Cocooned in the safety of our protective bubbles, we minimize risk. We think we avoid disappointment, the probability of losing, and getting hurt, but we also limit opportunities for success. The siren call of our comfort zone disguises the actual danger. You are supposed to stumble. The surest path to disaster is succumbing to the irrational fear prompting you to quit. The more we concentrate on comfort, and embrace an illusion of security, the less we pursue losing, and the smaller our world becomes.

People laugh at my audacious goals and inform me I will fail. But I have learned valuable lessons from setbacks. Like the famous Edison quote, each failed attempt exposes what doesn’t work, and pushes me closer to victory. Any personal trainer at the gym will tell you pushing muscles to the point of fatigue encourages each muscle to grow stronger. Practice is controlled failure. Daring to live on the boundary line of your current capabilities, living where failure is almost certain, is painful, but it is the only avenue towards growth.

When you read stories of individuals triumphing against all odds, the core of the story is that winners don’t let defeat stop them. Instead, it makes them more determined to achieve their goal. I have been failing a lot. It’s not stopping me, because each day I gain experience, strength, and conviction that I am inching toward accomplishment. Besides, I love the view from the edge. It is so much better than any view you’ll experience from your comfy couch.

Will you dare to fail today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

“Pike’s Peak or Bust!” That was the slogan uttered by would-be miners who contracted gold fever after Green Russell and Sam Bates mined twenty troy ounces of gold near Little Dry Creek in current day Englewood, Colorado. The phrase embodies a “do or die” mentality. The sense of desperation is palatable. There is no other option, no further recourse, no viable alternative. The prospectors knew the odds and prepared for back-breaking work in search of precious golden flakes.

Today, we hear people tell us impressive achievement emanates from a big dream. Visualize your heart’s desire, and attraction brings it to you. Success requires more than good thoughts. You can imagine your six-pack abs, but they won’t materialize unless you commit to doing the reps. Completing a regular exercise regime guarantees results. Many individuals say they wish to become a writer. You must determine how desperately you crave the title of author. You must want to write.

The daily grind is arduous. No one is born a master of their field. Practice, patience, perseverance, and dogged determination are the qualities required to get through the learning curve. Mastery feels like a never-ending journey. Every day we decide whether we keep going or if we quit. For me, quitting is not an option.

How desperate are you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

When I write my fiction, my aim is delighting the reader. They say an outstanding character lies at the heart of every memorable story. A well rounded, engaging protagonist keeps people turning pages even if the tale falters. Boring and predictable is a recipe for disaster.  It’s a feat easier said than done. The experts advise writers to construct complex personalities, and they offer helpful tips. Give them wants and needs, goals and motivations, and a purpose for their existence. Add a quirk, a flaw, and something to fear. Create circumstances that make them sweat, make them fail, make them suffer.

The hints remind me of real-life people whose heart-warming stories inspire us. These are individuals who overcome personal tragedy and face overwhelming odds, to achieve their objectives while upholding or discovering their inner strength and an unshakable sense of right and wrong. The amazing part of these heroes is their response to accolades and recognition. They claim they only did what anyone else would do.

I try to write characters from a place of compassion. I reserve judgment and commentary and seek to portray them honestly, and in a manner that fits their constructed personality. Doing this allows your audience to peel back the layers and draw their own conclusions.

How do you develop your characters?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The experts disagree on how many works Leonardo created. There are generally fifteen paintings everyone agrees were done by Leonardo and a handful of others that are in dispute. It is believed there are many more works that have been lost through the years or remain unidentified. Then there are his manuscripts. Volumes of notebooks filled with his writing that span the whole of his adult life.

Learning and understanding are important, but nothing exists without doing. It is a slow steady process, the work we do every day that adds up to a legacy. The doing keeps us alive.

What will you do today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Through the course of my life, I have been call lots of names, a brainiac, bright, an Einstein, sharp as a tack, a smart cookie, and a whiz. No one has ever willingly called on me to be part of a team sport. Coordination is not my forte. My first black eye resulted from attempting to catch a ball tossed underhanded to me. Roller skating left my fingernails embedded in walls and claw marks on my brother’s arm as I tumbled to the floor. I have fallen while walking upstairs and tripped over my shadow. The greatest danger books presented was a paper cut. So much safer.

