may know Brad from Facebook ... he is a very positive,  upbeat individual that sees the good in everything and everyone. Neither of us has co-authored a book before, but what we are finding is that we can make up the rules as we go along. It is our book, and we can do what we want to do. There really don't even have to be any rules, as long as we agree on what we are presenting, and how we are presenting it. This book is a true Joy to write, and is intended to be the first of who know how many books that we write together!

A small project is the article that I am writing for Attune magazine on the Moon/Hermit birth card pair. I have found that the Birth Cards really do enjoy discussing life! I get to be the middleman, somehow. ;-)

Another small project is helping Pamela Steele write the text for her children's Tarot book. This is such a joy to be involved with! Moving my mindset from adults to children is quite interesting!

I am also writing a second e-book (My first one was on "Surviving the Holidays" ... this one is "The Art of Making Choices".)

Writer's will write about just about anything, given a chance! I recently joined the Inspired Living Application program (http://ilivingapp.com/bonniecehovet), and have been writing a series of welcoming and explanatory letters that will be sent to team members signing up under me, to help them get started in the program. My previous mindset from the world of working in clinical laboratories kicking in!

If you are a writer, accept any and all opportunities to write that come to you. Okay ... a given project may not be for you, but you will keep your mind active and fresh if you choose to write about different things. Life is BIG ... be willing to experience it!

(c) January 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Videos Rule!

I don’t have a Smart phone, so apps are not part of my world. So why did an app for videos draw my attention? I stopped to listen because it was presented to me by someone that I respect and trust, and because the app site is clean and straightforward. And because the apps are all about personal development. 

What, pray tell, is this wonderful app? And why am I talking about it on my author’s blog?

This wonderful app is the Inspired Living Application, known as iLA. I am talking about it on my author’s blog because the videos that are sent out on a weekly basis (or will be sending out … it is in prelaunch, with a launch date of February 1^st) are of the personal development nature. You will be learning about things like personal development, time management, and wealth building.

The videos are high quality, and professionally produced, presented by top professionals in the field. They are delivered to your mobile device on a weekly basis, and are archived on the site. Topics include goal setting, time management, personal development, business development, leadership development, financial management, personal motivation, and more.  

The app was developed by John Marr, Vice President of iLA, and developer of over 20 five star apps.

There are three defined levels of enrollment:

Free: Delivery of the weekly video content.

Retail Customer: Delivery of the weekly video content, with access to archived videos.

Associate: Delivery of the weekly video content, access to archived videos, a personal website, and the ability to earn from the matrix program.

As writers, we need to see ourselves as business people. We need to stay motivated, and we know how to build a future for ourselves. Motivational videos have a place here … they are a tool that we can use to define and meet our goals, and create the life that we really want.

If you want to check the iLA program out, here is the line to my site (yes, I am an associate): http://ilivingapp.com/bonniecehovet.

Wishing you all much success!

© January 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Networking For Writers

 

In my previous post, I talked about ongoing projects, and a bit about the process of writing as it plays itself out in my life. Today I am going to take a look at how I plan to network as a writer/author. Through working as a professional Tarot reader, writer, and reviewer, I found  that it was important to make connections that were consistent, and when possible, in person. 

To that end, I created a presence on social media sites as they presented themselves - first Facebook, then Twitter, the Google +.  Somewhere along the line I created a Linked In profile, although it took years before I (or anyone else in the Tarot community, actually) began to really work in creating a presence there. With each of these sites I have tried to learn the process, to dig into what the site has to offer, and to consistently post on both a personal and a professional basis. I try to engage in group pages and communities that peak my interest, and that I feel I have something to offer to. 

I have found that if something doesn't work for me, then to quietly leave the group, or discontinue the practice (such as the #FF on Twitter) works well. My time is well spent, and I am getting energy back from my efforts. I have connected with some totally awesome people along the way ... people that I would not have otherwise met.

I have also made good use of my RSS feed - following blogs that I really don't have the time to be checking on daily ... or even weekly. They pop up on my feed as a new post goes out, and I can read it or not, depending on my interest level and the amount of time I have available. This keeps me connected with the work that other people are doing, and the ideas that they are developing. I try to leave feedback when appropriate. Me being me ... I try to make that positive feedback.

I am following this same process with my presence as a writer/author. I have created a presence on social media sites, added to my RSS feed, and edited my profiles accordingly (especially on Linked In). Something that I did not mention above was joining organizations appropriate to my interests. I belong to two Tarot organizations, because I feel that they represent the field well, and that they work hard at maintaining their integrity. I plan to do the same thing within the field of writing. My search involves two major criteria: organizations focused on women writers, and organizations focused on the mystery genre.

Another aspect of networking for me is attending seminars/conferences. I have done this in the field of Tarot, and am looking for conferences that I might be interested in in the field of writing. It provides a bit of "down time", a bit of travel (unless the seminar/conference is in the city that you live in), a way of expanding my knowledge, and a way to meet other writers/authors in person.

It's all a process ... and the process is intriguing! 

(c) January 2013 Bonnie Cehovet 

2013 - Off To A Good Start!

