Tag: Writers

The Time to Incite Change is Now

jcladyluv

Yesterday was one of those days that make you want to incite change, not only within yourself but in the world.  Between it being Martin Luther King Jr. day and the Inauguration day of President Barack Obama you couldn’t help but to be inspired and hopeful for the bright future that this country has ahead and the mark that you could someday leave on it.  It just feels like the time to change things is now and that in this present moment you have to be willing to stand up and be that difference that this world needs.

When I think of all of the great people who incited the change that has been made in this world, I think about the fact that these were people who refused to remain silent or stand still.  They were people who didn’t care if no one else shared their beliefs or their opinions they were going to make their belief and opinions heard anyway.  They were not going to be afraid to step outside of the box that other people kept trying to keep them in.  They weren’t afraid to be that change that the world needed and make their mark.

I would like to think that I have already started on that journey to make a great change within this world.  While it is only the beginning of this year, with the release of my new magazine and my first guest blog post, which was published last week, that seems to be well received, I am feeling more and more like everything is starting to fall right into place.  There are so many things that I want to do in this world and so much change that I want to make.

My dream started off with just writing, then evolved into wanting to build a publishing house, and evolved even more into wanting to create a media empire to pass on to my daughter that not only encourages artists to not conform to what society says they should be, but that they should celebrate their uniqueness.  I also, as I saw my daughter begin to experience the bullying that I also once went through as a child, developed an urge to want to use my message for my media company to begin communicating to young children that they should feel okay with being who they are and know that being different is not something to be ashamed of but rather something to embrace.

I’m not sure what it is about this year that feels so different but it just feels like it’s going to bring about the changes that I’ve been waiting for.  Of course some of those developments I am working towards are still in the making but I feel like I’m getting so much closer to my destination.  I am going to change this world, in my own way and in my own time.  I believe all of us have that power.  We just have to tap into it.  Did yesterday inspire you to want to move toward change?

I have the Write 2 Be Motivated and Empowered… What is your Write 2 Be?

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

Write 2 Be Magazine is now out so please go check it out at http://write2bemagazine.com/.  Also please go and join the magazine on twitter https://twitter.com/write2bemag, join the email listing for the magazine or submit a request for an author interview at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com, and also like the Write 2 Be Magazine fan page https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine.  Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.

How To Get To The Root of Your Procrastination

jcladyluv

Today I have found myself procrastinating once again, or maybe I am just a little blocked and can not produce anything decent to write.  It is only fitting that my Guest blog post on getting to the root of your procrastination was published on the Procrastinating Writers Blog.  Click the link below to check it out and let me know what you think.

 

How To Get To The Root of Your Procrastination.

Unstuck and Heading in the Right Direction

jcladyluv

I finally launched my magazine the other day and I am feeling really excited about all of its possibilities.  Initially I was scared (or maybe nervous would be a better word) about its release for all of the obvious reasons that anyone would be nervous going into a new venture.  This magazine is a big deal for me and the whole meaning behind Write 2 Be is important for me to get out.

Of course, as with any big venture that you embark on, I am discovering that all of the hard work that went into putting the initial debut issue out is really only just beginning because then there lies the responsibility of promotion and marketing that all falls on me.  Now anyone who reads this blog or who knows me already knows that I struggle deeply with the marketer that is supposed to live inside of me.

As a writer who does not have an agent as her advocate and who has not “hit it big” yet with some big contract from some major publishing house, and without some publicist slaving away on her behalf, I am learning how to market as I go along.  I was one of those aspiring writers who naively just thought that any publishing house would accept her work and of course they would have their own team of marketers and publicists that are working feverishly on behalf of my impending career and success.

Well that just isn’t how things worked out and nowadays as a writer trying to make it you have to be a good marketer of yourself and admittedly I am not.  I suppose it is mostly that I usually feel awkward patting myself on the back and that stems from personal childhood issues but I have slowly but surely started to get past that.  I am getting more adapt to being my own best supporter but it is definitely still a work in progress and is certainly not easy.

Having said all of that, with the release of my magazine I realized that this is a step in the right direction.  I had been feeling stuck within my writing and my drive towards success as a writer but now I know I am heading the right way towards my ultimate goals.  I felt stuck last year, and possibly even the year before that and I hadn’t realized why until I released the Write 2 Be Magazine.

I feel like I am now really beginning to fulfill my purpose and that I am starting to see my vision becoming the reality I knew it could be.  I feel revived and much surer of where I am headed and that I am definitely on the right path.  I feel very optimistic about this year as it pertains to my writing career and I am going to hold on to that optimism for as long as I can.

I have the Write 2 Be Proud and Inspired… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

Write 2 Be Magazine is now out so please go check it out at http://write2bemagazine.com/.  Also please go and join the magazine on twitter https://twitter.com/write2bemag, join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com, and also like the Write 2 Be Magazine fan page https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine.  Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.

