Head Hopping
Friday, March 28, 2003I've edited a lot of manuscripts by first time authors, and many of them have a deadly fault...head hopping. Basically, you have a scene Like this...
Andromeda took a pen out of her pocket and used it to nudge the cloth aside. The partial picture was a painting, a miniature, she thought they were called. It was Sevrin. How did she know the prince of Vampires? Was she a victim? A helper? Someone who wanted to become one? Andromeda would have to ask him. She picked up the diary and began leaping through it. Alaister, across the room, looked at her. She was intent, and he thought again how pretty she was.
Now, on the surface, this doesn't seem to be so bad. I transferred you from one head to another, but still, it can be confusing. Also, there are other ways of conveying the information without hopping around, you can add dialouge (always good to show rather than tell...dialouge shows, rather than feeding the reader) or you can tell us later, while we are in Alaister's head. See, you can change heads...just not in the same scene. For example:
She picked up the diary and began leafing through it.
Across the room Alaister clearned his throat. "Sometimes I can't belive how pretty you are."
Andromeda blinked at him. "Um...we're in the middle of a case. Where'd that come from?"
Alaister shrugged, sighed. "I don't know. It's what the author told me to say."
Andromeda rolled her eyes and went back to work.
See? More dynamic. Less confusing. Head hopping in this case might not seem bad enough for an editor or agent not to choose to accept you...but as you keep doing it, it makes things more confusing...imagine if I went on longer, and hopped back and forth between them a bunch of times...then threw in a few idle thoughts from Sevrin. You'd go mad trying to wade through it. Also, because of this, even a small amount of head hopping will mark you as an amatuer...even if you only do it once, and you attribute the heck out of it, and have a really, really good reason for doing it.
Most important of all, never, ever, ever do something that might give your reader a achance to put the book down.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 7:08 PM
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NEXT LIVE CHAT WITH AUTHOR!
Sponsored by Writer Marsha Ward and
the Marsha_Ward Yahoo! Group
WHO: Award winning Mystery/Thriller Author Tim Miller. Check out his website at http://www.timmiller.org.
WHAT: A fun chat with an author who has published two books: Without a Trace and Out of Nowhere.
WHEN: Friday, March 28, 2003, at 9 p.m. Eastern,
8 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Mountain, & 6 p.m. Pacific.
Arizona folks, come at 7 p.m.
WHERE: http://marshaward.com/chats/livechats.html
Marsha Ward
Chat Hostess
PS: Go visit the chat room ahead of time to be sure you know the ins and outs of getting and staying there.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:48 PM
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Writer to Writer chat welcomes
Cindy Daniel,
author of "Death Warmed Over"
Time: 9-10 PM ET
URL: http://chat.iuniverse.com/default/default.asp?channel=Writer_to_Writer
Death Warmed Over (coming soon) is a lighthearted mystery about a 30-something divorced mother who stumbles into sleuthing while trying to save the honor of her promiscuous sister. It is spiced with falling in love (well, lust, if you will), sweetened with family support (intrusive busybodies), and grounded with good old fashioned Christian guilt (I cannot even begin to explain that in one sentence). It even involves the death of an East Texas beauty queen and - of course - pickup trucks.
I knew I was destined to become a writer of fiction when life handed me such a wealth of material with which to draw upon (i.e. being a multi-divorced mother of two teenagers, while battling breast cancer, marrying my brother-in-law after helping my sister through a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, preceded by having my brother arrested for trying to operate a house of ill-repute, as my family full of Pentecostal preachers tried to pray us through). And, yes, if my Momma drove a truck I could've written a country song!
Admittedly, it took me quite a while to acknowledge my calling. But after completing a two year project as managing editor for a medical textbook (W.B. Saunders, Inc.) - I decided it was time to write for myself and not for others. So I picked up my pen and started creating my fictional family.
I set out to write a book where the reader and the characters would become kindred spirits. One in which the reader would become protective of their newfound friends, anticipate their activities, and anxiously assist in catching the bad guy. I feel confident that I achieved my original goal, and I had the added benefit of having a lot of fun while achieving it. With the first book of the series complete, I am now hard at work writing book two; any spare time is spent designing a website to promote my 'virtual' bookstore.
Netera and Curatus
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:45 PM
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Question for you!
