DeNae: "Yes, I've been a public speaker of sorts for many years, and I've always enjoyed it. If I'm speaking on a subject about which I feel passionately, then I could go on for hours. Really, I'm something of a menace with a microphone.
I've agreed to teach a class on Story Telling at the CBC. The idea is to help the non-professional writers out in blogland (of which I am one, by the way) to tell their stories in ways that capture readers' attention, to be concise without overlooking important details, and above all to TELL the story, not just write about it. In another hour of the conference there will be a panel discussion on finding your writer's "voice", but that will also be a big part of my class.
I can only teach what I know; I write almost exactly the way I speak. So I'll be offering tips on how to do that. The whole conference should be fun! I'm really looking forward to it."
KARA: "Share your beauty secrets with us. What do you do to stay healthy and happy?"
DeNae: "Have you seen my post called "Wax On, Wax Off"? If you did, you would be laughing at this question! I like to look nice, and I'm reasonably attractive in that it's been a while since my face has been used on a can of "Raid". But mostly I wear simple makeup, keep my hair cut nicely, and play up my one fabulous feature - my legs! (I know, what an obnoxious thing to say!)
Honestly, though, I have really come to believe that the best thing you can do to achieve a beautiful countenance is to live a life as devoid of hypocrisy as possible. I don't want to sound like a Lifetime Original Movie, but as I get older I find I see women who I know to be good, kind, and selfless as being some of the most beautiful in the world. It's kind of weird, really. I live in a city where women are so objectified, and here I am, finding the makeup-free face of the overweight crossing guard at the corner absolutely gorgeous.
And as for how to stay happy, well, if you figure that out, please call me first! Not really; I am actually a very happy person. And rather than supply you with some secret of the cosmos shared only with the graduate students of a Tibetan monk, I'll tell you something very practical about staying happy that has worked for me:
Let. Things. Go.
Eliminate drama from your life. Assume that people mean no harm, even when they're grumpy. Operate on the premise that everyone is just doing the best they can; that's almost always the case. And hope and pray that on hard days, the universe gives points just for showing up. Sometimes that's as good as it gets, and it has to be enough."
Well, it's been a great week here on Incredible Women. I'm so please that DeNae agreed to this interview. And I hope that all of you have enjoyed it as much as I have. Thanks, DeNae! I'll leave this interview up in its entirety throughout today and tomorrow, and then the blog will be UNDER CONSTRUCTION during Sunday - preparing to bring you another Incredible Woman. Oh, and WELCOME! to all of our new followers - I hope you'll find this blog an uplifting part of your day. :-)
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2 comments:
Well, Kara you are certainly a good questioner aren't you? These are very good questions.
DeNae, they are also very good answers. Particularly the don't take things to heart part. Or, "letting things go", as you said.
I tend to agree. You can't or you will feel miserable with your life.
Thank you, Kara! I feel honored to have been over here this week. I hope you have continued success with this very worthwhile project!!
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