Category Archives: Inspiration

Movie Review: Song Sung Blue

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Song Sung Blue is based on the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a real-life Milwaukee couple who find love and unexpected success as the Neil Diamond tribute duo “Lighting & Thunder.”

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson deliver stellar performances as Mike and Claire. It is not surprising that Ms Hudson earned a Golden Globe nomination: her portrayal skillfully balances grit with vulnerability. Hopefully, Oscar nods will follow for both actors.

In the opening act, the two characters meet at a state fair. Claire, a divorced mom of two, delivers a solid impersonation of Patsy Cline. Mike, a Vietnam vet and twenty years sober, watches from the sidelines. Both are smitten, but what truly binds them is a shared passion for music. One of my favorite scenes finds them jamming in Claire’s kitchen, the room cluttered with everyday life as their voices rise together. Afterward, they talk about their dreams and hopes for the future.

Their tribute act—billed as a “Neil Diamond Experience”—starts small in local bars and garages but slowly grows into something extraordinary. Soon, they’re bringing crowds to their feet with classics like “Sweet Caroline,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Play Me.” A thrilling high point comes when they land a slot opening for Pearl Jam.

The film doesn’t shy away from hardship. Personal challenges and financial struggles follow when Claire is involved in a devastating car accident and faces a long, painful recovery. Their marriage and musical dreams take a back seat as survival takes center stage. Several poignant scenes between Mike and his stepdaughter Rachel (beautifully played by Ella Anderson) plunge this film into darker, deeper waters.

Overcoming these challenges strengthens this family’s bonds as they slowly bounce back from loss and tragedy. Inch by inch, they learn that resilience is less about triumph and more about staying present for each other.

Brimming with feel-good music and laughter through tears, this holiday pick-me-upper reminds us that it’s never too late to start anew.

A must-see film!


Welcoming the Winter Solstice

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Known as the UK’s best-selling living poet, Donna Ashworth first rose to prominence during the 2020 lockdown, when her poem “History Will Remember When the World Stopped” went viral and helped raise funds for the NHS. In the years since, her work has continued to resonate, offering reflections on resilience, connection, and hope.

Here’s one of my favorites…perfect for the season:



The Power of Training

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 enjoy receiving weekly doses of inspiration and motivation from a British writer and blogger named Lucy Mitchell. She has a delightful blogging voice that brings a smile and a thought-provoking pause to my day. Here’s an excerpt from a recent blog post:

For years, my social media feed has been a stream of writing advice, trending writer quotes and hacks on how to write more words. I have followed countless authors and writing coaches. I have spent hours celebrating their book successes, admiring their book covers, and appreciating their writing practices.

One day over the summer, I found myself spending more time scrolling through their feeds looking for motivation to write, but I wasn’t actually writing.

So, I made an odd decision. I started following professional athletes and filling up my social media feeds with their training vlogs. I still followed the authors, but I shifted my focus.

In my youth, I was a long-distance runner, so watching athletes train for the 800m and 1500m events felt like reconnecting with that younger version of myself. I started following GB athletes like Keely Hodgkinson, Georgia Hunter-Bell, Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie. I also followed American sprinters such as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

I began watching their training vlogs on YouTube and their Insta reels, where they discuss discipline and the mental battles they face. I admired their physical dedication, the way they tracked progress, and their calm acceptance of failure as part of the growth process. I admired them for showing up to train in the pouring rain, the suffocating heat, and the times when they faced personal issues off the track. They persevered through the training despite the challenges.

Soon, something shifted inside me.

Athletes made me view discipline in a new light. Watching athletes train reframed discipline for me. They don’t just “feel like” going to training, they go because that’s who they are. Their discipline isn’t glamorous; it’s about repetition, consistency, and patience, in all weathers. Writing is not glamorous. I write books, and they often feel like marathons. My books require me to show up regularly, not when I feel like it.

Progress became about progress, not about perfection. Athletes celebrate small milestones, such as shaving off a second or two, achieving a better sprint, overcoming the little things in the finish, and improving their running style. I started celebrating the little wins with my writing. It became less about the outcome and more about the process.

