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Catalyst News
Archive
OCTOBER,
NOVEMBER,
DECEMBER
2008
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Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
31 October, 2008
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Lots for writers this time, as the dark nights draw in and
you feel the yearning to put pen to paper I have good news
on how to get your work seen by a major UK publisher. This
has turned into a bit of an online issue as so many stories
have come in over the last week about even the most revered
of writers going digital, and it may surprise you to see who
has embraced the new technology. Plus, interesting news for
women on what colours really attract men - at least so the
psychologists tell us, and then spend some of those winter
evenings huddled round your radio - Horlicks optional. Best
wishes for your continuing love of life, creativity, and all
the gifts your life brings you - AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR WRITERS
- ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH GOES ONLINE
- RESPONSIBLE MEDIA?
- WOMEN WHO WEAR RED....
- STRETCH YOUR BRAIN - OPEN YOUR EARS
CREATIVITY CLIPS:
- Writing on the phone
- Self Publishing Success
ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR WRITERS
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One of the most difficult things for new writers is to get
their work in front of a publisher or agent. The dreaded
and notorious 'slush pile' system where unsolicicited
manuscripts land on the desks of publishers and agents
every day and the chances of them even being read within
6 months can be slim is a major obstacle for new writers.
A breakthrough came with blogs, where aspiring, and published,
writers started putting their material out on the web and
several books were picked up this way by leading publishers
and sharp-eyed agents.
Now, there is another way and it just got better for new
writers. Major mainstream publisher HarperCollins in the
UK, have just launched a dedicated website to encouraage
unpublished writers to display their work.
Authonomy.com is the place to go and what you get is the
opportunity to upload 10,000 words or more of your book
directly onto their site and receive feedback on your work
from the online community - and have it seen by potential
agents and editors. In addition to the 10,000 words, you
also get the opportunity to not just upload your work, but
also to create a pitch for it, and use the site as a
springboard to launch your book into the world.
Your work will be read by anyone who visits the site,
and they get to give feedback and rank your work. That's
important, because the HarperCollins editorial team will
review the top ranking work on the site - so it's a to
bypass the slush pile and get your work in front of someone
who could actually be in a position to publish you.
How it works is that anyone can sign up as a member of the
site, readers and writers alike. Then, each authonomy member
is offered a bookshelf with five spaces to be filled with
their favourite book projects from the site. These spaces
then earn the member points, depending on the subsequent
popularity of the book. In this way, it's the talent-spotting
readers who top the authonomy charts who are celebrated, as
well as the books themselves.
The site was launched on a trial basis in Spring this year
and Victoria Barnsley, Chief Executive and Publisher at
HarperCollins had this to say about it last month: "There
is already a loyal and active community of would-be writers
on authonomy.com and that's before the proper launch. I'm
really impressed at both the quality of the writing on the
site and at how supportive and constructive the group is.
At HarperCollins, we are always looking for new talent and
this is another way for us to find it."
Writers have certainly embraced the idea with enthusiasm,
as Tony Parsons' comments show: "For any aspiring writer,
the hardest thing in the world is getting someone to give
you your very first chance. Nobody in the world seems to
care. But here is the first chance. The chance to be read,
to be noticed, to be criticised, to be encouraged to keep
on writing. It's a brilliant idea, a wonderful way to give
new writers that first chance, and I urge any would-be
authors to take it."
I know a lot of people have interesting life stories, and
yet over the last few years the mainstream publishers have
backed away from non-celebrity books which I believe is a
great shame, as the public is certainly interested in them.
This is clear from the positive feedback being received on
the site by Mary Gould, who has decided to tell her story
of contracting polio, aged 19, coming close to death,
spending months in an iron lung, and becoming permanently
paralysed as a result. Her story tells how she has gone
on to recover lead a fulfilling and active life and says:
"as a senior citizen I have felt a continuous pressure to
write my story and reflect on it as it seems to me
astonishing".
If you have a story to tell, then this could be the place
to tell other people about it. The website is
www.authonomy.com
ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH GOES ONLINE
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He is one of the best -loved and prolific writers of our
time, and whether you warm to the heat of Africa and the
triumphs and trials of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency,
or the more refined, and greyer setting of his 44 Scotland
Street series set in his beloved Edinburgh you have always
been able to stroll to the library, or your nearest bookshop,
to get a copy. Now - in conjunction with the Daily Telegraph
- he has leaped into the 21st century with his first foray
into online writing - and you get to tell him what you think
about it.
Corduroy Mansions, the title of his latest novel, is the
name of an unassuming large house in London's Pimlico,
inhabited by his usual fascinating assortment of characters
and one dog, The date of the building is indeterminate, but
there are Arts and Craft features that point to the very
late nineteenth century and it is believed to have been
built as an asylum, or possibly a school, or a mansion block.
In fact, nothing is known about the building's history,
although it does feature in a guide to the architecture of
Pimlico. It is described there as "a building of no interest
whatsoever". The nickname Corduroy Mansions was given in
jest by a fashionable person, and stuck.
So instead of strolling to your bookshop, nip over to your
computer for Corduroy Mansions, where each day you can read
about online, or listen as Andrew Sachs reads the latest
chapter each weekday. So enjoy Mr Sachs, and Mr Smith, by
going to this page: http://tinyurl.com/5w38mr or just visit
www.telegraph.co.uk and type Corduroy Mansions into search box
and you will get the same result- a free opportunity to hear
some fine writing and tell the author what you think about it.
RESPONSIBLE MEDIA?
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The furore that has erupted this week over the phone calls
made to Andrew Sach's answering machines by Russell Brand
on the Jonathan Ross show has raised several interesting
issues. I worked in television for many years, and have
observed with growing distaste the new fashion for
adversarial and insulting presenters - of which Ross is
certainly one. Russell Brand is the 'high priest' of this
type of approach and like all things it's personal taste
- at least he is honest in his appearances and you know
exactly what you are going to get - it's why he's not on
my 'must watch' list but I know he is fashionable and popular.
'Baiting' has become the new style for our media,
the old interested and respectful approach of wanting to
know something of interest about the interviewee has died
the death n a culture that celebrates shock and celebrity
in equal measures. It's not about what you do that
contributes to the world, but what hidden secrets can we
dig out and display for the public.
I have seen television in particular move into the
gladiatorial arena more and more where the sole object
is ratings and preferably humiliation for those who are
desperate enough to want fame at any price. Everyone
has secrets, all families have struggles, but under the
guise of 'wanting to know' and a spurious wave at 'healing'
we have been forced to become participants in other peoples
pain under the guise of entertainment.
Well, I am not amused, and neither were the 18,000 plus
people who complained to the BBC - an all time record.
For me it's not about what was said, that approach of the
giggling, sniggering schoolboy has long been with us, what
concerns me is the complete abdication of responsibility
by those concerned. In June 2005, Jonathan became Jonathan
Ross OBE, and was voted the most powerful man in broadcasting.
He is not a bystander with no power, he was fully aware of
what was being done, and as the programme was recorded and
not live could have insisted it be edited out and dealt with.
He chose not to, and interestingly although Brand has resigned
from his radio programme Ross stands firm. His agenda is the
promotion of himself, something clear from all his interviews
with 'celebrities' which are dragged back time and time again
to focus on him. With power - which he has in plenty - comes
responsibility and that is now the missing link in broadcasting
for me. We are all responsible for our actions and their
consequences, and if it applies to you and me then even more
so does it apply to those with the ability to influence and
connect with people on a global scale. I am all for freedom
of speech, but freedom to harass and abuse doesn't come within
that category for me
WOMEN WHO WEAR RED....
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Women spend millions worldwide on making themselves attractive
to men, and yet they could simplify it by paying attention to
a few simple rules about colour. Men, unwittingly, may already
know what one of those are and buy into it every St Valentine's
Day, but now there is scientific proof. The Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology broke the news on Tuesday
that a brand new study by two University of Rochester
psychologists shows that 'The Lady In Red' was not just a
popular love song, but a demonstration of what really turns
men on.
Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology, and Daniela Niesta,
post-doctoral researcher, undertook five psychological
experiments that demonstrated that the colour red makes men
feel more amorous toward women, but they are totally unaware
of it. Well obviously the association with red and romance
has been around a long time, and across many cultures but
these scientists, with the age old agenda of 'proving' and
demystifying something most people just take for granted,
have shown that colour affects behaviour. Well actually chaps,
there is a whole 'new age' theory of colour healing that has
been around a while, but I don't expect they go in much for
work outside the lab.
What they found in their experiments is that men's response
to red goes all the way back to our primitive ancestors and
our cousins the apes look for their partners when the girls
are displaying red as they near ovulation - a clear signal
that they are ready to mate.
Despite men's claims to the contrary, at heart they are as
primitive as they ever were - whatever happened to the New
Man? In the study men were first shown photographs of the
same women in different coloured frames and asked "How pretty
do you think this person is?" The women wore different
coloured clothing, including red. Next, the men were asked
"Imagine that you are going on a date with this person and
have $100 in your wallet. How much money would you be willing
to spend on your date?" Without exception, the women shown
framed by or wearing red were rated significantly more
attractive and sexually desirable by men, even though the
same women appeared in other photographs and other colours.
When wearing red, the woman was also more likely to be invited
out and have more money spent on her.
