When Your Butt Hits the Chair

Your hands are poised over the keyboard, elbows are bent. You feel the raised hyphen on J and F as you position your fingers over the keys. The printer is full of paper, computer is on and cursor is blinking at the top of the page.


The second hand taunts with Tick... tock...... tick.... tock.....

Hands are poised over the keyboard, You double check your finger position as you feel the raised hyphens again over F and J. Your elbows are still bent, printer is still full of paper, Word doc is open and the cursor is beckoning like Ahab's finger... type... type... type... type...


AAArrghhhhh!


Does this happen more often than you would like? Me too.


When this happens to me I go looking for prompts and motivation either by reading one of my books or online. I ran across a few neat sites that may be able to do the trick for you if you haven't heard of them yet. Let me share them with you.


Creative Writing Prompts

As always the Writers Digest is always a great resource.


And The Teacher's Corner

Write it down,

Carma

Blogging Versus Writing

I was reading Dwaud Miracle’s post about “I’d like to blog but I can’t write” and was moved to put in my 2 cents on my blog instead of commenting on his. Besides maybe a new reader will stop by and check out his blog, therefore spreading the link love.

I agree that someone who maintains and develops a blog does not have to be a writer. The crème de la crème of writing a blog is the message. Communicate your message effectively and passionately and the mechanics of writing will develop naturally.

What we believe will determine our attitudes toward that one thing. Since whatever you believe about yourself will end up affecting what you do, you can be sure that if you believe you are not a writer, your belief will turn out to be correct, true or not.

Belief does not require that something be true, it only requires that YOU believe it to be true.

If you believe you are a writer, then by golly you ARE a writer. Just because you can’t spell good doesn’t mean you can’t write substance. After all that is why there are people in the business of editing.

What you believe can also work against you. Let’s say you believed you had trouble being accepted easily by others. As a result you found yourself standing back at parties and unsure of yourself. This can harm your self esteem. Most of the beliefs we have of ourselves are not true but our mind will believe if we let it.

Are our beliefs like birth marks? Do our beliefs one day spring out of no where? Our beliefs are not accidents of nature.

Write it down,

Carma

Countdown 2008. Time Is Perception

I could express a bunch of positive and motivating bits and pieces for the New Year but every one else is doing that so I am going to recommend a book for you in the New Year. A book where you can learn to obtain balance in your life.

Think Logically, Live Intuitively, Seeking The balance by J.R. Madaus.

The Part One title page jumped out and claimed me. “How can we get up to speed when we are going too fast already?”


Does that fit you? Have you lost control of your daily time management? How many “must-do” items are on your list?

“When one is faced with nothing but “must-do” items, priority-setting loses clarity as one faces the question of which two of the top ten priorities can be tackled today, or more realistically, in the next hour.”

According to Madaus, time is not the rigid equally measured ticks of a second hand. Time is a perception of the participants in an event.

Do these sayings sound familiar? They certainly reflect the idea that time may be perception.

Time sure does fly when you are having fun.

A watched pot never boils.

The hurrieder we go, the behinder we get.

Are your decision processes squeezed into unrealistic time frames? Long term planning has been compacted into months instead of years and today a writer can publish a book in six weeks!

The pressure is on to hurry, hurry, hurry. Even though there is so much information available to us it is sometimes difficult to find just the right facts we need. We are drowning in a sea of data. Is it possible for inspiration to be dropped into the fast lane?

Happy New Year.

Write it down,

Carma

Reflections on Menopause

I think the experience of menopause is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Because of menopause I can now say foresight is 20/20. I have discovered my intuitive self.

What comes after menopause? Don't be afraid. Menopause doesn’t last forever in case you were wondering. That’s the beauty of it. After it’s over it’s like having a hysterectomy without the surgery. Free at last, thank God I am free at last.

Gambling: I went to a casino yesterday and won eleven hundred dollars. Beginners luck? I don’t know about that because I used my post menopausal intuition to find the right machines. Post menopausal women become more focused since they do not have to plan their calendar on a 28 day cycle.

Not having periods is like living in California. The weather is mild ALL year long and there are no ice storms.

There is no cure for menopause because menopause is not a disease, it is a condition. When you arrive, that’s it baby! Let me assure all you young ones out there. You will get it.

As a post menopausal expert, I get to say things like NO. I bought an apron the other day that says “It’s all about me.” Yes, that sounds egotistical but that’s OK. I don’t have to share with anyone unless I choose too.

I don’t know why most of us have to wait until menopause to understand our purpose in life. Even at that point it may not be clear. However, my desire is to teach my children and grandchildren not to make my mistakes just as my mother tried to teach me. Enjoy Life. Good luck.

Write it down,

Carma

The Gift of Permission

When you make the decision to move forward in your writing career, it will be the first of many. You will hit many obstacles and frankly, it will be tempting to turn back.

"It’s too hard you say."

"I didn’t know it would take so much time."

This thought comes to mind: Do you truly want to reach your destination?

It is in this moment of decision that your destiny is shaped.

These decisions are YOURS to make. Remind yourself why you began this journey in the first place.

Give yourself the gift of Permission: The permission to fail, doubt and succeed, then open that gift of permission and recognize that you are moving toward your goal and you have made the right choice. A quitter never feels true commitment and will never know the glory of success.

Write it down,

Carma

Real Tree? Fake Tree? No Tree?

Which do you prefer?

I think our preference changes as we get older. When my kids were at home, nothing would do but a Real Tree. As the kids grew older the cost of presents grew as well, so we began to look for ways to save a few bucks. Fake trees were beginning to look more real and you could even buy pine scented spray. This became the norm for many years.

Soon, I got a case of the scrooges after my kids left home to build lives of their own. For some reason decorating the tree with just the company of my dogs Taylor and Rocky did not put me into the Christmas spirit.

The conversation would go something like this:

“Hey Taylor, what do you think about this ornament? Does the star look crooked?”

“Rocky, hand me the other end of the garland you have in your paw.”

As you might have guessed, this was a one way conversation. Soon, I convinced myself that decorating a Christmas tree was a human group activity. The animals were just for looks, like the ones in the Manger.

Some people may not like Christmas trees, or may be allergic to real ones or they are not able to afford fake ones. When it comes down to the wire Christmas is not about The Tree. In part Christmas is about being with people you love… or at least like. This was my lesson.

Write it down,

Carma

Let Me In Coach

There is still time to catch a free coaching session on Friday December 7 at 12 noon PST with Lisa Gates of Design Your Writing Life. Don't hesitate. To sign up click here.

This is a rare treat to have time with Lisa at her cost. Don't miss it. As a former client I will attest to the benefits of having Lisa as your coach.

Write it down,
Carma