Now here is a woman that brings a whole new meaning to Empowerment!!

The Writer's Megaphone is proud to shout out, Shirelle "Diamond" Hogans...owner and proprietor of RadiKal Publications!!

http://thewritermegaphone.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-writers-megaphone-shouts-out.html

Trying Something New

Recently, "The Writer's Megaphone" debut with mixed results.  "The Writer's Megaphone" is a new blog that showcases the talents of writers, poets and entrepreneurs while at the same time, promoting myself as someone who is trying to make his mark as well as a difference within the writing community.

Two months ago, I found my writing at a standstill.  I had lost the desire to write for myself or anyone else, and I had to figure out why.  After all, writing is one of my greatest passions.

It was then that I realized that I had been writing for everyone else EXCEPT me.  I read books, promoted authors, interviewed them and in short, showcased their work on the website that I write for which many of you know as "The Examiner."

The problem came where in the midst of writing for everyone, I failed to write for the one person that appreciated me the most...me.  So I took a much needed breather and decided to implement a new strategy.  If indeed I can pay it forward for so many authors, why couldn't I do that for myself?

I decided that I would continue to read, interview, write and promote, but in the interim, I would also write for me, read for me and promote for me.

Will this change anything for me?

I don't know.  But it's going to be fun trying!!

So hopefully, you'll check out "The Writer's Megaphone" and get up close and personal with some of the greatest talents in the literary community

I truly hope to see you there!

http://thewritermegaphone.blogspot.com/

~ J.L. Whitehead

The Best Is Yet To Come

I've been missing in action for a little while.  I had to take a break from writing because I had lost the joy that I used to receive whenever I created my work.  You could say that I lost my way.  I found myself looking at my Facebook Page and personal business email with disdain because most of the people that are part of my network are people that I don't personally know.

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful.  Above that, I am blessed.  I realize that I have so many wonderful things going on in my life right now.  Having just married my better half and purchasing a house together all within the last four months was stressful in and of itself, but to factor in time to write when starting a new job was almost unthinkable.

But as I corresponded with an author whose book I just reviewed, I was reminded of why people wanted to get to know me.  When I sent her the "pros and cons" of her work, she was humbled and honored.  I realized that I was part of a vehicle for new authors to have their work brought to the public eye.  I simply offered my opinion and encouragement.

One of the things that I realized is that I had lost my love of writing...at least temporarily.  I had been writing for everyone EXCEPT me.  I also understood that this had to change because I know that life has to be in balance.  You can't lose the joy of a craft that you love simply because you aren't exercising the use of that craft in a way that would benefit you as well as others around you.

So I'm back.  First and foremost, I'm writing for me...then I write for others.  I will always offer encouragement along the way because that is what paying it forward is really all about.

Now that I understand this, I can keep it moving forward and I can honestly say that the best is yet to come.

~ J.L. Whitehead

Changing your thought process!!

Lately, I've been thinking about what direction I want to take my company in.  When I decided to write my first novel, I initially thought that a had a good story to tell and hopefully, within the realms of that story, people would get the underlying message of love, peace and understanding.

I had high hopes of becoming more than what I was at that time.  I had hoped that more people would know who I am and I had hoped that my financial status would be influenced by my work as an writer directly.  I didn't happen that way.

Still, with hindsight being 20/20, I understand that everything that I've prayed for, I've received.  Maybe my books aren't flying off of the shelves of the bookstores in my area, the few people that have read it told me that they really enjoyed it.  Even more importantly, they understood the message without reading the second half of the story...and that was great in and of itself.


One of the things that I've come to understand is that a writer writes.  It doesn't matter how much they are being paid if indeed they are being paid at all.  They don't write for the public acknowledgements of their work.  The don't write for the accolades that they may receive from their constituents.  They write because they simply love to write.

I've become something that I didn't seek out to do with deliberate intention.  I've become a critique...someone that loves to read, write and promote the works of other authors.  It's something that I love to do.  At any given time, I have four books in my queue to read and get back to the authors on what I think of their work.  If they like it, then I write a review, ask a few questions and then post it everywhere and anywhere that I can.

I've become a journalist because at times, I have a lot to say even if my readers agree with me or not.  Most authors are appreciative of what I do.

So I've changed my thought process.  Who I am, who I am becoming who I ultimately will be is still wedged firmly in the writing community.  Am I in love with this aspect of my life?  Pretty much.  It wasn't what I planned, but it's on my plate today and quite possibly tomorrow.  But life is full of blessings and surprises...so I will wait to see what it has to offer while changing strategies.

As far as the direction that Four Brothers will go in if I decide to take on any additional editing projects is really pretty easy; I have to ensure that everything is outlined in detail and print.  You may have people that may not understand the industry and assume that your role as an editor becomes one of ghost-writer and promoter simply because they are paying you.  I realize that I have to be steadfast in how these contracts are executed and be firm in what services are being provided.  Above all, impose a timeline so that you aren't in the same project for years. I have so much ahead of me and yet, it's all still a major blessing.

I still have stories to both read and write.  I have articles to print.  I have authors to promote.  And that's a good thing...a very good thing.

www.fourbrotherspublications.com

J.L. Whitehead

Gone Too Soon!

Article written on The Examiner!

I was standing in front of a TD Bank ATM machine when I found out about what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  I had asked someone who had entered the vestibule after me how he was.  He responded by telling me that he was fine up until fifteen minutes ago.  Apparently, he had just found about the tragic shooting that had taken place in Newtown, Connecticut.  When he told me, I couldn’t believe it.

The first thing that came to my mind was the children and their families.  I couldn’t understand how someone could take the lives of so many innocent children.  As the details continued to unfold and I found out more about what had taken place on Friday, my heart broke.  I thought about the parents that lost their child; how they probably finished their Christmas shopping for their children and how those presents will go unopened. 

 

There are so many components to this tragedy but none of them make any sense.  There were too many innocent lives lost.  They were babies who were beginning their lives that were taken away far too soon.  Even now as I type this, my heart is breaking once again.  I watched as a parent of one of the victims barely managed to contain himself as he talked about his daughter.  He was a better one than me because I couldn’t. 

I couldn’t write about the man that committed this horrendous crime because I just couldn’t bring myself to lend credence to the act that he committed.  I didn’t want to give him any coverage because this isn’t about him.  This is about the babies that were lost.

I do not have children of my own, but I have nephews and nieces that I adore.  They know me as uncle and they have so much love for me that it fills my heart to the point of bursting.  To think that this could have easily happened to one of them is incomprehensible.

 

I can’t begin to ask myself why this man thought to take the lives of so many innocent people.  We can attribute it to mental illness.  We can speculate that there are too many graphic video games on the market that desensitizes our youth.  We can say that we need to pay closer attention to our children and participate in their lives to prevent tragedies like this from occurring.

But the simple truth of the matter is that there are too many moving parts to this tragedy to lay blame to one area.  All we know is that we as a nation have to come together to grieve and lift up the families that have lost someone in this senseless violent act.  We need to understand that gun lobbying isn’t going to stop massacres like this.  It’s not about gun control. The problem goes much deeper than that.  We need to recognize when someone in our respective families may display characteristics of someone that may need mental help.  We may need to take the stigma off of someone that needs the skill set of a mental health provider to help them address  any issues that they may be dealing with.

But here is a question that I want to leave everyone with.  Have we as a nation become so desensitized to the needs of our fellow man that we have forgotten how to love?  Have we become so engrossed in getting through the day to day that we have forgotten how to care?  And is caring the first step in resolving this problem?

J.L. Whitehead

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