Wednesday, April 25, 2012

War Post: April 25th Mashup & Goals

It is another Wednesday and I'm so happy to be back folks.  It is interesting how just little things can change in your life and just suck the life right out of you.  As I look back the depression had inched its way into me over several weeks, but I'm "leaning into the pain" (even though to be honest I don't want to sometimes) and learning some new lessons.  Once upon a time I had a motto that I can do hard things, and I think its time I picked that back up again.  One of the hard things I plan on doing is keeping more goals and making them smaller so that I can accomplish them more frequently.  But first today, we are going to have a proper Mashup, cause let's be honest.  We haven't had a good one in a few weeks.  Let's do this.

Esther Inglis-Arkell tells us the truth we should have known about summer in: "The Physics that Explain Why You Should Wear Black This Summer."

I love Ingrid, she always finds great advice for folks like in this post: "To Type or Not to Type?"

David Powers King offers some awesome tips for how to actually make it in the writers market in: "Aspiring Advice: Selling (Being) Yourself."

My friend Heidi Thornock asked a great question in her blog and I hope that some of you might be able to visit and answer her at: "Why do we care about Grammar?"

The Wordsmith mentions some pretty good suggestions as how to get yourself writing when you don't feel you can in: "3 Steps to a Focused Writing Environment."

Kristen Lamb points out something I hadn't realized about Villians in: "The Key Ingredient for Dramatic Tension – Understanding the Antagonist."

Todd Hollingshead brings us news of the real Batman's technology coming to life in: "BYU engineers create Batman-like device for Air Force competition."

In ROW80 we have a guest blogger each week, and this week Gene Lempp wrote: "Why I Love Being a Writer."

Larry Correia tells us some reasons we should buy his book in: "ADVERTISEMENT: Hard Magic mass market paperback out next week!"  (Trust me this is funny.)

Kirsten de Bouter wrote an awesome post everyone's inner war in: "Most Wars Are Fought In Our Own Minds."

Natalie Hartford shares an embarrassing story and promos a more embarrassing product in: "Road trip life saver."

K. L. Schwengel reminds us of the options we have when we have stepped up the the edge in: "On the Edge."

Team Oyenyi talks about the challenges of learning a new language in: "Two difficult English language sounds."

Asrai, the Maven of Mischief, proves why Twitter can be awesome in: "twitter conversations with Zoe Winters."

I stumbled across Bryan Schmidt on Asrai's blog and I just loved the post so I thought I'd share: "Write Tips: The Power Of Diligence."

Last, but not least– N.K. Jemisin, one of my literary heroines, defends the strength of women everywhere in: "There’s no such thing as a good stereotype."

Oh and if you happen to like some of the writing posts here, check out Inkpageant for all sorts of writerly blogs.  I usually post there, but I've been "lazy" lately.  And after you're done checking them out watch what happens when girls become gamers.



Again I had to go to the drawing board and consider if I am trying to do too much.  I had to come to the decision of whether or not I wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo with a new book this year (Oh I'm still doing it, I just won't have a new book to work on at that point).  I've been trying to rush because I thought I should be done in a year with my novel, but that really isn't the case.  I have so much on my plate that I honestly don't think I could finish my novel that fast.  I need to be realistic and consider having it done by next year for my Senior Project.  It kinda makes me sad to come to that realization, but it is a healthier decision than trying to rush things and fail at reaching my goals consistently.  So if I look like I'm slacking off, I am.  Better to slack off and accomplish more, than to rush and accomplish nothing.

1. Finishing Chapter Two of "Crimes of the Umbramancer by next week.
     I am currently a scene into Chapter Two.  The rewrite of this story has been immensely difficult because I am already changing chapters entirely.  My old chapter two and the storyline it had was one of the problems I had before.  Had I finished with it, well I would be another year in doing reconstructive surgery.  I'm thankful I followed my instincts (at long last) and began this rewrite here.  The story will be better and done sooner than it would be otherwise.

     My Japanese culture research for this chapter has been supplemented with research on Hispanic families because the heroine of these chapters is Hispanic.  I'm not sure exactly which culture I want to follow closely, but I'm thinking at the moment I'll work with Mexico and see where I end from there.  I would like to be done with this chapter by the end of next week (honestly there is no reason why I shouldn't be.)  And if I'm lucky, before next Wednesday, I'll be into Chapter Three working on an even harder series of scenes.

2. Write seven thousand words per week. (Between blog & fiction.)
     I'm making better progress with this.  With blogging I get about three thousand per week at least.  And if I make certain to finish a chapter a week I'll be closer to six to seven consistently.  And hopefully I can get my buffer up and ahead.  I'm working a day ahead as it is right now. :D

3. Exercise five times a week.
     You don't Juice Fast when you are losing energy and have no desire to exercise afterwards.  So I stopped and began with running on Monday.  I went running again on Tuesday.  And later today I plan on running more.  My legs are in pain, but it is necessary pain and I kinda like it.  I'll share more next week.

4. Finishing up my school work from my last semester in College.
     I'm enjoying Pride and Prejudice and I hope to be done with it by next Wednesday.  I should get my short report done by tonight on Life, the Universe, and Everything.  And for my short story I'll be working on that in tandem with Chapter Two.  I'm optimistic about all of that.  Even though the storytelling always gets harder.

5. Spending time everyday with a spiritual source.
     I struggle with this one, but I'm going to work on it.  I find I do my best writing after having done some spiritual study.  But I've gotten lazy and I don't feel like I have a lot of time either.  So instead I think I'm going to focus on spending fifteen minutes on my own in some sort of spiritual study and another fifteen with my family doing some sort of spiritual study.  It will help me in both my writing and the role that I want to play with my family.

