Editing is Just Like Cleaning House.

Editing is Just Like Cleaning House.

(No wonder I hate it!)

 

Got the editing blues?

You’ve written “The End” either on the page or in your mind. Are you feeling a euphoric sense of relief and accomplishment? Or a sinking feeling of despair because the worst is yet to come—the dreaded edits! If the second describes where you are with your writing, then you have a lot of company, myself included.

I’m having people over to my house tomorrow night to play bridge. My writing will be set aside today because I have to clean. Never being one to avoid doing things the easy way, I plotted just what had to be done. No need to worry about things they’d never see, right? It occurred to me that the dreaded tasks of editing my novel and cleaning my house have a lot in common, a rather depressing realization since I hate cleaning.

I decided the best way to move forward with either task was to have a plan. Just as I wouldn’t vacuum a room before I dust, I’d have to tackle editing in an organized manner in order to save myself from endless do-overs.

             

1.     The absolute first thing - Have the right tools and cleaning supplies at your fingertips: Dictionary, thesaurus, red pen, notebook, any edit notes you made while writing  your book.

2.     Pick up the clutter - Go through your manuscript and note any glaring problems. Fix spelling, grammar, typos, and conflicting details or (my personal downfall) consistency in character’s names, which also includes spelling their names consistently. During this read through, keep lists of anything in your story line that needs work. If you haven’t already done so, make character lists.

3.     Decide what has to be done – Separate the lists you’ve made into categories. Now read through your book, preferably out loud, for flow, plot, interest, etc. Were the things you noted necessary changes?

4.     Clean house – Make critical revisions based on your notes and your read through.

5.     Save the heaving cleaning for after the party - Only when you’re satisfied that your work flows, and your grammar, spelling, and typos are corrected, is your manuscript ready to send to your professional editor and beta readers. If you’ve done your housekeeping well, your final revisions and clean-up will be as smooth as a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

Dear readers,

This list I’m offering is a simplistic approach, designed to help you get started on a what feels like a monumental task. If you need a more detailed advisory, I’d recommend picking up a book on editing. One I’ve used is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and David King.

I believe it’s vital to invest in a professional editor and proofreader. You’ve put a lot of precious time and effort into your book—don’t let it down by publishing a flawed product. Remember, the competition is fierce and readers demanding.

Wishing you good health and happy writing,

Marla

Beware the Murderers of Motivation!

Beware, the Murderers of Motivation!

What is motivation? Call it a muse, being in the zone, or a creative surge, we all know what motivation means. On our good days, we have more than enough of it to keep writing.

The main enemy of motivation is a tendency to see ourselves as  hapless victims of circumstances over which we have no control. We can’t write because we have writer’s block. Life gets in the way. Family comes first. Too busy with other things.  Sounding familiar?

Staying motivated and preventing writer’s block sounds impossible. Maybe it’s time we look at what causes them in the first place. We need to examine what lies at the base of the problem and prevent it’s inception rather than crying for a cure.

Motivation murderers:

1.     Unrealistic expectations.

Your book didn’t go viral in its first months? Buck up. In the real world, success as an independent author is like a new business. It takes work and it takes time. Focus on what you have to do, not what isn’t happening fast enough.

2.     Perfectionism. 

There are two kinds of writers. The ones like me who dash off the story, then fine-tune it later and the ones who only commit a sentence to paper if it’s perfect.  While there’s nothing wrong with the second method, it isn’t always conducive to flow. Make your work good—and move on. (This applies to the editing process, too.)

3.     Coasting.

One of my favorite sayings is “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” I’ve changed it somewhat, but you get the point. Right up there with expecting too much too soon, expecting something to work when it hasn’t for months, will pull you into the dregs of depression. Analyze what you’ve been doing, then try something different.

4.     Taking on too much at a time.

a.     The biggest culprit is trying to maintain a presence on all the social media sites. Find the sites you are the most comfortable with and use them well. Don’t try to keep up with them all; it’ll make you crazy.

b.     Starting too many projects. I find I’m most successful when I actively work on one project, my novel, and only tackle a second one mentally, taking an occasional note or rough outline. Going in too many directions will detract from your final product. Don’t start another writing project until you’re nearly done with the first.

