I did it – I finished my book in only 2 1/2 days!!
June 14, 2010
success is possible
I did it. I finished my book in only two and a half days! Believe it or not, I wrote 54,156 words.
Sounds impossible doesn’t it? But it’s not because I have living proof right here in front of me – a document that bears my name and a working title to my book.
That’s all I can say for now. Just wanted to update all of you and thank you so much for all the good wishes.
Cheers to you all! I’ll be back next week and let you know all about it. But my message to you today is to believe in the impossible because it’s completely and totally possible!
Yours in story and a brand new book,
Annie
It’s Springtime, It’s Time To Talk About Kissing
April 15, 2010
Come on admit it. You feel it in the air. Springtime is a scent-ual time of year and it’s all around us, everywhere. It’s the time of year when I fantasize strolling the Champs Elysees’ in Paris, arm in arm with a romantic Frenchman…
and of course it’s the time of year to talk about kissing!
What makes this time of year so romantic? It’s the leaves, the trees, the colors, the smells and the warmth of it all. It’s the perfect time of year to perfect your kissing techniques, even if you don’t have a partner.
Don’t worry, you can use these same ideas on someone you just met. In fact, I’m heading off to Starbucks later today and I just might try it out then. (just kidding!)
But honestly, the “Art of Kissing” is a fine art and we should learn as much about it as we can. Years ago when I was writing romantic stories, I picked up this book and it is the sweetest book you’ll ever find of the art of kissing. It lists the following kisses to learn:
- The newest fads in French kissing (my Frenchman can teach me these)
- The Hollywood kiss (look out Brad Pitt, I may try it on you)
- The Smacking Kiss (hope I don’t hurt anybody)
- The Wet Kiss (Miss Sweetie’s good at this)
- The Triangle Kiss (my yoga may come in handy here)
- and my favorite kiss of all, the Lip-o-Suction!
and there are many more. You might want to stop reading this blog post right now and run to your nearest bookstore to get this book. How can you possibly wait to learn these kisses? You can’t. You just never know when you’ll need to pull one of these kisses out of your back pocket.
Say for example I am walking down the street and a handsome stranger is walking towards me. There is something fine and European about him – his clothing, his hair and definitely his shoes. You can always tell a European man by his shoes. They are the expensive leather kind.
He comes towards me and softly asks, “Excuse me Miss but can you tell me where a nearby coffee shop is?” His accent knocks you off your feet. Oh those romantic European accents.
You start to tell him that Starbucks is only 2 blocks away, when suddenly your eyes lock. He looks at you with the kind of wonder that people have when they are gazing at a statue by one of the great Italian masters. He sees you in all your beauty. You can feel it in your bones.
Then he says, “Please excuse me but I have this overwhelming urge to kiss you right now. I know we just met but…..this has never happened to me before.” You know what he is saying is true. You can feel it in your bones.
What do you do???
- do you run?
- scream for the police?
- or pull the art of kissing out of your purse and search for the most appropriate kiss for just such a moment???
I recommend number three. Watch this.
You sweetly say, “Oh I am so flattered. I would LOVE to kiss you. Please give me just a moment to freshen my lips.” Then you quickly fan through the “Art of Kissing” to find just right kiss.
You turn the page to the Butterfly Kiss. Ah, that must be the one.
Your trust y
our instincts and lean forward delicately to plant a big fat butterfly kiss right on his perfectly formed lips.
He faints instantly!
The next day you read a the story in the paper about a famous European count who came to visit relatives in Chestnut Hill (where I live) and was struck down by a romantic passionate kiss.
The count was taken to the local hospital but discharged immediately saying, “I have to find that woman!”
Now was all that worth it? The story, the kiss, the romance and the nice write up in the paper? Of course it was. This just goes to show you, that you never know when the fine art of kissing is going to come in handy!
I gotta go now. I’m off to Starbucks. I’m pretty sure my count is waiting for me. I’ll let you know what happens.
There’s No Such Thing As Writer’s Block!
April 5, 2010
I know, I know. Before I even get this story out you’re gonna tell me – What do you mean there’s no such thing as writer’s block? And then you’re gonna spill out all of your stories about all the ways and times that you’ve been blocked from writing something, right?
Yes I agree that we all believe that there’s such a thing as writer’s block, but I’m here to tell you that it really doesn’t exist.
Think about it this way – when you were 4 or 5 years old and someone threw some Playdough down in front of you, did you ever say -’ Oh I can’t play with that. I just don’t know what to make?’
The answer is no you didn’t. You never said that as a kid, you just dove in and began molding the Playdough. That’s just what your hands wanted to do. Many times you didn’t even know what you were going to make right? Something just emerged.
Well it’s exactly the same way with writing. At it’s best we write they way we used to play as kids – freely and fully. Sounds easy but it’s not. It’s tremendously difficult. Not the writing itself, but undoing what’s in the way of letting it flow.
So if there is no such thing as writer’s block, then why can’t we write easily and freely like children playing? Because though there is no writer’s block, there is what I call the Critic’s Seige. 
It’s not really that you’re blocked. Remember that when you didn’t know what you were going to make with Playdough, you played freely and rolickingly. But when you sit down to write, paint or create, then your good old inner critic sneaks up behind you and while you’re trying to write or create, he or she is whispering menacingly in your ear.
You know those dog whistles that dogs can hear but you can’t? That’s how your inner critic works. It’s a silent but potent voice that stops you in your tracks.
It’s not that you’re blocked. It’s just that you’re listening to the wrong voice. You’re listening the one that says things like:
- who do you think you are?
- no one wants to hear what you have to say
- you have nothing of value to offer
- even your mother doesn’t love you (I just threw this one in for fun)
The critic is telling you all of the things that you secretly believe about yourself. You just never knew you did, because these awful lies lay hidden inside of you like tiny fungi waiting to sprout in the spring rain.
Your desire to write, paint, sing, dance and create actually sprouts these little monsters quicker than anything. So beware.
Beware and be aware that when you move into your creative energy, these little beasts will do anything and everything to stop you from sharing the beauty of life inside of you.
Why? Because these little beasts prefer darkness. They are like fungi and prefer the cold, dark, dampness, not sunshine and the flowers. They hate when you have a streak of inspiration or get past their roadblocks they have set up to stop you.
That’s why THEY created the term ‘Writer’s Block.” Ha! Yes, they figured if they could confuse you and make you believe that you were stopped, then you would be.
But you’re not blocked and you’re not stuck. You were just temporarily in a bad trance that was induced by these little inner critics, gnomes, trolls and other such creatures whose sole intent is to stop your creative energy.
It was a temporary trance unless you believe it of course.
So obviously do not believe it. Go back to playing like a child. Write, dance, sing and create as if you had not a care in the world. Remember that feeling? It’s glorious.
You will be surprised at what comes out. Even if you don’t ‘like’ it, you will feel it’s life energy. And that’s the whole idea. You just need to create.
Creative energy was meant to be expressed in as many forms as possible.
Today, stay unconfused about your creative energy. Let it come up, out and move into the world. Do not worry about where it goes or how it expresses itself. Just open the gate and let the horses run free.
Video: Kick Ass
April 5, 2010
Featured Video: “Shave the World”
March 9, 2010
David Vanadia Presentation AIGA Shift Event. This is a fabulous storytelling presentation by one of my fellow storytellers, David Vanadia from Portland, Oregon. David you make storytelling shine!
The Transformative Power of Stories for Children
February 17, 2010
Annie: This is a beautiful story sent to me by Mike Blackstone a friend, colleague and blog reader of mine. He told some stories to his children with truly magical results. This really invites us to realize the transformative power of story. Thanks for sharing Mike. It really opened my heart.
Mike: A month ago I was invited to a lecture that was to take place last Sunday afternoon. I had completely forgotten about this lecture until it popped back into my mind 25 minutes before it was to begin. Interestingly, I had spent some quality time with my two little boys that morning, had all my “chores” done, so I told my wife Maureen I was going.
When I got to the lecture, I found out the speaker was an “ageless wisdom” guy which I don’t know much about. His theme was “Unfolding the Soul’s Purpose,” and among many things, he talked a little about reincarnation and astrology. I enjoyed it.
When I got home, I did a little research on the internet about him and about some of his subjects. I came across one little tidbit in an online astrology chart about focusing on “raising one’s children well,” and that struck a little heart chord. Hmm, could be a bit of a life purpose in there?
A couple of hours later I had this impulse and decided to tell my 6 year-old a story, and base it on the concept that we had lived other lives together. I completely improvised it. Here is the gist:
We were young brothers (Native Americans) in the 1800s. Out on an exploratory adventure, we were attacked by a mountain lion. It took all of our wits (mostly his) to both come out of it alive. Later we were attacked by a she-bear when we accidentally stumbled upon her cubs. Again our wits, mostly his, saved the day.
Several times during the story he said, with his head cocked to one side and his eyes narrowed, “Dad, you’re making this up, aren’t you?” Of course I denied it saying that that’s what I “remember.” But each time he asked me to keep telling the story.
About an hour later, my 9 year-old, Elliot, comes into my office and asks, very intently, “What did you tell Euan?” I said, “Why are you asking?” He replied, “Well, Euan said you TOLD him something!” “Do you want me to tell you something, too?” “Yes.” So I told Elliot a story, completely improvised, that went like this.
We were neighbor kids in the tenements of New York City in the late 1920s—best buddies who lived about a block apart. One day we were hanging out in the neighborhood, but I was about a block away around the corner with a couple of the guys. I heard loud voices and we came around the corner to see what was going on.
“I saw you (Elliot) surrounded by four rough guys from another neighborhood, and one started threatening you that they were going to beat you up. That kid turned, looked at his buddies to smile, and as he turned his head back, your fist lashed out, caught him square in the nose and knocked him clean onto his back.
There was blood everywhere. The other three were about to set on you but saw me and the other guys, grabbed their fallen comrade and beat a hasty retreat. They never came back.”
When I was done, Elliot floored me by saying, “Thanks, Dad, for telling me that story. And you know the part I liked the best? I didn’t need you to save me.”
I was dumbfounded in some wonderful way. The next morning, as I was taking them to school, Elliot said, “Thanks again for telling me that story, Dad, I really liked it.” And I wondered again what that was all about. He had never thanked me before for telling a story.
A few nights later I was tucking the boys in bed, I told Euan another story where we were both bridge builders, but he was a bridge designer. Right at that moment he nodded his head deeply in some sort of agreement, and he saved my life on a bridge-building site during an earthquake. Remember, he was the skeptic.
This time HE thanked me for telling him that story.
When he nodded his head it was pretty funny because he’s lately been into wearing a blindfold to bed—the kind you get on an airplane. So, I’m right by his face, softly telling him the story, he’s wearing his blindfold, and he starts to nod in agreement when I get to the “bridge designer” part. It melted my heart.
There have been a few more stories since, and, with how much they seem to love them, there WILL be many more.
I am still digesting all this, but I find it amazing. A couple of clues I’m looking at—Euan (6yrs) loves to build things and is a Lego maniac. Elliot (9 yrs) loves everything about the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and is determined to make his living as a pro wrestler.
Annie: Don’t you love this story? Sweet, simple ways to make a difference in the minds of children. Thanks Mike for sharing the transformative power of story.
Yours in always sharing the stories that matter,
Annie
Featured Video: Legend of the Rainbow Warriors
January 10, 2010
Many years ago I was blessed to hear first-hand the prophecies of the native American’s. One of them, “The Legend of the Rainbow Warriors” predicted that there would be born a new tribe of people from all colors of the rainbow, who would bring harmony back to earth. These are the times that they spoke about.
Featured Video: The Danger of A Single Story
December 2, 2009
Wonderful video on the power of story.
A Story From My Sister – ‘You hit a what?’
November 11, 2009
An elephant that escaped from the Family Fun Circus at the Garfield County Fairgrounds after being spooked caused a vehicle accident Wednesday night as it ran along U.S. 81 bypass in Enid, Okla. According to Enid Police Department Sgt. Billy Varney, the couple in the vehicle were not injured. The elephant suffered a broken tusk, a hurt leg and bumps, bruises and scratches, he said.
OKLAHOMA CITY (from the Associated Press)- It’s not unusual to see a deer or a cow crossing Oklahoma‘s rural highways. But an elephant? An Oklahoma couple driving home from church nearly slammed into a giant pachyderm that had escaped from a nearby circus late Wednesday.
“Didn’t have time to hit the brakes. The elephant blended in with the road,” driver Bill Carpenter said Thursday. “At the very last second I said ‘elephant!’”
Carpenter, 68, said he swerved his SUV at the last second and ended up sideswiping the 29-year-old female Asian elephant on U.S. 81 in Enid, about 80 miles north of Oklahoma City.
“So help me Hanna, had I hit that elephant, not swerved, it would have knocked it off its legs, and it would have landed right on top of us,” he said. “We’d have been history.”
The couple, who own a wheat farm, weren’t injured. But the 8-foot, 4,500-pound elephant was being examined Thursday for a broken tusk and a leg wound. A local veterinarian said it appeared to have escaped major injury.
“I thought this can’t be happening. Out here you could hit a deer or a cow, but this can’t be happening. The good Lord was with us,” Carpenter said. The elephant’s tusk punched through the side of the SUV, tearing up sheet metal.
After sideswiping the elephant, his wife, Deena, flagged some people down and used their cell phone to call police.
“The dispatcher didn’t believe her: ‘You hit a what?’” he said. “I told my wife, I don’t know whether to cry or laugh.”
Enid veterinarian Dr. Dwight Olson said the elephant was hiding in some bushes just off the highway when he arrived shortly after the accident. Handlers from the circus were able to calm it down, and Olson cleaned the leg wound and gave it some pain killer.
The elephant was taken Thursday to the veterinary school at Oklahoma State University for a follow-up exam. “I don’t believe there’s a broken bone, but I don’t have an X-ray room big enough to examine it,” Olson said.
The elephant had escaped from the Family Fun Circus at the Garfield County Fairgrounds earlier Wednesday after something spooked it while it was being loaded into a truck with another elephant, Olson said.
A booking agent for the circus, Rachael Bellman, said she was unaware the incident, and a telephone message left with circus officials wasn’t immediately returned.
Carpenter joked about being involved in such a bizarre accident on what is usually a peaceful church night. “I don’t know what was in the wine, but it must have been pretty strong,” he said.
Annie’s Note: my sister Lisa and her family live 30 miles from here and while they regularly see coyote, armadillos and other wildlife, I think this is the first elephant! Good news update from my sister: “They sent the elephant off to Oklahoma State University where they have a vet school. I bet the students were beyond excited to get an elephant to work on instead of the usual cows and horses!”
Featured Video: Dorothy the Chimp’s Funeral
November 9, 2009
The story of Dorothy the chimp who had a second chance at life. At her funeral you can see grief in the eyes of her fellow chimp community. Beautiful, touching and inspiring.
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