I had the opportunity today to attend the Why Networking Matters event at The University of Maine today, and thought that I would share some of the key points with you. Here they are!

Abe Furth is a local business owner in my area, and he gave 10 Principles for Networking:

1.) Say yes to engagement opportunities. You never know what networking event will be instrumental to something in your future, so you should take advantage of every opportunity that arises.

2.) Foster friendships from every generation. If you're young, don't feel like you can't interact with the older generation. They have a lot of wisdom to offer, and you can benefit from great friendships with them. For the older generation, younger friends can be great, too! You may even be able to learn something from them. 

3.) Be approachable. A lot of times, your facial expressions and the attitudes that you're giving off say MUCH more than what you're actually saying, so be approachable and conscious of how you appear. 

4.) Nurture hobbies that you're passionate about.

5.) Be an expert at a few things in life. Abe said that this point is a bit more difficult to achieve, but that it's a great idea to aim toward becoming an expert in an area.

6.) Read social cues! Does someone look like they want the conversation to be over? Are you talking too much? As point (3) stated, social cues say a lot. 

7.) Image management. Also related to point (3), your image is important. How do you come across on social media? Would a professional looking at your social pages respect what you have listed as public information? Would a potential employer hire you after seeing what you put on social media?

8.) Excel at your current occupation. What are you doing now? Are you taking it seriously? Even if you don't see yourself staying with your current employer or occupation, give it your all while you're there.

9.) Volunteer. 

10.) Be okay with standing out, and get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. (I love this point!)


The next person who spoke was Emily Cain, who is a politician and served in the Maine Senate. I had the opportunity to meet her and speak with her for a few minutes, and really enjoyed doing so. Here are some of the main points that she made on professionalism and networking:

1.) "You have to be comfortable in your own space if you want someone to connect with you." This connected with what Abe Furth said about being comfortable and approachable. Emily pointed out that in a professional setting, it's important to be comfortable, dress like yourself, and trust your gut.

2.) Make genuine connections with people. Don't be fake. When you connect with someone, connect with them as a person, don't just connect with them to make another contact. 
-Find ways to connect with people for who they are.
-Frame of mind matters. Be positive!
-Focus on the benefits of an event. Like Abe said, take advantage of engagement opportunities.
-Have a good handshake! This is so relative. I repeat, HAVE A GOOD HANDSHAKE. 

3.) Talk to strangers at events. Don't just stand next to a wall by yourself. Introduce yourself. Emily said to risk rejection...it's not always better to be safe than sorry. You'll regret it more if you don't take action in introducing yourself, than if you risk the possibility of being rejected. Emily even quoted Taylor Swift... "Shake rejection off!" 

4.) Use your OAR. Observation, Ask a question, Reveal something about yourself when meeting someone new. These three tips will help you make a genuine connection.

5.) Listen more than you talk. This is extremely important, not just in a professional setting, but in every-day life. People who listen are more approachable and more likable. 
-Nod, smile, ask questions
-Be open and receptive
-Make eye contact
-Bring the conversation full circle (remember what the person you're talking to says)


The event was great, and I'm glad that I attended. I'm feeling proud to be a Mainer! I hope that you guys learned something from these points. Until next time, connect with me on Twitter HERE.

Here are a few photos from the event:

I was at Starbucks yesterday having coffee with my good friend Jessie Mae Hodsdon (Check out Jessie Mae's blog HERE), and we got on the topic of how writers think differently than most other people. I'm not sure if a "writer's eye" is a learned thing, or if it's ingrained in each and every writer, but the "writer's eye" is a different way of seeing the rest of the world. To give you an example, often people will ask writers how they come up with their ideas. To a writer, it's a no-brainer. You don't just "come up with" ideas. The ideas come to you. This may sound crazy to those of you who haven't experienced it, but to those of you that have, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Most writers don't sit at a magical desk, or drink a magical coffee, and say: "OK, I have to think of an idea now," and sit for hours imagining a best-selling novel out of thin air. I'm sure there are exceptions, and I'm not making anything less of the writers who do work this way, but the majority of writers don't purposely think of an idea for a new novel. Instead, the idea usually comes to them without them expecting it. The idea is inspired by the mundane activities in life, like buying a coffee or seeing a popup banner on a website . It's the typical that creates the incredible.

Every story idea that I've ever had (Unless entering a contest with a prompt, or any kind of contest for that mater, because most contests are meant to have you think about, and come up with a story rather than it happening upon you) has been the result of something typical not looking as typical, or when I thought of a twist on a regular phrase. So how do you see the world with a "writer's eye"? Don't look at the world as what it seems. Instead of looking into a crowd and seeing a hundred random faces, pick out the faces, and then imagine that person's story. I find myself doing this unconsciously, because it's part of who I am, and part of being a writer (It's also a really good way to get distracted in class...oops). Instead of looking outside and hating the weather, think about what the weather means to other people. Think of the stories that have happened under a stormy sky, or the happiness that's occurred under a hot sun. 