The researchers tried the same effect on women with similar
photographs of men, but it appears the 'red effect' only
works on men. Interestingly, it also only applies to how
the men rate the women's attractiveness and had no effect
on how they rated them in terms of likeability, intelligence
or kindness. Now that explains a favourite song of my mine
from the sixties - maybe it's time to get out those high-heeled
sneakers and put on my red dress if I want to be going out
tonight!
STRETCH YOUR BRAIN - OPEN YOUR EARS
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How do we develop as human beings? By being curious, open
to new experiences and information and willing to stretch
our brains. Sadly, as we get older we get challenged less
and less as we tend to follow familiar paths - comfortable,
but not the best way to start thinking in a new way.
Next week, if you get yourself near a radio you have an
opportunity to do just that - and to keep on doing it for
the weeks to come. BBC Radio 3 is hosting the Free Thinking
Festival of ideas. It will include drama, debate and lectures
from a series of radical individuals all eager to upset your
point of view. Contributors include Alexei Sayle, Will Self
and Trevor Phillips who will find themselves with unlikely
bedfellows like Ian Paisley and asking questions like 'do
computers make us stupid?' and 'is privacy dead?'. One
programme I am definitely looking forward to is 'The Verb'
which showcases new writing in a cabaret including Angie
Clarke who is the writer-in-residence for the festival.
Tune that dial from Friday 30th October through to Friday
the 7th and get that old grey matter expanded. If you
satellite TV, you can listen to it from there without all
that pesky interference if, like me, you live on the edge
of a cliff where radio reception still depends on atmospheric
conditions and those nice people over in France!
CREATIVITY CLIPS
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1 Writing on the phone - no it is not a misprint, I really
do mean it. If you find it difficult sitting down at your
desk to write, then take inspiration from the success of
Canadian author Cheryl Kaye Tardiff. She is a woman who
obviously doesn't spend time sitting at a desk and is writing
a novel using her new iPhone 3G (a very fancy mobile indeed,
which comes with a notes application for writing). She is
already a successful author in the fantasy/thriller genre -
which I imagine she wrote more conventionally. The iphone
novel is about a teenage girl and will be called Finding Bliss.
So don't tell me you can't find time to write - you could be
using your mobile for more productive tasks than just ringing
home from the supermarket to find out what brand of washing
powder you are supposed to be buying! For more information on
Cheryl, visit www.cherylktardif.com
2 Self Publishing Success - First time authors in the
mainstream publishing world often don't get more than
3-5000 copies of their first book printed - and often far
less than that sold. Susan Zimmer, US author, beats that
into a cocked hat with her first self-published book 'I
Love Coffee!' She wrote her book to be a gift style book
and has so far sold 50,000 copies (40,000 in English and
10,000 in French) in just over 4 years. Not only that,
her success meant she was approached by literary agent
Albert Zuckerman who landed her a deal with a major US
publisher and she has her third book waiting to be published
in 2009. Not bad for a beginner?!
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Any questions, comments or criticisms? I love to hear
your views, and your experience or items in the newsletter
so do please do contact me either via my website:
http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/ or email
to anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
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Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
17 October, 2008
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Anxiety, worry and stress seem to have been on the menu for
all of us in the last few weeks, so I thought I would offer
you some practical tips for dealing with stress and some
thoughts on manifestation to bring more abundance (of all
kinds) into your life. First we start with a definition of
creativity, from one of the most innovatively creative men
in the world, in the hope it helps you make sense of what
may be a confusing and chaotic situation by using a freely
available resource to maximum effect. A lot on the mind,
literally, this time so sit back, enjoy, and let me know
what you think. Best wishes for your continuing love of
life, creativity, and all the gifts your life brings you
- AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
- THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF
- THE MIND-CONTROLLED CELL PHONE
- THE POWER OF INTENTION
- CREATIVITY COFFEE BREAK
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
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Steven P.Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, once defined
creativity as "just connecting things." Now that sounds
incredibly simple doesn't it, but then all true creativity
has the simplest of focuses and if you have trouble
'connecting things' you may be missing out on a vital
resource - sleep.
According to a certain Dr. Ellenbogen (you couldn't make
that name up could you?) of Harvard University we are
seriously downplaying the role that sleep plays. We tend
to think of the sleeping brain as similar to a computer
that has "gone to sleep" and that it's just resting, and
not being productive. But, we are wrong because sleep
enhances performance, learning and memory. This is where
Steve Jobs comes in, and I imagine he must be a 'sleep
master', as sleep improves our creative ability and to
generate those aha! moments when solutions and new ideas
seem to pop into our minds from nowhere.
Having deep, regular and enough sleep assists the brain
in flagging seemingly unrelated ideas and memories, and
then uncover novel connections and forge connections among
them. That greatly increases the odds that a creative idea
or insight will surface - which is presumably where the
iphone and the ipod came from.
Some people have vivid dreams that they hastily write down
on awakening which give them a great idea - I once dreamed
I was writing the opening page of a best-selling novel and
saw each word as it went down on the page. I knew it was
brilliant and woke up smiling and delighted, but sadly only
got the first sentence down before the whole thing vanished
from my memory. However, it seems that some psychologists
think that it may be better to let those vivid dreams sit
a while in your consciousness and keep on 'cooking'.
Incubation is crucial to creativity and sleep may help
the brain process a problem - 'sleeping on it' is not a
passive process. Your brain is at work, refining, making
connections and helping you to come up with a more fully
formed idea or plan.
Think this is all hooey? Well in 1924, the inventor Elias
Howe had invented - after much frustration - an automated
sewing machine which used a needle with an eye in the
middle which was not working satisfactorily. Howe dreamed
that he was being attacked by painted warriors brandishing
spears with holes in the sharp end and he went on to patent
a new design based on the dream spears; by the time the
patent expired in 1867, he had earned more than $2 million
in royalties.
In the creative world it's acknowledged that sleep doesn't
make an uncreative person creative, but it will expand the
creativity available to them. Mark Holmes is an art
director at Pixar Animation Studios who worked on the
film "Wall-E" and he is a powerful advocate for the
benefits of sleep. He says: "It's more that sleep brings
a change of approach, you can get tunnel vision when you're
hammering away at a problem. You keep going down this same
path, again and again, just tweaking, making incremental
changes at best. Sleep erases that. It resets you. You
wake up and realize -- wait a minute! -- there is another
way to do this."
Internet giant Google certainly sees the benefits of rested
employees and actually installed EnergyPods, leather
recliners with egglike hoods that block noise and light,
for employees to take naps at work. Winston Churchill
extolled the benefits of the catnap and I am sure he
would have liked the sound of those leather recliners.
If you are stressed, then taking a catnap during the day
can help refresh and de-stress you. We all need some quiet
time to get a new perspective on a situation.
The current financial crisis interesting is being linked
- particularly in the US - a culture that applauds employees
working long hours and taking work home. The '3am' email is
seen as a sign of dedication and ambition, but some
psychologists are saying that people who are constantly
sleep-deprived are not able to make the best decisions.
Major financial centres have to be alert for markets
opening in different time zones all around the world
and employees can be working long and unsocial hours.
As one expert commented last week: "Maybe we could have
avoided the crisis we are in now if these people had just
gotten proper sleep."
Don't we all just wish, and whatever 'crisis' is going on
in your life getting deep, regular and sustaining sleep
will help you solve it more creatively so up the apples
and pears to Bedfordshire with you.
THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF
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One of the most enduring platforms of the self-development
movement over the past five years has been that you
create your own reality by what you think. Now you have
either subscribed to this or not, but now there is a new
book out which documents stunning scientific discoveries
about the biochemical effects of the brain's functioning
- and guess what, they show that all the cells of your
body are affected by your thoughts.
Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., a renowned cell biologist, has
described in his new book 'The Biology of Belief' the
precise molecular pathways through which this process
occurs. He is calling it the new science of Epigenetics
and shows how it is revolutionizing our understanding of
the link between mind and matter, and the profound effects
it has on our personal lives and the collective life of
mankind. The research done by Dr. Lipton and other
leading-edge scientists, explains in layman's terms the
discoveries that have been made about the interaction
between your mind and body, and the processes by which
cells receive information.
The implications of this research radically change our
understanding of life. It shows that genes and DNA do
not control our biology; but instead, DNA is controlled
by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic
messages emanating from our positive and negative thoughts.
Or in other words, if you expect the worst outcome, you
will generally get it. I have talked for years about how
our bodies 'listen' to our speech and respond to our
negative self-talk. The body believes what you tell it,
indeed it thinks that when you say, 'oh well, I don't
expect I will get the job' then that's what you really
want so it sets up the circumstances for it to happen.
Now instead of being a 'new age hippy' I am apparently
up there with the scientists - my mother would never
have believed it!
We are by nature a 'questing' species and one of the
most enduring and powerful ideas that has occupied both
scientists and theologians alike is the 'missing link'
between life and consciousness. The idea that DNA encodes
all of life's development is being successfully employed
in genetic engineering, but simultaneously we are all
too aware that we have to address the ethical and spiritual
questions that this now poses.
Bruce Davies shows just how emotions regulate our genetic
expression and that you are not a prisoner of your genes
but can redirect your thoughts positively to see the result
you wish to achieve. It's entirely up to you you can create
a different reality by focusing on it. Whether what you want
is more abundance, better health, or improved relationships,
then you have in your power the ability to live a life
overflowing with peace, happiness, and love. Of course I
am not saying that 'wishing and hoping' will get you what
you want, you also have to take action, but that action
must start with your thoughts being in alignment with what
you want to create.