Tuesday, March 25, 2003Hello! I've been looking at my stats, and noticed that there are some of you who come to visit me every so often. I've been looking at different things...tag boxes, (a chat box that would sit over to the right, and allow people to send little messages) commenting applications like Entenation, things that would allow you to have my posts emailed to you....things like that. I am also considering re-doing the template. The writing seems a tiny bit skinchy. Would any of these changes make this site more attactive? Would they put you off? If there anything I havn't listed that you'd like me to add? Please sign my guestbook or use the email link to drop me a line and let me know. I am always trying to think of ways to make this site, this journal, more pleasing. :)
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 2:05 PM
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Writer's Realm welcomes author
Katherine Shephard
on Tuesday, March 25,
from 9-10 PM ET in The Printed Word, Books Community IM HOST RL
Maren for the path to the room.
About the book:
Will the Lieutenant Governor of the Great State of Texas vote his
conscience, or will he trade his principles for power? This dichotomy
reverberates all through Fraternity of Silence. Meet Christine
Elizabeth Pullen: sassy and often naive, spoiled and restless. A
recent graduate of Michigan State University, her infatuation with
Robert Larken, political news broadcaster, sets events in motion.
Before she can say "armadillo," Larken is mysteriously appointed Lt.
Governor of Texas and Christine is renamed Beth. How and why? The
answers come with a steep price tag.
HOST RL Maren
Research & Learn
Writer's Realm chat
The Printed Word
Fiction - Writer's Realm message board
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 2:01 PM
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Books For Soilders....
Sunday, March 23, 2003Hey guys...links make a funny journey. Someone who saw this on Wil Wheaton's Blog sent this to Neil Gaiman's blog...where most of you probably saw this, but then, maybe not. It's too cool, too nice to pass up...
Books for Soilders - http://www.booksforsoldiers.com/
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 12:02 PM
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I belong to a ton of Yahoo groups. A *ton* I tell you, and so, I was less than happy to hear about the automnaticly opted in Web Beacon thing. Let me cut and paste the gist of this.....
Web pages may contain electronic images (called a "single-pixel GIF" or "web beacon") that allow a web site to count users who have visited that page or to access certain cookies.
Yahoo! uses web beacons within the Yahoo! network of web sites in order to count users and to recognize users by accessing Yahoo! cookies.
Being able to access Yahoo! cookies allows us to personalize your experience when you visit Yahoo! web sites that are located both on and off of the yahoo.com domain. For example, Yahoo! GeoCities pages are mostly located on the geocities.com domain.
Outside the Yahoo! Network
Yahoo! uses web beacons to conduct research on behalf of certain partners on their web sites and also for auditing purposes.
Information recorded through these web beacons is used to report aggregate information about Yahoo! users to our partners. This aggregate information may include demographic and usage information. No personally identifiable information about you is shared with partners from this research.
It's also in your html formatted email. Click here for the rest of the information, and the opt out link: http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html When you click on the link, make sure you read everything carefully...on the next page there's a button, and normally you'd press it to finsih the process...if you click on it, it cancels the opt out. Sneaky creatures.
I've opted out for one of my browsers already, but I still have to do it for Netscape...yes, you have to opt out for every browser. I'm not sure why I care...I don't *do* anything exciting. I mostly hang out at writer sites, and recently I've been watching Ebay so I can complete my Sharpes collection...Man, Bernard Cornwell's books can get a bit pricey! I guess I don't like the feeling of being watched.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 11:50 AM
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Saturday, March 22, 2003Also, I have a new favorite place... www.iblist.com is really wonderful...it's a volunteer run data base of fiction books. They're looking for volunteers, so I signed up. So far I've added a bunch of Jennifer Roberson books, and a Bernard Cornwell. It's great because you can also search by series.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:50 PM
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Aha! I actually updated a page....
I've added authors to my others page...some good people, some lovely freinds.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:46 PM
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Ah, no
Thursday, March 20, 2003So, it's war.
A while back I said I didn't know what I thought...see, a lot of people will tell you that they do know what they think about the war, but I think that either they are a) one of the very few who have enough facts to draw a real conclusion, b) Are picking up whatever party line they feel comfortable with (the majority) or c) just flat out lying. Here's what I do know:
I feel terrible about it.
I feel funny because people naturally lump things together...we aren't comfortable seeing the pixels, we need to see the pciture they make up...but, well, each pixel, in this case, is self aware. Whether it uses the brain God gave it or not is its business. So, to all these poor people in Iraq, to all of you who are not from the US but who read my journal, I'm the bad guy. I'm the bully...but I'm not. The choices that have been made are not the choices I would have condoned.
I feel even worse that I don't have any control...right or wrong my government...my vaunted By the People for The People...is going to do what it wants. What I want...what *I* want is a national health care plan. What I want is to be able to get my father to go to a doctor, and have the doctor actually help...actually @!#!! listen to us instead of fobbing us off wth more pills we can't really afford. What I want is Biush not to give the rich a frickin' tax break, then put us back in debt, instead of using the money he refunded us to do something useful...what I want is my government to stop dipping into Social Security.
Now, the trend sounds quite self centered, but I have a point. I'm saying that instead of war, we ought to be tending our own wounds, instead of being hypocritcal, acting like we don't have our own problems. Yes, I'm scared of terrorism...yes, I want to help the people of the world. I don't want people to be hungry, or homeless, or scared. But...oh, and brace yourself, I'm actually going to paraphrase the Bible...we need to take the beam from our own eye before we can get the mote from our brother's eye...i.e., we need to stabalize ourselves, put good programs in place that protect our own people, so that then, we can reach out and help others. During this time of looking at our problems, the UN could have been doing its job, and perhaps this war could be avoided.
What really bothers me is that I don't know enough to decide...yes, Saddam Hussein seems to be a pretty nasty bit of work. I do know that he should no longer be in power...but is that really the agenda, here?
Perhaps my biggest crime isn't ignorance. Perhaps it is thi, and it is something I think I share with all my Americans: We want to beleive. We want to beleive our president is doing the right thing. We want to think that our country is making this sacrifuce of people and money for the good of Iraq. That when this is over that all will be great, the UN will still be in one peice.
But all I feel right now is worry. I worry about the soilders we've sent over there, I worry about the people of Baghdad, I even worry, oddly enough, about the archelogical treasures that may soon be nothing more than rubble.
And I worry about the consequences...
But one last thing. I do support the soilders who are being taken from their families and sent to fight. They are brave, good people, who are following orders, who have great faith and determination. I can not help but admire them, even as I worry.
I pray for a quick, painless as possible end. I pray for what is right.
My love to you all. Especially since you read this rather silly rant.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 5:52 PM
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Sara Douglass interview up....
Tuesday, March 18, 2003I had the wonderful honor of interviewing fantasy writer Sara Douglass recently...she says some really neat things about writing.
Please check it out or, if this link doesn't work, got to www.gottawritenetwork.com, and click on fantasy under Genre to Genre. Her most recent book is Hades' Daughter, which I reviewed for Mostly Fiction.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:28 PM
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Last Friday, because of some difficulties, we didn't have a guest at the chat...so, we started talking, and it ended up being a very interesting brainstorming session...so, if you can make this chat tonight, and usually you avoid writing chats because you feel uncomfortable, this one's definately for you.
Hello everyone,
We're going to do something a little different tonight. Rather than have a guest, I think it more appropriate to have an open chat. There's a lot going on in the world and in our lives. Sometimes you just need to talk about it. So, I hope to see you all from 9-10 PM ET in The Printed Word chatroom. If you want to talk about your latest writing project or need a little brainstorming session, that's fine, too.
HOST RL Maren
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 12:05 PM
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Monday, March 17, 2003I had a rough week last week, but I learned a lot. The most important thing, which I would like you to walk away with, is this.
If you apply to a place where you take a Word document and use the track changes/comment feature to make changes to it, then pretty please make sure they know that you used the commenting feature. This will save them thinking you don't know what the hell you're doing, and deciding not to give you employment after all.
Cool moment of the week:
Almost a year ago, I interviewed Jon F. (The Fixer, The Invoker) Merz. I found him to be kind, sensible, and still dedicated to hepling out his fellow writers. I won't stand around acting like he's my friend, but I genuinely like him. So, I meant to buy a copy of The Invoker, which came out last October. I decided to wait until I could see if the SFSite was going to get a copy...I'd reviewed The Fixer for them, and because I seem to get all the vampire books I ask for, (which is a big yay!) I thought, well, if no one else who's reviewing for them likes vampires, then Lawson's going to be sitting unwanted, and there's nothing sadder than that. But Pinnacle hadn't sent them a review copy as far as I could tell...and time passed, and I didn't get to buy the book. Yesterday, I went to Gaint Eagle, and two shiny copies were sitting on the shelf. I went all goofy..."I know this guy!! Isn't that cool!" I exclaimed. (the cash register girls must think I'm nuts) and bought it.
