Reb MacRath's Blog, page 33
June 26, 2013
June Surprise: My Blessings On Your Sweet Whatever
Last week I promised y'all a surprise, in addition to the just-published 5th chapter of my Action Manifester. And, true to my word, here it is--in the form of the best tool you're likely to find to help forge your own personal changes.
I guaranty you: the tool works, whether you're writing a novel...beefing up your online promo...looking for a better job...or trying to lose weight. I could write a book on the subject, having used it in different forms to quit drinking, quit smoking, lose thirty pounds...and, now, achieve mastery of Action Manifesting. Instead of a book, though, I'm keeping this short...the precise length it needs to be for you to keep it in mind.
Here we go:
Find your own hard-copy 'prompt'.
And then wear it down to the nub.
Every word in that sentence counts. First off, you need your own visual prompt to help you keep your engine revved and to stay on point. It must be yours and it must, I'm convinced, be solid and not digital. Some live on their laptops and smart phones. That's cool. But neither of those can afford the same oomph to be gotten from a hard-copy prompt...or what I call your 'whatever'. Here's why:
Though I prefer a pocket-sized Moleskine and you may prefer some index cards containing your days' notes or mantras, we'd both share one major advantage over a digital prompter: As we flip through our pages or cards, they begin to acquire a cheesecloth-like consistency. And this reinforces the sense of their familiarity and usefulness. The more worn they become, the more we have been through them--checking on our progress, reviewing our old notes. In fact, we can witness our progress as we see the differences in color of the pages or the cards.
If you're using it right, your whatever should look battered, almost bloody. My Moleskine's used pages look ready to disintegrate. And the cover is creased from my having sat on it so many times. I don't really give a damn: it's not a cocktail party toy--it's an instrument of war.
Coach Joe Gibbs' book 'Game Plan for Life' may put some off because of its Christian slant. But something early in the book is worth a look from everyone: a copy of an actual play plan. Here you'll see a game--like life--broken down into a battle for the inches.
So, please: set your smart phones aside...find a hard-copy prompt...and wear it down to the nub. Believe me when I tell you:
If you do this daily--you can't lose.
I guaranty you: the tool works, whether you're writing a novel...beefing up your online promo...looking for a better job...or trying to lose weight. I could write a book on the subject, having used it in different forms to quit drinking, quit smoking, lose thirty pounds...and, now, achieve mastery of Action Manifesting. Instead of a book, though, I'm keeping this short...the precise length it needs to be for you to keep it in mind.
Here we go:
Find your own hard-copy 'prompt'.
And then wear it down to the nub.
Every word in that sentence counts. First off, you need your own visual prompt to help you keep your engine revved and to stay on point. It must be yours and it must, I'm convinced, be solid and not digital. Some live on their laptops and smart phones. That's cool. But neither of those can afford the same oomph to be gotten from a hard-copy prompt...or what I call your 'whatever'. Here's why:
Though I prefer a pocket-sized Moleskine and you may prefer some index cards containing your days' notes or mantras, we'd both share one major advantage over a digital prompter: As we flip through our pages or cards, they begin to acquire a cheesecloth-like consistency. And this reinforces the sense of their familiarity and usefulness. The more worn they become, the more we have been through them--checking on our progress, reviewing our old notes. In fact, we can witness our progress as we see the differences in color of the pages or the cards.
If you're using it right, your whatever should look battered, almost bloody. My Moleskine's used pages look ready to disintegrate. And the cover is creased from my having sat on it so many times. I don't really give a damn: it's not a cocktail party toy--it's an instrument of war.
Coach Joe Gibbs' book 'Game Plan for Life' may put some off because of its Christian slant. But something early in the book is worth a look from everyone: a copy of an actual play plan. Here you'll see a game--like life--broken down into a battle for the inches.
So, please: set your smart phones aside...find a hard-copy prompt...and wear it down to the nub. Believe me when I tell you:
If you do this daily--you can't lose.
Reb MacRath, Action Manifester! Chapter Five
Many fabulous things have occurred since this adventure began. These include: appearance of real results from the fanatical workouts...near-completion of the 25th anny edition of THE SUITING for August release...steady preparation for my upcoming move to a much better apartment (Sept. 1)...making some wonderful new friends through Tweeter...and the weekly discovery of new tacks for rejuvenating the 5-part rotations I do. It's a little like keeping a marriage alive by contriving occasional reboots.
Still, something astonishing happened this week. I was twice taken by surprise: first by my old boldness in even conceiving the notion...then by the beauty with which the game worked.
A wee bit of back story first, if I may: As some of you may know, I've 'played cards' with rapper/entrepreneur 50 Cent and his co-writer Robert Greene for well over a year. I'd extracted a 'deck' of 52 cards containing key quotes from his book, The 50th Law. Each day I still select five cards from the reshuffled deck. The new combinations I get every day always jolt my spirit.
BUT--thus endeth the back story--this week another player demanded in on the card game. Ladies and gents, nay I introduce you to the late but still great:
JULIUS CAESAR!!!
Now, I know what you're thinking: JC's been dead a good long while--and wasn't he a tyrant, murdered by his own best friends who feared he'd become king? So they say, anyway. And, for all I know, maybe he did go bad from the lust for still more power. Not only that, his being dead so very long presented some real problems in bringing him into the card game.
Or did it? Did it, really? The Caesar I admire, the younger Caesar on the rise, consists of certain qualities that will never die: boldness and decisiveness, unwavering self-confidence, political acumen, charm, physical and mental courage, sexual razzmatazz, visionary brilliance...I saw little gap in Caesar between the vision and the act, the wish and the fulfillment. So I decided to allow the spirit of Julius Caesar into the game I had played all along.
And I'm here to tell you JC plays a real mean game of cards. He's the bomb! Let me sign off with just two examples:
1) The day's question had become: 'How would JC tackle the list of Don't Wants I still waste time thinking about?'
--JC, I wrote, did not waste time on Don't Wants or worries re defeat. And, though he'd never have gotten into some of my predicaments, if he had he'd have acted boldly and decisively. The lingering sense of Powerlessness that I very much don't want? JC would have laughed, delighted by the challenge of making new alliances, charming and campaigning past the foes who hoped to block him. JC would have laughed again at my 'I don't want to be in second-rate shape, thrilled by the chance to grow in discipline through training.
2) Yesterday's question had become: 'How would JC succeed in imagining his top intentions as already achieved?'
--Thanks to JC, I wrote, my attention shifts to practical, doable measures--strong interim steps I can take on the way to the dreams it's hard to imagine. I need Caesar-style steps. Billiards-style set-ups. Careful orchestrations. If JC were in my shoes, with confidence that had been shaken--in the bedroom and the boardroom--he'd rebuild his confidence through his sense of destiny and the actions he saw himself taking.
No, I'm not out to rule a world empire. And I don't confuse myself with a Roman genius. But I can tell you with great pride: the smartest move I've made in my life has been letting him into this card game.
This is my report.
Still, something astonishing happened this week. I was twice taken by surprise: first by my old boldness in even conceiving the notion...then by the beauty with which the game worked.
A wee bit of back story first, if I may: As some of you may know, I've 'played cards' with rapper/entrepreneur 50 Cent and his co-writer Robert Greene for well over a year. I'd extracted a 'deck' of 52 cards containing key quotes from his book, The 50th Law. Each day I still select five cards from the reshuffled deck. The new combinations I get every day always jolt my spirit.
BUT--thus endeth the back story--this week another player demanded in on the card game. Ladies and gents, nay I introduce you to the late but still great:
JULIUS CAESAR!!!
Now, I know what you're thinking: JC's been dead a good long while--and wasn't he a tyrant, murdered by his own best friends who feared he'd become king? So they say, anyway. And, for all I know, maybe he did go bad from the lust for still more power. Not only that, his being dead so very long presented some real problems in bringing him into the card game.
Or did it? Did it, really? The Caesar I admire, the younger Caesar on the rise, consists of certain qualities that will never die: boldness and decisiveness, unwavering self-confidence, political acumen, charm, physical and mental courage, sexual razzmatazz, visionary brilliance...I saw little gap in Caesar between the vision and the act, the wish and the fulfillment. So I decided to allow the spirit of Julius Caesar into the game I had played all along.
And I'm here to tell you JC plays a real mean game of cards. He's the bomb! Let me sign off with just two examples:
1) The day's question had become: 'How would JC tackle the list of Don't Wants I still waste time thinking about?'
--JC, I wrote, did not waste time on Don't Wants or worries re defeat. And, though he'd never have gotten into some of my predicaments, if he had he'd have acted boldly and decisively. The lingering sense of Powerlessness that I very much don't want? JC would have laughed, delighted by the challenge of making new alliances, charming and campaigning past the foes who hoped to block him. JC would have laughed again at my 'I don't want to be in second-rate shape, thrilled by the chance to grow in discipline through training.
2) Yesterday's question had become: 'How would JC succeed in imagining his top intentions as already achieved?'
--Thanks to JC, I wrote, my attention shifts to practical, doable measures--strong interim steps I can take on the way to the dreams it's hard to imagine. I need Caesar-style steps. Billiards-style set-ups. Careful orchestrations. If JC were in my shoes, with confidence that had been shaken--in the bedroom and the boardroom--he'd rebuild his confidence through his sense of destiny and the actions he saw himself taking.
No, I'm not out to rule a world empire. And I don't confuse myself with a Roman genius. But I can tell you with great pride: the smartest move I've made in my life has been letting him into this card game.
This is my report.
June 17, 2013
Interim News till Next Week
No, the blog hasn't died.. Over the weekend, I worked a marathon double-shift, which discombobulated me.
I've got my energy back just in time to begin a new third-shift rotation.
BUT: next week, to make up for the silence here, I'll release a small blizzard of posts, including:
a) The thrill-packed 5th chapter of Reb MacRath, Action Manifester!
b) Master Hwang In Shikh's Great Question: the master writing lesson I learned from a great martial artist, back when I lived in Toronto. And he ought to know--he co-starred with Bruce Lee.
c) A surprise post that will drop all jaws.
See you next week!
I've got my energy back just in time to begin a new third-shift rotation.
BUT: next week, to make up for the silence here, I'll release a small blizzard of posts, including:
a) The thrill-packed 5th chapter of Reb MacRath, Action Manifester!
b) Master Hwang In Shikh's Great Question: the master writing lesson I learned from a great martial artist, back when I lived in Toronto. And he ought to know--he co-starred with Bruce Lee.
c) A surprise post that will drop all jaws.
See you next week!
June 13, 2013
Tongues are wagging over this one!
My new Authors Electric posts about 'Literary Shoplifting' has caused a bit of a stir. Check it out and you'll see why!
http://tinyurl.com/lfsa2qq
http://tinyurl.com/lfsa2qq
June 12, 2013
Reb MacRath, Action Manifester! Chapter Four
The action heats up in our fourth installment as I call on Julius Caesar to help me cross the Rubicon that we all have to cross--whether we're writing a novel, continuing a quit or hanging in tough to a diet.
