Hope everyone had a magical Christmas xoxo

Hoping you all had an amazing time,
and looking forward to 2020.

I wanted to share with you 'We Heart It' Spring Writing Contest.

The We Heart It Writer’s Team is excited to announce the first-ever short story contest coordinated and led by the members of the Writer’s Team.

1. Your short story must be about, include some connections or in some way incorporate the season of SPRING.

The genre is up to you! You can write romance, adventure, fantasy, horror…whatever you are most comfortable writing as long as you do not forget that Spring is a must-have.

2. Tag

Make sure to tag your story with #springwritingcontest so the judges can easily find all submitted works.

3. Submission

In order to participate, submit your story here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDUEPNj4T6oUsz6xRNV7lw_QvdNg_GWwC5RoEoRLelFZB5Jw/viewform

Include your We Heart It username and once you publish your story on We Heart It, copy and paste the link in the indicated space.

4. Deadline

You have time from April 16th to May 31st to submit your work.

5. Word count

Your short story must have at least 1,000 words but not more than 10,000 words.

6. Say no to plagiarism.

All works containing plagiarism will be disqualified.

7. We value creativity!

That is right: be original! The more unique and unusual your story is, the better! We want to read interesting and fresh works! Do not be afraid to be different!

8. Only one submission per person is allowed

You have one chance – write the best of it!

5 most creative and best stories will be chosen at the end of June. 

. The winners will be included in a feature article so you’ll essentially be catapulted to We Heart It rock stardom PLUS the winning stories will be shared on We Heart It’s social media platforms. Talk about fabulous. And that’s not all! The winner’s stories will also be hearted by our very own @weheartit_editor account. If you’ve dreamed about having your story read by thousands of people and gaining recognition for your writing, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase your creative talent!

So, what are you waiting for? Take pen and paper, open Word, pages or whatever immediately and start crafting your amazing Spring story!

We are beyond excited to read your entries. The following Hearters judging the contest are: Ana Paulina (@paulinaheart), Elodie (@authorelodie), Giselle (@Omg_giselle), Iva (@angelus_somnia_infernum), Kristy (@fromkrist), Malin (@matomm), Moon (@Moonliightbaaaby), Rachel (@whirlwindbound), Seraiah (@staraiah), and Sydney (@sborek).

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo

Who Are INFJs?

INFJs are intuitive, feeling Introverts, which means we want a meaningful life and we need our work to be meaningful too. We’re more interested in insights, images, and patterns than facts, data and logic. As intellectually curious people, we love to think about abstract ideas.

While we regain our energy by spending time alone in our complex internal world, we also care about people and value deep, authentic connections with others. We’re highly perceptive, aware and intuitive about people and we want to help others understand themselves and live up to their full potential. INFJs are complex, deep thinkers with a keen insight into how people think and feel, so we’re not afraid of dealing with people’s complex personal problems.

This combination of understanding, sensitivity, and empathy creates a desire in INFJs to express our thoughts and feelings about the world around us and the people in it, with the ultimate goal of helping other people. We want to shed light on difficult situations and convoluted feelings and help people make sense of their lives and themselves.

Why INFJs Like to Write

INFJs are often natural writers. We not only have the empathy to understand others but as Introverts, we enjoy working alone. For many people, the solitude necessary for writing is the hardest part, but for INFJs, it often feels like a sanctuary. It gives us the time and space we need to stop and think, reflect on our ideas and express ourselves.

As sensitive individuals, we are always absorbing information around us, including sights, sounds, smells, temperature, light, and other people’s feelings. We are constantly processing this information and trying to make sense of it. Because we absorb so much, we need an outlet for all this energy. This is what gives us a creative drive. Without attending to our need for creative expression, however, we can quickly become ill or experience physical systems of being “blocked,” including skin problems, headaches, digestive ailments, and sleep disorders.

In her book, The INFJ Writer, Lauren Sapala suggests that many INFJs have the same traits as gifted people, according to the criteria developed by Kaimierz Dabrowski, a Polish psychiatrist, and psychologist. Dabrowski was best known for his theory of positive disintegration, which proposes that advancing into higher levels of personal development requires having certain developmental potential. He suggested that most people stay at a basic level of development and only a few will grow beyond this.

These select individuals, otherwise known today as highly sensitive people, have a highly sensitive nervous system, leading to a more intense experience of daily life. According to Dabrowski’s theory, there are five categories of sensitivity, which he referred to as “excitabilities,” including psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginative and emotional, all of which are used to describe “gifted” people. According to Sapala, many INFJ writers have some or all of these qualities as well. Our tendency to be both highly sensitive and possessing these gifted traits means we have the potential for great creative work.

Why Writing Can Be Hard for INFJs

Being an INFJ means we’re endowed with a lot of special gifts, such as empathy, insight, sensitivity and creativity. But it’s not always an easy path to follow, especially when most of the population do not possess these traits and don’t understand them. Dabrowski himself called excitability or sensitivity "a tragic gift" to reflect that while there is potential to experience great highs, there is also the potential to experience great lows.

Similarly, great creativity also tends to create the potential for a great deal of personal conflict and stress. People with a highly sensitive nervous system are also prone to depression and anxiety, which can make any creative work feel impossible. INFJs can also find it hard to write because we tend to be:

Perfectionists.

We have a vision in our minds of how things should be and trying to create that perfect vision on paper can stop us in our tracks. We tend to have very high standards for ourselves and our work, which can make it difficult to silence our inner critic.

Workaholics.

INFJs have a rich inner life. We enjoy spending time alone and thinking about our ideas, but it can lead us to work long hours, isolating ourselves from friends and family and becoming burned out.

Low confidence.

Feeling different from everyone around us can make INFJs self-critical and feeling bad about ourselves. It’s all too easy to think, “who am I to be a writer?”

Thinking of possibilities.

With intelligence and an active imagination, INFJs can see the potential and possibilities in almost everything, but that often means we don’t know which one is best and we can get stuck trying to find the right route or even the right word.

Fear of criticism.

INFJs tend to be sensitive to criticism, so we’re often afraid to show our work to anyone who might offer us valuable feedback for fear of being negatively judged.

Source

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Free on Amazon Kindle - A Second Edition with New Cover - Ends Today.

A Carpet of Purple Flowers: Book One on Kindle 

(Second Edition - includes an extra chapter)

GET HERE

Two Worlds - Three Hearts - Four Souls.

Editorial Reviews -

A truly unique premise that merges the spiritual with the paranormal in a very interesting way. I highly recommend. 

— Cate Hogan, Developmental Editor, Washington Post & USA Today

Fantasy fans will wait eagerly for the next instalment in McCartney’s series, enchanted by the complicated love story and the surprising ending. 

— Amy Dittmeier, Booklist, American Library Association

This is the first paranormal romance I have ever read and found it an enjoyable introduction to the genre. It has an original premise and a collection of strong characters. The ending is packed with drama and the ultimate resolution is a surprise. The plot and subplots are strong. 

~ Honey Badger's Bookclub

love and light,

Trace

xoxo

She ponders before leaping!

Ahmet Sali ~ Photography

“No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this new book is newly opened, has just begun! Look, it is the first page! And it is a beautiful one!” 

― C. JoyBell C.

March 2019

Second Edition.

Summer 2019 Release

Sorry, I haven't been around much, been busy creating. 

I'm so excited! Exhausted, but nearly there, book two. Yay! 

Love and light,

Trace

xoxo