I think of Dr. Roger Leslie as a sort of Mr. Rogers for adults, especially those with dreams of becoming authors. His unflappable good cheer, encouragement, and helpful insights have kept numerous authors from giving up their dreams of being successfully published. Discouragement is often more prevalent in the publishing world than bylines and checks. An editor may insist the author’s favorite phrase or scene won’t sell and has to go. The rare agent who actually responds to a query is more likely to say, “Not my genre,” than “Sure, I’ll work with you.” Writing for publication can be hard, discouraging work.

Life is a prism

Dr. Leslie instills hope and helps authors turn the situation around. “My philosophy is that life is a prism. Everyone is looking at the prism from a different facet. If you don’t like what you’re seeing, you might try seeing the world from a different facet and see how it changes your perspective.”

He’s had plenty of his own experience seeing things from a different perspective. He’s fond of talking about what he calls ‘fateful detours.’ For example, he knew from his early teens that he wanted to write novels. He grew up in Dearborn Heights, MI, until his family moved to Houston when he was fourteen. After high school, he was on track to become a published author, choosing his courses at the University of Houston accordingly. “But then one day a friend told me, ‘You can’t make a living as a writer.’ So, I changed my major to English Education and set out to teach, just long enough to launch my writing career.”

Change of Plans

Often our temporary plans prove more permanent than our long-range ones. He accepted a teaching position at a Houston area high school where, much to his surprise, he “fell in love with teaching. That really taught me so much about myself and people. Those kids were the biggest blessing in my life.”

He was apparently quite a blessing to them as well. In 1989, his fourth year teaching, he was named teacher of the year for the entire Galena school system. By then, he’d settled into a manageable routine of teaching by day and writing evenings and weekends, still hoping to become a successful enough writer to make that his career. He completed a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and did have some success publishing his work in various periodicals.

“But I always wanted to write books. I’ve always believed the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Nothing stands in the way.”

The Life-Changing Phone Call

He was in his classroom one day when he got the phone call that led him on a fateful detour away from that straight line. “The Department Chair told me the principle needed a librarian. He offered me the job, though I had no degree in library science and lacked the appropriate certification. “I went home that evening and had a conversation with God. ‘You’re not listening to me! I want to be a writer!’”

The principle countered Roger’s objections by pointing out he’d have more time to write since he’d no longer be reading student essays, the position would mean a pay increase, and he could arrange for emergency certification.

“I took the job.”

New Opportunities

That job led to opportunities he could never have imagined. Dr. Maureen White and Dr. Patricia Wilson ran the Library Science program at the University of Houston’s Clear Lake Campus, where Roger enrolled. One of Dr. White’s assignments was to write reviews of children’s books. She loved his reviews and told him to pick out three which they submitted to Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association. “That led to assignments, pay, and a by-line every two weeks in the most prestigious magazine in the field.

It got even better. Dr. Wilson invited me to co-author a book for librarians. The first day we began working, we realized we had a series, not just one book to write. We pitched our idea to Libraries Unlimited and ended up with a three-book contract from one of the most prestigious publishers in the country. By going back to school and doing something I didn’t want to do, I also met publishers at the annual library conferences. These are what I call ‘fateful detours.’ Detours that seemed like delays actually catapulted me to where I needed to be.”

And More Opportunities

Roger is quick to share his experience, connections, and knowledge with others, partly because, as a teen and young adult, he learned how hard it is to go it alone. “I grew up gay in a Catholic midwestern environment. During that time, I had an epiphany. Because I’m an old soul, aware of spiritual and emotional things others don’t seem to notice, accepting being gay was my light come out of the closet. Accepting being gay meant going against everything I learned from the parochial school I attended and my family. I knew something didn’t fit, and I concluded I would just have to live my life alone, without love. But as I explored my own soul, I realized I needed to determine for myself what was right for me.”

