Don’t Dance, Don’t Laugh, Don’t Talk, Don’t Walk, Don’t Sing, Don’t Smile

Don’t. Can’t. Won’t. Shouldn’t. Wouldn’t. Won’t. No. No-no.

That’s a lot of negativity. And yet, such a vast majority of us welcome that kind of negativity into our lives.

I’m ready to say NO to negativity. I worried for far too long about what other people think. DANCE LIKE NOBODY’S WATCHING. A lot of people say it, but who actually lives by this motto. Joy is found in that space where you actually live it, let go and allow yourself to have fun. I suggest you take that first step today. Now.

On Sunday, while watching the Disney World Festival of Fantasy Parade swing past me, Baloo (from The Jungle Book) came into the audience, grabbed my hand and swept me up into the parade. And…we danced.

Even a few months ago, I would NOT have done that. I would have pushed him away, hid behind people so he wouldn’t even have an opportunity to get near me. I always thought about how other saw me…always felt slightly ashamed of casting a shadow.

So, in front of hundreds (no thousands) of people, I danced with Baloo. And it was good. We danced along the court at the end of Main Street, USA, in front of Cinderella’s castle. I’ve never been twirled by a bear before! I never would have let myself have that much fun until now. (-:

Free yourself. Sing on the subway. Dance along the sidewalk. Wear that hat you love but are terrified of people mocking. Wear those Mickey Mouse ears. Be a kid. Shed the shame. You know, it’s perfectly fine to let your inner child wander free. Let your freak flag fly!

freakLife is too short to hold back. When you hold yourself back, you’re only hurting yourself.

Oh, I also met one of my biggest writing inspiration’s biggest characters last week. Dr. Seuss is wonderfully represented in Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando. If you get a chance to visit, look for SEUSS LANDING! You’ll love it! I even rode the caroSeussel!

A Magical Moment in the Life of a Writer!
A Magical Moment in the Life of a Writer!

Dr. Seuss is a Birthday Cake We Should Always Eat & OWC Agent Pitch Workshop!

Oh, the fun you will have. Oh, the places you’ll go. If you just let your hair down, at least on one side.

Is one ever too old for Dr. Seuss? This may be one of the most fascinating philosophical questions of the 21st Century. Or it may just be a device I thought up to write this blog post. But it truly is a very good question to ask—especially if one is a writer. In fact, I might just be a genius to have come up with it. Especially on such a Seussical day as this. If the good Dr. were alive today, I’d make him the biggest great cake that he ever did see. I’d decorate it in such an extravagant way, and perch it way high in the highest big tree.

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, you finest of men, you elegant worder. You wielder of pen, you magic rhyme herder!

A note to all writers out there in the land of Seuss: Go to the bookstore, go to your shelf, pick up a Seuss book, go back to your core! Be a fine word elf, indulge in a language that turns in on itself. ABCs or Horton or Who! Wherever you wander, you’ll run into you.  “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere” in the great land of Seuss.

Be a child today, pick up a Seuss. Try to remember that this thing you do, this writing thing, is something you do because you love words. If you’re anything like me, Seuss has a lot to do with your love of language. Don’t forget your roots. And whatever you do, never grow up! And when words drive you crazy, just never give up!

One more thing before I go!

There is a fantastic Ontario Writers’ Conference PRE-CONFERENCE workshop taking place on APRIL 3rd, at the Oshawa Campus of Trent University! Noelle Bickle will lead workshop attendees through the agent pitch! I’ve taken a WCDR After Breakfast Mini-Workshop in which Noelle taught the elevator pitch. It completely opened my eyes, both to the importance of the pitch and the essence of distilling your manuscript down to the size of a pitch. Now, you too can attend a workshop that will walk you through the agent pitch. Learn how to approach an agent properly. This is an Ontario Writers’ Conference sponsored workshop—which will nicely prepare those OWC 2012 Conference attendees for agent pitches on conference day, but it is also open to any and all who would like to attend. Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to improve your chances with an agent. All the details are available on the Ontario Writers’ Conference website (along with a Paypal Link to allow you to register online for the workshop).

The gist is:

A workshop to help you create a captivating 30-second pitch!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012
6:30 – 9 pm

Learn how to pitch a story idea, manuscript or screenplay to editors, publishers and producers WITH CONFIDENCE!!!
Cost: $45 ($40 WCDR/WCYR/WCSC/HHWEN)
Location: Trent University – Oshawa
55 Thornton Road South
(parking is free)

CLICK THE LOGO BELOW TO GO TO THE SITE AND LEARN ALL THE DETAILS: