New Start

Well, the new school year is upon us and, therefore, so is the start of work for me.  The weather has also cooled a bit which is always good for me and my ability to focus and create.  I'm not sure why, but Fall always seems to re-energize me in many ways.  Having said that, it also brings a new sense of stress in terms of the never-ending need to balance all--work, family, household needs and sporting activities with a little bit of writing sprinkled in. 

I've had new ideas popping all day but haven't done a great job of sitting down to write.  Consequently, I have little scraps of paper with words written in all directions strewn across my desk.  I'm not going to stress about this (at least I captured the ideas and put pen to paper somewhat) in my new mission to take baby steps in creating mini habits (see Kristi Holl's blog at http://kristiholl.net/writers-blog/ for more information on Mini Habits--as well as a tremendous amount of terrific advice and information). 

I am a strong believer in persistence pays and am going to make a concerted effort to just keep plugging away and being realistic in my goals so as to avoid my usual "I can't possibly get it all done" so spin my wheels and end up procrastinating and accomplishing very little.  I will go the distance and carry on!  As Winston Churchill said,

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Lightning Bolts

I was catching up on some blog and newsletter reading today.  I know I've mentioned this in the past, but you should consider following Kristi Holl if you don't.  She is a wealth of information, encouragement and inspiration presented always from a very realistic view point.  Visit her here:  http://kristiholl.net/writers-blog/

In one of her posts, Kristi was talking about how real writers, those not just doing so as a hobby, can't wait for their muse to speak but must write regardless of their level of creativity (or lack thereof).  I realized I am very guilty of that.  I want the lightning bolt to hit me, to shower me with a big burst of creativity.  I'm not very creative in general so really rely on those moments of clarity when I can envision a new ms or good edits to a current WIP.  I always feel stagnant or shut down if I try to force it just to say I'm writing.  However, that often means I am procrastinating with all the other mundane or necessary items that need to be addressed rather than writing.  I pray for a lot of lightning bolts and often beg my muse to rear her head somehow, in some way, just to give me a nudge; however, I now realize I've spent way too much time waiting and too little time doing and desperately need to focus.

When I needed inspiration on the exercise front, I came up with a mantra I could repeat over and over as needed to give me strength and perseverance, and it worked.  "I can go the distance."  It doesn't seem to fit for my writing.  I'm staring at a blank wall in front of my computer screen and thinking about stenciling a saying there for constant reinforcement and encouragement, but I'm struggling with the right words.  Do you have a mantra or set of words to write by you would be willing to share?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on what does (or does not) work for you.

MARGIN

On the advice of the very wise Kristi Holl, I've recently started reading Richard A. Swenson's MARGIN. Swenson states, "Margin is the space that once existed between ourselves and our limits." He discusses the state of the lives of many, that of "marginless living," in that the day to day activities and obligations zap the margin right out of our lives. Thus far, I've read only the first chapter but can tell that it is going to be money well spent. On the very first page, I came across the following which is so definitive of daily life, especially so for busy parents trying to find that ever-elusive balance. It brought me some clarity, and I hope it will you also.

"Marginless is fatigue; margin is energy.
Marginless is red ink; margin is black ink.
Marginless is hurry; margin is calm.
Marginless is anxiety; margin is security.
Marginless is culture; margin is counterculture.
Marginless is the disease of the new millennium; margin is its cure."

If you've read MARGIN and can speak to the benefits you reaped, please share.

Pondering Goals

Happy New Year! Best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year to you all!

As I sat pondering my new goals for 2011 this morning, I was catching up on some blog reading. Kristi Holl posted a wonderful set of questions that got me thinking. Kristi suggested really spending some time this week pondering several questions, even journaling about them, to help set reasonable goals which one can attain. I wanted to share them with you in case some do not follow her blog (though, if you don't, you should!). Here is what she suggested this morning:

Take plenty of time to journal these questions this week:

How did I do on my 2010 goals (if you had any)?
What habits contributed to successfully completing any of the goals?
What situations/events/habits got me off track this year?
What worked for me in the past to get back on track?
What non-writing goals (in the areas of health, relationships, day job) would support the success of my writing goals?
What can I do to make the writing more fun (which motivates you to work on your goals)?

I am deep in thought about all of these and know I will set much better goals as a result. Thank you, Kristi!

To read more of Kristi Holl's wise words and thoughts, go to http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog/

Optimistic Denial

As I was catching up on my reading this morning of some of the blogs I follow, I had a major aha moment. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...if you don't follow Kristi Holl's blog, Writers First Aid, you should. Kristi is very adept at blogging and providing good, solid advice and information. Here is what I read this morning:

“There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, ‘Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,’ and an optimist who says, ‘Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.’ Either way, nothing happens.” ~~Yvon Chouinard, climber

Kristi talked about optimism being realistic or a cover for denying a problem. I had never considered optimism in this light before and knew immediately that I have a lot of soul searching to do in terms of my own optimistic denial.

Thank you, Kristi, for opening my eyes yet again!

You can read more of Kristi's post as well as all of her others at: http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog

NaNoWriMo

Good luck to all you NaNoWriMos out there! I hope you are off to a good start and have a very successful month.

Are any of you harboring wishes of having started this month? I know I am. It is my goal for next year. I really wanted to take a stab at it this year but knew I was setting myself up for failure. I didn't have a solid outline and was not at all organized to kick off on November 1--not to mention a trip with kids and numerous other things going on in November. I've been following Kristi Holl's blog (http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog)--you all should if you don't as she is wonderful and offers fabulous support and advice--and wanted to give it shot anyway. I knew it would have been a half-baked effort at best and read the following this morning:

"Failure: Is it a limitation? Bad timing? It's a lot of things. It's something you can't be afraid of, because you'll stop growing. The next step beyond failure could be your biggest success in life." Debbie Allen

So, I am going to commit to being prepared for and completing next year's NaNoWriMo in hopes that it will be a big success. Anyone out there of similar mind? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And, again, good luck to all of you out there who've taken the leap this year. Way to go!

"Keep on Starting!"

"Keep on starting, and the finishing will take care of itself." I read these wise words on Kristi Holl's blog this morning (http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog/2009/06/05/unblock-two-techniques/). Kristi shared two great ideas for overcoming writers' block. I strongly suggest you go take a look at her blog (http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog) as it always has great information and ideas. This morning, I just found it so profound. I've been working on a ms that needs direction. I'm at a critical point, and it has been easier to just move around in circles. I've lost the "Just keep starting..." factor and need to get back to it. Reading Kristi's words this Monday morning were just the motivation I needed to get back on track. So, for any of you out there struggling to just sit and write and see where it leads, I challenge you to just "keep on starting...the finishing will take care of itself." I, for one, am going to get back to business and give it a try. Let me know how it goes for all of you.