This is basically me suggesting that you get out of your comfort zone, and get out of yourself. Instead of seeing the world at face value, think more about it. Let yourself wonder what if? If you do this enough, then I can pretty much guarantee you--as long as it's something that you honestly focus on--that not only will you have a new appreciation for the world, but it will have much more meaning than just day in and day out. After all, isn't that something that we all want? The deeper meaning in our days? 

Until next time, tweet with me on Twitter: @Elysia_Regina , and join me on Instagram! @Elysiawalton

I just finished reading Lord of the Flies for the first time (I know, was I hiding under a rock for my life up to this point?!), and I was blown away. I read the book only because I felt I had to--it's one of those classic books that, when someone asks if you've read it, you feel as though you should say yes. So I read it. After the last page, I was left with a new appreciation for the book. William Golding, the author, wrote the novel because, in his words: "Wouldn't it be a good idea to write a story about some boys on an island, showing how they would really behave, being boys, and not little saints as they usually are in children's books?" and so Lord of the Flies was born. Now I was never a young boy, so I'm not versed nor familiar with how young boys are, but I can imagine the similarities in Lord of the Flies and the schoolyard of a middle school. I don't mean that 21st century boys would be cutting heads off of pigs and killing their friends, but Lord of the Flies articulates the primal instincts of adolescents. What will they do when left to their own devices without the luxury, or comfort of adult supervision? A lot of possibly awful things, is the answer in Lord of the Flies. 

My favorite part of the book were the vastly different characters whom Golding wrote, so I'll talk most about them. First is Piggy--undoubtedly my favorite--who speaks with reason, though no one wants to listen to him. Perhaps if the other boys would pay attention to the intelligent, but meek boy, they could be rescued. Then there's Ralph, who if you ask me is the true Chief of the boys, and could probably lead them if he didn't care so much about being leader. He tries too hard to be the "big guy", and ends up looking insecure and unreliable. I won't mention Simon, only because I don't want to spoil the plot, but I'll say that Simon is the one who really gets the ball rolling, so to speak. Simon is the chip in the script--the first to succumb to the island and the terrors of being alone, and being lost. Jack is the embodiment of the terror. Unlike Ralph, he has no problem with leading, however his "style" of leading scares the boys. His style of leading turns boys into savages, and this stands to speak for how each and every one of us can become Jack. Everything depends on how you decide to deal with the circumstances. Do you take advantage of others frail states, or do you round together and work it out? Unfortunately none of the boys solidly chose the later, but I'll let you delve into the novel yourself and see how it plays out.

Lord of the Flies shows the inner evil in the human being, and the differences in how everyone deals with that evil. The incredible thing to me, is that Golding showed this, beautifully and interestingly, in a little less than 60,000 words. For those of you that don't think in word count, that's less than 300 pages, which is a very small novel. How did Golding do this so flawlessly? He wrote the truth. He wrote the story at the length of what it needed to be, to tell the story that had to be told. I won't spoil the ending, I'll only tell you that when awful, truly real things happen on a secluded island, as soon as a possible rescue is shown, all of those awful things may slip into the past, and you'll find yourself asking: did that really happen?


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18572101@N08/5455089135">Re-Covered Books: The Lord of the Flies</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

Introducing edition THREE of my book ledger. Here are (most of) the books I read in 2012. Comment with which ones you've read!

1. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2. The Last song by Nicholas Sparks
3. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
4. Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
5. When Lighting Strikes by Meg Cabot
6. Code Name Cassandra by Meg Cabot
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (On a side note, who's excited about Harper Lee's new novel?!)
8. Wildfire Loose by Joyce Butler
9. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
10. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
11. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
12. Fight Like a Girl by Lisa Bevere
13. Ophelia by Lisa Klein
14. Pefecty You by Elizabeth Scott
15. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
16. Safe House by Meg Cabot
17. Sanctuary by Meg Cabot
18. The Scoprio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (This is still one of my favorites, and I'm pretty certain that Maggie Stiefvater is one of the coolest authors ever to walk the planet.)
19. The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
20. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
21. On Writing by Stephen King (Most of you know that I'm a HUGE fan of Stephen King, not only because he's an incredible author, but also because I live in the same area as he does, which is pretty neat. On Writing is one of my all time favorite books, and I've read it numerous times. I try to read it at least once a year, and reference it pretty often here on my blog)
22. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (I'll be honest and say that I put a :-( next to this one.)
23. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
24. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
25. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
26. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (LOVE this series, and I can't wait for The Scorch Trials to hit the theaters.)
27. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
28. Crazy Love by Francis Chan
29. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Notice any author trends from 2012? I'd love to chat with you on Twitter about the books you've read. Here's a link so we can tweet together: @Elysia_Regina

Also, if you feel like visiting my Instagram where I post pics of the new books I buy, Mainer selfies and photos of my random meals, go here: @Elysiawalton

Until next time, keep smiling, writing, marketing and hustlin'. 



Photo Credit: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7926735@N03/5367573012">Winter day 18 - Center of attention</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>