That's everything.  Smaller goals I can handle and won't stress myself out with.  There's enough going on with my writing group, work, and my group therapy sessions going on I don't need to try and force more into my life.  And I'm certain that by doing this I'll gain more confidence because when you keep goals you begin to trust yourself.  And ultimately ROW80 is all about us as writers developing self trust.  Oh visit the bloghop to see more people in the journey of self trust.  For trust is the coin by which confidence is purchased.  I'm Jayrod Garrett, the First OG and here's a my question for you:

 

How do you think you can develop more trust in yourself?

20 comments:

  1. Looks like you're getting things in hand. I made lofty goals too (I'm the queen of them) I ended up breaking it down week by week so I didn't get overwhelmed. It's been working, so I hope it works for you too. :)

    Have a great day!

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  2. Thanks for the Shout-Out, Jayrod!

    I've had a similar problem this last month, simply stretching myself too thin. To think it took an episode of Adventure Time with my son to realize that. Since then, I've cut back on a bit in order to figure out what really needs to get done and focus on that.

    Great post and excellent goals. You can do it! :)

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    1. No problem, David. You have great insight and I hope as many people follow you so that they can see that. Wonderful potential for a great literary audience in my opinion.

      As far as priorities, I struggle with the family also. But when I struggle there I know I am making the best investment of my time by spending it with them. :D

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  3. Jayrod, despite your recent hardships, your positive attitude always seems to shine through. I'm glad to know you and I enjoy getting more insight as to who you are with these posts. Keep it up and keep on writing!

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    1. Thank you, Jae. I try to stay positive. It is a part of who I am. ;D And it has been a long journey in embracing all of what is the good parts of me.

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  4. For me, RoW80 has always been about the journey and the exploration that leads me to understand more about myself as a writer, and it sounds like you're going through some of that yourself! We can only get stronger from the point we are at now! You've got a great attitude and the right approach, so keep it up!

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    1. It really is all about the journey, and I'm grateful to have ROW80 for that reason. If I couldn't make this journey with friends I would be very sad. I'm thankful to have you guys to lean on as I make my way step by step.

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  5. Rewrites can be tricky. I hope it comes together faster than you think. 7k a week is really good. Connecting to the spiritual is just like connecting to your writing. It requires us to be in different frames of mind and that transition is often difficult to do. Best of luck!

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    1. It has been tricky Ryan. I'm right now trying to figure out how to do something in Chapter Two and it has been a nightmare, but a worthwhile one. Because once I have this figured out, I'm pretty certain that I'll be able to get through several chapters fairly quickly.

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  6. That's an awesome list of great articles! Thank you so very much for posting them!

    Great job with your goals this week (any progress is still progress!) Good luck with the upcoming days.

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    1. Glad you liked the Mashup. I'll make sure to deliver next week with some other awesome posts.

      I actually have made more progress in this past year, because of blogging than I have in the ten previous in my opinion. I've discovered my voice, and I'm gaining confidence in its power. :D

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  7. Best of luck, Jayrod, on the new goals. You will still be accomplishing much with them.

    I think developing trust in yourself stems from exactly what you are doing. I had a point in my life where I was beating myself up because I felt the spiritual side of my life was lacking and I wasn't accomplishing anything like what I had used to do. My wonderful mother reminded me that there is a time and a season for everything. Learning and realizing that has made all the difference because I accept that doing the best I can is not always doing everything, and why should I get upset at that? All getting upset does is make it more difficult for me to accomplish anything and it's just plain unhealthy. So keep up the great work, Jayrod.

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    1. Heidi, you are such a breath of fresh air. I am so thankful that I know you. Your Mom is right about a time and a season for everything, and reading this right now reminds me that the season is coming, it just hasn't dawned yet. I hope to see it come soon. Thanks for your touching words.

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  8. This is my first visit to your blog. So much information! :) Good luck with your goals. I did have to check out the why to wear black post. May have to try it and see if it works.

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    1. I used to wear black every summer and it usually freaked people out, but now I will return to the practice because I know the practical sense of it. It was a teen style thing before, and now it can be an adult practical thing.

      Hope to see you come by again Melanie. Take care!

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  9. Hi Jayrod,

    Lotsa interesting looking links in your mashup!

    I admire your energy and ambition. And - hey - did you change the background pic here? I really love it!

    Like you, I am feeling the need to create smaller, more bite-sized goals for myself.

    Hope you can make it to #storydam chat on Twitter next Thursday night from 8-9 CST. I think you would have fun there!

    Ciao for now,
    Tui

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    1. I did change the background pic. I'm hoping soon to change it one more time to something that is even more akin to the nature of the blog. But I need to get pictures back for that one. And I think I will be able to make #storydam chat this week. An opportunity to chat with everyone would be really nice. (I'm never able to make #comment hour, which is sad.)

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  10. Great mashup, Jayrod! I was unplugged a bit and missed some of these links, so I’ll be checking them out. Oh, and I’m cheering for your almost being done with college and for the increase on the running as part of your exercise goal. :-)

    I also admire your “I can do hard things” motto. Yes you can. Yes you have. Yes you will. I think we all have moments where little things building up or one big thing slamming down can take us deep into a valley of pain or depression. I’ve lived with some elements of PTSD from something that happened in my life and have learned that what we do when down there that speaks to our strength. Reaching out and asking for help is one step, but I also think digging deep is another. Changing pace to not try to do it all. Admitting the place we are in. “Leaning into the pain.” I applaud and thank you for everything you’ve done while serving our country and have heartbreak for the pain it has caused you. Know that you have an extended circle of friends sending you energy as you move forward.

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    1. Thank you so much Barbara. I am grateful for the circle of friends both here on the web and in person. I doubt that the many things I am working on at the moment would work if I only had one circle or the other. Thanks for your kind words.

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