In the third chapter, I addressed the central problem of personal change:
If you're human, then you know we all begin like gangbusters...then feel the wind go from our sails. We'll need to row a while, we know. And we're okay with that...we think. But every time, without fail--no matter the port of our choosing--the Sirens start to whisper: The journey's too long...You're not ready to quit smoking or work on your big novel yet...You're too busy...There's just too much stress in your life...Next year you'll be ready...
And I made a bold move in the next batch of five questions: Each day I tackled one more zone where I was still a pussy. I got a rush from doing this, and accomplished a couple of pretty cool things. But--I've got to be honest and tell you: I found myself facing a new kind of cat: a vision of a lifetime as nothing but withdrawal from the cozy little ruts that had at least offered the comfort of routine. Nothing but hard work and sweat? Nothing but advancing without ever really arriving? Where the devil was the fun?
Suddenly, I cried: "Oh-ho! Oh, Reb, you wicked devil, yesssss!" For I'd just found my new line of attack on the 5-question list I was working: How could I have fun each day while working through serious issues? How could I have fun, fun, fun while taking bigger baby steps away from crap that had plagued me for years?
For your entertainment, and personal use, here was the new list of five, one per day:
1) How can I party with the remaining items on my list of Don't Wants?
2) How can I party with the list of Do Wants that still seem far away?
3) How can I can party with the top items on my list of things I need to 'clear'--or work out--if I'm to be free?
4) How can I party with the intentions that I most need to see as already achieved?
5) How can I party with the things I most need to let go of?
As you can see, I'd shifted the emphasis to play--not suffering or work. Even the keeping of my log became a daily high. I did not ask myself--not once--What do I have to do next? No, I asked: What do I get to do next? Where else can I party with the things that plague me?
A few specific examples? Of course.
From day one: 'I don't want to be out of shape or get into daily encounters with bums that I meet on the street.'
Party time: Hit the gym three times a week, regardless of my work schedule--and hit the abs six times a week. See each workout as a party, a chance to grow in bulk and strength. Eat well, and eat a lot, treating the proteins and carbs like royal transfusions.
From day two: 'I do want to create a more elegant personal persona.'
Party time: Celebrate by throwing out old clothes that don't meet my new standards. Shop carefully, as the budget allows, each item reinforcing the image I choose to create: Ruby Reb. Party with far more attention to hair, absolutely impeccable grooming. Never wear anything cheaper than Armani Code cologne.
From day five: I need to let go--let go NOW--of people and places that still bring me down.
Years ago, because of a business disagreement, someone put my name in a black box. There, he said, it would remain--never looked at , never spoken. I felt a little spooked back then because of the voodoo implicit in the cruel remark. But, damned if he didn't do just what he said--ignoring any efforts at reconciliation. Well! The other day I chanced upon, wouldn't you know it, a little black box from a Swiss Army pocket watch...
Party time: I quartered two pages from my trusty Moleskine notebook. And on each piece I wrote the name of a person or a place I would bury for keeps. I'm proud to say I didn't put my ex-friend's name in my black box. After all, he'd given me the party hat I needed.
Tony Robbins referred to his better strategies as 'elegant technologies'. I plan to borrow that term from now on, with all due credit to Robbins. This breakthrough at the end of my fifth rotation has brought me onto higher ground. And from this new vantage point I can see things that I couldn't before. More elegant technologies.
Today I begin my sixth 5-day rotation with a still different tack: How will I feel when (I've completed the following list)?
Onward and upward now! See you next time.
In the third chapter, I addressed the central problem of personal change:
If you're human, then you know we all begin like gangbusters...then feel the wind go from our sails. We'll need to row a while, we know. And we're okay with that...we think. But every time, without fail--no matter the port of our choosing--the Sirens start to whisper: The journey's too long...You're not ready to quit smoking or work on your big novel yet...You're too busy...There's just too much stress in your life...Next year you'll be ready...
And I made a bold move in the next batch of five questions: Each day I tackled one more zone where I was still a pussy. I got a rush from doing this, and accomplished a couple of pretty cool things. But--I've got to be honest and tell you: I found myself facing a new kind of cat: a vision of a lifetime as nothing but withdrawal from the cozy little ruts that had at least offered the comfort of routine. Nothing but hard work and sweat? Nothing but advancing without ever really arriving? Where the devil was the fun?
Suddenly, I cried: "Oh-ho! Oh, Reb, you wicked devil, yesssss!" For I'd just found my new line of attack on the 5-question list I was working: How could I have fun each day while working through serious issues? How could I have fun, fun, fun while taking bigger baby steps away from crap that had plagued me for years?
For your entertainment, and personal use, here was the new list of five, one per day:
1) How can I party with the remaining items on my list of Don't Wants?
2) How can I party with the list of Do Wants that still seem far away?
3) How can I can party with the top items on my list of things I need to 'clear'--or work out--if I'm to be free?
4) How can I party with the intentions that I most need to see as already achieved?
5) How can I party with the things I most need to let go of?
As you can see, I'd shifted the emphasis to play--not suffering or work. Even the keeping of my log became a daily high. I did not ask myself--not once--What do I have to do next? No, I asked: What do I get to do next? Where else can I party with the things that plague me?
A few specific examples? Of course.
From day one: 'I don't want to be out of shape or get into daily encounters with bums that I meet on the street.'
Party time: Hit the gym three times a week, regardless of my work schedule--and hit the abs six times a week. See each workout as a party, a chance to grow in bulk and strength. Eat well, and eat a lot, treating the proteins and carbs like royal transfusions.
From day two: 'I do want to create a more elegant personal persona.'
