I'm running a little behind this year but sometime in June I usually start thinking about all of the things that I have or haven't accomplished. This year, I took a few RWA workshops that have been quite helpful and still chalked up the time not spent writing as productive. Learning anything that will make this business easier is worth every minute or dollar spent.
I'm just now polishing a project that I had planned to have finished in June but I'm not beating myself up. In the long run, what I learned in the workshops and taking some much needed time off was well worth the effort. The hardest lesson I think I've ever learned is that I'm in charge of my career.
Every year, I swear that I'm going to pay closer attention to my health. I make notes. Somehow, the activity always makes me feel better. At the half-year mark, my calendar is full of things like: Make your breast exam appointment. It's time for a physical. Schedule eye appointment. Check to see if anything still fits because your son is getting married this month and you can't show up in jeans, and a tee shirt that says "I'm still hot. It just comes in flashes." Yes, that is an actual note that I wrote on my September office calendar.
My desk calendar has me checking to see which project I'm working on next and how much research is required. I either have the books or they need to be ordered. I know people who research online and use the library but I like the physical book because I forget stuff and then misplace the notes for said "stuff".
It's also time to start a file for next year's career plan. This can change, sometimes from month to month, depending on my commitments but it's nice to have an outline. Did I mention that I've learned to be a little more flexible? It doesn't drive me as crazy as it once did but I still like the feeling of having everything under control--hence, all the notes.
Someone posted on my Facebook page (I can't remember who) that there were 18 Fridays until Christmas. That can't possibly be right because that's when I start thinking about taxes. Where did the year go?
How about you--do you have any mid-year rituals you'd like to share?
Until next month,
Happy Reading!
Paris Brandon
http://parisbrandon.com
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15 comments:
I've been wondering where the year has gone too. It's great your figuring health into everything else you must do. Best wishes. :)
Thanks, Rose!
Timely post, Paris - no pun intended... ;)
As we get older time seems to just slip away. Whereas when we were kids, it just stood still. I've also learned (or am TRYING to learn) to be more flexible. Question: do you continue to write everyday, even during your *down* time?
I'm so far behind, I may never catch up. Each day seems to get busier and busier.
I've had to be flexible this year, especially this summer when I suddenly found became a babysitter for my grandkids and my writing went by the wayside. My goal of finishing my novel by June never made it - with life's interruptions, I've learned to take a deep breath and take a step at a time.
Hi, Paris! Like you, I can't overdo. There's too many other things I like to do, like needlepoint, mahjong, movies, and workout! Those things help make me a good writer.
Where does the time go? I can't believe we're heading into the last quarter of the year. I make lists too because otherwise I easily forget things. Right now, my focus is on final edits for a book with a release date of 9/30. Then I have a Christmas short story I must get out by November. Then it's onto the 2015 books. It never ends. Best of luck that you get everything, or at least most, things on your lists done.
Lynda,
I write every day, even if its just to jot down something interesting for a future story. There's something stimulating about writing longhand. It's how most of my stories are created.
Tina,
I've resigned myself to the fact that I may never catch up. As long as I'm busy, I'm happy.
Judy,
Congratulations, you're a step ahead of the game. It took me forever to learn that rethinking my goals wasn't the end of the world! Enjoy your grandkids, they don't stay little, very long:)
Vicki,
I didn't know you like Mahjong! I love the computer version and reward myself with a game only after I write 1K, lol! I do believe those moments allow my brain to create:)
Thanks, Cara, good luck to you too:)
At this time of year, I'm back to work and dreaming of June! I told my students today that they must have their planners by Wednesday because we are going to teach them how to use them effectively this year. They must know when things are coming up in order to prepare and get things done, rather than wait to the last minute. It's a necessary skill and one that isn't just inborn.
Melissa,
You're right, learning to plan early is a necessary skill and one too often neglected. What a great thing to teach kids!
Paris, I'm so sorry to be this late. I make notes for everything, too, and that's why my desk is so cluttered. lol Of course, I know where to find everything.
Writing has had to take a bit of a back seat to health this year, too. Time gets away from all of us the older we get.
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