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by Theresa Garee | Oct 30, 2020 | Author Interviews, Blog
Marlena and her father: Nothing Bad Between Us
Author Interview – Marlena Fiol
In this blog series, I interview other authors. Here I interview Marlena Fiol, author of Nothing Bad Between Us: A Mennonite Missionary’s Daughter Finds Healing in Her Brokenness (Mango 2020.) I met Marlena earlier this year when she generously invited me to be on her podcast. Our deep conversation there, as well as our weekly interaction on Mango Publishing’s weekly Heart Wisdom panel, led me to want to interview her so you could all get to know her too. I hope you’ll enjoy her depth and wisdom as much as I do.
Nita Sweeney (NS): When and how did your writing journey begin?
Marlena Fiol (MF): My writing journey began as a business management scholar, consultant and professor almost forty years ago. Most of my body of published books and articles explored why and how people/organizations form and transform their understanding of who they are and who they can become.
When I retired from my business career five years ago, I began journaling as a way to uncover previously hidden, recurring patterns in my life. I gradually began to understand that vulnerably facing my many failings and flaws was the surest path to personal healing and growth. I published a number of those journal entries as essays. My readers asked me to share more of my journey, which led me to the writing I do today.
NS: Why do you write? What motivates you?
MF: I consider every blog, essay, book and workshop an opportunity to learn more about my own transformational journey, as well as an occasion to share my insights with others. I find great joy in the outpouring of others’ similar life stories. My firm belief is that we all want to be heard and understood.
NS: Plotter or pantser?
MF: Both. After my brain gives me an idea for a scene, I invite the brain chatter to be still while I write.
NS: What’s your biggest writing struggle and how do you handle it?
MF: My biggest struggle in writing Nothing Bad Between Us was battling my fear of exposing myself so vulnerably to my readers. I try to handle it by reminding myself that vulnerability is an invitation to healing for myself and others.
NS: What is one thing about writing you wish you’d learned earlier?
Marlena Fiol,
Author of Nothing Bad Between UsMF: That a very imperfect first draft is a worthy target.
NS: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?
MF: I must be very fortunate. I cannot think of any bad advice I’ve received. I’ve learned from many fine teachers.
NS: Do you write by hand or on a computer?
MF: Computer. My fingers on a keyboard move in a faster flow than paper and pencil.
NS: What are you currently reading?
MF: I find myself reading less for pleasure and more for learning. Currently, I’m re-reading Roots in order to better understand how Alex Haley presented Kunta Kinte. Kunta is not a particularly likable character, and yet the reader cares what happens to him and has compassion for him, even when he is stiff and non-communicative with those who love him most. Haley does this so skillfully!
NS: Is there a book you couldn’t finish? Why?
MF: Many. Usually because I get bored when there are too many descriptive details.
NS: What book couldn’t you put down?
MF: Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.
NS: What advice would you give writers starting out?
MF: When writing for yourself, just write without thinking about why you’re writing; when writing for others, know why and for whom you’re writing before you begin.
NS: Some writers struggle with the emotional side of writing. Do you have any tips for them?
MF: If you have something important to say, write anyway.
NS: What would you like readers to know about your most recent writing project?
MF: My husband/co-author Ed O’Connor and I have nearly finished the first draft of a historical saga. It’s an exciting project, and I cannot wait to edit, edit, edit, and then publish it.
NS: Has your writing life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?
MF: I never expected to write creative fiction and nonfiction.
NS: What’s next for you writing wise?
MF: Ed O’Connor and I have a book in mind about passionate aging.
AND FINALLY:
NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?
MF: Goddesses.
NS: Toast or bagels?
MF: Neither.
NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?
MF: Ocean.
NS: Leggings or jeans?
MF: Leggings.
NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?
MF: Birds!
ABOUT MARLENA FIOL
Nothing Bad Between Us
by Marlena FiolAs a consultant and professor of strategic management, Marlena Fiol, PhD, guided her students and clients in coming to know themselves deeply, visualizing their dreams and identifying and removing the barriers to achieve them. Over half of her 85 published articles and books relate to identity and identity change. Her work has been cited over 20,000 times.
Today, as a blogger, essayist, novelist and memoirist, Fiol is still engaged in a similar mission. Every blog, essay, book or workshop provides an opportunity to explore who we are and what’s possible in our lives. Her new book Nothing Bad Between Us: A Mennonite Missionary’s Daughter Finds Healing in Her Brokenness (Mango Publishing, 2020) is a vulnerable and inspirational tale of personal transformation. She was raised in Paraguay on a leprosy station, and today lives with her husband in Eugene, Oregon.
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by Theresa Garee | Oct 6, 2020 | Author Interviews, Blog
In this blog series, I interview other authors. This author interview is with Cheryl Leutjen, another of the “Mango’s Best Authors” I had the pleasure to meet at the Mango Publishing table at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Cheryl’s friendliness and patience with my many questions (my book wasn’t even out yet) made me feel part of the “Mango family” right away. More importantly, her book, Love Earth Now, covers two of my favorite topics: climate change and mindfulness. I can’t wait for you to get to know her as well.
Nita Sweeney (NS): When and how did your writing journey begin?
Cheryl Leutjen (CRL): That’s tough to say. I’ve always been a writer, though usually to suit someone else’s purposes. I’ve written extensively as a student, geologist, lawyer, and mom—some of my notes excusing the kids from school were quite inspired. I used to write in a diary as a kid until I got punished after my mom read it. That stopped me from putting any personal information on paper for years.
I only began writing for myself again when my kids were tiny and “mommy drinking” wasn’t yet a thing. Journaling—in a notebook with a sturdy lock on it—became my best therapy. When I discovered some humor and the occasional scrap of wisdom showing up on the page, I threw caution to the wind and started a “mommy blog.” I regularly, sporadically, infrequently, and sometimes shared all my wisest insights with all seven of my followers.
Then a new acquaintance invited me to a one-day writing workshop. It was affordable, near home, and facilitated by someone I trusted not to shred me. So off I went, seeking to hone my blogging skills. What poured out onto the page that day instead became (spoiler alert) the foundations of the book I’d publish five years later.
Writing is now the essential therapy that keeps me from running down the street screaming every time I hear more bad news for Life on Earth. Which is far too often these days.
NS: I hear that about the bad news! Tell us about your process. Plotter or pantser?
CRL: I’d say pantser but haven’t pants become optional in these days of Zooming through the pandemic? But “flying by the seat of my underwear” is an image I’d rather not propagate, so we will go with pants.
I’m a Gemini, and my attention span is . . . squirrel! Forcing myself to focus on one project for any length of time is tough at best. The most I can wrangle from my ever-distracted mind is a good solid essay before getting bored with the whole endeavor. That’s why I call my book a storybook because each chapter is a standalone composition of where I was on any given day.
NS: What’s your biggest writing struggle and how do you handle it?
CRL: My biggest writing struggle is believing that anyone else would want to read the hairbrained drivel I put on the page when I first begin to write. And truthfully, no one would want to read any of my (what author Anne Lamotte calls) “shitty first drafts.” I am certain I’d be excommunicated from the writing community if one ever got out.
It’s in the editing and crafting that transforms my brain lint into something more akin to literature. So when I catch myself doubting, I read a paragraph of something I’ve managed to hone to my satisfaction. Every single time, I’m floored. I don’t recall having written something I don’t hate, until I see the proof on the page. Then I re-confirm my commitment to writing.
Again and again.
NS: What is one thing about writing you wish you’d learned earlier?
Cheryl Leutjen
CRL: I always thought of writing as a solo enterprise. Like the character Jo in Little Women, I entertained romantic notions of myself toiling away alone in the garret with ink-stained fingers and maybe a mangy cat for company.
