Truth is trust in friends who are always there for you and friends who always tell the truth and with a good heart. And friends who always try to do the right things and friends who trust you.
Your friends are always nice to you and treat you with respect. And you should show appreciation with good courage. Friends are those who have faith in you and are always on your side.
The greatest friends in the world are friends who always tell the truth and with whom you can say anything you want.
This was published in our fairly prestigious county newspaper, The Ventura County Star this morning along with a picture of the author, a good friend of mine, Sasha Peet, playing the piano. Sasha is 20 years old and she has Downs syndrome. Her dream is to be published, “like Patty.” (That’s my non-professional name.) Today, Sasha lives her dream.
Sasha is not just a once-in-a-while writer. She’s serious about her craft. She spends more time writing than doing practically anything else. It takes reams and reams of paper to support her writing passion. And most of what she writes is uplifting. As much as she enjoys the writing process, she, like many writers has wanted to expand her horizons. She wants to share her messages of love, beauty and friendship. And today, she got that chance.
Okay, so what’s your excuse for not being published? Can’t think of one this morning, huh?
I have another mentally handicapped friend who is in her 50s. She just gets by on disability. She writes poetry—even teaches poetry in the mental health division in her community. And she has been publishing her poetry for years. She was a SPAWN member. (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network.) And she participated with SPAWN at book festivals selling 5 poems packaged in manila envelopes for a few bucks per grouping.
Linda asked me to meet with her a couple of times to discuss how to get a real book published. I attempted to give her the steps, but it just became too complicated for her to comprehend. Then I got an idea. Dennis and I had purchased a comb-binding machine. I asked Linda for 20 or 30 of her best poems along with any artwork she had. I typed up the poems. Dennis designed a cover using Linda’s art and we produced 30 books of her poetry for her to give away and/or sell as she wished. She is one who likes to pay her way, so I accepted a token amount from her and delivered her published books.
Linda was thrilled. Like I said, she is one who likes to pay her way and months later, after she had sold all copies of her poetry books, she invited Dennis and me along with a few other people who had supported her writing to lunch at her favorite restaurant.
Are you still dreaming about becoming a published author? Do you want the satisfaction of sharing your writing? Are you eager for the thrill of praise for your work? Thousands of people are published in book form, in print periodicals and on the Internet every year. Why not you?
But you’re going to have to take the necessary steps.
Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book or, if it’s more appropriate, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. You may even want to take one of my online courses to help you meet your writing/publishing goals. Explore the offerings for authors and writers at:
http://www.matilijapress.com
Now, what’s your excuse for not being published?