Rules for life also good for writers

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for things that matter.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose Life.
28. Forgive but don’t forget.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.
42. The best is yet to come…
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
(Source: reginabrett.com)

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Pxc3...written-by-a-90-year-old?sthash.1J93Madi.tupo

RJ has added the lesson here and we've also attached the full text below. Apologies for the issues.
Leslie

joan koster submitted a new resource:

Autocrit - Revision editor

I would like to recommend the www.Autocrit.com editing wizard. It is a very handy revision tool because it really gets you to focus on specific issues in your prose. Some of the features could be done using the word find feature in your processor, such as looking for specific overused words, but there are certain things it does that are very handy. Finding cliches is one. Another is finding passive construction, repeated phrases, and sentence starters....

Click to expand...

Read more about this resource...

Hi All,

Lesson Seven is perhaps my favorite because I love all things myth related, and JKR does LOADS with it. This is a fairly long post because there is so much to cover.

Likewise, in working with myths and archetypes in our stories, there is so much we can analyze. So I'm going to break it down into a few options for you, just choose one (unless, of course, you're a glutton for punishment!):

1) using the hero's journey, break down your story according to the steps
or 2) if you've incorporated any myths into your story, analyze the conflict of that myth and how you re-used it
or 3) pick out 2-3 storyline or personality archetypes that you have used and how you have used them

Thanks!
Susan

Hi All,

Today's lesson is on backstory. It's not as long as the last couple have been.

For your assignment, please review your first chapter, or first couple of chapters, and identify your backstory. Analyze whether it is the appropriate amount. Is there any that is too much for this early in the MS? Is there any that you can save for later without confusing the reader? Try to separate your need to reveal from the reader's need to know.

Susan