Category Archives: G.O.T.H. Series

Growing My Wings

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

I look forward to receiving weekly emails from Robert Holden, a British psychologist, author, and broadcaster, who works in the field of positive psychology and well-being. Here’s an excerpt from a recent email:

At the start of the year, I got a shoulder injury. I got it playing football with my son Christopher. I was playing in goal, when I made a heroic dive that ruptured tendons in my shoulder.

A few days later, my family and I flew to Findhorn, Scotland. I booked myself in to see Kemi, who is an amazing bodyworker and healer who lives nearby.

“There is a deeper purpose to this injury!” Kemi told me.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Your shoulders are telling me that they want you to rest more,” she said.

“I’d like that,” I said.

“To heal your shoulder injury, you will need to lighten the load you are carrying,” she said.

“You mean, take some weight off my shoulders?”

“Yes,” she said. “And it’s time to grow wings.”

Louise Hay believed that the body is a message board. And that your body is always trying to give you messages to help you be healthier, happier, and more whole.

Kemi feels the same way about the body. “Listening to your body is a spiritual practice,” she says.

Asking yourself a question like, “What message does my body want me to know today?” is a great practice for living a healthy life.

My new spiritual practice is growing wings. I am enjoying playing with this metaphor.

‘So, what can I do to grow my wings?” I asked Kemi.

“Let life love you more,” she told me, with a smile.

“I wrote a book about that!” I said.

“Let your angels help you more,” she said.

“You mean, stop trying to do life all by myself,” I said.

“Exactly,” she said.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Robert Holden’s website.

Keep Showing Up

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In A Year of Writing Dangerously, author and teacher Barbara Abercrombie shares anecdotes, insights, and solutions. Here’s a thought-provoking excerpt:

Maybe the essay you’re writing, or the memoir or novel, has now taken up residence in your inner life, like a DVD playing in your head. Maybe as you go to sleep at night, you’re working on your story, you dream it. And when you brush your teeth in the morning, you’re thinking about it, seeing flashbacks of your own life or your characters hovering behind you. If it’s a book you’re working on, you imagine what the cover will look like. Articles you read in the newspaper or online, things you observe, hear on radio or TV—everything starts to connect to your work.

Maybe you already have a draft of an essay or short story you’ve written that needs to sit for a while for you to get some perspective on it, and you’re looking for the subject of your next one. What you look for, you usually find.

Or maybe not. Maybe you’re stuck. But the only way to become unstuck is to keep showing up, to keep writing. And trust that when you do show up, something will be playing in your unconscious.

Source: A Year of Writing Dangerously, p.149

When Inner Peace Begins

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

In the present moment we all have some kind of pain: anger, sadness, frustration, disappointment, regret, etc.

Notice this pain within yourself, watch it closely, and see that it’s caused by whatever story you have in your head about what happened in the past (either in the recent past or in the distant past). Your mind might insist that the pain you feel is caused by what happened (not by the story in your head about it), but what happened in the past is NOT happening right now. It’s over. It has passed. But the pain is still happening right now because of the story you’ve been subconsciously telling yourself about that past incident.

Note that “story” does not mean “fake story.” It also does not mean “true story.” The word “story” in the context of your self-evaluation doesn’t have to imply true or false, positive or negative, or any other kind of forceful judgment call. It’s simply a process that’s happening inside your head:

*You are remembering something that happened.

*You subconsciously perceive yourself as a victim of this incident.

*Your memory of what happened causes a strong emotion in you.

So just notice what story you have, without judging it, and without judging yourself. It’s natural to have a story; we all have stories. See yours for what it is. And see that it’s causing you pain. Then take a deep breath, and another…

Inner peace begins the moment you take these deep breaths and choose not to allow the past to rule your present thoughts and emotions.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

You’re Never Too Old to Grow in Your Thinking

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s a thought-provoking reflection from international speaker and bestselling author Joyce Meyer:

Dr. Caroline Leaf, a leading brain scientist/learning specialist and committed Christian, notes in her teaching on the brain: “The Word and science believe that the mind and the brain are one.” The way you think is voluntary—you can control your thoughts. I want you to give your brain a new job and begin to teach your mind to work for you instead of against you.

One important way to do this is to make the intentional decision that you will begin to think positively. I realize your brain won’t be able to fulfill the new role completely overnight. You may be asking it to undergo a radical transformation, and that will take time. So give it a little grace, but determine that with your diligence and God’s help your brain will go to work for you instead of against you and become a powerful, positive force in your life.

I like what Dr. Leaf says—that the human brain takes “eighteen years to grow and a lifetime to mature.” Don’t miss this point. Although every other organ in the body is fully formed when a person is born, and simply gets bigger as the body gets bigger, the brain actually takes a full eighteen years to be fully formed. After that it continues to mature until the day a person dies. This means, no matter how old you are, your brain is still maturing. This is great news because it means you do not have to be stuck in any old or wrong thought patters. Your brain is still maturing, so you can still mature in your thinking.

Source: Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer

More Rumi Wisdom

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Rumi (born Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī) was a 13-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic. One of the most accomplished poets of all time, his musings on life, love, and the mysteries of the universe continue to resonate worldwide.

