Week 22 – #WritingWednesday Challenge

Today is the 22nd Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

#WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

* Read the writing prompt below,
* Spend 5 minutes writing whatever comes to mind, &
* DON'T EDIT what you write! No need for perfection!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity!

Today I am writing in the voice of Stella, a character in a series I’m currently writing. 

Today’s writing prompt: 

What is the first thing you do when you wake up every morning?

My name is Stella. Every morning I wake up, in my ten-foot by ten-foot white room, to the sound of an alarm blaring just outside my door at precisely 5:45am. I have fifteen minutes to go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and hair, and change into a freshly cleaned uniform.

At 6:00am the guards open my bedroom door and escort me down a long corridor to the stairwell. We don’t take the elevator; they say the exercise stimulates active brain function. No, we take the stairs down seven floors into the sub-basement of the corporate offices of Operation Atlas. Once there, and only for about ten minutes while we change shifts, I get to see one of the other watchmen.

There are four of us, four watchmen. We work in shifts of six-hours at a time. I’m the youngest, so I start at exactly 6:30am and end at 12:30pm on the dot. They never leave any of us hooked into the system longer than six hours. They don’t say why, but I have a feeling I wouldn’t want to know the reason anyway.

At 12:20pm the next watchmen comes in and they start the shift change protocol. I’m out of the room at exactly 12:30pm and escorted back up the staircase and back to my room.

© 2019 Nina Soden

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Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with!  

What is the first thing you do when you wake up every morning?

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Would you like more sources for daily writing inspiration and prompts? Click on the images below for great writing journals and/or prompts I think you’ll really love!

* * * * * 

Are you an author who is looking for ways to stay organized and on track with all your writing goals? Check out my author workbooks below. They are full of all the tools I use in my writing process!

Are you working on a manuscript, but need a little help getting organized? Check out SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ~ An Indie Author Guide to Outlining and Planning Your Next Novel

It isn’t just for indie-authors. I have filled it with all the tools I’ve learned over the years and use on a regular basis with each book I write

Want help meeting your writing goals? Check out JUST WRITE: The Ultimate Author’s Bullet Journal

Track your project progress along with daily and monthly word count goals/actuals. Plan your writing and publishing goals, maintain your personal/business to do list, never miss another deadline or appointment again, keep track of writing ideas, schedule and log social sharing and blog post ideas, keep a record of books you’re reading or want to read, maintain a running playlist, etc.


Acts of Kindness #MindfulnessMonday 7/8/2019

Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Did you know that a great way to increase your own personal joy and happiness is to increase the joy and happiness of others?  

Use visualization to help make a habit of doing at least one act of kindness each and every day!

  1. Step 1: FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING – Settle into a comfortable position, either sitting or laying down. Focus on your breathing and allow your body to rest, but don’t fall asleep.
  2. Step 2: REFLECTION – Reflect on the people in your life that you will be seeing today, or tomorrow if you’re doing this exercise in the evening. Is there something you could do to help them, make them a little happier, or take some of their stress away?
  3. Step 3: VISUALIZATION – Visualize yourself doing an act of kindness for that person. What would that act of kindness be?
  4. Step 4: EXPLORE YOUR FEELINGS – How does the idea of doing this act of kindness make you feel? Explore these feelings.
  5. Step 5: ACT OF KINDNESS – As soon as possible, do this act of kindness for this friend, family member, co-worker. If you are to busy to do it right away, make sure you write the idea down and plan to do it sooner rather than later.  

Today’s Mindfulness Exercises:

1. Breathing with Intention

Utilizing the steps above, focus on your breathing and then, once relaxed think of the people in your life. Who do you know that might need a little help, something to make them smile, or just a call to say hello and brighten their day? Once you have someone in mind decide what you can do, right now, to help increase their joy.


2. Mindfulness Joy Journaling:

I want you to write a list of the people in your life that you think could use a little help or a boost in joy. These can be your friends, family, or even co-workers.

Once you’ve created your list, write down one or two things you can do for each person within the next two weeks. This could be as simple as a call, a hug, sending a letter or a card, or meeting up for coffee.

Then all you have to do is find time over the next couple weeks to complete each of the tasks on your list.  

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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Acts of Kindness

Dealing with Grief!

Stress is a 6 Letter Word!