'The Biology of Belief' is being hailed as one of the major
breakthroughs in the New Sciences and provides a synthesis
of the latest and best research in the field of new biology
by revealing the molecular mechanism bridging the mind-body
connection. Read it and see how to inspire your spirit,
engage your mind, and challenge your creativity as you
retrain your consciousness to create healthy beliefs, the
very best way to create a positive effect on your body
and your life. Let's leave the last word to the author:
"The intention behind this book is to translate the
significance of this leading-edge science so that it is
accessible to the lay audience. It is my sincerest hope
that you will recognize that many of the beliefs propelling
your life are false and self-limiting and you will be
inspired to change those beliefs. Understanding on a
scientific level how cells respond to your thoughts and
perceptions illuminates the path to personal empowerment.
The insights we gain through this new biology unleash the
power of consciousness, matter, and miracles."
'The Biology of Belief' by Bruce Lipton is pubished by
Hay House and if you buy from their website they are
offering the chance to win a trip to see him speak at
the I Can Do It! Conference in San Diego. For more
informaiton, go to their site at
http://promos.hayhouse.com/lipton/100708email/
THE MIND-CONTROLLED CELL PHONE
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As a teenager I loved reading science fiction, and one
of the most amazing things as I have got older is seeing
so many of the ideas that were first written about in
the classic stories of the 1930's and 1940's by great
writers like Philip K Dick and Ray Bradbury are now a
reality. I can't remember if they wrote about a cell
phone that could read your brain waves, and act on it
- but it's now here.
NeuroSky is a venture company based in San Jose,
California and they have produced a prototype of a
system that reads brain waves with a sensor and uses
them for mobile phone applications. The sci-fi element
continues as the sensor makes contact with a point on
the user's forehead, Star Trek fans will have no problem
visualising this, and it works by reading brain waves
and from that can measure the degrees of your brain's
relaxation and concentration levels. The data can be
displayed on the screen of a mobile phone - and it can
also be used to control the movement of a video game
character to where you want them to go on the screen.
The greater the level on concentration you show from
your brain waves, then the more quickly the character
moves. Now I get it, it's to help bored executives play
games just by thinking about it while apparently working!
The big but for me, and it is a big one, is we already
know that there are a number of health dangers associated
with mobile phones and I don't see how adding this in
will reduce the risk any - in fact I would have thought
it would make it worse.
This new type of sensor technology is already in use
for medical purposes, but NeuroSky has already sold
development kits to home game console makers and game
software developers, and this could be the start of a
massive commercial operation. Your new style phone
headset could also be used in the future to control
your tv at home - just think about relaxing with
Eastenders and on will come the TV. Is this really
progress?
THE POWER OF INTENTION
As the ancient Indian sages observed thousands of years
ago, our destiny is shaped by the deepest level of our
intention and desire. Once we plant the seed of an
intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality,
our soul's journey unfolds automatically, as naturally
as a bulb becomes a tulip or an embryo becomes a child.
To further boost your belief in the power of your thoughts,
this centuries old verse from the Hindu holy text the
Upanishads is almost a 'route map' of how to manifest
the whole process from thought to deed to destiny:
"You are what your deepest desire is.
As your desire is, so is your intention.
As your intention is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny."
Intention is the starting point of every spiritual path,
and indeed for the success of any venture. It is the
force that fulfills all of our needs, whether for money,
relationships, spiritual awakening, or love. Intention
generates all the activities in the universe. Everything
that we can see - and even the things we cannot - are
an expression of intention's infinite organizing power.
I thought I would offer you a meditation to help you
focus your intention, and this one comes from Deepak
Chopra who has made such an outstanding contribution
to our understanding of the whole mind-body connection.
San Kalpa (sahn KAL-pah) is an ancient Sanskrit sutra
that means "My intentions have infinite organizing power.
" When you enter a meditative state and repeat this sutra,
you strengthen the power of your intentions". Here is how
Deepak Chopra suggests you use it:
Spend a few minutes in meditation, allowing your mind
to settle. Now imagine that the entire universe is a
vast ocean of consciousness and that your intentions
emerge from your heart and ripple out into this ocean,
where they are fulfilled with effortless ease. Then say
silently to yourself, "San Kalpa."
For every intention, whether for healing, a new relationship,
wealth, or opportunity, envision the desired outcome in your
mind and repeat the sutra, letting it resonate deep within
you. It is important that you nurture your intentions every
day, not just once and that's the end of it. If you have 20
negative thoughts an hour and one positive one a day, which
emotional energy is your body going to believe? You need to
remind yourself - daily - of your intentions and purpose.
Some people find it helpful to write down their intentions
and review them each day; for others, periods of regular
meditation and prayer are the best way.
Once you have set your intention, then you need to remind
yourself of it daily, as I said, but you also need to give
up the need to control how it is going to happen. Let go,
and just allow the opportunities and openings to naturally
come your way.
This is a meditation I use myself when embarking on a new
project, and all I can say is I have felt the benefit of
focusing my mind in this way, and I hope you find it helpful
for you too.
CREATIVITY COFFEE BREAK
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Well so much about thought this time, I think I need to get
you back into your bodies. I studied with Gabrielle Roth who
devised a form of moving meditation called The Five Rhythms,
or you may know it as the Wave, and she herself called it
'sweat your prayers'. Her mantra was always out of your
head and into your feet - in other words, pay attention
to your body and what it wants to tell you.
Gabrielle also danced to some very powerful music, but I
used to work with groups where we would do this work in
silence, listening only to your body's own rhythm, and
not being driven by the drum or the energy of the group.
Stand in a relaxed way, bare feet if possible, and with
enough room to move your arms - you don't need a huge space.
Now, close your eyes and take three change breaths - breathing
in through the nose and out through the mouth. Allow your
breathing to relax and be natural and just focus on the
idea of a circle. Begin to move your body in a gentle
circle - your head, your arms, your trunk, your legs -
whatever feels comfortable and natural and just keep
expanding it and paying attention to where you are stiff,
awkward of get a sense of release.
If you open your eyes, keep them soft focused so that your
attention is not distracted by looking at things in the
room - just follow the pattern of your breath and your
movements and follow where they lead you.
Do this for a few minutes and then sit or stand quietly
and ask your body what it needs from you - if any thoughts
or ideas have come up while you have been moving then
examine them further, write them down and see where this
exercise has taken you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any questions, comments or criticisms? I love to hear your
views, and your experience or items in the newsletter so
do please do contact me either via my website:
http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/ or email to
anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
3 October, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doom and gloom everywhere you look - but it doesn't
have to be like that. Your outlook and attitude can
make all the difference between anxiety and happiness.
In this issue I am sharing some practical tips to help
you make up your mind and increase your brain power,
as well as ideas to help you develop all of your talents.
Best wishes for your continuing love of life, creativity,
and all the gifts your life brings you - AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- IN PRAISE OF PRAISE
- FOR THE ARTIST AT THE START OF DAY
- TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH DECISIONS
- CAN MUSIC FEED THE BRAIN AS WELL AS THE SOUL?
- CREATIVITY COFFEE BREAK
IN PRAISE OF PRAISE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wanted to just follow up on last issue's piece on
the Six Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Branden,
as it seems to have touched a spark in several of my
readers. Many years ago I worked on myself, and then
clients, using Louise Hay's seminal self-help book
called 'You Can Heal your Life'. In it she talked
about the fact that, whatever the client's issue,
she only ever worked on their self-esteem. She gave
a lovely example of how to nurture plants and asked
whether - when you saw the first shoot peeking through
the soil - you stamped on it because it wasn't a full
grown plant. No of course not, that would be ridiculous
- and yet we do it with our hopes and dreams on a daily
basis.
We seem to find criticism so much easier to handle
than praise and no wonder when research shows that
children receive 8 criticisms a day and if they are
lucky they get 1 piece of praise. Not surprising then
that by the time a child is 14 they have a negative
self image.
Love, praise and gratitude are the foundations of a
healthy view of ourselves and the world around us and
an 'attitude of gratitude' is one of the most potent
tools in the self development armoury. Whatever life
throws at you, and sometimes it seems that you are in
constant receipt of custard pies, the positive intent
and energy behind finding things to be grateful will
shift the situation.
After all, what is happiness? We all have our definition,
but I love the one I found on Jonathan Cainer's website
this morning when checking on my horoscope. He is focusing
on Mahatma Gandhi this week and this is what the great
man had to say about it:
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say,
and what you do are in harmony."
Harmony comes from that sense of rightness we experience
when we truly are being who we are - not just occasionally,
but most of the time and in most situations. That for me
is real self esteem.
FOR THE ARTIST AT THE START OF DAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I belong to an online poetry service called Panhala and
the gems that came into my inbox can really lighten my
day and give me food for thought. This one is from John
O'Donohue, the Irish poet, philosopher and Catholic
scholar who died earlier this year. I have mentioned
his work before, and this one is particularly apt for
the creative soul. Please enjoy it, and see how it
resonates with you - and what you might do with that
creative inspiration
May morning be astir with the harvest of night;
Your mind quickening to the eros of a new question,
Your eyes seduced by some unintended glimpse
That cut right through the surface to a source.