Here are ten of my favorite Rumi quotes:

You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop.

Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.

Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?

Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.

If the light is in your heart, you will find your way home.

There’s a field somewhere beyond all doubt and wrongdoing. I’ll meet you there.

Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.

Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.

Anyone who genuinely and consistently with both hands looks for something will find it.

Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.

Strengthen Your Strengths

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s a thought-provoking reflection from international speaker and bestselling author Joyce Meyer:

Aren’t you glad that everyone on earth is not exactly the same? We all have different abilities, different preferences, different opinions, and different strengths and weaknesses. Some people are not confident in their uniqueness, though, and they try to do what others do well, even if they are not gifted to do so. This is sad to see, because those people have strengths of their own. When they ignore their strengths and try to develop other strengths, they only become frustrated. If they resisted the temptation to be like someone else, they would enjoy their lives more.

I encourage you today to know your strengths and your weaknesses. Focus on developing your strengths and using them to serve God and others to the best of your ability. God has given you your particular strengths for a reason, and He wants you to make the most of them. Some people may suggest that you improve in an area of weakness, but I say don’t waste your time doing something you are not gifted to do that will require a great struggle for you to succeed. If you need help in a area in which you are not strong, God will send people to help you.

Source: Strength for Each Day by Joyce Meyer

When You Have a Story to Tell

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In a recent post on the Writer Unboxed blog, award-winning author Kathleen McCleary shared advice about novel writing. Here’s an excerpt from that post:

Here’s what I do know about how long it takes to write a novel:

Writing every day does make a difference. As my mother always said, Clichés are clichés because they’re true. While writing my third novel, I participated in NaNoWriMo—not because I expected to finish my novel in a month, but because I wanted the structure and accountability and challenge. Writing 1,000-1,500 words a day for one month seemed like a doable thing to me, and it was. I wrote 30,000 words in 30 days, and much of it was good. Every time I commit to a daily word count or number of writing hours it helps.

You can’t build a house without a foundation. I am a pantser and not a plotter. With all of my novels I knew the climactic scene, I just wasn’t sure how to get there. But with each book I have spent more time thinking through the steps along the way, and it helps. Right now I’m working with Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat beat sheet, and knowing the “beats” of my story has made the writing process go much more quickly.

It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing or has done. Yes, it’s reassuring that it took Margaret Mitchell a decade to write Gone with the Wind, but I don’t want to spend a decade writing my current book. And I know myself well enough to know that I can’t write a really good novel in three months. I’d like to finish this book within two years. So I’ve set that as my personal goal, and am trying to keep myself on track to do exactly that.

Let it go. Meaning, let go of your ideas of how long it should take you to write your book, and just write. You have a story to tell and you are the only one who can tell it, so let it unfold.

Listen, completing an entire novel is a tremendous accomplishment, no matter how long it takes. Kudos to all of us! We’ll get there, everyone.

Source: Writers Unboxed Blog

Revisiting and Reframing

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

Many of the biggest misunderstandings in life could be avoided if we would simply take the time to ask, “What else could this mean?”

And while that question alone can help us reframe our thoughts and broaden our perspectives, using the simple phrase “The story I’m telling myself…” as a prefix to troubling thoughts has undoubtedly created more “aha moments” for our students in recent times. Here’s how it works…

For example, perhaps someone you love (husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.) didn’t call you on their lunch break when they said they would, and now an hour has passed and you’re feeling upset because you’re obviously not a high enough priority to them. When you catch yourself feeling this way, use the phrase:

“The story I’m telling myself is that they didn’t call me simply because I’m not a high enough priority to them.”

Then ask yourself:

1. Can I be absolutely certain this story is true?
2. How do I feel and behave when I tell myself this story?
3. What’s one other possibility that might also make the ending to this story true?

On the average day, I bet your answer to question #1 is “no,” and your answer to #2 is “not very good.” And I hope question #3 gets you doing more of … “I don’t know why they haven’t called yet, but maybe…”

• “…they’re extremely busy at work today and barely had a lunch break.”
• “…there was a misunderstanding and they were waiting for me to call them.”
• “…they forgot due to unforeseen distractions that popped up, but it’s nothing personal.”

“The story I’m telling myself…” and the three related questions gives you a tool for revisiting and reframing the troubling or confusing situations that arise in your daily life. From there you can challenge the stories you’re subconsciously telling yourself and reality-check them with a more objective mindset, which ultimately allows you to make better decisions about everything.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

On Being Human

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her signature book, If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, behavioral scientist and bestselling author Dr. Chérie Carter-Scott expands on the following:

Source: If Life is a Game, These are the Rules

Interview with Mary Patterson Thornburg

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome Mary Patterson Thornburg to my blog. Today, Mary shares interesting details about her creative journey and her new release, Luke Blackmon’s Rose.

Interview

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

To me, the best part by far is the wonderful, joyful high that sometimes happens when the writing takes off and soars, all by itself, and carries you along with it. This doesn’t happen frequently, but when it does it’s better than any drug anyone could possibly take, almost as good as falling in love. It’s worth every minute you’ve spent slogging forward, word by slow word, trying to get it right. Any writer who says this isn’t so is telling an untruth.