5.     Comparing yourself to others.

There are many success stories out there. Don’t glance at them and agonize over why you aren’t getting the same results. Spend time reading why these authors became successful and take a tip or two from them that you can apply to your own journey. Envy is costly—it threatens your creativity.

Dear readers,

Frequently, I find myself in a dark place during my efforts to become a successful novelist. Sharing with you what I’ve come up with when I’ve tried to tackle my problem was the inspiration for this blog. Prevention isn’t always easy, but hopefully, easier than clean up!

Happy writing,

Marla

That Baffling Back-Story!

That Baffling Back-Story!

Are you guilty of back-Story Dump? One of the first writing lessons I learned from my writer’s group was about back-story. Yes, I was guilty. At the time I’d never heard the term back-story, much less the dump.

As a writer, I’ve had to learn to deal with it. In the process of writing my second novel, I added practically none, and I’m filling it in as I edit.

As a reader, I often skim over it, figuring if it’s vital to the story, I’ll find out about its relevance anyway. I don’t want to know all about the protagonist’s family history, how the parents met, what childhood was like or how he/she met their spouse or lover. Not in the opening chapters and maybe never.

The danger of back-story is that not done properly, it can bore your readers, even lose them. For mystery/suspense/thriller writers, too much in the opening chapters may destroy the suspense you’re trying to build. And if your books are listed on Amazon, where readers are free to (and usually do) read the opening chapters, overdone back-story can sway a decision to leave your book on the virtual shelf.

We need to be artful and subtle in delivering back-story as part of the narrative flow, rather than spelling it out.

Rules of back-story:

1.  Keep it short. Include it only if you're absolutely certain the reader would be completely lost without the information.
2. Add the information in bits and pieces, not all at once in one scene or even one chapter.

3. Tie the information to some type of action.
4. Create situations where another character needs to know the information.
5. Make sure it's realistic. Don't have someone talk about something they wouldn't normally talk about or spill their darkest secrets to a stranger just to get it out there.

After adding any back-story, ask yourself:

1. Is it absolutely relevant?

2. Is it short?

3. Is it inserted all at once?

4. Is it tied to some type of action?

Dear readers,

            I’m sharing this with you because it is another of those lessons I had to learn the hard way. Having been a reader forever, I should have known better. I’m utterly ruthless when I read and have no qualms about paging over endless backstory. I’ve set aside books that insisted on telling me the protagonist’s life story in the beginning chapters. Certainly not all readers are that brutal, but there are enough of us to make learning how to put back-story in artfully, a necessary skill. This short blog merely touches the surface of its use. There is a wealth of information available on the use of back-story. Take advantage of it.

            I’m still working on it.

Thanks for visiting,

 Marla

Sharpen your hook!

Before You Publish—Sharpen Your Hook!

11 Ways to Attract Your Readers

             One of the real challenges to eBook sales is the sample of the book available to readers. This sample is the bait—it better be enticing to the reader we anglers are trying to attract.  But the bait can’t do its job without a sharp hook.

            Think about your own purchases. How many of you, when considering whether to make an eBook purchase, have read a page or two, yawned, and moved on to the next option? An avid reader, I must confess I do it regularly. Just as an author trying to publish the traditional way needs to hook his potential editor, the eWriter has an even more challenging a job—attracting each and every reader.

            From the book, Don’t Murder Your Mystery, by Chris Roerden, here are eleven excellent tips for making your sample pages so compelling, that the reader will be panting for the whole book. It’s all about the hook. Not just the first sentence or the first paragraph—the sample chapters are critical.

