Malena Lott's Blog, page 14

The difference in persona and brand

per·so·na/pərˈsōnə/ Noun: The aspect of someone’s character that is presented to or perceived by others. A role or character adopted by an author or an actor. Source: Dictionary.com As a brand strategist and creative director for both businesses and books, … Continue reading →

Is it time to crack yourself open?

If happiness is life’s greatest reward, then for the creative soul, it requires giving ourselves permission to fully create. Think about it: Often we live from our base self, ego speaking to other egos, superficial, small talk, and busy work. … Continue reading →

Improving Your Web Appeal

The hardest part about writing a weekly blog is deciding on one thing to talk about. In one week so much happens that I decided to add a Cool Stuff section at the end to include the things I feel … Continue reading →

Should you respond to criticism online?

In the last two weeks, I’ve witnessed two New York Times bestselling authors caught up in online drama related to book reviews. As a writer myself who has my work out there for others to judge, I feel their pain. … Continue reading →

Push it real good. Be still, keep creating.

If your job is being a creator (art, business, writer, musician), how can you guarantee that your output matches your input? Here's what works for me.
1. Start from a place of stillness. Whether or not you meditate every day, starting from a place of stillness clears the mind to make room for the ideas to flow. This could mean taking a brisk walk or doing some yoga stretches or doing another activity you enjoy that gives you a mental break from stress. I wrote last week about starting off my new year with a fast. It again lasted for a week, and I feel great. This sort of cleanse may not be up your alley, but I wouldn't have known it would work for me if I hadn't tried.
2. Begin, every day. It sounds painfully obvious, but if I don't begin my creative work, each day, it doesn't get done. For those wanting to write that book, the wanting doesn't make it happen, the writing does. I put off editing The Stork Reality, my first published novel from 2006, to update and improve it for a 2012 ebook and trade release for weeks because the task seemed too daunting. Unlike when a writer is starting with a blank page, I was starting with 350 finished, published pages. My goal was to cut the fat (including a lot of backstory) and add a storyline about a best friend with fertility issues who desperately wants a baby (adding to the main story that my protag Taylor has a surprise pregnancy and did not want children). I decided the only way it would get done was to work on it FIRST THING and LAST THING in my day. I give myself small goals - 10 pages this sitting or 1 solid hour, no matter what - and do it. Now I'm in the final pages of the book AND I'VE CUT 30 PAGES! I can't explain the feeling, but the analogy of writing a book to birthing a baby is just as true as it was when I wrote it the first time. I was also pleased that the book made me laugh and cry (including several new scenes I wrote) and the theme of friendship through the tough times rings very true to me. I hope the readers love the update.
3. Honor the flow. No doubt, it's an adrenaline rush and dreamy feeling to be "in the flow" when you're working and loving it. If you've timed yourself but aren't ready to stop surfing that big wave, give yourself permission to keep going. My dishes didn't get done last night, but I got closer to the shore, so it was worth it to me to stay in the flow. On the other hand, when my flow is interrupted (which is often with three kids and a dog who want attention) I try to step back on as quickly as I can. I don't ignore the kids when they come to my studio, but they also know it's not a time to sit and tell me about their day, either. We save that for later.
4. Keep inspired. I don't have to be in a happy place to create, and often creating is the antidote to low mood, but I do like to keep a healthy dose of inspiration close. I start my day reading a quick pick-me-up and read blogs and articles throughout the week that keep my mind open to new ideas. (Both for business and my fiction writing.) I read Wired, Entertainment Weekly, O (especially Martha Beck), TIME and everything by Seth Godin, Jane Friedman and Lissa Rankin. I read fiction or non-fiction books, but if I'm not loving it, I stop reading it. Doesn't matter if it's page one or a hundred.
5. Push your limits. Every creative knows what it's like to hit the wall. You wake up, and there's nothing. No-thing. But instead of putting the keyboard aside, we push on, writing what we believe may be crap in the moment, but may quickly turn a corner into something far more interesting than we could have imagined. We would never have gotten there without walking through the storm. Push your limits on ideas, scenes and even expectations. If you don't dare to go there, chances are you'll never get there. No one else walks our legs for us.
Still haven't heard about Buzz Books? Big news! You can read about our new publicist and senior editor over at the BB site.

Does fasting make you more creative?

If you're like me, when you think of the word, "fasting," images of monks who beat themselves with whips come to mind. I'm no Mother Theresa. I'm no longer even Catholic. But it was something that the RCIA teacher said when my husband went through the program that stuck with me. When she was going through a tough time, such as when her son was in the hospital, she fasted. As a cradle Catholic, of course I'd heard of Lenten fasting - especially the no-meat and no frills foods on Ash Wednesday and Fridays of Lent. I was even fine with giving up chocolate for 40 days, but fasting sounded too scary, and, honestly, weird. Does God (or the Universe) listen more intently because I'm not eating fast food?
Fast forward to 2010, and a local mega-church said they were going to do the Daniel Fast, a 21-day spiritual modified fast where you only drink water and eat fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes. No bread. No taters. No dressing. And, worse, no coffee or wine. I decided to go for it. First, I was intrigued by why people would do it. Did they really gain insight and a speeding arrow to enlightenment simply by eating plainly for three weeks?
I'm Type A and my creative drink crutches are caffeine and wine, so I can't believe I made the commitment. I've always been a deep thinker, but too often I let ego and my "surface self" make decisions for me. What did I lose besides a few pounds? Several a-ha moments, including the big whammy that we should sell our house and downsize, which I've written about before. Believe me, I argued with my inner pilot light, but it convinced me, and so we did - ever so slowly. I shed more than pounds during that fast. That a-ha moment helped me shed a lot of stuff and a big mortgage payment. I'm honestly not sure that realization would have come to me had I not been intently listening for guidance. I can be stubborn.
FF to 2011 and the damn house is not sold yet. I know it's still the right thing to do. I again start the fast, but the stress of putting the house back on the market causes me to cave and the fast only lasted seven days. Seven days isn't chump change in the realm of fasting. And my big a-ha moment? I needed to start an indie publishing company and not only publish some of husband and my projects, but others', too. Now a couple of the brainstorming ideas I had after that failed - two essay projects I'd hoped to do by state - but one came to fruition, Sleigh Ride, which includes 7 stories by 7 authors, pubbed in November of 2011. Life's a Beach, my first novella, about the law of attraction and karma between two unlikely friends, was also a success. By year's end, Buzz Books was ready for a bigger hive, accepting submissions in multiple categories and could have nearly a dozen releases in 2012. Couldn't I have come to the idea of Buzz Books without a fast? Possibly. But I didn't.
FF to 2012 - we're in our downsized house, the law of attraction is working in my favor, I feel more authentic, positive and creative than ever, and I'm again doing the Daniel Fast - only modifying it to still let me have coffee in the mornings. I did get a migraine on the second day from the lower caffeine in my system, but it's day 3 and my migraine is a bit better today. In terms of flow, I've already had three ideas arise that could be very beneficial this year. One is a big tie-in to my next novella, The Last Resort, which will be the most interactive project and promotion I've done to date. Good people are coming on board with me. Good clients are filling my roster. I'm sticking to my productivity calendar, and as long as I can also keep up with my children's active schedules, the outlook is sunny.
I'm now a big believer in meditation and fasting. The song lyrics go, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone." It clears the fog from my brain and helps me focus. It makes room for better ideas and clarity. It's the windshield wiper on a rainy day. The binoculars to the far-away dreams. It's close. It's in full view. And it was inside of me the whole time.
I love what Orna Ross has to say on how meditation helps writers. You might find her Go Creative! method is just what you're looking for.

