Motivation: Wherefore art thou?

Motivation is something that is essential if you are hoping to keep going through a particularly rough patch on whatever project you are working on.

Say you are writing a novel and:

1. You don't have a literary agent
2. You dont' have a publishing contract
3. You dont' even know anyone (remotely) associated with the publishing world to get a good word in on your manuscript.

So why keep going? you may ask. If there is a massive amount of competition, and similar works popping up on a daily basis, why would the amateur writer keep writing, wasting years of their life? Simple. It is the hope that someday, their story too will be heard that will keep them going. Often times, this small hope has the ability to provide adequate motivation to keep going even when the possibilities seem rather limited.

Once you lose the motivation, the drive to move on, you start finding excuses and reasons to stop working or to produce sloppy creations that you would never have put out during the good times. Even in businesses, motivation is important. This is why most people, who hold positions of authority, or people who are newly appointed to positions of power are given management training and motivational guidance. Not only are they given motivational tips to keep themselves on the right track, but they will also help people come up with ways to provide motivation to their sub-ordinates.

Whether you are writing a novel, maintaining an exercise regime or even simply getting to work on time, a tiny drop of motivation could help you keep going in the right direction.

Something to keep you going...

Business Management Coaching

The apocalypse starts at your house

Okay I just said that to get your attention. But in reality, the indoor environment of your house can be home to sinister things in addition to you and your family members. Now, there are many reasons for these 'horrors' to exist right under your nose, in your own house. Discussing them all would make a very long blog post, so, allow me to point out what increased damp could gradually lead to.

Dust mites

Sheer microscopic monstrosity

This is a microscopic image. So, you won't actually be able to see this thing staring sitting on your sofa one day when you return from work (actually they are sitting on your sofa, millions of them, you just can't see them). Although you may not be able to completely eradicate each end every one of them. You could make sure that they don't over populate by installing a dehumidifier in your house.

Mould spores

No, these are not macaroni balls

Looks disgusting I know. Put me off my lunch. But, be warned that unless you do something about the dampness in your house, these things could be your lunch. Again, they are invisible to the naked eye. But, they are very real threats to the inhabitants of your house. These things are so small, they can get in your nose, enter your digestive tract and mess with your brain in the long run. Mould spores are how mould reproduces, by releasing billions of these allergens in to the air. One of the indications of mould spores is a musty smell and clouds of minuscule particles floating about in your house.

Mould

This is how mould looks like under a microscope. 

This is that little black speck on your living room wallpaper

This is how your house would look like if you let that microscopic issue blow out of proportion. 

Bio-hazard

That does kind of look like the apocalypse doesn't it? This is a very serious problem that often starts out at basements. Cavity walls, crawl spaces and even the floorboards under your sofa can be extremely fertile breeding grounds for these infestations. Apart from making your house look like the lair of hive minded aliens, these could also damage the foundation, the floorboards or the walls to the point of replacement. In addition, they also release those nasty looking spores that could range from irritating to toxic.

So, the bottom line is, you need to keep your house free from damp by allowing proper ventilation, investing in proper basement tanking and by utilizing a dehumidifier. Who knows, if you let the issue persist, the apocalypse just might start at your house.

Your personal superheroes for the day

Basement tanking professionals

Business ideas for superheroes....

If you wish to start your own business and isn't sure of what to do? Why not consider starting a delivery company? this is a great way to make a good income and make the most of those mean driving skills.

But there are a few things to take in to consideration before you venture out onto this business arena. For example, if you are a super hero with life saving capabilities, please refrain from attempting this particular business opportunity (if you don't understand what I'm talking about, please watch Spider man 2)

... and I ate the spider, man..

But if you possess the rare skills of navigating through tight traffic, organization skills and the extremely rare ability to keep your papers in their rightful papers, this just might bet he perfect job for you.

