I Finished a Book, Here's What Happened

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The Motivation

I've always been a storyteller. I loved, even as a child to share stories. I loved both fiction and non-fiction. I didn't choose writing as a career however. I was more in the healing and business fields for many years, then after some injuries that left me disabled in many ways, I used art like singing and writing as therapy.

The writing took a serious turn when I realized some stories needed to be told. My stories and stories were shared with me by others via exploration and research. Some of these stories also included part of what makes me a bit unusual which is a ridiculous lucid dreaming empath. I dream the strangest things and they are so creative I felt the calling to share them systematically.

As an empath who counseled advised, researched and worked with thousands of people, I knew that creative expression was where I wanted to be. I wanted to ultimately inspire others by example to be creative in some way, shape or form. 

The Process

The first thing I did was begin to just jot down in a journal my real life experiences as well as my dreams. Then I began creating a column of sorts in a website I had. People really seemed to enjoy what I wrote and I then began officially blogging.

As you may know, there are millions of bloggers in the world covering every subject. It can be really challenging to have your work seen. At one time I had a lot of hits on blog entries and at other times, nothing. I tried all kinds of strategies to increase my visibility like videos, various links, images, creative blog titles, gifs, social media use, you name it, I tried it. All you can do is keep going.

You can try tons of strategies on having your work seen but it is literally a full time job. At the end of the day, it's something I do for short pieces like this, but then I turned to writing books. I took my jottings, journals, even past academic work and found ways of putting them together and a way that made sense. Especially with the non-fiction work. The fiction is another process altogether and each process evolves each time I write. The key for me, is to keep learning and improving.

Things have changed tremendously in the publishing world. Thanks to technology I can write my own books in a simple computer program. Then I can either have it done electronically or do a physical version. Of course, it's not that simple. There are one hundred steps to each process but that's when you do things one step at time. Once you do decide you will do this no matter what, all you need to do is take the time to actually do the work. The best part is that there are many resources available to help in the process.

Expectations and Feelings

There is nothing sadder than knowing no one is reading your work, no matter how much heart, soul and work you put into it. This was how I felt about the blogging. When I switched to book writing. I feared the same would happen. It was intimidating to think about writing a book. All these issues and doubts came into my mind. Was I good enough? Would anyone be interested? Could I handle it? Would I make a difference in the world? I wanted to take what was in my mind and get it out into the world for others to experience. By writing a book I could do this. I expected relief that I finished a book, even in draft form. I was indeed relieved I was able to complete this phase.

The next step was to move on to formatting, editing and packaging it so it can be ready to be published and ready to be seen. It was daunting but I decided to take things a bit at time and understand that this was not a linear process. I went back and forth between all these phases to the point of feeling dizzy, but I kept going. That is the absolutely only way I was able to complete the book. The truth is, it took me nine years to complete my first book on the paranormal and spiritual awakening. But it got done.

Results

The first result is as feeling of incredible accomplishment. It doesn't matter I haven't gotten on the bestseller list (yet). I am determined to share my vision with the world via words as well as in other ways because storytelling is multi-media and multidimensional.

When you first hit publish, there is a feeling of elation. "Wow, I did it!" Enjoy that moment. It really is a huge accomplishment.

My motto is: Better done than perfect, better late than never.

The other result was the feeling of motivation to keep writing. Now I could continue to express myself creatively by writing. It was a bit easier to write my next two books because I developed my own formula. However, once you move into a different genre, I realized I'm back on that very challenging learning curve. The fiction work requires a different process I am still working on. It is challenging and intimidating, but I am loving it. Perhaps my next blog on writing will be sharing the process in fiction writing.

However, as I'm working on the fiction I am also working on my fourth book, a memoir titled Oddball, My life as Ridiculous Abnormal. This is my most personal passion project yet. I finally get to share to a large audience how unusual I am and what makes me both an oddball but also able to understand others as an empath.

What About You?

Do you want to write? What do you want to write? Fiction, Non-fiction, long or short stories? Both? What is your plan? Have you written something already? What are your goals? Share your story, it's worth telling.

~Diana Navarro, M.S.

Photo Credit: Asa Williams

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Meditation fоr Improved Creativity

Meditation Helps the Process of Creation

Evеrуоnе wіth а creative passion knows thаt thе worst part іѕ nоt thе critiques, nоt thе constant practice, but thе blank page. No matter how creative, skilled оr inspired уоu might bе, thеrе іѕ ѕоmеthіng аbоut sitting down tо work аnd feeling thаt vast expanse оf nothing stretch bеfоrе уоu аnd erase еvеrуthіng уоu аrе аѕ а writer, painter, illustrator оr sculptor.

