It’s a new year, at least as far as the calendar goes. Many people use this as a good starting point for making a change in their lives. I, for one, am looking forward to a new year filled with blessings of love, good health, family, friends, and joy.
I am always looking to lose a few pounds, or a lot, and exercise more. However, this year, I plan on building my freelance writing career and get at least one of my novels ready for publication. One of the things I did that will help me achieve this goal is signing up for a Freelance Writing course through WOW that will help me build my platform, develop a writing resume, and how to best contact possible clients. There is much that I don’t know about the business, so therefore, I’m taking a class to give me the tools I need to succeed. The other thing that I am doing is continue to keep writing on the novel I am currently trying to complete. It’s about three-quarters done, I think… Once the first draft is done, I will set it aside and allow it to ‘rest’ a bit while I work on articles.
I’ve got my goals and I’ve developed a detailed plan to make it happen. It is highly rewarding when you can cross off each accomplishment of the plan. Remember, it’s the journey to attaining the goal, more than the goal itself.
Have a great journey and a great year!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Opportunities
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle, comic
This last year has been a difficult one for almost everyone, at least on some level. Economically, professionally, personally, or a combination thereof, it has left few unscathed. I, too, am looking forward to a year with a little more light.
The start of a new year has always seemed a good time to embark on a new plan. Many people use it as the jumping point to quit doing something like smoking or eating unhealthy foods. But, this is also a really good time to open doors of opportunity, whether it be a new job, a new house, or whatever.
Now, don’t go scoffing at me quite so quickly. One of the best ways to look for opportunities is to sit quietly and make a list of what you have. Include even what you might consider “given” or obvious things, such us a roof over your head and food. Many people struggle for these important items. Even if all you can say is that you are alive, that is important. Everything can go “Up” from there. Really.
Next, look at what your obstacles may be. This may include things like pride, lack of organizational or time management skills, transportation or appropriate clothes.
For me, one of my goals this next year is to get my freelance writing on more stable ground. This will mean I will have to set aside certain time in the evenings and some weekend time to query magazines and websites for articles that I can submit. I would also like to have at least one of my novels in a finished state where I can start looking for an agent. These all require me to build doors of opportunity by identifying any hurdles and finding ways to leverage them in my favor.
Develop a detailed plan of how to reach your goal. Let people know what you are doing, as often they will help you and support you to achieve. As you complete a step or point, mark it off so you can see your forward progress. If you need to see more completions, break down each step into smaller ones, so that you can really get the positive rewards as you move towards your intended goal. Make your plan work for you. If it’s not working, find out what is the hang up and change it so it does. The most important thing is to believe in your goal and in yourself. You can do it. Just make your steps small enough so you can keep climbing.
Let me know how you are doing and we’ll walk together.
This last year has been a difficult one for almost everyone, at least on some level. Economically, professionally, personally, or a combination thereof, it has left few unscathed. I, too, am looking forward to a year with a little more light.
The start of a new year has always seemed a good time to embark on a new plan. Many people use it as the jumping point to quit doing something like smoking or eating unhealthy foods. But, this is also a really good time to open doors of opportunity, whether it be a new job, a new house, or whatever.
Now, don’t go scoffing at me quite so quickly. One of the best ways to look for opportunities is to sit quietly and make a list of what you have. Include even what you might consider “given” or obvious things, such us a roof over your head and food. Many people struggle for these important items. Even if all you can say is that you are alive, that is important. Everything can go “Up” from there. Really.
Next, look at what your obstacles may be. This may include things like pride, lack of organizational or time management skills, transportation or appropriate clothes.
For me, one of my goals this next year is to get my freelance writing on more stable ground. This will mean I will have to set aside certain time in the evenings and some weekend time to query magazines and websites for articles that I can submit. I would also like to have at least one of my novels in a finished state where I can start looking for an agent. These all require me to build doors of opportunity by identifying any hurdles and finding ways to leverage them in my favor.
Develop a detailed plan of how to reach your goal. Let people know what you are doing, as often they will help you and support you to achieve. As you complete a step or point, mark it off so you can see your forward progress. If you need to see more completions, break down each step into smaller ones, so that you can really get the positive rewards as you move towards your intended goal. Make your plan work for you. If it’s not working, find out what is the hang up and change it so it does. The most important thing is to believe in your goal and in yourself. You can do it. Just make your steps small enough so you can keep climbing.
Let me know how you are doing and we’ll walk together.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Loss
The loss of a family member, in this case a pet, is a heart-rending experience. Though I have lost a number of pets in my life, it is never easy. There is a void where that member filled and it is difficult to find solace until you have processed through all of the stages of grief.
Our dog had an extremely expressive face and great eyes like brown limpid pools. Also, like most labs, she was a four-footed garbage disposal, willing to eat virtually anything. She especially liked pancakes and French fries. Her last meal was buckwheat pancakes.
I miss her eager greeting when she would see us. However, she suffered all her life with food allergies and other health-related ailments that made her life less than optimal for such a sweet hearted dog. We finally had to do what was best for her as she had reached a point where she was suffering. There is nothing worse than when someone you love is suffering.
Our pain and loss will heal and be replaced by the good and funny memories that we had with her. I still have to laugh at one time we were camping and we had a hot dog and bun left over. She was standing outside of our travel trailer and my husband reached down and gave her the hot dog and she just opened her mouth and it slid whole all the way down without her even chewing once. My husband was totally disgusted and she was totally happy. I laughed.
Our dog had an extremely expressive face and great eyes like brown limpid pools. Also, like most labs, she was a four-footed garbage disposal, willing to eat virtually anything. She especially liked pancakes and French fries. Her last meal was buckwheat pancakes.
I miss her eager greeting when she would see us. However, she suffered all her life with food allergies and other health-related ailments that made her life less than optimal for such a sweet hearted dog. We finally had to do what was best for her as she had reached a point where she was suffering. There is nothing worse than when someone you love is suffering.
Our pain and loss will heal and be replaced by the good and funny memories that we had with her. I still have to laugh at one time we were camping and we had a hot dog and bun left over. She was standing outside of our travel trailer and my husband reached down and gave her the hot dog and she just opened her mouth and it slid whole all the way down without her even chewing once. My husband was totally disgusted and she was totally happy. I laughed.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Success!
I am so excited. This was my first year doing NaNoWriMo and it was such a rewarding experience. The minimum word count was 50 K beginning November 1st and ending November 30th and I was able to get over 64 K, while battling the flu all month. The story is about 2/3 of the way completed and so I am still working on it. However, it is what I learned this last month in the process that is the most valuable to me.
I had only two or three days to prepare for this, so I really went into this blind. I came up with a story which was really minimal, at best, and I worried whether I was going to get any mileage out of it or not. Happily, the story unfolded as I typed. It has been fun to see all of the twists and turns it has taken. I am now really looking forward to how this ends.
What was thrilling for me was that in spite of being sick, in spite of not having a story mapped out ahead of time, and in spite of not having written anything for a long time, I was successful in creating something that is working. I was also successful in seeing that by turning off my internal editor while I write the first draft, I actually do my best work. That is not to say I don’t have a whole lot of editing to do afterwards, but I allowed myself to go down rabbit trails to see where they led. I often discovered that those little side trips took me to some interesting places that I might not have explored otherwise.
The most important thing that came from this exercise was that just the act of participating made me successful. It is really about how you measure your success, because really, it is not a house unless you build it. It can’t become a story unless you write it. You can’t be successful unless you do it.
I had only two or three days to prepare for this, so I really went into this blind. I came up with a story which was really minimal, at best, and I worried whether I was going to get any mileage out of it or not. Happily, the story unfolded as I typed. It has been fun to see all of the twists and turns it has taken. I am now really looking forward to how this ends.
What was thrilling for me was that in spite of being sick, in spite of not having a story mapped out ahead of time, and in spite of not having written anything for a long time, I was successful in creating something that is working. I was also successful in seeing that by turning off my internal editor while I write the first draft, I actually do my best work. That is not to say I don’t have a whole lot of editing to do afterwards, but I allowed myself to go down rabbit trails to see where they led. I often discovered that those little side trips took me to some interesting places that I might not have explored otherwise.
The most important thing that came from this exercise was that just the act of participating made me successful. It is really about how you measure your success, because really, it is not a house unless you build it. It can’t become a story unless you write it. You can’t be successful unless you do it.
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