Write 2 Be Magazine is Live!!!

jcladyluv

Well after much preparation and weeks of pulling my hair out to put the final product together, the debut issue of Write 2 Be Magazine is finally ready to be shared with the rest of the world.  Write 2 Be is about not fitting into the mold other people want you to fit in.  It’s about not letting other people’s thoughts and opinions of you define who it is that you are.  It’s about making the unexpected and sometimes unpopular choices in order to stay true to yourself.  Write 2 Be is about defining yourself as whatever you feel you have the Write 2 Be…

Write 2 Be Magazine will be designed to give writers and artists a broad platform to showcase their work and share their experiences in dealing with the ins and outs of both the creative and business side of writing and the publishing industry.  It is a magazine that is meant to help people tap into their true creative and artistic selves without giving into others expectations of who you should be.

It has been a true labor of love, one that I pray will carry on for years and years to come.  I really hope that all of you will go and check it out (http://write2bemagazine.com/) and more importantly, that you all will love it and read it on a regular basis.  So go on, check it out and leave a comment to let me know what you think.

I have the Write 2 Be Creative and Inspiring… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

Being Optimistic Is Giving Me More Drive

jcladyluv

The first week of the New Year has actually started off pretty good.  I mean nothing miraculous happened, nothing earth shattering or life altering, but on the up side nothing terribly bad happened (at least nothing that I couldn’t handle).  I’ve actually been rather productive, at least more than normal, and while there are still things on my to-do list for the week that haven’t been completed yet, I would say that I am very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.

That’s not saying that I don’t have a lot of improvement to do, especially in my time management skills, but I am a work in progress (as we all are) and I have progressed into not beating myself up over the things that didn’t get done.  I just know that I have to be more determined and more persistent in getting my list completed next week.  I do have some major things that I have to tackle over the weekend in the efforts to finish putting the magazine together and that is actually going to be my main focus for the weekend.

I don’t know why I have not mastered the art of time management yet but I really hope that I can shuffle things around a lot better in the coming weeks.  I have been replacing most of my negative thoughts and fears with positive outlooks and all in all (unlike the last few years) I am feeling very optimistic for this year.  Well I hope all of you have had a very productive first week of the New Year and that all of your projects are off and running.

I have the Write 2 Be Productive and Prosperous… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

 

Write 2 Be Magazine will be debuting on January 15th, 2013 so please go join the magazine on twitter before it debuts on https://twitter.com/write2bemag and join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com.  Also please feel free to go and friend me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310 and like my Write 2 Be Magazine fan page.  Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.

Tapping Into the Inner Child In All of Us

jcladyluv

I wrote yesterday about the fears that hold me back and releasing those fears.  Writing it down was quite therapeutic in many ways.  Then I read a blog post this morning from one of the many that I follow that made me think about when I was a child.

When we are children there is rarely anything that we are afraid of.  We are told (well I wasn’t told this but most children were and I believed it was true as well) that anything that you want is possible if you put your mind to it and go after it.  Children don’t really see the negative when it comes to their dreams and the future that they think up for themselves.  They try time and time again and they NEVER give up.

Think of how many times your children have tried to persuade you into getting something that they wanted and were relentless until (most likely) you finally gave in or miraculously made it happen.  My best friend Ms. L. and I are always having the situation where our kids are asking for something that they really want (because everything kids want is a matter of life or death in their mind) and it usually seems impossible for us to get them those things but their faith is unshakable and they hold firm to the fact that they are going to win out in the end.

Meanwhile we are both scratching our heads trying to think of how to make what they want possible.  Needless to say, some miraculous way we manage to be able to give them their hearts desire and all the while they never had any doubt that we would.  In their minds it was always going to work out to their benefit and just the way they wanted it.  Now that’s some kind of faith.  Just imagine if we could all tap back into that childlike faith when it comes to our dreams and our hearts desires.

I go to the skating rink all the time and I watch these kids do all of these tricks and amazing things on skates and it’s not that they are all trained to do them, it’s that they are fearless in trying.  They don’t care if they fall because they’ll just get back up and try it again.  They don’t care if they don’t get it the first, second, or third time around, they will just keep going until they finally do get it.  Meanwhile the adults (myself included) are watching in awe, wishing that we could do just half of the things they are able to do instead of actually just going out and trying it.

If we could all just stop standing by and watching while everyone else is doing the things that we long to be doing then just imagine what we could do in this world, for our lives, for our children’s lives.  We keep limiting the things that we can do but should we be.  I mean obviously we can’t miraculously (by ourselves) make the world the better place that I’m sure we all desire it to be and yeah sure we can’t actually hold the whole world in the palm of our hands but why the hell can’t we at least try.