Characteristics of a good hook:

1.     Arouses curiosity about who, what, when and where.

2.     Introduces the main character as soon as possible and makes it clear who is in the lead.

3.     Begins with the problem, predicament, conflict, threat, or change.

4.     Plunges into the middle of the situation.

5.     Uses tone to create a mood without piling on adjective and adverbs.

6.     Stirs emotions that keep reader identifying with the central character’s feelings.

7.     Sets a tone consistent with the main character’s attitude.

8.     Avoids being clichéd, boring, or hokey—not contrived solely for shock value.

9.     Sustains curiosity well past the first chapter.

10. Keeps action going without submerging it in back-story or description. (This one, to me, is the chief villain of lost interest. Drowning an otherwise interesting story line in endless “showing, not telling” marks the amateur writer.)

11. Suggests a contradiction of some kind.

Seem like a rather formidable list? It is. But we need to weigh it against our opening chapters if we want our novels to rise above the hundreds of thousands being ePublished ever day. We need to have both the bait (good style, formatting, and error-free), and a compelling hook to make the reader want to keep reading.

Dear followers,
Thank  you for reading this blog. I'm no expert, just another writer trying to promote my book. There's room in the marketplace for all of us, and helping each other is something our blogs can do for us. Roerdan's book is an excellent tool for the beginning writer and I strongly recommend it. I've read my copy and refer back to it often.
Have a wonderful week and a fun St. Patty's Day,
Marla

Chris Roerdan's book:

http://tinyurl.com/87ja7la

Chin Up!

5 Ways to Stay Positive in a Maniacally Competitive eBook Market

You’ve published your eBook. The first two months you had quite a few sales as your family and friends bought your book and spread the word. You’ve joined social media sites, and made a frantic effort to keep your participation organized. You’ve applied to reviewers, begging them to publicize your book and you’re discovering the good ones are backlisted until 2014! Sounding familiar?

If you haven’t discovered it yet—you have lots of company! Two traits of lucky people are that they look at failure as an opportunity to try new things and stay positive no matter what befalls them. For the rest of us who easily tumble into a hole of hopelessness, is there any way out?

1.     Forget about the hundreds of thousands of eBook writers out there, all fighting for their place in the sun! The important fact is this—there are millions of eBook reading-device owners getting in line to buy eBooks. The opportunities are out there. Make that your mantra.

2.     Keep writing.  It is easy to give up, tell yourself “okay, I tried it,” and move on to something else. I’ve said it before, but here it comes again—if you’re a new author, struggling to find yourself in the sea of uncertainty—join a critique group. If there isn’t one in your area, start one. Being in a group keeps you motivated, writing, and constantly improving your product.

3.     Take a short break.  The only one who can get you out of the dark place is you. If it’s a walk that works for you, a visit with a supportive friend, a funny movie, or an intimate evening with that someone special—do it.

4.     Set the book aside, but don’t stop writing.  Have an idea in your head for novel #2? Start outlining it. Belong to a writer’s site that has short story contests? Write an entry. Journal. Anything to keep honing your skills and reminding yourself that you’re a talented writer.

5.     Find new ways to promote your book. The same thing won’t work for every writer and the same thing won’t work every day. The more you make yourself visible, the more things you try, the greater your chances for eBook success. No matter how crappy you feel about marketing, you have to keep moving forward. It is not a fast process. Don’t let reports of a few overnight successes slow you down. Can it happen? Sure, but so can winning the lottery. You buy a lottery ticket but keep your day job, right? It’s okay to wish for that longshot, but in the meantime don't forget the turtle won the race!

Dear readers,

Thanks for reading. For those who have followed this blog from day one, I'm still working on my 2012 weight loss goal. My weight has been stubbornly staying the same, but I've learned from years of dieting, that's how I lose weight. So, like book marketing, I keep going and consider the 1 1/2 pound I've lost as a good beginning. March is the perfect time to revisit those New Year's Goals.

Marla

Elusive Luck

WHAT’S LUCK GOT TO DO WITH IT?

As I write this , I can picture Tina Turner in a red-sequined minidress, wailing out the title for all of us struggling authors, set to music and her incredible dance routine.

The word “luck,” beaten and bastardized, has been tossed around like an evil stepchild whenever book-marketing success (or lack thereof) is discussed.

