I'm currently reading Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See. I'm only a few chapters in but I must say that I'm enjoying it. I'll probably finish it.
In the book, Ms. See discusses the importance of writing 1,000 words per day, five days a week for the rest of your life. Her reasons, among others, are: 1) Five days a week makes it seem as if you're working which can placate the naysayers and 2) It fosters momentum and momentum is like gold!
I completely agree with those two reasons. If being a writer is what you want to do, as opposed to cleaning houses or being a doctor or a life guard, then you have to do it! Any other profession requires practice and consistency so why would writing be any different? You got it, Ms. See! I'm on board with 1,000 words, five days a week!
Later in the book she discusses writing a charming note to someone you admire, five days a week for the rest of your life. This is where I took a pause...
I understand her reasoning behind it. It can bring joy to the writer/director/publisher etc that you choose to languish your affection on and it can possibly get your name out in the industry. The thing that bothers me about this is me. I have the discipline to write 1,000 words per day because I really want to make writing my life. I can split my writing between short stories, screen writing, blogging and my own personal rantings (my personal fav), but I'm not so sure that I can come up with hundreds of people whose contributions I admire. Also, I'd worry about coming off desperate or pitiful. The book says that you are not to ask for anything, only to express how their work has enriched your life in some way.
Dammit!
I've recently made a promise to myself that I was going to live in such a way that doesn't leave regret and since I may regret not doing something for the sole reason of questioning my own dedication, I'm going to go ahead and do it. Dammit...
I can only thing of about ten people that I'd write a note to off the top of my head. I guess I better get reading so I can find some people to admire.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Who's Influenced Your Life?
In trying to create characters for my stories I have become intrigued with the process of how we become who we are. We are influenced by past experiences and the people who have come into our lives, even if just for a short time. Everything that we go through creates a new branch on our tree which provides depth into who we are. So, naturally, I started looking into my past to try and pinpoint a few people and experiences that shaped certain parts of me and what I learned from them. Names may have been changed to protect myself from angry people.
Ms. Lester was my 9th grade English teacher. I liked her a lot but her appearance really got on my nerves. She wasn't unattractive but it seemed to me that she went out of her way to appear bland. Tight bun in her hair (which was really long), frumpy clothes, no makeup and glasses that always slid down her nose. She constantly challenged me to give more effort than I tended to put forth in her class. This was really annoying. My main concern in life was checking out the boys in this new environment and looking cute. She wasn't impressed by any of that and began working really hard to get me to focus. Her efforts paid off and by the end of the year she managed to get me transferred into the advanced placement class. My opinion of her changed. I began the year thinking she was a cool lady but didn't believe that she could be as successful and smart as she actually was because of how she carried herself. My perception of success was all out of whack.
LIFE LESSON: Beauty does not equal success
I worked at a bank for two years. I was put into a program that sent a group of us to different locations for training sessions to, hopefully, prepare us for management positions. A fellow trainee, Michelle, became more and more intriguing to me as our program went on. She was blonde and would probably have a nice body if she worked out but she strutted around as if she was the center of every one's attention. She talked incessantly and, I think, wanted people to think that she was dumb. Reality was that she was extremely bright and, I found out later, quite ruthless.
We were away on a company trip and a group of us went out for dinner. We had an activity where we had to reveal the name to a song to our administrators but keep it a secret from our coworkers. That night at dinner, Michelle persuaded everyone to share their songs and she told us her song as well. The next day in training we had to guess which songs belonged to who and the winner got a prize. When Michelle revealed which song was hers it was different than the one she told us the night before. She won that little contest and when she was asked how she was able to guess so many, she looked at us and said, "Some people don't know how to keep their mouths shut."
LIFE LESSON: Some people won't hesitate to kill you so they can use you as a step stool
When I was growing up my family would take weekend trips to the mountains to camp and to the river to water ski. We would go with other families and usually had a large group. I loved all of my mother's friends but there was one woman in particular, Terri, who's personality made her my favorite. Terri didn't shave her bikini line or her legs. It was odd for me to see hair coming out from a woman's bathing suit because every other woman I saw took extreme care to remove all traces of hair. I witnessed this confident woman make no apologies or excuses for her lack of hair removal and she never attempted to hide her 'natural' decisions.
