Wouldn't You?

by Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief

Wouldn’t you like to have the best idea for a book?

Wouldn’t you like to write that book and see it published within sixty days?

Wouldn’t you like that book to be a runaway best seller?

Wouldn’t you like for that book to be made into a movie?

Wouldn’t you like for that movie to be the best movie in decades?

Wouldn’t you like that to be the biggest grossing film ever?

Wouldn’t you like the publisher to give you a contract for ten more books?

Wouldn’t you like the movie producers to commit monies up front to produce them all?

 

Well? Wouldn’t you?

Start writing!

 

The Starting Point

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

"The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. 

Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat."

This is a wonderful quote from the author of Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill. Hill knew that passion and more particularly desire would fuel the starting point of each and every achievement. From that desire forward movement begins in a direction that is expected to satisfy that desire.

Hill was aware that the desire must be strong. Strong desire is necessary to meet the strong challenges that will be met. Along our path toward achievement we will be met with obstacles which can be overcome but only if our desire is strong enough to do so.

Hill also said a weak desire brings weak results. Many times we meet these obstacles and find our desire is weak and we fail to overcome them. We are faced with weak results. We then must face the fact of weak desire. We were not willing to put forward what was necessary to reach the achievement desired. We have settled for less. If you continue to do so you will eventually lose your desire to find a starting point.

John Dewey

American philosopher John Dewey said, “Arriving at one point is the starting point to another.” Let’s say you had the desire to start towards your achievement and are strong enough to reach fulfillment. In other words you have arrived. What is next? John Dewey said you have arrived at the next starting point.

As an author writes they will complete a segment. At that point they must ask themselves, “and then what happened?” We too must do the same in life. We have had a strong desire and have achieved our goal. In doing so this has prepared us for the next step. That achievement may have been the foundation for greater things. Now is the time to realize we are at the next starting point. Have you come to the next starting point? If so here is hoping your desire is strong, your fire is hot

The Far Side

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Englishman Roger Bannister was the first man to break the four minute mile. For years it had been said by coaches, runners and sportswriters that is was impossible. No man can run that fast. It had been tried many times and was no longer considered a valid goal. Nine years since the last record for a mile was set at 4 minutes 1.4 seconds, it was thought if no one had broken it in nine years it would not be done.

Roger Bannister did the impossible on May 6, 1954. His triumph inspired others and in the next fifteen years over 300 runners ran a mile in less than 4 minutes. Roger had opened the door.

Roger Banister went on to become a distinguished neurologist earning an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath. He became Sir Roger Bannister when knighted in 1975. In 2004 on the 50^th Anniversary of his 4 minute mile, a British 50 Pence coin was minted in honor of the event. His record was noted by the British people as 13th in the top 100 World’s Greatest Sporting Events. One race, one record brought Sir Roger all the fame and glory for a life time. The win made the difference but the many unknown number of prior attempts and failures were the secret to his success.

 

The late Thomas J. Watson, Chairman of IBM said, "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You're thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all... You can be discouraged by failure - or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that's where you'll find success, on the far side." I am looking forward to seeing you on the far side.

5 Reasons Southern Writers is Your Best Investment

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

As the calendar turned from 2011, I debated where I would spend my money in 2012. I could spend hundreds or even thousands attending just one writing conference. Hundreds would be required to acquire professional editing services. Another available option was to employ a writing coach, a significant investment.


One of the many reasons I am proud to be a part of the Southern Writers team is because our magazine offers a writer the opportunity invest in their future at a minimal cost. With an annual online subscription as low as $29.99 and a print option available for just $49.99, Southern Writers is a bargain.


There are five reasons every writer needs to invest in an annual subscription to Southern Writers:

1) We provide step by step instructions on all aspects of becoming a successful author.


2) We help you build name recognition.


3) We teach you how to be noticed by agents and publishers.


4) We provide the voracity of a writer's conference at a fraction of the cost.


5) We train you how to sell books.


If you haven't subscribed yet, take a moment and give yourself the best New Year's present possible - a bright future lit with success.

From Bumps to Best

by Susan Reichert

Sometimes we are going along on life’s road, it is smooth sailing, and then we hit a bump.

That bump may be our testing ground. How we handle it will determine where and how far we go in life.

The first thing some of us do when we hit that bump is start telling ourselves all the reasons we can’t overcome this bump. Some of those reasons we use we heard in childhood and some we allowed to be dumped on us in adulthood and some we have spoon-fed ourselves.

We give ourselves mental beatings. It’s a wonder some of us can still walk. We spend our time convincing ourselves why we can’t do something when we should spend our time telling ourselves why we can do it.

Instead of developing fear, let’s concentrate on developing courage. It’s our life, let’s make the best of it.

Our Performance Equals Our Potential...Or Does It?

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

“Success and failure come with great interference.”  Winston Churchill

I received this drawing from one of my Facebook friends this week. I do not know it’s origin but was taken by its truth. So many times we expect a “B-line” to success without any detours or bumps in the road. But “what it really looks like” is much more accurate.