Party time: Celebrate by throwing out old clothes that don't meet my new standards. Shop carefully, as the budget allows, each item reinforcing the image I choose to create: Ruby Reb. Party with far more attention to hair, absolutely impeccable grooming. Never wear anything cheaper than Armani Code cologne.
From day five: I need to let go--let go NOW--of people and places that still bring me down.
Years ago, because of a business disagreement, someone put my name in a black box. There, he said, it would remain--never looked at , never spoken. I felt a little spooked back then because of the voodoo implicit in the cruel remark. But, damned if he didn't do just what he said--ignoring any efforts at reconciliation. Well! The other day I chanced upon, wouldn't you know it, a little black box from a Swiss Army pocket watch...
Party time: I quartered two pages from my trusty Moleskine notebook. And on each piece I wrote the name of a person or a place I would bury for keeps. I'm proud to say I didn't put my ex-friend's name in my black box. After all, he'd given me the party hat I needed.
Tony Robbins referred to his better strategies as 'elegant technologies'. I plan to borrow that term from now on, with all due credit to Robbins. This breakthrough at the end of my fifth rotation has brought me onto higher ground. And from this new vantage point I can see things that I couldn't before. More elegant technologies.
Today I begin my sixth 5-day rotation with a still different tack: How will I feel when (I've completed the following list)?
Onward and upward now! See you next time.
June 9, 2013
Coming Wednesday!
The 4th chapter of REB MACRATH, ACTION MANIFESTER is running just a little late...but for a good reason. A breakthrough in strategy now brings the true adventure onto higher ground.
Tune back in on Wednesday--and you won't regret the wait.
Tune back in on Wednesday--and you won't regret the wait.
June 3, 2013
Selling vs. Selling Out
Some of the world's best-selling writers have been hard-as-nails at business too. Virgil drove a tough bargain with the emperor Augustus and became one of the wealthiest men in all Rome. George Bernard Shaw and Lord Byron both kept gimlet eyes on sales and dickered with their publishers. James Clavell was once described as a 'filthy sea pirate' in all matters pertaining to contracts. I'm sure we could come up with a very long list of like-minded sharpies. But then we'd need another list of writers, even great ones, who were financial clowns with no sense of the market and no interest in sales.
At the end of the day we'd know on which list our own names belong. And I wouldn't mind seeing two long lists at all. But I have something else in mind: a general confusion about writing and money or writing and success. Take a quick look around and you'll see no confusion about this in the fields of music, sports or acting, where earning hundreds of millions of bucks is the common goal.
But pity the poor writer. Sit some of us down at a laptop, or a yellow legal pad, or a Moleskine notebook, and our noble brains are filled with images of geniuses--too good to live in this cruel world--dying dead broke in their garrets. Many have, true. But then many of those simply failed to see the difference between selling and Selling Out.
To some extent, all writing is and must be salesmanship--and not just in the marketing, in the creative act itself. What are we doing but selling when we devise an outline to ensure that our structure and pacing are sound--and sure to draw in the most readers? What are we doing but selling when we revise over and over again to make sure each word does its job--and has the most impact on readers? We'd do well to admit it and sell just as hard in the writing as in the marketing. For the better we well, the better our chances to earn the bucks we need to buy the time to write more books.
Well! Now that we've got that cleared up, let's move on to Selling Out. For once the Sixties got something dead-right. Though the Hippies were also confused about selling, they knew that Selling Out was wrong. To Sell Out means to compromise something of great value for money or security. A brilliant film may be sold out to a committee that insists upon a different ending. A masterful book may be sold out at an agent's insistence, gutting it of parts deemed to potent for buttoned-down brains. But generally we use the term in a more general way, referring a dazzlingly original talent that's been deliberately watered down for commerce.
Two examples. One a Sell-Out, one not quite.1) James Patterson is less a writer these days than the superintendent of a literary factory. He lends his name to projects that he conceives but which are written by 'co-writers' then, he says, polished by him. Some are quick to say that Patterson's Sold Out. Not quite. His literary aspirations were never really high and he'd already gotten rich as the 'god of all things creative' at J Walter Thompson. Patterson was a master marketer with a passion for money, business and great hooks. He simplified his style for speed: short chapters, snappy sentences, two-line paragraphs, etc. And from there it was a simply a logical step to mass produce the novels...then stop writing them, almost completely. Say what you like, JP never Sold Out. He kept putting new spins on his marketing plans. And he went on to rule his world exactly as he'd planned.2) Robert B Parker, however, is a different story. The first half-dozen entries in his Spenser series were bold and fresh and young and new. In a world of jaded and tired P.I.'s, Spenser came on proudly as something new under the sun. But read the last books, if you can, then sit there and weep for a while. Paint by numbers all the way with Patterson-style paragraphs and uninspired prose. Parker had become, in his own mind, his hero. The saintly Susan had become his wife. The books were now speed-written Valentines to the happy couple...and their bank account. Parker joked about laughing on his way to the bank, near the end. But the joke was all of his fans. He'd Sold Out.
At the end of the day we'd know on which list our own names belong. And I wouldn't mind seeing two long lists at all. But I have something else in mind: a general confusion about writing and money or writing and success. Take a quick look around and you'll see no confusion about this in the fields of music, sports or acting, where earning hundreds of millions of bucks is the common goal.
But pity the poor writer. Sit some of us down at a laptop, or a yellow legal pad, or a Moleskine notebook, and our noble brains are filled with images of geniuses--too good to live in this cruel world--dying dead broke in their garrets. Many have, true. But then many of those simply failed to see the difference between selling and Selling Out.
To some extent, all writing is and must be salesmanship--and not just in the marketing, in the creative act itself. What are we doing but selling when we devise an outline to ensure that our structure and pacing are sound--and sure to draw in the most readers? What are we doing but selling when we revise over and over again to make sure each word does its job--and has the most impact on readers? We'd do well to admit it and sell just as hard in the writing as in the marketing. For the better we well, the better our chances to earn the bucks we need to buy the time to write more books.
Well! Now that we've got that cleared up, let's move on to Selling Out. For once the Sixties got something dead-right. Though the Hippies were also confused about selling, they knew that Selling Out was wrong. To Sell Out means to compromise something of great value for money or security. A brilliant film may be sold out to a committee that insists upon a different ending. A masterful book may be sold out at an agent's insistence, gutting it of parts deemed to potent for buttoned-down brains. But generally we use the term in a more general way, referring a dazzlingly original talent that's been deliberately watered down for commerce.
Two examples. One a Sell-Out, one not quite.1) James Patterson is less a writer these days than the superintendent of a literary factory. He lends his name to projects that he conceives but which are written by 'co-writers' then, he says, polished by him. Some are quick to say that Patterson's Sold Out. Not quite. His literary aspirations were never really high and he'd already gotten rich as the 'god of all things creative' at J Walter Thompson. Patterson was a master marketer with a passion for money, business and great hooks. He simplified his style for speed: short chapters, snappy sentences, two-line paragraphs, etc. And from there it was a simply a logical step to mass produce the novels...then stop writing them, almost completely. Say what you like, JP never Sold Out. He kept putting new spins on his marketing plans. And he went on to rule his world exactly as he'd planned.2) Robert B Parker, however, is a different story. The first half-dozen entries in his Spenser series were bold and fresh and young and new. In a world of jaded and tired P.I.'s, Spenser came on proudly as something new under the sun. But read the last books, if you can, then sit there and weep for a while. Paint by numbers all the way with Patterson-style paragraphs and uninspired prose. Parker had become, in his own mind, his hero. The saintly Susan had become his wife. The books were now speed-written Valentines to the happy couple...and their bank account. Parker joked about laughing on his way to the bank, near the end. But the joke was all of his fans. He'd Sold Out.
May 29, 2013
Reb MacRath, Action Manifester! Chapter 3
The question for today is this: How long can you look at it without becoming ill?
As some readers race for the exits or hills, I call out: Hey, wait a sec! This really ain't that kind of blog any more than I'm that kind of dude. By "it" I mean your Moleskine or whatever brand of prompter or journal you use for your own inner trip. You won't get far without one, whether you're starting a novel, quitting smoking/drinking, going on a diet or beginning to work out. (From here on I'll refer to your Moleskine as your whatever.)
If you're human, then you know we all begin like gangbusters...then feel the wind go from our sails. We'll need to row a while, we know. And we're okay with that...we think. But every time, without fail--no matter the port of our choosing--the Sirens start to whisper: The journey's too long...You're not ready to quit smoking or work on your big novel yet...You're too busy...There's just too much stress in your life...Next year you'll be ready...
The worst of it is, you know better. You do! You know if you don't stop your footsteps--right now!--they'll take you to the corner store...where you'll buy those cigarettes...Or you know if you put off the gym for a week. Etc., etc., etc. You know what will happen! Yet happen it will--unless you learn a cool new trick to keep your whatever alive.
Let's start with the problem that all of us share: In repetition there is strength--but there is also boredom without some variation. My own whatever--my Moleskine--has five questions, one of which I tackle each day. And each question is then broken down into five parts.
Week one electrified me with its freshness and its promise: What Don't I Want? What Do I Want? (Chapter One spells out the details.)
Chapter Two livened things up just enough by getting more specific in my plans of action: What Are the Top Two Don't Wants That Can Most Impact the Rest if Corrected Now? What Are the Top Two Do Wants...? Etc.
I was beginning to see some real progress in my first manifestations. And yet...I needed to shake up the process somehow--or risk hearing the Sirens still louder. For the third round of five questions, I took (for me) a bad-assed move. For each of the five questions, I asked:
Where am I Still a Pussy and what must I do?
Now, I don't think of myself as a Pussy--or at least I never had. But for the purpose of this exercise I forced myself to do just that. In doing so I found myself pushing the envelope time and again:
--I went straight from third shift to the gym before going home for some shut-eye.
--I added protein to my diet to help fuel the muscular growth...and other needed nutrients to really get in me in the pink.
--Knowing I'd need money to finance my move in mid-summer, I refused to cut my hours at the second job.
--I forced myself to stay on track for completing the rewrite of The Suiting for online publication in August.
--I continued reading a mystery I'd committed to review.
--I worked harder at broadening my mastery of Twitter and being more fun to follow.
--I worked harder to become a better friend and ally.
--After too many years in The Desert, and too many nights alone, I spruced up, had my hair restyled., splashed on some Armani Code and opened my arms to rejection. Long ago, so they say, Babe Ruth had the record for homers--because he was fearless about striking out. I like to think the Babe is smiling as he watches the Rebster hit nothing but air.
But I'll sign off by sharing a secret: I see myself succeeding. And, with my whatever to guide me, I will.
Stay tuned for the breathtaking 4th Chapter.
As some readers race for the exits or hills, I call out: Hey, wait a sec! This really ain't that kind of blog any more than I'm that kind of dude. By "it" I mean your Moleskine or whatever brand of prompter or journal you use for your own inner trip. You won't get far without one, whether you're starting a novel, quitting smoking/drinking, going on a diet or beginning to work out. (From here on I'll refer to your Moleskine as your whatever.)
If you're human, then you know we all begin like gangbusters...then feel the wind go from our sails. We'll need to row a while, we know. And we're okay with that...we think. But every time, without fail--no matter the port of our choosing--the Sirens start to whisper: The journey's too long...You're not ready to quit smoking or work on your big novel yet...You're too busy...There's just too much stress in your life...Next year you'll be ready...
The worst of it is, you know better. You do! You know if you don't stop your footsteps--right now!--they'll take you to the corner store...where you'll buy those cigarettes...Or you know if you put off the gym for a week. Etc., etc., etc. You know what will happen! Yet happen it will--unless you learn a cool new trick to keep your whatever alive.
Let's start with the problem that all of us share: In repetition there is strength--but there is also boredom without some variation. My own whatever--my Moleskine--has five questions, one of which I tackle each day. And each question is then broken down into five parts.
Week one electrified me with its freshness and its promise: What Don't I Want? What Do I Want? (Chapter One spells out the details.)
Chapter Two livened things up just enough by getting more specific in my plans of action: What Are the Top Two Don't Wants That Can Most Impact the Rest if Corrected Now? What Are the Top Two Do Wants...? Etc.
I was beginning to see some real progress in my first manifestations. And yet...I needed to shake up the process somehow--or risk hearing the Sirens still louder. For the third round of five questions, I took (for me) a bad-assed move. For each of the five questions, I asked:
Where am I Still a Pussy and what must I do?
Now, I don't think of myself as a Pussy--or at least I never had. But for the purpose of this exercise I forced myself to do just that. In doing so I found myself pushing the envelope time and again:
--I went straight from third shift to the gym before going home for some shut-eye.
--I added protein to my diet to help fuel the muscular growth...and other needed nutrients to really get in me in the pink.
--Knowing I'd need money to finance my move in mid-summer, I refused to cut my hours at the second job.
--I forced myself to stay on track for completing the rewrite of The Suiting for online publication in August.
--I continued reading a mystery I'd committed to review.
--I worked harder at broadening my mastery of Twitter and being more fun to follow.
--I worked harder to become a better friend and ally.
--After too many years in The Desert, and too many nights alone, I spruced up, had my hair restyled., splashed on some Armani Code and opened my arms to rejection. Long ago, so they say, Babe Ruth had the record for homers--because he was fearless about striking out. I like to think the Babe is smiling as he watches the Rebster hit nothing but air.
But I'll sign off by sharing a secret: I see myself succeeding. And, with my whatever to guide me, I will.
Stay tuned for the breathtaking 4th Chapter.
May 21, 2013
Do You Need to Up Your Ebook Game?
Just in case you haven't heard: Achieving visibility in EbookLandia is no easy task--not with several hundred thousand ebooks comin' every year. If you've slaved at the writing, then buffed and fine-tuned until your very eyeballs bled...if you've found the perfect covers and have won some warm reviews...if you've worked on Social Media, blogged and networked to no end...but still your sales are dragging--the following post is for you.
I'll give you the moral upfront: Pay attention to results and don't grow too attached to what you're sure are cool ideas. I did just that when I divided my books into two camps. On the one hand, I had some wild hardboiled thrillers with a Southern Scot named Boss. On the other hand, I had some highly unusual, much shorter books, blending suspense and romance. So a marketing split of some sort made good sense. But here's where I ran into trouble by attempting to get over-cute.
Some of the shorter suspense tales had subtle Christmas settings--and I set out to make my niche by stretching that connection...and offering dark, gritty, edgy thrillers--a few of them containing violence...sold under the umbrella heading "Reb's Rebel Yell Anytime Yuletide Chillers". And for the Boss MacTavin novels, I gave this series title: "Reb's Rebel Yell Crime Tales for Bad Boys and Girls."
A long story made short: recently I realized that the series titles were probably doing much more harm than good. Even with the word "Anytime", I'd put off the following readers: those don't like Christmas tales...those who don't like gritty Christmas tales but do enjoy gritty suspense...those who might not mind a gritty little Christmas tale--but not in the middle of summer. Furthermore, Reb's Rebel Yell might sound just a little too precious. As for the Boss Boss, 'Crime Tales for Bad Boys and Girls' sounds too cutesy Young Adult.
I traded ideas with some writers I know and made these decisions:
1) I had to stop billing the short books as Christmas tales. In the books themselves, the setting is subtly played--just as it is in Die Hard 1 and 2, Reindeer Games and many other fine thrillers that happen to be set at Christmas. One writer friend pointed out that the tales all had to do with retribution, in one way or another. And that thought led to this new heading: The Fast and The Furies: Suspense. I now gave the genre and the unifying theme. I then went on to revise the copy (see below), experimenting gingerly with a couple of changes in font for effect.
2) For the Boss books, I kept my game still simpler. I'd been wrong in billing them as thrillers. They're mysteries, but with a lot more action than some mystery fans might expect. So, keeping it simple: The Boss MacTavin Action Mysteries.
Now here's the sample I promised, for one of The Fast and The Furies.
Each standalone book in this series will take you to a grave new world where those who've played fast with their lives or the law are on the run from karma. Breakneck thrills, hairpin turns and forces hellbent on collecting await. Only the noblest souls will survive.