The most basic investment you may want to make is to purchase a good delivery vehicle. If you are starting out on your own, a bike is the absolute perfect delivery vehicles to make deliveries. But make sure that you are fully capable of handling the thing as not to avoid any accidents while you are speeding to make deliveries. Organizational skills are important to make sure that you do not neglect the rest of your daily activities and end up saving the day for those in need of delivery support 24/7 (an area in which Spider man failed horribly).

U will lose the girl

The next step is to serve the right clients. If you are a bike messenger, be sure to take on deliveries that you can deliver on a bike (no, the grand piano is not going to fit in the basket and no to whatever other option you have). Gifts, documents, food, flowers and even farm produce can be delivered on a bike and will offer you plenty of business opportunities as well.

As for the advertisement, this needs to be started out from the smallest scale possible. if you are a one person company, advertise locally. Make full use of those public bulletin boards, your Facebook wall and even your car to attract clients from your area. Give it some time, you will have plenty of customers who are willing to try out your services in a very little time.

...and ur deliveries

Next step. Simple, keep it up and expand!
All the Best!

Role Model for you to look up to

delivery company

A facelift for your garden

Just like the rest of your house, your garden also needs attention. Wouldn't you rather prefer a nice, manicured garden full of flowers and greenery to a desolate looking desert?

Not it!

Well, the best way to give a much needed makeover to your garden starts with a plan. You may want to pay special attention to the amount of space you have available. It would be great if you have a big garden. But, not all of us are blessed with one, so make the most of what you have. 

A garden will be nothing without plants. Make sure that you have plenty of grass, plants and flowering plants in your new garden. You will be able to figure out what works best for your garden by consulting the  greengrocer.

Apart from greenery, a garden needs a focal point and an accent. This may sound awfully technical. But allow me to elaborate. A focal point is the thing that you are going to notice in the garden. It may be a water fountain or a sculpture, or even a tree. It's up to you to decide what you would want to display as the focal point in your garden.

Accents, are other areas of interest. They can be plants, garden gnomes or even those lawn flamencos if you are in the mood. The main thing to keep in mind about selecting these is to make sure that they match well and don't stand out individually. The idea is to create a final picture that is unified but does not blend in with each other. A tough balance to strike. If you're not much of a pro when it comes to these things, be sure to let a professional take the job for you.

Now that your garden looks much better with a carefully selected focal point, a few accents and lots of greenery, you would want to add some outdoor garden furniture to take in all of the new splendour. Be sure to purchase high quality furniture that is sturdy, attractive as well as durable.

Useful Link

Outdoor garden furniture

Get published already...

So you've written the next Harry Potter... No one cares. Unless you're published. If you think that you've created some sort of masterpiece that will take you on the same path as J K Rowling to be richer than the queen some day, make sure that the people who matter, take a look at it.

I readz ur Buk

First of all, you need to have your killer idea developed in to at least an outline.
If you think you can do the whole book or a few chapters, then that would also be good since that way, the publishers can make a decision based on your writing style as well as your idea and plot line.

U SPOILZ it

The next bit is the fun part. But it could be annoyingly frustrating and you may be tempted to commit murder at one point. But, this is necessary. Round out a few trusted people, these could be your friends, family or spouse and let them read your book and listen to their feedback. Your style may not be to their taste but, you'll at least be able to correct those typos and grammar mistakes and (shudder) plot holes!!

I said plot hole... plot hole

Step three, now that you know that your idea doesn't completely suck, start looking for publishers. If you're from the UK, looking for UK publishers would be a better idea. Check out their web sites before you send out your manuscript to make sure that the company accepts your genre.

CAN'T HAS FaNTASY

Next up is to actually send your manuscript out. Now, if you feel like using regular mail it's entirely up to you. But they won't be able to guarantee a safe and undamaged deliver. So, contact a courier services UK to make sure that your manuscript reaches the publisher in perfect condition and without dog ears and missing pages.

Lolcat did it!

