Magical Words: Motivation (D is for Diver)

Photo by Ricky Shirke on Unsplash, meme words added by Erin Penn

The admonition of the meme is harsher than my normal, but I think the picture captures the base of it well. The dancer works every.single.day to have her body respond elegantly and swiftly to the dance requirements. Her workouts don’t only include the present dance, but other muscle memory building techniques, stretches, balance, movement, and freezes.

Writing is the same. It can’t be a sometime thing. It can’t be put off until tomorrow, and then tomorrow again and then tomorrow again. A to Z blog tour can help break the cycle of “I’ll find time to write tomorrow.” Writing muscles – from speed of typing, creative flow, self-editing as you go, having the characters actually talk to you, grammar and paragraph flow, and dozen of other techniques and skills, need constant work. Of course sometime life interferes, just like sometime a dancer can’t dance.

I’ve been a better writer. I write faster and more, when I write daily. It’s what works for me. A doctor-author-friend can only write on weekends; this method works for him. What writing exercise builds your muscles and gets you to your goals, that is the path you need to dance on.

I got the meme words from Lucienne Diver in her Magical Words post from October 3rd, 2012, “Motivation”. The URL is:

REPRINT: Exposure

Meme Exposure

Image acquired from the internet hive mind

Exposure will Burn

Have you ever been asked to do something for free and the person sells it to you as “exposure”? Happens all the time for writers, artists, musicians, and web programmers. And while some exposure is good, having only exposure goes from getting a good tan to receiving third degree burns. Frankly, most creative people are getting tired of being burned by exposure.

The above meme is a recent reaction to exposure burn.

Why the strong reaction from the musicians? Well, I know several amazing singers who are expected to sing at family weddings for free. The bridal couple chooses a song, the singer has to learn the song, practice it either to music or a live musician, present it at the recital wedding, and then finally perform it at the wedding. Basically a total of 10 to 20 hours effort, not including travel time, getting a hotel room if required, etc. All for free. Maybe getting a meal out of it for the wedding reception; the singer rarely gets to attend the recital dinner. Oh, and if they actually attend that reception, half the time they are asked to sing again. Something off the cuff.

And what do they get from this “exposure?” Another family obligation when the next person gets married when they have to do it all for free again.

Make a website for free, other people expect to get the same results. Give massages to your friends; they talk to their friends who also want free massages. Make art, expect to give it away. Edit for friends, and continue to edit for friends. No food on the table, no roof over the head, and no giving up the day job.

That is not to say “exposure” is not part of creative people’s advertising plans. For example, a writer rolling out a new book may go on a blog tour providing content to dozens of sites. Words written without pay. But it is “pay”, because it is part of the advertising; instead of renting billboards with money, the writer is spending time to advertise. In other words instead of spending $21 on Facebook to expand a post, they spend three hours (worth $7 per hour) to find bloggers willing to host them, write four posts, send them out, and then respond to any comments. Instead of spending money out-of-pocket, they spend time-off-the-clock. And practically anyone in the modern world will tell you they have even less time than money. Time is expensive.

Exposure is expensive because it is time not spent earning money or being with family and friends. The object for artists is to have exposure make them look good, be useful, like a tan. Which means they need to choose and prepare for that exposure like time at a beach. Does the exposure produce the results they need, or is it just going to produce a burn?

If you know creative people and ask them to do things, think about the cost they are incurring, not just money-wise but time-wise. Don’t try to sell it as “exposure.” If at all possible, reimburse their money costs. Accept it if they say “no” the same way you would if you asked for money and they had to turn you down. Sometimes they are “broke” and have nothing to give for the occasion.

And realize just what a “yes” means. They are offering is a true gift to you.  It is a wedding gift, birthday gift, … a gift from the heart … and treat it as such … because they are giving themselves to you.

 

Goals for 2023 – the Water Bunny!

Original Photo 137492761 © Sven Hansche | Dreamstime.com

Words added by Erin Penn

Tax season is winding up for the last whirlwind, and then back to (only) the post office, editing, and reviewing taking big chunks of time away from the writing. They also give me focus to keep writing, and the physical labor to keep me healthy.

The 2022 Strategy Plan ended up with better results than I have had in the past, so I’m going to try them again. No change to the mission statement.

Mission Statement:
Create entertaining and marketable stories which show healthy relationship choices, present educational items, and challenge people to do better.

And I think the Goals are still good. Though I need to update the blog one since I am nearly caught up! (happy dance) The big thing is writing sellable material, which means getting better at writing long-form. But the task to develop the long-form writing skill is an action, not a goal. I need the skill for the goal of sellable word volume.

