Showing posts with label mentor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mentor. Show all posts

Monday, November 03, 2014

Spirituality Makes Your Life Meaningful - Guest Post

We as species definitely hunger for meaning. Ever since the dawn of history, humans have been spiritually inclined. Even our Neanderthal cousins performed burial rituals. Spiritually in its various forms has been able to give tremendous significance to human life, and, in many cases, it has molded us into better people. To get a better picture, let us take a look at some examples below.

Spirituality nudges us to help our fellow men
Mother Teresa found inspiration in spirituality to dedicate her life to serving the poor. Spiritually forces us to look beyond ourselves to consider the needs and predicament of others. In many cases, it can leads to altruism and selflessness. Life on this planet wouldn't be interesting if we were just left alone without anyone else, and it would be living hell if we only considered ourselves at the expense of others. Spirituality has influenced people to perform great acts of kindness, oppose evil, and improve life on Earth. For example, hospitals were invented by deeply spiritual humans who thought they had a "calling" to do something about human sickness. Slavery in the Americas was also abolished by deeply spiritual humans.

The fear of death is diminished
The average human life lasts about 72 years. People in their relatively short lifespan make a great number of friends and get close with their family only to witness their inevitable death. Many spiritual people believe that this life is not the end of the story; instead, there's something beyond it. According to them, we are going to meet our deceased grandparents again: They aren't lost forever but actually continue to live on in a different way. This gives them the hope that they will be someday reunited with their loved ones and that natural death shouldn't be something to fear.

Better overall health is sometimes possible
For example, many people have defeated harmful addictions and psychological conditions by turning to spirituality. A large number of groups focused around spirituality have been formed to offer support to those who struggle with the previously mentioned conditions.

When the going gets tough, spirituality gives us comfort
Life is sometimes tough. We lose a job, get hurt by others, have our property destroyed by natural disasters, etc. Suffering is part of the human experience. Spirituality gives us comfort in these situations. With a spiritual mindset, many find meaning in their suffering. They see it as an opportunity for growth, perhaps a preparation for something that awaits us in the hereafter or later earthly stages.

It provides us with a mentor
Many spiritual people find inspiration in others who came before them. Christians seek to imitate Jesus. Muslims want to be more like Muhammad in their approach to life. Among Buddhists, Buddha is seen as a perfect model for humans to emulate. Spiritual people can sharply disagree on what constitutes an ideal spiritual lifestyle, but almost all agree that we shouldn't be harmful to each other for no reason, and they tend to keep that ethic.

Spirituality connects people
It gives us a community with which we can share our experience and learn. In communities we grow as humans, challenge ourselves, as well as learn forgiveness and humbleness.



Author Bio: I am Zara Brown, I am a Blogger and Freelancer. I love reading blogs, and writing for them on various themes like Travel, Auto, Lifestyle, Education and Health. As of now I am doing research of EHIC cards.


Copyright: stillfx / 123RF Stock Photo

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Everything I learned about writing by reading Stephen King

I have to tell you, my all time favorite author and my "mentor" is Stephen King. I have read and re-read so much of his work that it has taught me nearly everything I know about writing. Every writer should have his book ON WRITING sitting on their desktop or close at hand.

  • Show the story.
  • Use the reader's imagination.
  • Give few details, let the reader fill in the rest.
  • Streamline your story.
  • Always leave your readers wanting more.







Show the Story:
It doesn't get more straightforward than this. Show vs. Tell is a topic every writer should be aware of and must understand the basics before they can write. Use action verbs. Stay away from adverbs. Be flawless in your writing and the readers will notice.

For example, I received this quote for my latest book, GOOD INTENTIONS.

"Flawlessly written and heartbreaking, you won't soon forget this story."
Sammie Callahan


Use the Reader's Imagination:
Draw a vivid image inside the reader's imagination using the words you create. Let the reader free flow along with you as you create your story. Use your words to give the reader the chance to see the images in their mind and create the "movie" inside their head.


Give few details, let the reader fill in the rest:
Don't go overboard on description and background information. Don't fill pages with words the reader will probably skip over, anyway. Stephen King is the master at this. He uses a few words, a bit of detail and all of a sudden, you, the reader have the entire description inside your head. It may not be the same for the next reader, but that's okay. It works for you. It works for them. Make it work in your next writing project.


Streamline your story:
Keep your story lines fluent and easy to follow. Don't get all convoluted and try to be tricky. Write a good story and your readers will appreciate you for it.

For example, I received this quote for NOT WITHOUT ANNA.

Ms. Taylor's writing style is clear, without frills, and so streamlined that her story flows and flows and flows, without taking a break, to its satisfying conclusion. Maeve of Tara 


Always leaving your readers wanting more:
End your stories with a bit of a question still floating in the reader's mind. Give the reader only what you want, never more. Have them come back to you and ask, "Yes, it ended, but what about...?" That's the sign of a good story. Always leaving the reader wanting more.

For example, I received these quotes for my novel FOREVER UNTIL WE MEET.

It is one of those stories that you just want to keep going and going - even after the last page has been reached. Kristie Leigh Maguire  
I look forward to seeing more of this author's writings. Linda Strong    

"The art of a good storyteller is giving the reader what they want and knowing what not to give the reader so they can use their imagination." -- Vicki M. Taylor
Happy Writing,