Money Comes to Me Easily and Effortlessly

If that's not true for you, the problem might just be that you don't believe it's true. Many self-help programs tout the importance of using positive affirmations to help you get what you want out of life. If used correctly, affirmations can make dramatic and positive changes in your life. So this year, instead of making a number of resolutions that you'll break by January 2nd, how about trying to give yourself a positive pep talk instead. If you're looking for a good place for affirmations, psychic Lorrie Kazan sends out a free, weekly "Prosperity Meditation."

To check out past issues, visit www.lorriekazan.com/backissuespm.html

This article was posted in the December 14 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Looking For Holiday Cash?

The people at iVillage.com have a pretty good collection of finance articles in their "Home & Garden" section. For those of you (us), looking for a little extra cash during the holiday season, they offer an article of tips that might just work for you.

iVillage.com

This article was posted in the December 4 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

We're Giving Away *FREE* Books

Max and the Gatekeeper
James Todd Cochrane
Genre: Young Adult
Enter to Win Max and the Gatekeeper Now




The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats
Charlotte Barnes
Genre: Poetry
Enter to Win The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats Now




Family Acts
Louise Shaffer
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Enter to Win Family Acts Now




Neitherworld Book One Akiiwan
Scott Baker
Genre: Science Fiction
Enter to Win Neitherworld Book One Akiiwan Now




Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland
Dave Jeffers
Genre: Christianity & Politics
Enter to Win Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland Now




We Care About Golf
Thomas E. Warner
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win We Care About Golf Now




The Dowry Bride
Shobhan Bantwal
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Enter to Win The Dowry Bride Now




Gods Behaving Badly
Marie Phillips
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win Gods Behaving Badly Now




The Animal Dialogues
Craig Childs
Genre: Nature / Science
Enter to Win The Animal Dialogues Now




Every Year on Your Birthday
Rose A. Lewis
Genre: Picture Books
Enter to Win Every Year on Your Birthday Now




Sexiest Man Alive
Diana Holquist
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Enter to Win Sexiest Man Alive Now

We're Giving Away *FREE* Books

Max and the Gatekeeper
James Todd Cochrane
Genre: Young Adult
Enter to Win Max and the Gatekeeper Now




The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats
Charlotte Barnes
Genre: Poetry
Enter to Win The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats Now




Family Acts
Louise Shaffer
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Enter to Win Family Acts Now




Shooting War
Anthony Lappe, Dan Goldman
Genre: Graphic Novel
Enter to Win Shooting War Now




Silent Movies
Peter Kobel
Genre: Arts / Photography
Enter to Win Silent Movies Now




Signed, Mata Hari
Yannick Murphy
Genre: Historical Fiction
Enter to Win Signed, Mata Hari Now




The Poet's Corner
John Lithgow
Genre: Arts / Poetry
Enter to Win The Poet's Corner Now




Arthur's Audio Favorites (Audio Book)
Marc Brown
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Enter to Win Arthur's Audio Favorites (Audio Book) Now




Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs
Ansel Adams
Genre: Arts / Photography
Enter to Win Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs Now

What to Do in Case of a Zombie Attack. . .

Since this is the Halloween issue of the Writing Sparks, I couldn't go without letting you all know what to do in case of a Zombie attack. This fun three-minute video will keep you prepared should you meet a creature of the night.

www.commoncraft.com/zombies

This article was posted in the October 26 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Judging a Book. . .

The AIGA (a professional association for design) has released a list of its top book covers for 2007. Because your book cover is so very important in your marketing efforts, I encourage everyone to take a peek at these top-notch designs.

www.designarchives.aiga.org

This article was posted in the October 12 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

The World's Worst Opening Lines

Take a break from your own excellent writing, to view the world's most terrible opening lines. Every year, the San Jose State University English Department runs the "Bulwer-Lytton" Fiction Contest. This whimsical literary competition challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.

To view this year's fabulous (or not) winners, visit www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2007.htm

This article was posted in the September 21 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

The Literature Map

Are you looking for a new author? You have your favorites but want something just a little bit different to read. As much as that sounds like the slogan for OnceWritten.com, it also is a truism for a site known as The Literature Map. This map only points to the better known authors, so it's not great for discovery the unheard of ones. However, it does offer a fun way to find new authors that have a similar style to your faves. Simply type a name of an author, and the site will create a map of similar authors. The closer in the map an author is, the closer his style will match that of the name you entered.

www.literature-map.com

This article was posted in the August 10 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Vacuum Your Lungs

If you're feeling out-of-breath, nervous or stuck, and you just can't seem to move yourself along, you may want to take a second to "vacuum your lungs." This is a technique that helps cure breathlessness and is often used by opera singers before performing. Good too for those that just need to get a nice cleansing breath of fresh air before tackling a particularly troubling task, the technique basically "reboots" your lungs. Taking a few deep, cleansing breaths out of newly vacuumed lungs may be just the ticket to get your brain back in high gear.

