Life Creeps In, Life Creeps Out

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At the start of 2008, I vowed to devote myself to bettering my writing. To take a "writer's journey" and explore new genres and interests while simultaneously striving to improve on the basics such as grammar, use of simile and metaphor, attention to detail, etc.

I dropped much of my paid work and cleared my schedule. But I've noticed life has a way of creeping in. And what starts out as a month with no committment other than to write suddenly becomes filled with meetings, speeches, workshops, lunches, assignments, and other obligations.

This month, for example, I agreed to:

  • Give a speech in my advanced Toastmasters club
  • Create a tri-board for the club (the accursed thing still isn't complete)
  • Write two 600-word assignments for a regional publication.
  • Write a monthly article for a UK-based dog site, www.dogtwist.com
  • Organize long runs for my running group
  • Teach a 2 hour networking workshop at the Women's Resource Center
  • Attend an all-day marketing brainstorming meeting for a friend
  • Facilitate a 2-hour Saturday writing workshop for kids in the foster care system
  • Attend a concert of my neice's in Raleigh
  • Attend as a guest a women-only networking/mentoring club
  • Wrangle out the details of a dental claim with our insurance company
  • 2 doctor appointments, one trip to the vet, 2 races, 1 massage (had a coupon), 2 lunches with friends, one dinner out.

Looking ahead to March, I already have a book signing at a local libary and a book launch party to attend for a friend. The rest of the month appears gloriously free of commitment. And I aim to keep it that way. I've discovered that when I have a free schedule, it's so easy to agree to "stuff." I think, "Well, I certainly have time to fit a speech or a tri-board into my month." But I say that 10 times and then--oops!--the month is full and I didn't focus on what I said I wanted to focus on.

So... back to hibernation. It's a game of push and pull. I do too much... I cut back... I let life creep in... I push back. On a bright note, however, I've done over 50,000 new words of creative writing since the start of the new year. That's probably more than I did all last year combined. So I'm getting there. It's just a matter of deciding WHAT I want to spend my time on, WHY that's important to me, and then sticking to it.

Here's a quote I love:

"Let the act of changing be the reward, and do not count on the outcome, for it may well be far different than you ever imagined."

Smart Writers & World Events

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My writer friend Edmund and I had a conversation last month about writers and how the best writers are very, very smart. When you read interviews with them it says things like, "Mr. Smith reads five newspapers a day, including French and Italian papers which he has delivered daily." Or their bio will begin, "After completing a PhD in biophysics at MIT, Ms. Johnson decided to try her hand at novel writing..."

Make me puke.

I barely keep up with the news. I'll catch 10 minutes of the Today show every now and again, skim the Sunday paper, and maybe log onto MSNBC. I'm not proud to admit it, but there you have it. Which is why one of my semi-goals for the new year is to read a daily paper. I'm still debating whether I want the local paper, USA Today, or maybe even The Wall Street Journal (I enjoy the writing there).

I say semi-goal because I'm not convinced I'll keep up with it. Reading a paper takes time. That's over an hour each day that will disappear from an already busy schedule. BUT, a firm goal of the New Year is to drastically cut back on TV time.  For January, I'm allotting an hour a day during the week, and 2 hours/day on weekends, in case I want to watch a DVD.  The point being though, I should be able to switch an hour of wasted TV viewing over to keeping up with world events. Not a bad tradeoff.

Will it make me smarter? Probably not. But I'll take "better informed" and "able to participate in conversations with some degree of intelligence," as goals worthy of striving for.

I think I'll start with the local paper and if that goes well, move up the chain. Who knows? This time next year I may have French newspaper delivered to my door. Stay tuned...

NC Writers' Network Fall Conference

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Back to the land of the living. I have been running at full speed since Saturday morning but it's all been worth it. My friend Pam Cable and I presented a 1 1/2 hour workshop on Saturday at the NC Writers' Fall Conference. Our topic was "Publicity, Promotion, & Pulling Your Hair Out." We had 25 attendees and received great feedback. So good, in fact, that at the Saturday night dinner in front of the 500 attendees, the conference director actually gave a special call-out to Pam and myself for some of the advice we'd offered during the workshop.

Although I enjoy teaching, there's also a little nervousness there as you're never quite sure what you're going to get in terms of attendees. Luckily, we had a room full of eager listeners who participated, asked questions, and contributed their own knowledge. Pam and I both left the room feeling great about what had taken place.

Aside from that, I got a lot out of the conference itself. I have it on the top of my to-do list to contact an agent who was there. I didn't attend her session but apparently she was on a panel and made the announcement that she was desperate for an author to write a "crazy cat book."  Uh... hello? People were coming up to me all weekend saying, "You have GOT to meet Bess." I agree. Bess, Bess... where are you? I could never find her so I'm shooting her an e-mail today.

I'm also pleased to announce that my Lessons In Stalking books sold out at the conference. The Barnes & Noble woman running the table (who was reading my book on her breaks) said people would buy one and then come back and buy 3 more. That just warms a cat authors heart.

Other news:

  • I went running at Salem Lake on Sunday and managed to trip over a rock and fall before I even hit Mile Marker 1. My left knee is now this huge skinned, bloody mass. Really attractive. I'll be sure to wear a lot of skirts in the next couple of weeks. It doesn't hurt much, other than at night when it comes in contact with the sheets.
  • My running group had their farewell dinner last night. I've spent all summer with these people. Lots of laughing and reminiscing. ("Less talk! More run!") It's encouraging to see the huge leaps of improvement everyone has made.
  • I had a quick two-minute appearance this morning on Fox 8 Morning News. Talked about my story in the Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul book. Cindy Farmer is warm and wonderful but is it really worth all the time spent on hair and make-up for the brief appearance? (Answer: Yes, of course.)
  • We're having our front porch repainted. So when our relatives arrive on Thanksgiving, there should be lines of yellow tape crisscrossing the front of the house, warning them not to enter. Let's hope they take the hint.

So much for the glamorous world of public speaking. I've lost the kickin' boots and stylish clothes and am back in t-shirt and sweat pants, ready to re-enter the realm of the written word. Back to work.