Just a quick post today, to remind all of you writers – whether fiction is your game, or non-fiction, that Google Alerts are really wonderful! They allow you to monitor the Internet for interesting new content on absolutely any topic. Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts, to set up your alerts. You can have them delivered to your email inbox in “real-time” or as I do – a daily digest of material. You can even set it for weekly delivery.

The days of thumbing card catalogs in local libraries are long over. Ah, I’m showing my age, aren’t I? This “blast from the past is from Cornell University article, dating from 2007, marking the retirement of their card catalogs. At least your back doesn’t get as tired when you use Google Alerts! Anyone have any other Internet-based research suggestions to share? 

Writer’s Digest published an online article just yesterday, 7 Ways to Perfect Your Tone. As a non-fiction writer, I’ve found that getting the tone right is essential – and am often compromised by my academic bend. Readers don’t necessarily want that scholarly approach, do they? Right now I’m working on a book for a client on How to Market Professional Services on LinkedIn, and you can bet your bottom dollar that the work I produce needs to have solid, practical information, delivered in a light, enjoyable tone.

So, what are the 7 ways to perfect your tone? Here they are:

AVOID A PREDICTABLE TREATMENT OF YOUR SUBJECT.

KEEP TONE CONSISTENT FROM START TO FINISH.

CUT RUTHLESSLY.

LET TENSION SUSTAIN TONE.

CONVEY TONE THROUGH DETAILS AND DESCRIPTIONS.

LEARN TO RECOGNIZE BUILT-IN PROBLEMS WITH TONE.

But, the most important one, in my opinion, is their #5: USE YOUR VOICE. You and I know that authentic voice is essential to a well-written blog, article, essay, novella, or book. It’s also important for that M.A. Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation. Never be afraid to be who you are, in person, or on paper.

To add some dimension to their 7 ways, be sure to read the article.

It’s been awhile since I posted, and I’ve got to say it’s because some time back I became a corporate writer. While I work at home, I’m still at the beck and call of my employers – limiting everything but my checkbook. The regular paychecks are great, it’s true, but I’m missing the freedom of the freelance life. To explore new writing horizons, expand my portfolio, and enjoy more free time and less 8 A.M. -5 P.M. (in my case, 5 A.M. -2:30 P.M, as the company I work with operates on Eastern Time, and I live in Pacific Time).

Don't start your year without one!

With that said, I’m not throwing in the corporate towel just yet. The economy being what it is at the moment, I don’t think that would be smart. But, I’m setting the stage for liberation though. Just ordered my very own copy of the 2012 Writer’s Market – the Deluxe Edition, and plan on reading it thoroughly.

Do you have your copy yet? You better. I shopped around, and the best price was (of course) on Amazon – and you can get free shipping, as the cost is over $25.00.

The 2012 Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition is the preeminent authority for writers to discover all of the valuable information necessary to improve their work, get published and get paid for their work. In this edition, more emphasis is placed on editorial matter than ever before, without a reduction in the number of listings.

This book has an increased focus on articles to help you make a living as a writer, including topics such as tackling content factories to negotiating contracts and from managing time and organization to make the most of the money writers earn). From the Amazon sales page:

The 2012 Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition also includes:

• Interactive Edition with checklists, worksheets, timetables and other elements to help writers stay motivated and focused on success;

• A premium online 1-year subscription to WritersMarket.com

• Access to an exclusive webinar devoted to helping writers craft highly skilled query letters and synopses that will facilitate their getting noticed by an editor or agent.

Take charge of your writing career with online tools that allow you to organize your favorite marketing listings and keep track of your submissions. All of these tools and more are available on the easy-to-use WritersMarket.com website, which you can access from anywhere with internet access!

So, join me…buy a copy…and let’s relish the dream, and set our plans…together!

I recently opened the manuscript for the book, Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead: Success Strategies for Women in Funeral Service, started last year – and realized I needed to revamp the whole thing.  However, I liked the Preface of the book, and thought it might be something you’d enjoy as weekend reading. It comes with a PDF worksheet for your own exploration of the women role models in your own life. What fun! So, here’s an essay on my role models – to act as a catalyst for you.

I’ve always been a curious person, prone to asking “Why?” more often than my parents could tolerate. That essential curiosity led me to the pursuit of what my father felt were too many college degrees (“Kim,” he said one day, “you’re over-educated and worthless.” Thanks, dad.) But it also led me to delve deeply into topics ranging from the history of the British monarchy, biology (and science in general), anatomy and physiology…art, astronomy, and archaeology. Along the way, I fell in love (or should I say in fascination) with some amazing women. And as I sat down to polish the manuscript for this book, I was forced to consider what these women had in common; I wanted to understand why I found them so engaging.

Just take a look at this list: Elizabeth I, Cleopatra; Marie Curie, Sara Bernhardt, and Isadora Duncan. Those are just a few of the women who walk the corridors of my mind.  There are others, to be sure; but these are the ones that stand out, and stand up to be recognized for the role models they are.

Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn. She was a strong, dynamic queen of England, when women were seen as being unfit to rule. Some say she was the first queen of that nation, but you’ve got to realize that she followed her older sister, Queen Mary – and the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey. But, Elizabeth did something neither of these women could do: she left her mark on England, and is still the focus of books, films, and television programs some 500 years later. Certainly neither Queen Mary, nor Lady Jane was of the same caliber of intellect.

Cleopatra – who doesn’t know about this amazing woman? What Cleopatra had was, again, intellect, and she was savvy enough to become the last pharaoh of Egypt. Both these women assumed the roles of men – although Elizabeth didn’t call herself “King,” she certainly ruled England with the same (often despotic) force as her father, Henry. She was a king in everything but title.
Cleopatra was said to be a beauty, but it was her intelligence that gave her power. As a young woman she studied philosophy, literature, art, music, medicine, and was able to speak six different languages: Aramaic, Egyptian, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. She could “hold her own” in any setting.

Marie Curie was another role model for me when I was growing up. Talk about brilliance! Born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867, the daughter of a secondary-school teacher, Marie received a general education in local schools and some scientific training from her father. She went to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne where she obtained degrees in Physics and the Mathematical Sciences. She met Pierre Curie, Professor in the School of Physics in 1894 and in the following year they were married. She succeeded her husband as Head of the Physics Laboratory at the Sorbonne, gained her Doctor of Science degree in 1903, and following the tragic death of Pierre Curie in 1906, she took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position. In assuming a role held previously only by men, Marie was like Elizabeth and Cleopatra.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911 was awarded to Marie Curie “in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element.”

How can Isadora Duncan, the famous dancer, and Sarah Berhardt, compare to these women? Easily!

Isadora Duncan was born in San Francisco in 1877, certainly a time when women didn’t pursue their dreams. She has inspired countless dancers since then; but more than that, she’s an inspiration to any of us who seek to live rich, rewarding, non-conformist lives. In a time when women didn’t think independently, Isadora’s dreams took her to Chicago, New York, and finally Europe, in search of artistic fulfillment. Money was scarce and they faced starvation, but Isadora would endure any hardship for her dance, which she characterized as life itself. Isadora was an emancipated woman, ahead of her time. Willing to take risks in pursuit of her goals. Sound familiar? I bet it does!

Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage actress, living about the same time as Isadora. To earn a living, she combined the career of an actress with that of a courtesan – at the time, the two were considered scandalous to a roughly equal degree. There again, we’ve got a woman living outside the boundaries of “normalcy.”
She made her fame on the stages of Europe in the 1870s, and quickly developed a reputation as a serious dramatic actress, earning the title, “The Divine Sarah”; arguably, she may have been the most famous actress of the 19th century.

Although primarily a stage actress, Sarah was also talented in the visual and literary arts. She was a painter, sculptor, as well as a published author. She lived life as she wanted, despite conventional thinking – in fact, in spite of it.
When I grow weary, or concerned that my goals are less-than-achievable, I think of these five women. I picture them standing beside me; together we’re projecting a force to be reckoned with.
But, how does this help you? There’s a coaching exercise that involves naming a person you admire, and noting down the characteristics that you feel make them remarkable. The concept behind the experience is this: when you name those characteristics as being ones worthy of accolade, they are really characteristics you own. “You name it, you own it.”

What all these women have, to varying degrees, are:
1. Strongly-developed intellects
2. Courage to be authentically themselves.
3. Willingness to defy conventional thinking.
4. Tenacity.
5. The inner resolve to be successful – however that word is defined for them.
If the coaching philosophy holds true, these are all characteristics I possess. It is that basic similarity which drew me to be curious about these women; to admire them, and to do my best to emulate them. So, what women – or men – do you admire? Take the time to write down their names on the worksheet, and then learn all you can about their lives. As you’re reading, note down their essential characteristics. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that you share the same traits! Knowing that will lead you to live a life where you are true to your own authentic qualities. While I focused on women, this may not be the case for you – and heaven knows there have been men of great value and worth, throughout history. Use your list to build your awareness in the following ways:

• Refer back to it when you need to restore your bearings.

• Use it when you go to the library. Reading biographies of those you find inspirational can enrich your personal and professional life. How? By taking the time to read a book, you find relaxation. In adding knowledge about the personalities and skills of people you admire, you add to your own success strategy “toolkit.”  It’s a win-win situation!

I just wanted to take a moment to share these with you. The Prioritized To-Do List, from MindTools is something we’ve used in our Writer Mastermind Group sessions. I love it. The second tool is a bit lengthier. Sent to me by a friend, Viktoria Vidali, of Images for Renewal and Greetings with Heart is a dear friend, who lives up at the top of the mountain in Bonny Doon, California. She sent me a copy of the free ebook available from The Pomodoro Technique, and I’m passing it on to you. It’s deceivingly simple, and very effective. Try it! Download your copy here. Be sure to visit the website for more support!

Well, that’s not altogether true. I’ve been writing for clients, but not for the blog…and I often feel guilty about that. Also, I’ve had my fair share of “sick days” in May: horrible head cold for two weeks, and then just this past Monday (Memorial Day) I had something obscene: chills, fever, misery personified. So, here I am again…hoping to reestablish a routine. My reason for writing today? To share an ebook with you. I discovered it through an email from Writer’s Digest, and think it well worth sharing. This digital download ebook, 279 Days to Overnight Success: An Unconventional Journey to Full-Time Writing is a good read for any writer, seasoned or novice.