Magic and SuspenseIn The Vanishing Magic of Snow, an old man is horrified to learn that he was a villain for much of his life. Now starving and faced with eviction, Jay Penny has only one hope: a magic trick that caused the death of a brilliant young magician in the Seventies Toronto. The glory days, Jay's always thought, when he'd been dodging the draft. But, looking back, he sees the part he played in Sonny Storm's death. And it seems clearer by the day that Sonny's vengeful spirit is manifesting Jay's own ruin. Or...could Sonny be trying to teach him the trick? Like the other series entries, TVMOS weighs in at 35,000 words--a bit shorter in length than readers may expect. But the books are in fact novels, not long short stories or novellas, just as the following titles are all sold as novels though under 50,000 words: The Old Man and the Sea, The Pearl, Of Mice and Men,The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
Trivia:--The Canadian scenes are based on hard-won experience. Reb did live in Canada, with thousands of other draft dodgers, for the ten years recorded here. And he really did meet Doug Henning, Michael Ondaatje, Michael Sarazzin and most of the other stars who appear in cameos. --The scenes set in present-day Charlotte, when Jay Penny is down to mere pennies, are based on true events. Reb came within three days of ruin by the Great Recession...when something astonishing happened.--You needn't believe in The Secret or Real Magic to enjoy this story. The subject of manifestation--in which thoughts become things--goes back a very long time. Some say to the ancient Babylonians. That's open to debate. But from Ralph Waldo Emerson to James (As a Man Thinketh) Allen to Napoleon (Think and Grow Rich) Hill...to Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra...the philosophy's ancient and still going strong. And the springboard for this tale of terror is this: How do we avoid Creepy Karma if all we can see is our ruin?--In its own fictional, fanciful way, the book offers an answer that anyone can use, whichever camp they fall in--Believers or Non Believers. When the wind is taken from our sails, we all need what Jay Penny calls an Almighty Shockeroo: one electrifying image to get us back in gear. And you'll learn how to find your own in The Vanishing Magic of Snow.
Let some Real Magic into your life with this book.
I'll give you the moral upfront: Pay attention to results and don't grow too attached to what you're sure are cool ideas. I did just that when I divided my books into two camps. On the one hand, I had some wild hardboiled thrillers with a Southern Scot named Boss. On the other hand, I had some highly unusual, much shorter books, blending suspense and romance. So a marketing split of some sort made good sense. But here's where I ran into trouble by attempting to get over-cute.
Some of the shorter suspense tales had subtle Christmas settings--and I set out to make my niche by stretching that connection...and offering dark, gritty, edgy thrillers--a few of them containing violence...sold under the umbrella heading "Reb's Rebel Yell Anytime Yuletide Chillers". And for the Boss MacTavin novels, I gave this series title: "Reb's Rebel Yell Crime Tales for Bad Boys and Girls."
A long story made short: recently I realized that the series titles were probably doing much more harm than good. Even with the word "Anytime", I'd put off the following readers: those don't like Christmas tales...those who don't like gritty Christmas tales but do enjoy gritty suspense...those who might not mind a gritty little Christmas tale--but not in the middle of summer. Furthermore, Reb's Rebel Yell might sound just a little too precious. As for the Boss Boss, 'Crime Tales for Bad Boys and Girls' sounds too cutesy Young Adult.
I traded ideas with some writers I know and made these decisions:
1) I had to stop billing the short books as Christmas tales. In the books themselves, the setting is subtly played--just as it is in Die Hard 1 and 2, Reindeer Games and many other fine thrillers that happen to be set at Christmas. One writer friend pointed out that the tales all had to do with retribution, in one way or another. And that thought led to this new heading: The Fast and The Furies: Suspense. I now gave the genre and the unifying theme. I then went on to revise the copy (see below), experimenting gingerly with a couple of changes in font for effect.
2) For the Boss books, I kept my game still simpler. I'd been wrong in billing them as thrillers. They're mysteries, but with a lot more action than some mystery fans might expect. So, keeping it simple: The Boss MacTavin Action Mysteries.
Now here's the sample I promised, for one of The Fast and The Furies.
Each standalone book in this series will take you to a grave new world where those who've played fast with their lives or the law are on the run from karma. Breakneck thrills, hairpin turns and forces hellbent on collecting await. Only the noblest souls will survive.
Magic and SuspenseIn The Vanishing Magic of Snow, an old man is horrified to learn that he was a villain for much of his life. Now starving and faced with eviction, Jay Penny has only one hope: a magic trick that caused the death of a brilliant young magician in the Seventies Toronto. The glory days, Jay's always thought, when he'd been dodging the draft. But, looking back, he sees the part he played in Sonny Storm's death. And it seems clearer by the day that Sonny's vengeful spirit is manifesting Jay's own ruin. Or...could Sonny be trying to teach him the trick? Like the other series entries, TVMOS weighs in at 35,000 words--a bit shorter in length than readers may expect. But the books are in fact novels, not long short stories or novellas, just as the following titles are all sold as novels though under 50,000 words: The Old Man and the Sea, The Pearl, Of Mice and Men,The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
Trivia:--The Canadian scenes are based on hard-won experience. Reb did live in Canada, with thousands of other draft dodgers, for the ten years recorded here. And he really did meet Doug Henning, Michael Ondaatje, Michael Sarazzin and most of the other stars who appear in cameos. --The scenes set in present-day Charlotte, when Jay Penny is down to mere pennies, are based on true events. Reb came within three days of ruin by the Great Recession...when something astonishing happened.--You needn't believe in The Secret or Real Magic to enjoy this story. The subject of manifestation--in which thoughts become things--goes back a very long time. Some say to the ancient Babylonians. That's open to debate. But from Ralph Waldo Emerson to James (As a Man Thinketh) Allen to Napoleon (Think and Grow Rich) Hill...to Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra...the philosophy's ancient and still going strong. And the springboard for this tale of terror is this: How do we avoid Creepy Karma if all we can see is our ruin?--In its own fictional, fanciful way, the book offers an answer that anyone can use, whichever camp they fall in--Believers or Non Believers. When the wind is taken from our sails, we all need what Jay Penny calls an Almighty Shockeroo: one electrifying image to get us back in gear. And you'll learn how to find your own in The Vanishing Magic of Snow.
