Category Archives: Writing Craft

Travel Through My Lens

Many authors get a charge out of doing the research that goes hand-in-hand with writing. I know I do. Except, perhaps, when the research takes me too long away from fingers-to-the-keyboard. That happens sometimes. šŸ˜‰

But, research for story ideas and accuracy is often really fun, especially when the fact-finding involves travel. One of my favorite things about writing is using first-hand travel experiences and details to create an as-true-as-possible sense of being somewhere with me. I want my readers to feel present in my stories.

Iā€™m also a HUGE fan of photography, particularly nature, landscape, and architecture. When you check out my Instagram images, youā€™ll see scads of things that catch my eye and inspire me and my stories. Funny, as much as I love words, Iā€™m such a visual person. And, I hope readers see my stories the way I do ā€¦ or, perhaps better yet, the way they want to, but through my lens, if that makes any sense. šŸ™‚

Anyhoo, as I was sayingā€¦. I love photography, and since I take zillions of photosā€”predominantly with my cell, as itā€™s so portable and the cameraā€™s resolution is so goodā€”I have fabulous images to choose from when I need either ideas or a reference to clarify my description of a setting. BTW, Iā€™m sure you realize that sometimes the images come first, sometimes the ideas do. Both work.

For this monthā€™s post, Iā€™m sharing images from my summer trip to the Czech Republic with my husband. I had a fabulous time visiting family and, among other excursions, exploring the Punkva Caves and the Macocha Abyss of the Moravian Karst. They were simply extraordinary to see. Iā€™ve never before experienced such a unique semi-subterranean environment.

Two high points: the boat ride through the cavern, and the insane view of the abyss from the bottom of the gorge. Imagine you creep through cool, dank darkness, hearing ethereal music swell around you as you walk, and then you emerge from the winding depths of a cavern into sunlight that glows the treetops lime-green against a cobalt sky over 450 feet above your head. Stunning.

One reason I was excited to visit the caves is that part of my second novel, Treasure Bound, is set in a cave. Iā€™m not sure how or when I began to like those underground spaces, but for most of my life, Iā€™ve loved reading and learning about them, and exploring them when the opportunity arose. Now Iā€™m having fun writing about caves, too. Cycle complete, maybe? šŸ™‚

Haā€”segue! I just remembered a science project Iā€™d done in grammar-school on cavern formations. I devised a trick for remembering the difference between how stalactites and stalagmites are formed. The word ā€œstalactiteā€ has a ā€œc,ā€ just like the word ceiling, so I learned that stalactites are the formations that grow downward from the ā€œcā€eiling of a cave. Conversely, stalagmites are built up from the floor.

Uh-oh, I let my geeky cave secret out of the bag! Hee hee hee.

Needless to say, Iā€™ve enjoyed the fun factor of caves for a looong time. And having the chance to explore some in another country totally blew me away.

I canā€™t pretend Iā€™m any sort of expert on the caves we saw in CZ, so Iā€™m including a link here to one website that has some cool information, if youā€™re interested.

What I will do, though, is share my favorite cave and abyss photos. Then, whenever the hell I publish TB, youā€™ll read for yourselves how I used this insider info to make my cave scenes more authentic (I hope), since I havenā€™t yet visited the actual caves I wrote about in the story. I donā€™t want to spill too many beans about TB, but yes, there are caves in the Caribbean!!!

For now, though, Iā€™ll let the pictures tell the story.

Thanks for chilling with me. I hope you get a kick out of the photos. Let me know in the comment section which are your faves. Looking forward to hearing from you! I <3 my readers. Sharing = caring

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February in a Flash ā€¦ and Sequel Writing

No, I donā€™t mean Flash Fiction. I mean, Februaryā€”as per usualā€”has passed in a flash. And Iā€™m not too keen on it happening, I can tell you. Once again, I find myself behind the eight ball of editing and blogging. I long ago jumped onto that adult bandwagon of repeatedly commenting on the swift passage of time. So, what the hell, Iā€™ll do it again.

Where does the time go???

Feb 18 calendar

Partly, the days zip by so readily because of my semi-unique work life. Itā€™s a bit odd, working multiple part-time positions. Changing brain functions between them is a nonstop juggle, as they all seem to draw on a different element of my psyche: creative, practical, professional. Two of my jobs mean working from my home office (which, by the way, weā€™re finally setting up, yay!), so that adds a near-constant battle to get ā€œeverything householdā€ done that needs doing. After all, Iā€™m ā€œhome,ā€ right? Oy! The distractions are numerous and the pull great. I can only imagine how people with kids cope. The drive to handle it all must be that must stronger.

Anyhoo, enough blathering. The struggle is real, for pretty much all of us, and so it continues. At the moment, I have a few contiguous hours to myself, and Iā€™m writing and will return to editing TB after I finish this post. Which is also to say, Iā€™ll keep this short. ; )

Now, onto the ā€œā€¦ and Sequel Writingā€ portion of the program. Hereā€™s the latest on Treasure Bound: I finally finished round two edits on my laptop, added a few scenes, tweaked others, and printed out everything. And itā€™s still short! As in, too short for my taste. But, as Iā€™d mentioned in December, I suspected thatā€™d be the case as I completed that round.

Iā€™ve begun round three, which in this instance is reading through the hardcopy in as few sittings as possible. On this round, Iā€™m looking to add more backstory in key places, flesh out the new characters, add some tension and bad-guy scenes, and hopefully fill in a few holes. I write this longhand on the printouts, which I usually enjoy.

Well guess what? Last week I had another cow, although it was a smaller cow than last summer. A calf, I suppose. With horns?

Mini Cow

But, seriously, I was like ā€œFor real?ā€ What Iā€™ve learned is that writing a sequel, though fun and easy in some ways, is incredibly challenging for keeping facts consistent throughout both novels.Ā No surprise, but I thought I’d already passed this hiccup. I found out last week that Iā€™d written something about one of the main characters in Emerald Obsession that is counter to a large portion of what happens to that character in TB. DOH!!!

Crazy part, I wrote the detail practicallyĀ as an aside in EO, which is how I almost forgot about it. But the words are in print, and unless I want to revise EO and create a second edition, then I have to work with what Iā€™ve got.

Butā€¦ā€¦.okay, mini cow had, and possible workaround already figured. Not completely, but with fingers crossed and striving to access those creative brain cells, hopefully all is not lost.

You guys, dear friends and readers who know me by now, know I (usually) enjoy a challenge. Well, writing this sequel certainly is one. I began it so long ago, and Iā€™ve had some surprising good feedback and a few bad experiences.

I guess my point is this: I tried something new in how I approached writing this story, and Iā€™m not sure it worked. Especially because TB is a sequel, the more time that passes from the original story, the more I have to refresh my brain to maintain accuracy and the longer my readers have to wait to read the next chapter. So bummed about that. Hopefully, Iā€™ll have lived and learned my lesson and will attempt a different approach with Book 3. Yes, as of now, thereā€™s still a Book 3 plodding through my brain. Lord help me. ; )

So thatā€™s it for now, folks. Time for me to work on the back-end of this post, send it out into the nether regions of the web, and then get back to editing. Damn, despite all this BS, I still really love writing. And I really appreciate you visiting, hanging with me, checking in. You guys rock. Oh, and comments, please share them below and tell your friends. : )

PS–Here’s a little peek at the new office furniture. : )

Feb 18 New Office
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Writing Out The Storms

This morning, I sat wondering for a few minutes if itā€™s ā€œbad formā€ to begin a blog post with an addendum. A quick Google search on addendum placement yielded too many unnecessary bits, so Iā€™ve decided just to go with it.

So here it is: I was supposed to post the following blog over two weeks ago. In the interim, a devastating earthquake ravaged Mexico, Hurricane Maria inundated an already-decimated Puerto Rico, and a gunman slaughtered 58 innocent people in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Some days, I feel so deeply hurt that I hardly know what to do. I certainly donā€™t always feel like writing. And even when I do, the words donā€™t necessarily come out the way Iā€™d like.

With all the madness in the world swirling around, I also had a smaller, though personal, issue to deal with, the poison ivy/oak I mention below. Apparently, Iā€™m severely allergic, so Iā€™ve spent almost 3 weeks on steroids and dealing with swollen and blistered arms and a rashy body. The drugs gave me woozy head, and sitting down to write or brainstorm yielded nothing good.

