Writing To The Finish

Struggling to put words on the page are what every writer goes through. It doesn’t matter if you have an idea of what you want to write, getting the words in the precise order is sometimes a problem. It’s what keeps some of us up at night. Over at The Blood Red Pencil, I discovered some interesting tips on helping writers get through the first draft and to the finish line.

English: Delfo Cabrera is winning marathon at ...

English: Delfo Cabrera is winning marathon at 1948 Olympic Summer Games (London). The photo was front page of Clarín, main Argentine newspaper, on August 14th, 1948. Español: Delfo Cabrera gana la maratón en los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1948 (London). La foto fue tapa de Clarín, principal periódico argentino, el 14 de agosto de 1948. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Writer’s Marathon

If you’re a fan of the Olympics like I am, writing during this time comes with its own set of challenges. I am also lucky enough this summer to be only an hour and a half outside of London. Now add to this mix that I am straining to run the writer’s version of the marathon – finish a first draft before I return home to family responsibilities in two weeks.Exciting times. Let me share with you ten things which I have learned to help you complete your first draft.10. Stop fixating on your word count. Just write your story. Easy to say; tricky to do.9. Resist the urge to hit that shiny delete button.

8. Remind yourself it’s your decision when to put your story in front of someone else’s eyes. Until then, it’s just you. But really …

7.5 Don’t show anyone your first draft. Trust me on this one.

7. Have a daily goal. It’s up to you how ambitious it is, but aim low. The glow of passing that goal could keep you warm on a frozen winter’s night.

6. Don’t compare your output to anyone else’s. There’s no win here. Again, trust me. Read more here.

Manifest Juicy, Juicy Love Today!

Manifest Juicy, Juicy Love Today!

By Lisa McCourt

JuicyFeels are the guided processes I teach in Juicy Joy training for shifting your energy to attract desired circumstances. In honor of Love-Month, I offer you a powerful JuicyFeel for establishing a deeply intimate connection with a lover. It will work for you whether you already have a romantic partner, or you’re simply ready to attract one. Enjoy!

JuicyFeel for Romantic Intimacy

  • Start by taking whatever steps you most enjoy taking to deeply relax. Purposefully switch out of mental head-space by gently stroking your skin and placing all your attention and focus on that pleasurable sensation.
  • Imagine you as your most ideal self, in a beautiful, serene nature setting. Wear something sexy and give yourself time to get totally pumped with the full-on recognition of your own wonderfulness.
  • In your completely private, lush, natural setting, spread a soft blanket on the ground and relax on the blanket, knowing your ideal lover is about to join you. You’re so excited, thinking about how much you thrill each other, feeling the rich energetic connection between you even when you’re not physically together. Relish the waiting, deliberately amping up your anticipation until the scrumptious tingle of sexual chemistry fills your whole body.
  • Imagine your lover approaching. If you already have a real-life partner that you want to increase intimacy with, imagine that person. If not, focus on the feeling of your lover’s energetic presence instead of trying to visualize any physical features.
  • Embrace your lover however feels best in your imagination. Breathe in your lover’s essence. Feel the electricity of your lover’s skin against yours. Sigh deeply. You are home.
  • Your lover has brought you a gift—the perfect gift that demonstrates a profound understanding of who you authentically are and what would most please you.
  • Accept this gift and allow yourself to be swept away with the flood of appreciation you feel for this person who sees you so clearly. Passionately express your appreciation, in whatever sensual manner feels best to you. Taste God in your beloved.
  • Wrapped in your lover’s arms, recognize how utterly free and alive you feel. You could do or say anything at all in this moment, knowing this person cherishes you, is irresistibly drawn to you, is curious about you, and is eager to witness the ever-evolving, full spectrum of your you-ness. You feel the same exhilarating intrigue about your beloved and every moment you spend together offers thrilling new aspects of one another to explore.
  • Your lover gazes adoringly into your eyes and whispers words to you—the perfect words you’ve always longed to hear.
  • You share a final, soul-igniting embrace, and your lover leaves, having been inspired to go do something exquisitely meaningful for you that again demonstrates a poignant understanding of your most uniquely authentic desires.
  • Blissed-out on the blanket, you bask in the joy and appreciation of having this amazing person in your life. You now know the love you’ve always dreamed of is possible. You can’t stop smiling.
  • While you’re still immersed in the yummy juice of this JuicyFeel, take a moment to answer these questions in your journal:
    • What was the gift your lover brought you?
    • What were the words your lover whispered to you?
    • What did your lover leave to do for you? 

The Truth about Your Ideal Lover

There’s a prerequisite for having the kind of Juicy-Joyful love relationship you just imagined. In order to love anyone else, you must first love yourself. And to have big, big, love in your life, you have to love yourself in a big, big way. Now that your subconscious has told you what the perfect gift for you would be, what the most perfect words you could ever hear would be, and what you’d most like done for you . . . guess who needs to take care of those things. 

You do. To attract your ideal lover, you need to become your ideal lover. Go buy yourself that gift. Write those words on your mirror, and say them to yourself daily. Whatever you’re waiting for a lover to do for you, go do it. Do all of these things for yourself in the spirit of big, big love—for you! Not because you aren’t going to get the real-life lover, but because the best way to attract that kind of relationship is to treat yourself, right now, the way you most want to be treated. 

The point I’m making here is not that you should do those things for yourself so that you won’t need the lover after all. I am a card-carrying believer that big, big love is your birthright and is available to anyone who’s willing to hold out for it and do the self-love work necessary to pull it in. The point is that everything in your life—most especially your romantic relationship—is providing a crystal-clear snapshot of how you’re feeling about you. If you’re in a lukewarm relationship, you have a lukewarm relationship with you. If you’re in a horribly unfulfilling relationship, you have a lot of work to do—on loving yourself. To my mind, the promise of the possibility for big, big love is the very most compelling reason to get serious about your authenticity and self-adoration. 

If you’d like the audio version of this JuicyFeel, embedded with powerful, subliminal self-love messages via Eldon Taylor’s patented InnerTalk technology, you can access it free (along with many others) when you pre-order Juicy Joy – 7 Simple Steps to Your Glorious, Gutsy Self. Details are at www.JuicyJoy.com

Happy Love-Month, my juicy friend! 

About the Author: Unconditional love expert Lisa McCourt is a dynamic speaker, seminar leader and author whose 34 books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. Her new book, Juicy Joy – 7 Simple Steps to Your Glorious, Gutsy Self, teaches people to embrace “radical authenticity” to fully experience unbridled joy in life. Lisa lives in South Florida with her two children. For a free Juicy Joy audio program, visit www.LisaMcCourt.com.

Haiku Day – Sunbeams

This image was written by Enthousiasme in Augu...

Image via Wikipedia

Today is day 10 of the WordCount 2011 Blogathon and we are required to post a haiku. I have never written a haiku. All I know is I am to use 5 syllables, then 7 syllables and finally 5 syllables. Let me know your thoughts.

Sunbeams in my eyes

reflections from the poolside

water refreshes.

Whew! I hope you understand it, I am not sure I do.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Ready for her close up

Image by karmafiend via Flickr

A Poem For Mom

For all that you have given me,
I can return but love. For you
Bound up the wounds I did not see
And gave me hopes and passions new.

I can return but love for you,
Whose unmoved faith my heart did move,
And gave me hopes and passions new,
And loved me till I turned to love.

Whose unmoved faith did my heart move?
The mother of my heart, not blood,
Who loved me till I turned to love.
And I became the soul I would.

The mother of my heart, not blood,
Bound up the wounds I did not see.
And I became the soul I would
For all that you have given me.