Sometimes it takes perseverance to find what you are looking for online. Usually I have good luck with that. The secret is finding just the right term/ phrase to search for. Once you hit it right you will have tons of links to sift through. Meanwhile you have tons of dross to try to figure out.

Tonight I'm looking for a business which makes jewellry (necklaces, earrings, etc) out of wood, seeds and anything else along those natural Earthy lines. I found a site which falls into Kareems interests. "For snorters, smokers and sex maniacs" Not that Kareem is a sex maniac, as far as I know. :)

Anyway, still looking for my own link. That seed jewelry, you know.

How do you deal with disappointment or rejection? As writers we are going to get some of each, as long as you keep sticking your foot in the door and sending out your work. Which, of course, you are doing, right? Right?!!

Anyway, I skimmed a magazine article this morning and really liked two of the points they made. One was to immerse yourself in something new and the other was to take a reality check. The third was wrap your mind around it. But, that sounds a bit too much like dwelling on it to me. If you dwell on it that cancels out the other two.

Still, I really like the two ideas. Don't you feel better when you start something new. You're learning and researching new ideas and have the satisfaction of stepping away and keeping going. So they didn't like your great idea. You can keep it around for another try with another market or you can change your point of view or your angle on it. You can even toss it completely and work on something totally new. Develop a new passion.

Taking a reality check is great too. So they didn't buy it. Does that mean you're doomed to failure as a writer? No, of course not. You just had one editor that turned you down. It's disappointing but not the end of the world. Move along, nothing much to see here. But, now you can implement something new, as above. These two things work together so well.

Next time you need to get over disappointment remember reality checks and new passions. That should keep you busy, motivated and writing.

Being Pagan isn't about putting on a show. It's really a very personal thing, a choice you might keep to yourself forever or reveal to your family or friends. They call it coming out of the broom closet cause that's kind of cute. But, you were never in a closet. Being Pagan is about being free, living with the Earth and respecting our history/ traditions. How can those be bad? Why would you have to keep that under wraps?

I think people think they have to prove a point or show off when they yabble on about how Pagan they are. In the case of craft names especially, those were meant to be secret, from everyone! But here and there you can find Pagans using their craft names more than the name on their birth certificate. Some rationalize it and say that's their public craft name and they keep a secret one, privately. So, why the show?

Can you be yourself and be Pagan too? I think that's what it really comes down to.

If you have to dress a certain way, display certain objects around you and change your name to fit in, where do you really fit in? Being Pagan should be comfortable, part of who you already were. It should add to you, not reprogram you.

Think about your own Pagan or Wiccan lifestyle. Are you putting on a show or are you just being Pagan cause that's part of who you are? If you have all the toys and gadgets chances are you're really missing something. If you've copied tons of spells from the web but never written any of your own, chances are you're missing the point. Reorganize, rethink and stop to breathe, find out what part of yourself is Pagan and relearn. Get back to the essentials, rediscover being Wiccan and have fun again. You can't be having fun if you're always trying to catch up to some ideal of what being Pagan should be. You are Pagan, you made that choice, so just go ahead and be Pagan. No song and dance required.

I don't think you can really be a writer unless you are also an avid people watcher. I really like to sit with a coffee and watch the people around me. I don't write stories for them, I just observe and come to my own conclusions about who they are, what they think and feel. Do they seem tired, grumpy, cheery, clever, amused, interesting, rushed or laid back? Are they well dressed or a bit too casual? Does that hair style really suit them? You can go on forever.

What things do you see that cause you to decide who someone is, on one sighting alone? I think the way they dress, their body language and how their face, are big first impression tip offs. Next time you are people watching consider the first three things you notice about people. Do you notice different things than I do?

Do you write that way? When you describe a character do you write about them as if they were someone you just saw at the mall, in the parking lot at work or wherever you happen to be writing them. Do you give details about their appearance, body language and facial expressions?

Have you ever written about a stranger you watched somewhere? Try it. Give yourself a challenge and write in a different venue than your usual. If you write fiction try poetry, if you write non-fiction try fiction and so on. Go nuts and write a greeting card just for them!

Most of all, keep watching those passers by, you never know when they will become inspiration.

Writing Exercise: Write yourself a letter to be opened one year from now. What goals do you have now? What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year? How are you feeling about yourself as a writer? Tell your future self something you want to remember a year from now.