November Challenges – An Opportunity For Creatives

With three major challenges reaching across the blogging and writing world, November is a busy month for creative output. While trying to participate in all of them would be probably a thing of impossibility – or at least a Herculean feat – participating in one of those three is a great opportunity for writers, bloggers and artists alike.

The most popular one NaNoWriMo has its obvious benefits – finally finishing writing that novel, all the way through to the end. The groups and blogs out there, assisting those attempting to make it through are plenty. For anyone one of you, who is a part of this challenge, I am rooting for you.

A screenwriting challenge is called Zero Draft Thirty, helping screenwriters do the same – finish a script within 30 days.

The last one  – NaBloPoMo, the month-long challenge  for blogging – holds within it the opportunities for those of us who are creatives of a different kind – visual artists, photographers, crafters, cooks and print-on-demand artists. NaBloPoMo is a wonderful change to showcase your individual talents, and draw attention to them.

But even if you do not have the time to commit to such a month-long event, you can use those of us who are as an inspiration to try a little bit harder, to put yourself out there just a little more, and to join smaller groups and challenges, and maybe a few extra blog hops. Be a part of the excitement by cheering your friends on, or bringing attention to those who are creating and putting their work out there. And maybe, just maybe, next year you will join us in those major challenges, and you will be able to say to yourself, and other fellow artists out there – I did it!

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Have you created something fun, exciting, beautiful or interesting this week? I have been working on a few designs last night, one of them, I want to share with you today. It is called “Playtime By The Tree”, and is a mixed media piece, available as a canvas print on RedBubble.

Playtime By The Tree

 

Have a wonderful week!

Claudia

P.S. If you need more motivation, why not jump over to Create With Joy and read all of the wonderful blog posts that are a part of the “Inspire Me Monday” blog hop!

Battlefield – A Haiku

Battlefield

Gone long before us,

their silent tears covered fields

patchy blood-soaked grass

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Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

Battle of Atlanta by Kurz and Allison 1864 Poster

available here 

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Staying Motivated To Write – 3 Tips

“Trash” available here:
http://shrsl.com/?~8ult

A to-do list a length of a football field, not enough sleep, and bills that need to be paid, and you are asking me to do what? Write a novel in my spare time? Are you insane?

This is the way of life for many aspiring and also already published writers – juggling an already large amount of responsibilities, yet having the desire to complete something, most people only talk about – writing and publishing a book. The question is, at the moments when it all feels like it becomes too much, and the temptation to throw your manuscript in the corner, is getting larger, what should you do to stay motivated through it all?

1. Now your reasons
If you want to write a novel because you want to be rich, I am going to be honest with you: There are easier ways to make more money than you can generally expect to make as a writer. Sure, there are the success stories, those who (like J. K. Rowling) have more wealth than they could spend in their lifetime, because of their writing, but those are the exceptions. Money is never a good reason to pursue an artistic and creative goal because even when you reach your financial independence from anything but your creative income, there is not such a thing as an overnight success. It took dedication and hard work to get there. If you need money now, get a job.
Good reasons to have are: A burning desire to create stories, and to place them upon a page. To entertain others, with your fiction, and even to proof to yourself that you can do it. None of these reasons are financial. Whatever your personal reasons are, define them clearly and revisit them often.

2. Schedule your writing time.
Become a fanatic, almost to the point of obsession about your daily writing time. Sure your family needs you to do this and that, but if you want to be a writer, you have to make the commitment. Get up an hour earlier, or stay up an hour longer, depending on when you write better, but stick with it. After a while, you will begin to grave this solitary time, and the act of sitting down itself will become a great motivator.

3. Join an accountability group or challenge.
This month (June) has JuNoWriMo, April and July have CampNaNoWriMo, November has NaNoWriMo, and those are just the big ones. Some of the smaller challenges are year-round, for example, WritingChallenge.org runs every month and has a smaller commitment of a daily word count of 500 words or one hour of editing. A possible adventure, isn’t it? All of these challenges have peer support, and a recording system, where you can chart your progress, which in itself is another motivator. Every day spent writing, even if it is only 500 words adds up, to not only a completed piece of work, but also in experience. The most effective way to get better at writing is to write regularly.

 

What are your favorite ways to stay motivated? Do you have an accountability partner, or are you a part of an accountability group? Please share your experiences!

 

 

Stumbling Through The Darkness

“Dream On” by Avalon Media http://goo.gl/XS6xHj

unknown path ahead
yet I stumble through the darkness
one step at a time

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

This is what following your dreams sometimes feel like: stumbling through the darkness, not knowing where the next step may take you, just aware of what is at the end: the goal.

It is what scares many people off in following through, not knowing how to get there, and only be able to plan a little bit, having to let go of certainty. Any creative endeavour surely is about letting go as well, allowing the process to unfold.

The key is to not allow fear –  which is natural, especially in the beginning, before any momentum sets in – to take so much hold on you, that it stops you in your tracks. Pushing beyond that fear, through the darkness will eventually get you where you want to go. But there is no other way then through.

Our move is somewhat like that. As I mentioned yesterday briefly, we are letting go of most of our possessions, taking with us only the things most dear, and the irreplaceable. There is a good reason for that. When we first moved here to Tampa, to be close to my recently widowed Mother-In-Law, it was only temporary. It ended up a few years longer than we expected, but it was nevertheless a short term solution for the sake of our family. We did not add fancy furniture or expensive items to our dwelling because our heart was on the other side of the country – our goals set to move to Los Angeles.There are no friends to leave behind, no ties to this community, as they were never made in the first place. So we made due with the necessities, and less luxury and comfort than we all would have liked to. None of this temporary life (with the exception of our extensive collection of electronical gadgets and consoles) will come with us. Our journey to get what we really want, how we really want to life will begin in Las Vegas, and end in LA. Something I am very much intending to write about.

