Linda Nelson

I would tell you…

~ Lost one of my writing coaches this week.

Julie

RIP – 12/2001 – 10/2017

She was an extraordinary pup and spent many hours sitting by my side while I wrote. Julie was one of my main inspirations for the story Aaron and Keja even though Keja is a golden retriever and Julie was a long-haired black lab mix who had a Rottweiler for a daddy. It was her time. She was in pain from arthritis and was having difficulty standing and walking. I feared how she would handle the winter months because last winter she was already struggling. Snow and ice were no longer her friends.

When she was a pup, she loved to lay in the snow until she was entirely white, and then walk with her mouth open scooping up the snow to eat. She’d have a choking fit whenever she tried to do this with a snowbank that had gobs of sand mixed with the snow. I’d try to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen.

May you rest in peace, Julie, we will miss you dearly.

~School Updates

This term is focused on Psychology and Statistics. I like – no – love psychology. Statistics well, it appears that statistically, most people don’t enjoy statistics because it is a hard concept to understand. I hope I pass. It was a huge risk taking statistics. I will continue to attempt to do my very best and not give up with that class the way I had given up on pre-calculus in high school. My saving grace is probably the fact that I have psychology at the same time to help temper any anxiety I feel about taking that risky class. 4 more weeks to go and statistics will be over!

~A little bit of Writer Advice

“I say, it’s getting tough out there selling books. I’m beginning to see the signs.”

Today I received my first desperate book review request from an author who does not realize that sending a chapter of their book to someone without it being requested is not really kosher.

I hit the delete button on that one.

I get it. You want your book reviewed so you might sell a few books, but please, don’t send me a bunch of crappy text in an email, and I don’t do Pdf’s either.

Right now, I really don’t have enough time to review random books. I work a full-time job, and I have plenty of school work eating up the rest of my time. Any books that I am reading at the moment are a prerequisite of my Professor, or they are directed at my potential career.

Unless you’re G.R.R. Martin with the book Winds of Winter you need to find someone else who is looking for something to read.

Go to Goodreads and give copies away in their book giveaways.

On Amazon, create a giveaway with them to help find reviewers.

When you beg or spam readers you lose readership.

I don’t even know what that book was about. I can’t remember the name of the author who sent me the chapter. I only remember that I hit delete.

I’m booked up for the next 3 years.

~ NaNoWriMo is coming soon!

I’ve been plotting and doing a bit of writing. I still don’t know what this year’s story will be about, but I’m ready for November 1. Hopefully, I will have a stronger plot outline by then.

It has to be a romance no matter what.

Boy meets girl + girl meets boy = happy ever after.

Anyone have story twist suggestions?

I’m game to hear them.

The latest book to make my read pile is The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People written by Gary Chapman and Paul White. Many times I’ve heard my co-workers complain that they don’t feel appreciated in the workplace which is why this particular book caught my eye and became my next to read selection and it offered a strong insight to why they were probably feeling this way for some time.

Title: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People

Author: Gary Chapman and Paul White

Pages: 222

Publisher: Northfield Publishing; Reprint edition (September 1, 2012)

Publication Date: September 1, 2012

ASIN: B00887P9L2

Rating: 5/5.0

The title says it all. There are 5 languages identified for giving appreciation in the workplace. Employees need to be appreciated to be encouraged to perform at a productive pace. When they don’t feel appreciated production falls communication falters and the organization loses sales and profits.
Dr. Gary Chapman, one of the authors of the book, has a BA and an MA degree in anthropology from Wheaton College and Wake Forest University. He also has an MRE and a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and completed postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina and Duke University. His expertise is in marriage counseling which led him to write his first book in the Love Language series, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. The series is a huge success leading him to write many others.
Dr. Paul White is a psychologist that graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wheaton College majoring in Christian Education. He then earned a Masters in Counseling at Arizona State University and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University. He is not only a psychologist but also a speaker and “consultant who “makes work relationships work””.
The explanations of what the five languages of appreciation are and why they are so important is the greatest takeaway from this book. If you are like me, as you get deeper into reading this book you will begin to notice the different languages of appreciation your co-workers speak every day whether they are aware of it or not. Dr. White indicates that 75 percent of the population will use their main language of appreciation when giving appreciation to others. Many people, even when they are complaining will complain about not receiving appreciation will indicate in the complaint their main appreciation language.
The information given in the book makes sense after working in a positive workplace many years ago this sort of appreciation in the workplace was exhibited. Many toxic workplaces don’t provide any form of appreciation to their workers. Wage increases and bonuses only work short term to give employees a boost to their work productivity. But, when they feel they are appreciated in their workplace there is less bicker among employees, attitudes become positive, loyalty is created, workers are retained, and productivity increases across the board.
No one likes to be employed where they don’t feel they matter. No one likes to be just another number. We call employees resources when in fact they are more than just resources without them the company wouldn’t be able to function. No work would be done. No profits made. No sales taken.
When was the last time you felt appreciated at your workplace?
Do you know what your main language of appreciation is?
Mine is quality time!