The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

Released in 2003 in book form, and made to movie in 2004, The Five People You Meet In Heaven will make you start thinking. I'm sure most have read or watched this, but I'm still catching up with my life. (That's another story.)

Mitch Albom presents a story of a man who upon death arrives in heaven to be greeted by five people who share with him how he affected them and explain what his life was really about.

It's a wonderful story and worth reading.

As I read, my mind scurried to pick out the five people who I would meet. In my list, there were some surprises as I thought of who had affected me most in my life so far.

Then I thought, that's not actually the point. The five people are ones you have affected. My mind raced and I realized that I'm not sure who I have affected in this lifetime. I hope I've left an impression upon a few people out there, and would be excited to meet with them on the day I arrive in heaven.

Although fiction, this book has touched my heart and made me realize more clearly that life is about the people we touch and the people who touch us. We are all connected to each other and we should make each encounter mean something.

Stop rushing through life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Have you read this book or watched this movie? How were you affected?

Time Management

When life gets in the way, what do you do?

First, let's be honest with ourselves. Is it Life that's in your way or are you in your own way?

Time management is the solution for writers who want to write.

I'll be the first to admit that this is not an easy task. We've put everything before ourselves for most of our lives, but it's time to step up to the plate and take what is ours.

I'm not saying neglect your family or your obligations. Writers must squeeze every moment of every day to move forward in the writing world.

Sure some are able to spend eight hours per day writing, but for the most part, we have to grab spare minutes when we can.

Take a week and keep a schedule of what you do and where you could squeeze in some writing. Large blocks are best but we can't all have that luxury.

How many hours did you sit in front of the television this week? What did you do while you waited at the doctor's office? How many minutes did you spend checking emails/surfing the web?

If you are like me, you will find there were many opportunities throughout the week to write, but you just didn't.

Let me know what you discover.

Friends Forever - Short Story Accepted

My short story 'Friends Forever' has finally found a home.

Last week, I received my acceptance letter from Untied Shoelaces of the Mind. It will appear in their online magazine at the beginning of next year.

This will be my first paid publication and I'm excited to have this story claim that place. 'Friends Forever' was produced years ago and has received many rejections and has been reworked many times during this time. This story was also my first attempt to breaking into the publishing world. For it to have claimed that spot as my first stepping stone is a wonderful feeling.

Untied Shoelaces of the Mind has produced a wonderful online site filled with great stories by some wonderful authors. They are open to most genres and are a paying market. Visit their site for submission guidelines.

It is my understanding that they still need stories for the first issue of next year. What are you waiting on?

One other note about this publication: Response time is low. They have 4 editors and the story has to pass through each for acceptance. You are informed as the story goes through the process. From submission to acceptance, my wait time was 5 days.