www.ftrain.com/lungvacuuming.html


This article was posted in the August 3 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

We're Giving Away *FREE* Books

Dead Boys: Stories
Richard Lange
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win Dead Boys: Stories Now




Knit Together
Debbie Macomber
Genre: Inspirational
Enter to Win Knit Together Now




Reframe your Life
Stephen Arterburn
Genre: Religion
Enter to Win Reframe your Life Now




By George
Wesley Stace
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win By George Now




The Gospel Side of Elvis
Joe Moscheo
Genre: Biography / Memoir
Enter to Win The Gospel Side of Elvis Now




Next to Die
Marliss Melton
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Enter to Win Next to Die Now

Brainstorm Your Way Out of Writers Block

If you're feeling stuck, or can't quite get the plot or story right, you may want to brainstorm your way out of your block. A paper posted at the University of North Carolina website gives students brainstorming ideas for writing term papers, but the principles apply to fiction writers as well.

From looking at similes to clustering/mapping/webbing to free writing, there are a number of great brainstorming topics outlined in this paper. www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/brainstorming.html

This article was posted in the July 20 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Covering Covers

In this week's "Promote Your Book" tip, we talk about the importance of a good looking cover design.

Good design can be a tricky thing. People can react very differently to the same images. Bad design, however, is usually pretty easy to pick out. A forum at http://covers.fwis.com/ posts a variety of covers that are considered "good-looking" or at least visually noticeable covers, and then lets users make comments as to whether they agree or not.

This article was posted in the July 6 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

We're Giving Away *FREE* Books

Unfinished Business
Elizabeth Lucas Taylor
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Enter to Win Unfinished Business Now



Men Cry Too: Poems & Prose
Wayne L. Misner
Genre: Poetry
Enter to Win Men Cry Too: Poems & Prose Now



Yesterday's Falcon
Tim Newman
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Enter to Win Yesterday's Falcon Now



Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton
Jeff Gerth, Don Van Natta, Jr.
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Enter to Win Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton Now



Frenemies
Megan Crane
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Enter to Win Frenemies Now



Exposure
Kurt Wenzel
Genre: Fiction
Enter to Win Exposure Now



The Ever-Running Man
Marcia Muller
Genre: Mystery
Enter to Win The Ever-Running Man Now



Law of Attraction
Michael Losier
Genre: Self Help/New Age
Enter to Win Law of Attraction Now



Walking the Walk
Leslie Sansone
Genre: Health, Fitness & Beauty
Enter to Win Walking the Walk Now



Lone Survivor (Audio Book)
Marcus Luttrell
Genre: Biography / Memoir
Enter to Win Lone Survivor (Audio Book) Now

A Font of Knowledge

When composing your written masterpieces, do you have a favorite font?

Okay, I totally stole this week's creativity booster from WritersDigest.com, but when I saw this link, I couldn't resist passing it along to OnceWritten.com subscribers.

In their last newsletter, Writers Digest references an article at slate.com, which interviewed prominent writers to see what their favorite font was? If you want to see the complete results, visit: http://www.slate.com/id/2166947/

This article was posted in the June 1 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Creating Your Reality with Goal Setting

You know that when you write down your plans and goals they have a much better chance of becoming reality. Having them bounce around in your brain, competing with all the other noise that's up there is great, but for dramatically increase results, you have to write it down. It never ceases to amaze me, on my own goal (AKA to do) lists how I'll write down every little thing I can think of, both for long and short term goals, and even if I've completely forgotten that list existed, when I come across it years later, most of the items have been done. In order to help you figure out your most pressing goals, Cigna Health has developed a goal-setting worksheet that is pretty cool. Print this sheet out, take yourself on a nice, quiet, solo Starbucks date, and just spend an hour dreaming about and planning your future. Cigna Health Goal Setting Worksheet.

This article was posted in the May 7 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Trying to Do Too Much?

Like most creative types, you are probably trying to accomplish too many thing at once. Wearing the cap of worker, parent, friend, spouse, child, and numerous other labels is often in direct conflict with trying to wear the writer's mantle. Stress becomes a frequent companion when we try to to be perfect or even when we try to do too much. If you are looking for a way to de-stressify (not sure that's a word, but I like it) your life, visit the Ririan Project blog, for a posting on "Ten Commandments for a Stress-Free Life." Scroll down, past the Google ads, for a common sense reminder on how to live your own life to the fullest. www.ririanproject.com/2006/11/22/ten-commandments-for-a-stress-free-life/.

This article was posted in the May 1 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

Do Something New Every Day

Many of the pundits suggest that a great way to become more creative is to do something new every day. While a daily novelty may be a hard schedule to keep, at least once a week try to fire up your creative juices by finding new things to do. If you're having a hard time coming up with new ideas, the Discover Fun website offers 1,200 suggestions (in 30 categories) of "Fun Things to Do." My favorite section is the spontaneous section. The part about asking people which direction to take made me think of the time my friend and I headed out on Sunset Boulevard with a video camera and told people that we were filming a movie. We just loved the responses we got when we asked them to be in our film. And I based a recent short story of mine on one of the people we met that day. www.discoverfun.com.