I’d also like to suggest signing up for the email list just to your right – so you can get the free report, 10 Stress-Less Tips for Women Writers. The two are a match made in heaven…well, maybe not heaven. But somewhere celestial!

I had a discussion (rather heated, I might add) with a woman in my strength-training class. She markets audio books on eBay – books in the public domain, and business is (at times) brisk. She commented that thousands of writers don’t choose to copyright their work. That they opt to publish in the ‘public domain.’

I was almost speechless. I’d started to argue my point, and found that she was stonewalling all I said – and rather critical of my sentiment that I write as a livelihood, and copyright protects that stream of income from the words I write. I felt belittled, and somehow made unclean by my belief that “if I wrote the words, I own the words.”

How do you feel about it? Do you publish in the public domain, or do you copyright your work?

In her blog post today, my friend and ally Jan O’Daniel writes of having the courage to move forward.  She is building on a post from veteran blogger, Valerie Maltoni, who made the comment that “moving forward is the best way to look forward.”  Valerie expands on that notion in her blog post, “Looking and Moving Forward.”

Jan’s post is aptly titled, “The secret to moving your freelance business forward”. What I would add to what she has to say is to trust in the Universe to have your best interests at heart, and trust in your current skills as a writer. Know that your skills will grow only in relation to the act of writing. If you don’t write, you don’t learn more about writing. If you don’t move forward in life, you’re stuck. And who wants that?

In fact, when I left my marriage in 2003, I had no idea where I would end up almost a decade later. In fact the fear kept me in place for about three years – I had no confidence that all would work out in my favor. Scared? It went beyond that – somewhere into terror. But then, it became imperative: leave or die in misery. Unfulfilled. Resentful. Bitter. (In other words, like my mother, who died of acute alcoholism in 1988. No thank you.)

So I jumped. Just like Jan, who writes, “Five years ago, I jumped. Without a client list. Without a gig. Without a clue.”

Despite my fear of falling, I chose to jump off the precipice. And where I am is good – really good. Not perfect, but by moving forward – taking those writing gigs I’m not 100% confident of my skills to complete; continuing to take that fencing class (when I’m the oldest person in the class, and less than swift on my feet); every direction I turn in my life it seems I’m faced with challenges. But, I’m moving forward, with trust. In business, in life.

Don’t be scared. You’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain. What is it Maya Angelou wrote?

“Courage allows the successful woman to fail-
and learn powerful lessons-
from the failure-
so that in the end,
she didn’t fail at all.”

My remarkable son, Nathan. When I chose his name, I loved the meaning: “gift from God,” and that’s exactly what he was, and is, to me…

Throughout the past 21 years, he’s brought me joy, and a fair share of challenges. The joy is obvious. Who wouldn’t be joyful with the arrival of such a being as this?

So, why the challenges? Because he is such a reflection of who I was when I was younger – and if I look deep inside myself, he’s a clear reflection of who I am today: too sensitive, too quick to worry and fret; too “in my head.” He’s very much like me, yet very much his own man.

Nathan is a rebel. His beautiful long hair, his tie-dye shirts, peace symbols and even his resurrected 1974 Volkswagen bus all hearken to days long gone, and values I held so dear. Now, at 56 (almost 57) I’m (on the outside, at least) a different person – yet the rebel within still lives and often shouts to me for attention. Nathan is my living reminder to listen to that inner voice which asks that conformity be less important than authenticity.

My dear son. Authentic to the core. Flying high in the face of adversity and a paternal family which makes him feel less than he truly is. I see great things for him, as long as he holds true to himself. And, somehow, I know he’ll find a way to do so.

Thank you, Nathan, for being my son. Life wouldn’t be the same without you. And, as any woman worth her weight in gold (or salt, in the ancient times) knows, it’s the people in our lives who ask us to be all we can be, and on the good days, we rise to the calling. I love you buddy!

I’m celebrating the launch of a new publication by SelfGrowth.com, a leader in professional and personal development – a book that includes a chapter I wrote!

How cool is that?

I’m in great company: Laura DeCarlo, Brian Tracy, Tory Johnson…the list of authors goes on and on. The book is well-over 300 pages of valuable, career building tools and strategies.

If you buy a copy through SelfGrowth, you’ll get lots of wonderful bonuses too, graciously contributed by the authors and publishers. In fact, SelfGrowth contributed one career coaching session with a SelfGrowth.com partner coach! That’s an amazing bonus.

Consider this post blatant self-promotion, and a sales message – I think the bonus gifts available to you are well-worth touting….

Visit the book launch landing page here to purchase.

Special Offer!

I have 25 copies of the book, just waiting for you! If you’d like a personally-signed copy, send a check to me for $30.00 ($25.00, plus $4.95 shipping).

Send your check to:

Kim Stacey
12949 Irwin Way
Boulder Creek, CA. 95006

Be sure to include your shipping address, and a valid email address for me to confirm shipment.