May this be a morning of innocent beginning,
When the gift within you slips clear
Of the sticky web of the personal
With its hurt and its hauntings,
And fixed fortress corners,
A Morning when you become a pure vessel
For what wants to ascend from silence,
May your imagination know
The grace of perfect danger,
To reach beyond imitation,
And the wheel of repetition,
Deep into the call of all
The unfinished and unsolved
Until the veil of the unknown yields
And something original begins
To stir toward your senses
And grow stronger in your heart
In order to come to birth
In a clean line of form,
That claims from time
A rhythm not yet herd,
That calls space to
A different shape.
May it be its own force field
And dwell uniquely
Between the heart and the light
To surprise the hungry eye
By how deftly it fits
About its secret loss.
~ John O'Donohue ~
If you would like to see previous Panhala postings
visit their site at www.panhala.net/Archive/Index.html
or if you would like to subscribe (it's free) then
send a blank email to Panhala-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH DECISIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well no argument there, but for some of us making a
decision can sometimes seem like ploughing through
treacle while attempting to knit sawdust - and the
outcome isn't pretty. Yanik Silver is a world-renowned
internet entrepreneur and one of the most successful
marketers in a highly competitive field, but even he
has had trouble on occasions in making his mind up.
From a recent post of his, I have extracted his thoughts
on how you can use 5 simple methods to help you out.
The truth is, and this is similar to what happens with
procrastination, taking action/deciding is never as bad
as you have imagined it to be. The longer you put it off,
the worse it gets, so if you are stuck try one - or all
- of his suggested ideas:
Decision-Making Method #1: Think about the worst-case
scenario
What is the worst possible thing that can happen if you
make the wrong decision? It almost certainly won't
happen - but even if it does, you can probably live
with it. When Yanik was torturing himself about
leaving his father's business to strike out on his
own he had wild thoughts of being disowned by his
father. Of course that didn't happen, his father
was disappointed, but he didn't write him out of
the will!
Decision-Making Method #2: Listen to your gut
Oh our good intentions - and how often do we try to
rationalize our way out of making the decision that
has to be made. You've got good instincts.
Take advantage of them.
Decision-Making Method #3: Give yourself a deadline
If you give yourself an indefinite amount of time
to decide on a course of action, you'll never do it.
'Someday' never arrives, and the longer you prevaricate
and procrastinate then the more you will stress about
it. Set a date that just slightly pressures you, and
make sure you keep it
Decision-Making Method #4: Visualize your ideal outcome
This is an exercise Yanik learned from his friend
John Harricharan, which he calls the 'Power Pause'.
It takes three minutes - one minute to think about
what you want to happen... one minute to think about
how good you'll feel when it does happen... and one
minute to calm yourself down by thinking about what
you are already grateful for in your life. If you
are a multi-tasker you could put an egg on to boil
and then have breakfast before you act on that decision!
Decision-Making Method #5: The Band-Aid solution
What's the secret to removing a plaster so that it is
relatively pain-free? Do it fast is the answer - and
when it comes to decision making nothing is worse than
paralysis by analysis. You'll never have all the
information you need to make the perfect decision.
Do the best you can with what you've got. Then move on.
If you want help to stop procrastinating then sign up
for the free weekly email postcards to help keep you
focused. You will find them at the bottom of the page
at www.procrastinationkiller.co.uk
CAN MUSIC FEED THE BRAIN AS WELL AS THE SOUL?
Music is the universal language of mood, emotion and
desire and however we respond to it on a visceral level,
it is actually connecting with us through a wide variety
of neural systems. We know it makes us weep, smile,
trigger memories and feelings but now researchers have
discovered evidence that music stimulates specific regions
of the brain responsible for memory, language and motor
control.
When I am writing, I put on specific pieces of music
- depending on what I am writing about. When I wrote
a stage play set in the 1960's I bought a compilation
album and kept it playing while wrote. If I am feeling
low and sad, there are pieces of choral music that soothe
my soul and shine light in the dark places. When I am
clutter clearing or doing housework some bright, upbeat
music will give me energy and keep me going.
We all have these musical 'triggers' and have always
used music to manipulate mood, but this is the first
time that specific areas of mental activity have been
linked to the emotional responses elicited by music.
Now new research published in Medical Hypotheses
indicates that it could be used to replicate the
effects of hormone replacement therapy in the
prevention of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Music affects levels of such steroids as cortisone,
testosterone and oestrogen, and it is believed that
music also affects the receptor genes related to these
substances and related proteins. Unlike supplementing
the brain through hormone replacement therapy which
can have side effects, music is natural, inexpensive
and safe.
We know music is able to improve the mood state of
people with psychiatric disorders, and increase motor
functioning in Parkinson patients. It significantly
enhances and influences mood, concentration, creativity,
and the ability to learn.
This is particularly important for children. It was
Luciano Pavarotti who said, "If children are not
introduced to music at an early age, I believe something
fundamental is actually being taken from them."
The brain grows in response to musical training in the
way a muscle responds to exercise. Researchers at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston discovered
that male musicians have larger brains than men who
have not had extensive musical training. The cerebellums,
that part of the brain containing 70 percent of the total
brain's neurons, were 5 percent larger in expert male
musicians.
So if you want to develop your brain, sit back, relax
and listen to your favouirite music. I shall be doing
just that this month as Brighton celebrates it's annual
Early Music Festival with concerts that I know will swell
my brain, my heart and my ability to be transported -
not a bad mix for creativity is it?
CREATIVITY COFFEE BREAK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awareness is a powerful gift, and if you want to develop
your creativity it is certainly something you need to
pay attention to. We tend to operate on automatic pilot,
and don't notice the small and significant details that
can trigger an inspiration or add colour and life to a
description.
How much do you really notice? Try this exercise for a
day and it might give you a clue. As often as you can,
wherever you are, notice how many times you see the colour
blue: clothing, environment, objects - everything in your
sight. You don't have to do anything, though you could
write a note if it strikes you, just observe and enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any questions, comments or criticisms? Please do contact
me either via my website: http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/
or email to anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
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Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
Your Personal Development & Creativity Newsletter
28 November, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some great ideas for ideas for writers this time, plus a
deeper look at one of our most overwhelming emotions:anger.
I know it's a busy period right now so the creativity
exercise is designed for you to respond to in just a few
moments, though you can of course develop it to linger over
as long as you wish. Best wishes for your continuing love
of life, creativity, and all the gifts your life brings
you - AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- WORK/LIFE BALANCING ACT
- THE 3 KEY WAYS TO OVERCOME YOUR ANGER
- WRITERS TELECALL UPDATE
- HELP, I HAVEN'T A CLUE!
CREATIVITY CLIPS:
- A Christmas present for the girls
- Creative exercise in patience and passion
WORK/LIFE BALANCING ACT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to Wilhelm Reich, the Austrian-American psychiatrist
and psychoanalyst, there are three elements we need to be
happy: these are love, work and knowledge. He believed that
these elements should be balanced, and they should govern our
lives, and although he died in 1957 this is a very contemporary
philosophy.
Anyone who encountered life coaching over the last ten years
will recognize the work/life balance equation that it seems
everyone is seeking but for many it still seems sadly out of
reach. The current economic difficulties have many people
working longer hours, or returning to work when retired, or
having too much enforced 'leisure' through redundancy and
loss of jobs.
In such circumstances just how do you achieve that balance
- and what does it actually mean? A business client once
told me that there should be no such thing as trying to
achieve work/life balance because if you are doing that
then by it's nature your life is out of balance. One good
way to check out just where that might be happening is to
do a Wheel of Life exercise.
It's very simple, you just get a blank sheet of paper and
draw a large circle on it. Now divide the circle into half
horizontally and vertically, then quarter the remainder.
Inside each section write one of the following areas of
your life: Finance, Creativity, Relationships, Career,
Family, Fun, Social Life and Work. If you are not working
you might substitute occupation to indicate how you spend
your time.
With the centre of the hub being zero, and the outer rim
10, place a mark in each section to indicate where you are
with it. Ten being maximum contentment, happiness and
fulfillment in that category. To give you a bit more
information, this is what your categories could include:
Fun - Happiness, Hobbies, how often you laugh
Relationships - your partner, or lack of one, and friends
Career - How fulfilled you are at your current job
Family - Children, Parents, Relatives and those you consider
'family'
Social - Friends again and how happy you are with how you
spend your time
Health - Your overall wellbeing and how you nurture yourself
Finance - Your current situation, and how you feel about it
Creativity - Is it a playful space or a desert, how happy you
are you with it
Now you are going to join the dots between each section and
look at the pattern they make. It will look rather like a
spider's web, and what you are going to pay attention to
are the ones that dip nearest to the centre, because that
is where the imbalance lies.
Once you have identified those areas that need some help,
jot down a couple of things you could do to start changing
that balance. Preferably small steps you do straight away
and one larger action to have as a goal.
You could redo the wheel in a month's time - and see what
progress you have made.
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR ANGER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After I wrote about patterns of behaviour last time, I
thoughtit might be worthwhile to explore handling anger
appropriately. This time of year is stressful for many
people; family commitments, concern about money and jobs,
and deadlines for all that Christmas activity can seem
overwhelming and we can respond by getting angry. Sometimes
that is the best response, but often it is more helpful to
know how to handle those negative feelings.