The Power of Training. I have started viewing my writing sessions as my own form of training with adequate periods of rest afterwards. Instead of searching for motivation, I have begun building discipline. Instead of waiting for creativity to strike, I have trained for it.

Writing is a sport of endurance and a test of patience and mental toughness. It’s about showing up every day and trusting that repetition makes us stronger.

You can follow Lucy here.

Sharing Mermaid Wisdom

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Collecting quotations has always been one of my favorite hobbies. Back in the pre-computer days, I used to jot them down on little slips of paper and toss them into a desk drawer. Once a month, I would type them up and file them in a special folder. These days, I use Pinterest and Goodreads to save my favorite quotations, but the feeling is the same: there’s something satisfying about capturing words that say exactly what I’ve been thinking or feeling.

Continue reading on Kelly Brakenhoff’s blog.

Saying “NO” to Some Really Good Things

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:

We all have opportunities and obligations, but a healthy and productive routine can only be found in the long run by properly managing your yeses. And yes, sometimes you have to say “no” to really good opportunities and obligations. You can’t always be agreeable — that’s how people take advantage of you. And that’s how you end up taking advantage of yourself, too. You have to set clear boundaries!

You might have to say no to certain favors, work projects, community associations, church activities, volunteer groups… coaching your kid’s sports teams, or some other seemingly worthwhile activity. I know what you’re thinking: it seems unfair to say no when these are very worthwhile things to do — it pains you to say no! But you must, because the alternative is that you’re going to do a poor job at each one, be stressed out, feel like you’re stuck in an endless cycle of busyness, and eventually you’ll reach a breaking point.

Truth be told, the main thing that keeps so many of us stuck in a debilitating cycle of overwhelm is the fantasy in our minds that we can be everything to everyone, everywhere at once, and a hero on all fronts. But again, that’s not reality. The reality is you’re not Superman or Wonder Woman — you’re human and you have limits. So, you have to let go of that idea of doing everything, pleasing everyone, and being everywhere.

In the end, you’re either going to do a few things well or everything poorly.

Now it’s YOUR turn…

Yes, it’s your turn to embrace the difference between being committed to the right things and being overcommitted to everything. It’s your turn to leave space on your calendar, to keep your life ordered and your schedule under-booked, and to create a foundation with a soft place to land, a wide margin of error, and room to think and breathe.

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

Living Freely and Lightly

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:

Living freely and lightly in the “unforced rhythms of grace” sounds good, doesn’t it? I’m sure you have had enough heavy stuff in your life. I have, too, and I want to live freely. It’s nice to know that with God, we don’t have to worry about things, figure everything out, or carry the burdens in our lives.

It is refreshing to realize that we don’t need to know everything about everything. We can get comfortable with saying, “I don’t know the answer to this dilemma, and I’m not going to worry about anything because God is in control, and I trust in him. I’m going to rest in Him and live freely and lightly.”

Worry isn’t restful at all. In fact, it steals rest and the benefits of rest from us. The next time you feel you are carrying a heavy burden in your mind or find yourself worried or anxious, remember that you can live freely and lightly with God’s help.

Source: Quiet Times with God by Joyce Meyer

Evaluate Your Daily Habits

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 most meaningful results you will ever achieve in your life — the milestones, the relationships, the love, the lessons — come from the little things you do repeatedly, every single day.

Regardless of your unique talents, knowledge, life circumstances, or how you personally define success, you don’t suddenly become successful. You become successful over time based on your willingness to try again and again — to create little daily habits that amass gradual progress, through thick and thin.

So, what do your little daily habits look like?

You really have to sort this out and get consistent with what’s right for you on a daily basis. Because failure occurs in the same way — it’s gradual. All your little daily failures (those that you don’t learn and grow from) come together and cause you to fail big. Think in terms of running a business:

You keep failing to check the books.

You keep failing to make the calls.

You keep failing to listen to your customers.

You keep failing to innovate.

You keep failing to do the little things that need to be done.