The worst part, for me, is drifting in the doldrums. This is just me, or anyway I hope so. I need assignments and deadlines because I’m lazy. Those long periods of windless calm are miserable. I cannot make myself move forward, and yet I’m the only one who can. I have spent weeks, months, and years in those sad latitudes.

Describe your writing space.

Hahaha! I would, but it would depress you. I know some writers want a beautiful room, full of light, their favorite objects, and wall hangings with inspirational quotes. They want compulsively neat files and books, windows looking out on gorgeous landscapes, etc. That’s fine. I’d just like to remind everyone that a lot of great writing has been done in jail cells.

Which authors have inspired you?

Many authors have inspired me and still do. Among them are two American women: Ursula K. Le Guin, who brought her immense talent and the great privilege of her childhood and education to the little-respected genre of science fiction, where she followed others in showing its value as a source of serious and elegant humanist literature. And Octavia E. Butler, who with courage and an iron core of self-confidence overcame the heavy burden of having been born a shy, awkward, dyslexic, working-class Black girl in the 1940s United States to write genre fiction that stands as tall and proud and important as Le Guin’s.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Yes. Write literately in your language. If you don’t already know how to do that, learn. Learn the rules, silly as you may find them, and learn how to use them before you decide you are good enough to break them. There was a time when editors would do some of that work for you, but that time is long gone. If you have something to say that’s worth saying, it’s worth learning how to say it so people can understand you, and that, after all, is what the rules are about: communicating thought and feeling through the symbols of letters and words and punctuation and sentences and paragraphs.

Read writing by people who write well. This may sound silly to you, but it works; I knew a man who learned to write this way, became a well-known professional writer, and made a very good living: Find paragraphs and pages of writing by excellent writers and copy them, in longhand (or printing, if you never learned longhand), or typing, word for word, punctuation mark for punctuation mark. Be mindful of what you’re copying. Read what you’re copying out loud; pause for the commas, stop for the periods. Stop and take a deep breath for the paragraph breaks. This is called pattern practice, and it works. Some writers are lucky enough to sort of absorb these patterns while they read, without thinking about what they’re doing. Some have to do it mindfully.

What are you working on next?

Not sure. I’m never sure. Wish me luck!

Blurb

To guard herself from the perils of her own sensuality, Rose married a man she didn’t love. Now, two years after his death, she’s not sure she can really love anyone. She’s not even sure she cares…

To achieve what he’d always known was his birthright, Luke had to struggle against tremendous odds. But when science discovered a way to access the past, a powerful bureaucracy found a way to use Luke. Now, torn from his own time, everything and everyone he knew, he can see no reason to go on living…

An instant of attraction, uninvited but inescapable, brings Luke and Rose together. Together, they discover the strength to love, the will to trust and hope. But will these things be enough to carry them over walls of suspicion, guilt, bigotry, and hate?

Excerpt

In 1930, he told her, he’d been in the midst of rehearsing a play in New York City. The play’s title, Dark Fancy, rang no bells for Rose. “Well,” Luke said, “it had a couple of wealthy backers, but the script was awkward. And the play wasn’t a good fit for the time. People were beginning to want something light, given the look of things. A lot of folks had money troubles that year. Maybe the play didn’t even open. They’d have had to find a new second lead, anyway… Or…” He frowned. “Or not, maybe. I don’t know.”

“You were the second lead?” she asked gently.

“Yes. Character called Tommy Carleton. His best friend was a man he’d known in college, a teammate, a white man, played by Roland Arnett… The actress playing the girl was colored, of course—quite light, but unmistakable. This was necessary, and that meant the Arnett character’s blindness was also necessary.” He laughed without much amusement.

“Oh, Luke. I’m sorry, but the whole play sounds terrible,” Rose said. “Melodramatic, big problems with logic, and a bad script on top of that? I’ll bet it didn’t open. I’ll look it up.”

“I’ve described it… Not badly. Unfairly, perhaps. There was more to it, more to the Arnett role, and Arnett is—was—great. Deservedly famous. And problems with logic? Of course, but quite realistic, weren’t they? The subject of race in this country is riddled with logical fallacies, always has been. Anyway, the play was exciting and controversial. Daring. Two years earlier and it would’ve packed them in. Even now—I mean in 1930—it would have had a decent run. If it opened.”

Author Bio and Links

Mary Patterson Thornburg has lived in California, Washington State, Montana, Indiana, and again, finally, in Montana. She was educated at Holy Names College, Montana State University, and Ball State University, where she then taught for many years. She’s been reading science fiction and fantasy since she was five, and when she began to write fiction it seemed only natural to write in those genres. Her literary heroes are Mary Shelley, who gave us all a metaphor for technology alienated from its creators, and Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler, inventors of worlds that shine their powerful searchlights on this one. She writes what some people call “science fantasy” (aka “fake science fiction) within as wide a range as possible, but almost always with a bit (or a lot) of romance.

Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Amazon Author Page

Giveaway

Mary Patterson Thornburg will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

Follow Mary on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.