This article was posted in the April 9 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

What If You Could Make Headlines?

Okay so maybe you aren't ready yet to start generating real headlines, but still, if you're thinking about your name in lights, you might want to use the news to create a creative visualization for yourself. Write down one of your goals, edit it into one or two short paragraphs, and then post the text at www.getclippings.com/index.php to generate a personalized newspaper clipping for yourself. Print the clipping, post it on a wall, and use it to remind yourself to keep moving along. Want to see mine?

This article was posted in the April 2 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks newsletter.

We're Giving Away Free Books

Information Systems 101: A Business Owner's Guide for Staying Afloat
C. Oakes Templeman
Genre: Business
Enter to Win Information Systems 101: A Business Owner's Guide for Staying Afloat Now

Jim's Bahamas Adventure: Small Boats vs. the Devil's Triangle
Stephen L. Blain
Genre: Action/Adventure
Enter to Win Jim's Bahamas Adventure: Small Boats vs. the Devil's Triangle Now


Qualifying Laps: A Brewster County Novel
Nash Black
Genre: Thriller
Enter to Win Qualifying Laps: A Brewster County Novel Now


Swap
Sam Moffie
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win Swap Now



Silent People: Hearing the Call of the Dodder
Yvonne Jerrold
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win Silent People: Hearing the Call of the Dodder Now


Afternoons with Emily
Rose MacMurray
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win Afternoons with Emily Now



The Naming of the Dead (Audio Book)
Ian Rankin
Genre: Political Drama
Enter to Win The Naming of the Dead (Audio Book) Now



Chasing Life
Dr. Sanja Gupta, M.D.
Genre: Health & Beauty
Enter to Win Chasing Life Now



Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50
Michael Cunningham, Connie Briscoe
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Enter to Win Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50 Now


Hannah Keeley's Total Mom Makeover
Hannah Keeley
Genre: Self-Help
Enter to Win Hannah Keeley's Total Mom Makeover Now



Transparency
Frances Hwang
Genre: Short Stories
Enter to Win Transparency Now



Sight Unseen
Samantha Graves
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Enter to Win Sight Unseen Now

Time Management and Avoiding Procrastination

In the spirit of today's "Finding More Time" issue I'm also focusing on procrastination as a time sucker. Secondary to saying "I don't have enough time," procrastinating until we are sure we don't have enough time left is another way of sucking up time and acting as a detriment to your goals. For a fun article on overcoming procrastination, visit www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm now. The Mind Tools site has lots of cool advice for developing your career skills.

This article can be found in the March 26 issue of OnceWritten.com's Writing Sparks weekly newsletter.

Giving Your Character Gainful Employment

We all know in fiction there is a tendency in fiction to overuse high-profile careers. Enough cops, doctors, lawyers and secret service men already. If you're looking for a cool career for your character, you might want to consider some of the following jobs: economist, environmental scientist, landscape architect, or even a zookeeper. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, (yes, the same people who give us our regular unemployment statistic updates), has a cool page for educators of types of careers, as well as a complete A-Z page, and an overview of what each career does, how to get the job, and an average idea of how much that career pays. Looking to get your characters a job? Visit http://www.bls.gov/k12/index.htm.

You Can Have What You Want

One of my most favorite new websites is www.geniuscatalyst.com, a site that is devoted to helping you get what you want out of life. A great article posted there is entitled "How to Win Games and Influence Dolphins" which gives baby step suggestions on setting up goals to make them attainable. You can find the article at: www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/tipoftheday_s.php.

Get Motivated to Get Organized

Last year one of the most popular "Get Past the Block" columns was the one I wrote about clearing out your clutter. So take a look at those new year's resolutions (you are still doing them, right?) and if you had get organized or some variation on your list, visit the LifeOrganizers.com website to learn "20 Little Known Organizing Secrets Used by Professional Organizers."
www.lifeorganizers.com.

* * * *

Get Past the Block
OnceWritten.com offers weekly tips and suggestions to help get you motivated and moving beyond the things that block you. To sign up for a weekly shot of inspiration, subscribe to the OnceWritten.com Writing Sparks newsletter.

Need Creative Writing Prompts?
OnceWritten.com offers brand new, FREE, creative writing prompts every week. Feeling stumped in your writing? Check out the OnceWritten.com Free Creative Writing Prompts page.

We're Giving Away FREE Books

Consolation
Michael Redhill
Genre: General Fiction
Enter to Win Consolation Now



Red River (Audio Book)
Lalita Tademy
Genre: Historical Fiction
Enter to Win Red River (Audio Book) Now



The Mormon Way of Doing Business
Jeff Benedict
Genre: Business & Money
Enter to Win The Mormon Way of Doing Business Now