Well, Iā€™m slowly returning to the land of my living, and still processing the incredible events of these past weeks, trying to make sense of what I can and trying to keep going in a positive way. I hope youā€™ll take a few more minutes to zip through the rest of my original post below. And I truly hope this finds you well and striving to be happy in this crazy world. Thanks for spending some of your time with me! <3

————-

Iā€™m not sure if Hurricane Irma wiped out all my thoughts and blog ideas in a wild, massive rush of wind, but it sure feels like that tricky witch did something to my brain. Though I canā€™t say exactly how she managed to do so, since I was about 5000 miles away in Europe when she hit my home in Florida.

As happens more often than not, this isnā€™t the blog Iā€™d planned to write. But as circumstances change often and quickly, I usually try to go with the flow. When it comes to writing, that feels most natural and hopefully, therefore, is the best writing I can do.

When Irma blasted the Caribbean and the Southeast, my reaction was different this time than with Matthew last year, because I couldnā€™t return from Europe. Iā€™ve only been home for one week, and itā€™s been hard to get back into writing.

I want to write againā€”especially, to work on the edits for Treasure Boundā€”but I donā€™t have the words yet. My creative brain has disconnected or something. Not a breaking off, but more like a pulling away to process whatā€™s happened in the world.

Too overwhelmed with reality? No, thatā€™s not it. Reality often overwhelms me ; ) so thatā€™s nothing new. (October note: Hah! If only Iā€™d known how much worse things would get. It all feels so unreal still.)

And maybe Iā€™ll come back tomorrow to reread this before posting and will feel completely different. Tiredness impacts my creativity, and weā€™ve been tired a lot since we began following Irmaā€™s antics almost three weeks ago.

Let me back up a moment. You see, my husband and I had planned a relatively last-minute visit to his family in the Czech Republic, and we were due to fly homeā€”to Orlando airportā€”on September 9. The airline, Irma, and MCO all had other ideas, though.

So, we spent many hours on the phone with various people and places and eventually were able to book a flight home on September 15.

But I have to say, not being hereā€”homeā€”to ride out the storm brought me a different sort of anxiety. It felt strange and wrong not to be here, to be too far away to help, to know if family, friends, home were all right.

So, I guess Iā€™m still sorting through the different levels of emotion and tiredness thatā€™ve followed me. Though we did enjoy our extra time away, it was more stressful than youā€™d think, and the travel home kept us awake for almost 26 hours.

In all, though, weā€™re immensely grateful that our friends and family are all right. Things are so much worse for so many, and my heart breaks with the latest news from the Caribbean and Mexico. How truly overwhelming.

So from my perspective, the few more downed trees we had, though sad to see and to lose, are merely proof that far greater things than us exist. Itā€™s a process, though, dealing with the changes and problems. I donā€™t downshift that quickly, unfortunately.

A small segue: I do have to sneak in a photo or two of our yard here, because Lou and I could hardly believe what had happened on the rear of our property. A huge tree with water-logged roots toppled, ripping up a chunk of ground. Check out this mass of dirt and roots!

Tree roots
Downed trees

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, when he cut the tree apart, the stump rose and the dirt/roots have settled back into position. But I wonder how long thatā€™ll last.

The almost-weekā€™s-worth of jungle clean-up did leave me with one other present: a nasty occurrence of poison something-or-other, worse than last year, it feels. So, just add steroiding myself to the list of ā€œout thereā€ feelings, and I think weā€™ve got the lack-of-writing issue mostly clarified.

Anyhooā€¦maybe writing this blog will help get my head on straight. Though I did write some on vacation, it was without regularity and not often. Me falling off the writing wagon is not pretty, as it takes several ugly attempts before I can claw my way up again. Think Iā€™m finally getting there, though. I hope. Ā : )

And hereā€™s a nice ending to this post: the birds are coming back. A blue jay streaked by the window and nestled in the pine tree. And a pretty bright-red cardinal just landed on the orange tree outside, perched amid the yellow-lime fruits, which I hope survive till ripeness.

Happiness, seeing that flash of crimson and imperious crown, since I think of angels when I see cardinals. And I have a few special guardians I know are looking out for me and my hub, through all the madness this world can throw at us. <3 Stay strong.