In undergraduate school he met Jerry. Their friendship gradually evolved into their life-long commitment to each other. However, they didn’t find much support from anyone, even within the gay community. Back in the 1980s, many in the gay community thought their vision of having a lifelong marriage was cute but naïve. They had to venture out on their own. “That experience emphasized for me how important it is to support other people; because it’s so hard to go it alone.”

Look for the Light

Today Roger is living the life he wanted for himself and helping others do the same. He says on his website, “I feel grateful every day to live the life I dream. I am an author. All dreams flourish with outreach. As an author, speaker, coach, editor, and publisher, I love guiding people along their path to make their dreams come true, too.”

“I always look for the light.”

Having worked with him on one of my books and observed him in a variety of situations, I’ve observed that often he is the light that sheds hope and help to countless others.

Thank you for being part of this growing online community. If you appreciated this post, share it with one or more of your friends. Or, sign up for your own FREE subscription. You may also enjoy an earlier article about Dr. Roger Leslie.

Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures is available wherever books are sold in paperback, eBook, and audio.
Bookshop.org (Supporting local Indie Bookshops)
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles-Tale-Two-Cultures/
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles-kathryn-haueisen/
Autographed copies are available from my website or BlueWillowBookShop.com/book/

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Backstory 

In recognition of her fortieth birthday, my daughter wrote a list of the things she has done – significant and ordinary. They tracked a life well lived that produced a mature woman of strength and well-defined values.   It got me thinking.  So much learned and so much left to comprehend.

Life

I was thinking the other day about the things I’ve learned in life so far.

• On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
• I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles four different things – a rainy day…the elderly…lost luggage, or tangled Christmas tree lights.
• I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life.’
• That children grow up much too fast, right before your eyes.
• That it’s a lot better to do it right away than to put it off.
• I discovered that life sometimes gives you a second chance, and sometimes a third and a fourth.
• I believe you should not go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.
• I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it can elude you. But if you focus on family, friends, and the needs of others, happiness will come looking for you.
• I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

P.S.  Learning is essential to our existence. Today’s inclusive culture requires discovering new ways of relating to people, both those who have been staples in our lives and the new acquaintances evolving.  What an exciting time to learn anew and expand our individual worlds.

Thanks for stopping by. In addition to Mother’s Day, this is graduation season. What life lessons have you learned that you’d like to pass along to today’s graduates? How much of your mother’s wisdom has helped you in life? Share the best Mom advice you got that you think others should know. If you got this form a friend, you can sign up for your own free subscription to my weekly articles and/or monthly newsletter at HowWiseThen.I focus on good people doing great things in our global village.

Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures covers the Pilgrim’s escape from England and much more of the interaction between them and the Pokanoket people. Available wherever books are sold in paperback, eBook, and audio.
Bookshop.org (Supporting local Indie Bookshops)
Amazon.com/Mayflower-Chronicles-Tale-Two-Cultures/
BarnesandNoble.com/w/mayflower-chronicles-kathryn-haueisen/
Autographed copies available from BlueWillowBookShop.com/book/

The post Life Lessons from Annette Petrick appeared first on How Wise Then.

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Consider This – The Coronavirus Calamity

by Annette Petrick
March 20, 2020

Read in two minutes or less

Just a few weeks ago, we applauded and welcomed 2020. Now here we stand, self-quarantined with calendars devoid of activities and events and a very uncertain future.

Now that it’s all sunk in, we realize our lives have changed dramatically and will be even stranger in the weeks ahead.  Let’s take stock of our capacity to cope. Some are faced with energetic kids and distraught teenagers. Meanwhile the elderly are reminded incessantly of their vulnerability in all this.

Learning from Parents and Grandparents

We might learn from our parents and grandparents how they faced hard times like the depression and the last global war. Food, luxuries and choices were in short supply and the future was ominous. They will tell you how they set out to make the most of what was available – with an understanding and appreciation of how much worse it could be.