As children we can give in to our anger totally and let it
consume us - watch any toddler's temper tantrum for an object
lesson - but as adults the wiser course is get between yourself
and your anger and learn to interrupt its flow. We are creatures
of habit, so what you are doing is learning to break that habit
and there are three ways you can do that: kinesthetically,
visually and psychologically. You will respond more easily to
one of the ways than the others, but try out a few of these
suggestions to start changing your instinctive behavioural
response and get a handle on your anger.
1 Kinesthetically is how you use your body to institute change.
Once you feel anger starting to arise, physically address it
by changing your position. Stand up and move around, make your
arm movements more energetic, take some deep breaths and
stretch or sing out loud. In a public place? Just change
the direction you are looking in because when we are angry
we often look down, so quickly look upwards. That's where
we go for inspiration anyway, and you might a new idea on
how to handle the situation - but you certainly will help
defuse the anger because by changing the energy in your body
you will quickly move that negative emotion out.
2 Psychologically is the way you tackle anger with your
thoughts. Anger can lead to a downward spiral of introspection
where the same thought goes round and round and gets blown up
to exaggerated proportions. You need to replace those negative
thoughts with positive ones and remember you that area always
at choice about what you are thinking. You had the angry
thoughts, you can replace them with more life-enhancing ones
and try to see what in this situation you can learn from.
Look hard enough and there usually a gift hidden in this
somewhere, if it's only the realisation that you will never
volunteer to be the school run driver again because you
realise you don't have enough patience. Then you could
start addressing where else in your life you might need
that quality and start developing it.
3 Verbally is the immediate way you can hear how you are
getting angry and look at how the language you use is making
the situation worse. Switch from blame, which is a heady
ingredient in anger, and move from 'You got it wrong' to
'I am not happy with what's happening'. Take responsibility
for what is upsetting you by taking the 'I' position, and
avoid those other logs for the fire named should, never,
don't, not, and no. What these words do is keep you focused
on what you don't want and it is more powerful and effective
to focus on what you do want. Instead of saying 'I don't want
to argue with you' try saying 'I want to discuss this with you
calmly' and see what that shifts in the energy of the situation.
WRITERS TELECALL UPDATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An amazing number of questions got answered in the telecall on
Wednesday from 'where do you get an agent' to 'how do I get my
book onto Amazon' and all areas in between. The hour flew by,
and I was only sorry there wasn't time to take live questions,
only to answer the ones sent in by participants beforehand,
and if you would like to hear what was said then I have been
able to get the call recorded and it will be available for
you to download and listen to at your leisure on
http://www.internetmarketingreview.com/public/436.cfm
HELP! I HAVEN'T A CLUE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Out of that telecall came a thought for me that, although I
take ideas for granted, sometimes the pump needs priming
when you are looking for what you want to write about.
Some suggestions that might help are to first think about
not writing, but just listening and when you hear something
interesting let your mind wander to where it might develop
that conversation and what the result might be. For instance,
I once was in a café and heard two elderly ladies discussing
a friend who had been evicted from her care home because she
liked a drop of sherry. The problem arose when she was ordering
it by the case and keeping it under the bed, and the floor gave
way. Now what would you do with that scene? I rapidly jotted
down the details and then tried to imagine what that unknown
woman looked like, how she ended up where she did and why her
over fondness for sherry. You might see her as an infiltrator
sent to damage the care home's reputation and she was the mother
of a rival establishment - or not. Here are some other ideas
to help:
1 Read a different newspaper from the one you usually take.
Each one has a different slant on the news and cover items
that the others might not and they can give you ideas for
stories.
2 Put on a piece of music, with no lyrics, close your eyes
and imagine the story that music could illustrate. Would it
set the scene for a murder, a romantic meeting, or an exotic
location - where does that take you?
3 On a piece of paper write down random words each one on a
separate line. Make them long, short, foreign, common, unusual,
descriptive, emotional - just make sure you have at least 20
lines with one word on each one. Then cut the paper into strips
with one line each and then jumble them up and randomly pick up
at least ten. Write a sentence that uses as many as possible
and make that your opening.
4 Take a virtual trip and see if a different location could
give you some ideas. There are a number of sites you can visit
that will tell you all about a particular region. Visit
www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html
(and yes that really is how they spell it) to find all you
need to know about the country and its culture, even city
maps to make it seem as if you have really been there. If you
fancy writing a scene in a foreign restaurant, then another site
that's helpful is www.cities.com or www.timeout.com/travel/
you can imagine one of your characters in.
Hope that helps, and if not, email me and I will think of
something else for you!
CREATIVITY CLIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 A Creative Christmas Present for the girls - though actually
there is no reason a chap can't have one as well! Mslexia is
a magazine for women writers that deals in depth with topics
of interest and has some great competitions. They also produce
a rather good Writer's Diary which in addition to the usual
diary/address book/blank pages has excellent features such
as pages for recording your writing submissions, recording
books lent and borrowed, authors' reading recommendations,
inspirational quotes and exercises, directory of writer's
resources competitions and festivals. Phew! All this for
£12.99 including post and packing. If you want to have a
look at the magazine, and order the diary, check out the
website at http://www.mslexia.co.uk/ or give them a ring
on 0191 261 6656.
Oh, and if you buy your Writer's Diary by 5 December and
you will automatically be entered into a draw to win 26
author recommended books which should keep you going until
the New Year, and if you are lucky you might even get a free
diary by reading the web page and then going to this link to
enter the competition as they have to give away.
https://secure.svr9-speedyservers.com/~mslexia/secure/comp.html
2 Seek Patience - this lovely poem by Maya Angelou is very
appropriate for creative people. You need patience to see your
project through the sticky times and you need passion to begin
it and complete it. Read the poem and then see where those two
qualities apply - or don't - to your own creative endeavours:
Seek patience -- Maya Angelou
Seek patience
and passion
in equal amounts.
Patience alone
will not build the temple.
Passion alone
will destroy its walls.
~ Maya Angelou ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any questions, comments or criticisms? I love to hear your
views, and your experience or items in the newsletter so do
please do contact me either via my website:
http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/ or email to
anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
14 November, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dreams, habits, desires and anxiety - anything I have missed
from the human condition? Naturally some news for writers,
and great encouragement from then BBC to finally get writing
that script because you have the opportunity to hand it over
in person! Best wishes for your continuing love of life,
creativity, and all the gifts your life brings you - AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- DREAMING IN COLOUR OR BLACK AND WHITE?
- BAD HABITS AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM
- WHO WINS THE WORRY WAR?
- GOOGLE - NOW THE BIGGEST PUBLISHER IN THE WORLD
- BBC WRITERS ROOM ON THE ROAD
CREATIVITY CLIPS:
- When 'no fee' is misleading
- You are not depressed, you are creative!
DREAMING IN COLOUR OR BLACK AND WHITE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is the first television programme you remember seeing?
Depending on your age, it may have been in black and white
- if you are over 55 - or in colour if younger. So what?
Well, apparently the black and white tv generation also has
a greater tendency to dream in monochrome - even now - and
the younger generation mostly dream in colour.
This information comes from a psychology study done at Dundee
University and it suggests there could be a critical period
in our childhood when watching films has a big impact on the
way dreams are formed. The really fascinating thing to me
though, is that before we had television at all people were
mostly dreaming in colour. Once television came in, then the
children of that time went on to replicate the black and white
images they saw and carried it over into their dreams which
means that the impact of early television can't be over
estimated.
The study was reported in the New Scientist and the lead
researcher, Eva Murzyn, commented that "the crucial time is
between three and 10 when we all begin to have the ability
to dream. Television and films by their very nature are
interesting and emotionally engaging and even dreamlike.
So when you dream you may copy what you have seen on the
screen."
As my first television exposure was a tiny black and white
screen showing the Coronation in 1953 I am just surprised
Royalty doesn't pop up more often in my dreams!
BAD HABITS AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have a habit you are not happy with, or conflicts
with your values, then you are wasting a lot of energy
trying to reconcile those conflicting emotions. Do you
even know why you do it? Or how to gently lead yourself
away from it? Let me give you some pointers on the most
common bad habits we experience:
Lying - as the great Gregory House says,'everybody lies'.
However, there are degrees and most people lie to appear
likable and competent, according to a study at the
University of Massachusetts which also revealed that
60% percent of people lied at least once in a 10-minute
conversation - so that either will make you feel better
or worse, about your own particular track record in this
area.
Solution: Take control by reminding yourself that not
everybody is going to like you anyway - and they will
like you best when you are at your most natural. If you
want to impress stay modest, it's better than being seen
as boasting.
Spending - this is a timely one for you to get a grip on
before the Christmas spree. Women naturally know this, but
it may be news to you chaps, that shopping floods the brain
with dopamine to produce a high. It's actually about
anticipation, rather than the acquisition, so the feeling
of euphoria quickly fades, unless you are buying new shoes
in which case it lasts forever.
Solution: Take control by focusing on new experiences, not
new things. You will feel happier because the effect will
last longer. Or 'do unto others' what you wish you were
doing for yourself because a study found that people who
spent a small amount on others were happier than those who
spent on themselves.
Overeating - another Christmas special, but maybe not so
pronounced this year! Overeating is rarely about just wanting
to eat, or enjoy food. Anger, anxiety, and sadness can trigger
it and comfort foods may make you feel better briefly, but
anxiety and guilt come back with a vengeance. No brandy butter
and cream with the mince pies this year.
