Showing posts with label 3 Things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3 Things. Show all posts

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Three Things I Do Well by Lynn Lovegreen

 It’s tough for me to come up with things I do well, because it sounds like bragging. That’s something women often have trouble with. But since it’s this month’s topic for RTG, I have permission, right? ðŸ˜‰

 

One thing I do well is yoga. I’ve practiced yoga for over ten years, the last four totally online. It’s kind of nice to “go” to class without having to leave the house, and the virtual class gives me the feel of practicing with others. While I’m not the type to do pretzel-ly moves, yoga helps me de-stress and I’m pretty good at stretching and balance poses.


Woman doing yoga balance pose, image via Stencil


Another thing I do well is read. Yeah, most of us can read, but I can read faster than most people. It started with tons of reading in college, then in my career as an English teacher. Now, I can easily buzz through a novel in a couple evenings—but if it’s a really good one, I’ll slow down to savor it. Just because I can, it doesn’t mean I have to speed read. 

 

The last thing I do well is probably what I’m most proud of: I’m a good listener. I have a calm demeanor and the kind of face that people trust. That leads to all kinds of folks sharing things with me on airplanes, at bus stops, and in brief encounters here and there. I like connecting with people and hearing their stories. To me, it’s an honor for them to confide in me. (And before you ask, yes, sometimes small bits lead to writing ideas, but I’d never steal a whole story from someone. It’s not mine to tell.)

 

What do you do well? Want to share with us?

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com

 


Monday, April 1, 2024

3 Things I Do Well by Paty Jager



The theme this month is "3 things I do well." 

 1) I am a good listener. I don't mind listening to people when they feel they need to talk something out or get something off their chest. Sometimes I suggest things, and sometimes I just listen, nod my head, and hope the spewing gets their emotions settled or they talk out the problem themselves. But I don't deal with conflict. If there is something that a person wants help figuring out and is willing to listen to suggestions, I'm in. But if they don't really want help and argue about what I say, then I close my mouth and don't give any advice. Life is too short to have people arguing with you about something they brought up. But don’t ask me questions about what you’ve said sometime later. While I can be in the moment during the conversation, my brain can only retain so much and while your problem was important to me when you were talking it isn’t something I will repeat to anyone because I won’t remember most of it. I’ll remember the emotion but not the words. *shrug* That’s what happens when your memory can only hold so much. 

 2) I'm a good storyteller. The trait has been with me my whole life. But as an adult, I learned how to make storytelling into writing a book. I’m still not great at grammar, sentence structure, and the things that make a good book great. However, I can keep a reader in my books until the end because I conjure up likable, relatable characters and keep them interacting and moving toward a goal at the end of the book. 

 3) I am rarely late for anything. My first pregnancy my oldest daughter came later than the doctor figured but the next two were early. ;) I don't like to be the last person to enter a room. All eyes are on you and I don't like making a scene. I usually get to a workshop or event early so I can get settled and watch everyone else come in. If I'm the speaker, I am early so the person running the event doesn't have to worry about me being late or not showing up. Even for appointments, I am at least fifteen minutes early. Or earlier if it's my first time to a place. I don't understand people who slide into an appointment with the comment, “I didn't know where you were located.” You look it up beforehand, figure out how long it will take, and then add on 30 minutes. That is my rule. It is always better to be early than late. That way you and the person you are meeting aren't frazzled when you finally meet.

3 Things I'm working at doing well

1) I am trying to learn how to better market my audiobooks. If you like to listen to Audiobooks, two of my first-in-series books are on sale at Kobo Audiobooks this month. Double Duplicity at $1.99 and Murder of Ravens at $2.99  

2) I am trying to do more YouTube videos and social media videos. I don't like having my photo taken or being in front of a camera.  But I am trying hard to get a few more videos up as it seems people on social media react to those more than the ones showing books. 

3) Not falling behind in my promoting schedule or my writing schedule. Even though I  have more travel coming up this year. I want to have books I've scheduled come out on time and be able to go on trips without feeling like I'm falling behind. 

Okay, more than you wanted to know but those are the 3 things I think I do well and 3 things I need to improve.


 
Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 56 novels, 10 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. This is what Books a Plenty Book Reviews has to say about the Gabriel Hawke series: "The blend of nature tracking, clues, and the animals makes for a fascinating mystery that is hard to put down."

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