First figure out how you can most help those at home.  Sooth feelings of panic. Give reassurances that events will be rescheduled or re-celebrated, new opportunities will arise or be created. The sun will come up tomorrow.

Got more than enough TP?  Share some or deliver rolls to doorways.  Neighbors need a spice, a cup of sugar, a new book or the latest magazine or DVD? Offer to leave it outside your door for them to pick up.

Make a Coronavirus Plan

Once you’ve inhaled enough news about the pandemic and how best to survive it, make a plan for how to spend the next few weeks interned.  Reintroduce the treat of an afternoon drive, to get out of the house – and then home again. Figure out where to walk while staying your distance from others.  Undertake some of those home projects for which you never have time. Have everyone pitch in. Share craft skills from long ago to create things.

Build in loving time with friends and relatives. Get on the phone and call friends who might be frightened or alone or sick or old.  Call parents and grandparents.  Call grandchildren. Stay close. Use all those great digital tools to stay in touch – not just once, but frequently. Start using new gizmos, like video conferencing with one of the free apps.

Random Acts of Kindness

As the days go by, small acts of reassurance and consideration will become vital. Call on your emotional and spiritual strength to figure out what to do next. Get enough rest, provide yourself with quiet time to evaluate and plan, stay healthy, pray.

Human kindness may seem invisible – or may be found in unlikely places during this time of trial. Give it freely and be an example to others, particularly the young’ns, of how it’s done.

Be ready to switch gears on a moment’s notice.  Know for a fact that things will change, in the days ahead.  Decisions will require clear heads.  Base your decisions on fact, rather than rumor or fear.  They all look to us to be the anchor; the glue that holds it all together.  We can do this. We’ve done it before and we can again.

Resources for Inspiration

For inspiration in this time of crisis, reach out to – https://www.heartspoken.com/newsletters and read Elizabeth Cottrell’s March 2020 edition.  It is packed with heartwarming and comforting ideas, thoughts, quotes and suggestions – all in a read of 5 minutes or less.
For a 90 second pick-me-up, please listen to or read this special Consider This show – https://considerthisradioshow.com/peace-within/.

See dozens of our radio shows any time at https://considerthisradioshow.com .

See you next Sunday.
Annette

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The Life-Changing Magic of Engaging with Life

By Rochelle Melander

Last year, I talked with a writing buddy about our social media problem: hanging out online was interfering with our writing productivity. Does that ever keep you from achieving your goals? I vowed to be more purposeful about my time online and take time offline to engage with the world. (The Upside of Going Offline) My friend, author Elizabeth Cole, found that having a life was the best way to stay offline (See Stop the Internet from Stopping You).

I was doing so well staying offline until I fell in love … with a tiny but powerful piece of technology. My old phone broke, and I purchased a new one. Wow.

How the “Wow” Factor Woos Us 

For the first time in years, I understood why people:

+Pick up their phone an average of 63 times a day

+Spend between three and six hours a day on their phones.

+Use their phones within an hour of going to bed and five minutes of waking up.

On my old phone, I could make phone calls, text, check the weather, and play a few games. And now? I can do it all. And I’m doing it. My phone gives me a detailed report on how I spend my time—and I’m averaging about 10 hours a week on my phone. That may be well below the national average, but it’s also the equivalent of a part-time job!

My new toy gave also gave me a big “aha” moment. Suddenly, I knew why I could easily ditch social media to write every morning but not be able to stay off social media on evenings and weekends. In the mornings, I had set a goal to do something positive. That’s called an approach goal—and they work. In addition, my morning writing session had become a habit. Our brains find it easier to find a successful routine and repeat it.

Setting Limits on Social Media

But my goal to avoid social media on evenings and weekends were avoidance goals, and they leave us feeling more anxious and less happy. That’s probably because it’s harder to avoid a habit.

I noticed that on the evenings and weekends where I had planned to do something positive—go to the theatre, volunteer at a community event, or read—I had no trouble staying offline. As my friend Elizabeth Cole had discovered, when we have a life, we can easily stay offline.

