If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for people who can tell you more about yourself – people who can read you without having to know you for too long, or be predisposed to your mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. We all need help understanding who we truly are, as I believe that certain aspects of our character are only objectively viewed by someone from the outside. Or maybe we just need people to reinforce what we’ve come to embrace as our strengths and weaknesses, in order to know where to put our energy as we continually strive to be better people, albeit in subtle ways at times.

Graphology is a truly a remarkable science. Countless people find solace in journaling, writing letters, or even writing notes on the fridge. It is through these instances that a graphologist is able to analyze handwriting samples to determine anything from the emotional state the person was in while writing the selection, to what dubious intentions they had that may have otherwise gone under the radar. Employers can evaluate employees or candidates and determine where there best fit would be within the company, based on character traits exhibited from their writing. Psychologists can keep up on patients, scrutinizing their scrawling to the last detail to determine if progress is being made. The possibilities are nearly endless.

There are a few common principles that are used by most graphologists when they are practicing; techniques that may seem simple enough at first glance, yet require an incredible amount of patience to truly master. A graphologist will examine space between words, to determine if they are headstrong and focused (small spaces), or unstable and unsure (consistently large spacing between words). She will look at the writing and determine if it is spontaneous or not spontaneous, and conclude that the writer displays either ambition or caution.

There are countless ways that a graphologist is able to draw from the writer’s handwriting personality. All of them are interesting, and in most cases you will be presented with a new view of the writer that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. If the writer is you, then you should thank your graphologist, because it’s not everyday you discover self truths from the chicken scratch you left on the desk while you were running out for groceries.

Writing a book is the easiest part of the process and getting them published may impugn one’s patience and bank account. When authors give up hopes of ever being picked by a traditional publisher, they turn to self-publishing.

Authors who have made it big in the industry have chosen to self-publish at some point in their careers: Rudyard Kipling, Ernest Hemmingway, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Carl Sandburg, and James Redfield just to name a few, and one can see how they all fared in the industry.

If a writer is looking for self-publishing companies to publish a book, there are a few companies that practically hold court to everything a book needs from book cover design customization, layout consultation, copyediting and even marketing. This brings the writer then to the process of going through production and seeing the actual product in book form already.

Primarily, as the writer, you would need to assess your book’s publishing plan. Ask yourself if you need editing, marketing, book cover layout consultation, interior design customization and all that jazz. After mapping out your book’s requirement, find a self-publishing company that will cater to all of your needs. Xlibris is one self-publishing company who practically has everything an author requires. The company has been in business for over a decade and they already to know what they are doing. They have programs that have all the inclusions that will turn your manuscript into a book.

Second, is to edit and polish your book before submitting them to the publisher. The editing part is crucial considering that you might need to go back to your book a couple of times to reassure yourself that you did not miss anything.

Third, is to come up with a final book cover. If editing is crucial, your book cover is pivotal to your book’s success. Book cover sets the tone, the impact and the force that will make a librarian, reviewer, bookseller, distributor, and customer to pick up the book long enough to read a few sentences in it. It takes about two seconds for a customer to glance at your book’s cover. Make certain that those two seconds is all worth it.

Fourth, is to check for quality control. Self-publishing companies print on demand and seeing that your book is going to be priced by the publisher’s own printers, you might need to request for a sample copy of how they print their books. Binding, text, and paper quality is key and if it misses out on of any of those, then it is not qualified at all to produce the kind of book you have in mind.

Average publishing timeline is within two to three months and by that time, your book will already be available in market for sale. Self-publishing gives you full control of the publishing process and no one will tell you what to do.

Now, publishing is one thing – selling a book is another. The main crux is to publish the book and translate it into book format.

Perhaps any writer needs to ask himself: have I investigated the industry thoroughly before launching? Producing and marketing may instill unforeseen investments that he might not be able to handle. If all authors believe that the book will succeed by adding their own effort, then self-publish. They’ll even have fun.

Now let’s get that book published first, shall we?

The key to understanding writer’s block is this: like a strait jacket, the more you struggle against it, the worse it gets. If you sit at your desk and think, “Okay. I’m going to get creative here. I’ve got to break through this”, your mind seizes up, goes blank, wanders off to the mall, refuses to answer your phone calls.

So here’s the secret. Get into the creative flow in some other area of your life. Do something else that inspires you. Your writing will soon begin to flow too.

What are some creative flow activities? Here are my latest:

Knitting. With a repetitive, meditative handiwork, my mind wanders into a glorious daydream. Very often when I knit, I feel like a kid again, imagining things. I have no objectives, no plan, no strategy. I simply let go, and my mind steps into the field of deep imagination. It’s amazing.

Exercise. Moving my body is the quickest and easiest way to release stress and open myself to new possiblity. I run in a gym, I walk outside, I stretch at night while watching television. But however I choose to exercise, I feel that when I get my body moving in a new way, my mind opens in a new way.

Cooking. Cooking, in my opinion, is too often delegated to the annoying household task category. But cooking, when approached with a bit of adventure opens me to greater creative flow. Know why? It uses every one of my senses. Think about it. Smell, taste, touch, sight, and sound-all aspects of your sensory experience-are enlivened and enriched by cooking.

Whether you choose to do these particular activities or embark upon your own, no matter. Follow whatever inspires you. You’ll find that when you do, you will break through any writer’s block in a hurry. Positive changes in your life affect all aspects of your life in a positive way. And when you are in your creative flow, your writing-and your readers-will thank you.