Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Day 157...Remember This...













Welcome to Day 157...

A new year beckons...all the possibilities...all the surprises...all the successes are just around the corner.

Wishing you and your family much peace, happiness and blessings in 2015!




Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...


"Tomorrow Is The First Blank Page of a 365 Page Book.  Write a Good One "  

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie 

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife
Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net
Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins


365 Days & Counting...


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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Day 156...When It All Goes Horribly Wrong...













Welcome to Day 156...

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm off this week from my day job.

My week of me started out wonderful...a trip to NYC with my daughter...great meals...some much needed family time.  

And then it all went horribly wrong.

My husband and one of my sons got sick with the stomach flu.  And then there was an unexpected car accident with the newest driver in the house - my other son.  He's fine thank God.  The car?  Not so much.

So for the past 24 hours I've been dealing with sick men, accident reports, a sullen son, insurance companies and a dizzying array of emotions,

I'm beginning to feel the weight of the world on my shoulders in this week of me.

So while I'm doing what I can to stay on top of everything - phone calls, emails, follow up...I've also been buttoning down my own hatches - so to speak - by finding quiet, peaceful, and escape-from-it-all solace in my writing.

And while managing that escape I've been listening to the hauntingly beautiful songs from Once the broadway musical soundtrack.

So when the world goes bad, it's good to be able to escape into something you love.

Here's...hoping tomorrow's a better day and...Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"When Something Bad Happens,You Have 3 Choices. You Can Let It Define You, You Can Let It Destroy You Or You Can Let It Strengthen You"  

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie 

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife
Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net
Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins


365 Days & Counting...


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Monday, December 29, 2014

Day 155...More Tips From a Master......














Welcome to Day 155...

Thanks to his classics like 1984, Animal Farm, Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell is a legendary writer. 

So what does this master have to say about the craft of writing...

Well in Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language" he shares the following...

For every sentence, a scrupulous writer, will ask at least four questions: 

  1. What am I trying to say?
  2. What words will express it?
  3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
  4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

The writer should also be curious to know...

  1. Could I put it more shortly?
  2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?
And Orwell offers the following rules....
  1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
  2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
  3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
  4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
  5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
  6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.   

It's always a good day, when you're learning from a master...

Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...


"You Must Learn A New To Think, Before You Master A New Way To Be "  Marianne Williamson 

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie 

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife
Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net
Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins


365 Days & Counting...


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365