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It’s True, I Do Exist. But TB Is Half Missing.

The pinned post on my Twitter page is a photo of my first printed copies of Emerald Obsession with the comment: ā€œItā€™s true, they do exist!ā€

That sentiment feels applicable to me today as I sit at my computer andā€”once againā€”attempt to finish my (one and only) June Blog. I started this post earlier in the month, and it had an entirely different vibe. Iā€™m a little sad to say it was a better vibe then than now, though the change in vibration is not permanent nor completely overwhelming.

Hereā€™s the gist: my original plan for this post was a progress update on Book Two of my series. I had completed the first draft of Treasure Bound, TB, as I still call it, and had in mind to scoop you on a few of the next steps: first-round edits, adding in a few transition scenes, prelim brainstorming for cover design and final title. Yeah, I was being optimistic; I liked how TBĀ had wrapped up.

But no. That is not happening.

I began writing the blog while still organizing my electronic files and before I finished my critique-group edits. For your laughter and entertainment, check out these photos of my initial pile of work:

Once I made those edits, I printed the hardcopy files again and did a word count. Thatā€™s when I had a minor (okay, not-so-minor) cow.

Turns out, my much-loved (by me) sequel is not nearly as long as I thought it was. More to the point, itā€™s only about half the length of Emerald Obsession. OMG. Iā€™m still uncertain as to how that happened, since the story feels much fuller even now. But I digress.

Now, since this is a sequel, and thereā€™s a third (and final) book still to come, itā€™s not a problem that TB is shorter, but that was quite a helluva lot shorter than Iā€™d expected. My plan for the editing stage had always been to write additional scenes to smooth out a couple of plot points, but this will require a chunk more writing. Ugh.

Well, not necessarily ā€œugh.ā€ I do love writing, after all, and really, this is just more writing on a story I already really enjoy. The ā€œughā€ comes into play because Iā€™d anticipated publishing either end of this year or early next. See this photo? Notice the deadline Iā€™d given myself?

Now thatā€™s questionable. Not impossible, but questionable.

So, dear readers and friends, there you have it. Partly Iā€™ve been MIA as Iā€™ve tried to cope with this writing setback, partly because Iā€™ve already begun work to flush out certain aspects of the storyline (yay), and partly because Iā€™m still working ri-donk-ulous shifts at the ā€œdayā€ job, which severely interferes with my creative brain power and awakeness. Ah, the joy. Wink, wink. But I do exist!

To think, this month started with so much promise. Iā€™d just held my first book signing for Emerald Obsession, courtesy of the fab folks at The Starving Artist Gallery, and was high as a kite over the responseā€”I sold all but two books! Their best signing!!

And now this. Guess itā€™s back to reality and back to work for me.

Thanks for sticking by me through the mayhem. Oh, did I mention that in between, the hub and I managed to buy a couch and a bedroom set and mattress? Yay!! Weā€™re finally living in almost-adulthood, like the real people do! So, itā€™s been a wild ride these past two months, as per usual. Guess some things donā€™t change.

Thoughts? Share a laugh? Cringe at the delay in TB? Please feel free to share your comments below or by email. I really do like to hear from you. Thanks and wish me luck on the additions. Iā€™ll be sure to keep you posted.

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Book Club Brilliance

Every year, Februaryā€™s brevity catches up with me, no matter how many times I remind myself itā€™s a short month. In my effort to keep on schedule, Iā€™m squeaking in my second February blog with a few hours to spare. Whee! Iā€™m lucky, though, because I have a fun topic for this post: book clubs. More specifically, my first invitation to attend a book club and to join the discussion as the author of the groupā€™s chosen monthly read! What a freaking treat for me. : )

Through the most excellent graces of my friend Monikaā€”she talked me up to her friend Melissa whoā€™s part of this clubā€”I was introduced to a wonderful group of authentic, candid readers who are in love with books.

As much as I appreciate book clubs, I havenā€™t participated in one before, even as a reader. And it hadnā€™t occurred to me to offer to speak to or participate in a book club discussion as a writer. Those of you whoā€™ve followed my blog from the onset know I feel challenged by marketing and putting myself out there as an author.