LIFE LESSON: I really doesn't matter what other people think
In elementary school I wasn't the IT girl. I didn't have the latest clothes, wear makeup or keep up with the latest trends. I just liked to play sports and I really enjoyed being a kid. Many of my friends and classmates spent a lot of time doing the "I like boys" thing and that pretty much dominated their existence. I wasn't too much involved in all of that because the boys didn't seem to like me in that way and I had no interest in being rejected. There was one boy, Steven, who would tease me. One day would be focused on my full lips, the next was about my fluffy hair and it usually ended with some witty remark about my lack of breasts. It didn't bother me that much because Steven was pudgy and frequently smelled like fish. Who gave a flip about what he thought?
Over the summer leading to 7th grade a form of magic happened and I grew some respectable sized boobs! My mother took me to get my hair done and suddenly I was getting attention in Jr. High from the same boys who paid me none just 3 months earlier! And yes, Steven was one of those sad, hormone-charged males. I remember him catching up to me in the campus hallway one day and, while staring at my lip gloss-covered lips, told me how sexy my lips were. HA! Are you kidding me? You mean these fish lips that repulsed you in 6th grade are now a source of enticement? It was then that I realized that...
LIFE LESSON: Boys are stupid
When I was younger my dad had a friend named LeRon. LeRon was a very interesting character who I may incorporate into a future story. Long story short; he was in a relationship (committed or not, I do not know) with a woman for at least 15 years. They lived together, had teen aged children together and by all accounts were living as husband and wife. They weren't though. LeRon refused to marry her. Not because he didn't love her, but because he was leaving himself free just in case something better came along. He even told my dad that after he won the lotto, he was going to leave her. I don't think my dad is still friends with him so I don't know if his dreams of hitting those numbers ever came to pass but I did walk away from him having learned something.
LIFE LESSON: Just because you grow older does not mean you grow up
During my crazy college years I met a guy from another campus. I didn't find him at all attractive but he was a nice guy so I gave him my phone number. I got a few interesting glances from my friends but I'd dated a string of good-looking jerks so I figured I'd give him a go... couldn't hurt. We had a lot of fun that summer and I really started to like him. Then I found out that he had a long-term relationship with another woman that was still going strong.
This other lady was of another race and, as it turned out, they really loved each other. They'd been together 2 years but she told me that he never took her out much. Funny, I thought, we go out all the time. I'd met his fraternity brothers and his parents even took me out to dinner for my birthday. So he loved her but never took her around family and friends and he just met me and showed me off every chance he could? Hhhmmm......
A-HA!! I'm the trophy girlfriend! This dude was too weak to bring home a woman of another race so he found someone else to fill that role while loving her in private. Pitiful.
LIFE LESSON: Some people will sideline what they really want in life for social acceptance
I had a friend in college who was easily the nicest person that I had ever met. He smiled constantly, was always positive and you could always count on him for a laugh. I'll call him Collin. As far as I know, he had no enemies and had never intentionally hurt anyone.
Collin was murdered a few months after he graduated from college. He was shot while sitting in a car outside a friend's house by someone who mistook him for someone else. He was 22 years old.
LIFE LESSON: Life isn't fair
I meet people everyday who influence, intrigue and confuse me. I may make another of these lists in a year or so and see how many more I can add.
Ms. Lester was my 9th grade English teacher. I liked her a lot but her appearance really got on my nerves. She wasn't unattractive but it seemed to me that she went out of her way to appear bland. Tight bun in her hair (which was really long), frumpy clothes, no makeup and glasses that always slid down her nose. She constantly challenged me to give more effort than I tended to put forth in her class. This was really annoying. My main concern in life was checking out the boys in this new environment and looking cute. She wasn't impressed by any of that and began working really hard to get me to focus. Her efforts paid off and by the end of the year she managed to get me transferred into the advanced placement class. My opinion of her changed. I began the year thinking she was a cool lady but didn't believe that she could be as successful and smart as she actually was because of how she carried herself. My perception of success was all out of whack.
LIFE LESSON: Beauty does not equal success
I worked at a bank for two years. I was put into a program that sent a group of us to different locations for training sessions to, hopefully, prepare us for management positions. A fellow trainee, Michelle, became more and more intriguing to me as our program went on. She was blonde and would probably have a nice body if she worked out but she strutted around as if she was the center of every one's attention. She talked incessantly and, I think, wanted people to think that she was dumb. Reality was that she was extremely bright and, I found out later, quite ruthless.