Solution: Take control by monitoring your moods and if you are
feeling low then stay away from food. Physical activity works
best, change your mood by doing something you enjoy and eat at
set times so mood swings don't have so much opportunity to
sabotage you. create mealtimes drinking - is great in
moderation,
it's when it's out of control it's a problem - or being used as
a prop. "When I drink, I relax and feel more confident" is
something we may have learned from our parents or seen
exemplified on the TV or cinema. Heroes rarely seem to
drink grape juice - except Superman - rather like overeating,
alcohol can become a way to fill an emotional void, or at least
forget about it temporarily.
Solution: Take control and slow down. Make yourself wait 20
minutes between drinks which will reassure you that you can
handle being without a drink. Take the time to think about your
feelings and if you are angry, nervous or upset then take some
calming breaths, don't reach for another drink but look at what
you might do to calm down.
Acting out - lashing out physically or verbally is one habit
that really needs to be controlled. It's hard to stay focused
when you're angry, and you are much more likely to say something
you will regret later. Words can hurt as much as blows, and the
damage caused to a relationship may be irreversible.
Solution: Take control and if there is a situation you are
angry and tense about then try and rehearse how you are going
to deal with it. If you 'act out' the situation and really get
into it in the privacy of your own home then you get a twofold
benefit. First, you get a chance to release some of that energy
and emotion, and secondly you may discover that you don't need
to have that confrontation with the other person at all - and
the bonus that if you do then you are more prepared and will
be able to stay focused and in control. Just make sure that
you release that anger after your 'rehearsal' and relax and
let it all go.
WHO WINS THE WORRY WAR?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We all get anxious from time to time, and if you missed
'Stress Awareness Day' on November 5th then put it out of
your mind and consider this instead. Culturally, we tend
to think of harassed business executives as suffering from
stress the most - and the majority of those are probably
men. However, it is in fact women that have been shown to
suffer the most from `worry', beating men by claiming 80%
of the top worry spots in a survey.
The greatest worry for women centres around relationships.
The top stressor is the death of a spouse or partner and
that is closely followed by divorce. In the current climate
of recession and financial stress that puts even more strain
on relationships so this is a timely warning to women to
start some profound self-care measures to get to grips with
the worry, and the resulting stress.
If divorce is a potential worry for you, then there is a new
resource just gone online where you can get information and
support. Described as an independent, non-commercial online
resource hub, I was a little disconcerted when I checked it
out (on your behalf, not mine) to find the home page blank,
but if you click on the resources tab there are some useful
names and addresses there. http://www.sos-village.org.
GOOGLE - NOW THE BIGGEST PUBLISHER IN THE WORLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Bookseller is the official magazine for libraries, bookshops
and anyone interested in books, so when they speak it's worth
listening. For the last three years publishers in the USA have
been engaged in a fierce bargaining war with Google that has
just been concluded. It only applies to the US at the moment,
but it has huge implications for the rest of the world.
Essentially, Google has bought the right to reproduce books
online for $125m (£77.5m), in what has been described as the
largest publishing deal in history.The endless arguing has
been about money, of course, but also about ownership of a
work and finally Google has been forced to concede the core
principle of copyright. The payment for copyright is the only
thing that publishers and authors really own, and it forms the
ultimate basis of all their income.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Under the terms of the deal a central body, the Book Rights
Registry, will be set up to administer payments to authors
and publishers. When a book is sold online roughly two-thirds
of the money will go to the publisher and author, with Google
keeping the rest. Google has already scanned 7 million out-of
-print titles, both in and out of copyright, and the deal
provides a legal framework for those books to be offered to
readers. So almost overnight, not only has the largest
publishing deal been struck, but the largest bookshop in
the world has been built. Where the US leads, we inevitably
follow so look out next year for its extension to the UK.
BBC WRITERS ROOM ON THE ROAD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The BBC website for writers has always been a brilliant
resource, and now they have launched a roadshow to give
writers the opportunity to find out more about how the
submission and acceptance of scripts is handled. For those
on the south coast - the first event is on 4 December at
6pm in Brighton and it has visits planned next year to
Belfast, Cardiff, London and Manchester.
You will find out just what interests a commissioning editor,
and what they can't stand, plus the process your script will
go through if it is accepted. If you have a script then take
it along as you can submit it in person at the roadshow -
though as they get 10,000 a year don't necessarily expect a
quick reply. If you are not sure how to set your script out,
then just go to their website and download the guidelines.
Be aware that they are not accepting sketch ideas, just
finished scripts and if you have a great idea, but don't
want to write it yourself - this is their comment "Good
ideas are never in short supply - what we are looking for
is writers who can deliver a full, finished script" so get
writing.
To find out more, or get tickets for the Brighton event,
email writersroom@bbc.co.uk and put Brighton Roadshow in
the subject heading. More info on the website at
www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/roadshows.shtml
CREATIVITY CLIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 When 'no fee' is misleading - I occasionally warn you
about some of the more unpleasant sides of the publishing
business, and I was recently contacted by Margaret who wanted
some advice. She has a book she wants to write, and had been
told about a website that offered help to authors to get
them published, in the mainstream. Their website proudly
boasts 'Our focus is on the influential buyers at the large
publishers, small presses and specialty houses. We maintain
executive suites in New York and we work with partners in Los
Angeles for our screenplay and book-to-film division. We are
mainly virtual and work from home to keep our costs down. Our
team is in CA, CT, FL, and many other states (and countries
too actually).We are new, and we are growing rapidly. We do
not charge reading fees or any other type of fee'. That
latter part sounds great, but Margaret was told that they
felt that her book would benefit from 'editing' before being
presented to a publisher.
They themselves didn't do this, but told her to contact a
company who would do this for $900. I felt very uneasy about
this and contacted the Society of Authors who told me they
have had this company reported before and that their copy is
cleverly worded, but in essence their business is in getting
editing fees from authors. In other words, 'we charge no fees'
just means they slide you across to a company that does. If
you feel tempted to use one of these services, then this is
the website I suggest you avoid.
http://www.writersbookpublishingagency.com
Should you want another self publishing recommendation, a
couple of clients have now mentioned WRITERSWORLD who are
based in the UK. They do print on demand, self publishing
and issue the ISBN number in the author's name, pays the
author 100% of the royalties and supplies the author with
copies of their books at print cost. www.writersworld.co.uk
is the website if you want to take a look.
2 You are not depressed, you are creative! Serious
depression strikes writers, artists and musicians up to
10 times as often as the general population, and not
unnaturally this has been linked to the creative spark.
However, now it seems it's not the creativity itself that
is the link, but the artist's propensity for rumination.
That sounds like it links us to cows, but I think it means
all that time we spend thinking, much of it introspectively
is what can lead to depression - but also can fuel our
creativity. If it's a concern for you I cannot recommend
Eric Maisel's book 'The Van Gogh Blues' highly enough as
it is the very best book on the subject I have ever come
across.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any questions, comments or criticisms? I love to hear your
views, and your experience or items in the newsletter so do
please do contact me either via my website:
http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/ or email
to anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
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DECEMBER 2008 |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
Your Personal Development & Creativity Newsletter
29 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As we face the New Year, let's think about what our resolutions
are for the coming year, and I share some thoughts with you
about that from me, and one of my readers. Of course, I want
to help you develop yourself, and your creativity, so some
ideas on that too.
Best wishes for your continuing love of life, creativity,
and all the gifts your life brings you - AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
- START THE YEAR WITH A WAKE UP CALL
- WHAT WILL YOU WRITE IN 2009?
CREATIVITY CLIPS:
- Discover a new writer
- Ideas for the truly desperate
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have found yourself making the same resolutions every
year, then please stop doing it and ask yourself how much you
really want it? The answer is going to be 'not much' if you
have repeated the same ones - they are usually very general
and revolve around worthy aims like losing weight, getting
more exercise, taking care of your family better ..yadda,
yadda, yadda.
It's time for a change, make a resolution that you feel
passionate about - not an ought or a should, but a resounding
yes! My resolution for 2009 is to be responsible for my own
actions as near to a 100 per cent as I can manage. Taking
responsibility is something that used to be automatic, but
I see less and less of it in a culture where we are looking
for someone to blame, or sue.
A spiritual teacher of mine once told me that responsibility
was merely the ability to respond, and that gave me pause.
When you see something you know is not right, have we lost
the ability to respond appropriately or has it just been
buried under a layer of the social fear that seems so much
more prevalent now? I was on a train from London recently
that was crowded and when I got on there was just one seat
left and a man sitting in it with his bag next to him. I
smiled and asked him to move it so I could sit down; he
clearly didn't want to and rather defensively said it was
too heavy for him to lift onto the rack. I could have agreed,
let it go and stood all the way to Brighton, or I could take
responsibility for the fact that I didn't have to support his
selfish behaviour. So, what I did was to say 'no problem, I
will put it on the rack for you' and lifted it up off the seat
and looked for a space on the rack. There wasn't one nearby so
I called to a young man who was standing further down and
asked if he would put it up for me, which he happily did and
I got to sit down for the next 50 minutes. I could have
blamed the man for his lack of consideration, and grumbled
to myself as I stood there, but I decided to take responsibility
and take action. It could have worked out differently, but that
isn't a reason not to act, it's a reason to think it through.
I wasn't facing a knife wielding thug but a middle aged man
who put his comfort and convenience above everyone else's so
my action was just my way of restoring some basic equity in
the situation.