Reflecting on zen and mojo

Merry Christmas Eve! I'm the first one up, eleven others sleeping soundly throughout my house. I have no idea what visions are dancing through their heads, but we had a wonderful Christmas eve eve dinner last night. So many beautiful moments, from the only girls dancing around with their big teddy bears to the two youngest boys playing bean bag toss with the game their grandfather built for them. (Painted OU red and white.)
I'm reflective by nature, but even more so this time of year. It's been tough, hasn't it? For me, the year started with a quick sale on our home and downsizing with several mini-disasters along the way. With every challenge, opportunity, growth.
Materially, I got rid of junk. A necessity when you are downsizing nearly a thousand square feet, but I did it for inner space, too. I got trees, birds, squirrels. I got quiet mornings meditating on the back deck. I embraced zen through more hardship - my husband's chronic back pain, my sister's husband's sudden passing and the stress of all that goes with starting a new life. There is peace through pain. We shouldn't be surprised that dark times can happen concurrently with light ones. We were celebrating one sister's new marriage and newfound happiness the same weekend that my other sister's husband died.
I regularly questioned myself and wondered if I was on the right track. Even though I was pursuing the things I felt were my soulful purpose, it didn't come easily. Self-doubt and rocky paths made my journey more difficult. Hold on to mojo with both hands and don't let go.
My mind and spirit may in sync, but the dishes and the laundry don't give a rat's ass about my aspirations. Duty and destiny must find a way to live in harmony.
When two of my best friends moved out of state this year, I struggled with feeling sorry for myself, only to come around to the grace of technology and modern communication. We'll share the same molecules soon and it will be rich.
As usual, my brain wants to control my being, but I've learned to hush the noise, relish in stillness and come back at my life list with more zest than if I'd give in to my Type A tendencies and obsessions when they hit. Still, I think too much.
This year I let myself play and experiment. I learned a great deal about publishing and pushed past my comfort zone. Next year will bring me closer and closer to world domination inner peace and celebrating stories through branding, Buzz Books and new projects. I'm currently updating my first novel, The Stork Reality, adding the sub-title: Secrets of the Underbelly to release as an ebook and find a new mommy audience; begin my YA career using the pen name Lena Brown, with the launch of my contemporary humorous mythology series, Goddess Girls, and my next women's fiction novel, Second Acts. I'm also thrilled about sharing small business advice with the Little Brand series. I'll be announcing authors soon.
Thank you for reading and I hope your year end reflection brings you enlightenment and renewed mojo for 2012. You could enjoy pictures of paradise all year long with the Life's a Beach contest - just like the Buzz Books facebook page to get entered to win a beach calendar and a Buzz Book 2012 release of your choice!

Holiday Zen

by Malena Lott
With our to-do lists even longer than usual this time of year and with the launch of my new book, Sleigh Ride, it's easy to let the holiday whiz by without a moment of calm. I've decided to take my zen where I can get it. A few of my new favorite places to BE STILL are what I call Holiday Zen:
1. Watch a roaring fire. It's rumored that's how meditation got its start way back when and it's easy to see why. Watching the flames can have the power to burn up our stress and give us serenity.
2. Gaze at the Christmas tree. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to sit really close to the lighted tree and individually look at the ornaments or I'd bring my notebook and write in it. A lighted Christmas tree still holds that magic.
3. Touring Christmas light displays. Obviously the "light in the dark" analogy is perfect for zen, but it's also a nice way to relax and enjoy the beauty of color and positive energy. Whomever put up those lights did it because they want to share joy with you. Take it.
I'd also like to take this time to thank you if you've purchased Sleigh Ride for yourself or as a gift and I hope you enjoy the read!

Holiday intimacy

Intimacy means that we're safe enough to reveal the truth about ourselves in all its creative chaos. If a space is created in which two people are totally free to reveal their walls, then those walls, in time, will come down. - Marianne Williamson

The holiday (date on the calendar) would go on if we sat in a house by ourselves, watching Christmas movies and sipping eggnog for one, but typically we share the holidays with all those people we endured Black Friday for: our family.

Since I was raised by my grandparents, and they had ever-increasing numbers of grandchildren each year at Christmas, our celebrations were big, loud and full of food (and cigarette smoke - I can't remove that particular stench from my memories). Naturally then, putting together that many people brings with it an unwelcome package: drama. We all know being in the same family does not mean we have all the same beliefs, political parties, religious and otherwise. Siblings may live drastically different lifestyles. Different parenting techniques. The list goes on and on.

The issue of holiday intimacy can be as delicate as the finest ornament on the tree. One wrong word, one slight jostle, and the ornament falls to the ground and cracks. The ER is especially busy this time of year.

I don't have an answer, per se, only pose the question: how can we best enjoy the holiday with our family? Are we able to see each other's walls and have true, soul-fulfilling intimacy? Or do we simply see the visit as a check mark on the list, a mandatory holiday tradition that doesn't bring merriment, but in fact may bring with it painful memories, feelings of old labels rising to the surface and be emotionally draining?

I've written before that my own childhood and family dynamics led me to write about relationships and grief, and also love, forgiveness and second chances. In Sleigh Ride, the seven authors (including me) tackle the issue of holiday intimacy - between husband and wife, sisters, strangers and best friends. And one of the main reasons I wanted to pursue a collection about sleigh rides is because the activity is so intimate itself. It feels old-fashioned, makes us want to cuddle up and without technology, we are forced to talk to each other. As the authors show us in the stories, it's amazing what can happen. Yes, the threat of pushing someone out of the sleigh ride occurs as well as someone jumping off the sleigh, too.

Most of all, I hope you'll lower your expectations and see what small surprising moments fill the space you've opened up. Peace lives there.

7 Sleighs for 7 Sisters

Today - the evercool 11/11/11 - marks the launch of SLEIGH RIDE: A WINTER ANTHOLOGY I've been working on since February and many, many hot hours during the summer. I've learned so much about putting together a compilation through this book and I'd like to take a moment of gratitude for all the souls it took to make it happen as the whirlwind of promotion begins for the book.
First, I'm sharing the cover with six other really cool chicks who happen to be great storytellers. When I had the aha moment to create Sleigh Ride in January, one of the things I loved most about it was from the reader's persective. What could happen on a sleigh ride? I left the field wide open. It could be happy. It could be sad. It could be a big part of the story or a small one. As a writer, I love the blank page (screen) so much that I was amazed by what I came up with. I figured I would write something sweet and cute, but that's not who wanted the story to be told so instead I wrote about a grieving mother who is returning to the home she shared with her husband, whom she is divorcing and the best friend she left behind. Over the course of a couple of months, the character of Moira began revealing herself in what amounted to whispers of, "do you know what happened to me?" "Do you know what kind of personal hell I've been through?" I didn't, but I kept listening, waiting. Then one day, she told me the rest of the story - two more big "secrets" that made her whole story complete. The title came to me after Moira shared a favorite memory she had with her daughter Layla regarding snowflakes. And while back home, she has several "milestones" in her recovery, hence the title, "Snowflakes and Stones." I love the sound of it, but more importantly, I love what the snowflake and the stones represent to her healing process.
Putting together a book is a puzzle, whether there is just one writer or several, so working on the individual stories as an editor and deciding on the order of the stories and all the other components to creating the book was a great challenge. It was trying, but worth it.
If I could I'd build a shrine to the editor behind the curtains - my own personal Oz - Rod Lott, who not only has a big day job to handle, but then works on Buzz Books when he's already exhausted and would prefer not to see another word, I would. I love you, Rod and thank you for every single thing you do. It simply cannot be easy to be married to me, let alone working together. I've also discovered technical glitches will not kill me (though they came awfully close.) I still have so much to learn and tech just keeps changing. *sigh* *chin up*
The last piece of the puzzle of a book is getting the word out, and for that I have to thank all the book bloggers, readers and my tribe for helping me. (See the full list in acknowledgments in the back of the book.)
I love the sisterhood aspect of the book and that a portion of the proceeds will benefit the domestic violence awareness cause at the Alpha Chi Omega foundation - more of my sisters.
Look for great contests starting today over at www.buzzbooksusa.com. And HAPPY HOLIDAYS!