            For two days this week, I took advantage of KDP’s, (Kindle Direct Publishing), Select promotion and placed my suspense eBook, She’s Not There, for free download on Amazon. At the end of the two days, I’d only had 8,202 downloads compared to a friend’s 26,000 downloads using the same promotion. She told me, “Well there was a lot of luck involved.” Her luck, she said, was due to the fact that a popular eBook site noticed her promotion and highlighted it for followers. Were she not a close friend I may not have questioned her comment. She is, however, and I happen to know her “luck” did not occur by chance.

            I know firsthand her success is not all due to luck. She’s a devoted marketer, and spends her every available moment doing anything possible to keep up her book sales’ momentum going. Me, I’m addicted to things like Spider Solitaire, playing bridge and watching The Young and the Restless; my marketing ethic is not nearly as fierce!

Luck is more likely to happen to those who go after it. As odd luck would have it, (no pun intended) I was in a waiting room for my scheduled eye check up this week and spotted a magazine with an article about luck. The receptionist was nice enough to copy it for me. Reading it, I quickly saw how everything in Rebecca Webber’s article on luck applied to all of us self-published authors.

You can make your own luck, she says, and goes on to describe traits of lucky people.

1.    Lucky People Expect the Best

Lucky people believe they will be successful. Research shows that if you do, your odds of hitting a lucky streak go up. Ben Fletcher, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, says there’s no magic involved—expectancy is a real driver of behavior. Having a firm belief creates a good outcome because it motivates you to make it happen. He says, “Expecting something as opposed to wanting or hoping for it, will affect your decision-making. You’ll be more inclined to act on your expectations and put in more of an effort.”

 Writers—find ways to stay positive and expect success—it works!

2.    Lucky People Notice What Others Miss

It’s not the chance situations in life that are different, but a person’s ability to see what’s right in front of him. Lucky people are more open to random opportunities. They notice them, unlucky people don’t. Lucky people are flexible in their thinking, and it’s that relaxed, open attitude that allows them to see what other don’t.

Keep your eyes open for opportunities—they’re out there!

3.    Lucky People Say “Yes”

 They do not remain passive. Instead they seize opportunities as they come without endless second-guessing. “When chance encounters occur, don’t overthink them, act on them. The only way to guarantee that you won’t get a great opportunity is by not seizing the moment.” (Don Saucier, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Kansas State University.)

            Don’t procrastinate—do it!

4.    Lucky People Switch Things Up

By meeting new people and trying new things, lucky people increase their chances of getting opportunities. Luck won’t come looking for you or knocking at your door. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely it is you will find luck.

            Experiment—try things other writer’s recommend.

5.    Lucky People Bounce Back

They don’t let one failure sidetrack their road to success. When you let a bad break get you down, you close the door on other situations that could lead to a lucky break. Closely linked to the first trait, expecting the best, bouncing back means you will actually have a greater chance of success with each failure because you’ll be trying more often.

            Regard each bad break as an opportunity to find the right course for you!

Anyone interested in reading Rebecca Webber's article on lucky people, it is in the January issue of Woman's Day magazine.

Dear readers,

            Although I didn’t spell out detailed ways these traits apply to the self-published author, I’m sure their relevance is obvious. I also didn’t add how they also pertain to all of us dieters. The traits practiced by lucky people all apply to the overweight as we fight for a leaner body. Since I struggle with both marketing my book and dropping fat from my body, I keep plugging along and cherish every success no matter how small.

Thanks for following my route,

Marla 
 

ePublishing - Ten Things I Learned the Hard Way

Ten things I learned the hard way about ePublishing

         

About a year ago, a member of my writer’s group ePublished her novel on Amazon and Smashwords. The rest of us, encouraged by her boldness, immediately decided to follow suit. I put my suspense novel, She’s Not There, on Amazon and Smashwords last August. My print copy wasn’t published until recently, following a change in cover art, an author photo shoot, and a professional formatting. I made a lot of mistakes in the process and decided to share a few.

