Li'l Pears of Sunshine: Royalty

Sometimes your tiara might get tilted or tarnished, but that DOESN'T mean you are any less WORTHY AND IMPORTANT to wear it. YOU were born with a majestic soul, with grace and strength. It is all right there--you just have to believe in YOU to reign to your potential!

So straighten your shoulders, fix your tiara, and hold your head high, Sunshine. Royalty comes from within.

🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞

For the full L'il Pears of Sunshine series, check out my Instagram page @lilpearsofsunshine 

Li'l Pears of Sunshine: Take the Stage

Let's face it, it is a lot easier to watch, to wish, to dream, and stay behind the curtains out of sight. But YOU have so much to give, to show, to share--unique perspectives all yours that make you shine, and in turn, inspire others.

Sometimes behind the curtain is where you need to be at the moment, but make sure you challenge yourself to take the stage, too. It's okay to be nervous and unsure, but you were Born to be a unique star, to dance your dance, share your creativity, your movement, art, baking, sewing, compassion, your point of view, your UNIQUE YOU.

So, take the stage, Sunshine. YOU were born to dance!

🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞

For the full L'il Pears of Sunshine series, check out my Instagram page @lilpearsofsunshine 

Li'l Pears of Sunshine: Somebody's Rainbow

Somebody waits eagerly for your smile, for your daily/weekly chats, for you to simply say hi or pick up something they didn’t know they dropped. Whether you know it or not, each and every single day YOU are somebody’s Rainbow 🌈. The bright moment of colour in their day...a hug, a smile, a helping hand, an unexpected kindness, or even simply being near.

But also in other ways—because you sought them for help or advice that you needed but, in turn, made them feel special or confident by giving them the opportunity to support you like they’ve been wanting to do.

Rainbows are rare and special, just like YOU. And there is someone right now just waiting for your bright colours to shift their day into the positive❤️🌈🌞, because remember, Sunshine, YOU ARE ALWAYS somebody’s rainbow.

🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞

For the full L'il Pears of Sunshine series, check out my Instagram page @lilpearsofsunshine 

Li'l Pears of Sunshine: Seas the Day

I know I am guilty of this—when things are going well, having those thoughts of “when is the next wave going to crash in on me?” 🌊 ...that if it is good now, there must be a catastrophe coming around the corner. Slowly I am coming to realize that some times are just GOOD times with no shadows, and it's okay to be in the now and enjoy them🌞.

The fact is, good things and bad things and mellow things and nothing and everything happen all the time, continuously. Sometimes in waves, sometimes all at once, and occasionally in slow tides. The best part about understanding/accepting this is when the bad times come, you then KNOW they won’t last and relief WILL come…easier, less stressful times will roll in like an ocean wave to cool you off. And the really neat part is that when you start BELIEVING, looking for the positive light especially in those darker depths, be it by prayer or meditation, a walk in the sunshine or self-care with a bath and a good book, then the hard times don’t seem to last as long as they used to, and the better times surf in sooner.

Choosing to be positive doesn’t make the struggles go away, but it does help to deal with them in a brighter light, catching the wave of belief that will help you through it.

So hey, Sunshine, seize--seas--the day for what it is and make the absolute most of it! And be a mermaid in a sea of minnows today by sparkling a little sunshine on someone else’s rough waves 🧜🏻‍♀️ 🌞 ❤️.

🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞

For the full L'il Pears of Sunshine series, check out my Instagram page @lilpearsofsunshine 

Li'l Pears of Sunshine: Tough

You really are! Think about every struggle you’ve had, moments, days, situations you thought were horrible or hard or you weren’t sure if you could get through—BUT YOU DID!

You have survived every day so far—celebrate that—even though things were hard, look at the fact you not only got through it, but you learned something new about yourself—how tough you can be when you have to be. That is HUGE. You should be so proud of yourself, of your accomplishments.

Look at how far you’ve come, not at the small moments that tried to push you back. Remind yourself YOU are AMAZING and STRONG and CAPABLE🥳.

So hey, Sunshine, life is tough…but so are YOU.

🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞  🌞

For the full L'il Pears of Sunshine series, check out my Instagram page @lilpearsofsunshine 

Li'l Pears of Sunshine

Last Wednesday on Instagram I debuted my new art series Li'l Pears of Sunshine, and I'm excited to share the first one here with you today, too!

Frost Your Words With Kindness……ESPECIALLY to yourself! Why is it we can be so kind and encouraging to friends, family, and even those we’ve just met, yet be so brutal and hard on ourselves? We put ourselves down for what we perceive as not good enough, for not measuring up or being who we think we SHOULD be rather than happily enjoying and reminding ourselves of the wonderful, unique, amazing person we actually are.