The next step is to wait and prepare yourself for rejection. True, your idea may be the most awesome idea in the world for you and your friends, but a publisher might think otherwise. So, exercise patience and try not to send angry responses for those rejection letters and keep your head up, the right publisher for your book is out there somewhere...

...publisher!!

If all else fails, may I suggest self publishing? Not many authors have gone this way but it's definitely worth a shot.
Good Luck!

Reading list...

I'm into fantasy these days. I'm really a science fiction person at heart (trying to find a logical explanation for it all and without resorting to deus ex machina). Fantasy is, I'm surprised to say, actually quite good  (as long as it doesn't involve swords and wizards - except Harry Potter). Especially the ones that fall in to the Urban Fantasy category. So, I got my hands on a bunch of these books and am making my way through them...

The mortal instruments trilogy

you know what I'm referring to as spooky...

This is the first one of this category for me. I liked it, a lot. I'd say innovative and spooky.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

out of this world

I loved this one. I thought the idea was great. can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the series... keeping my fingers crossed for another great one.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen for Fallen

I just finished Fallen, halfway through Torment and I must say, I'm impressed. Luce is quite a gentle character and I was afraid she would catch Bella-swann-itis somewhere in the middle of the novel. But, not so much... ' very impressed by Arianne though. Can't wait to read the third instalment.

Tormented by Torment

Do I have to say?...

The mediator by Meg Cabot

I read mean spirits... and want more

This was a fun and easy read. Too bad I started with the third book, but it's definitely a great series. I wan't to read more, definitely!

Need by Carrie Johnson

Even the pixies are meaner than E. Cullen

Pixies, not so cute after all. It was new for me but I liked it. Even if I'd only read the first novel. and I NEED to find the second book.

Sooo, want this!

I'm looking to get my hands on the Trylle trilogy, Artemis Fowl and maybe one of those vampire fiction novles (maybe not, I don't like the names - vampire academy... eugh) 

How to write a blog post...

Since I've already written a few, I thought I should do a post on just how to write one.

Blog Rule #1

Giving opinions on something, whether it's a movie, a song or even a product, always work. Make sure that you give true opinions. If you like something, say so. If you don't why not write a rant about it? You will be surprised at the amount of people who will agree with you.

Blog Rule #2

Try to keep your blog articles short and to a maximum word limit of about 500 words. Any more than that, would bore the reader and he will eventually click away to another blog with less words and more pictures.

Blog Rule #3

Yes, pictures are important, no one wants to see a pile of text page after page. Break it up with pictures and caption them wisely. People tend to read posts when they notice interesting pictures too.

Blog Rule #4

It's all in the headline. You know what I mean, if you've seen how newspaper headlines grab the attention, then you understand what I'm trying to say.

Blog Rule #5

Write about current topics. Currently trending topics, such as those topping the yahoo top search lists could help generate more traffic to your site. Don't know what to say about such topics? Refer to the 1st tip.

Blog Rule #6

Have your own style. Good writers are known for their unique style. Even of you don't intend on making it as a top writer, if you want to make a mark on the blogosphere, you need to have your own style. This style doesn't necessarily have to be a writing style, it could be the way your posts are fashioned, it could be the pictures you use or it could be your page layout, make sure to stand out as an individual as much as you can.

Blog Rule #7

And remember that people love lists. See? This is a list. Lists are easy to read, easy to write and have tons of information without looking like a novel. So, make lists like top ten favorite lolcats, or top 5 survival skills for a zombie apocalypse.. etc.

Blog Rule #8

Posting regularly also helps. That doesn't mean you should do 5 blog posts a day. That would totally take the fun out of it, a maximum of one post a day would be more than enough to keep your blog running.

Blog Rule #9

And make sure that you edit your posts to perfection. You wouldn't want to look like an ignorant n00b for all of blogosphere to see. Triple check your posts for any errors and correct them before you submit them.

So, until next time,
Happy Blogging n00bs  :)