Ten Guilty Pleasures I Won’t Give Up In 2023!

The New Year is the time of the year when everyone creates new habits. We give things up, make new goals, and think about where we want to be come next December.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love setting goals, making plans, and hitting my accomplishments. However, the older I get, the more I realize my dreams and goals are more straightforward.

But let’s talk about the things I won’t give up. Primarily Foods! Guilty pleasures I won’t stop because if I do, I might lose my mind. These are my non-negotiable items. If the apocalypse happened today, I would make sure I’m well stocked up on these items or had a way to enjoy them in my bunker. (Note: I don’t have a bunker, but if you would be willing to fund one for me, I will accept your generous donation)

1. Chips and Salsa

2. Chips and Quesos

3. Smash Burgers

4. BBQ Ribs

5. Late Night Bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

6. Black Licorice (Yeah, turn your nose up in disgust- I can hear you)

7. Bacon

8. Salt and Vinegar Pringles

9. Butter Popcorn! I’m talking about being drenched in the movie butter liquid that gets all over our fingers

10. Pulled Pork Street Tacos

What about you? Any guilty pleasures you are unwilling to give up?

Five Types of Critics

Critics are annoying. They are necessary, but can be very annoying. I don’t know of a single entrepreneur, creative artist, pastor, author, business leader, or politician that hasn’t wanted to virtually punch their critics.

Or then again, maybe I’m the only one.

I say critics are necessary because critics can keep us in check, they can make us think, and even offer some wisdom from time to time. That’s a good thing for us. However, many critics don’t see the full vision. They only see what is on the stage in front of them.

In the next month I’m planning to launch a new business venture I’m excited about. Any time I begin to launch a new product and / or book I have this little voice in my head whispering: “What are the complainers going to cry about this time?”

We’ve heard people say that there are three types of criticism.

  1. Constructive
  2. Destructive
  3. Self

However, I believe it’s a little deeper. For example in the next month or two when I launch my new business and set the vision for it, I know I will most likely encounter FIVE different critics.

  1. The Suggestive Critic: These are the people that buy into what you are doing. They love what you create and want to be a part of it. They offer hints, ideas, and input in order to see what you are doing grow, We love these people. They are fans. They are loyal. They are your tribe. This is who you strive to make happy.
  2. The Coach Critic: These are the mentors, coaches, and peers who you respect. They may not be loyal fans, but they want to see you win and hope to support you. Their criticism is one that flows from the heart and a love for the business you are in. Again, we like these people. “Most” of the time they are right.
  3. The Fraud Critic: These are the critics that don’t like you or what you are doing because you don’t see things eye to eye with them. Maybe you have a different set of moral principles, or your political / faith beliefs don’t match up. To them you are a fraud to be avoided at all cost. These are the ones that will say you are profiting off your faith, belief, a situation, etc. They will say they can’t support you because your idea doesn’t match up with their personal convictions. Be polite to them and let them move on. They normally just want to get something off their chest.
  4. The Jealous critic: These are the ones that normally want to bring you down because they are jealous of your success. These people aren’t your problem, and you aren’t theirs. Their problem is with themselves. We like them. But sometimes we find ourselves wanting to grab hold of them and scream: “Stop listening to the bad voices in your head.” These are the voices that beat them down. We don’t want to make these people mad. We want to encourage them. But most of the time their input is irrelevant.
  5. The Angry Critic: This is the critic that wants to see you fail. They aren’t jealous, they just want to find something or someone to be mad at. Their anger is normally something deeper. We want to cut these people out. Harsh, I know. (And I’m sure this will be the one point people disagree with me on). But hear me out because what I mean is to cut their voices out. These are the people we don’t need to ever listen to, or to be a part of our lives. Be polite to them, but don’t humor or engage them. Simply smile and say thank you. Maybe even say a prayer for them.

I try to be very calculated with my criticism. Unless asked, I usually keep my feelings on an issue, book, vision, show, company, etc. to myself. Maybe that’s a flaw? I don’t know. But my spiritual gift is encouragement and mercy and I love to see people win and find success.

No doubt when I launch things in the next few weeks I’ll encounter some of these.

What say you? What type of critics have you encountered?

Understanding the Middle Grade Audience (Writing for Generation Alpha)

When writing a middle-grade story, the author must understand from the beginning that you are writing a book for kids. That’s the first rule. I want you to forget (just for a second) everything your writing instructors have taught you, all the things your critique partners point out, and understand that your primary audience is children. 

So with that in mind, let me point out three rules to remember when writing for Generation Alpha

  • Simplify your language and sentence structure with shorter works
  • Make kids the central point of view
  • And push the lessons you want to teach to the back of your mind

First – What is Generation Alpha?

Children born in Generation Alpha are the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century. These are kids born between 2010 – 2025, which means they are still growing. These are the future of Middle Grade fiction and YA publishing over the next fifteen to twenty years, and understanding this new target audience is key to finding success as an author. 