The concept for this whole series began because I slowly (very slowly) started to recognize this constant, negative dialogue I had with myself. I started practicing mindfulness, using a simple phrase to pull myself back when I caught myself immersed in that negative thought/overthinking spiral…”Bring it on back, Sunshine," and in a gentle voice--as in bring your focus on back to the blessings right in front of you. My dad used to call us Sunshine like that when we were kids (and even now sometimes😁) and always with a big smile on his face. It always made me feel happy and special, making it the perfect, positive reinforcement. And it honestly worked. Yes, it was a slow process, and I’m still working on it--but I actually get proud of myself now because I catch the negative patterns so much sooner, switch them out, and focus on all the blessings in my life that show me positivity really is a far better path. So, frost your words with kindness, Sunshine, and remember to show YOURSELF the same love and encouragement you so generously give to others 🥰☀️🍐. 

This is just the beginning, so if you want to see more or follow the series, I will be posting new ones twice a week on Instagram @lilpearsofsunshine, once a week here on my blog and occasionally other social media sites like facebook and twitter.

Tuesday Tips: Do you have the right time?

(Repost from July 2018 because I am finding it relevant yet again for a handy tip)

Are you sure?  Because quite a number of manuscripts that cross my desk don't.

• Characters are noted as preparing for a birthday party in two weeks, but a month passes before the actual event happens.  
• A court date is set for Monday, but the characters meet to discuss it the next Thursday.
• The characters meet on Thanksgiving, kiss under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve, then sleep together a week before Christmas.  

Sure makes readers scratch their head and think, Huh?

One of the best things you can do for yourself and your manuscript is to print out a blank calendar page--weekly or monthly, even yearly depending on the time frame of your story--and keep it beside your keyboard as you write.  Jot down a quick reference note on the day the story opens and every time a day goes by or a time lapse such as "a few weeks later" are mentioned. Underlining, highlighting, or making main events bold also helps. (If you are anything like me, you'll have a cupful of colored pens beside your monitor, too 😍) 

Having a calendar to make notes on not only gives you a visual of the timeline and pacing of your story, but you will quickly find the holes that can happen, the gaps needing to be filled or validated to make the story flow appropriately.   As you revise, keep track again, maybe in a different color, to ensure new details, added scenes or pages, stay on target or show you where you need to revise again to ensure the timeline makes sense to your readers.

And if your story is to happen in a certain time frame, even better.  Jot down the start day and the end day, which now gives you a direct timeline to play with.  Fill in the main events, scratch them out, mark the days up again, and keep playing around with it until you find the natural flow of events necessary for an accurate time frame.

But what if I write by the seat of my pants, you ask?  Pansters unite--because having a calendar doesn't mean you have to know every detail right away, that's why you keep the page beside your computer, so as the creative juices flow and you twist and turn your plot and characters, you can make quick notes on the calendar page, too.  Then, when you look at it after the first draft, you have the perfect visual reference guide to assist you in making those decisions needed for revisions, those fine-tuning details that really bring your story to life...and on time.

A search on Google for free calendar pages will produce loads to choose from, or simply draw up a blank template of your own.

Whether you are a planner or a panster, it's a good idea to have blank calendar pages in your writer's toolkit to pull out before beginning each new manuscript.


©bystacydawn

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I am going to be taking the next several weeks off for the holidays and fill-the-well time and will resume blogging and other endeavors by the end of January.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out my Demystifying Deeper POV series, which gives a different take on figuring out Telling versus Showing.  I have been so happy with the wonderful response from both new and established authors!

I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and joyous New Year and hope your holidays are....

©bystacydawn

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☮ Visit me on social media and at my website ~ links on the side ➹💟

Wow, it's December already?!?

Will be busy this month trying to get all the editing on my desk done and in between preparing for the holidays and doing some lettering gifts like the one above.  I was actually quite tickled how this one came out!

My goal is to be able to take some time off over the Christmas break this year.  Just sit in my pjs for a day or two 😄.  Sounds heavenly!  How about you?

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☮ Visit me on social media and at my website ~ links on the side ➹💟

Are you ready to finally solve the mystery?

One of the biggest mysteries for writers is about to be solved in a four week blog series starting Halloween Day!  Why Halloween?  Because I am going to demystify the scariest words to writers....

I am so excited to put together this special event that I hope will help both new and established authors finally take the fear out of these obscure terms in order to create a manuscript screaming to be read!