So here’s my plan going forward: I’ll schedule positive activities during evenings and weekends so that I can spend more time with real people and activities.

Plan the Work, Work the Plan

As we move into planning for a New Year, think about how you would like to be spending your time. Are there people you’d like to connect with, skills you’d like to learn, or activities you want to participate in? Make a list.

Choose one or two of those activities. Set a goal to do it during the times you usually spend on social media. Perhaps they’d read something like this:

• I will spend two hours every Saturday learning to sew so that I can meet my goal of learning a new craft.
• I will read a book in the evenings, so that I can meet my goal of reading 12 books a year.
• I will plot my novel after dinner, so that I can meet my goal of writing a novel this year.

I’m confident that approach goals will help me do more of what’s important to me. As you plan and prepare for the New Year, I hope you’ll be able to do what matters to you, too. Because engaging with real life can be magical!

Ready, Set Goals, Go Meet Them

For some great tips on how to achieve what you want to accomplish and avoid what you’re rather not accomplish, look no farther than Rochelle’s new book: Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination, and Increase Productivity. In Level Up, you’ll find your perfect solution to any obstacle you face by turning them into quests. Instead of playing someone else’s game, you get to design the game, create your own playbook, define the rewards, and reap them all! You’ll also adopt a secret identity, recruit allies, identify villains, and celebrate your epic wins. Because you’ll be using a gameful approach to shaping your creative life, doing these quests won’t be a chore. Instead, you’ll relish investigating your life, play be able to play with possibilities and maybe even have some fun along the way!

Rochelle Melander has helped thousands of people design a writing life and connect with their readers. She teaches entrepreneurs and professionals how to overcome writer’s block, write more, turn their ideas into books, navigate the publishing world, and use speaking and social media to reach their readers. You can follow Rochelle at WriteNowCoach. You can find her book here.

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“Go Write That Book”

By Christine Eberle

I was on a Philadelphia bus one cold afternoon in college, standing next to an elderly woman bundled in a colorful hat and scarf. When we reached her destination, she turned to me and said, “Goodbye, dear. Now, go write that book!” Her words came out of the blue. I don’t recall even exchanging pleasantries; I’m sure we did not discuss my authorial aspirations.

She was right, though. I’d been yearning to write a book since I was old enough to read one. My father preserved my earliest effort in a folder in his filing cabinet. The Story of Tommy Carrot was a terribly-spelled, brief tragedy about a root vegetable that I wrote at age six. I have my own folder of subsequent attempts and false starts from grade school, including a short story about a widower who dies of a broken heart when his son’s letter turns out not to be the anticipated invitation to move in, but a recommendation for a retirement facility. Clearly, the joy, sorrow, and brevity of life have been persistent themes for me.

In my freshman year as an English major at Saint Joseph’s University, I channeled my inner Dickens by publishing a serialized “novel” about my high school boyfriend in the campus paper. (Don’t ask.) The next year, I got involved in campus ministry, and in junior year picked up theology as a double major. I earned a graduate degree in pastoral ministry at Boston College and never looked back, spending 26 years as a college campus minister.

If It Delays, Wait For It

I continued to write. Once bitten, I don’t think the writing bug ever leaves a person. I wrote seasonal meditations, fundraising appeals, blessing prayers and brief remarks for the university president. I even published four articles on spiritual topics in Liguorian magazine. But I never carved out time to go write that book.

In 2016, the resignation of a colleague pursuing her own dream jolted me out of assuming I had to stay with my beloved but all-consuming day job forever. When I received an invitation to a retreat called “New Life Directions for Women over 50,” I registered in a heartbeat. On that retreat, I shared my dream of becoming a “freelance me” and committed to taking concrete steps to move my dream forward. That led to beer and pizza with someone who later forwarded me a Facebook sweepstakes announcement for four nights at When Words Count, a Vermont writers’ retreat. I went—which may be one of the few recorded instances of Facebook’s changing a person’s life for the better!