We were away on a company trip and a group of us went out for dinner. We had an activity where we had to reveal the name to a song to our administrators but keep it a secret from our coworkers. That night at dinner, Michelle persuaded everyone to share their songs and she told us her song as well. The next day in training we had to guess which songs belonged to who and the winner got a prize. When Michelle revealed which song was hers it was different than the one she told us the night before. She won that little contest and when she was asked how she was able to guess so many, she looked at us and said, "Some people don't know how to keep their mouths shut."
LIFE LESSON: Some people won't hesitate to kill you so they can use you as a step stool
When I was growing up my family would take weekend trips to the mountains to camp and to the river to water ski. We would go with other families and usually had a large group. I loved all of my mother's friends but there was one woman in particular, Terri, who's personality made her my favorite. Terri didn't shave her bikini line or her legs. It was odd for me to see hair coming out from a woman's bathing suit because every other woman I saw took extreme care to remove all traces of hair. I witnessed this confident woman make no apologies or excuses for her lack of hair removal and she never attempted to hide her 'natural' decisions.
LIFE LESSON: I really doesn't matter what other people think
In elementary school I wasn't the IT girl. I didn't have the latest clothes, wear makeup or keep up with the latest trends. I just liked to play sports and I really enjoyed being a kid. Many of my friends and classmates spent a lot of time doing the "I like boys" thing and that pretty much dominated their existence. I wasn't too much involved in all of that because the boys didn't seem to like me in that way and I had no interest in being rejected. There was one boy, Steven, who would tease me. One day would be focused on my full lips, the next was about my fluffy hair and it usually ended with some witty remark about my lack of breasts. It didn't bother me that much because Steven was pudgy and frequently smelled like fish. Who gave a flip about what he thought?
Over the summer leading to 7th grade a form of magic happened and I grew some respectable sized boobs! My mother took me to get my hair done and suddenly I was getting attention in Jr. High from the same boys who paid me none just 3 months earlier! And yes, Steven was one of those sad, hormone-charged males. I remember him catching up to me in the campus hallway one day and, while staring at my lip gloss-covered lips, told me how sexy my lips were. HA! Are you kidding me? You mean these fish lips that repulsed you in 6th grade are now a source of enticement? It was then that I realized that...
LIFE LESSON: Boys are stupid
When I was younger my dad had a friend named LeRon. LeRon was a very interesting character who I may incorporate into a future story. Long story short; he was in a relationship (committed or not, I do not know) with a woman for at least 15 years. They lived together, had teen aged children together and by all accounts were living as husband and wife. They weren't though. LeRon refused to marry her. Not because he didn't love her, but because he was leaving himself free just in case something better came along. He even told my dad that after he won the lotto, he was going to leave her. I don't think my dad is still friends with him so I don't know if his dreams of hitting those numbers ever came to pass but I did walk away from him having learned something.
LIFE LESSON: Just because you grow older does not mean you grow up
During my crazy college years I met a guy from another campus. I didn't find him at all attractive but he was a nice guy so I gave him my phone number. I got a few interesting glances from my friends but I'd dated a string of good-looking jerks so I figured I'd give him a go... couldn't hurt. We had a lot of fun that summer and I really started to like him. Then I found out that he had a long-term relationship with another woman that was still going strong.
This other lady was of another race and, as it turned out, they really loved each other. They'd been together 2 years but she told me that he never took her out much. Funny, I thought, we go out all the time. I'd met his fraternity brothers and his parents even took me out to dinner for my birthday. So he loved her but never took her around family and friends and he just met me and showed me off every chance he could? Hhhmmm......
A-HA!! I'm the trophy girlfriend! This dude was too weak to bring home a woman of another race so he found someone else to fill that role while loving her in private. Pitiful.
LIFE LESSON: Some people will sideline what they really want in life for social acceptance
I had a friend in college who was easily the nicest person that I had ever met. He smiled constantly, was always positive and you could always count on him for a laugh. I'll call him Collin. As far as I know, he had no enemies and had never intentionally hurt anyone.
Collin was murdered a few months after he graduated from college. He was shot while sitting in a car outside a friend's house by someone who mistook him for someone else. He was 22 years old.
LIFE LESSON: Life isn't fair
I meet people everyday who influence, intrigue and confuse me. I may make another of these lists in a year or so and see how many more I can add.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
I love to write so naturally I should write a book, right?
Last spring I decided that I was going to finish my degree. I enrolled at the local community college and took a test that I assume was to make sure that I could read and write. I met with an advisor who told me which classes I needed to be able to graduate when I wanted.