1.     Have a polished product BEFORE you upload your manuscript. Readers do notice problems like typos, spelling, grammar, etc. Keep in mind that Amazon and other sites that sell eBooks, let readers inspect a generous sample. A product that screams “amateur” won’t sell books. Don’t be in such a rush to get your book up that you forget to make it your best effort.

2.     Hire a professional to format  your manuscript. Doing it yourself is not only for those having excellent skills at following directions, but also only for those with supreme patience. Not having either, I’ll never self-format again.

3.     If you have questions for Amazon KDP, keep in mind that it takes two or three days to get an answer. So if something gets screwed up in your process, and it will, it won’t get worked out for a day or more.

4.     Your book, after uploading, will not be ready for sale instantly on Amazon. It also takes a day or two before it’s ready for sale.

5.     eBooks do not sell themselves. Check out the wealth of information available on blogs and writer’s sites that give advice on marketing your book, paying particular attention to writer’s who have had success.

6.     Become a social media presence before you publish. Some people make themselves known on every site. I’ve found that to be impractical for me and prefer using only a few and spending more time on them.

7.     Buyer beware. Before paying for any service, check out its reputability. There are plenty of scams out there ready to pounce on eager writers.

8.     Advertising  I have not had good luck with paid advertising. There are many sites out there asking for a “donation” in exchange for promoting your book. While not scams, I have not found them to be good sources for book sales. If they want money, I’d advise avoiding those that don’t have a proven track record.

9.     Everyone will get different results from the same marketing method.

I paid for an ad on Goodreads after reading an article by an author thrilled with the results she’d gotten by placing an ad on their site. When I ran one, it did not bring in any sales. It’s possible she paid for a much splashier ad (I bought the cheapest), but the point is that whatever the promo method, results will vary.

10. Keep your expectations low!  It takes time and effort to sell eBooks. It won’t happen for you if you put your book up for sale and sit back to wait for results. There is always an element of luck involved, but remember in order to be available for that luck, you have to be there when it strikes. (It’s like that great door prize you can’t win if you aren’t present.) So keep busy with your social presence online, your networking, author interviews and reviews and joining groups where other authors gather. Be ready for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when it appears!

Dear readers,

Thank you for following my blog. I'd like to make a disclaimer: I'm neither a professional in the publishing industry or the health care field. My advice to you on writing or dieting is based on my many years of experience agonizing over both! 

Till next time,

Marla

Breaking the binge-eating habit.

Help! I Can’t Stop Eating

Yesterday I went crashing off my weight loss program. I started with one of my favorite foods—potato chips—kettle fried. After downing nearly the entire bag of chips, I craved something sweet. Luckily, there was a box of six Snicker’s ice-cream bars tucked away in the freezer. So I ate one. And went back for another one. It made no sense to leave them as a temptation for another day, so what the heck—I ate the whole box.

When suppertime rolled around, I wasn’t all that hungry. But I had to have a meal, right? I ate half of a frozen (I did take time to cook it) pepperoni pizza. And for dessert, at least six mint candies I had stashed in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. I was on a binge and it wasn’t pretty.

            I realize not all of you readers are as considerably overweight as I am. For some of you who struggle with only a few pounds, a binge might consist of a hamburger and fries. I have a friend (she’s tiny of course) who thinks she’s weak when she treats herself to an occasional Dove bar. It’s all relative.

             It’s difficult to get back to wise eating after an all out binge, but personally, I’ve done that more successfully than I have preventing one. Since prevention seems to be the better answer, let’s look at some ways to keep a wild overindulgence from occurring.

1.     When trying to lose weight, use a plan that lets you factor in foods you enjoy eating. Nothing spurs an overdose of food like deprivation.

2.     Don’t keep large supplies of tempting foods in your pantry. (or depending on how susceptible you are to a particular food, even small amounts!) Binging is a lot less likely to occur if your trigger foods are geographically inaccessible.