Then one day you wake up and your whole business has failed. It was all the little things you did or didn’t do on a daily basis — your habits — not just one inexplicable, catastrophic event.

Now, think about how this relates to your life: your life is your “business!”

Too often people overestimate the significance of one big defining moment and underestimate the value of making good choices and small steps of progress on a daily basis.

Don’t be one of them!

Keep reminding yourself that almost all of the results in your life — positive and negative alike — are the product of many small decisions made over time.
The little things you do today, and tomorrow, and the next day, truly matter!

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

Halfway There

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 poem from Kate Baer:

Halfway There

Whatever happens,
you are free to go. Free
to peel off what’s left of this story and choose
another. It is not
too late
It is definitely worth the trouble.

Remember the story of the lion
lost without his courage.
Too scared, full of fury,
the great wizard
standing in the emerald tower
knowing the lion was already brave.

The Secret Ingredient to Finding Your Writing Voice

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

(Hint: It’s Not What You Think)

I’m happy to welcome author J.H. Jones. Today, she shares her experiences with writing groups and her recent release, From Draft to Craft.

Here’s J.H. Jones!

I’ve belonged to several writing groups over the years. With each group, I’ve been privileged to learn something important about the craft of writing or the business of being an author. But in 2024, the feedback process with my writing buddies dramatically shifted my work.

Let me be clear: there was no miraculous moment where violins played in the background and my fingers suddenly wrote perfect sentences and my brain came up with flawless plots. What happened was I developed my writing voice.

My writing voice reflects my unique personality, experiences, word choices and purpose. A writing voice isn’t something you learn from a book or in a webinar. Instead, it’s about gaining an understanding of your authentic self, coming to acceptance, and exposing it with intention on the page.

Before joining writing groups and online communities, I wrote sporadically in isolation, second-guessing every word, making assumptions about what people wanted to read, and trying to fit into certain story categories that I didn’t even like.

But something magical happened when I started sharing my work and reading the manuscripts of fellow writers. I realized what made a story interesting to me, and I learned what writing skills I was good at.

Through my writing buddies’ eyes, I saw patterns in my writing I’d never noticed before—the rhythms that felt natural to me, the subjects that made my stories come alive, the characters who tugged at my heart, the moments where my authentic self glowed. And just as importantly, I learned from their work. Even though my buddies’ styles differed from mine, each manuscript I read opened a new door, leading me to different approaches, varied techniques, and countless possibilities I’d never considered.

Thanks to my writing group, I started reading more widely instead of focusing on what I thought I should read. I also experimented with my writing. I tried new genres and formats, and tested various points of view. Some attempts fell flat, but others touched my writing buddies.

And to my delight, my jottings sparked something genuine inside myself, something that felt like me. With each experiment, I moved closer to discovering what I really wanted to say and how I wanted to say it—in other words, my writing voice.

Today, my writing voice is still a work in progress. Yet, my confidence is growing with every story I get down on paper. And I’ve learned an important lesson: the more I write, the clearer my voice becomes. It’s like tuning an instrument—each writing session brings me closer to the right pitch, the right tone, the authentic sound that is uniquely mine.

My writing buddies have been essential to me on this journey. They see potential in my work that I can’t always see myself, and they remind me to keep going when doubt creeps in.

If you’re searching for your writing voice, my advice is this: find your group or community and exchange your works-in-progress, write as often as you can, and be patient with yourself. Your voice is already there, waiting to be discovered. It just takes practice, some writing-buddy support, and your personal courage to keep showing up to the page.

J.H. Jones Bio

J.H. Jones (she/her) is the author of The Write Group, which helps writers tap into the power of writing groups, and From Draft to Craft: A New Writer’s Guide to Feedback which helps writers with the feedback process. For creative fiction, she experiments with dark gothic-vibe stories and paranormal romance, while she works on her debut gothic horrormance set in New York State in the 1850s. Visit her at www.jhjones-author.com and connect with her on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram.

You can purchase her latest nonfiction ebook, From Draft to Craft, here: