Malena Lott's Blog, page 17

Verbinize Your Life:AIM

In conjunction with my new novel, FIXER UPPER, about a politician's wife reassessing her life in the middle of her husband's campaign at her family farm in Oklahoma, I'm doing a year-long series on my author blog. I'm calling it "verbinizing" and I will be your cheerful verbinista along the way, handing out delicious action verbs once a week for you to either nibble on or devour, depending on your appetite. I've lived long enough to know that we can't wait for circumstances to change our lives for us, but to create change ourselves.

You've heard how important it is to verbalize your intentions. We're going one step further by VERBINIZING them - putting those intentions into action, using (what else?) action verbs. It's a week-by-week guide to getting the life you've always wanted, one action verb at a time. As an author, action verbs are a big part of my vocabulary. In writing, we learn to "show", don't "tell." You change the "be" verbs - is/was - into action verbs and let action drive the story. Same goes with real life! Yet most of us live as be verbs, don't we? We get frustrated by what "is" in our lives or get mired in what "was" (our past) and have trouble moving forward to change our "is" situation because that would require action. Sustainable, stick-to-itiveness action. I've picked 52 action verbs to guide us along. So we'll begin at the beginning - the beginning of the alphabet, that is. Good luck on your journey! I'll be working right alongside you.

"Aim for the highest." - Andrew Carnegie

aim
1. point or direct at a target
1. have the intention of achieving

We live in such a fast-paced society, it often feels as though we don't have time to aim before shooting. Instead, we shoot blindly and rapidly, hoping we will hit the target.  AIM is not only a great verb to kick off our year of verbitude, but our foundation for our whole action-oriented way of life. We will aspire to our highest selves, shelving our need for immediate gratification for the strategy and direction that AIM allows. AIM opens us up, make us sharper shooters and gives us the confidence to make the shot.  The second definition, still a verb, speaks of intention. We don't set out to fail. As many coaches have said, you have to see the ball in the endzone to make it happen.

Verbalize:  I will AIM toward my goal, keeping my focus and awareness on the subject.

Verbinize: Do the necessary research, planning (a to-do list with deadlines) and gathering of resources to manifest AIM so that when you shoot, you score.  Sometimes we want too much at once (I'm guilty!) so start with what you want most in your life and then when you've achieved that, add more or supplement with smaller goals.

What do you see for yourself in 2011?

The December issue of O Magazine asks us what our next chapter will be - we know for Ms. O it's her OWN Network - so I thought I'd pose that question here with the help of my little O (Owen), pictured. (He's now five, so, yeah, it makes me a little teary.)
I love the idea of starting over and second chances, which is why I love to read and write women's fiction. In my real life, I love change and adventure, too, but have to figure out how to do that with my family of five and a tight budget and time constraints. I've already talked about how I'm trying to downsize and switch to a modern home, which will feel like a big change. I also hope to travel more in 2011, maybe Washington D.C., the Grand Canyon and Hawaii. (Hey, dream BIG!)
I also want what most writers want, and that's to break out. Get a nice contract and build a loyal readership and be able to make a nice living from writing fiction. This year I've had the privilege of getting to know some cool young adults and a secret world I've fallen in love with. They absolutely don't feel like figments of my imagination. :) I hope you'll get to meet them soon. My Christmas present to myself was to get the manuscript and the synopsis for the series to my agent before my kids get out for winter break, and it looks like I'll make it! That will be a huge load off.
I'll be launching and promoting my third women's fiction tale FIXER UPPER, starting off the year on submission with the YA, and will continue to write, work and be a wife and mom. I'm not going to make new year's resolutions, but I will begin with a fast to see what hits me. In 2010, what I heard was to "let go" and I did purge so much! I believe if you open your heart and mind to the universe, amazing things can happen. State your intentions. You don't have to write it in a blog, but do write it somewhere and look at it often. I pursued writing the Young Adult story that I'd been thinking about for years, which began as a dream. I went for it and who knows what will come of it. The journey in writing it was definitely worthwhile. It felt like a culmination of so much of what I believe and know and love, all wrapped up in teen angst. I look forward to finding the next calling.
Best of luck to you as contemplate what's next for you. Go for it!

On how characters live

Have you ever been to an estate sale? If you're a writer, I highly recommend it as an exercise in both setting and character development. An estate sale happens when someone has passed on and the living family members sell the contents of the home with the help of an estate company. Typically, this means that the persons who lived their were very old, having collected things throughout his or her lifetime. Secondly, if they have enough stuff left over that family members don't want, it usually means the person was affluent or had an abundance of things that will not be passed on to future generations (if they had children at all.)
I'll admit that I have a mid-century mod affliction, but searching for relics from the 1950s and 60s isn't the only reason I go to estate sales. If all I wanted were "things," I'd shop on Etsy or other mod web retailers. I go for the experience.
A garage sale only shows what people don't want. An estate sale shows you how people lived. They are people museums, providing a glimpse in time of an era gone by, with the person's energy still evident in all belongings left behind.
In my young adult manuscript I'm THISCLOSE to finishing, my character can retrieve tactile memory from things, able to see the people who have touched the items before her. Since I have no supernatural ability, I can only guess about the item's relevance in the person's life, which is half the fun. We are putting together the puzzle of a character's life, and that includes the "stuff" of life, too.
Are they messy or neat? Are they simple or complicated? What do they love? What is their routine? What makes them tick?
The other reason I recommend spending a Saturday at estate sales is for the sheer adventure. Studies show that switching up our routine adds to a more creative, well-lived life. When you're there, pay attention to the details. Flip through the books on the shelves, the old magazines. Admire the delicate china and knick knacks that have gone out of favor. Go into the closet. Try things on. It's okay. Male, female, doesn't matter. What is the texture of the material? How does it feel against your skin? You might scare off some little old ladies, but just tell them you're a writer. They may still run, but you're only a minor freak. Let your mind wander, but keep inventory of what you find. You never know when it might come in handy.
Did you find something you liked? Go ahead. It's two bucks. Why were you drawn to it? What might you do with it? At the least, it could serve as a reminder of the day you took a journey into someone's life, stepping into their shoes, walking their halls and floating your fingers over the things that once meant something to another sensate being.

Go for the wow.

Why are we so afraid to stand out? For one, we'll get noticed and being noticed means we are more likely to be judged. We all want to be loved. Saying we don't is just the ego's defense. Take my front door, one of my many fixer upper projects on my home. I fought the desire to be different with the desire to please others. I've worked with color for almost twenty years as a creative in the advertising/marketing world. Yet when my kids went - blech! - I began to question my carefully selected palette. I had to get my HGTV-lovin' neighbor (a guy even) to give me his honest opinion.
He reminded me that on Curb Appeal the designers always give the door a bold color - something that makes it stand out from the curb. He's right. I was letting the fact that most of the houses in the neighborhood have "safe/neutral" front doors keep me from meeting my goal to give the entrance more personality.
I think we do this in all areas of our lives. In our writing, we can be safe, but will that get us the book deal? Will readers talk about us? The "expected" is easily forgotten. We have to fight the urge for approval when we are going in unchartered territory. Did you catch the JK Rowling interview with Oprah? She let her imagination go when she wrote the Harry Potter books. What's stopping you from making your life the one you imagine?
If something isn't quite right the first time, don't give up. The beige I'd hoped for on the trim ended up being way too light so I had to take it back and have a darker color added to the ten gallons. It's worth the extra effort. What do you need to make that happen?
Quell the negative voices - both your own and your well-meaning others - and go for the zing. You have one person (me!) cheering for you.

My life toolbelt is stuffed full.

My main character in Fixer Upper, Macy, wears a hot pink toolbelt that her father left her as a 35th birthday present. It gives her the confidence she needs to believe she's a girl who can fix anything in her life. It got me to thinking about all the tools I use on a regular basis, both big and small, to make the most of my life and keep me sane. The cool thing about our imagined toolbelt for this blog post is: it's any size! You can stuff huge things in there and I won't question the logic. Here's what I'm stuffing in mine.

1. Community via social tools. My life wouldn't be as rich without the sense of community I feel from other writers, readers and friends, both in real life and online with tools such as Twitter and Facebook. It keeps me feeling connected, turns me on to great stories of the day and gives me adult conversation in my mostly kid-focused existence.

1. Readers and bloggers. Few things are more fun than giving something away. Hosting a contest, like we do each week on Book End Babes where readers get to learn about new authors and great reads, and recent contests for FIXER UPPER, give me a great thrill and keeps me motivated. A huge thank you to all of you who have entered my contests so far. The winners have been notified and here are the results for those of you who didn't catch it on Twitter or Facebook:

Wines featured: Sooner Sunrise (white) and Sooner Sunset (red)

For the recent NAME THAT PIG contest over the Booking Mama blog, we had more than thirty names and there were some really creative ones. I ended up choosing Patches (and let my daughter and husband have a vote, too) because a) the pig does look patchy and b) it's also relevant to the theme of the book in piecing together a new life. The winner lives in BC, and will get a copy of the book as well as a pink toolkit!

1. Mac Holy Trinity. Thanks to my iPhone, iPad and Macbook Air, I get to be a writer, marketer and blogger. I keep my kids' doctor's appointments and after-school activities organized - with at least one ALERT so I don't miss them, get e-mail from clients while I'm on-the-go (Mobile Me) and play Words with Friends like a fiend for brain stimulation. I love being able to snap a picture no matter where I go and instantly sending it to friends and family or uploading it.

1. My Schwinn bike. I hadn't ridden much in the last fourteen years, but this spring, I thought: why am I not doing something I love to do? I'm much rather ride than walk. I love everything about it: how fast you can go, the smell of nature, and being able to be unplugged while doing it. I also love that my 5 year old loves to ride with me. If I can put all of nature in my toolbelt, bam!, I'm doing it.

1. My husband. I know, let the "Malena called her husband a tool," jokes commence, but really the best tools in our toolbelt are people, aren't they? Rod is a wonderful partner in every way, and he's also a kick-ass editor. I may hate seeing those red or black marks on my manuscript, but I'm thankful he keeps me from looking like a dunce.

1. Books. Okay, so not a big shocker to end with, but I get so much from books. They entertain me, enlighten me. My favorite spiritual leaders have books I can go to again and again, and I love getting to read new authors, many times months before their "real" books come out. Reading has made me a smarter, more empathetic citizen of the world. So, thanks to all the authors out there who make this possible!

Not in a book club, but you're intrigued? Me like. If you'd like to start a Book End Babes chapter, e-mail me here.

I'll be back on the blog in a few weeks to give you an update on my Young Adult novel I'm in Revision Heaven with right now, and update you on my upcoming ebooks. I'd love to hear the life tools in your toolbelt, friends.