I needed to take an elective and she suggested that I take a Cinema class because "you sit and watch movies all day". Easy enough, I thought. So Cinema was what I signed up for. Little did I know how much that little once a week class would change my life.
On the first day of class my instructor, Fred Samia, said that after this class we would no longer be able to "just watch" a movie again. He was right! I now search for the plot, character introductions, transitions and dialogue. I base whether I like a movie or not on how well these things all come together. Funny how I used to review movies with "I just liked it"!
Oh and by the way, my advisor was only half right. We did watch movies all period but we also had to write a paper answering strategic questions for every movie as well. The funny thing was that I loved writing those papers. My instructor asked questions like - What was the significance of Mrs. Robinson's wardrobe in The Graduate? (Here's to yoouu Mrs. Robinson) He challenged me to really pay attention to the screenwriter's vision and how the director brought that to life.
On the last day of class Mr. Samia pulled me to the side and told me how much potential he saw in my writing. He asked if I planned on pursuing writing, particularly screenwriting, because he thought I'd be successful in it. I hadn't ever thought of screenwriting before. When I asked how I should go about getting started he told me to read scripts, one hundred to be exact!
I was like, whaaat?
He explained that reading scripts would be the best way for me to understand the flow of how movies are written. He also suggested that I not even attempt to write until I had come close to that goal. Okay, I thought, I'll give it a try. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to really GET (like, understand) a script but I went home and downloaded a few free scripts off of the Internet anyway.
The first one that I read was Juno. If you haven't seen the movie it's about a teen aged girl with a sassy attitude who gets pregnant and decides to let a couple she found advertised in the Penny Saver adopt her child. I was really surprised that I just couldn't put it down! I was more engrossed in the script than I was in the actual movie, although I did enjoy the film. I was reading something that was in a format that was exactly how I had MY story ideas in my head! Hallelujah! I love reading novels but every time I try to write one it's difficult to get what's swirling around up top down in the correct format and I can't manage to finish one.
So, while on twitter one day I saw a post for a screenwriting contest. We would be given a premise on which to base our story and 48 hours to come up with 2 scenes. Sounded pretty fun so I joined. The premise was sent out this past Friday and it's due tomorrow morning. This was, officially, my first attempt at writing a script and I can honestly say that I've never felt so in a zone! I was able to get out exactly what was on my mind and with the help of Final Draft 8, I managed to produce a piece of work that I'm extremely proud to have someone else read!
When I started this blog, my intention was to become a published novelist. I knew that I loved to write and I liked reading books, so naturally I figured that I should write books as well. The fun part about this journey is that I'm really focusing on what I want and with that focus I'm narrowing in on my niche.
Thank you Mr. Samia. You opened my eyes to a new world of writing that I never thought I would enjoy!
I needed to take an elective and she suggested that I take a Cinema class because "you sit and watch movies all day". Easy enough, I thought. So Cinema was what I signed up for. Little did I know how much that little once a week class would change my life.
On the first day of class my instructor, Fred Samia, said that after this class we would no longer be able to "just watch" a movie again. He was right! I now search for the plot, character introductions, transitions and dialogue. I base whether I like a movie or not on how well these things all come together. Funny how I used to review movies with "I just liked it"!
Oh and by the way, my advisor was only half right. We did watch movies all period but we also had to write a paper answering strategic questions for every movie as well. The funny thing was that I loved writing those papers. My instructor asked questions like - What was the significance of Mrs. Robinson's wardrobe in The Graduate? (Here's to yoouu Mrs. Robinson) He challenged me to really pay attention to the screenwriter's vision and how the director brought that to life.
On the last day of class Mr. Samia pulled me to the side and told me how much potential he saw in my writing. He asked if I planned on pursuing writing, particularly screenwriting, because he thought I'd be successful in it. I hadn't ever thought of screenwriting before. When I asked how I should go about getting started he told me to read scripts, one hundred to be exact!
I was like, whaaat?
He explained that reading scripts would be the best way for me to understand the flow of how movies are written. He also suggested that I not even attempt to write until I had come close to that goal. Okay, I thought, I'll give it a try. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to really GET (like, understand) a script but I went home and downloaded a few free scripts off of the Internet anyway.
The first one that I read was Juno. If you haven't seen the movie it's about a teen aged girl with a sassy attitude who gets pregnant and decides to let a couple she found advertised in the Penny Saver adopt her child. I was really surprised that I just couldn't put it down! I was more engrossed in the script than I was in the actual movie, although I did enjoy the film. I was reading something that was in a format that was exactly how I had MY story ideas in my head! Hallelujah! I love reading novels but every time I try to write one it's difficult to get what's swirling around up top down in the correct format and I can't manage to finish one.
So, while on twitter one day I saw a post for a screenwriting contest. We would be given a premise on which to base our story and 48 hours to come up with 2 scenes. Sounded pretty fun so I joined. The premise was sent out this past Friday and it's due tomorrow morning. This was, officially, my first attempt at writing a script and I can honestly say that I've never felt so in a zone! I was able to get out exactly what was on my mind and with the help of Final Draft 8, I managed to produce a piece of work that I'm extremely proud to have someone else read!
When I started this blog, my intention was to become a published novelist. I knew that I loved to write and I liked reading books, so naturally I figured that I should write books as well. The fun part about this journey is that I'm really focusing on what I want and with that focus I'm narrowing in on my niche.
Thank you Mr. Samia. You opened my eyes to a new world of writing that I never thought I would enjoy!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Chimpanzee Sex
I feel like I have something great inside of me. Some great story to tell but I've been having problems coming up with it. And, believe me, it's not for lack of ideas. I come up with new ideas for stories in the shower, while driving and while at my desk at work but none of them have had that WOW factor and I think I've figured out why.
They've all been way too tame! I think I was trying to fit into some mold of what I believed was acceptable and I was neglecting what makes me a great story teller in the first place; my wild imagination! I think and dream about some of the most off the wall situations and characters yet when I write, those elements get toned down.
I haven't blogged in a while because I've been spending alot of my free time reading blogs of people who's writing, imagination and attitude I admire. Justine Musk, who writes my fav blog du jour, wrote "You have to be willing to "go there": dig deep into those personal places and write from the innermost points of your being." That's when it hit me! I'm writing solely to please others and I'm neglecting what makes me who I am! I may not have a character do or say something because I'm concerned about what someone like my mother might say about it. That's killing my creativity! I've been sitting on a few very controversial story ideas which involve things like abortion and religion for about a year because I was afraid of the backlash I may receive from people close to me. But now I've decided to move forward with those ideas and see how far I can take them. The only person that I know how to be is me, trying to be someone else is impossible.
I'm not sure when I lost my fondness for raising eyebrows because I remember having it at a young age. I vividly remember being in 10th grade biology and my teacher asking us to find an article in the newspaper and write a review of it. The only requirement was that it had to pertain to biology and we had to read it to the class in a week. On the day of our presentations, I sat and listened to boring transition to sleepy and end up in coma. I couldn't believe how boring it was to listen to the latest advancements in blah blah blah and how such and such was going to be the next big thing. Yawn... THEN, it was my turn. I stood in front of my peers and educated them, in immense detail, on the mating patterns and practices of chimpanzees at the San Diego zoo. My articled discussed, not only mating, but the soap opera-like drama that these animals had with their mates. I couldn't believe I was doing this! I was talking about sex in class, albeit animal sex, but sexual activity nonetheless and I had every ones attention. It was so exciting to see people perk up in their seats and hang onto my every word, including my teacher. It was then that I realized that I loved to step outside of other people's comfort zone and witness their reactions.
So, Buckle Up! I'm heading over a bridge and I'm burning it behind me!
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." T.S. Eliot
They've all been way too tame! I think I was trying to fit into some mold of what I believed was acceptable and I was neglecting what makes me a great story teller in the first place; my wild imagination! I think and dream about some of the most off the wall situations and characters yet when I write, those elements get toned down.
I haven't blogged in a while because I've been spending alot of my free time reading blogs of people who's writing, imagination and attitude I admire. Justine Musk, who writes my fav blog du jour, wrote "You have to be willing to "go there": dig deep into those personal places and write from the innermost points of your being." That's when it hit me! I'm writing solely to please others and I'm neglecting what makes me who I am! I may not have a character do or say something because I'm concerned about what someone like my mother might say about it. That's killing my creativity! I've been sitting on a few very controversial story ideas which involve things like abortion and religion for about a year because I was afraid of the backlash I may receive from people close to me. But now I've decided to move forward with those ideas and see how far I can take them. The only person that I know how to be is me, trying to be someone else is impossible.