When Selfcare Means Saying NO!

What is Mindfulness?

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Would you like to take the 52-week challenge and experience a more mindful existence? Check out The Invisible You ~ 52 Weeks of Meditations, Activities, and Writing Prompts to Help you Discover You!


I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.

Photo by: Mikel Healy

My Car To Your Door by Nina Soden

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

The walk is a little long, but I don’t care. Thinking of what I might say when I get there.

The wind blows through the trees and on my face. With each step, I speed up my pace.

Anticipation begins to boil deep within. Hold back, I cannot, this grin.

I know I should just turn around. But then your voice, I remember the sound.

I picture you there standing proud. My mind wants to scream out loud.

For a moment I stop, still in the night.

Go forward, turn back! My mind begins to fight.

Reluctant I turn and head back to my car. Knowing the house was not nearly as far.

I remember the way you listen. Then, again my eyes glisten.

Toward your door I hurry on to see. Once there what will become of me?

Up the stairs I slowly go. Are you home? I don’t even know.

I knock on the door and my heart begins to race. Then, all of a sudden everything stops when I see your face.

The walk is a little long, but I don’t care. Thinking of what I might say when I get there.

Dedicated to my amazing husband. I love you today and always.

(c) copyright 2008 ~ Nina Soden

For more poems, check out by collection on Amazon: Private Words Unspoken

#Theredheadedauthor Presents the July 2019 New York Times TOP 10 Best Sellers – FICTION

As an avid reader of fiction (and an author who one day hopes to make the list) I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE checking out the New York Times Best Seller list. So, here it is… The independently ranked top 10 Fiction selections for JULY 2019!

If you’ve read any of the TOP 10 selections and recommend them, please comment below and let me know. If you see something you like and plan to pick up a copy, you can do so by clicking on the title or the (BUY IT HERE) button.


#1 Summer of ’69

by Elin Hilderbrand

The Levin family undergoes dramatic events with a son in Vietnam, a daughter in protests and dark secrets hiding beneath the surface.


ARE YOU READY FOR AMAZON PRIME DAY?

#2 Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens

TEXTIn a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.TEXT


#3 The Reckoning

by John Grisham

TEXTA decorated World War II veteran shoots and kills a pastor inside a Mississippi church.TEXT


#4 City of Girls

by Elizabeth Gilbert

An 89-year old Vivian Morris looks back at the direction her life took when she entered the 1940s New York theater scene.


#5 Mrs. Everything

by Jennifer Weiner

The story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman, and their life experiences as the world around them changes drastically from the 1950s.


Want to read the TOP 10 on a Kindle?


#6 Before We Were Yours

by Lisa Wingate

A South Carolina lawyer learns about the questionable practices of a Tennessee orphanage.


#7 Unsolved

by James Patterson and David Ellis

A string of seemingly accidental and unrelated deaths confound F.B.I. agent Emmy Dockery.


#8 Little Fires Everywhere

by Celeste Ng

An artist with a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.


#9 The Tattooist of Auschwitz

by Heather Morris

A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them.


#10 Good Omens

by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Aziraphale, an angel and rare-book dealer, and his demon friend Crowley try to circumvent the end of the world.


Week 20 – #WritingWednesday Challenge

Today is the 20th Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in the voice of Tommas, one of the characters in the novel I am currently outlining. I’m not sure if this will be a selection in the novel, or just part of my character development journal.

Today’s writing prompt:

What modern technological device takes up most of your time?

My life is essentially ruled by one device, the metabolic piezoelectric sensor version 5.3. It’s a small device I wear on my chest to detect the changes in vibration levels throughout my body. It connects to my nervous system, through a series of wires attached at the ends with sticky nodes, and transmits data directly to a central computer at the corporate offices of Operation Atlas. There, a team of medical professionals monitor my health and another team monitors my every move.

I haven’t always worked for Operation Atlas; I used to be free. It wasn’t until some of the younger metamorphs were discovered that the company was developed and the hunt began. It’s my job, if I want to survive, to locate others like me… others with powers that the organization deems useful. Not all metamorphs are high priority but those that are, like the oracles, the psychokinetic, and the incendiaries they assign to me.

© 2019 Nina Soden

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Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

What modern technological device takes up most of your time?