But it means letting go of everything, of anything familiar. If we would let fear stop us, we would not be able to see all of the beauty that is about to be in our lives. Hanging on to yesterday, would keep us from enjoying a new and better tomorrow.

Whatever your dreams are, whatever goals you have, do not let your fears deter you from following through. Change and progress might be temporarily uncomfortable and scary, but that is a temporary state, on which’s other side lays the reward for having taken a chance.

Keep on dreaming.

The above image is available as a poster in various sizes in our Zazzle store. You can find it here.

Oregano – An A to Z Challenge Post

O is for Oregano

Brought by the returning WW II soldiers from Italy, oregano comes in two varieties – the Mediterranean version being milder than its Mexican counterpart. It is almost inseparable from any Italian dishes, but should be used with caution when adding to foods, as it tends to overpower other herbs and spices.

Matches well with: lamb, mushrooms, paste, peppers, pizza, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant

Healing properties: treats indigestion and heartburn, also known to have a beneficial effect on yeast infections. Its diluted oil (50 %) can be used to treat athletes foot if applied daily. Do not use oregano oil internally!

Magical properties: add energy to your life, used whenever you need a boost of joy, strength and vitality

To Purchase High Quality Organic Oregano And Many Other Herbs And Spices,

Click On Our Sponsor Kaina Organics’

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“Writing Challenges”: 5 Reasons Why You Should Join One

Okay, I am biased about this subject, but out of good reasons. I currently run the March part of a continuously running Writing Challenge (writingchallenge.org), and I love it. But besides that it is the most fun I have had on Twitter for a while, there are real, tangible reasons, why I think, writing challenges, on social media platforms work well.

Here are 5 of them:

1. Accountability
Accountability in a work environment, in which we are left to our own devices and flexible time management, can work wonders in productivity. People work better with deadlines, and clear set goals and these challenges provide such. Some challenges work with charts, others with chains, but however they decide to utilize the accountability of their participants, the results speak for themselves. More people write consistently when they made a commitment outside of themselves, to someone else, then when you are working without a clear deadline. Accountability challenges provide that for you.

2. Encouragement
Working together with peers gives participants an opportunity to give and receive encouragement. Sometimes all we need is a kind word from someone who has already written a book or is going through the same steps you are, to get unstuck and stick with the planned project.

3. Sound Board
There have been times, where being able to share an idea with the group, or asking a question about a plot or character, has brought new insights, because of the viewpoint and shared (mostly kind) opinions of fellow writers. This is a great, often overlooked aspect when participating in these challenges.

4. Lasting connections
Challenge participants are really nice people who love to connect with others who have similar interest. We all automatically have a common ground, on which to build lasting relationships on. What a nice way to find friends in an otherwise solitary profession.

5. Professional connection
Many participants work in related fields, such as publishing and editing, or web design. I have come across a few people who’s services I will be using, once my projects are to that stage of development where their services are of value. This is a wonderful way to find people you can work with, that you can trust. After all, you already know them.

If you are looking to join one of these continuous challenges, I recommend checking the three examples below. Again, I am biased about the first one, but the other challenges are great as well.

WritingChallenge.org
750 Words
My 500 Words

Of course, there is the ever popular NaNoWriMo in November and the CampNaNoWriMo in April.

Happy Writing!

Y Is For Yes!

Yesterday was my 100’th blog post since I moved Avalon to WordPress, yeah!

So today, I am going to celebrate, by writing a list of things I absolutely love! Maybe at the end you can tell me some of the things you say Yes to!

1. walking/hiking – favorite form of exercise, but sadly I don’t have the opportunity to hike here. I do get to walk a lot every day, averaging about 3 miles a day
2. spicy foods – I love me some really good chicken wings! More so if my husband makes them (we used to own a restaurant, he is a fantastic cook), yummy
3. Books – no surprise here!
4. 30 Seconds To Mars – what is there not to love! I just can’t believe that Jared is older then I am, he looks like a twenty year old (sorry about the fangirl moment)
5. quiet – I love morning quietness, when the house is still silent before everyone else gets up, there is peace in this type of solitude
6. blogging – well duh – otherwise I would not do it. I have an opinion about everything, so this is the perfect platform to let some of that loose
7. Lake Garda, Italy – seriously the most beautiful place on the planet, that I have seen so far. I have been there 6 times, can’t wait to share that space with my kids
8. Museums – it does not really matter if it is modern art, history, or a local collection in a small town – I love visiting museums, and I was lucky to have grown up in a city where there were many of them, at least 7 large ones and a few smaller collections.
9. Gardening – there is something profoundly meditative about gardening, the entire process of preparing the soil, getting ones hands dirty, tending to what was planted and reaping the harvest, that is so primal, yet sophisticated, delicate, yet hardy.
10. Animals – not just my own (we have three rescues – a cat and two dogs), but animals in a broughter sense. We do not buy products tested on animals, and while not all of us are strict vegans, we do try to limit animal products, and honor those who have given their lives to nourish our bodies.

What do you say “Yes” to? What are your favorite things in the world? Share some in the comment section below!