What would you have done, or where would you like to take more
responsibility for your life? What most upsets and aggravates
you, and who do you blame? What would it take to stop blaming
and start seeing how to fix it? Couldn't that be a great
resolution for 2009?
Also I received an interesting email from Angela, a regular
correspondent, who was commenting on something I had written
about families and who added her own thoughts about what now
seems to be missing from life, and I quote part of what she
wrote to me:
"I also feel that trust has disappeared from life too. So many
people don't trust anymore - tense and worried, they find it
difficult to relax and be themselves. There is also a lot of
fear, suspicion and cynicism about. Perhaps because life is
so competitive now that the only way to reach the top of your
game is to seize every opportunity through strength and to be
totally single minded which leaves little room for compassion,
trust and understanding."
That sounds like a very good resolution for 2009; let's have
more compassion, trust and understanding and less fear,
defensiveness and cynicism.
START THE YEAR WITH A WAKE UP CALL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the festive period there isn't usually much time for
creativity so by the time we get to January we are out of
the groove. May I suggest a few ways you can give yourself
a wake up call and stimulate that creative muse into life
again?
1 Give yourself a rhythmic treat and listen to some harmonic
music that will put you in a creative frame of mind. Maybe
some Bach or Mozart, or easy listening jazz. Doesn't matter
what it is, put something on and lie back for ten minutes or
so and let your mind enter the music and imagine what it could
form the soundtrack for.
2. Know your own rhythm
Creative activity has its own rhythm - and it is uniquely yours.
Are you ready to create in the mornings or afternoons, or late
at night? When does your creative energy flow most easily and
productively? Once you have identified it, then make a conscious
effort to create space for yourself at that time.
3. Get moving.
Inertia is the biggest block to creativity so get outside and
start moving. Julia Scott Cameron in her book 'The Artist's Way'
recommends this as the best way to free the subconscious - just
walk, and as the rhythm settles in your mind will be free to
wander and offer up ideas and thoughts you haven't given it
space to do in your everyday round of activity.
4. On the scent
Essential oils aren't just something to make the room smell
nice, or you feel good after an aromatherapy massage. They
have genuine qualities that can act on your nervous system
to stimulate you into wakefulness and bring clarity and calm
- very useful when creating.
Try grapefruit, basil, rosemary, and eucalyptus for fatigue
and tiredness and vetiver for when you feel a lack of purpose.
If you really need a quick boost to get you alert then sniff
peppermint oil. To improve your concentration, clarity, and
enthusiasm then Basil is your man - or rather oil - and if
you need help with a lack of creativity then get hold of some
sweet fennel as it aids motivation, clarity, and perseverance.
You can burn these oils, sniff them of add them to a few drops
of almond oil and gently massage into the skin of your wrist.
Never use essential oils neat on your skin or internally and
always buy organic, natural high-potency oils to get the best
effect. The cheaper they are, the less essential oil they
contain, so splash out and give yourself a creative treat.
WHAT WILL YOU WRITE IN 2009?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Or draw, paint or create, the choice is yours but what I do
know is that unless you think about what you want to achieve
then you won't get there. To fail to plan is to plan to fail
is not just one of those sayings you hear and think, 'right'
and move on from.
Creativity does not just happen; it has to be nurtured like a
garden. Decide what you want in your garden - poetry, non
fiction, your life story, a novel and so on - then decide
what soil and nurture that 'plant' needs. Is it more time
than you are currently giving it, or perhaps it needs more
research and thinking about, or practical things like a real
space to write, or maybe a computer.
Sadly, it could well be that the 'plant' you have been nurturing
is actually a weed. It seemed like the right thing when you
planted it, but you haven't paid it any attention, so you
haven't seen any produce of flowers and if definitely isn't
in the right place in your creative garden. If it is the right
plant then devote some energy to thinking about how you are
going to treat it differently, and if it isn't ruthlessly pull
it up, put it aside and start something new. You can always
come back to it later when you might see it differently, but
for now ask yourself these questions:
** How passionate am I to do this?
** What do I need to do differently to get it moving?
** What help do I need to start a new project, or keep going?
For the last point there is lots of help available, your local
authority has writing classes, most towns have several writers'
circles, and there are correspondence and ongoing courses to
keep you on track. Creativity coaching can also help keep you
focused and give you a safe space to explore your new ideas
and plans as well as practical advice and tips.
Two people who have worked with me in recent months have
something to celebrate because they have accomplished their
creative project. So, congratulations to Nerina who has been
given a contract by Octopus to publish her first book next
year, and to Mike who has updated and revised his guide on
Internet job seeking in record time after 'thinking about'
it for some time! If you need a bit of extra help, then from
January, I will have two coaching places available for writers
and if that interests you then email me for details at
anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
CREATIVITY CLIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Discover a new writer - I am a great believer in writers
actually reading books - you would be surprised how many don't.
Sometimes I come across a writer who is new to me and that so
impresses me I want to share them with you. One such is James
Sallism, who The Guardian described as 'one of America's most
intellectual mystery authors', but don't let that put you off
because Ian Rankin has called him 'one of the greatest' and I
agree with him - for once
Sallis is an author, poet and musician and those last two infuse
his work and certainly take his detective fiction to a whole new
level of excellence. The quality of writing is so starkly
beautiful you can 'hear' it in your head and your blood and
he writes great plots and page turning dialogue. One of his
books, Drive, is about to be made into a film but my personal
favourites are his Lew Griffin novels including Long Legged Fly,
Moth, Black Hornet. Eye of the Cricket, Bluebottle and his novel
about spies, Death Will Have Your Eyes which is an amazing read
- don't start it late at night or you won't put it down.
Jazz fans might be more interested n his non-fiction works such
as Difficult Lives, - examining the work of Jim Thompson, David
Goodis and Chester Himes a book on jazz guitar and a biography
of Chester Himes.
2 Ideas for the truly desperate. Well, that's not exactly fair
because this is actually one of my favourite resources for when
I am stuck for either a writing exercise or just need to give my
creative muscle given a bit of a shock. It's the website for
Fortean Times and a quick visit to this link will show you the
headlines for their current issue. They are so wild and
wonderful
that I defy anybody not to stimulated into using them as a basis
for jumping off into new territory - just don't take them at
face
value or the men in white coats could be knocking on your door.
But the possibility of them being real is very enticing and
entertaining. .
From the current issue you could be exploring the relationship
between the UFO phenomenon, extraterrestrial mythologies and
modern music or gazing in awe at an obscure set of pictures of
a very rare creature - a winged cat. Go here now:
http://www.forteantimes.com/front_website/themag/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any questions, comments or criticisms? I love to hear your views
and your experience, or feedback on any items in the newsletter
so do please do contact me either via my website:
http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/ or email to
anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catalyst News and Views from AnnA
Your Personal Development & Creativity Newsletter
12 December, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our last issue before Christmas, so some seasonal thoughts
and ideas for really enjoying the season at the deepest level,
some thought provoking ideas on happiness, and great
encouragement for our creative souls.
As the next issue would fall on Boxing Day, I have postponed
it so we can see in the New Year together with some resolutions,
hopes and wishes for 2009. If you have anything you wish to
share with other 'catalysers' please email me your thoughts,
hopes or worldly wisdom and I will do my best to include them.
Best wishes for your continuing love of life, creativity, and
all the gifts your life brings you - AnnA
IN THIS ISSUE:
- CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO BE HAPPY
- TRUE INTIMACY IS LETTING GO
- SELF PUBLISHING SUCCESSES
- CYBER BULLYING AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
- FREE GHOST STORIES FOR ROUND THE FIRE
CREATIVITY CLIPS:
- Top 3 (no, sorry, 4) questions for writers
- Win a writing holiday
- Perfect Present for Young Writers
- Nothing
CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO BE HAPPY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the last issue we looked at the elements adults need to be
happy, now it seems that a missing link may be making sure we
come to adulthood prepared and knowledgeable on how to do that.
One of the saddest things I have read recently was a government
-commissioned report that said that Primary school pupils in
England should be taught how to lead happy and healthy lives.
Admittedly they threw it in as part of a series of suggestions
for how the general curriculum needed overhauling, but when did
children need to be taught how to be happy?
It's the magical part of childhood, if we are lucky, and I see
it as an inalienable right - not an optional extra at school
like woodwork or country dancing. The report came from senior
Ofsted inspector Sir Jim Rose and I entirely agree with his
overall premise that lessons should be more focused on preparing
children for life outside school, but could we focus on making
their lives in school fulfilling, responsible and - dare I say
it - about acquiring basic skills like reading and writing.
As a creativity coach I read material from people from all
walks of life in order to help them develop their creatiivity.
What I can usually tell at a glance is their age from a
combination of factors: it's written in 'real' english, not
textspeak, and usually has please and thank you in the opening
enquiry. I have noticed a very sharp rise in the number of
people in my own world whose websites or emails are littered
with simple spelling errors and some of them on sites offering
help to writers!
It is not about spelling and grammar, but about an ability to
communicate and that is the essential glue that holds our
society together. If you don't understand each other you
cannot make peace with each other and what I find so distressing
is that this call for 'happiness lessons' is aimed at the very
root of our educational system. This is where children first
learn to co-operate and to deal with others from different
backgrounds to their own and the implication is that they are
coming to school without the basic ability to share, and enjoy
the company and activities they are faced with.
