Thought For The Day

If you don't know where you are going
How will you know when you get there?

I love this thought! I felt it would be a great thought for the day.

How many of you just let life take you? You fall into a job you didn't plan to have and after a few years it becomes your career? That's kind of what happened to me. Nearly thirty years later, I retired from a job I never dreamed of having.

Is that bad? It worked out for me, but I often wonder, if I had put more planning into where I wanted to be in life, what would life have been for me?

Right now, I retired after many years. I started a new pathway -- that of being a writer and author. This path I have taken control of. I started taking the time to write the stories bouncing in my head. I took a chance and got first one story published, then another and another until I can say I have about sixteen published stories.

I have to admit it has taken some hard work, lots of time, learning new things, taking chances, but persevering. I'm not there yet, but I hope one day I can say I made it. I know where I'm going, and I've enjoyed the ride.

Think about it. Where is your life taking you? Have you made plans, done the work, and will you know when you get there?

Take a chance - my next goal was publishing The Mountain View Café. I accomplished that goal. It's available in kindle e-book from Amazon.com.  The paperback should be released shortly. I accomplished one of my goals. What about you?

Happy Reading!

K. R. Bailey

http://KRBailey.com

Writing Tips

It's amazing how many people I meet want to write a book. I say go for it. It's a lot of work. It's very time consuming. It's something you have to stick to and keep at it. For me, it's very satisfying to see it come to fruition - hold the  paperback in my hand and smile because it is something I created.

Here's a few writing tips I came up with that might help as you begin your journey as a writer. These tips might help even if you have already been writing or have become a published author.

Writing Tip from K. R. Bailey:

Use the five senses to make your writing come alive. Seems like it’s real easy to describe what the hero or heroine see, but using the other senses makes it so much better and brings your readers right into the scene.

Here is an example:

SIGHT: A beautiful lake nestled amidst tall pines.

SMELL: The pungent scent of pine is mixed with the smell of nearby campfires.

SOUND: A robin sings from the top of an aspen tree, and the buzz of honey bees fill the air as they seek the nectar of the myriad of wildflowers lining the path to the lake.

TOUCH: The air is cool and moist against our skin.

TASTE: The sweet, chocolatey crunch of smores heated on the campfire melt in our mouth.

By adding all five senses, I believe it builds a more rounded picture and it’s easy to relate to what our characters are experiencing.

Create scenes that come alive. Make your readers experience what your hero and heroine are by using all of the five senses.

Happy Reading!

 

K. R. Bailey

For more about K. R. Bailey, go to her website at:  www.KRBailey.com

Don't You Love Old Barns?

I remember going to visit my grandparents in Cache County and passing a big old barn with a sign painted on its side.  I was always fascinated with that old barn.  It made me wonder what types of tales it could tell me. 

 Last spring I took a two week road trip with my sister back to Kentucky, and we passed many cool old barns.  Most of the ones I took pictures of were called “quilt barns”.  Now, I had never heard of the term “quilt” barns but my sister is an avid quilter.  She has a long-arm quilting machine and lives and breathes quilting.  Needless to say, I get to talk about quilting a lot when we’re together.  I’m not complaining because I love spending time with her, and she gets to listen to me talk about writing, so in the long run, I think we’re even.

 I remember spending time with my mother as a young girl and helping her hand quilt the beautiful quilts she made.  Now, I hate making quilts, but I definitely do appreciate all the hard work that goes into them.  So, when we were traveling and came across some cool old barns with quilts painted on them, I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures.  As I thought about the barns, I got to thinking that they remind me of the life we live and the lives of those who have passed on.  They are so rich in history.  Wouldn’t you just love to hear about their history?

 Here’s a beautiful old barn. 

 

Notice how pleasing it is to look at.  It’s painted and well kept up.  It’s obvious the owner loves his barn and is proud of what he has.  Wouldn’t you just love to go inside and see what treasurers are housed in it?  Keeping this barn looking so meticulous definitely would require a lot of work, and that is my first thought:  You have to work hard to succeed.  It doesn’t matter if you want to write a book, sew a beautiful quilt, look nice, keep your house and yard up, or become the CEO of a company.  Everything takes a lot of hard work to obtain it.

 

This second barn is big and sturdy and well made.  Even though it’s not fancy, it looks trustworthy.  That’s my second point:  Be trustworthy.  Whether it’s in your dealings with others, writing a book, borrowing money, or just in your everyday life as you work and play, you have to be trustworthy.  Make your word your bond.  Let everyone know they can trust you, depend on what you say, and rely on you when you say something.

 

This third barn is definitely old, but it has character.  It’s one of a kind.  My third point is:  it doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are, build your character.  Let each day help you become the person you want to be.  You are unique.  Enjoy your differences.  Everything you do helps you become a unique person with character that makes you that much more interesting.

 

One thing they all have in common is they are great to look at and each one is different from the other.  They bring joy to anyone who passes by with their bright colored quilts painted on them.  So my last point is:  Be happy.  Bring joy to others and to yourself. 

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my quilt barn pictures.  If anyone has pictures of interesting old barns they’d like to share, I’d love to see them.   

For more about me, visit my website at http://KRBailey.com

Have a great day!

You Can Do Anything

Yes, you can do anything you set your mind to.  I believe it, and you need to believe it also.

I read a small article in the March AARP bulletin and I'd like to quote it.  Great story.