Know whаt makes іt worse? Thе fact thаt wе know thе opposite side оf thе coin, tоо. Wе know whаt wе’rе capable оf. How many times have уоu lost уоurѕеlf іn thе midst оf creation, time slipping bу аnd уоur emotions ѕееmіng tо flow effortlessly frоm уоur fingertips? Thаt feeling іѕ thе reason wе create - іt’s like а high, аnd wе аrе just junkies after оur next fix.

Sоmеtіmеѕ, thаt fix doesn’t come. It’s uѕuаllу оnlу temporary, but іt саn turn chronic аѕ wеll - even turn уоu frоm уоur passion fоr good. It іѕ absolutely imperative thаt уоu break thе dry spell аnd allow inspiration tо flow, аnd meditation саn help.

It took me nine years to complete a book. When I started it I used traditional ways of trying to write. Very recently I had to practice what I preached since the book has a spiritual topics. I used meditation as a technique and I completed the in less than 6 months. See below.

Set thе Scene

Get оut thе tools оf уоur trade. Place еvеrуthіng уоu need tо create wіthіn easy reach. Don’t bе stingy - get оut аll оf уоur paints аnd brushes, canvases, paper, clay, stone, оr whаtеvеr. Get оut уоur best pens, уоur laptop, уоur dictionary, thesaurus, оr аnу reference book уоu might uѕе. I love pend and decided to get colored pens of all sorts, placed them in a special place to practice these techniques. Now, your turn to get ready. 

Set uр fоr а meditation. Get оut уоur mat, уоur pillow, уоur comfy chair. Light thе candles аnd incense, turn down thе lights. Or, turn thеm uр - create thе feeling уоu want tо see іn уоur work. Turn оn thе colored lights аnd disco ball іf thаt’s whаt уоu want tо express. Involve аll уоur senses.

Play ѕоmе music. Mауbе ѕоmеthіng quiet, mауbе ѕоmеthіng loud. Mауbе ѕоmеthіng structured, like а march, mауbе ѕоmеthіng more ephemeral, like а whale song. Thе music ѕhоuld reflect whаt уоu’rе feeling аbоut whаt уоu’rе аbоut tо create. You can easily use the internet to find sound that matches your needs.

Settle In

Get comfortable аnd begin thе journey wіthіn. Inѕtеаd оf blocking оut thе scents аnd sounds аrоund уоu, lеt thеm guide уоur mind. Or, block thеm оut initially, tо get deep wіthіn уоurѕеlf, аnd allow thеm tо creep bасk іn one аt а time.

Pay attention tо how уоu feel, whаt уоu see, аnd аnу sudden pictures оr flashes thаt occur. Thеу mау bе pieces оf оld memories associated wіth thе mood уоu’ve set, оr thеу mау bе totally irrelevant. Eіthеr way, thеу саn bе inspiration.

Meditate аѕ long аѕ уоu need tо. Don’t try tо keep tо а schedule, bесаuѕе ending thе session tоо early wіll оnlу make thе creation process take longer. Take уоur time аnd absorb еvеrуthіng уоu’rе experiencing аѕ іf уоu wеrе а tourist оn аn alien planet. Allow thе feelings tо get inside, rip уоu араrt аnd build уоu uр.

Harvest

Slowly work уоur way bасk tо thе here аnd now, like waking frоm а deep sleep. Don’t rush thіѕ part еіthеr, оr уоu run thе risk оf losing еvеrуthіng уоu just discovered. Drift уоur way bасk tо thе surface аnd awaken.

Turn tо уоur materials аnd get еvеrуthіng оut. Lеt іt flow. It doesn’t have tо make sense - уоu’ll sort іt аll оut lаtеr. Fоr now, just brain-dump еvеrуthіng оntо а medium. Uѕе whаtеvеr materials оr techniques come tо hand. Don’t worry аbоut perfection, except іn places whеrе іt rеаllу ѕееmѕ tо matter. Don’t try tо create а final work, just create а data bank frоm whісh уоu саn draw lаtеr.