Perhaps we could try looking at obstacles and struggles from a child’s point of view; with unyielding faith and unstoppable determination.  Think about it this way, children seem to get everything that they want simply because they believe that they will.  So let’s try having a little more faith and a lot less wonder.  They more you keep wondering about whether or not something is going to happen, the more you are actually wondering away from the very thing that you want.  Don’t wonder away from your dreams, just have faith that they ARE going to come true.

I have the Write 2 Be Persistent and Determined… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

 

Write 2 Be Magazine will be debuting on January 15th, 2013 so please go join the magazine on twitter before it debuts on https://twitter.com/write2bemag and join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com.  Also please feel free to go and friend me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310 and like my Write 2 Be Magazine fan page.  Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.

What If the World Were to End Tomorrow?

jcladyluv

The New Year is approaching and, as you know, I am one of those people that like to plan things out thoroughly.  Of course I know that there are only so many things that I can actually plan but I do like to pretty much plan out the things that I need to accomplish step by step to get the bigger goals completed.

This year there is some skepticism around whether or not any of us will even make it to the New Year seeing as though the Mayan calendar has the world ending tomorrow.  While I do not actually believe that the world is going to end tomorrow (although God might have other plans, and in that case I’ll be very surprised) it did get me thinking about how many people there must be out there scrambling to get their life in order before tomorrow gets here.

I am interested to know how many people are suddenly doing the things that they said they would never do before just because they think they won’t be around after tomorrow.  How many of us would actually be doing the things that we are supposed to be doing (while we’re busy procrastinating) if we knew we wouldn’t have time to complete our goals and satisfy our purpose.

I must admit, I almost wished that I believed that the world was ending tomorrow, because even though I have managed to kick my plans into high gear lately, I imagine I might be in overdrive if I thought for one second that what I would have to do tomorrow is explain to God at the gate leading to heaven why I didn’t do all the things he told me to do with all of the time he had given me.

If the world were to end tomorrow I’m not sure that I would be happy with what I had done with the time that I was here.  It makes me just want to strive even harder then I had already planned to next year to make sure that I start actually fulfilling my purpose.  I suppose I had better go and get busy before the real doomsday actually does get here.  Have you all done what you feel you were sent here to do?  If the world were to end tomorrow, would you be happy with the legacy you are leaving behind?

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

What a Better Writer I Will Be…

jcladyluv

As the New Year approaches I become a little more anxious for the year to come.  Not necessarily because I think that something miraculous will happen (one can still hope though) but because I am going into the year more focused on what needs to be done, and more importantly on what I have to do to get those things done.  One thing is for sure, I could stand to become a much better writer because as a writer, your learning is never done.  Below I listed several things that I will plan on doing in the year 2013 to become a better writer and maybe some of these things can be things that help some of you as well.

1.)    Write Every Day— I know that there are some that would argue that you should never force yourself to write if you are not feeling “the muse” to write.  However, I believe that writing everyday is important in becoming a more effective and insightful writer.  It’s just like a regular job.  You can’t wake up and just say I don’t feel like going so I’m not going to go.  This is my job and I will make a stronger effort in the New Year to treat it as such.

2.)    Read Every Day— Okay lately I have not been the avid reader that I once was and that I still would like to be.  There’s been this reason, or that reason, why I haven’t been able to plant my but in a chair and read, but really there’s no valid excuse.  I know that reading more makes an even stronger writer.  So in this year I am going to not only make a promise to just read more, but rather to read everyday.  Whether it’s just a couple of pages, or even just a page, so long as I read.

3.)    Share My Writing More— I’ve always been apprehensive about joining a writing critique group or any type of writing community.  It’s not that I haven’t but I just haven’t embraced the concept as much as I should have been.  So in my effort to make my writing better and stronger, I will share my work with others more this year.

4.)    Take Better Care of Myself— I am already learning that taking care of myself will make it even more possible for me to do those things that I strive to do in a successful way.  I feel myself becoming stronger as a person as I begin to place more priority in taking care of me, and that is making me an even stronger writer.  It also makes me a more confident writer.  I have to keep reminding myself to take better care of me so that in the long run I become stronger and more successful in everything else I want to do.

5.)    Don’t Let Writer’s Block Get In My Way— I have had my struggles with writer’s block in the past and I have allowed this to be the reason why things were not able to get done.  Because of that excuse, I have many novels started and not finished and many missed opportunities that I have let slip through my fingers.  I am not going to use this excuse anymore because it is just that, an excuse.  If I have to balance multiple projects so that if I get blocked on one project, I can simply move to the other project, then that’s what I am going to do.

6.)    Take a Writing Course— As a writer it is also important to keep the knowledge of the craft sharp.  This requires honing your craft more, not only by reading on the craft of writing, but also in taking a course on writing.  I would like to say that I can take several courses in the next year to be able to sharpen my writing skills, but realistically, I may not have the money for that.  But I think I can manage one course at the very least.