Setting Goals:
1. Increase sellable words volume. (Work on writing long-form.)
2. Maintain the blog going forward.
3. Produce novels regularly, setting up a successful production line by December 2023.
4. Stay healthy

Now onward to implementation:

Specifying Actions:
1. Increase sellable word volume

  • Write daily through one flip of the hourglass.
  • Caveats – missing one day a week is allowed.
  • Evaluation – Record word volume in calendar. Total the data monthly.
  1. Maintain the blog going forward.
  • During Blog Season (December (package season) – March (tax season)) – Write at least two blogs a day until all non-fiction possible is prepped for 2024 and have all fiction postings up-to-date.
  • During Novel Season (see below) – Maintain fictional postings and fill in any non-fictional holes.
  • Evaluation – Make sure blog posts drop on schedule.
  1. Produce novels regularly – Create two genre novels a year while working for post office and doing taxes. Bonus would be writing a Vella.
  • “Novel Writing Season” – From April 1 to July 30 (novel 1); From August 1 to Nov 30 (novel 2) – four months each.
  • Novel Focus Day – One day a week, focus on the novel and only the novel. Flip the hourglass at least three times. (Morning, afternoon, evening)
  • Word goal per week for novel – 5,000 words for the first three months (65,000), fourth month is editing and cleanup. Aim on novel writing day is half the volume (2,500) and five other days of (500) each.
  • Evaluation – Daily counts, but more importantly weekly evaluation on Saturday. (Week counts will be from Sunday to Saturday).
  1. Stay Healthy
  • Doctor appointments – Make and keep the four recommended doctor appointments: Eye Glasses; Dentist; General Doctor; Woman Doctor. Evaluation: Make one a quarter. Are they complete at the end of the year?
  • Daily exercise – On days not working for the post office, do yardwork or collect litter in the neighborhood.
    • Caveat forgive during tax season.
    • Evaluation: Reassess monthly and see if need to be redirected.
  • Healthy food – Plan weekly meals on Monday.
  • Overall Evaluation: Keep weight below 200. Happy goal would be 185 by the end of 2023.

Other Cool Blogs: Medium – Murray Blehart

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

How much is too much?

Murry Blehart asked this question back in December in his blog “Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Stories in the Queue?” (Medium, 12/13/2022). (The link written out is: https://mjblehart.medium.com/is-there-such-a-thing-as-too-many-stories-in-the-queue-266e53926f29)

He gives a comforting answer of find your own path and be aware of your joys and limitations (his blog on medium is about mindfulness).

Do I have too many jobs? At present count, now that the political job four-year term is over (and related supporting political job), I’m down to ONLY seven gigs. 

Do I have too many stories? (Looking over the blog, with flash ideas in the hundreds.)

Do I have too many projects? (Looking around the room at the to-be-done piles.)

Yes, and yet, no.

The jobs are needed to pay the bills and that loss of income from the political jobs – small though it is – hurts and I’m trying to figure out a way to make it up. But the keeping track of them and switching between them sucks up executive decision-making energy better used for creative vitality. I have fun with them, but I could have fun with other things too.

The stories just keep coming and I have no more control over them than the weeds in the yard – write them or pull them, the project is not a project but a process. (Project in business-speak has an completion-date, Process is on-going tasks like cleaning the home, making meals, or a manufacturing line. Individual tasks within a process many be completed, but the task will be there again tomorrow because most things in life is about flow. Life is a river, not a port.)

Projects? Well, I also try to keep the new shinnies down but…

Find more Catana Comics at: https://catanacomics.com/ (and many other web locations and in book stores)

WRITING EXERCISE: Take a moment and think mindfully. Are your “stories-in-queue” (or pictures to be drawn, or embroidery to be done, or tasks) bringing your joy or burdens? Is it too much? If too much, think what to trim to bring it under control. If not, celebrate the Joy and take a moment on your queue.

Other Blogs: David B. Coe, Author of Fantasy

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

January brings a host of resolutions and resolves – the biggest combo is work better and clean stuff. Strangely the work better often comes from cleaning stuff. Having room to work without the mental fatigue of seeing other tasks and duties can make a huge difference in attitude.

David B. Coe describe this dilemma and solution in his Professional Wednesday: Tending to Our Work Space (May 18, 2022). (The direct link is: https://www.davidbcoe.com/2022/05/18/professional-wednesday-tending-to-our-work-space/ – last viewed 12/12/2022)

Between package season for my post office job and tax season for my other day-job, my desk is buried in paperwork and project lists and I don’t know when I will get through it all. There are tasks years old that I still mean to get to someday. My honey-do list to myself.

When I did the yard hole-fill-in last year (see lawn leveling), I got rejuvenated. A task weighing me down was released to the ether. Hope raised and danced the jig for a time.

WRITING EXERCISE

Take two hours (or whatever the project needs) and clean one thing you’ve been meaning to clean. This isn’t a procrastination from writing, but an energy building project. Clean something bothering in the line of sight of your desk. Squeaky wheel – WD-40. Leaky pen – throw it out and replace. One stack of papers that keeps shifting – actually clear it. If it drains energy instead of putting a smile on your face when sitting at your writing desk, fix it.

Just one thing today.

Maybe you need to have one hour of your writing week set aside to maintaining your HAPPY work space. Think about it. If the mess is draining your writing, making it hard to start or to maintain, then something needs doing. Maybe an all out attack like Mr. Coe did over several days (he is a full-time writer, so take that into account on his ability to focus), maybe a happy tree fix once a week.

Comment below on what you did to make your writing space more pleasant to work in this week.

From the Internet hivemind