What I’ve learned is that connecting with other writers, finding outlets for sharing the frustrations and also the successes, makes my own process that much easier. When I couldn’t find a group that offered the kind of support I sought, I started my own, a Meetup called The Natural Muse. We nature-inspired writers gather in the green spaces of Los Angeles—yes, there are still many!—to write. We don’t critique, and we don’t “should” anyone. We do offer community and accountability for getting the work done. How can I not show up when I’m the organizer? How can I just play Scrabble on my phone when everyone else is writing? Peer pressure has gotten such a bad rap, but done right, it boosts my productivity like nothing else.
NS: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?
CRL: “Only write about what you know.” So much of what I know now is because I got curious about something, and in the process of studying it, I discovered something to write about.
NS: Do you write by hand or on a computer?
CRL: Though I sometimes journal by hand, I always use my computer when writing for public consumption. I can type so much faster than I can hand write, and I need top speed to spit out those shitty first drafts before the inner critic has too much time to chime in. I’d never finish a single sentence if writing one of those by hand.
NS: What are you currently reading?
CRL: I just finished The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I’m the kind of reader who has the book I’m finishing in one hand, and the one I’m starting in the other, but right now, I’m taking a pause. This book was so engrossing, and I’m still hanging out with the characters. It feels disloyal to ditch them for another cast so soon.
The book in the other hand, though, is Jane Fonda’s, What Can I Do?: My Path from Climate Despair to Action. Jane Fonda has done so much to raise awareness about climate change, and I aim to learn from the master.
NS: Is there a book you couldn’t finish?
CRL: For fiction? Never. I will speed read through the worst novel because I. Must. Know. How. It. Ends. It’s a compulsion. If there were a self-help program to spare me from reading another potboiler, I’d sign up today.
As for nonfiction, there are so many I can’t name them all. I start with such lofty ideals about delving into some Topic of Great Import. Then I get bogged down in the nitty gritty, and the book gets abandoned like so many New Year’s resolutions.
NS: What book couldn’t you put down?
CRL: I’m a voracious reader, so there are many books I’ve read until deep into the night. The one that stands out is The Help. This was years ago, when my kids were younger and needier, so mom doing nothing but read all day was cause for alarm. But that’s exactly what I did, one glorious Sunday, sitting out on my deck letting the youngsters fend for themselves. Or maybe Dad sorted things out. I have no idea. Because I was somewhere in Jackson, Mississippi.
NS: What would you like readers to know about your book, Love Earth Now?
CRL: Love Earth Now is a deeply thoughtful and often comedic exploration of my own efforts to make an eco-contribution. It’s not “Top Ten List” of what you can do for the planet because I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution to the many challenges we face.
Each chapter of Love Earth Now concludes with a “Love Earth Invitation,” a simple and contemplative exercise that prompts you to explore your own feelings and calls to action. These eco-mindfulness moments provide the opportunity to reflect and discover what you can do right now to contribute to a sustainable future for us all.
NS: Has your writing life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?
Author Cheryl Leutjen
CRL: My writing life is sporadic, much as everything else I do. I produce like breeding rabbits for a while, and then not at all. I often judge myself for failing to honor the “write everyday!” maxims, but after nearly six decades on this Earth, I am learning to accept that I’m cyclical by nature. Even the most prolific bunny gets an off season.
What does astonish me is the amount of work required to market the writing. Until I wrote a book, I still thought a platform was the place you stand while waiting for a train. Now there are all these expectations about blogging, email lists, cross promoting and engagement rates. It’s like thinking, “oh, won’t it be fun to get a puppy,” and then realizing just how much work that little one requires. Totally worth it, and totally exhausting, too.
NS: What’s next for you writing wise?
CRL: Next, last and current are pretty much the same when it comes to my writing: employ every weapon in my self-motivational arsenal to keep myself churning out those shitty drafts. They may become blog posts, essays for a new book, or therapy for my mental health. It’s rather like having a baby. The kid may grow up to be a drummer, a baseball player, or a politician. But you tend the infant as you would any other until you get some inkling where they are headed. Then, it’s time for music lessons, Little League or the debate team. Wherever they may land someday, the challenge is always lies in getting myself to put my fingers on the keyboard.