7.)    Research More— I have always loved research.  From historical events and historical figures, to the places in the world that I dream of traveling to.  I have to admit I haven’t done much of it in this past year but that’s what I want to get back to.

8.)    Become a Better Marketer of Myself— Okay I know that it doesn’t sound like this has anything to do with actually writing but if I’ve learned nothing else over the past year it is that if no one sees all of your hard work then you don’t get your writing noticed.  In order to get more of your writing out there for all to see I have to become better at marketing my writing myself, and my brand.  I admit I have A LOT of work to do in the area of marketing myself but it is definitely a focus for me in the year to come.

9.)    Attend Writer’s Conferences and Events— This goal may present some challenges because a lot of writer’s conferences and events these days are just not as affordable as they once were.  They actually used to have writing conferences that were free (go figure!) for those who, like me, just couldn’t afford it.  However, I am going to make an extra effort to at least make it possible to attend one at some point this coming year.

10.) Do Things That Scare Me— Fear is something that I struggle with so much.  There’s so many things that I haven’t done, simply out of fear.  So if I can do something that scares me, not just one thing, maybe something every month or every week, then perhaps I can learn to stop being so scared of things that I just can’t control.  Perhaps then I will actually achieve all that I want.

You won’t find too many writers who will say that they are at a point where they don’t need to learn more, do more, or be better than what they already are.  If you do they are either the greatest writer that has ever lived or they are fooling themselves.  We all get comfortable sometimes in the accomplishments that we have made and in how far we have already come.  Often times we forget that there is still so much more left to learn, and more left to do, and even further to go.  We grow as writers, when we acknowledge that we have a lot of growing left to do!

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

jcladyluv

Behind every great movie, television show, or even a song, is a great director, but there’s an even greater writer. While writers do get slightly more recognition than they have in the past, they are still very under-acknowledged throughout the media industry. I wrote this article for Piehole Magazine expressing not only my appreciation for the writers of the industry that I am striving to be a part of, but in frustration that writers are not showcased as they should be.

jcladyluv's avatarPIEhole Magazine

 

There are awards shows for almost every avenue of the arts.  Musicians have awards ceremonies for their accomplishments in the music industry such as the Grammys, the AMAs (American Music Awards), the CMAs (Country Music Awards), the Billboard Awards, and even the MTV Video Music Awards.  Actors and actresses are deservingly acknowledged for their works in film, television (both daytime and primetime), and animated programs with awards shows such as the Golden Globes, the SAG awards (Screen Actors Guild), the Oscars, Emmy’s and the Daytime Emmy Awards.

However, I have noticed there are no award shows for writers.  True enough, writers get slight nods during the Oscars and other awards shows in specialized smaller segments, and that is wonderful.  It is a wonder, with all of the attention paid to the actors, actresses, and singers, that writers get acknowledged at all.  Why don’t writers have an awards show that is all their…

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What’s It Going to Take to Become a Media Mogul

jcladyluv

I’ve been thinking a lot over this past weekend about what it’s going to take to become the media mogul that I have always dreamed of being.  I know that it’s not going to be a piece of cake and frankly in the cases of most people it probably would have already happened by now.  Perhaps if I hadn’t spent so much time standing in my own way I’d already be halfway to that point by now.

But nevertheless, I am not there yet.  Largely due to the fact that I spent most of this year (a lot of years really) telling myself and convincing myself that I had took too long, and I had let too many opportunities pass me be, or that I didn’t have what it takes like Oprah or Tyler Perry and other impressive moguls (some still in the making) have, and that for those reasons it was just too late for me.  Ever since I heard that message that I watched by Bishop T.D. Jakes about opportunities presenting themselves in chaos and about not counting up all of the things that I didn’t have or that I couldn’t do instead of relying on what I do have, I have shifted my focus into a different place.

I plan on taking this year and focusing on the things I can control and the things and more importantly the opportunities that I do have.  There’s a reason why people say that it is never too late to accomplish your dream and I am going to stop telling myself that it is too late.  Of course I have a lot of ground to make up for and a lot of hard work to do but I have also realized something else.  I have to start paying closer attention to those media moguls that have essentially paved the way and laid the ground work for those that will come behind them (I will be one of those people).

So this week I wanted to share with all of you some of the media moguls (and one’s in the making) that I admire and some lessons that I’ve taken away from them that can help propel the next generation of media moguls to come.  Tomorrow I will share with you what I admire most about Tyler Perry and the lessons from his journey.

I have the Write 2 Be Motivating and Inspiring… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

Write 2 Be Magazine will be debuting on January 15th, 2013 so please go join the magazine on twitter before it debuts on https://twitter.com/write2bemag and join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com.  Also please feel free to go and friend me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310 and like my Write 2 Be Magazine fan page.  Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.