Exploring how to brand myself and what I do. I have been reading an interesting book by Shayla Raquel called The 10 Commandments of Author Branding. While a lot of this is information I have uncovered elsewhere, other aspects of it have been eye-opening. What is my brand? MJ Blehart is my professional identity. But…
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Thoughts Made Manifest
When all is said and done that’s what words are. The depth of this can be surreal. Thoughts are often abstract, complex, and mixed. They are unclear and tend to be varied in more ways than one. When thoughts get blended with feelings it adds a whole other layer of complexity. There are times when…
Does Imagination Scare You?
Does your imagination scare you? Are you afraid to dream, or to turn your dreams into realities? Change scares the hell out of people. It is the unknown, it is different, and that terrifies people. This can be particularly difficult to wrap your head around, but change is inevitable. You can’t avoid it, nor can…
Do I Find the Words or Do the Words find Me?
One of the ongoing challenges of writing. The words sometimes come really easily. You sit at the keyboard or with a pen and paper, and BOOM there are words. Other times, this is far more challenging. Even when you complete the work, sometimes it’s amazing awesomeness, and other times you’re like, “Really? Where did this…
Doubts Still Make Me Crazy
Loving what I do but still struggling with doubts from within and without. I have been living my life as a full-time artist for 8+ months now. Writing full-time and recording audiobooks has been an excellent experience for me, and working from home doesn’t suck. Yes, I need to make more money from this work,…
Doing it My Way for My life Story
Making use of a 30-day challenge in my own way as a part of my personal life story. For the fifth time, I have completed NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated – National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo) takes place every November. Over the 30 days of the month, you are challenged to write 50,000 words….
Business and Awareness for Artists
Building a Business: Awareness for Artists Starting something new that’s both exciting and scary Several years ago I tried to start a business. I thought it would be great to leverage several of my talents into a paycheck. Off the Compass Solutions came into being. I got all excited about it, built the website, created…
Ramping up Production – Writing during NaNoWriMo.
With November in full swing, so too is National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo). If you are unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it is an annual challenge to write a 50,000-word novelette in 30 days. To help with this process there is a whole website where you can track your progress and receive badges and encouragement for the…
Words Wanted: Writer Seeks Inspiration
Thoughts on getting inspired and mindfulness when finding and creating things. Sometimes I sit at the keyboard, look at the screen and find words flowing. Other times I sit and ponder. What shall I write? What topics might readers find interesting? Should I play a game on Facebook to clear my head? Go meditate? Play…
What you Write Matters
Be mindful that what you write matters. Why you should give consideration to words and phrases you use whether you share your work or not. It is all too easy to fall in love with your words. I know that I have certain words that I use a lot. Some are completely useful to a…