Truths of a Shy Writer

What I Can Do

2012-01-31T09:02:00.001-05:00

Organization is the key to success. If it's not, I'm wasting my time! Anyway... just a little food for thought this morning. I spent a lot of time yesterday finally getting more links onto my PUBLISHED WORK page on this blog. I put up all of my articles/stories/poems that are featured on the Yahoo Contributor Network (formerly Associated Content). While I still have more than 100 online titles left to put on that page from Triond, I thought that this was a pretty good start. Oh, and if you want to check out the book reviews I have written (besides the ones on Goodreads), you can check out a list of book reviews on my other blog, Book Review Bin.

I'm not great at persuasive arguments or savvy sales techniques, so I'll resort to shameless promotion and begging: any clicks on these articles would be appreciated. While one or two clicks may only add up to pennies, it helps me to keep doing what I do best and to maintain my goal to constantly improve on my writing. I know my dedicated readers already put up with paid posts and other promotions, so this is probably the last time I'll mention the articles for awhile.

Other than promotion, the plan for today is to dig out the poetry project and make one of my famous To-Do lists so that I know exactly what I have to do in order to complete it for publishing. I think the majority of the work today will be to find all of my completed poems and sort out which ones will best fit the project. That's where my organization skills are too good--my external hard drive with all my work on it is split up into about 100 different folders and there are completed poems lurking in all corners of that virtual cabinet. But I'll go all Sherlock Holmes on those folders and find every last one of them.

Offline

2012-01-28T08:29:00.001-05:00

I have been absent from the online world for about a week now. I was sick for awhile, but I'm getting better. I also had plenty of time to think about putting my project up for a fundraising goal, and I just don't think that the project is quite ready yet. I wish it was. I definitely need to get a little farther along to justify the fundraising. I want to be able to send out final copies of the book to the donors as perks within a few weeks of the campaign ending, and right now that wouldn't be possible.

So I'm back to square one. I'm still searching for more permanent (or any at this point) work while trying to get some type of project closer to completion. I think I may veer back to my poetry book. The last time I worked steady on it, it was about 60% complete. Most of the work left on that project comes in the form of book layout, cover design... all the non-writing issues. And of course the promotion of the thing. That's what makes it sell. I need to learn how to be a great salesperson... of course if I was really great at that, I would probably be in a different career field altogether. : )

Prepping The Project

2012-01-16T10:17:00.002-05:00

The children's book project I started last week has consumed most of my time, which is good because that just means I'm more determined to see it through. I have also been considering a more serious approach to getting the project out there by using a project funding website such as IndieGoGo. A few weeks ago I saw this story about Kickstarter and fell in love with the idea that writers, filmmakers and artists can reach out the community to get their projects completed.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I wasn't thinking about my own work at first, but now I'm leaning towards putting my project up there to see what happens. In terms of networking, though, my reach is a little small. Before I take the plunge, I just wanted to ask: has anyone tried any of these websites? If you have, were you successful in raising the money for your project?

Haing Internet

2012-01-15T10:11:00.003-05:00

Thanks for the guest post by Bradly Watkins

Having clear wireless internet at home has been great for me since I’m pregnant and so far away from my family. I really miss everyone and it’s nice to be able to get online and email my mom when I’m thinking about her or send my sister pics of the kids – I can’t believe in just a few months I’m going to give birth to my fourth. I love my family so much but it’s nice having a job out here (well, my husband has the job) that makes things much more easy for my family financially, you know? It was hard not being able to buy the right kinds of shoes for the kids and worrying whether or not they could afford to be in the soccer league – those aren’t the kinds of things I want to worry about when it comes to my children. That’s the only reason we had the fourth, because we could afford it living here now, and that’s the honest truth. Who would have guessed I’d be a happy housewife with four kids at this age??

Gifting Wine

2012-01-15T10:08:00.003-05:00

Sometimes its hard to think of gifts togive people. I find it especially hard when it is someone I don'tknow really well. But with a WineGift Basket it is easy to choose something great. Wine is greatgift not only for those that you don't know very well, but also forevents where the gifts are not necessarily spelled out for you. Iknow that this is the easiest choice for weddings without a registry.

Gift baskets with wine and othergoodies are also great for business events. The only thing to thinkover is what type of wine to include in the basket, which makes itmuch easier on your time and your money when giving gifts. Champagne is a great choice too--check out this little history lesson:

Expensive Fun

2012-01-15T10:03:00.001-05:00

I really love going to Dave and Busters with my friends. But boy, do I spend a lot when I'm there! It's okay though... I know that I needed to get away for a little while from the stress and strain of work. However, I will be saving up for the next time that we go. I have my eye on a bigger prize than candy and shot glasses.

Checking Out Penny Auctions

2012-01-11T12:43:00.001-05:00

Online auctions are a great way to pickup gifts for family, friends or even something nice for yourself.There are some standard websites out there that everybody thinks ofwhenever you talk about online auctions. What many people tend tolook over are the websites that provide penny auctions. Pennyauctions often offer high-end electronics, designer brands and newproducts for people to use. Many bidders will walk away with productsfor 80-90% of the retail prices. Some people have registered some dealfun.comcomplaints because some of these penny auction sites do nothave regulations in place. Many penny auction sites take intoconsideration limits on the amount of products the users can buy.Some restrict users by only allowing them to purchase a certainamount of products within a set time period. Others restrict bypricing. Any way you look at it, penny auctions have their strengthsand weaknesses. With a slow economy, many people are turning to thisonline auction alternative to maintain a comfortable lifestyle at afraction of the cost. Others just can't pass up a great deal whenit's right in front of them. I don't blame them—a good deal is agood deal.