3.     Don’t skip meals. Ever.

4.     Plan meals made up of foods you enjoy.

5.     Eat slowly. Give your “I’ve had enough” meter time to kick in.

6.     If you’ve started to binge, i.e. like me and the potato chips, wait 30 minutes before moving on to your next food choice. That will give your body time to recognize that it’s satisfied and your mind time to play referee to your impulse eating.

7.     You’ve heard this one before, but food shopping when you’re hungry is like a pickpocket at a fairground—high on stimulus, low on brainpower. Plan shopping trips wisely. (This one was my latest downfall!)

8.     Always eat when you’re physically hungry and practice stopping when you are just approaching comfortably full. Your body will be satisfied long before your emotional hunger is at rest; feed that kind of hunger something other than food.

Dear Readers,

Please share with us any tips that work for you. Binge eating is a difficult habit to overcome. It beckons to me even when I think I have all the stops in place to overcome it. I highly recommend Geneen Roth’s books on compulsive eating for anyone trying to bread the cycle of dieting and binging.

Have a great week,

Marla

Don't Let the Scale run your life!

Death, Speaking in Public, or The Bathroom Scale?

       Speaking in front of an audience is what experts tell us is people’s number one fear, with fear of dying running a close second. I beg to differ. For all of us fatties, the scale sitting in the corner of our bathrooms is high on our list of fearfuls—we feel it’s critical presence even on days we have no intention of stepping on it—it sits there gathering dust and mocking us.

            Don’t let the scale run your life!

            What we see on the scale in the morning can set our mood to  negative for the rest of the day. A good result and we’re walking on air. It’s senseless. Our body weight fluctuates dramatically from day to day depending on what we eat, our hormones, and the amount of exercise we performed the day before.

            A while back, a friend I worked with joined a popular weight loss system that required the dieter to weigh in with them every day. The ladies room at work had a doctor’s scale for everyone to use. Every afternoon before we left for the day, I’d see her hovering at the scale, stripping off shoes, glasses, jewelry, etc.  And I’m pretty sure she didn’t wear underwear on days she feared a weight gain. Sound crazy? We’ve all been there.

            My significant other weighs himself every morning after he showers. Now, while I’m certain he doesn’t agonize over his weight like I do, he complains of gaining as much as twenty-five pounds from time to time. (Unfortunately we share a passion for recreational eating.) His solution is to go on an all protein diet for a few weeks. And, like most men, he can drop the weight like a hot rock. It isn’t fair.

Today’s most popular weight loss plans require a weekly weigh in. If you are on one of them, let that weekly weigh-in tell the story and don’t weep over the scale every morning leading up to weigh-in day—it’s not worth it. Follow the plan and the pounds will come off when your body is ready to let them go.

Break the daily weigh in habit.

1.    Put the scale in a closet!

2.    Use it once a week at the very most.

3.    Weigh the same day every week and same time of day. And unless you weigh nude, wear the same clothes.

4.    Better yet, if you aren’t on program where you must weigh in weekly, weigh monthly. Your jeans will tell you when you’re overdoing things!

Dear readers,

As you all know, my goal is to drop 22 pounds in 2012. To help me  achieve this goal, I’ve joined TOPS. Counting calories is how I lose weight, and to lose slowly, I limit my calorie intake accordingly. This enables me to fit in the things I can’t give up. My TOPS meetings are weekly, and I’ve learned not to weigh myself in between or even the morning of the meeting. Doing so leads to madness such as taking diuretics, laxatives, starving the day before and, yes, going to a meeting without underwear!

So far, I’m down a pound and a half. Not a lot, but I focus on the long-range goal and will be happy with a loss of 2lbs a month. 

Every journey begins with a small step.

Thanks for following me on my journey,

Marla

           

Writer’s block or writer’s butt?

Writer’s block or writer’s butt?

( I'm afraid I have both)

         It’s no secret. Sitting at a desk writing causes serious butt spread. Sitting at that same desk agonizing over writer’s block has the same consequence, not to mention time spent while blogging, e-mailing and social networking. None of these contribute to a narrow backside; and all the aforementioned are necessary to a writer’s success in selling his/her books. A heavy problem!

