inspirational

Answer These 10 Questions

Posted on by Brenda Poulos
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Please give your opinion on current books vying for your consumer dollar.

Do you look for books which have:

1- A story spanning a number  of years -or- a story that is more of a “snapshot” of an incident or brief period of time?

2- A mystery, suspense, emotion-packed, roller-coaster of a book -or a lazy, slow-moving, descriptive, “feel good” experience?

3- A book that has a moral or truth to be discovered and applied to the reader’s life?

4- A historical book, whether fiction or non-fiction?

5- A shocking read, the product of a writer’s imagination that will “blow your mind”? A funny, light-hearted read?

6- Non-fiction or fiction?

7- Having a satisfying ending -or- a conclusion that is left “up in the air”– to the interpretation of the reader?

8. Is about 250 pages -or- more than 250 pages?

9. Even though the story might be fiction, it contains real information about a topic you might be interested in. For example, you may want to read ROMANCE, but are intrigued to learn about the life of Olympic skaters (who are the main characters in the love story), the way they train, the role of coaches, the process of being “discovered”, and so on.

10. Inspirational, changing your thinking or the direction of your life . . . having emotional impact?

**Thank you for taking the time to respond. Your answers will help guide writers in their quest to give you the best possible choices in contemporary literature!

Simple Changes To Give You That Spark

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I write in my home office. But there are many places to write that are relaxing, inspirational, and energizing. Sometimes a simple change of scenery might be just what a writer needs to kick-start their writing day.

There are endless possibilities: on a lounge chair in the backyard under a leafy tree; in the comfy reading chair in the bedroom; at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee; floating on a raft in the swimming pool; on a park bench; in a gazebo; by a fish pond; in a coffee house; on a porch swing; in a flower garden; near a waterfall; in the corner of a bookstore.

Do you love to travel? Compile a writing bucket list: sitting near Niagara Falls; overlooking the ocean; in a warm cabin with snow falling outside; on a deserted island; on a sailboat; in the rainforest; at the top of Mount Everest; at the base of the Statue of Liberty; in an art museum; on an airplane; in a hot air balloon; on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Macinaw Island.

You can also change when to write: at sunset; at dawn; during a blizzard; in the middle of the night; after a good meal; on a spring morning.

When’s the best time for you to write, emotionally? Choose an intensely emotional time: when extremely happy; sad; feeling ‘blue’; lonely; angry; frustrated…. 

Changes in the where and when can be used to give authors that spark—that edge.