Yоu mау feel а bit frenzied аt thіѕ point - thаt’s good, іt means уоur creative high іѕ returning. Ride thе wave untіl іt ends. If уоu’rе still struggling, simply focus оn getting thе gist оf whаt уоu experienced оn paper, аѕ іf уоu hаd tо describe іt tо ѕоmеоnе wіthоut words.

Create

Whеn things begin tо slow down аnd уоu run оut оf steam, уоu mау find уоurѕеlf returning tо а particular item оvеr аnd оvеr. Take thаt piece аnd develop іt. Or put multiple pieces together untіl ѕоmеthіng moves уоu. Add аnd subtract, change, flip, rotate tо find ѕоmеthіng real.

Eventually уоu’ll hit іt - whеthеr уоu choose tо continue thе development immediately оr lаtеr, уоur creative block wіll have bееn cleared.

See more techniques to get your creative juices flowing and how to create your own sacred space in my book. 

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For more information visit: www.thisisdiana.com 

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Unacknowledged New York City Talent By The "Powers That Be"

Note: This is also a radio Broadcast with special guests named below.
Click here to listen: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/this-is-diana/2013/07/22/unacknowledged-new-york-city-talent-by-the-powers-that-be

Unacknowledged New York Talent
I was born and raised in New York City. Specifically in The Bronx, also lived in Brooklyn and did everything else in Manhattan. I sang professionally as a child from the age of 7 onward in The Bronx, Manhattan Brooklyn and Queens (sorry Staten Island I was just a kid and didn't control where we went singin'). Because I chose a path of academics and work my spiritual journey, I didn't sing professionally again until sometime after I returned back from living in San Francisco, about 2005). 

When I did return, I was graciously welcomed by a special group of talented musicians including, singer and event producer Sandy Jordan, musicians Grammy nominee Larry Luger, Bob Arkin, and Angelo Ferrara very early on. As the years have gone on I've gotten to know many others dear to me like Ted Muzio, Rick Bogart, and Steven Lowenthal. I have met amazing musicians and singers alike who I will be featuring on the ongoing basis, (see below). As an Intuitive Empath with a Psychology and Research background, I can speak from my observations, interviews, and an actual experiential point of view. Throughout these years I have made some observations that are simply, well bothering the heck outta me. 

There is a vibrant but hidden New York City music and artistic population...Why aren't they more recognized by the powers that be? And by "powers that be" I mean venue owners, critics, reviewers, media, music managers, promoters, agents and peers that influence what is seen and heard in the New York industry. 

Ponder this:
a) Where can we find places where vocalists, musicians, dancers, producers, directors, writers, actors, fine artists (painters, etc.) and other creative artists express their passion, 
b) Get compensated appropriately and generously, 
c) Get a fair chance of getting in without the current politics of who knows who? 

And how can we: 

• Avoid greedy venue owner/managers ridiculously overpriced covers, dinners and drink minimums, 
• Avoid being forced to see the same mediocre talent in the "top" venues,
• Let these "powers that be", that we are taking back the power and the status quo, same ol' same ol' is just not good enough anymore?

Keep reading...

What is True talent and What is Mediocre? 
Therein lies the big question. There is 1) Natural talent, those born with an innate ability to create a particular art and/or, 
2) Those who are trained in their field of passion but with true potential to excel and therefore often do, 3) Then there is the mediocre circle, those who are determined and dogged about performing an art but fall substantially short in innate ability. They excel anyway due to misuse of their personal and financial resources, unethical practices, e.g., sleeping their way up, paying off the powers that be, etc.

True Talent:
For brevity's sake, I will include natural and trained talent here and mediocre separately. Some say talent is subjective. That it depends on the observer. However there are standards set for the arts to determine talent. For those standards and guidelines, you'll have to do your googling...but for the purposes of this piece I will give a brief example of a talented vocalist. Whether a born singer or trained one, a vocalist has to be able to love what they do, connect with their audience authentically, utilize their unique qualities (timbre, vibrato, volume), know basic technique (while working on making it better and better), sing on key, improvise if necessary, work well with accompaniment, have good phrasing and respect fellow musicians with a combination of confidence and humility. Ambition is great but not at the cost of running over others in the same field because, yes we are connected and there are consequences to that.

Mediocre:
On the other hand, a mediocre performer and singer is one that uses questionable tools (paying the gatekeepers off, mis-using their sexuality, phony personality, etc.) to find an audience other than using innate or trained ability. They may somewhat sound like they sing but even a child can tell that this is not a good singer. They may sings off key, or strange-unpleasant vibrato/timbre that doesn't work well with the music being expressed or, overly loud/low or what I personally call the roller coaster effect where there are so many ups and downs in the note you can't tell what it's suppose to be (and gives me motion sickness) and that doesn't work well with the music being expressed. 