* * * * * 

Are you an author who is looking for ways to stay organized and on track with all your writing goals? Check out my author workbooks below. They are full of all the tools I use in my writing process!

Are you working on a manuscript, but need a little help getting organized? Check out SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ~ An Indie Author Guide to Outlining and Planning Your Next Novel

It isn’t just for indie-authors. I have filled it with all the tools I’ve learned over the years and use on a regular basis with each book I write.

Want help meeting your writing goals? Check out JUST WRITE: The Ultimate Author’s Bullet Journal

Sections in this comprehensive planner include, but are not limited to: 
* Future Log
* Year at a Glance
* Books to Read
* Writing Playlist
* Social Sharing
* Monthly Goals
* Daily/Monthly Word Count Tracker
* To-Do Lists
* Shopping Lists
* Notes Pages, Etc.

How to Regain Focus and Concentration #MindfulnessMonday

bright rainbow colored watercolor paints isolated on white paper

Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Regaining focus and concentration can help reduce stress and overload while increasing joy in your life.

In today’s society where everyone is practically ruled by our devices, multi-tasking has turned into a major stress inducer for most people. Mindfulness can help to strengthen your ability to stay focused on one task at a time, allowing you to be more efficient and effective than multi-tasking ever could.

So the real question is how to pull ourselves away from our smart phones and gain a deeper focus and concentration on the really important things in life.

Three things you can do to help regain focus and concentration:

  1. Try meditation – Just by learning a simple, one-minute, breathing exercise you can start to take control of your wondering mind. Whenever you start to feel your focus drifting away, take 60 seconds (just one minute) to pull that focus back to where you need it to be with a quick breathing exercise.
  2. Practice simplicity – By reducing the clutter in your life, you will also reduce the distractions. Try donating or recycling unneeded possessions, adding your phone number and address to Do Not Call and Do Not Mail lists, stop checking those social media accounts that are no longer providing you joy and happiness.
  3. Focus on the people around you – Don’t allow distractions to pull you away from conversations with loved ones. One way to do this is putting your phone away whenever eating, or better yet put them on the table when eating out, whoever picks up their phone first gets to pay the bill.

Today’s Mindfulness Exercise:

60-Second Breathing Meditation

Your breath is a great took to help train your mind to focus your thoughts and increase concentration. Whenever you start to feel your mind wander or become overloaded use this two-step meditation to bring you back to the present.

Step 1 – Notice your breathing. Pay attention to the sensation of the air around you; how it feels as it enters your nose then travels down into your lungs. Pay attention to the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen as the air moves in and out of your body. Don’t change the way you breathe, let the air move in and out as it normally would, just be aware of the sensations involved with the act of breathing.

Step 2 – Count your breaths. The first breath in and out is 1, the next breath in and out is 2, continue until you reach a full ten to fifteen breaths. As you relax, your breaths will get longer and ten to fifteen relaxed breaths should take you close to a minute.

Mindfulness Journaling Prompt: How did the 60-Second Breathing Meditation make you feel? Did your mind wander during your breathing? If so, what were you thinking about? How many times did it wander? Were you easily able to return your focus to your breathing once you realized your mind had wandered?

Mindfulness journaling can be very private. However, I would love to invite you to comment below and share your experiences with this short 60-Second Breathing Mediation.

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Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 23 ~ Stress Is a 6 Letter Word

EPISODE 22 ~ Mindfulness Myths

EPISODE 21 ~ Mindfulness Isn’t MAGIC

EPISODE 20 ~ Eat Cake

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The Invisible You by Nina Soden

Would you like to take the 52-week challenge and experience a more mindful existence? Check out The Invisible You ~ 52 Weeks of Meditations, Activities, and Writing Prompts to Help you Discover You!
Photo by: Mikel Healy

I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.

Ben Is Back (2018) #SundayScreening Movie Review

Would you prefer to watch the video review, instead of reading it? CLICK HERE

Title: Ben is Back (2018)
Director: Peter Hedges
Writer: Peter Hedges
Stars: Julia Roberts,
Lucas Hedges, and
Courtney B. Vance
Genre: Drama
Length: 1 hr. and 43 minutes

SHOW RATING OVERVIEW
Writing: ★★★★★ Cinematography:  ★★★ Story: ★★★★ Acting: ★★★★★ Overall: ★★★★.★ (4.25)

STORYLINE:

Ben Is Back follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges), who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben’s wary mother Holly Burns (Julia Roberts) welcomes her beloved son’s return, but soon learns he is still very much in harm’s way. During the 24 hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family’s downfall.