Interference has its way of creeping in. I have always felt there were two types of interference. One is the uninvited and unwelcome that can show up at any time in the form of a neighbor, family member, or personal problem that needs your attention. Then there are the sought after and sometimes even fabricated interferences used as an excuse to escape the task at hand. Either must be overcome in order for us to move forward to success.   

Marketing is no different. We will be distracted along the way but will need to correct and get back on track. I once heard the example of the guided missile used. We are all similar to a guided missile. We are constantly going off track and must be guided back on track. Unlike the guided missile we do not have the convenience of technology constantly monitoring us and guiding us back. This we must do ourselves.

David L. Cook, PhD is a renowned performance and sports psychologist. I found one of Dr. Cook’s points in Mindset of a Champion: Performing Your Best When it Means the Most to be particular to writers and their performance. We assume our Performance equals our Potential. But Dr. Cook says Performance equals Potential minus Interference. Dr. Cook told of Magic Johnson speaking to the Washington Wizards. They had their best year in over ten years and were headed to the playoffs.  Magic told them as the playoff begins interference mounts. Managing interference at this stage of the game is vital. Dr. Cook said he was there to prepare them for the interference that was about to come in their life. All the hype had to be overcome in order to win the playoffs. I recommend writers seek his help with interference by getting a copy of Mindset of a Champion: Performing Your Best When it Means the Most.

Watch for an interview with Dr. David L. Cook author of Golf’s Sacred Journey, Seven Days at the Links of Utopia and its movie adaptation Seven Days in Utopia, in the November issue of Southern Writers Magazine.

One Day Starts Today

by Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief

David J. Schwartz, PhD said, “The person determined to achieve maximum success learns the principle that “progress is made one step at a time.”

We would all love to wake up this morning and be a successful bestselling, sought after author with people clamoring for our books, so much so the publisher can’t get them printed fast enough. Movie studios are knocking at our door with contracts.

The truth is that normally doesn’t happen to anyone…and if it should, there is a strong possibility that it will be just for that one book because they haven’t built their foundation. Long-term writing success requires a foundation and as Dr. Schwartz said, “foundations are built one brick at a time. Football games won a play at a time.” When you see someone hit it big, look close, you will see that person used the one-step at a time approach. One-step upon another until stardom was attained.

To become a bestselling author, many steps come into play. We have to write every day to finish our manuscript. Then we need to find an agent who will find the publisher or we need to find a self-publisher. Our work doesn’t stop there. Then comes the marketing phase of this foundation. Every day we have to make efforts to market our book. We have to Facebook, Twitter, and then we need to blog. There are many bricks needed to build our foundation. Remember in anything we undertake, to succeed we need to take one-step, one brick, and one day at a time.

When we have a project to work on, we should never look at the entire scope of the project, just the part that can be achieved that day. We have all heard the expression ‘One day at a time’. That is all we have. Take today; write what you can, market what you can; your one day starts today!

Leapin' Lizards!

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

You are headed toward your goal. You are following your plan. Things are looking up but your progress is slower than expected. You need something to happen to speed you along. You need a QUANTUM LEAP!

Not sure what I mean? We can sell one book at a time or approach one person at a time. But what if we could approach many people and sell many books at once? That should give us a quantum leap toward our goal. Let me give you a couple of examples.

Andy Andrews was promoting his book The Traveler’s Gift by giving it to friends, acquaintances, radio shows, television shows, etc. It found its way into the hands of Robin Roberts of Good Morning America. Robin loved it and picked it as the Book of the Month. From there is became a bestseller.

Jack Canfield, in his book The Success Principles, tells how writing a best-selling book Chicken Soup for the Soul was his quantum leap in his career. It opened the doors for more opportunities for audio programs, speeches, and seminars. Canfield said, “It took me from being known in a few narrow fields to being known internationally.” But what got him to a bestseller may have been another quantum leap.

Jack and his co-creator Mark Victor Hansen were giving their book Chicken Soup for the Soul to anyone interested. They got the idea to give it to a sequestered jury. The jury was unable to read the newspapers or watch television so it would be something they could do without violating their instructions from the judge.

This particular jury was seen by millions each day being delivered from their hotel and stepping off the bus at the courthouse. Tucked under their arm was a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul.  The jurors were deciding the O. J. Simpson trial.

The press made inquiries about the book. How many books did it sell? We may never know but we do know it played an integral part of getting the book out.

When Andy Andrews got his book into the hands of the host of Good Morning America, he had no idea it would be read much less loved and brought to the viewers as the Book of the Month. Nor did Jack Canfield know that giving his book to the jury would get the attention it did. Both knew what was needed and continued to move forward by promoting their book. The opportunity grew beyond their expectation. Demosthenes said, “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” Take the leap; and may your next leap be a quantum leap!