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My new book, The Journaling Life: 21 Types of Journals You Can Create to Express Yourself and Record Pieces of Your Life, is now available! Head on to TheJournalingLife.com for more info and to order (opens a new window). 15% off the next 50 42 orders. Bonus gift + FREE shipping anywhere in the US!


Start journaling in 2009! My book, The Authentic Self: Journaling Your Joys, Griefs and Everything in Between (ISBN 978-0-6151-5562-3, 212 pages, paperback), will get you started right away. You'll be journaling all the way through 2009 and beyond. Get your autographed copy of The Authentic Self at 10% off its retail price, 1 bonus gift and free shipping anywhere in the US.
The Authentic Self: Journaling Your Joys, Griefs and Everything in Between by Shery Russ

Finding Your Write Time

What time of day do you write best or are most productive? Here are some tips to help you determine when your best time to write:

What's your writing power?
How long can you write without draining yourself? Are you able to write more when you write for two hours each day without taking a break or do you find that you're able to churn out a good article or finish a chapter in your novel if you write for say, four one-hour periods with three fifteen-minute breaks?

What's your alert level?
This is simply determining what time of day your mind is most creative, imaginative and alert. Is it in the morning? mid-morning? afternoon? mid-afternoon? middle of the night?

What are your distractions?
If you're a mom with kids to take care of, when's the best time that you can write? When they're at school? When the kids are napping or watching TV? If you're still single, when can you write without being distracted by family obligations or work?

Pick your write time!
Using the responses you have come up with in questions 1, 2 and 3, compare which times they jive. These are your ideal times to write. Try this out and see if it works. Use these times for writing, and only writing. Happy writing!


Wait! Here are some writing sparks to try:

When "blocked", prompts can help you get started. Odd combination of phrases, like "needle shaving hysterically", "greasy fighting bottle" or "digging hilariously", can stimulate the brain for possibilities.

Newspapers, especially tabloids, are great sources of story ideas. Skim the headlines and give them your own spin. Use those outrageous tabloid headlines to create your stories: "Californians Banned from Heaven", "Accountant Has Used the Same Pencil Everyday for 31 Years", or "Teen’s Hair Changes Color...With Her Mood!"

Those good ole proverbs make great prompts. However, mixing them up can even get your creative brain working: "His belly is paved with best intentions", "One good turn injures the neighbors", or "Every cook breeds contempt."

Use metaphors as springboards to an endless possibility of stories: "a mile of polish", "a pot of dexterity", or "a clump of pity."

Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ



Download an excerpt of The Authentic Self: Journaling Your Joys, Griefs and Everything in Between below:

authenticself-sampler.zip OR authenticself-sampler.pdf

If you want 3 writing *sparks* delivered to you every day for 31 days, check out WriteSparks!™ Daily HERE for info on how to get started -- it's free :o)

Thank you for reading. Keep writing!


Best,
Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
WriteSparks!™ creator
WriteSparks.com

= = = = = »» NewsFlash: My book is OUT! «« = = = = =

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Weekly Writes: 52 Weeks of Writing Bliss! - the Book
Buy my book at Amazon

When you forward to me your Amazon.com receipt, you'll get 2 e-books to awaken, encourage and nurture the writer inside you, PLUS access to e-mail courses and other goodies! For book excerpts, reviews and complete info, just head on to WeeklyWrites.com, the official site of the Weekly Writes book.


WriteSparks! Software for Writers
Special Offer: Pay for this version of WriteSparks™ using PayPal and you'll receive a copy each of Journal Sparks: 300 Questions to Journal About (print) and Creativity at Play: 311 Easy Tips & Activities to Help You Become More Creative (e-book). I'll send these books -- FREE -- wherever you are in the world! » Click here now


"WriteSparks!™ is true to its name... For me and anyone who writes on a regular basis or schedule, this program does Spark the thought provoking fires of imagination and create a foundation from which to begin."
- Larry Mccrea
Author & Scriptwriter
SC, USA



"...I downloaded the free version of WriteSparks!™ and I loved it! So I waited and I can't tell you how long it was...maybe a few weeks up to a month to actually buy the full version. It was so worth it! I love it. I like the easiness of it all. How it can be on my desktop and it's right there and a couple clicks and BAM! I have my prompt for the day!"
- Katina Lewis
Writer, Poet
& Homeschooling Mom
OH, USA



"I wish to tell you that I thought the old version was terrific, but the new one sounds like dynamite. Also I want to publicly laud you for providing the upgrade at no cost to prior owners. Most would charge for the upgrade, but provide updates at no cost."
- Bud Campbell, Writer
MetallicArt
PA, USA



"Shery, I am so excited with this program. It is a breeze to use and the stories I've come up with are awesome. If a writer can't get stories from all the possibilities here - it won't be the program's fault. I am in love with it."
- Billie A. Williams
Author of Death by Candlelight

www.BillieWilliams.com


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are trademarks and creations of Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.