Let some Real Magic into your life with this book.
May 20, 2013
Reb MacRath, Action Manifester! Chapter Two
So! Knowing the wind would abandon my sails at some point in my journey, I set out with my trusty Moleskine, adhering to the plan I set forth in the opening chapter: 2 pages daily, five themes repeated with minor variations to keep my interest sparked and enable me to probe deeper each round.
Round One:
1)What Don't I Want?
2)What Do I Want?
3)What Are My Top Priority Blocks to be Cleared?
4)Which Intentions Do I Most Need to Feel I've Already Achieved?
5)Where Do I Most Need to Start Letting Go?
These began my daily 2-page logs. After each,I made notes on the following four issues (to give the number 5 more legs): a daily perception...a "Clearing" exercise in which I tried to break through a blockage...an Intention Imagined Now, or detailed visualization...and a list of the day's related or Inspired Actions.
Round Two:
The same except, I narrowed my focus this round to the top two answers for each question: solutions that would have the most impact on the remaining items.
Round Three will start tomorrow, the basic plan for it being to focus on the one item of each two that's proving to be the top challenge. The Inspired Action section has been the biggest boon, compelling me to take the actions that will fuel the manifestations to come.
Three action-packed examples:
1) Even after losing 25-plus pounds on a longish fast, I remained unpleased with my physique. I wanted to look like my fictional hero, Boss MacTavin: rail-thin and totally ripped. I was thinner, but not rail-thin and I'd lost all of my muscle bulk and most of my tone. In Round Two I began a modified version of the Matthew McConaughey workout: 500-700 crunches spread throughout the day...and as many pushups as I can manage in sets staggered through the day. I'm already beginning to see some results...and the daily entries in my log have galvanized my psyche.
2) I needed to start fighting smarter to achieve success on Amazon. My 5 ebooks had attracted some notice, along with some glowing reviews. But readers couldn't buy my books if they didn't see them. After reviewing Making a Killing on Kindle, I came to two conclusions: my series titles on Amazon were hurting me, not helping me--particularly pitching three fine thrillers as Chistmas tales. And the 'product descriptions' I'd slaved on needed some drastic fine-tuning as well. Inspired actions: I networked with some colleagues on Authors Electric, who confirmed what I suspected--and offered some useful suggestions. I spent two full days trying this and trying that before finding the precise angles of attack I thought would win the fight. I went on to spend a full morning changing everything on Amazon and making sure all the new keywords were woven into the new book descriptions.
3) I did some serious juggling of my new two-job schedule. Until I can find the ideal day job that enables me to quit working nights, I need to be a juggler. The two schedules will conflict from time to time. And when I can't call out without risk, I may need to do back to back shifts during the holiday season. We'll see. If I keep my focus on Inspired Action, things will work out fine.
Upcoming Inspired Actions: back to the real gym tomorrow...Continued revising/retyping of the 25th anny edition of The Suiting...Return to the Singles arena.
Stay tuned!
Round One:
1)What Don't I Want?
2)What Do I Want?
3)What Are My Top Priority Blocks to be Cleared?
4)Which Intentions Do I Most Need to Feel I've Already Achieved?
5)Where Do I Most Need to Start Letting Go?
These began my daily 2-page logs. After each,I made notes on the following four issues (to give the number 5 more legs): a daily perception...a "Clearing" exercise in which I tried to break through a blockage...an Intention Imagined Now, or detailed visualization...and a list of the day's related or Inspired Actions.
Round Two:
The same except, I narrowed my focus this round to the top two answers for each question: solutions that would have the most impact on the remaining items.
Round Three will start tomorrow, the basic plan for it being to focus on the one item of each two that's proving to be the top challenge. The Inspired Action section has been the biggest boon, compelling me to take the actions that will fuel the manifestations to come.
Three action-packed examples:
1) Even after losing 25-plus pounds on a longish fast, I remained unpleased with my physique. I wanted to look like my fictional hero, Boss MacTavin: rail-thin and totally ripped. I was thinner, but not rail-thin and I'd lost all of my muscle bulk and most of my tone. In Round Two I began a modified version of the Matthew McConaughey workout: 500-700 crunches spread throughout the day...and as many pushups as I can manage in sets staggered through the day. I'm already beginning to see some results...and the daily entries in my log have galvanized my psyche.
2) I needed to start fighting smarter to achieve success on Amazon. My 5 ebooks had attracted some notice, along with some glowing reviews. But readers couldn't buy my books if they didn't see them. After reviewing Making a Killing on Kindle, I came to two conclusions: my series titles on Amazon were hurting me, not helping me--particularly pitching three fine thrillers as Chistmas tales. And the 'product descriptions' I'd slaved on needed some drastic fine-tuning as well. Inspired actions: I networked with some colleagues on Authors Electric, who confirmed what I suspected--and offered some useful suggestions. I spent two full days trying this and trying that before finding the precise angles of attack I thought would win the fight. I went on to spend a full morning changing everything on Amazon and making sure all the new keywords were woven into the new book descriptions.
3) I did some serious juggling of my new two-job schedule. Until I can find the ideal day job that enables me to quit working nights, I need to be a juggler. The two schedules will conflict from time to time. And when I can't call out without risk, I may need to do back to back shifts during the holiday season. We'll see. If I keep my focus on Inspired Action, things will work out fine.
Upcoming Inspired Actions: back to the real gym tomorrow...Continued revising/retyping of the 25th anny edition of The Suiting...Return to the Singles arena.
Stay tuned!
