I love this picture..... this statement. This little quote that talks about how us nobodies can actually become somebodies no matter what time of year it is or what you're facing and right now, folks are facing a lot.

Dog days of summer... the lot o' youse are familiar with the phrase, I'm sure.

High heat, high humidity, scorching sun, pop-up thunderstorms that bring no relief, only more moisture into already moisture-laden air.

Dog Days of Summer... Here in the north we love summer, but most of us are northerners for a reason.  

1. We can't afford to move

2. We love snow

3. We are stick-in-the-mud folks

4. We are tied to business, family, faith and community. 

But Dog Days of Summer aren't a Northern thing. They're an everywhere thing. It's when heat indexes rise all over this great land, cicadas drone, Katydids clatter night after night, grasshoppers spread their funny little grasshopper wings and go from plant to plant, eating, munching, laying eggs... and the pavement seems to sizzle. 

It's hard to get motivated in the heat. I've often wondered how people in desert areas do it because they don't get my fall/winter reprieve. Now I understand that some folks like heat. 

I am not one of them. 

Even being in really good shape, I'm not one of them. Can we dish here?

I hate it. I really, really, really dislike anything over 82 degrees and humidity should be declared an enemy of the people and my hair, but I digress... this isn't about me. For once. This is about you and how you can push through times of struggle, heat, holidays, tempest, problems, etc. because that's one of the things all authors need to figure out. When life hands you curves, how can you best navigate them and still be productive?

(Then the question bears asking, how productive do you want to be? Are you satisfied with where you are and what you're doing? That's an important benchmark right there.) 

That last part is up to you, but here's some advice worth talking about:

1. Devotion: Think of Mary, standing by Jesus all those years.

     Mary sets the bar high for people, but particularly for women because despite the problems that they encounter, she never leaves her son's side. Through it all she stands strong and tall, helping, loving, her presence a beautiful thing. Be like Mary.

2. Determination: Take a page from Jessica Long's book and hold it tight.

Born to Russian parents in 1992, Jessica had a condition which meant her legs would have to be amputated below the knee. The lower structures in her legs hadn't developed properly. She came to America, to her adoptive parents at 18 months of age and has become a national hero for perseverance, choices, determination and guts. Here's a quote from the winner of over 50 championship gold medals, Para-Olympian Jessica Long: 

"I didn’t just wake up one day and become a Paralympic Games gold medalist. Dedication, hard work, and passion are hugely important to achieving your goals. That’s my big advice to kids: Find something to be passionate about, be confident in your abilities, and really go for it."

Be like Jessica.

3. Dedication: Model yourself after Mother Teresa.

In 1946 the young nun felt/heard a calling during a train ride. A calling to help the poor, the lowly, the sick, the ones who never hear about Jesus's healing love. After two years of being instructed and tested in her resolve, Mother Teresa was given permission to begin her own hands-on charity. Taking to the streets of Calcutta, this small woman nursed and nurtured the sick, the lame, the dying, the mentally ill and at the time of her death had over 4,000 people working in similar fashion around the world. From one calling, a calling she heeded, much good has come and I thought of this as we faced a pandemic and church leaders of all denominations kind of hid in their rooms/homes/rectories... because fear of the virus was stronger than dedication to the flock. 

We can learn a lot from one woman's courage and dedication, how one woman's hands made such a difference to so many.

Be like Teresa.

It is easy for us to make excuses, particularly in first-world countries where we have so much, so much is freely given and taken, and we are surrounded by a store after store of choices and goods and options and Amazon sending everything and anything you need 24/7/365.

But to tackle those difficult times in working, those Dog Days, or funerals, divorce, illness, anger, separation, sorrow, and yes, even joy because joy can be a detractor... Three D's. 

Devotion, Determination and Dedication.

In the end, getting through anything that comes our way isn't up to "them", the detractors or doubters or downers of life.

It's up to us.

And actually, friends:

It's up to you.

Jump into the conversation below and Ruthy will tuck your name into the candy dish alongside some really tasty Hershey's Kisses for a chance to win Ruthy's newest mystery

"Prescription for Mystery" from Guideposts Books! 

Somewhat bossy and very productive author Ruth Logan Herne is blessed to be living her dream of being a published author and having worked with numerous publishers including Waterfall, Waterbrook, Harper Collins, Love Inspired, Guideposts and Amazon, she knows that these three "D's" are crucial to your success as an author... So go for it! She loves to hear from readers and writers. You can email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com friend her on Facebook (always an interesting place, isn't it?) or swing by her website ruthloganherne.com. You won't find her on Twitter because there are too many angry folks over there... and Ruthy can't abide all that negativity, which isn't a surprise because Pollyanna is one of her all-time favorite movies. 

Ruthy here:

There is no easy way to tell you this:

Writing is work.

It takes a rare amount of self-discipline because no one is hanging over your shoulder, watching you work, expecting five 8-hour days from you on a weekly basis.
They do expect a book to be delivered in a timely fashion. That's what they're paying you for, but then it's in your hands.

Do you punt? Or run the ball and get the job done?
You would be amazed at how many people punt.
If you don't know what punting is, go look it up.
We'll wait.
(Plays Jeopardy theme song in her head while waiting...)
That's right, it's to kick the ball to the other team. It's to open the door for others to have a chance. It's to put your future in someone else's hands.
Now, punting is a crucial part of football.
It's not good in writing books.

Writing is good in writing books.  Let me raise my hand and say I've been the recipient of a few contracts others couldn't fulfill and it's better to be on the receiving end than the punting end.
No one hands you a contract with a wink and says "Whenever you get it done, we'll be waiting."
And anyone can catch a lucky break or two, but it's not luck that garners contracts and readers and editors and agents. It's work.

I know, that sounds simplistic. But it's true. Simple truth. You don't have to be the greatest author to be a successful author, but you do have to write books and keep writing books. And these days, if you write a book that doesn't sell to a traditional publisher, you can have it edited and put it out as an indie, and that kind of wipes away any excuses we may have. It's not enough to want to be a writer...

It's that you have to write to be a writer. 

A thousand words/day. That's about 4 pages, my friends. And if you did that every day, you have 365,000 words at the end of the year. If you take Sundays off, you have 313,000 words/year. And Christmas and Thanksgiving... 311,000 words/year.
That's four books.  And that's the math behind the actuality.
Yes, we write because we're inspired, but some days you have to just get to work, even if the inspiration is scarce because it's amazing how it roars back to life once you sit down and get to work.
It's okay to 'just do it'.... Because you can.

Somewhat bossy and brazen, Ruthy has over 50 published books to her credit, and her newest release, "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge" is the third book of her bestselling Wishing Bridge series. She's telling you this because she's not afraid to say she knows what she's talking about... and it comes back to writing... and working. 

Now let's hear from bestselling, award-winning hybrid author Belle Calhoune.  





 
 Leave a comment about writing or reading or your undying love for romance.... and your name gets put into the sugar bowl!