Books let me experience feats I could never dream of accomplishing. I have battled dragons, won foot races escaping from evil pursuers, and climbed trees with nimble ease. For years I lived on a prairie, I discovered the sidewalk’s end and delivered packages while flying on my witch’s broom. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

What are your favorite summer reads?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Sand dunes are shaped by the wind. When tiny grains of sand encounter an obstacle, they build one upon the other, rising to astounding heights. Success dances along the shifting line delineating the dune’s windward side and its slip face. Stability on a dune is nonexistent. Gales relentlessly pound, driving sand, forcing it to the top where it slides or rolls down the opposite surface.

Achieving our targets are often just as elusive. We believe we are on the right path, the one guaranteed to bring us what we desire. But the terrain changes, the wind changes, we change. Our goals don’t have to remain static, instead, as we evolve, they can morph and develop. The choice lies in our interpretation.

What is your definition of success? 

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I get grief from some people when they realize how much coffee I drink daily. Nobody wants to see me first thing in the morning before the two-cup minimum required to humanize me. Mornings find me short-tempered, easily provoked, and aggressive towards anything that crosses my path. Pity the fool who gets between me and my first dose of medication. It seems like I might have the last laugh as a 2017 study determined those who drink coffee live longer than those who don’t.

There is also a study conducted to determine if the brewing method made a difference. It surprised me to learn methods using a filter showed the greatest correlation to longevity. The study states a filter “removes most of the coffee lipids (cafestol and kahweol) which have shown to raise cholesterol levels.” I enjoy my French press and an evening cup of Greek or Turkish coffee or Italian espresso, and I wonder about the benefits of the single-serve brewers besides convenience. My morning ritual uses a classic standby, my drip coffeemaker. I have nicknamed mine, “The Fountain of Youth.”

What is your favorite coffee-making method?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The world is full of successful people with little talent, and talented people with little success. We can find countless reasons, attribute good luck, bad luck, and timing. But as Mr. Cobbett suggests, the difference may boil down to perseverance. We must find the ability to go to work every day, day after day, fixating on details, drilling on the basics, creating a plan, and working the plan.

Everyone sees the glory of success. They overlook the boring, the tedious, the drudgery, the late nights, the early mornings, and countless decisions over minuscule details. Unfortunately, success does not come with a guaranteed arrival date. Perseverance keeps us on task in the face of difficulties and uncertainty. It keeps us striving when things look bleak, and when we fear we may never attain our goals.

What will you do today to bring you closer to your goal?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I am a voracious reader. My preferred reading style is to consume books, from beginning to end, in a single sitting. I’ve never possessed the required discipline, or desire, to limit myself to a chapter before bed and then laying the book aside until the next night. I’m much more likely to read until dawn. Perhaps I am impatient. Books in a series present the same challenges of a marathon. I plan and schedule accordingly and can finish trilogies in a weekend.

The pace is not sustainable if you have multiple interests. The result is my reading takes on a seasonal feel. There are definite periods when my reading list shrinks precipitously, and seasons when it grows taller than a skyscraper. My selections allow me to explore unknown worlds, discover captivating facts, and entertain controversial viewpoints. The books unlock diverse thoughts and create interesting connections that further fuel my desire to read.

Summer is coming, daylight lasts longer, and all those ‘trashy’ beach novels are calling. Next is an essay or twelve, a historical piece, a poetry collection, an epic fantasy series, a business book, a memoir, and a few “must-reads” referred to me by friends. Is it any wonder I never make it to the end of my list?

How do you like to read?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Who hasn’t experienced this feeling? It is difficult convincing myself to leave my bed. Like Nicola, my spirit is willing, but my body refuses to budge. Anger is my first response, and it often works. It helps me burn the blahs, and I force myself to move. If that doesn’t work, I go through my list of usual culprits. Am I drinking enough water? Are my iron levels low? Am I obsessively worrying over something which I can’t control? Do my meals and snacks contain too much junk food? Am I sleeping? Or do I have too many responsibilities?

My review showed three things conspiring against me and contributing to my lethargy. The first was worry and sadness. The second was a task list three people couldn’t accomplish. These two items combined to ensure I wasn’t getting a restful night’s repose. Identifying the root cause of my exhaustion is only the beginning. I shift responsibilities, and recognizing the futile nature of my apprehension, helps me to monitor and banish those thoughts. Exhaustion finally falls to the restorative balm of sweet sleep. The struggle begins anew with each dawn. The goal remains unchanged. I sit at my keyboard and will the words to flow.

How do you channel your will to write?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer