Husky laying down
German Shepard sitting
Cocker Spaniel sittting
Big, fuzzing brown puppy sitting
Gray Pitbull sitting
Young Husky sitting
Black and white spaniel sitting
Jack Russel sitting
Hound dog sitting
Golden Retriever sitting

The Believe You Can Affirmation — Give Yourself Permission to Dream

by Martina Boone
Believe You Can and You Will

I’ve dreamed of having a book out in the world nearly all my life, but for most of that time, I barely gave myself permission to dream. Do you know the feeling? Sneaking around, hoping, but never admitting it to family or friends because they might laugh or give you that patronizing look or pat on the head?

Maybe your dream isn’t about writing. Maybe it’s something else completely.

Whatever your dream, I believe–I know–that part of the beauty of the human experience is that we dream the impossible, and if we dream hard enough, we can make the impossible happen.

Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) for COMPULSION come out on Thursday. So that’s my dream come true! It still feels incredible and amazing and so very wonderful.

I would love it if you would let me be a small part of having you achieve the impossible by affirming your dream aloud. Yes, I think that’s important. Affirmations. Repeating a thing until it becomes true for ourselves is part of the magic of creation, and finding the courage to live and take chances is one of the themes in the book.

Fear, lack of faith, lack of belief can lead us to sub-consciously sabotage ourselves. It’s only when we force ourselves to push through, when we commit completely, that we can finally succeed.

Believing Is the First Step to Achieving

  1. Post about your dream on your own blog, Tumblr, Facebook page, Instagram–anywhere online–before 3/31/14. 
  2. Link back to this post for the explanation so others can join in.
  3. Add the link to your post to the Mr. Linky so others can read about your dream and send you moral support.

That’s it. It’s not a guarantee that you’ll achieve your dream, but it’s a step to having the kind of faith you need to have before you can push through the fear and hurdles that would keep you from getting where you want to go.
   

YA Giveaway of the Week

Since this is the regular day for my YA Pick & Mix, there has to be a giveaway–and there is, but it’s going to be tied to your success.

Post a link to your dream in the linky and complete the Rafflecopter below, and I’ll automatically enter you for an extra chance in each of the eight COMPULSION cover reveal giveaways. As a reminder, here they are again:

  1. My Tumblr: Complete hardcover set of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES signed by Kami Garcia, plus hardcovers of MADMAN’S DAUGHTER and HER DARK CURIOSITY signed by Megan Shepherd, personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace. 
  2. Hypable.com: Complete hardcover set of the DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE series (third book sent out after it publishes in April) signed by Laini Taylor, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
  3. MundieMoms.com: THESE BROKEN STARS signed by Megan Spooner and Amie Kaufman and books one and two of The Hybrid Chronicles, WHAT’S LEFT OF ME and ONCE WE WERE signed by Kat Zhang, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
  4. Cuddlebuggery.com: CHARM & STRANGE hardcover signed by Stephanie Kuehn plus THE RAVEN BOYS and THE DREAM THIEVES with beautiful bookplates signed by Maggie Stiefvater. THE DREAM THIEVES also has Maggie’s hand drawn doodle of a raven, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
  5. PageTurners.com: ALLEGIANT signed by Veronica Roth along with SPELLCASTER and STEADFAST signed by Claudia Gray, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
  6. TheStorySiren.com: ANTIGODDESS, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD, and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES signed by Kendare Blake, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
  7. AdventuresInYAPublishing.com: The complete SHATTER ME series signed by Tahereh Mafi, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
  8. YASeriesInsiders.com: Jennifer Armentrout’s complete LUX series plus a signed copy of her brand new WHITE HOT KISS, a personalized ARC of COMPULSION, and a sterling silver key necklace.
Also, and I can’t do anything about entering you automatically for this, but if you have a Goodreads account, my publisher is giving away three ARCs of COMPULSION here:
And as always, the list of giveaways we have here on the blog is here:

So What Do You Think? Are You Ready To Shout Out Your Dream?

Here’s the Rafflecopter. Be sure to enter and include your link by 3/31/14. All giveaways are international.

And Here’s the Linky

If you’d like to keep your post prominent and spread the word even more, here’s a banner you can use in your post or your sidebar:

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Mar 18, 2014
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: Inspiration for Writers | Martina Boone | YA Fiction Giveaways

Welcome to Transmedia Mutts

Yellow origami dog on a teal background

Unleash your creative bark!

Shout out to AYAP!

Logo for Adventures in YA Publishing

Thank you to the women who started Adventures in YA Publishing and ran it for years. AYAP and TMM have merged to form Adventures in PUPlishing, and the legacy AYAP posts are now part of TMM. Click here to learn more about the earlier AYAP team.

 

Click to Join our Facebook Group

Share advice, practice pitching, celebrate successes, and support each other through writing and publishing adventures.

The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

Use of this site constitutes an agreement to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

AFFILIATE LINK DISCLAIMER: This site contains affiliate links, images, and ads to purchase various products. As an Amazon Associate, and a member of other affiliate programs, this site earns a commission from qualifying purchases if you click on one of these links, images, or ads.

© 2025 Transmedia Mutts, LLC. All Rights Reserved.