When Words Count (WWC) provides the space, time, and encouragement writers need to get serious about their work. Sitting in a comfortable couch overlooking the snowy Green Mountains, I fleshed out my idea for an Advent devotional. Each evening, WWC founder Steve Eisner invited us into the den and encouraged us to read samples of our work aloud for feedback. I noticed that my writing seemed to touch people regardless of religious affiliation, whether Christian, Hindu or even “Jewish agnostic.” My new friends urged me to broaden my audience beyond those likely to shop for an Advent book. That is how Finding God in Ordinary Time got its name, and its message.

A Two-fold Audience

At WWC, I realized my target audience is twofold: I desire both to feed the faithful and to offer spiritual nourishment to people skeptical or weary of religion. I come from a deeply beautiful religious tradition with lamentably cerebral ways of expressing things, so in my book I strive to make faith more accessible. I do this by sharing four weeks of daily meditations based on true stories, highlighting places we can experience God’s presence, hidden in plain sight. Each chapter has a relevant Scripture quote and concludes with questions for personal reflection.

It occurs to me I have always gravitated toward the practical. That’s why I chose pastoral ministry over theology for graduate work. Now it is summed up in my tag line: Connecting Scripture, Spirituality, and Everyday Life.

It Will Surely Come

In February of 2017, I left Vermont committed to finish this manuscript in time to enter WWC’s Pitch Week. This is a writing competition in which a panel of judges determines who will be selected to have their work professionally published. The Pitch Week was coming up in October. Preparing for it required a significant investment of time and money, but without it, my dream would still be only that. Through the Pitch Week process, I got to work with Peggy Moran, an incredibly skilled editor, and Asha Hossain, a talented cover designer. I was forced to think through things I had never considered, like a marketing plan and elevator speech. Although I did not win the competition, one of the judges was Dede Cummings of Green Writers Press (GWP), who loved my book enough to publish it anyway. Dede was a book designer before founding GWP, making the finished product lovely to behold.

Finding God was published in September of 2018—47 years after I wrote Tommy Carrot and almost 35 years after that mysterious bus passenger uttered her prophetic message. This reminds me of the words of the prophet Habakkuk: “For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it. It will surely come; it will not be late” (2:3).

My advice to aspiring writers is simply this: keep writing and rewriting. Whatever the literary task at hand—be it fundraising appeals or brief remarks for a president—work to make it sing. God wastes nothing. When you finally carve out time to write what you really want to, you will have been honing your voice and perfecting your craft all along.

Ten months after Finding God in Ordinary Time was released, I finally left my day job to become a freelance me. Now I’m facilitating retreats and leading evenings of reflection. I’m teaching an online seminar for my former employer, Gwynedd Mercy University, helping students reflect on their spirituality and work on their writing. And, of course, I’m pondering my next book. I am profoundly grateful to be able to explore this new way of being in the world.

My ordinary days are extraordinarily blessed . . . and so may yours be!

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How writers answer the question “Where do you find your best writing inspiration?” will be as numerous and varied as writers giving answers. For me—and I imagine for many writers—inspiration comes from a myriad of sources.

Calendar and Client-driven “Inspiration”

To be honest, much of my writing is not inspired at all, at least not in the common understanding of that word. For those of us writing for clients, or personal blogs, the deadline is often the primary motivating factor.

As a ghostwriter, I carefully listen to my clients, to understand what they want the written product to accomplish and who they anticipate will read it. This gets my creativity geared up to most effectively achieve their vision.

We writers shouldn’t beat ourselves up that deadlines may generate as much writing inspiration as some powerful insight. This is human nature, and today with information overload, we’re busier than ever. Deadlines can keep us on track.