I feel very good going into the new year! The past  year saw my second print book, “Tarot, Rituals, and You” http://tinyurl.com/aywlljb , go into publication (it is due out from Schiffer Publishing in June of 2013), and a self-help book, “Surviving the Holidays” http://tinyurl.com/bfsyfxd, released through the Amazon Kindle program. I have an outline ready for a second Kindle book that should be up by the end of March, at the latest. I set the groundwork, along with a friend, to co-author a book on empowerment, and am working with another friend on a companion book to a Tarot project that she is working on. Then there is the mystery book that I have the backbone ready to build on. It is going to be exciting, and very, very busy!

What was left over from 2012 was not necessarily something that needed to be brought to closure, it was more building on what was there. Setting up informational pages for my books, and deciding how and where I am going to promote them. I have a new voice recognition system (Dragon) that I am working with (it is still in the “getting to know” stages), which should streamline my writing.

Over the past few years I have learned a lot about the writing process. The biggest misconception – that it is a linear process. I find myself working on one or more projects, while outlining another one. I have to pay attention to making professional contacts wherever possible, and make a consistent effort on the social media sites. Probably the most surprising thing to me was the fact that I need to plan for promotion before a project is done – to know how, when, and where I want to promote my work. I love what I am doing – which is fortunate, because it is a lot of work!

I do have one link that I would like to share with you - http://writetodone.com/2013/01/02/writing-brand/. This is a wonderful article on ways to develop and protect your writing brand. (You did realize that you needed to first find your voice, and then brand your writing, yes?) You need to be able to envision your brand (form a clear picture of it in your mind), format how you are going to market it, know what is important to you, and deal with the details one at a time. BTW – There is a freebie right at the top of the page – an e-book entitled “The (nearly) Ultimate Guide To Better Writing”!

What does 2013 hold for you?

© January 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Surviving the Holidays

It has been a relatively short journey for me to get "Surviving t he Holidays - Taking Charge of Your Life" out there. For those that have been following this blog, you will know that my initial choice was to publish on Smashwords. I wanted to have my book out there, in multiple formats, with maximum availability. I still feel that Smashwords is a viable option, that they are well set up, and not that difficult a maze to make it through. My problem was that I am not good at formatting. Note: Mark Coker's instructions are excellent ... it was me that could not implement them. That, and I never was ab le to get a copy of "Mark's List", the list of Smashwords author's that will format for a reasonable fee. I did have a friend offer to format for me, but I had to look at the fact that she is incredibly busy with her own work, and I want this book to be the beginning of a series.

So ... I made the decision to take my work off of Smashwords, and put it up on Kindle, through their KDP program (a program that I swore never to use!). Largely because I already had a well formatted file, I was able to get my work up within twelve hours. Now I can make use of the KDP info that my sister headed me over to, and start promoting! For me,  this is a wonderful way to end the old year, and start out the new year. Hopefully in early January I will have my next book up - one on body/mind/spirit balance, and following one's life path with authority.

I do have two blogs that I would like to share this week - Spunk One A Stick's "People Skills For Writer's" (a heads up on her next book), and Monica Crowe's "Four Marketing Tips For The New Year".

Find out more about "Surviving the Holidays - Taking Charge of Your Life". If you like what you see, please "like" my book!

(c) December 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

A Writer's Life

 

Writing is certainly an interesting occupation! My first two books were compilations - one was for my Tarot deck and book reviews, another was for my Tarot interviews. Then I did an e-book on women in Tarot. These were all independent endeavors, through Lulu and Create Space. Then I approached Schiffer Publishing with an idea for a book ... and it was accepted! That was an amazing process ... one that I would have never made it through without the extreme patience of my editor, Dinah Roseberry! Then I decided to present a second idea to Schiffer Publishing, and that was accepted! I was totally elated both times ... I never expected either book to get off the ground with a brick and mortar publisher. Having gone through the process once,  this second time is a lot easier.

This am I got an e-mail from the marketing department at Schiffer, detailing the marketing process (my next book will be out in spring/summer of 2013). I am still in awe of the fact that  this is my work out there! This e-mail really made my day!

Then there is the ongoing process with my e-book on Smashwords. Still having formatting issues, although now we are down to the files that are related tot he table of contents. Also, I have still not been able to get hold of "Mark's List" - the Smashword's author's that offer formatting for a fee. Giving up on this one! I will be giving this one more go this coming Saturday ... if that fails, I have a friend who has offered to format for me, for a fee. I am amazed at the offer, as she is very busy both creating and promoting her own work. One way or another, my book is getting out on Smashwords! LOL Very determined Cappie here. It is a holiday based e-book (on surviving the holidays), so it is really too late for this year, but it is part of a series, so I will find some way to get a few sales.

I still have a mystery WIP, which seems to be taking a back seat right now. It will find its proper time! Then a friend and I are in the visioning stage of getting a self-empowerment book out there. We don't know how it will be published yet, but we are excited about it! And no, I am not going to talk about the focus just yet! 

Sometime in January or early February I should have an e-book up on Kindle. Maybe even through the KDP program, although I am not too sure about that yet! This one is also a self-help book - a kick starter for the new year!

I ran across an article this am that I would like to share. It presents a three step process for doing keyword research (a huge part of getting our work to the attention of targeted readers). You can read it here - A 3-Step Process For Painless Keyword Research. 

Off to do one of my favorite things - write my music blog for the week!

(c) December 2012 Bonnie Cehovet