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Books & Podcasts that Helped Me Through 2018

December 31, 2018 by Sue Campbell

I read a lot this year.

Largely because I spent a good deal of the year exhausted and reading was one of the few things I had the energy to do.

As some of you know, I have type 1 diabetes — the autoimmune kind. It’s very well controlled (meaning I’ve devised a lifestyle and eating habits that may look like a lot of work to some, but keeps me happy and healthy).

Unfortunately, having type 1 means that you have a higher risk for two other autoimmune diseases: celiac & thyroid disease.

I can’t really say when it started, but my energy had been declining for awhile and by August I couldn’t actually manage to stay awake by about four o’clock in the afternoon. And I was gaining weight for no good reason (other than being too exhausted to exercise, of course). And my hair was falling out — not in huge clumps or anything, but some seriously alarming shedding was happening.

Anyway, not one to live in denial or suffer through, I got a work-up and found out my thyroid function was low and I had the antibodies that indicated Hashimoto’s disease, which is an autoimmune disease that causes low thyroid function.

(I swear I didn’t start this post intending for it to be a downer! Hang on!)

Happily, I got a great naturopathic doctor who specializes in this sort of thing and I’ve been working with her to set myself to rights. My energy is mostly back these days and boy do I appreciate it.

And, like all bad things that have ever happened to me, plenty of gifts emerged as a result.

One of those gifts was taking the time to read and listen to things that filled me up and inspired me — both in my career and at home.

So here’s a few of the books I read and podcasts I listened in 2018 to that helped me rethink some things and make some changes for the better. Maybe they’ll do the same for you in 2019.

Books

Nonfiction for self-improvement:

*Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
Running Down a Dream by Tim Grahl

*This book is pure magic and you should read it immediately.

Nonfiction for Creativity: 

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
Be the Gateway by Dan Blank
The Artist’s Journey by Steven Pressfield
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday

Fiction

Landline by Rainbow Rowell*
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

*My new contemporary writing hero. I read other fiction this year, but reading Rowell has changed the way I write so she’s the only one I’m including.

Podcasts

Akimbo by Seth Godin
#AmWriting with Jess & KJ
Happier with Gretchen Rubin & Elizabeth Craft
Tara Brach’s podcast
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness (from Queer Eye!)

I’m so looking forward to 2019. I’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up, like finally getting my first novel out into the world and helping other writers launch their books. In January, I’m launching a group coaching program for writers who need to create an author platform and I can hardly wait.

See you after the turn of the page.

Filed Under: Books, Podcast, Writing

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – Season 3, Episode 7: Wizarding World Chat

December 28, 2018 by Sue Campbell

Season 3 is continues!

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 7: Wizarding World Chat 

This week we’re straying from our season 3 format. Mostly because we’re on break and lazy. Nora decided she just want to talk about all things Harry Potter, so we did. And we give a few book recommendations.

Things we mention (or like but forget to mention) that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Pottermore – If you haven’t already, this is a great place to get sorted into your Hogwarts house and geek out on all things HP.
  • Funko Pop figurines – For Christmas we got three of these cuties: Bellatrix, Dumbledore and Dobby.
  • Super Carlin Brothers – We forgot to mention this on the episode, but Nora’s been binge watching these guys on the YouTube.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

Filed Under: Podcast, Recommendations

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – Season 3, Episode 6: The Manning Murderers

December 21, 2018 by Sue Campbell

Season 3 is continues! We’re combining Nora’s passion for history with Sue’s passion for story structure — giving you a historical story and pointing out the structural elements that make it compelling.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 6: The Manning Murderers

This week we look at a Victorian crime story with the help of Nora’s dear friend Molly — and Nora does the story structure identification.

To look at the story structure, we’re using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • If you want to learn more about the Manning story and Victorians in general, you can check out Villainous Victorians from the Horrible Histories series. You can also read a few more details on the Manning story at Wikipedia.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

Filed Under: Podcast

What Does it Take to Get Big Things Done?

December 17, 2018 by Sue Campbell

How long does it take to learn how to motivate yourself to get things done?

In my case, about forty-two years.

I don’t mean that I haven’t been able to get anything done until now. I can unleash a can of whoop ass on a project with the best of them. But, until a few months ago, I wasn’t really clear on why I can sometimes get a big thing done with no drama and other times I set goals that go absolutely nowhere.

I’ve read tons of advice on how to be more productive and reach your goals. Sometimes the advice worked for me and sometimes it didn’t. It was always extra frustrating when something that worked for someone else didn’t work for me.

Then, a few months ago, I was working on developing a quiz for one of my book marketing clients. She sent me an example of the type of thing she was looking for. It was The Four Tendencies Quiz by Gretchen Rubin. The Four Tendencies is a framework (and a book) that looks at your innate style of meeting expectations.

The Four Tendencies are:

Upholder – Upholders have little to no trouble meeting expectations whether external or internal (and sometimes have a lot of trouble understanding why other people can’t).

Obliger – Obligers have seemingly endless power to get things done for others, but struggle with goals that are only for themselves.

Rebel – Rebels pretty much give the middle finger to all expectations — both external expectations and internal. Unless they really want to do something, they are unlikely to do it.

Questioners – Questioners have to know the why before they act. They are good at meeting inner expectations because they’ve already answered their own questions, but they struggle with outer expectations until they get answers.

I took the quiz and learned that I am an Obliger. This was not necessarily earth shattering. I knew that I sometimes (okay, nearly all the time) put my own needs last. After all, I’m a mom with two kids who runs her own business. Kids and clients come first.

But what I didn’t realize was how I could use this information about myself to further goals that are primarily internal.