As mentioned above, many "successful" but mediocre musicians in the New York scene utilize some of the questionable tools and do get the better venues, critics/writers to give them great reviews, and opportunities for gigs and exposure. There is nothing wrong with that if only it weren't for the fact that it is unbalanced. If it were interspersed with the truly talented and it wasn't so darn obvious maybe it would be more palatable. People do notice. Audiences don't want to come out to the same old mediocre performers and those who come in droves are desperate for live entertainment and get the tainted promotion from agents and critics. What a conundrum indeed.

So Where are the Truly Talented?
So I ask again, why aren't there more truly talented singers out there in the known venues? Why do we see the same so-so performers spoken, promoted and written about over and over again by a handful of "elite" but somewhat powerful promoters and critics, discouraging audiences to come out to live events of many authentically talented performers? That's where the unseen, unacknowledged talent comes in. The talented are intermixed with the mediocre and emerging, yet to be discovered, talented. They are often in the small, unknown venues. This brings me to another point. Many venue owners want to keep their venues afloat financially and care very little about booking actual talent. They simply want people who will draw audiences, fill their rooms and buy their food and drinks. That's just the way it seems to be. If more venues opened with more emphasis on talent, and creative shows, I'm sure they would cross from the red to the black quickly and with quality. That is another reason why so many venues come and go and are marginally filled with customers. 

What about the rest of the artists, writers, directors, producers, actors, other performers, and painters? I would say with some confidence that the information is transferable to other artistic industries. Why? Because as a trained observer I have spoken to, read, and seen the same characteristics in other music industries, writing, and entertainment in general. Unless something happens where the right connection, introduction, discovery is made, many talented souls in any of these above mentioned fields, through no fault of their own, will remain undiscovered and un-shared with the world. But not if I can help it...

What am I Doing About it?
I can't change the world...but I can do my bit to live my life purpose...Spread light, love and truth anyway I can. I took a page from my predecessors in the business and every chance I get I create a space and event to gather all this amazing talent in pure celebration. For Instance The Sunday Summer Soirée with Diana and Friends https://www.facebook.com/events/195156540643755/

I also use my presence, blog, radio broadcasts, social media and personal resources to support those who genuinely care about their craft, themselves and others.

I share the space and make introductions via my intuitive social connection abilities to appropriate associations. 

Additionally, I would recommend to these artists:

1.  To keep working on your craft. 
2.  Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone, 
3.  Don't allow anyone or anything discourage you, 
4. Gage your talent accurately by having several objective ways of being judged on your particular artistic expression, 
5. Activate your freewill ability of empowerment. Meaning, stay true to you and remain strong at your core
6. Restrain from over-sharing your work projects until the deals are sealed to prevent competition from unfairly taking your opportunities, 
7. Use social media, it's not that difficult to use and you don't have to use them all at first. Thanks to this, anyone can record themselves, and at least share your wares with the world. 
8. Cultivate your audience, following and SHARE, there is truly enough for us all.

Meet the First Group of the Best
I am grateful to have met some of New York's MOST talented performers...this is just a few of the dozens my absolute favorites who are not only talented but support their peers in multiple ways. For the purposes of this article will mention in no specific order David Giardina, ESTEREdiva, David Vernon, and Maria Giorgio. We are also speaking Sandy Jordan who knows the business for many years and will share her point of view.

Believe me I don't mean to leave out any of my dear ones, so forgive if you are not mentioned in his piece. I fully plan to do follow-ups and features so just email me...to be featured.

While some not quite so talented people will always slip and slide UP to society pages for various reasons but I will do my part in making sure those who are there truly talented, working, sharing and loving what they do, get the credit they deserve. The powers that be come back to us all. 

With Light. Love and OM
This is Diana
Diana Navarro, M.S.
Psychic--Empath with a Psychology background, Radio and Video Broadcast Host, Speaker, Entertainer, Consultant and features topics on Lifestyle/Manners, Humor, Entertainment, Health, The Paranormal and Causes.
The "This Is Diana" Radio Show On Blog Talk Radio Listener dial-in number: (347) 857-3160

Radio Show Address: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/this-is-diana

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