HELP

I'm on a mission to determine if I am over thinking what I believe I should accomplish each day or under achieving. I know there are day-to-day happenings in life that affect each of us as writers. I also know we must be able to brush some aside at times to accomplish anything. It seems I start each new week knowing what I want to accomplish, setting out to do so with grand intentions and then continue to let life get in the way.

Granted, I've been dealing with a significant amount of family illness and extra work, but who doesn't at one time or another? I know I am either setting my goals too high and thus making them unattainable (which then often leads me to just give up for the day), or I am caving to the daily responsibilities far too often.

So, for any of you willing to share...can you give me a definitive idea of how much time per day, on average, you spend on writing? On writing-related activities such as market research and marketing current projects? Also, please indicate whether you are a full-time writer or if you must balance writing time with another full or part-time job. Another factor to consider in this mix is whether or not children (or a spouse) at home play a role in time considerations.

Thank you, in advance, for any and all information you can provide to help me figure out a doable schedule to balance writing, family and work. I think seeing what other writers find realistic will help me gain some perspective and foster more creativity, and I thank you for your input.

Chances

"Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."
Mary Tyler Moore, American actress

Wow...were more true words ever said? I believe these words apply to all aspects of life though most definitely in terms of writing. It is only through the practice, the chances we take and the mistakes we make that we become better writers.

Practice today and everyday. Happy writing!

Addicted to Books

I'm curious...how many of you out there have piles of books around your house?

I've decided I have a hearty addiction to buying books...oodles of books! I love hard cover and bought only that for years. I've lightened up a bit and purchased some soft cover as well given the expense involved in hard cover--though I still prefer to read hard cover.

I was doing some rearranging this past weekend and realized how very many books (in stacks, shelves and baskets) I have that remain unread. I still have high hopes of SOMEDAY reading them all though can't seem to cure my habit of adding to my collection when I'm wandering through book stores.

How about you? Do you have stacks of books yet unread as well?

STRENGTHS

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a new book I purchased, STRENGTHS FINDER 2.0. While I've not gotten very far in terms of reading the book, I did take the test. I found out my five main strengths are the following: Consistency, Harmony, Empathy, Discipline and Developer.

I now have to read through the descriptions of each personalized strength as well as the ideas for action provided. It will be interesting to see if my beliefs and thoughts are in line with what the test indicated and how I can apply these strengths to my writing life and goals. The idea is to focus on one's strengths rather than weaknesses and how to improve them, so I am hopeful I can find something useful to apply to my upcoming goals and objectives for 2012.

Please share if any of you have taken this test and found it useful or not at all helpful and the reasons why either is true. Thanks so much!