And Iā€™ll share this: discussing books and telling stories to friends is one thing, but stepping into the spotlight of this group felt so intimidating. Itā€™s an entirely different experience to sit before a group of intelligent, time-pressed individuals who purchased your book on someoneā€™s recommendation and then be held accountable for your words, creativity and entertainment value. I mean, what if these people hated my book? Or found inconsistencies? Or thought it too simplistic? Iā€™ll say again, a tad bit intimidating.

That was, until I met this group of lovely people. Well-read, well-traveled, outspoken and outgoing, these women welcomed me and treated me like a friend while being honored I, “a local author,ā€ joined their discussion.

And let me tell you, these guys do Book Club right: their once-a-month evening meeting begins with catch-up chats over a welcoming glass of vino and simple starters, is followed by a delicious, no-fuss meal (we enjoyed chicken chili, salad and fresh fruit; Iā€™m hoping Natalie will hook me up with that recipe!), and culminates in the discussion of that monthā€™s selected title. Their discussion format is straightforward and begins with the host opening with a book-related question or discussion topic to get the ball rolling. The conversation is free-form, with members commenting and asking additional questions until by consensus the evening ends. Simple, fun, effective, entertaining.

Vino
Cheese Platter

 

 

 

 

 

Every writer I know struggles with the desire to share stories but not to feel rejected by those who dislike, donā€™t understand or fear them. And we struggle with how to tell those stories the best we possibly can. The clubā€™s questions were engaging and thought-provoking and even gave me ideas for a couple points I plan to work into the sequel Iā€™m writing now, TB. Though a bit unnerving in the anticipation, in all ways, this experience was fantastic: the welcome, the interest, the engagement, the thoughtful and valuable questions and comments.

Bunch of Books

Though the group said they felt honored by my presence, I have to say Iā€™m the one who was pleased and humbled by their invitation. They welcomed me and my story, Emerald Obsession, into their lives for a time; they allowed themselves to be carried away by my charactersā€™ antics and transported to unfamiliar locales where they feasted on exotic fare. How fortunate am I?

Special thanks to: Melissa, Natalie, Leslie, Carolyn, Sarah, Kathy, Eleanor, Maggie, the fab ladies of (mostly) Davis Shores for their warmth, interest and welcome. Also, for your encouraging response to the vignette I read from Treasure Bound, my work-in-progress sequel.

You guys rock. Read on, ladies!

So, readers, do you belong to a book club? How does yours work? As I mentioned, I havenā€™t been in one before, but this experience really made me want to start. How about you? Let me know below or by email (carolyn@carolyngreeley.com). Thanks!

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An Editing Trick for World Read Aloud Day

Iā€™m still writing the first draft of TB, Emerald Obsessionā€™s sequel, which is great and frustrating at the same time. Iā€™d hoped to be finished with this first run-through by now, but no dice. When I set writing goals, I like to think theyā€™re realistic, but somehow I canā€™t always make them happen on schedule. That said, when I look back to where the time has been spent otherwise (whole-house reno!!), I’m notĀ too disappointed that this first round is taking longer than Iā€™d hoped.

But as I near the writing end, Iā€™m beginning to think about the edits I know Iā€™ll need to incorporate in order to improve the flow and arc of the story. Thatā€™s kind of cool for me. Editing is a challenge that requires different creativity, different vision and different skills. I edit my manuscripts at least four or five times, looking for specific elements on each revision. For example, here’s a sheetĀ of proofreader symbols. One of my review rounds focuses entirely on this level of editing:

Proofreading marks

Today is World Read Aloud Day, so I wanted to share my take on how this helps during early-stage editing. You may already know itā€™s smart to read your work out loud. Reading, either to yourself in an empty room or to some sort of audience (cat, hub, writing buddy, etc.), allows you to focus on how the language sounds, whether youā€™ve chosen the best words, whether the story flow is natural and realistic. And a biggie: whether the tone and voice are consistent.