Of course I'll never get to read it. (looks at tottering pile of review copies...see, I pay for these books by reviewing them....if I pay for them with money, then I've earned them, and I don't have to read them, so I won't, no matter how much I want to...well, it *is* Lawson....maybe I can squeeze him in.) But you know what the whole point of this dumb story was? Because, for some reason, the fact that someone I'd chatted with, who I'd interviewed, someone I know was sitting on that shelf. And it made the whole thought of seeing *my* book on that shelf feel more real, more possible.
I'm praying that Blue Moon gets picked up by the new Harlequin line, Luna. Now for those of you who have their noses all wrinkled, thinking, "Harlequin?" It's not a regular line, but a imprint, like Mira. And Mira rocks. But, as you all know, we have low periods in the writing life. Nail biting periods. I force myself to remember something that Yan Martle said in a chat I hosted, he said that he tried not to be hungry for writing sucess, because it was a very hard hunger to feed. Still, I'd like something else on my stomac beside nail clippings. Anyway, please wish me luck.
BTW, I'm not starving. I'm being melodramatic. I'm safe and warm and fed. Just desperate.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:34 PM
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Wednesday, March 12, 2003Some day, Cara Fagan will be on the cover of Poets and Writers magazine, and a lot of people will be saying how well they know her, and how talented she is, and what a strong literary voice she has.
I just want to say I said it first. Or well, I was one of the the first.
Please check this out.... http://www.newyinzer.com/n-storybook.html , a book that prmises to be filled with some pretty marvelous stories.
And I'm very proud of you, Cara.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 9:51 PM
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Hello! Blather first....
Well, this has been a stressful week. It's one of those weeks where...you know the annoucer on NBC? The one who sounds so falsly jovial as he announces the next (usually comedy) show? Well, I can hear him..."The week from hell continues with an all new problem!" So that's my excuse for not posting this stuff sooner...and not posting the writers realm thingy at all. ICk.
By the way, one of the Iuniverse chats coming up will be really cool...you can come as your own character. Isn't that neat? So, if you've written anything, or if you have a favorite book (I think) then you can come to the chat as that person. Especially cool since you don't join iUniverse, you just type a name and chat. It's like the ultimate costume ball.
Save Lawson!!!
One of my freinds told me on an underground movement that's been started to save the Lawson Vampire series by Jon F. Merz. The series is wonderful...Lawson is a vampire...and an enforcer, dedicated to preserving the laws of his kind. It's a combination of espionage, horror and adventure, much harder edged that Anne Rice. Unfortunately, though we've been promised many adventures in this series, Pinnacle hasn't picked them up yet, so I'm asking you, if you're a fan, to write the company or email them (writing's better, but email's faster) and let them know that they need to pick up the rest of the lawson series. Here's a link for more information...www.themerzlegacy.tk On my works page there are ;onks to my reviews of The Enforcer, and to an interview with Jon F. Merz. He's a great guy, and a talented writer.
Walter Zacharius
Kensington Publications Corp.
850 3rd Avenue 16th Floor
New York, NY 10022
wzacharius@kensingtonbooks.com
Is the addy.
Gotta Write Offers Promotional Services
GWN has been working day and night to promote authors through book reviews and interviews. Here's a way to give back to the system
without paying a month's rent:
1) Virtual Bookstore listings which features a jpg of your book cover, a short summary and ordering info. $20 for 4 months. A big
plus is that titles added to the bookstore today and in the days to come will be featured on the front page. With over 12,600+ hits we're
getting the traffic now that will get you noticed.
2) Writer's Directory listing - A jpg of you and your bio statement. $20 for an unlimited time.
Both these features will help pay the cost of the website and possibly pay for those hardworking top producing staff members of
mine. My angels!!
GWN is trying to grow, but we need your help. Email me at
Netera@aol.com for mailing info.
Netera777
gottawritenetwork.com
WRITING CONTEST!
Published author and editor Shoshana Lepon wants to hear about the
challenges you have faced in life and what you have gained from your experiences. High-level writing a must! Any style, any subject, up to 2500 words. I am looking for personal stories, not newspaper articles. Humor is welcome! BTW, I am trying to stay away from topics of illness, abuse and other horrible things. I'm looking for more upbeat submissions. Also please no "poor me!" stories. $250.00 for the winning entry.
All submissions will be considered for publication in Shoshana Lepon's new anthology: Life's Little Lessons (& Big Ones, Too!). $15 and 1 free copy to all authors published. I purchase one-time rights, only. Opportunity to work with motivational writing coach and experienced editor! Good exposure! Authors' bios included! No Entry Fee! NO ATTACHMENTS, PLEASE!!! JUST COPY AND PASTE IN EMAIL! Deadline: April 30, 2003. Please email all submissions to: lepon@zahav.net.il
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 11:31 AM
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Friday, March 07, 2003Yesterday it rained ice....each tree branch, the cars, the ground were all encased in ice. The rhododendrens dripped ice, the car cover bore a bead like double fringe of icicles.
Which made this morning a bit like a miracle. The sun was up, and bright, the sky a cloudless perfect clear blue...and the world was an ice garden in bloom The trees acorss the valley looked like they were made of fresh polished silver, the trees that I stood under, looking up through the branches to the vault of sky, sparkled in every color. The world glittered and refracted.
I wish I could show it to you, I wish I could take the picture of it, one that would show everything, from the dripping of water that was steady as rain to the sorcery of the glittering trees. I would give it to you, the experience and wonder of it, if I could.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:10 PM
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I've talked to Brain a couple of times...he's a real sweetie. I also read his book (I reviewed it for Mostly Fiction) and loved it. He's a lot of fun to talk to, so I;m really looking forward to this.
Last week's chat was amazing. Linda Dominique Grosvenor wa not only nice, but she had a lot of information to share about the publishing industry.
Tonight's Writer to Writer chat features
author Brian Rouff, author of "Dice Angel."
We'll meet from 9-10 PM ET at http://chat.iuniverse.com/default/default.asp?channel=Writer_to_Writer.
About Brian's Book:
LOSING LAS VEGAS
Jimmy Delaney is on another bad roll. His ex-wife is cranky. A homeless guy keeps scaring the hell out of him. Burglars clean out all the coins from the video poker machines at his saloon, Jimmy D's. His accountant is missing - with all the bar's money. He can't get a loan because the IRS has a lien on the joint and a rogue revenue agent with a personal grudge is seizing Jimmy D's on Friday unless Delaney can come up with $50,000 in back taxes.
Losing streaks in Las Vegas can be the worst in the world.
And then a mysterious woman enters his life. A karma-spouting planet -charting colon-cleansing floozy - the Dice Angel. Can Delaney save Jimmy D's with a supernaturally hot hand at the crap tables at Luxor? Or does Lady Luck bite off, chew up, and spit out another Las Vegas loser...
Netera and Curatus
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 6:04 PM
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Tuesday, March 04, 2003Hey, by the way....if you are an author on AOL, Writer's Realm is always looking for guests...I am loath to post emails, so please, let me know and I'll pass the information on...or ask her at the chat. :)
If you're not on AOL, (or if you are) then come visit the friday night chat at iUniverse. You can be published by anyone...it's just where the chat's held. Again, contact me, and I'll hook you up.
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 2:30 PM
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Writer's Realm's special guest tonight will be
Mystery Author Joanne Fluke. Please join us for cookies and punch from 9-10 PM ET in
The Printed Word chatroom.
Like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke grew up in a small town in rural Minnesota where her neighbors were friendly, the winters were fierce, and the biggest scandal was the spotting of unidentified male undergarments on a young widow's clothesline. She insists that there really are 10,000 lakes and the mosquito is NOT the state bird.
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Her titles include: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Blueberry Muffin Murder, Strawberry Shortcake Murder and her newest title Lemon Meringue Pie Murder.
About Lemon Meringue Pie Murder:
LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER will be released this month. Hiro Kimura, the cover artist, has done it again! Lemon meringue pie has never looked so delicious… and so menacing. Here’s a little taste of the story to whet your appetite for Hannah Swensen’s next adventure: The residents of Lake Eden, Minnesota, are planning to paint the town red, white, and blue to celebrate the Fourth of July – but the fireworks are already going off at Hannah Swensen’s bake shop, The Cookie Jar…Hannah Swensen thought she’d finally discovered the recipe for a perfect life. But her sometime beau Norman Rhodes tosses a surprise ingredient into the mix when he phones to tell her he’s just bought a house from local drugstore clerk Rhonda Scharf – which he plans to tear down in order to build the dream home he and Hannah designed. It seems the plan has been cooking for quite some time, and Hannah’s shocked. Especially since her ring finger is still very much bare.The good news is that the soon-to-be-torn-down house is full of antiques – and Norman has given Hannah and her mother first dibs. They uncover some gorgeous old furniture, a patchwork quilt… and Rhonda Scharf’s dead body. Not exactly what they were looking for. A little more sleuthing turns up the half-eaten remains of a very special dinner for two – and one of The Cookie Jar’s famous lemon meringue pies. It’s obvious Rhonda was expecting someone for dinner – perhaps one of the men she was secretly dating. Now it’s up to Hannah to turn up the heat – and get busy tracking down clues. Starting in her very own kitchen…Includes seven original cookie and dessert recipes for you to try.
Visit Joanne's web site at: http://www.murdershebaked.com/
HOST RL Maren
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 2:27 PM
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Woo-Hoo!
I would like to announce that my archives are officially working! Special thanks to the nice man at Blogger Control who looked at it and figured out...a simple little ketch, really....what was wrong. The way my web page is set up...well, let me explain better, in case it'll help someone...for you guys to see my files, I have to place them in a specail folder on my server. So, since all my archive files go in this folder, and the folder path has to be listed in my blogger settings, I added that path, let's call it /net/ to my url in the archive template. So, he suggested I take it out...and now, the url works fine, and sends you right to the blogger archive. When you click on one of the links to the right, it'll take you to a page that looks exactly like this one. :) Except, of course, the posts are different. At least we hope so.
I am so stoked. I mean, ok, most of the past stuff is, like, tre boring, but it's good to have it availabel, and working. It bothered me.
Waves!!!
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 4:27 PM
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Sunday, March 02, 2003I couldn't resist trying again.
Or three times.
The only one for you is Neil Gaiman!
Yeah, too bad for you he's married. But you can
join the ranks of screaming fan girls just in
case anyways. Check him out at:
http://neilgaiman.com
What SF writer will you marry?
brought to you by Quizilla
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 1:52 PM
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Well, one of the things that I learned about being a freelancer is that you get bored...not bored on a concious level, because you're writing and reading and making contacts and trying to be successful enough that you don't have to guilt yourself into looking at the papers to see if there's any jobs you really ought to apply for. It's a low level boredom, but you still have to fight it. Fortunately, it's all easy battles.
1. Keep the schedule simple...if you're like me, you have every hour blocked off into book reviews, then editing, then doing this or that...I think it's better to have a schedule loose. Set goals for the day, then try and meet them. My goals for tomorrow include writing so many words, and two book reviews. This way you don't feel trapped.
2. Don't let yourself go to weed, just because you're only going out once a week to get some groceries. Right now I'm wearing lipstick, and I feel better. So shave, dress decently (but comfy!) and take care of yourself. Who cares if no one sees you? The only reason why you should dress up anyway is to please yourself (and, alright, since we're being realistic, to adhere to a dress code...no one wants fired or kicked out of a restaraunt...and I add attracting unattainable British men to my list.)
3. Shake up the schedule. I've been running this like a business...which it is. Up in the morning at a decent time, exercise so that my body doesn't atrophy, sit down and start doing. After I'm done, usually around after dinner, I can relax...read, play some games, watch some telly, craft. BUT, what happens if you play an hour of your favorite video game first, or quit around one for a bit to snuggle up by the window with a cup of tea and read? Why be a freelancer if you can't enjoy the freedom of it? As long as you meet your goals, who cares if the review gets done around midnight instead of two pm?
I know this is all pretty common sense sounding stuff...I think that we never learn so much as exprience sometimes. Someone can tell you 1, 2, 3...but until you've lived in a situation where 1,2,3 applies, it doesn't sink in. Then you "discover" these things, and fit them into your own life.
And that's my Sunday sermon. :D
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 1:46 PM
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