Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you living with the threat of Hurricane Sandy.  Whether evacuating or staying put, please use caution and care. 

I do not know where I first saw this, but it has helped me greatly in many difficult times.

God hath not promised
     skies always blue,
flower-strewn pathways
     all our lives through;
God hath not promised
     sun without rain,
day without sorrow,
     peace without pain.

But God hath promised
     strength for the day,
rest for the labor,
     light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
     help from above,
unfailing sympathy,
     undying love...

Be safe.  Be well.  God Bless!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Contest Change

Just a heads up for those of you interested in submitting an entry for the Children's Writer YA Short Story Writing Contest.  I just logged on to read the fine print on submission details and noticed a change.  Entries now must be received by November 16, 2012, rather than October 31. 

So, press on if you are still writing and wanting to submit.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Overcoming Fear

Jon Bard, Managing Editor for Children's Book Insider, has a guest post on the Write to Done blog about writers overcoming their doubt and fear.  It is a great read and very informative.  You can find it here: 
 
Happy reading!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Overload

I was getting back to MARGIN by Richard A. Swenson this morning as it was a beautiful morning, and I wanted to sit on my deck a bit before getting to work on my current WIP.  The chapter I was reading dealt with overload and exceeding our limits or "threshold."  Swenson states that overload occurs whenever "the requirements upon us exceed that which we are able to bear."

He talked of all the burdens placed upon us in this day and age such as, "one more option, one more commitment, one more expectation, one more purchase, one more debt, one more change, one more job, one more decision."

The more things we add lead us to exceed our threshold and, thereby, result in "disorganization and frustration."  This is certainly obvious in my life--one need only note the length of time since my last post.  Swenson argues that it is not the "details" which are the problem but rather the "exceeding" which results in overload.

This certainly seems to be true.  Any one thing, or few things, can be manageable in and of themselves but, all thrown together, can result in the overwhelming feeling of "Calgon, take me away!"

What I read this morning coupled with the lovely Fall weather today helped me put it all in perspective and take one thing at a time.  We'll see what tomorrow brings, but for today, at least, I was successful at editing my ms and preparing it for submission which is what I wanted to accomplish.

Are you managing the "details" or becoming overwhelmed by "overload?"  Please share your story and what works for you.