Will You Be There?

Denver Comic Con 2018 takes over LoDo next weekend! Here’s a sneak peek at my schedule:

Friday, June 15^th

Join me at Author’s Alley (Booth 4) at 1:00 pm to 1:55 pm. I’ll be signing my Heart of the Warrior seriesbooks and chatting with fans. [Insert Book 2 cover]

Saturday, June 16^th

Booking signing at 11:00 am to 11:55 am (Booth 2).

Panel 4:30 pm to 5:20 pm: Real Women. Real Strength. Writing Realistic Female Protagonists (Room 402/403)

Sunday, June 17^th

Panel 10:30 am to 11:10 am: Teen Writers: Overcoming Insecurity and How to Think Up Ideas! (8bit Stage @ Kids’ LAB)

Panel 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm: Writing From the Shadows (Room 406/407)

Panel 2:30 pm to 3:20 pm: Leave Your Party at Home – Political Intrigue in Fiction (Room 402/403)

Panel 4:30pm to 5:20 pm: The Many Faces of Fantasy (Room 402/403)

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby, but You Still Have a Ways to Go

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to observe the different behaviors between men and women when they are asked about their career goals. Most of the men were confident in their skill sets, made a point to herald their accomplishments and weren’t shy about asking for what they wanted. Many of the women, however, came off as hesitant to crow about their skills and accomplishments. They were unnecessarily polite in expressing their career desires.

Ladies:

STOP apologizing for going after your goals
BLAST your “I accomplished this” trumpet until ears are ringing
BE PROUD of your intelligence and skill sets

Gents:

COACH the women in your life on the art of showing confidence
LISTEN to the women in your life as they express their hopes and dreams
REMEMBER society has taught little girls to postpone their goals while fulfilling the needs of others. Help us change that by being an encourager!

It’s not all doom and gloom. Times are changing. Our younger generations of little girls and little boys have grown up seeing confident and intelligent women accomplish great things. They consider this THEIR NORM. It gives me great hope for the future.

Are You Making Progress a Habit?

I ran into a writer buddy of mine at a party this weekend. We discussed the hardships of working a demanding career job PLUS kicking out novels each year(ish) PLUS simply being a home owner. Nobody promised living the dream would be easy.

How do we and others like us do it? We CHOOSE to do it. Our creative projects become a priority. We schedule time to work the projects, because they’re important to us. Making progress becomes a priority.

CHOOSE TO:

Set aside time each day to work on your creative project. Even 15 minutes a day will help you make progress toward achieving your goals. Make progress a habit
Set a deadline for each short-term goal and the ultimate goal of completely finishing your project
Visualize what your creative project will look like when you’re done.

DON’T:

Beat yourself up if you miss a day or a week of working the creative project. Stuff happens
Try to swallow the whole enchilada at once. Bite size pieces of your project are easier to tackle
Quit

Stick with it! You can do it! Sending best wishes and encouragement your way!

DCC Fans Assemble!

Denver Comic-Con 2018 is just around the corner! I’m very honored and excited to join the legion of guests, artists and authors in this outstanding convention. If you’re in the Denver Metro area June 15 – 17^th, put on your COSplay gear and head on over to Author’s Alley. I’ll be signing my Heart of The Warrior series books.

Catch one of the Author Panels to hear discussions by your favorite Colorado Authors. I’ll be participating on some of the panels as well. Schedules of panels and signings won’t be solidified until June(ish), so stay tuned to my website (www.crrichards.com) for updates.

See you there!

Three Things to Avoid When Submitting A Book or Freelance Proposal

Over the years, I’ve scanned through hundreds of document submissions. Some of them completely nailed it. They’re clear, concise and tell me exactly what the guidelines instructed. Others, not so much. These submissions are full of topic specific jargon or unrecognizable acronyms. The submitters have failed to take into consideration not everyone shares their knowledgebase or experience.

It occurred to me this situation is much the same as submitting a novel or a business plan or even a freelance proposal. Is the information you’re providing clear? Are you making the extra effort to briefly explain points or theories most people may not know? It could cost you a book deal or a freelance job.

Are You Showing Me What You Mean or Are You Assuming I Know?

Avoid Undefined Acronyms – Unless the acronyms are common enough to be known and understood by everyone (Example – FYI or CNN), avoid them in your proposal. Best Practice is to spell out the words and put the acronym in parenthesis the first time they are used in a document. Example – Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Don’t List Unexplained Industry Methodologies or Theories – Say you’re submitting a proposal for technical writing to a small business. Will they understand the intricacies of the Systems/ Software Development Lifecycle? Maybe. Maybe not. Giving a very brief summary of the lifecycle not only helps them understand what you mean, but it also shows them you know what you mean.

Don’t Be Lazy – Try not to be vague about your experience or knowledge. It gives the impression you’re skimming over the information, because you have limited knowledge about the subject. I can’t speak for anyone else, but this is a red flag for me.

Be Clear. Be Brief. Be Considerate. Remember – the person reviewing your proposal may just be a gatekeeper. Only the best submissions move onto the next level.

You Attract What You Seek

I woke up this morning to a lovely twitter post from the Dalai Lama. He wrote about the importance of compassion and opening our hearts in order to understand others. Then I ran across a blog post about Happy People who create their own internal Happiness. Both messages were a nice surprise from an encouraging Universe. I’ve been actively seeking positive change for my life.

I attracted what I am seeking.

There is a flip side to this, however. Like attracts like. If you are a miserable person seeking kindred spirits who will hold you down in the muck, then that is exactly what you’ll get. We’ve all been through tough times. Not everyone is super positive all the time (if they are, then they’re faking it or on happy pills). Consider how long you want to stay in the Pit of Misery. The more time spent in that dark hole, the harder it is to climb out. I know. I’ve been trapped there a time or two.

Seek out those small moments of Joy. Spend time with the folks who encourage you. Our time on the planet is short. We have important and positive things to accomplish. Don’t waste time in the pit. Get out there and make a positive difference in your world.

Sending positive thoughts and encouragement your way!

Taking Your Life in A New Direction? You’ll Need a Map

@sdecoret – Stock.Adobe.Com

Back when I was a fresh-faced graduate with a shiny new diploma in Computer Programming, I created a Vision Board. It was covered with pictures of successful women, houses, nice clothes and fine foods. I’m happy to report every single one of those pictures came to fruition in my life. Some of the results were not quite what I expected, but they did help me build a very successful career.

Today, I’m in a place where I’m preparing to make major life changes as I head toward retirement. Hmmm. I guess what I really mean is I’m bursting out of my employer’s clutches and dancing toward new adventures. Can you see me giggling and clapping my hands?I have a few ideas to build up my current personal business and may even start a completely new one. Time to make a new Vision Board.

What’s the Point of a Vision Board?

Helps you figure out what you really want in life
Puts your ideas and dreams in a format you can see
Meditate on the images every day. You’ll start to see these goals appear in your life.

Vision Boards are Great, but…

As with any map, you first have to know your destination before you start
Do research on steps to achieve your goals
Be smart! While Leaps of Faith are super inspiring, the landings can be brutal. Aim for the deep pools of success. Avoid the jagged rocks of failure

Creative Visualization may sound like some hippie dippie notion, but I’m living proof it works! Knowing what you want in life is the first step in achieving your goals.

Deep Thoughts and Junk

C.R. Richards – Writer. Gardener. Foodie

Creative