Everyday Encounters

I find inspiration in both positive and negative daily occurrences. When I witness an unusual kindness—or even regrettable rudeness—I may be prompted to encourage readers to put their highest values to work. Through our writing, we can bear witness to the impact of small actions.

Observations combined with a questioning mind can yield a treasure trove of content. When we see something curious or even ordinary, we can unearth all kinds of ideas by asking, “Why?”

• Why did they do that?
• Why did they say that?
• Why does it work that way?

And then further questions can expand thinking:

• What if they had done it differently?
• What if they had said that with a different tone or in a different way?
• Does it HAVE to work that way?
• What happens next?
• What caused that to happen?
• Where did that come from?

A questioning mind can yield great writing results, whether they are problem-solving, fleshing out a fictional character, or developing a plot.

Nature

I am a keen observer of the natural world. Nature often reveals themes, lessons, and insights that find their way into my writing. Cycles of change…life, death, and renewal…the changing seasons and the life cycle of a butterfly…all reminders our own darkest hours will not last forever.

Reading and Listening

As an avid reader of books and listener of podcasts, I am often struck with phrases, ideas, themes, and insights that inspire me. The trick is capturing them while on the go. My cell phone has become my best tool. I use the dictation function to leave notes to myself. I usually do this in an app called Evernote, but other text app’s can help as well. I sometimes even email myself!

At home I have a reading journal in which I write highlights from my reading. I also keep a running “swipe file” in the back of a spiral notebook where I write down phrases and images that strike me as especially powerful. I haven’t yet come up with a system to effectively minie these, but I peruse them often, hoping they’ll inform my writing when I need it.

Nudges from God/Spirit

I call them “God-hugs,” but others might call them serendipity. These usually come with a “quickening of the spirit”—a sort of emotional spark that indicates they are important. As an avid note writer, I often experience these when a particular person comes to mind, and I feel I need to send them a personal, handwritten note.

A related spiritual inspiration I sometimes get comes when I simply ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit and anticipate an answer. It doesn’t always come right away, but I trust a helpful response will show up when the time is right. As a Christian writer, I ask for guidance as a regular part of my prayer life.

Meditation

We should give our subconscious mind more credit for working on our behalf “behind the scenes,” even when we’re sleeping! If we stay busy all the time and try to think our way to every word we write, we’re missing a powerful resource that can’t be reached without still, quiet times.

When I meditate regularly, even if only 10-20 minutes, I find the creative juices flow more readily, and my writing has more energy. I don’t always do this, but when I do, it makes a huge difference.

I have a writing friend with an unusual approach. When she has a writing problem, question or obstacle, she writes it on a piece of paper and puts it under her pillow when she goes to bed. She swears her subconscious mind goes to work while she sleeps, and she often finds herself “unstuck” when she wakes up the next day. It’s worth a try!

Beware Comparing Yourself

It often seems other writers have more inspiration and talent than I do. Yes, indeed, there are always better writers in the world, but that doesn’t make me any less a writer or make my writing any less valuable.

Some writers swear that their ideas, plots, and characters come to them fully formed—or that they even appear as real people telling them what to write. I believe this happens, but never to me, and I’m not postponing my writing until it does.

Be Yourself and Find Your Own Inspiration

It’s great to be original, seminal thinkers, generating brilliant, new ideas that inspire readers to lead lives of meaning and significance.

But there’s also a place for interpretation, explanation, and curation of other people’s ideas. “There’s nothing new under the sun” has become a cliché because it’s pretty much true. When we can help our readers see or think about their world differently, we’ve expanded their horizons. When their reaction to our writing is “Oh my gosh, I’m not the only one!” we have conveyed a gift beyond measure.

You may be a world traveler or an armchair traveler, a corporate professional or a stay-at-home parent, “right-brained” or “left-brained,” a writer for income or a writer for your own reasons. Whatever kind of writing you do, your own surroundings and circumstances will always be the best source for your inspiration.

Expect them…look for them…and give thanks!

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