The report says teaching children about emotional well-being
and social skills should be a compulsory part of the curriculum
as well as understanding English, communication and languages;
understanding maths; science and technology; the arts and
design,
physical health and well-being, human, social and environmental
understanding.
Having seen a number of teacher freinds stressed, overworked
and dealing with children with no boundaries, discipline or
any sense of responsibility towards others then I would go
further. I would call the course 'learning to be human' and
I would make it compulsory for adults as well so they can start
the process at home with their own children before they ever get
to school. Then, hopefully, the school and home can work
together
rather than seeing it as the school's job to instil qualities in
their children that they don't adhere to themselves.
My fears are compounded by a quote from Children's Secretary Ed
Balls who said "We need 21st Century schools which make the most
of the opportunities technology offers our computer-savvy
youngsters." I think their computer skills are not in need of
improving - they are far superior to most adults - it's their
compassionate understanding of the world they live in that I
would be focusing on.
My sympathies lie more with Christine Blower, acting general
secretary of the National Union of Teachers who commented that
when helping children to learn reading and writing skills,
technology can help, but they are not skills you can over -
compensate for." Any writers out there feeling over-compensated?
The final report of the review is published in spring 2009.
with any recommendations accepted by the government to be
introduced from September 2011.
TRUE INTIMACY IS LETTING GO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happiness seems to be up for debate in this issue, so here's
another angle. It's an interesting dichotomy that as we have
become more removed from each other in terms of social intimacy,
with long distance family and friends relying on the internet
and phone calls to stay in touch, that we have also seen the
rise of greater dependence in primary relationships. As we have
fewer intimate relationships we are looking for our main
relationship to provide us with the things we got from our
wider circle.
The demands of that can put a great strain on relationships
and |I was reminded of this when I was reading a blog by T.
Byram Karasu, M.D. this week. He is the Silverman Professor
of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the
US and the author of 'The Mystery of Happiness'. His basic
premise is that the greater the clinging, then the less the
possibility of it being 'real' love and the danger to the other
party of having their own needs and wants ridden over. The
French have a saying 'there is one who loves, and one who lets
themselves be loved', and this is a perfect summation of a
dependent relationship. Think of a baby; of course it
loves its mother, but that love is predicated on need and of
being taken care of on the most fundamental physical level.
As adults we don't have to rely on others for our physical
environment, but we are looking to fill that void left by
the sense of being unconditionally loved that comes from a
parent. If we want to be healthy, happy adults who are
comfortable with intimacy then that needs to be reflected
in our relationships and dare I suggest an AnnA version of
the French phrase that 'there is one who loves, and one who
lets themselves be loved and they are both the same'.
For myself, I find the words of Khalil Gibran, author of
'The Prophet', work as my guide for relationship. May they
inspire you as you spend time with friends and family this
festive season:
"But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the
winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another
but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea
between the shores of your souls."
SELF PUBLISHING SUCCESSES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the questions that got serious attention on the
recent telecall for writers and that was whether self-
publishing really was a good idea. Well, here is some
inspiring news for anyone thinking of going that route.
Two novelists, Polly Courtney and Melanie Rose, have just
signed three-book deals with HarperCollins. They were first
self-published by Matador and is another example of what I
am often quoting; that mainstream pubishers are looking for
new material and that self-published books are a very good
way for them to find that.
The publishing world itself is not safe or stable at the
moment. Random House, the largest publisher in the US has
announced major restructuring of its divisions down from 5
to 3 and possible staff layoffs including their most senior
editors. In the UK High street book sales are plummeting as
more consumers go to discount sources like Amazon. Again,
this is good news for self-publishing as profit margins are
higher and the discount you can give people like Borders and
Amazon mean you can also more easily be stocked in bookshops
too.
PS - the recording of the call is now available to download
or listen to from my website. Just go to
www.catalystonline.co.uk and click on the 'Free Resources for
Writers' button which will take you through to the page where
you will find it, and other resources.
CYBER BULLYING AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hidden behind a computer screen some people feel safe to
indulge in behaviour they wouldn't do to your face, and
for young people cyber bullying is becoming a real issue.
This was highlighted in the States recently when a Missouri
teenager committed suicide after receiving taunting messages
on MySpace from an adult woman masquerading as a boy who
liked her. This woman was allegedly taking revenge for some
slight she felt the girl had done her daughter.
What is cyber bullying? It occurs when one or more people
deliberately and repeatedly intend to hurt another person
through remote communications such as emails, mobiles and
internet chat rooms and message boards. False or malicious
information about someone can be spread round a large group
of people in moments, and the victim is often made to feel
powerless and afraid. Unfortunately, because the contact is
anonymous it seems to bring out greater cruelty and viciousness
in the perpetrator and there is no escape from it.
Children are the most obvious targets as they spend most time
texting and on the internet, but there are now instances of
teachers who have been cyber bullied in revenge for poor marks
or discipline. .
What can you do?
There are some basic, elementary, precautions anyone can take.
First, don't give out your main email address in chat rooms or
bulletin boards or to anyone you don't know well. Set up a
secondary, free email account such as Yahoo or Gmail, and use
that for any public access as they are harder to trace.
Remember,
when opening an account, don't include identifying information
and never open email if you don't recognize who it's from.
If you're being cyberbullied, immediately change your email
address and always log off your computer when you have finished
using it. If you visit chatrooms never choose a screen name that
can identify you by your name, age, sex or where you live or go
to school. Even talking about your favourite sports or where you
like to shop is giving away information that can potentially be
used to identify you to a bully.
Don't visit unmoderated chatrooms and never agree to have a
private
chat with anyone. If someone asks A/S/L (age/sex/location) as
soon
as you start talking, politely decline and don't respond with
any
personal information. .
Parent alert
If you think your child is being cyberbullied, then the signs to
look out for are changes in their mood or behaviour and
unnatural
reactions to their phone ringing or looking at their emails.
They
may also be withdrawn and don't socialize with friends in the
same
way and can be very reluctant to talk about what they do on the
internet. If you are concerned, there is an excellent website
with information on how to combat this at
http://www.bullying.co.uk/young_people/cyberbullying/index.aspx
FREE GHOST STORIES FOR ROUND THE FIRE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you can't stand another game of Monopoly, and it's cold, dark
and wet out there then reading ghost stories can be very
appealing.
If you fancy curling up with ghosts and ghouls, then Juno Books
have very kindly let us have a free download of five classic
ghost stories in an ebook form. It has 117 pages, so you might
want to just print them out one at a time! For your free copy
I suggest you cut and paste this link and go to
www.juno-books.com/Juno_ghost_stories.pdf Don't forget the
chestnuts and hot chocolate - marshmallows optional.
CREATIVITY CLIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Top 3 (no, sorry, 4) questions for writers - I often get
asked by new writers 'how do I start' and I used to give my
top 3 things to think about, but I have now expanded - along
with my waistline - and there are four for you to consider.
Equally useful if you want to start writing, or are already
doing so, these are the key questions I ask writers that I
coach to consider before they put pen to paper.
They are:
a) What do you want to write - fiction/non-fiction/poetry/play
- in other words what FORM is it going to have.
b) Why do you want to write it - what is the driving passion
that brings you to wanting to put words on the page
c) Who are you writing it for - who is your reader, picture
them clearly so you can then have an authentic dialogue with
them
d) What do you want the result to be? Do you want to move them,
make them laugh, uplift their soul and spirit, make them
rethink a prejudice or an idea or give them information to
make their lives better.
2 Win A 'Wild' Writing Holiday - If you can't seem to find the
time to write, then getting away from it all can provide the
perfect environment, especially if it's in the wilds of
Scotland.
If you would like a place at Moniack Mhor, which is supported by
the ARvon foundation, then just get going on a short story of up
to 1200 words with the theme of 'experiences in wild places but
get a move on because entries are due in by 26 January. You can
write fact or fiction and can feature a place, a journey, or
whatever experience has inspired you as a writer. Don't forget
to type your entry in double spacing and put your name and
address only on the entry form. You can get all the details
from the John Muir Trust website at www.jmt.org and look over
in the right hand panel at the bottom and click on the JMT
Wild Writing Competition link.
3 Perfect present for young writers - I have to thank my good
friend Anne McDonald for this as she asked if I knew any
resources for her niece who is a very keen writer. I couldn't
find anything relevant; lots of things for adults wanting to
write for children but nothing for the junior writer themselves.
Then, coincidence being what happens when you direct your mind
to something, I saw a website for young writers and thought
that a subscription to their magazine would be a great idea.
The site provides an international platform for writing by
children and young people up to the age of 18 to submit their
work. There is a magazine that is issued 3 times a year, next
in January, and gives them lots of tips and ideas to develop
their skills. A subscription costs just £10 in the UK, and
could be the start of a great writing career.
4 Nothing - if your thoughts turn deeper and inward as we come
towards the winter solstice and the Christmas celebration, then
this reflection from the American Protestant Theologian Reinhold
Niebuhr would be a lovely thing to contemplate.
Nothing ... -
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime;
therefore, we must be saved by hope.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense
in any immediate context of history;
therefore, we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone;
therefore we are saved by love.
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Any questions, comments or criticisms? I love to hear your
views,
and your experience or items in the newsletter so do please do
contact me either via my website: http://www.catalystonline.co.uk/
or email to anna@creativecatalyst.co.uk
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