            I’ve devoted the last few month’s blogs to weight issues. This month I’m focusing on the writer’s dilemma—too much angst, too little exercise and too much food in the kitchen. How does the poor writer prevent a spreading fanny while finishing his necessary sedentary chores?

Some ways to avoid writer’s spread:

1.     If you’ve gotten into the habit of sharing your desk with food, break it. I can’t tell you not to have a cup of coffee at your side, but FYI, I sent a brand-new, Mac keyboard to an early grave with a mug of coffee. And the replacement keyboard has enough crud between the keys to run a garbage disposal. Two things to be gained from establishing a ‘no eating while writing’ habit; smaller butt and longer lasting (and more sanitary) keyboard.

2.     To prevent fanny-spread and keep your circulation going, set a timer to remind you to get up from the computer every half-hour and walk around for at least five minute. Vacuum your office, wash the dishes, or make the bed, anything to get your juices flowing.

3.     Take time for a daily walk. This is much easier if you have a dog. It’s just about impossible to resist the sad-eyed begging with glances toward the door or the leash. This also has a dual benefit; great for your health and the endorphins produced get your creative juices flowing! Carry a notebook or a digital recorder to capture any plot epiphanies that come to you on your journey through the neighborhood.

4.     A helpful exercise device is a small (fits under the desk)  stationary peddler. These are under $50, and you can find them in any of the gadget books that stuff your mailbox.

5.     While you’re sitting, keep you legs and/or feet moving. If you make a habit of this it won’t be distracting. Even something as simple as rotating your feet from the ankles will keep your leg circulation healthy.

Dear readers,

Thank you for following my blog. Please leave any commentary or addition to the tips I’ve included. They are things that I do daily and I’m sure you have some to add. (Of course, I’m not brave enough to measure my butt!)

See you next week,

Marla

Affirmations

Using affirmations

Repeat after me: Awareness is Everything.

You’ve probably forgotten all about your New Year’s goals.  Why is it so easy to forget goals? The answer is simple. Achieving a goal requires ongoing, active mental involvement. Changing demands that we step outside of our comfort zone and change means discomfort.

It’s been said (if anyone remembers her, I think Dr. Joyce Brothers said it first) that happiness is not found in the big things, e.g. more money, a bigger house, a better job. Happiness is found when you find comfort in your day-to-day routine. In other words, enjoying the small things; the life you have now.

The foods we love are one of those small things; giving them up is painful. No wonder it’s so difficult to stay on a diet. Don’t forget, the first four letters in diet spell “die”. We die inside when we make a change as rudimentary to our daily pleasure as our food choices. How, then, do we take off weight without sacrificing our mental well-being?

First and foremost, it is imperative to find a diet you can live with. Not the diet of the month in the women’s magazines, not the one on The Greatest Loser, not the one Oprah’s recommending this week, but one that over time becomes a way of life for you; a comfortable way of life.

Once you discover what that is for you, the next step is following it. And following any plan for change, whether it is to lose weight or achieve any other goal, demands that you stay aware of  that goal and the steps necessary to achieve it.

Affirmations are merely a tool to help you remain aware. Like finding the right diet, thinking of an affirmation that speaks to you and keeps you on track is well worth your time and effort. Having found one, repeat it to yourself like a mantra. Over and over. Anytime during the day your resolve may be tested. Any time you think of it! Post it on your refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, or your computer. Whatever it takes for you to remain focused on your goal.

Some examples:

            1.  Today, I’ll stay focused on my goals.

            2.  I enjoy eating foods that are healthy in the quantities that my body needs.

            3.  I’d rather feel great about my body. (This is my personal favorite.)

            4.  I’m satisfied with 1500 calories a day. (Fill in your own limit if you’re counting calories.)

            5.  I’m going to make this a wonderful day.

            6.  Today I will be good to myself in every way.

            You get the idea. Draft one that tweaks your resolve you and keeps you on the path to achieving your goals. If you come up with one for all of us, please share it!

Have a wonderful, healthy week,

Marla