Please feel free to tell your friends and fellow authors, critique partners and writing groups to join me on October 31st for the first installment.

The mystery will finally be solved, and I can assure you...

someone won't be getting out alive...

©bystacydawn

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☮ I'd love to have you visit me on social media and at my website! Links on the side ➹💟

I'm trying to be...

This has been one of those weeks when life throws you a couple road blocks...like boulders tumbling down the mountain so you have to veer off the road to go around them.  

That doesn't always lead to tranquil days...BUT, I've been proud of myself because I chose to take a more positive outlook while dealing with the issues, and I really think I managed and came out better overall.  And today, I do feel more like Gertie above.

Gertie is my theme for Inktober over on my Instagram.  This is my first year participating, and though I'm keeping it simple because of my work schedule, I'm taking my own fun approach and thoroughly enjoying myself.  Feel free to pop over and see what Gertie gets up to this month! 

©bystacydawn

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☮ I'd love to have you visit me on social media and at my website! Links on the side ➹💟

Trust your crazy ideas

Maybe they will work or maybe they won't, but you will never know until you try.  Passion itself is a great superpower, so if you have passion for something don't let doubts and fears get in the way.  There is no failure, only lessons learned to help you keep moving forward!!

©bystacydawn

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☮ I'd love to have you visit me on social media and at my website! Links on the side ➹💟

Recycle more that just paper...

To all my fellow Canadians...

©bystacydawn

To Dad and more...

To ALL the men who encourage, support, and influence our lives...

Practice Makes Progress

I have been slowly working in the background practicing and experimenting for a project I've had in mind for a while now.  With a busy family and working two jobs, it will still take time to put it all together, but that's okay, because I am working daily toward that goal even if just five minutes a day...and as with most of my ideas, the end result will of course be with writers in mind.😉  

For now, I thought I would share some of the fun practice pieces.  I'm thinking I might even create them into a final form some day.  

These are from my Scribbles That Matter journal that I fill with doodles and random ideas to play around with lettering and coloring.  It has thicker paper, which works great for various mediums from colored pencils to watercolors.  

Everyone needs a miscellaneous journal or notebook they can do anything in from random notes to doodling or sketching, poetry or writing, but most importantly, to mess up, make mistakes, scratch out, circle furiously what works, and make funny things out of what doesn't.  A place no one else has to see if you don't want them to and where ANYTHING goes.  Because it's the practice and progress that really count.

You learn far more from the mistakes than the finished pieces.😉

Fun Updates

A couple of updates for Sunday Funday...

No Zero Days:

Back in March, I started to put into play no "zero days" meaning I make an effort to do something every day that forwards my goals/dreams.  (You can read the initial post HERE) and I am very happy to say I am up to 62 days with no zero days.  Sometimes it is only five minutes, and other times it could be an hour, but every day I do something to move myself closer to reaching my goals.  At about day 50, I reassessed and fine-tuned my current plan even further so I can have a more measurable outcome, and so far so good.  No, it is not easy, especially when there is a lot of personal family stuff going on, and it is all I can do some days to put one foot in front of the other, but focusing on something always eases some of the stress, so there is so much more benefits for progress than just goals, like self-care and positive thinking.

I will let you in on this particular project in the future...near future I hope 😉

100 Day Project:

April 3rd began a yearly, world-wide creative movement called The 100 Day Project.  I thought I had blogged about it but I see I didn't--oops.  Basically, it is choosing something creative to do every day for 100 days straight. I knew my time was tense to begin with, but again, creativity is my happy place, so I wanted to participate and decided I would do a mini sticky-note doodle every day for 100 days.  And at just shy of the half-way point, I am still cruising along there, too.  I've been trying to pick themes for a few days or a week, and I am quite happy with my little five minutes a day doing something fun.  Here are the results so far...

©bystacydawn 2018

Too Many To-Dos

Feeling a little overwhelmed lately.  I think part is the time of year--the day job gets busy in the spring/summer as well as nightly editing schedules. Add in family schedules and some days I feel like this...just trying to keep up and remember everything...

How about you?  Do you find certain times of year when you are supposed to be happy and encouraged can feel more weighty and daunting?

These are the days to remember self-care...do something every day--even for ten minutes--that is all about your own enjoyment, your own piece of mind, your own "down time" or whatever will help you breathe.  I've learned this year that it is NOT selfish, it is NECESSARY 😉.

©bystacydawn 2018

Monday is coming...so best get ready

©bystacydawn 2018

Happy Earth Day!

©bystacydawn 2018