C Hope Clark

In this day of social media, writers and readers stay in touch. But is social media all it takes to develop a platform? It's a tool, but is it how to gain those readers you need to be your passionate ambassadors?

We all have bad days, but sometimes all we can see is the wrong. Breaking that spiral isn't so easy or so obvious to do, but writers, readers and people in general can choose to do so, with a few tools they already have.

It's important to paint a culture accurately, and in the South that includes drawl, food, phrasing, mannerisms and more. But the concept applies to all cultures. Noting the details and minutiae of culture takes intense observation and interpretation. Using my dear friend, I give you a dose of what caught my eye, and will soon become part of a key character in one of my novels.

The Internet screams with options, and all too often we freeze with indecision because of too many choices. We have to learn focus, to tune out the noise of this best practice, or that best practice, and find our direction. Authorpreneurship involves focus, dedication and simplification to take writing to a professional level. But if you take it seriously, you can have a ball doing it as the effort taps your true potential.

Using the word TRY is like adding a disclaimer to yourself. You are giving yourself an out. Own what you're doing and the odds will increase that you'll succeed.

Recently I was faced with a decision of attending a fabulous writing event, or staying home and finding another way to do my research. It's hard to be introverted and not feel badly about such dilemmas. But there's nothing wrong with being introverted. You can thrive making alternative decisions . . . and feel fine about not going with the flow.

Readers appreciate writers, but do they understand them? Understand why they write? Defining why a writer writes is like catching water. In this end of the year message from Hope Clark, let's try to appreciate why writers struggle so hard to tell a good tale...and fit into this world doing what they love to do best.

Success is not a guarantee. Nor is happiness. To say you deserve something intangible is just not so. Life is trial and error. Rather than holding back, regretting what you've done or what's been done to you, love moving forward, finding new ways to enjoy life. It's a mantra that will serve you well.

Be grateful for the voices. Be happy when someone comments on what you do...the positive and the negative. All is a plus for you...in your path to "becoming."

Ever seen someone successful and caught yourself wishing your life had turned out like theirs? We all to often sabotage ourselves, thinking our decisions are for our own good, when in actuality, we're making matters worse. Accept life as a challenge. Here's how.

If people cannot think of anything to make you stand out in their mind, they easily forget your existence. So how in the world can you ever consider NOT having a brand?

When interviewed, I'm often asked how much of my mystery stories are real. That's a marvelous feeling, because the reader has been suspended between fact and fiction and cannot tell the difference. That's when I know I've succeeded as an author.

What defines your life? Success, whether it's writing or some other endeavor, depends upon how much of your day you are willing to invest into it. We all have lives. We all make choices. When we compare ourselves to others and say, "But I have a life" we are in essence making excuses for what we are not doing. Whatever you do, own it! We all have lives.

Writing can be frustrating enough to quit when you never feel progress.

Avoiding our dreams because we are afraid of the struggles to reach them, is choosing to live in fear. Dare to come out and grab that dream.