I'm not sure when I lost my fondness for raising eyebrows because I remember having it at a young age. I vividly remember being in 10th grade biology and my teacher asking us to find an article in the newspaper and write a review of it. The only requirement was that it had to pertain to biology and we had to read it to the class in a week. On the day of our presentations, I sat and listened to boring transition to sleepy and end up in coma. I couldn't believe how boring it was to listen to the latest advancements in blah blah blah and how such and such was going to be the next big thing. Yawn... THEN, it was my turn. I stood in front of my peers and educated them, in immense detail, on the mating patterns and practices of chimpanzees at the San Diego zoo. My articled discussed, not only mating, but the soap opera-like drama that these animals had with their mates. I couldn't believe I was doing this! I was talking about sex in class, albeit animal sex, but sexual activity nonetheless and I had every ones attention. It was so exciting to see people perk up in their seats and hang onto my every word, including my teacher. It was then that I realized that I loved to step outside of other people's comfort zone and witness their reactions.
So, Buckle Up! I'm heading over a bridge and I'm burning it behind me!
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." T.S. Eliot
Saturday, February 13, 2010
And it came to me like an epiphany
I had an epiphany yesterday while at work.
Before I go into that let me first give you a little background on my career path up until now. I have held quite an interesting bundle of jobs. I have been a kiosk coffee pourer, a card swiper at a gym, a shoe store supervisor (yes, I was Al Bundy), a retail manager, a bank supervisor and now I spend my nights working as a biller at a transportation company.
A few months ago my company came to me and said that they would be taking my job away and sending it to a centralized location. According to them I had two options; I could either be laid off or I could follow my job to Dayton, OH. What?? Not the best two options that I've ever heard but in an attempt to be open to new opportunities and have guaranteed work my family and I packed up our SUV and drove over 2,000 miles from sunny southern California to cold, dreary Ohio.
We've been here for two months and I do the same thing every night... type. I sit in front of two computer screens and enter the billing information for accounts that give us freight to deliver. I have to admit that it isn't the most invigorating career but I learned to accept it as a means to help support my family. And even though I don't exactly LOVE my job, I sit quietly in my cubicle and complete my job with as much perfection as I can.
Which leads me to the events of last night. My supervisor, lets call her Fawn, came up behind me and asked me to follow her to a room where my union representative was waiting. Anyone who's ever had a job knows that this is probably not going to end well for me. After missing a few days of work due to a broken car (poor Betsie didn't like driving that far only to freeze outside at night) I was informed that there was some 'concern' over my absences. With my job in California my sick time refreshed on the first of the year but here it's not until June. That's right, 6 months without any time off and I had accumulated two unexcused absences in less than 2 months. I was also made aware of the fact that our manager in the corporate offices had been attempting to get me fired under a 90 day probationary rule which turns out does not pertain to me. Fortunately for me (frown) Fawn was so on my side that she convinced our manager to let me off with a verbal warning... (more frowning)
Time for the epiphany!!! I just uprooted my entire family and followed a job 3/4 of the way across the nation and they can fire me just...like...that! What am I doing? I talk all of the time about writing a book but I don't make time to write. I dream all of the time about being happy and successful doing something that I love yet I keep making these jobs more important. This is officially the beginning of making things in my life happen instead of letting things in life happen to me!
I've learned from listening to people who've achieved success that you have to identify your goals, write them down and make them known so here goes: I want to write a book that inspires people to ask questions of themselves, I want to self publish that book and offer it on my website and I want to gain a following of loyal readers who I can inspire and who inspire me. Thank you for reading and I appreciate your feedback. I look forward to you helping me stay true to my goals and keeping me honest in my journey.
"You will never find time for anything, you must make it" Charles Buxton
Before I go into that let me first give you a little background on my career path up until now. I have held quite an interesting bundle of jobs. I have been a kiosk coffee pourer, a card swiper at a gym, a shoe store supervisor (yes, I was Al Bundy), a retail manager, a bank supervisor and now I spend my nights working as a biller at a transportation company.
A few months ago my company came to me and said that they would be taking my job away and sending it to a centralized location. According to them I had two options; I could either be laid off or I could follow my job to Dayton, OH. What?? Not the best two options that I've ever heard but in an attempt to be open to new opportunities and have guaranteed work my family and I packed up our SUV and drove over 2,000 miles from sunny southern California to cold, dreary Ohio.
We've been here for two months and I do the same thing every night... type. I sit in front of two computer screens and enter the billing information for accounts that give us freight to deliver. I have to admit that it isn't the most invigorating career but I learned to accept it as a means to help support my family. And even though I don't exactly LOVE my job, I sit quietly in my cubicle and complete my job with as much perfection as I can.
Which leads me to the events of last night. My supervisor, lets call her Fawn, came up behind me and asked me to follow her to a room where my union representative was waiting. Anyone who's ever had a job knows that this is probably not going to end well for me. After missing a few days of work due to a broken car (poor Betsie didn't like driving that far only to freeze outside at night) I was informed that there was some 'concern' over my absences. With my job in California my sick time refreshed on the first of the year but here it's not until June. That's right, 6 months without any time off and I had accumulated two unexcused absences in less than 2 months. I was also made aware of the fact that our manager in the corporate offices had been attempting to get me fired under a 90 day probationary rule which turns out does not pertain to me. Fortunately for me (frown) Fawn was so on my side that she convinced our manager to let me off with a verbal warning... (more frowning)
Time for the epiphany!!! I just uprooted my entire family and followed a job 3/4 of the way across the nation and they can fire me just...like...that! What am I doing? I talk all of the time about writing a book but I don't make time to write. I dream all of the time about being happy and successful doing something that I love yet I keep making these jobs more important. This is officially the beginning of making things in my life happen instead of letting things in life happen to me!
I've learned from listening to people who've achieved success that you have to identify your goals, write them down and make them known so here goes: I want to write a book that inspires people to ask questions of themselves, I want to self publish that book and offer it on my website and I want to gain a following of loyal readers who I can inspire and who inspire me. Thank you for reading and I appreciate your feedback. I look forward to you helping me stay true to my goals and keeping me honest in my journey.
"You will never find time for anything, you must make it" Charles Buxton
Thursday, February 11, 2010
My Failures
Through one of the people that I am following on Twitter, Sid Savara, I found Motivational Quotes that he has compiled into THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES. In it I found 14 pages of amazing quotes by people who have achieved some form of success in their lives. I found one that inspired me to write about it and it is: "I would rather attempt something great and fail than to do nothing and succeed" Bob Bales. That is exactly what I'm talking about! I have read story after story about people who failed time and time again but continued on the path towards their success story. And you know what the difference between a successful person and the rest of the world is? The successful person never quit!! They didn't let what seemed like a failure dictate their future. Instead, they used the 'failure' as a stepping stone, learning tool and motivation to get to where they wanted to be. Where would basketball be if Michael Jordan had quit after being cut from his high school basketball team? The amount of athletes that he has inspired and made better because of his success is infinite. When you quit on your dreams after hitting some adversity, you are depriving the world of your own personal brand of genius! We all have it inside of us and our jobs are to identify it, embrace it and run full speed towards it! I've finally identified mine... I'm supposed to tell stories and inspire imagination! I've embraced my personal genius and I can't get it out fast enough!! So I say proudly that I have failed and I am appreciative of what I took away from those experiences. And through this blog you can witness my journey first hand!
Please stay with me throughout this journey and watch my successes and failures towards my goal of becoming a published author. Thank you!!!
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed" Theodore Roosevelt
Please stay with me throughout this journey and watch my successes and failures towards my goal of becoming a published author. Thank you!!!
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed" Theodore Roosevelt
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
There Are No Rules - What Can You Accomplish in 30 Days? (Free Worksheets!)
I just read an article by Jane Friedman at Writer's Digest that I'm super excited about! She's promoting "Book in a Month" by Victoria Schmidt Ph.D which, in her words, helps you set realistic goals and monitor your progress, select a story topic that will continue to inspire you throughout the writing process, quickly outline your entire story so that you have a clear idea of how your plot and characters are going to develop before you start writing, draft each act of your story by focusing on specific turning points, keep track of the areas you want to revise without losing your momentum in the middle of your story and relax and have fun—you are, after all, doing something you love. There are also worksheets to help you on this path and Jane has those on her article for free!
I will update you on my progress and let you know what I think of this book.
"You shouldn't focus on why you can't do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why, perhaps, you can and be one of the exceptions." Steve Case, CEO of America Online
There Are No Rules - What Can You Accomplish in 30 Days? (Free Worksheets!)
I will update you on my progress and let you know what I think of this book.
"You shouldn't focus on why you can't do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why, perhaps, you can and be one of the exceptions." Steve Case, CEO of America Online
There Are No Rules - What Can You Accomplish in 30 Days? (Free Worksheets!)
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