Fantastic advice for aspiring writers! :) Read on, my friends.
This month I finally achieved my long-held dream of becoming a published author. And I have to say, it’s been pretty sweet so far. Seeing my book in stores, hearing from fans, setting out on a national tour that took me everywhere from Brooklyn to Atlanta to Brooklyn—these experiences are the…
The following blogs are participating in the 2010 Summer Blog Challenge.
Critically Acclaimed - JBrady
Pocket Susan - Susan B.
Finding Focus - Richard Dedor
Waiting on the World to Change… - Tara Kermiet
Exchanging Keys - Regina Lattimore
Droplets: Even the Ocean Was Created by Rain - Kelly McDowell
Enjoy, and Happy Reading!
-JBrady
Bloggers Unite!
Susan and I have created a Summer 2010 blog challenge, and you’re welcome to participate if you’d like!
To participate in the Weekly Summer Posts Challenge, bloggers must post at least one blog entry during each week, starting May 30 and continuing through September 4. For the purposes of the challenge, the blog entry must be posted anytime between Sunday at noon - Friday at midnight. Simply uploading a video, picture, quote, or link will not count for this challenge - the blog post should be something the blogger wrote (although bloggers are welcome to include videos, pictures, links, and quotes in addition to their writing). Participating bloggers are encouraged to read and comment on each other’s weekly posts, to add more motivation.
Want to join the challenge? We’ll create a running list in a post on our individual blogs of all participants. Simply send your blog name and address my way, and we’ll include you in the running list, too!
Hooray for writing!
This post is part of the Blog Tour for Richard Dedor’s new book, Anything is Possible. Want to learn more about Richard? Visit his blog, Finding Focus & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!
Writing this book, Anything is Possible has been an inspiring trek for myself and those who worked on this project with me. My three wonderful editors have (at least I hope they have) been inspired by not only my work and vision, but by their involvement in shaping the final product. The journey was long and even painful at times, but in the end, we arrived at something I believe can change your life. But first… what does it mean to be inspired?
I sat down for coffee with one of my editors about a month ago in Des Moines, Iowa. Karith was my tenth grade English teacher, and the woman who first got me involved in competitive speech. She will always be Mrs. Humpal to me. It was Karith who pushed me to join the team, and ultimately earn All-State honors my first year out. I tend to believe she saw something in me, and through my success, my classmates saw something as well. The following year our team nearly doubled in size. Did I inspire that? Maybe.
As I pulled out a proof copy of the book, I saw Karith holding back her tears. She was so excited. I am sure it is how I looked when I got my first copy in the mail. A year of my life in 170 pages. My heart and soul on the pages; words that I hope will inspire change in your life, just as they have mine.
A recent inspirational quote from JBrady’s Qwotable Twitter feed reads, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams
Holding the book in one hand, Karith reached over and patted my knee, and I could see the pride in her eyes. What was once one of her students is now a published author. I guess that means that anything is possible!
Certainly you have it in you to do one of the four tasks Adams mentioned. Dream. Learn. Do. Become.
This journey of writing and publishing this book has shown me that anything really is possible. It has proven that if you dream, if you are honest and hard-working, good things can happen.
To be inspired means to be moved by something so you take action. You do something. You work to achieve something – anything. It’s simple, but life changing. Each and every one of you has it. I believe it to my very core.
If you dream, if you learn, if you do, if you become, you will inspire.
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Want to win a FREE copy of Richard Dedor’s book, Anything is Possible? Send your name, email address, and favorite motivational quote my way via email. Two lucky winners will receive one copy of Anything is Possible!
UPDATE: Congratulations Carly Wells and Kyle Matthews, recipients of the Critically Acclaimed Anything is Possible book giveaway!
Critically Acclaimed is proud to host my close friend, Richard Dedor tomorrow (March 4, 2010), with a guest post designed to inspire! Stop by tomorrow to get inspired, and have a chance to win one of two copies of his book, Anything Is Possible!
| — | James Barrie |
| — | Mary Beth Caschetta, in her article: Considering a Writing Program’s Worth - The Chronicle of Higher Education |
Yahoops! - A lesson in grammar
Around 10am EST on July 30, Yahoo’s homepage included this fantastic gem. Yahoo promptly removed the mistake by 10:30am.
Can you spot the error in the screen shot above?
Priceless.
Barack Obama, A Stickler for Pronunciation
…yet another reason to love the man! This video (with Lee’s accompanying article on Politico) demonstrates President Obama’s respect for others’ names, cultures, and languages, which contributes greatly to his charisma and charm. I respect his sensitivity to diversity, and his thoughtfulness, and hope that these qualities rub off on a few of his political colleagues.
Perhaps he’s read Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss? (The hilarious illustrated edition is sitting on my bookshelf, and I am waiting ever-so-patiently to read the book when I have some spare time.)