AWARDS:

Lucas Hedges won the award for Best Performance by an Actor 23 and Under at the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards. I’m actually surprised this movie didn’t bring in more awards.

MY 2 CENTS:

Writing: ★★★★★ Let me start by admitting that I’ve never suffered with Addiction or known anyone who has, not really. Watching this film, I was moved. The truth in the scenes and the raw openness of the dialogue draws you in rips your heart out. Writer Peter Hedges, who also happened to direct this film, does a wonderful job of telling Lucas’ story. I think the message was powerful and devastating. He doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, deceit, and manipulation involved in an addict’s life.

Cinematography:  ★★★ There was nothing special or different about the cinematography in this film. It wasn’t great… it wasn’t terrible… it just was.

Story: ★★★★ I recently watched ‘Beautiful Boy’ with Steve Carell… another movie about a son who is an addict, only this time it focuses on a father-son relationship. If I had to compare the two movies, I’d say ‘Beautiful Boy’ was more realistic. With that said, I’ve read a number of reviews for ‘Ben Is Back’ stating that the story is unrealistic, the events would never happen, and that Julia’s character would never do the things she does in the film. As a mother, I will say, there is very little I wouldn’t do to help my children.

Acting: ★★★★★ Really, there are only two performances that need to be discussed; Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges because they carried this film. Without them, there wouldn’t be a story.

I’ve always loved Julia Roberts, she gives everything to every roll she takes and with this one… she is raw, exposed, desperate, and unconditionally loving. She gave an outstanding performance and, as a mother, left me in tears.

Lucas Hedges really impressed me with his performance. Sure, he is the director’s son and it probably got him the roll, but I think he held his own. I am not at all surprised that he won an award for this performance. In this brief 24-hour glimpse into his life we are both swept away by his playful nature with his younger siblings and blindsided by the devastating admissions into his past. Hedges does a beautiful job portraying not only the victim but the instigator.   

MY FAVORITE QUOTES:

“You don’t know what you’re doing. I’m not worth it. If you really knew me, you’d be done with me.” ~ Ben Burns

I think the reason I love this quote so much is because it shows just how much someone can fail to see their own self-worth. Ben is convinced he is no good, can do nothing right, and will always fail. But when he says this, he is talking to the one person in the world who will never be able to see him that way, his mother.

Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.

View the Official Trailers Here!

Interview with Julia Roberts on Good Morning America

Week 19 – #WritingWednsday Challenge (1 day late)

Today is the 19th Edition of #WritingWednesday!!!

Remember, #WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.

  • Read the writing prompt below,
  • Spend 5 minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever comes to mind,
  • DON’T EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!

The goal is 5 minutes of creativity.

Today I am writing in my own voice!

Today’s writing prompt:

What do you need right now?

Time! I need time.

It’s Thursday afternoon and usually I post my weekly Writing Wednesday post on, well… Wednesday. Unfortunately, or maybe luckily, I was on vacation this last week and my blog got put on the back burner. I think we all need a little me time, but right about now, I need more work time.

I’m trying to catch up, with everything. I have a stack of books about a mile high that I need to get through, a list of movies about two miles long that I need to watch and review, a number of author interview requests, blog posts to set up, and a self-publishing course to create.

So yeah, I need time. If you have any extra that you’d like to loan me, I’d forever be in your debt.

© 2019 Nina Soden

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Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with! 

What do you need right now?

* * * * * 

Would you like more sources for daily writing prompts? Click on the links below for great writing prompt journals I think you’ll really love!

This Self-Discovery Journal provides more than 200 thoroughly unique & enjoyable writing prompts. Skyrocket your self-esteem, develop your creativity and explore all area’s of life: Writing Prompts about your love life, Writing Prompts to better deal with social anxiety’s
Writing Prompts for finding empowering strategies to deal with worries, stress and failures.
And much, much more
Do you want to know yourself better? Self-discovery and self-revelation aren’t easy. With simple but provocative questions about wishes and fears, memories and beliefs, secrets and dreams, All About Me will reveal everything you ever wanted to know about yourself but never thought—or dared—to ask. Whether you fill it in or answer questions out loud, this is the perfect gift for your friends, your family, your loved one… and you.

* * * * * 

Are you an author who is looking for ways to stay organized and on track with all your writing goals? Check out my author workbooks below. They are full of all the tools I use in my writing process!

Are you working on a manuscript, but need a little help getting organized? Check out SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ~ An Indie Author Guide to Outlining and Planning Your Next Novel

It isn’t just for indie-authors. I have filled it with all the tools I’ve learned over the years and use on a regular basis with each book I write.

Want help meeting your writing goals? Check out JUST WRITE: The Ultimate Author’s Bullet Journal

JUST WRITE is the Ultimate Author’s Bullet Journal designed as a planner-journal hybrid to help new and experienced writers stay organized while still fostering creativity. Track your project progress, plan your writing and publishing goals, maintain your personal/business to do list, never miss another deadline or appointment again, keep track of writing ideas, schedule and log social sharing and blog post ideas, keep a record of books you’re reading or want to read, maintain a running playlist, etc.

About to Cry by Nina Soden

If I should cry, my eyes would know, all the feelings I didn’t let show.

If I should cry, my eyes would see, all of the things I neglected to be.

If I should cry, my heart would hear, all of the secrets I hold dear.

If I should cry, my heart would feel, all of the things that can never be real.

Dedicated to my family, those alive and those lost.

(c) copyright 2008 ~ Nina Soden

For more poems, check out by collection on Amazon: Private Words Unspoken

#MindfulnessMonday 6/10/2019 – STRESS is a 6 letter word!

Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Remember to take time to enjoy life and those around you. So often we find ourselves working tooth and nail so that SOMEDAY we might enjoy our retirement. Make sure you’re taking time to enjoy life today… not just hoping to do it SOMEDAY in the future.

Check out today’s #MindfulnessMonday video where I talk about stress; what it is, signs of stress, what to do when you start feeling stressed, and how to protect yourself from stress! You can check out the video by clicking HERE!

Today’s Mindfulness Exercise:

Observation Communication

This is a partner activity. It can be done with a spouse, a friend, even your children. All you have to do is have a conversation that doesn’t have anything to do with work, school, stress, or anything else that has been bogging you down. For five to ten minutes, I want you to talk about only the things you notice around you. This is best done while taking a walk, sitting in a park, or even over coffee at an outdoor café.

If you’re having trouble starting the conversation or you find yourselves getting sucked into typical meaningless small-talk, try playing a game of eye-spy to get your started. You might just find the conversation takes on a life of its own, allowing you some time away from the daily stressors that tend to fill our minds throughout the day.

Don’t be afraid to let this conversation continue as long as is comfortable.

Mindfulness Journaling Prompt:

After completing the Observation Communication Exercise, take a few minutes to write down as many observations you made throughout the conversation. How many drew your attention back to work/school/stress related topics and how many were completely unrelated to any stressors in your daily life.

Keep this list and try this exercise when you are further along in your mindfulness practices and see if you do better.

Check out my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 23 ~ Live For Today!

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STRESS REDUCATION TOOLS!

Stress Less Cards – 50 Inspirational Mindfulness & Meditation Exercises | Helps Relieve Stress, Anxiety | Natural Relaxation, Insomnia & Sleep Aid

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

Stress and pain are nearly unavoidable in our daily lives; they are part of the human condition. This stress can often leave us feeling irritable, tense, overwhelmed, and burned-out. The key to maintaining balance is responding to stress not with frustration and self-criticism, but with mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of our bodies and minds. Impossible? Actually, it’s easier than it seems.

Would you like to take the 52-week challenge and experience a more mindful existence? Check out The Invisible You ~ 52 Weeks of Meditations, Activities, and Writing Prompts to Help you Discover You!

Hypnoser Weighted Blanket 2.0 for Kids, Adults, Men, Women, Heavy Blanket Providing Calm and Comforting Sleep, Sleep Faster (48″x72″ 12 Lbs, Dark Grey, Fit Twin Full Size Bed)

Boseen Palm Shaped 360 degree Metal Roller Massager- Handheld Body Massage Tool for Deep Tissue Stress Relief and Cellulite Reduction (Blue)


I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.

Photo by: Mikel Healy