Aug 20, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
Are you an emotional pack rat? Do you hold onto the past in hopes of rescuing those broken bits and pieces to make them whole? Do you stay in the game longer than you should?
When Jesus called His disciples, He told them to drop everything. They couldn’t move forward without letting go of what hindered them, and in the perspective of heaven versus earth, what hinders is, well, nearly everything.
It’s hard, right? Even now, as Christians, we want to make the best of things. It’s hard to see something crumble and let it be. We want to whip out our spiritual Super Glue and fix it all.
But we can’t. And we’re not supposed to.
There are times when the best we can do for ourselves, our peeps, our God, is to walk away and not look back. We’re cautioned so many times for our own good to just move forward. Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt when she glanced at the turmoil behind her. Jonah was swallowed by a whale when he refused to move on.
But what about the other side of the coin? What about when we’re ready and willing to move forward but those around us aren’t? Isn’t it our duty to stay and witness to them? Shouldn’t we do everything we can to bring others to God?
“If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message,
shake its dust from your feet as you leave.”
~Matthew 10:14 NLT
In this context, “refuses” isn’t someone saying, “No, thank you.” No, this is basically someone bolting the door and chaining the fence. You’re just not going to get through to them, no matter how hard you try!
When you’re in a situation so dark your own spiritual safety is at risk, when you know those around you will not budge, it’s okay to leave and not look back.
This doesn’t mean you stop praying for them, caring for them. But do so from a distance. Because when you leave behind those who don’t accept you, it puts you on another path toward those who will. It keeps you from falling into the quicksand of apathy, and firms the ground beneath you. It takes away those who detour your path to God.
When your path is clear of debris that could otherwise trip you up, you’re able to set your footing on solid ground. When you let go of what you shouldn’t hold on to, your hands are open to hold His.
Whether its people, circumstance, or your own past, sometimes leaving can be the best thing you can do.
When you walk away from a past, you walk toward a future.
Frankly, On Faith: Be Willing to Let Go
TWEET THIS: Frankly, On Faith: When you walk away from a past, you walk toward a future. @RealMojo68 #faith #shakethedust
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 19, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Blank Pages are the World’s Canvas
Do you enjoy the written word in all its forms? Do you get distracted with closed captioning on your TV? What can I say: Join. The. Club.
As y’all have probably noticed, part of the blog redoux is book reviews. I’m trying to read one book each week. It’s a challenge, but so far, so good. At least for the past month. [It doesn’t hurt that the books I’ve read and reviewed are shorter than an average length novel. But hey, a girl’s gotta start somewhere.]
I know what I look for in a good book, and if you’ve read my reviews (oh, please tell me you’re reading my reviews!) you can pick up on what I like and don’t like. There are some aspects which are personal preference. I’m not a fan of profanity or gruesome bloodshed. Other readers may not have a problem with it. I’m drawn to historical romances, fantasy, and mysteries. Some people prefer science fiction and thrillers.
No matter what your reading style is, I hope you’ll agree there are some things that fundamentally make a good book:
- Good editing. Y’all can think the best story in the world, but if it’s not clear on paper, it won’t sell.
- A balance of dialogue vs action. “You can’t just keep rambling,” BEE said. Nippers rolled his eyes and poured another cup of coffee.
- First line, last line. Each book, each chapter, and hopefully each page leaves your reader wanting more.
- Description where it counts. Only where it counts. A book causes a movie to play in the head of the reader. Unless the specifics are necessary, leave a little room to the imagination. Describe people, scenes. Not the secondary atmosphere. A woman with long, red tresses is different than A tall female, gangly and pale, with carrot-red hair twisted under her black fedora. “She walked past the garbage which reeked of last week’s take-out.” We don’t need to know what last week’s take-out was. We already know that smell.
- Leave the door open a little. Not everything is wrapped up neatly in life. The end of a good book will conquer the plot at hand, but still leave a few questions unanswered.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What Makes You Turn the Page?
Now I’d like to hear from you: What are some of your favorite books, and what do you like best about them?
TWEET THIS: What makes a good book? @RealMojo68 #amreading
TWEET THIS: What makes you turn the page? @RealMojo68 #amreading
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 18, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
We’ve been doing the Five Things Friday posts for a while now. A start, a stop, a hiccup, but now we’re steady at it. I’ve enjoyed your topic suggestions and comments on these posts.
Recently, someone asked what my five favorite posts on FMD are. Y’all are smart. You already know where this is going. Of course, I could list twenty or possibly a hundred. So choosing my five favorite posts is a bit of a challenge. thankyouverymuchforthesuggestionyouknowwhoyouare.
And I’m betting once I hit “publish” I’m going to think up five other posts that could do justice. Or ten. Or twenty. Or, oh, heck. Just read them all.
But for now, here’s what comes to mind whenever I fondly think of Frankly, My Dear . . . I hope you’ll click through to find why these mean so much to me.
- Life Lessons from Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka: You Have a Better Chance, Because You Want It More.
- My Broken Thumb
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Depression is not a spiritual deficiency.
- Champagne and Supernovas
Frankly, My Dear . . . Effervesce, baby.
- And They Say Getting There is Half the Fun. . .
The Three Writing Amigos. . . and a Photobombing Flight Attendant
- What If We’re Not Drowning?
What If We’re Not Drowning?
Of course, y’all know I couldn’t choose just five. Right? I mean, there were hundreds of posts for me to choose. And can I just say narrowing it down was like the first time I baked those biscuits from Lindsay Reine’s Cookbook. #epicfailure
Having said that, I give you the Honorable Mention:
#EmbraceTheCrazy: Climb the Mountain
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Latch and Climb.
Now it’s your turn: What are some of your favorite posts from around the blogosphere? Are you a blogger? Which ones are you most proud of?
TWEET THIS: Five Things Friday: Frankly, Favorites. @RealMojo68 #franklymydear #amblogging
TWEET THIS: What are some of your favorite blog posts? @RealMojo68 #amblogging
With a full computer and coffee mug,
Happy reading!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 17, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, My Dear . . .: Nippers, Bruno, and Molly Jo Realy
I’m often asked what is the difference between media and marketing?
Now, that’s a pretty loaded question and I can definitely go on, and on, and on . . . but the bottom line answer for me is, media is networking and marketing is sales.
Not everything is marketing, but if you are a creative professional, your quest should be to share what you have to offer in a way that doesn’t scream, “Buy my product! Buy my product! Buy my product!”
“Give them a reason to care about you. Then they’ll care about what you write.” ~ Molly Jo Realy
Are you on Facebook or Twitter? How about Instagram? Did you see that cute post about your friend’s dog? How about that great photo your brother/sister/long-lost cousin put up, showing their morning coffee? [Hey, I am not knocking the coffee photos, okay? Let’s just be clear on that.] That’s media. That’s where you connect.
Now, how many of those posts prompt you to look at a product? Share a link to help you find life’s answers to why my coffee cup doesn’t magically refill? Yes, I’m still on the coffee thing, okay? Hey. You have your quirks. A little coffee in me never hurt anyone. In fact, the less coffee in me, the more likely someone is to get hurt. #needcaffeinenow.
But I digress. Anywhoo. That second part there is the marketing.
When the two come to together, it’s magic.
One of the best ways to know if you’re doing it right is to emulate someone you respect who has forged the path before you. Check out inspiring blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Look at websites with a critical eye and take note of what you do (and don’t) like. Now, pull the threads you want to use and tie them up in a pretty bow!
Well, I was thinking bow as in ribbon, but a bow can also be, you know, a bow. And I already have a meme for that!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Be Your Own Hero
What a perfect demonstration. Why, that’s as nifty as a firefly in the tree. They just go together, dontcha think?
So my question to you is, are you a professional media magician or an amateur product pusher? [Check out last week’s post Social Media Saturday: Memes Aren’t Just for Marketing.]
Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have an urge to drink another latte. . .
Frankly, My Dear . . .: We love our lattes!
For more on media and marketing, join me this Saturday in Bakersfield at Writers of Kern monthly meeting.
TWEET THIS: Are you a professional media magician or an amateur product pusher? @RealMojo68 #socialmedia #marketing #coffee
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aug 16, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Firsts in Fiction co-hosts Aaron and Al Gansky, and their photobombing producer (that would be me.)
So this was us a year and a half ago [has it really been that long?!] at Blue Ridge. They’re celebrating awards and I’m celebrating the fact I could jump in high heels.
Ahh, good times.
So, next week we’re doing a slightly different podcast, which y’all may have surmised from the title of this post.
Everything you wanted to know about writing but were afraid to ask.
This is where you come in. As with any creative endeavor, we want to do it right. And while the hosts and moi have our ideas and questions to ask each other, we know it’s you, the audience, whom we do this for. So leave your questions in the comments, and we’ll see if we can add them to the mix.
Watch next week’s Firsts in Fiction podcast live at 6:30 pm PST, or catch it later on YouTube or at AaronGansky.com.
And don’t forget, you can Ask the Author any time by leaving comments on our blogs, Facebook, or Twitter feeds.
TWEET THIS: Everything You Wanted to Know About Writing But Were Afraid to Ask @RealMojo68 #amwriting #podcast #socialmedia
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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