Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

G is for … G Words

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GG words are giving me fits tonight. I can’t think of one G word I want to write about. I know there are great G words in the dictionary–generosity, genuine, goals and gumption–but none of them make me want to write 300 words. So let me play around …

Goals is a nice word. I’m sure we all have them. I hope we all have the gumption to finish our goals, and that we discover our genuine writer’s voice while we’re doing it. In case you didn’t know, the more we write, the stronger our writing voice becomes.

Generosity is a beautiful word. I pray we’re always filled with generosity toward others—even if they aren’t generous with us. And that will happen when we least expect it:

  • At a conference we might run into a favorite author who turns out to be full of herself. What a disappointment!
  • We may get a contest entry back with a hateful comment. That happened to me with my first published book.
  • At our very own Saturday writer’s meeting, we might be insulted by one of the officers or snubbed by a non-giving writer we’ve critiqued several times.

Put those kind of things out of your mind immediately because they won’t do YOU any good to hang on to them. We have to stay focused on our own goals and dreams and not let anything or anyone knock us off track.

Here’s something that will do you some good.

For years I’ve followed The Seekers, a blog where all the contributors are extremely generous with their knowledge. Familiar with them?

Do yourself a favor, sign up to follow The Seekers. Reading their daily posts (and commenting) will give you opportunities to win prizes, but more importantly, you’ll hang out with published authors who will share and instruct and encourage you on a daily basis. These writers are the real deal—genuine and generous and gushing with wisdom when it comes to writing and publishing.

Their archives will give you an excellent A to Z education, but two recent posts are among my favorites.

Dreaded Revisions by Tina Radcliffe shows how Tina breaks down the revision process, and All About Fiction Proposals by Jill Kemerer will make certain you have all the necessary ingredients in your own proposal.

I may as well add another favorite and fun post–another G word–Gifts. Take a look. Bet you didn’t know there are so many wonderful things out there for writers. 🙂

I hope you’ll share the name/link of a generous blog you follow. Thanks!

N is for Negative

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Note: The A to Z Challenge is really a challenge for me this year and I’m behind reading your posts and leaving comments. I have a lot on my plate but that’s no excuse. I’m sure you all do too. I hope to catch up in the next day or two. For readers not participating in the A to Z Challenge and don’t understand it, you can learn more here and explore everything from A to Z. There are 1,758 bloggers participating in the A to Z Challenge. You may want to try it next year.

Today, I’m taking a look at being negative.
My dad was a quiet, shy, pessimistic/negative person. Look at his picture at the right–you can tell by the way he’s sitting that he’s shy and uncomfortable being the center of attention.
I’ve been accused of being more negative than positive. I used to be more shy than I am now, and of course, since I love blogging, I must thrive on attention. Right?
As for the negative trait? I’m not sure I totally agree but we often see ourselves the way we want to be—not the way we really are.
I admit I’m guilty of looking at what could happen if I did such ‘n such. I not only look at today but I look at tomorrow, the next day and a week from now. Unfortunately that affects my actions when I want to send my work to publishers or agents. I over-analyze and try to visualize the outcome: If I submit ABC story to 123 Magazine, I might be making a mistake. Would 456 Magazine be better? We’re supposed to choose the best publisher, but I usually stall and send to no one. Is second-guessing akin to being negative? Yeah, somewhat.  Especially when we let imagined consequences keep us from doing anything.

Negative means: bad: unhappy, discouraging, angry, or otherwise detracting from a happy situation; pessimistic: or tending to have a pessimistic outlook.

 Mmmm, is that really me? I’ve been told I’m a great encourager to others. I sure hope I’m not a drain on anyone’s goals and dreams.

Honestly, I don’t think I’m negative, but if I am … I got it from my dad. And he inherited from his mom who … well, that’s as far as my personal experience goes when it comes to pinpointing.

I’m posting a few quotes from Brainy Quote about negativity. They really speak to me. I’m terrible about letting others influence me. If you read my work or hear my pitch and raise an eyebrow in my direction, you’re watering my doubt and insecurity. It grows. Are you the same? I hope not. It’s a miserable way to be.
GREAT QUOTES:

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.~Michael Jordan

Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power. ~Shirley MacLaine

Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results. ~Willie Nelson

 Which one speaks to you? Do you battle negativity? How? Looking back at family members, do you think your negativity was inherited or something you learned from a parent? Talk to me… and don’t be negative!