Author, Author
Jim Henry conquered illiteracy in his mid-90s.  Now he's the author of a book at 98.  "Never, never give up on anything even if what you're doing feels impossible," says Henry, a retired lobsterman in Mystic, Conn.  His self-published In a Fisherman's Language recounts his life through 29 stories.  The first two printings sold out, but his website, fishermanslanguage.com, is accepting orders for a third printing.  (author unknown)

Isn't that just the best thing you've read lately?  I know sometimes I get discouraged, thinking that I started too late in life to get published.  Sometimes I spend my time envying other big name authors like James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Karen Robards, and RaeAnn Thayne.  Sometimes I feel that I just don't have the time, the energy, etc, to succeed.  But then I see something like the above article, and I kick myself back into my computer chair and start working again, because I can succeed.  So can you.

Now, I didn't say it was easy.  Hey, is anything ever easy?  Not usually.  Every dream takes some work to achieve.  Every goal requires stamina, stick-to-it desire, and work to accomplish.  Tell yourself you can do it -- and do it.  Take baby steps and soon they'll turn into giant leaps.

One of my favorite says is:

 If it is to be, it's up to me.

 I love that saying because it is so true.  Every time I think I can't, I read that and remember, I can if I want to and if I'm willing to do what it takes.

I retired after over 30 years.  All those years I dreamed of writing and seeing one of my stories in print.  I joined Romance Writers of America.  I signed up for a few classes, and I started writing. I attended some writing conferences and listened to success stories.  I fought envy and then remembered to tell my friends congratulatons.  One day I decided to submit a story.  A friend talked me into it late one night as we were working on a contest.  I bit the bullet.  Sent in the query letter.  After some rewrites, edits, and lots of work, it got published.  I jumped for joy, then sat back down and kept on writing.  I feel I'm succeeding.  So can you.

Remember:

If it is to be, it's up to me.

Repeat that over and over again.  Post it next to your computer, your easy chair, wherever you spend time and need some encouragement.  Then put a plan into action.  Take the first step.

Good luck.

Where Did My Day Go?

It's been over a month since I last blogged, and I don't have any idea where my time has gone.  Oh, I can think of a few things we did -- a small vacation to Yellowstone with some great friends which wa super relaxing; a concert to see The Oak Ridge Boys and they were fantastic; and, of course, visits with family and a couple dinners out, but it doesn't cover the entire month.  Do you ever wonder where your days go?

A friend of mine - a great author, Cindy Christiansen - interviewed me for her blog and one of her questions was what I had learned in the writing process.  Isn't it sad that the first thing that came to mind is I let too many mundane things take over my hours and days?  That got me thinking, and once again I made a new resolution to take more advantage of my time and write.  I have alot of stories running around in my head -- I'm a writer, a published author, and I think all of us have stories that are begging to come out.  So I've made a few goals:

1.  Write something every day.  Now, I have to admit it may not be a new story, and it might be some e-mails staying in touch with my friends, developing marketing items, even blogging.  But I need to write.  Once I start writing, I want to continue and that's how I'll figure out how to finish my current story and get started on another one.

2.  Write down what I need to accomplish.  I'm a note maker.  It really helps me when I get to cross an item off my list.  So, I have a notebook by my chair in our family room, by my bed in the bedroom, and of course by my computer. Each day I'll work to cross off things from my list.

3.  Quit chastising myself when I don't get some writing done.  Yes, I tend to get disappointed in myself very easiily and the sad part is, that doesn't seem to help.  So, I refused to let myself get depressed and, instead, will keep striving to get my writing accomplished.

4.  Reward myself when I complete another goal - okay, I'll probably reward myself more than I should, but I think it is very important to pat yourself on the back when you accomplish someting you've been working on.

5.  Read.  Okay, I love to read, so this won't be a hard goal to achieve.  But I have met so many wonderful authors and have so many books on my to be read list, that I think it is very important for me to read, keeping up with what is new on the market.

6.  Write up reviews and send to my author friends.  I know I love to hear that people like my stories. I spend so much time creating characters, putting them through so many challenges, taking them on a journey to love and happiness, that it is so fulfilling when someone says to me, "I loved your story," or "I couldn't put your book down."  I want to do that for others.

I hope you are better at using your time than I am, but even if you're not, be happy, do what you love, and it will workout.  If you have other things to add to my list that seem to work for you, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a great day!

Are You Moving In The Right Direction?

Where you stand is not important -- its in what direction you are moving that counts.
------Unknown

I love that thought. Too often I think people worry that they haven't accomplished their goal, they aren't where they want to be in life, or that they may not be successful. But I think this thought says it all. It doesn't matter where you are. You just have to take small steps each day and one day you'll accomplish your goal and reach your dream. Don't have any? Then take time today and set some goals, identify your dream. The small steps will add up. Believe me, they will.

If you talk to various authors, they have a goal of writing a small number of words or pages each day. They know that eventually they'll complete that story or novel. Christine Feehan says her goal is writing seven pages a day. RaeAnn Thayne strives for three short period a day to write. They aren't all at once, but throughout her day, she tries to find small increments of time to put words on pages. They are moving in the right direction. I strive to find at least an hour each day on my computer to write and I admit alot of the time it is at midnight after my husband goes to sleep. Another thing that I find helps is to always have a notbeook with me. I am constantly playing with story ideas, developing characters, or plotting my story wherever I'm at. For me it works.

Someone on a diet knows they must lose a pound or two a week and over time it adds up to ten, twenty or more pounds lost. They know small steps lead them to success.

You can accomplish anything as long as you do it a piece at a time. Don't let disappointment or stumbling blocks cause you to slide backward.

Remember: If it is to be, it's up to me!