When I thought about it further, I saw that all the times I’ve done something really big or really hard, I was motivated because of it’s impact on other people.

Example #1: When I quit smoking (over twenty years ago) I did it because it was very clear my then boyfriend (now husband) and I needed to quit and I realized he was far more likely to quit if I’d already done it. And that was all I needed. I quit cold turkey and Ben quickly followed.

Example #2: I wanted to be a writer my entire life (seriously, since grade 2) but I didn’t actually get off my ass and start writing until I had a baby girl at age 30 and I realized if I wanted her to have the guts to follow her dreams I needed to show her it was possible.

Example #3: When I learned I had type 1 diabetes I starting managing the shit out of it and taking immaculate care of myself because I had a daughter and I needed to be my best for her.

Example #4: When I wrote my first novel for kids, it was because Nora (who was six-years-old at the time) was literally project managing me. I’d write a chunk, read it to her and she say “That’s good, Mommy. Now go write some more. I want to know what happens.”

All this probably sounds lame to non-obligers. Why not just do things for yourself? But Rubin says these tendencies are innate. And if that’s the case, it only makes sense that capital-N-Nature would need a big chunk of folks who were focused on the greater good. Those are obligers. That’s me.

It’s not that I have a poor self-esteem and live for others. It’s just that I only have so much time and energy and I’m wired to meet my obligations to other first. My personal priorities take a back seat.

Which is why this framework is so helpful for me. (Rubin says Obligers have the most to gain by learning their tendency.) When I have a goal that’s personal, I just need to make it bigger — to create some external accountability. And now I can easily identify so-called productivity tips that won’t work for me — particularly those of the “just do it” variety.

So, I’m embracing my Obliger identity by creating accountability beyond myself for the things that matter to me. It’s how I’m getting my writing done — I have a fantastic writing/editing group and we meet every 2 weeks. And it’s I’m getting the podcast done — I’m doing it with Nora, it’s good for our relationship and people are expecting to hear new episodes. Writing and podcasting are both things I want to do for myself, but in order for them to happen I have to make it more of a community thing.

In that spirit, I’ve created a group coaching program which will start in January where I’ll work with a small group of writers to help them finally get a good, evidence-based marketing plan together and start executing on it. (And it won’t be just for Obligers, thanks to Rubin, I now know how to coach for all the Four Tendencies.)

So, that’s my big revelation for the year. And I feel well-armed to make some resolutions for 2019 that I can actually keep.

Filed Under: Big Themes, Writing

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – S3, E5: Joan d’Arc

December 14, 2018 by Sue Campbell

Season 3 is continues! We’re combining Nora’s passion for history with Sue’s passion for story structure — giving you a historical story and pointing out the structural elements that make it compelling.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Season 3, Episode 5: Joan d’Arc

Nora tells the story of Joan of Arc whole breathing like Darth Vader. Sue points out the 5 commandments of story telling and there’s even a special guest appearance by Moana/Alma.

To look at the story structure, I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • If you want to learn more about Joan of Arc, you can start with this book: Joan of Arc: The Teenager Who Saved Her Nation.(That’s an afflicate link, by the way.)  I can only assume this is where Nora read about it because we have this book checked out from the library right now.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

Filed Under: Podcast, Writing

The Mommy’s Pen Podcast – S3, E4: The Crimes of Grindelwald

December 7, 2018 by Sue Campbell

Season 3 is continues! But this week, instead of a story from history, we’re talking about the new Fantastic Beasts movie The Crimes of Grindelwald.

You can also listen using any number of podcast platforms and apps including Spotify, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Leta Lestrange, as drawn by Nora

Season 3, Episode 4: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Since it’s all we can talk about, we’re doing a spoiler episode to look at the story structure of the newest Fantastic Beasts film and discuss various theories about the big surprise at the end.

To look at the story structure, I’m using what Shawn Coyne calls the “Five Commandments of Storytelling.”

Here are the five commandments:

  • Inciting incident – An exciting thing that kicks off a story
  • Progressive complications – a series of events that make the story more, well, complicated –these can be either negative or positive
  • Crisis – a question that must be answered by a choice being made
  • Climax – what happens when the choice is made
  • Resolution – the ultimate results of that choice

Things we mention that you should check out:

  • Our mailing list! Sign up today and you’ll get cool subscriber only perks like bonus material and artwork, including an advance copy of my forthcoming novel, The Cat, the Cash, the Leap and the List.
  • Shawn Coyne and the Story Grid. There’s a whole story grid universe: website, book and two podcasts: The Story Grid and the Story Grid Editors Roundtable.
  • Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald. We recommend buying  the script to help you figure out what you just saw.
  • Super Carlin Brothers video on the Dumbledore’s dark twin theory.

This post was lovingly sponsored by our Patreon supporters (you can become one, too!). 

Filed Under: Podcast

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What kind of blog is this?

This is a blog for PARENTS. True, the writer, Sue Campbell, writes books for kids. But this blog is for grown-ups. It has some swearing and would be super boring for kids. Except for the swearing.

The PODCAST is for KIDS and PARENTS. In fact, my twelve-year-old daughter is my co-host.

If your kids like Sue's books, send them over to suecampbellbooks.com where there's some kid-friendly content. EVEN BETTER, join the mailing list. You get stuff for grown-ups and printable stuff for kids. And sometimes there will be super ill-advised giveaways or coloring contests for free books.

MORE ABOUT SUE: She makes an ACTUAL LIVING from writing words and marketing books and lives with her husband, two daughters, six chickens and one messy house rabbit in Portland, Oregon. And yes, Portland IS that weird. She really couldn't be any luckier.

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