Reciting your story is a crucial part of editing and one I enjoy. I admit I read out loud frequently, sometimes unconsciously, which makes my hub laugh (I suspect thisā€™ll happen a lot more now that weā€™ve moved intoĀ to our renovated office, yay!). I just tell him geniuses often talk to themselves, so heā€™s lucky he married up. ; ) ; ) Hahaha. Yeah, he laughs at me for that. And if you don’t want to go the “genius route,” you could read to your neighbor cats; here’s a photo of mine who randomly travel through our yard:

Neighbor cats sneaking in for a listen

So, while reading your own material is a great idea, how about next time you try this trick with your critique group or a writing partner: swap stories and read each otherā€™s piece out loud. Not only will you focus and hear the words differently, youā€™ll hear how someone else interprets your words. Did the story flow naturally? Did the reader stumble over words or ideas? Did the plot progress realistically and believably? Hearing your words in someone elseā€™s voice will give you a whole other level of insight about how readers might experience your story.

And you know me, I hope my stories sell, but first and foremost, I really want to tell my stories in a good, logical, fun, exciting way. This you-read-me, me-read-you technique can help build a great story. Itā€™s super helpful to receive feedback from other readers, too, but I digress. Finding beta readers can be a topic for another blog.Ā : )

As much as I love a good writing tip, Iā€™m sure you guys know reading aloud has more benefits than simply helping you edit. Iā€™m no expert, but do a search online and youā€™ll uncover many more pluses to reading for an audience, especially to kids. Think of the impact on imagination and vocabulary! Love that. <3

Tell me, readers, writers and friends, do you read your work aloud when you edit? Or just for fun? ; ) What other benefits do you find to reading out loud? Do you read to yourself or to others, like your critique group or writing partners? Me? Definitely a combo of both. Boy, my hubā€™s gonna get an earful!

Iā€™d love to hear your answers. Let me know in the comments section below or by email at carolyn@carolyngreeley.com. Thanks for hanging out.

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3 Reasons to Find Your Writing Mentor

I discovered an interesting tidbit the other day as I scanned an online calendar of fun facts: January is National Mentoring Month. Okay, maybe you take that sort of online info with a grain of salt, as I do (Really, National Crown of Roast Pork Day? Itā€™s March 7, according to some.), but now and then I run across a factoid that stays with me and spins the gears.

Such is the case with National Mentoring Month. This struck me because Iā€™m an advocate of mentors (and not just recognizing their usefulness for a month). This past year, Iā€™ve been talking about their importance with my husband, whose business is expanding. As it grows, Iā€™ve encouraged him to reach out to friends and colleagues whoā€™ve already traveled similar paths, so he might learn from their experiences.

Why take this path:

Foggy path

When you can travel a clear path with a trusted advisor and friend:

Path to follow

But to be honest, I hadnā€™t thought of a mentor for myself as an author before now. I donā€™t know why. It took that chance mention to make me look at my career and realize how critical a mentor could be for a writer. And many of the ways in which a mentor helps say, an entrepreneur, are the same ways one would help a writer.

So, as ever on my kick about continuing to learn and grow, I searched around for more information. šŸ™‚

Here are three ways a writing mentor can help you:

1ā€”Experience. One of the best things a mentor can do is share the wisdom of their experience. I love the expression ā€œwork smarter, not harder.ā€ By finding someone whoā€™s attained the goal youā€™re aiming for and having them mentor you, youā€™ll benefit from their knowledge and hopefully will avoid their mistakes. An established writer will counsel you on both creative and business aspects of writing and will guide you along your specific career path.

2ā€”Connection. Another benefit of your mentor will be access to their broader network of contacts. Though writing is usually a solitary effort, if publication is one of your goals, then connecting with othersā€”readers, publishers, agents, editors, other writersā€”is essential. As an author looking to grow and reach an audience, having a mentor to open doors and offer ways to connect with people will be invaluable.

3ā€”Inspiration and Input. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but for me, it doesnā€™t happen on a consistent basis. With a mentor, though, you may be only a call, text or coffee chat away from the butt-kick motivation you need to flush out that sketchy scene thatā€™s vexed you for a week. The right writing mentor will offer creative support and unbiased, constructively critical insights. And thatā€™s huge for gaining confidence and thickening the skin to the rejection prevalent in the writing world.

So, readers, what do you think about writing mentors? I believe engaging with one is a great idea for anyone looking to grow their career or passion. Do you have one? Or would you consider mentoring someone less experienced? What would you hope or expect to gain from that association? Please let me know in the comments section. Iā€™d appreciate your thoughts. Or feel free to email me at carolyn@carolyngreeley.com. Thanks!

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