Generation Alpha burst onto the scene the same year Apple launched its iPad, Instagram debuted, and the word “app” became the word of the year. Generation Alpha are surrounded by tech from the moment of birth. In many cases, this is the first generation to have nearly every unique moment of their life publically documented on social media.

While living in a world where they know nothing but the idea of being plugged in can have significant advantages, it can also have disadvantages- such as shorter attention spans and possibly delayed social development. 

Oh, and one other important point. These are the kids of Millennials. 

I could spend hours talking about the research I’ve done on this new generation, but for the time, I’ll leave you with a few links and articles I think would be beneficial for you.

2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Understanding Generation Alpha 

The Complete Guide to Generation Alpha

So what does this mean for authors writing middle grade

Every writer understands that knowing your target audience is key to reaching new readers. But my personal feeling is that books aren’t adapting. I’m not claiming to have figured it out, but I’m trying to adapt. Below are three keys to what I plan to do with my middle-grade books going forward. 

Move to shorter works with simple words and sentences.

Kids in the 9 to 12 age range are smart. The kids that are about to move into that age range, I predict, will be even smarter when it comes to digital tech. We have just spent an entire year having a majority of kids plugged in virtually to get schooling. Once all schools go back entirely into in person, I predict teachers and kids will struggle because of the habits developed in 2020. We need to understand that this, coupled with the digital competition of entertainment, kids’ attention spans are shorter than they have ever been. 

Yes, Middle-grade readers are still developing their reading skills, building vocabulary, and increasing comprehension. They can understand the quest they are taking in Minecraft, but stick a book in front of them, and they look at it like it’s a plate of Brussels sprouts. (Which is why I believe ebooks among middle-grade readers is about to explode)

Now I know what many are thinking: This isn’t my kid, I limit screen time, my kids like physical books, etc. My research leads me to this conclusion. Your kids are in the minority. 

The first rule in bad marketing is to assume that everyone thinks, behaves, and acts the same way you do. They don’t. If you want to reach this generation of readers, you can’t base your actions only on your own kids, or a small sample from your acquaintances. 

My advice is to write shorter than traditional guidelines suggest. Some guidelines say middle-grade books can get anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 words. I think a new success will be around 20,000 to 30,000 words. I feel a good strategy would be to target reluctant readers in love with the digital world. 

Keep your stories short. Limit over description, and don’t get so consumed with beefing up the text. Make sure there is lots of white space. Use dialogue to drive the story.

Intentionally use simpler language and sentences with a fast-moving plot. Strive to place words with fewer syllables. Don’t be afraid to use fragmented sentences.

Make kids the central perspective or POV.

Earlier I told you that you were writing for kids. But most importantly, you’re writing a story for kids who want to be entertained. Therefore, you must understand that kids– not their parents–need to be the hero/heroine of the story. The main character needs to make their own decisions, mistakes, and triumphs. Older characters, especially adults, should never overshadow them.

One trick I’ve learned to keep kids at the center of the story is to make the parents and other adults irrelevant to the plot. Maybe they don’t believe the kids, or perhaps they are off doing some pointless task with little to do with the story. The point is that adults should never be the ones to solve the problem. Kids want to read about kids facing enormous problems, facing their fears, and then climbing out of whatever pit they’ve been dropped in. 

By presenting the story through the tight POV of a child, we can teach kids to face fears, solve unexpected issues (to an extent) and build up their self-confidence. This is the magical part of writing middle-grade fiction that we should all embrace. 

I know this sounds like common sense. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve critiqued a middle-grade story where the kids are always dependent on the adult. If you’re writing middle grade, make sure your kid characters are still front, center, and active.

Push the lessons you want to teach to the back.

One mistake I’ve seen some new middle grade authors making is allowing the theme or life lesson they want to teach kids to overtake the story. I feel I even did this with my story: Iggy & Oz: The Soda Pop Wars. Young readers read first and foremost either because they are being told to, or they want to be entertained. Personally, I think kids know when they are getting a message-driven story, and when they spot it, they’ll shut it and move on to something else. Yes, we want to use our stories to teach kids important lessons on life. But no matter what happens, never sacrifice character or plot. Keep the kids engaged throughout the story. 

I wish I could tell you I have it figured out. I don’t. There isn’t a magic button one can push. This genre is always changing. But I think this genre is about to explode over the next few years. I’m excited about where it is heading. You may disagree, and that is fine. The magic of writing is there is no one way.

Your Midweek Creative Thought

It’s your Midweek Creative Thought.

Writing Wednesday

 

I have a question for all you Creative types out. Not just authors But all: Dancers, Painters, sculptors, Chefs, Bakers, Musicians, quilters, Graffitiers (Not sure that’s a word) anyone who uses a creative artistic talent… Whether as a hobby or for a chosen career path.

Here it is: What is the worst advice you’ve ever been given….? 

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