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Megan DiMaria

Author/Speaker

A Prisoner of Hope

Offering hope and encouragement for life, writing, and living a thoughtful life.

A Prisoner of Hope

Offering hope and encouragement for life, writing, and living a thoughtful life.

I post every Tuesday.

Strategies to overcome writer's burnout, part 2

Megan DiMaria

Nov 6, 2018
1 min

Strategies to overcome writer's burnout, part 2

Last Tuesday I discussing writer's block and strategies to get your productivity back on track. Writer's block doesn’t have to paralyze your writing progress. I gave you the first few suggestions, last week. Here are five more methods to get your fingers flying over the keyboard: 1. Work on another project for a while If you can, switch gears to another project you have in the works or make notes on a subsequent project you’ve been thinking about. You may return to your “bloc

Strategies to overcome writer's burnout, part 1

Megan DiMaria

Oct 30, 2018
1 min

Strategies to overcome writer's burnout, part 1

Dear writer, are you feeling burned out? Is your word count and productivity down? Do you want to beat your head against a wall to battle writer's block? Shake those blues, and concentrate on something other than your work in progress. Need some suggestions? (I thought you’d ask.) Take some photographs. Grab your camera and take a field trip to a local park, busy shopping area, town square. Let yourself focus on whatever catches your fancy. You may look back at your images an

Why boundaries are necessary for writers

Megan DiMaria

Oct 23, 2018
4 min

Why boundaries are necessary for writers

Did you know that boundaries are good for writers? If you want to be a writer, there’s no getting away from the fact that you have to write. And to write, you need time and space to create and complete your project. People often don’t understand when a writer in their life chooses to sit by themselves and tap out a story on their computer instead of ____________. You fill in the blank: watch a movie, meet for coffee, go for a walk, go out to dinner, play a board game, etc. Re

How to prepare for a writers conference

Megan DiMaria

Sep 11, 2018
2 min

How to prepare for a writers conference

Are you going to a writers conference this year? I hope so. Next week, I'm going to the ACFW conference in Nashville. Can't wait! Conferences can be a great boost to your writing career. Not only do you learn tips and techniques about writing, you'll pick up great information about the industry and make good connections in the writing world. If you’ve never gone to a writers conference, attending a small, local one is often a good way to understand the rhythm of the conferenc

Guideposts for a writer's journey, part 3

Megan DiMaria

Jul 10, 2018
2 min

Guideposts for a writer's journey, part 3

Two weeks ago, we started discussing the writer's journey. I likened it to climbing up the side of a Colorado mountain. In my case, I had started on a path that began easily then got more difficult the longer I climbed. I believe that the uphill climb is similar to writing. I have a theory when it comes to pursuing publication: I believe that every writer can have a satisfying writing journey by following five guideposts along their way. The first guidepost we discussed was t

Guideposts for a writer's journey, part 2

Megan DiMaria

Jul 3, 2018
2 min

Guideposts for a writer's journey, part 2

Last week we started discussing the writer's journey. I likened it to climbing up the side of a Colorado mountain. In my case, I had started on a path that began easily then got more difficult the longer I climbed. I believe that the uphill climb is similar to writing. I have a theory when it comes to pursuing publication: I believe that every writer can have a satisfying writing journey by following five guideposts along their way. The first guidepost we discussed was the ST

Guideposts for a writer's journey, part 1

Megan DiMaria

Jun 26, 2018
2 min

Guideposts for a writer's journey, part 1

A few years ago I had the pleasure of climbing up the side of a beautiful Colorado mountain. I was as prepared as possible—the right shoes, comfortable clothes, a bottle of water, and signs to point me in the right direction. Like many hiking trails, the one I was on started out smooth and was clearly marked. I was fully confident that it would be a piece of cake. Then the path began to get steeper, and there were rocks, boulders, and tree roots in the way. I was getting hot

Three Simple Steps to Move You from Dreamer to Writer

Megan DiMaria

Apr 17, 2018
3 min

Three Simple Steps to Move You from Dreamer to Writer

Have you ever just wanted to give up? Or perhaps you haven't even started yet. When we have a BIG dream the trouble is, well, that it's so B-I-G. We don't know where to start, or if we know where to start, we're still overwhelmed. Let me encourage you. You start with one small step and then build on that. You know that trite axiom: you eat an elephant bite by bite. That saying has stuck around for so long because it's true. Step One: Your dream. From now on stop referring to

What it's like to switch from editing to writing mode again

Megan DiMaria

Apr 10, 2018
1 min

What it's like to switch from editing to writing mode again

After revising my completed manuscript (which was a big job), I’m excited to switch gears and head back into writing mode. I’m one quarter the way through my current wip (work in progress), so my story's fairly fleshed out, and I'm raring to go. Honestly, it’s a bit disorienting to leave my story set (mostly) in 1969, as well as the 16th, 17th, 19th, early 20th, and 21st Centuries behind and slip into another time, another setting, and pick up with different characters. I’m e

Are you afraid of failure?

Megan DiMaria

Feb 27, 2018
1 min

Are you afraid of failure?

Are you afraid of failure? To be honest, sometimes I have been. But, I've discovered how to ignore those dark, nagging voices that say I'm wasting my time and efforts. You have to do that also—ignore the voices that doubt your efforts and doubt your talents. I've learned to push past the negative and move forward. When I feel the clouds of doubt coming near, I stop and pray for courage. Sometimes (oftentimes) my feelings still drag, but I act as if I'm brave and continue in m

Efforts = Accomplishment, now don't forget that!

Megan DiMaria

Feb 6, 2018
1 min

Efforts = Accomplishment, now don't forget that!

Rome wasn't built in a day. Slow and steady wins the race. Little strokes fell great oaks. You've heard those sayings before. They endure because there's truth to them. Believe me, I know how grueling the writing life can be. It's too easy to become discouraged when you think your journey should be further along than it seems. But we need to remember to say a prayer and persevere in our efforts. Here are some tips to help you persevere: Keep yourself spiritually charged. Rem

A Word of Encouragement for Writers

Megan DiMaria

Aug 29, 2017
1 min

A Word of Encouragement for Writers

Friends, this is as much for me as for you. While you're here, take a moment, go to the main page of my blog, and find some encouragement and tips on the craft. And then fire your passion and do what you were created to do. Write on! #writingnovelwritingcreativityinspiration #creativity #perspective #secondchances #books #goals #hope #persistence #inspiration

Two sentences that helped me reset my expectations and regain my composure.

Megan DiMaria

Jun 20, 2017
2 min

Two sentences that helped me reset my expectations and regain my composure.

I know that I can’t be the only one . . . Perhaps you've also found yourself scrambling to meet your goals, pushing yourself to do more, but failing to see the results you'd hoped for. Lately, I’ve found myself working with such diligence and trying so, so hard. My efforts went toward accomplishing tasks, meeting deadlines, and reaching goals. Some days have been grueling. Let me back up—I hadn’t snatched my dreams and goals out of thin air. I formulated them after much praye

Do dreams expire?

Megan DiMaria

May 9, 2017
2 min

Do dreams expire?

Is it ever too late to pursue a dream? Can you ponder a dream for too long, and miss the opportunity for accomplishment? Consider the words of C. S. Lewis, "It's never too late." I prefer to think he's correct. We're all so busy. Sometimes we forget to dream or don't have time to set goals. But in the quiet, solitary hours, our mind and our heart wanders to what if. What if I try . . . Are you wondering if it's too late? Are you wondering if you've missed your window of

Writers, learn to put rejection in perspective

Megan DiMaria

Apr 4, 2017
2 min

Writers, learn to put rejection in perspective

Rejection is an ugly word, especially to a writer. But we need to keep it in perspective. To help you put rejection into perspective, I’d like to discuss my shoes. A few months ago, I noticed my favorite shoes were beginning to look worn out and were no longer attractive to wear with dress pants. I thought about purchasing another pair of shoes, and then I had the bright idea to bring them to a shoe repairman. The repairman put new heels on my shoes, polished the leather, a

Strategies to Overcome Writer's Block

Megan DiMaria

Feb 28, 2017
2 min

Strategies to Overcome Writer's Block

Consider yourself the luckiest writer in the universe if you’ve never experienced a moment of writer’s block. Consider yourself fortunate if you've never experienced a moment of, "where do I go now?" Consider yourself blessed if you've never thought, "How can I tie up this loose end?" The most important thing to consider when faced with the dreaded writer’s block is to realize that that this is probably not the last time you’ll be stuck. Personally, I think it’s part of the w

When challenges arise, what do YOU do?

Megan DiMaria

Feb 21, 2017
1 min

When challenges arise, what do YOU do?

When faced with a challenge, do you give up or persist? See that photo? It's of a hiking trial in Maroon Bells outside of Aspen, Colorado. I walked that trail a few years ago. It wasn't all that difficult—most of the time. But this particular stretch was interesting. Steep. I found myself stumbling over rocks when I was already weary. But it was doable. I think of the writing journey in much the same way. It's exhilarating. Difficult. Interesting. Uphill. Occasionally you m

Writers: give yourself the gift of perspective

Megan DiMaria

Feb 14, 2017
1 min

Writers: give yourself the gift of perspective

Happy is the person who dreams dreams and is willing to take the steps to make them come true. Don't be afraid to start climbing, and I'll see you at the top! ~ Zig Ziglar I’ve been thinking about perspective lately. So much of life’s experiences depend on perspective, especially for writers. We commit ourselves to long periods of solitary work and then endure the difficult process of publication. Even after publication, it's not a walk in the park. But whether you succeed in

Chase your dreams, and create the life you desire!

Megan DiMaria

Sep 20, 2016
2 min

Chase your dreams, and create the life you desire!

Do you have an unfulfilled dream? Go for it! No one will drop your life's dream into your lap. You've got to work for it. Since I was a little girl, I wanted be a published author. I was too afraid to tell anyone my dream, so when the time came to go to college, I took the safe path and studied communications instead of creative writing. It served me well, I worked in broadcasting, journalism, and marketing most of my adult life. If I hadn't made that decision, my lif

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