AND FINALLY:
NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?
CRL: I choose Greta Thunberg. Jane Fonda. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I need strong, flesh-and-blood women to inspire me right now as we stare down the ecological, societal and political crises we face. And may warrior Athena be with us all.
NS: Toast or bagels?
CRL: Shhhh, please! I’m trying to avoid carbs, even though I also believe life without them is not worth living. I am a walking, breathing contradiction of myself at any given moment.
NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?
CRL: Yes, please. Just get me out there, anywhere in nature, on a regular basis. As long as the weather is pleasant, the skies aren’t full of smoke, and the bugs aren’t biting. Because, truth is, I’m a creature comfort-loving Nature devotee.
NS: Leggings or jeans?
CRL: Jeans if you’re talking the stretchy kind that I can squeeze my Menopause Bod into. Leggings are but a distant memory now.
NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?
CRL: We had a continuous procession of animals in my childhood home: dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, gerbils, and rabbits. And I loved them all. Except for that deranged gerbil who would clamp his jaws around my slender wrist until one of us passed out.
But it’s been all about the felines in my adult life. My family and I used to love to travel before the pandemic, often at a moment’s notice, and cats were the easiest to accommodate. Or so I say. I have one silky gray, muscular, cat draped over my left hand as I struggle to type with the right. Until he tells me it’s time for lunch, anyway, and then I’ve got to go.
BIOGRAPHY:
Cheryl Leutjen’s deep love of Earth, as well as her hope for a bright future for her children, fuel her passion for responding to the challenges of our time with heart, hope, humor, and spiritual practice. Cheryl writes and speaks to share her experiences on the razor’s edge between Earth-mindfulness and eco-madness, not because she’s got it all figured out, but in solidarity with anyone else who’s fumbling along the path of more conscientious living.
She draws from her experience as a geologist, attorney, small business owner, spiritual practitioner, wife and mother to claw her way out of the abyss of eco-despair. She seeks solace from the sages in Nature who reveal the wisdom she needs to navigate a more Earth-loving path.
Cheryl facilitates the Natural Muse Meetup for Earth-loving writers. She serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the North East Trees nonprofit organization, “bringing Nature back” to urban Los Angeles County.
She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two children, her muse Atlas Cedar, and three cats who care not one whit about any of her credentials.
Love Earth Now
Her book, Love Earth Now, won a 2018 Silver Nautilus Book Award.
Author website: cherylleutjen.com/
Book website: loveearthnow.us/
Etsy: /www.etsy.com/shop/LoveEarthNow
Instagram: www.instagram.com/loveearthnow/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoveEarthNow
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/loveearthnow/
Twitter: twitter.com/LoveEarthAuthor
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by Theresa Garee | Sep 21, 2020 | Author Interviews, Blog
In this Bum Glue series, I interview other authors. This author interview is with Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley who I met at the L.A. Times Festival of Books when she and I and several other Mango Publishing authors dubbed our table “Mango’s Best Authors.” My first book had not yet been published so I offered bookmarks alongside her elegant book display. Her warm welcome calmed my new author jitters and I knew you folks would want to “meet” her as well.
Nita Sweeney (NS): When and how did your writing journey begin?
Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley (BJB): I would say my writing journey began when I was in elementary school, with journals. As a child, I had a lot to say and it was quite easy to “say” it in a journal. I honestly can’t remember how I got my hands on my first journal, or if it was a make-shift journal I converted from a Hello Kitty notebook, but I do know writing in a journal was an integral part of my childhood.
NS: Why do you write? What motivates you?
BJB: For me, the act of writing – physically writing with a medium point pen in my hand – is an intimate disclosure session with myself. Considering that I am a private person, writing is one way I choose to express my concerns, aspirations, thoughts, opinions and creative ideas without inhibition to glean insight into what can sometimes feel elusive.
NS: Plotter or pantser?
BJB: P-l-o-t-t-e-r!
NS: What’s your biggest writing struggle and how do you handle it?
BJB: My biggest writing struggle is accepting that a slight level of anxiety is always present with writing professionally. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been writing, when I sit down to write something new, there is an ever-present question of how can I best translate the way the idea feels on the inside to written words on the paper. Writing is elusive and not knowing if I can capture what I’m going for makes me anxious.
Author Interview with Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley
NS: What is one thing about writing you wish you’d learned earlier?
BJB: Honor your creativity and talent instead of trying to push it away. I did this for years until I understood the urge to create, to share, to communicate and to write is there for a reason. Your writing can impact the lives of others in ways you could never imagine, as expressed in one of my favorite quotes by Mother Teresa: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
NS: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?
BJB: The best and worst writing advice I’ve heard is write what you know. Yes, it’s important to write what you know. In fact, that’s precisely what I did in writing my book. However, I also think it’s important to remain open to exploring other ways to express your writing. If you feel the urge to try writing creative non-fiction, poetry, a guide or travel book, go for it. Don’t limit yourself by saying, “I don’t know how to write in that genre so I’ll stay in my lane.” The lane is paved by the paver! You never know what (else) you are capable of creating with your writing unless you try.
NS: Do you write by hand or on a computer?
BJB: Both. I write by hand for my personal writing and on my computer for professional purposes.
NS: What are you currently reading?
BJB: Honestly, I have seven books on my nightstand to read and three more books on hold through the public library. If I could read them all at the same time or inject the material intravenously, I’d be good-to-go. Since I can’t, I’m currently reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is not a book I normally would choose, but lately I’ve wanted to explore a wider variety of books. With more than one million ratings on Goodreads, I thought why not? I’m halfway through the book and the prose is breathtakingly beautiful. I highly recommend it.
NS: Is there a book you couldn’t finish? Why?
BJB: The Writing Circle. When I saw this book was about a writing circle, I was excited because I’m in a writing circle. However, I just couldn’t get through it because of the characters.
NS: What book couldn’t you put down?
BJB: Dune! I am huge fan of sci-fi fantasy and I wanted to be prepared – having read the book – before the movie comes out it in December 2020. Frank Herbert’s Dune is a stunning literary achievement. I now understand the hype around this book!
NS: What advice would you give writers starting out?
BJB: My advice to writers starting out is remember your literary roots. Remember your why. In the online world of writing, likes, dislikes, book sales and shares, it is really easy to get lost in all of that in the search for accolades. Stay in touch with yourself, why you started writing in the first place and remember the love for the craft.
NS: What would you like readers to know about your most recent writing project?
BJB: My book, The Gift of Crisis, is a humble and sincere offering of practices that helped me navigate a difficult time in my life. It is my greatest hope that some part of my story will inspire readers to see that struggle and triumph both serve a purpose for personal growth.
BJ Buckley and The Gift of Crisis
NS: Has your writing life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?
BJB: For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write a book. However, I didn’t know about what I would write. And then came the crisis…which brought about an unintended literary gift.
NS: What’s next for you writing wise?
BJB: I have a list of writing projects I’m swirling around in my head to decide which to finally bring to fruition!
AND FINALLY:
NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?
BJB: Oh, I love the idea of being a mermaid, but I don’t know how to swim. I’ll go with Goddesses!
NS: Toast or bagels?
BJB: Brioche bagels with cream cheese and strawberry spread. My goodness.
NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?
BJB: The ocean. Also, on my nightstand to read is Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do by Wallace J. Nichols. I love being near the ocean so I picked up this book to dive deeper into the soothing nature of water.
NS: Leggings or jeans?
BJB: Jeans…if the denim is stretches!
NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?
BJB: Dogs. We have a Mini-Schnauzer.
BIOGRAPHY
Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley is the author of The Gift of Crisis, a memoir which chronicles her story of identifying the underlying purpose of the ongoing financial crisis and the meditation practice which helped to overcome the crisis. https://www.bjbuckley.com/
The Gift of Crisis by Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley
Find her here as well:
Medium: https://medium.com/@bjacksonbuckley3
Social media link: Facebook
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by Theresa Garee | Sep 9, 2020 | Author Interviews, Blog
In this Bum Glue series, I interview other authors. The techniques shared in Greta Solomon‘s Heart, Sass & Soul: Journal Your Way to Inspiration and Happiness are powerful. So, I wanted to learn more about her. I bet she’ll inspire you too.
Nita Sweeney (NS): When and how did your writing journey begin?
Greta Solomon (GS): It began in 1988. I would listen to Madonna songs on repeat on my tinny cassette player and write down all the lyrics. Then I would pick them apart to figure out the structure, and why this rhymed with that, and so on, and write my own lyrics. But magazines were my true love, and I was so excited to have reader letters published in my favorite ones, between the ages of nine and 12. I knew I wanted to be a journalist, and in 2000 around six months after graduating in Psychology, I got my first journalism job at a businesswomen’s magazine in London.
NS: Plotter or pantser?
GS: As a non-fiction gal, both! I tend to channel and free-write and feel my way into my books and articles. Then, I work like a sculptor to create an overall vision. Then, I create a clear outline to write from.
NS: What’s your biggest writing struggle and how do you handle it?
GS: Not having consistent time to write. I’m a mum to a seven-year-old, which is a full-time job in itself – especially as I have had to homeschool for the past six months due to the Rona. But even though she is back at school, I am still writing in all the spaces between and grabbing time, here and there. I handle this by making sure that I periodically have days and sometimes entire weekends when I can just focus on my writing and creativity.
NS: What is one thing about writing you wish you’d learned earlier?
Photo credit Will Ireland, taken at Blogtacular 2018.
GS: That you need to find ways to keep your creative channel open. For my first six or seven years of being a journalist, I couldn’t freely express myself in writing. I was “good” at writing but often creatively blocked, and my writing personality was governed by fear. It was only when I studied lyric writing at Berklee College of Music in 2007 that I learned a technique called object writing, which completely opened me up, and enabled me to write freely and easily. This creative freedom is so vital to a writing career, that I started teaching my unblocking techniques to others. This became the foundation for the work I do now as a writing teacher and Journal Healer.
NS: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?
GS: That writing can’t be taught – it can! Anyone can write well, given the right tools and techniques and the ability to tap into their creative current.
NS: Do you write by hand or on a computer?
GS: Both – I journal by hand, which often turns into part of articles and book passages, which I then type up. I plot and plan by hand too.
NS: What are you currently reading?
GS: I have so many books on the go, but I am really enjoying Motherwell: A Girlhood, which is a memoir by the late Deborah Orr.
NS: Is there a book you couldn’t finish? Why?
GS: Lots, too many to mention. Usually it is nothing to do with the book, but that I got what I needed from it, before the end.
NS: What book couldn’t you put down?
GS: I loved Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
NS: What advice would you give writers starting out?
GS: Get a side hustle sooner rather than later. Expecting your writing to fully pay for your bills, and your life, piles up a lot of pressure. That pressure can weigh down on your writing, making you less agile and adaptable and throw you out of your creative flow.
NS: Has your writing life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?
GS: I’m not sure, as I have never had a long-term plan for my writing, I just knew that I felt called to write. I didn’t expect to leave full-time journalism so soon (after three years), but I followed my intuition, which told me to go freelance and explore my creativity. For four years, before becoming a writing teacher and author, I enrolled in a London drama school and starred in adverts and short films. I became a travel writer and explored health and wellness. And I became a published poet and songwriting. All of this was the perfect pathway for what I do now.
NS: What’s next for you writing wise?
GS: I’m re-launching my online course in Writing for Creative Self-Expression, which is a seven-module self-study programme in finding and expressing your inner voice. You can find more details on my website, www.gretasolomon.com
AND FINALLY:
NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?
GS: Ooh – tough call, but I think mermaids.
NS: Toast or bagels?
GS: Both.
NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?
GS: Ocean – but just for the magnificence, not for swimming!
NS: Leggings or jeans?
GS: Leggings, but with flowy dresses on top.
NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?
GS: Horses – I love the freedom you get from horse riding.
Biography
Greta Solomon is a writer, author, teacher and Journal Healer. Through her books and courses, she guides people to use journaling, writing and creative self-expression to wake up, connect to inner wisdom, and heal the tender, violated parts of their inner worlds.
Greta is a qualified life coach, lyricist, and lifelong learning teacher, and has clocked up thousands of coaching and tutoring hours with her clients. She has a degree in psychology from University of Warwick, a former career as a women’s magazine journalist and priceless life experience from several years of making a living from acting, modelling, promotions, sales, public relations, and freelance health, lifestyle and travel writing.
Heart, Sass, & Soul By Greta Solomon
Greta has over 13 years of experience in training individuals and multi-million pound companies in writing skills, delivering workshops and talks in Norway, Holland, Ethiopia and across the UK. She was also a visiting business writing lecturer at University of London, City. Greta is a Forbes.com contributor and has had hundreds of articles published, most recently in Red and Kindred Spirit. She is the author of Just Write It! How to Develop Top-Class University Writing Skills (McGraw-Hill Education, 2013) and Heart, Sass & Soul: Journal Your Way to Inspiration and Happiness (Mango, 2019), and is a published poet and songwriter.
Born in London to Caribbean immigrants, her maternal DNA line traces back to Cameroon and Gabon. Greta has returned to London after several stints abroad, and lives with her husband and daughter.
Website: www.gretasolomon.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/greta.solomon
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gretasolomoncoach
Twitter: www.twitter.com/greta_solomon
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gretasolomon
by Theresa Garee | Oct 4, 2012 | Blog
“Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” – George Sheehan, columnist, cardiologist, running legend
When I woke today, that nasty little voice told me I couldn’t run. I hadn’t run in three days. Two of those days were required rest after a 22-mile run on Saturday. The third was an additional rest day because I had a very minor medical procedure. The voice pressed the issue, but I knew what to do. I thanked it for the information, pulled on running clothes, leashed the dog, and headed out the door.
Next month is National Novel Writing Month, that time when hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world join in a common goal: to write 50,000 words (primarily of fiction) in thirty days. Most of me is excited. I can’t wait to hang out in coffeehouses hammering out words side-by-side with other writers. I also love compulsively updating my wordcount on the NaNoWriMo website. And who doesn’t adore telling their friends about the latest insane plot twist the mind conjured in the writing process.
But as the calendar turned to October and the trees began to show hints of scarlet and orange, that little voice began trying to ruin my fun. “It’s a waste of time. You never finish those books. You should keep working on that other book. You’ll never publish anything if you keep this up.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Natalie would call this voice “monkey mind” after the Zen reference to that jumpy, skittery state of mind that tries to distract us from our heart’s desire. I’ll be the first to admit there is some truth in the little nagging voices. But there’s a larger truth I want to remember. Life is very, very, very short. If hammering out 50,000 words during the 30 days of November (that’s a mere 1667 words per day my friends) floats your boat, then by all means do it!
Still, I’m going to keep Dr. Sheehan’s words in mind. While I’m competitive by nature and I’ll be pushing my wordcount as hard as I can, I’m going to try something new. I’m going to challenge myself. Not numerically. I’m not going to try to beat my highest wordcount. Instead, I’m going to plan. You heard it right. I’m going to spend some time during October plotting my strategy. It won’t be elaborate. Don’t mention the word, “outline.” But it will be more structure than the list of semi-related topics or random character traits I usually have by November.
So, fellow Wrimos, ready-to-be Wrimos, or never-to-be Wrimos, I’d love to hear from you. I’m sure some of you are plotters who have a master scheme for your book before the first word is written. How does that work for you? We learned some techniques in MFA school, but I want to hear YOUR version. How do you prepare to write a book? And do you have any wisdom for the new Wrimos? What do they most need to know during October to prepare for the November writing challenge ahead? I look forward to reading your advice.