Starting the Process

2012-01-11T12:32:00.002-05:00

I didn't know that a fun project was all I needed to get me out of my slump. I have been working on the children's book idea for about an hour now. It's so much fun I really don't want to stop. I guess I shouldn't stop either--the faster I get it done, the faster I can start getting it prepared for publication. It's a long road, but we'll see what happens. As always, thanks for the encouraging words. I couldn't do it without my readers!

Supporting Walgreens

2012-01-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Healthcare is a major issue in everyone's life. When you need to have prescriptions available on a regular basis, your neighborhood pharmacy becomes a very important place. Through the past year, Walgreens and Express Scripts have been negotiating a new contract. Walgreens wants to stay on their pharmacy provider network to continue to serve their customers. But negotiations were not successful and Walgreens is no longer included in the pharmacy provider network. Pharmacies across the country are affected by this decision and patients using the Express Scripts program are not happy. Many not only have to change their pharmacy, but may also have to travel longer distances to fill their prescriptions. Nothing is being done to ease the pain of this hassle for any of the patients.

This situation has also effected America's military. A specific client of Express Scripts is Tricare, which is the program used for military men and women across the country. Although Walgreens offered a guarantee to match or beat costs for Tricare customers, but Walgreens' offers were rejected.

If you are affected by this situation or are upset for the patients who are affected, you are encouraged to voice your dissatisfaction by contacting local media outlets. Walgreens is committed to its customers and is offering a special discount on annual memberships to its Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens.

You can also support Walgreens in their efforts by staying up to date. Like Walgreens on Facebook of follow Walgreens on Twitter.

The Aches and Pains of Freelancing

2012-01-10T13:51:00.003-05:00

It's been two months without steady work, but I've survived so far. I keep having daydreams that I'll just come up with a great idea, get it out of my brain, and get instant success. No one in their right mind believes that to be true, but it is an easy way get the motivation back into working. I may be suffering from a creative block, but it's starting to chip away piece by piece. Of course none of this will pay the bills but it's better than watching movies during my periods of insomnia. At least I'll feel somewhat accomplished.

On Sunday I almost dove head-first into a children's picture book project. I wrote the outline of what I thought was a really cute, informative book. I didn't do anything else beyond that because I wanted to research the market before I continue. Apparently children's illustrated books are just about the hardest type of story to sell to publishers. Very few are produced, and since we all know that many celebrities also choose to write these types of stories, they are at the top of any publishers list. This discouraged me. I have no name recognition and that's becoming a bigger issue with getting any of my work out into the world. It won't stop me from writing, but it's still something I can't help thinking about every time I research new markets.

Spruce Up Your Workspace: Pimp My Cube

2012-01-06T21:36:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you ever get tired of looking at the same old dull workspace everyday? Or are you one of those “I know exactly where everything is” clutter-bugs? Would you like to spruce up your workspace? Pimp My Cube Contest is looking for those offices and cubicles that are just pathetic... dull, boring, messy or otherwise.

No one likes to work in a space that is not conducive to creativity or productivity. If you want to get your cubicle pimped, all you have to do is enter the sweepstakes. All you need to do is create a video showcasing your disaster of a workspace. Explain why your workspace doesn't work for you and why you want Contest Factory to show up and pimp your cube. Once you have entered your video, make sure that you invite all of your family, friends and coworkers to vote for your video. There are multiple ways to earn sweepstakes entry points including registering, voting, inviting others to register to enter the contest and commenting on video entries.

So, what can you win? The grand prize (valued at approximately $1200) is an update to your workspace. There are three prize packages to choose from: a computer system, furniture and décor or an entertainment package that includes a stereo, espresso machine and more.

The contest period is open from 12/5/11 at 12:00PM until 1/31/12 at 12:00PM.

2012

2012-01-03T08:11:00.001-05:00

Yeah, it's the new year. Things look about the same as they did a few days ago. All my life I have been in the habit of over-hyping this two-second holiday. I think just because we all shout and the date flips forward on the calendar, my whole life will change. It doesn't, so I'm constantly disappointing myself.

At the very least, I thought the work situation would get a little better. The company I'm currently getting job from isn't supplied with thousands of articles as I thought it would be today. In fact, there's less than 100 right at this very moment, most of which I have no interest in writing. Of course, interest is not the only issue. I'm working for extremely small wages so I have to be careful when I choose jobs. My basic criteria are that the length of the instructions cannot be longer than the finished article itself, the minimum I will take is 500 words/$5 (which is STILL too low) and no insults at the end of the instructions. It happens. Some will say "I will reject anything that does not meet the high quality we expect and are paying for." Um... you expect quality when you pay $5 for more than 750 words? No, no my dears. That's just fantasy there.

So, on January 3rd I'm officially declaring that 2012 is surpassing 2011 in being the worst year of my life so far. And to be honest, I have probably had some pretty bad ones. I'm not all Negative Nelly at this point, but once my bills are paid for the month and I cannot see a way to pay those same bills the next time around, you can be sure that this semi-positive outlook will change. Drastically. Happy New Year.

Soon-to-end and New Deals

2011-12-23T09:09:00.003-05:00

Okay peoples... I wanted to let you know that there is a deal I offer on this blog that's only available for 8 MORE DAYS! This deal is perfect for those that want to boost traffic to their blog, website or other online presence. Check it out:

These next deals are new and will be found under the Hot Deals! tab of the blog. But you can also check them out right now:

And last but not least, hurry up and get a custom image of Santa in your home for the kiddies!!:

Check Out the LG DoublePlay

2011-12-15T17:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG DoublePlay™ for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I dropped my phone a few times in the past week. It looks all beat up and tired. I think that it might be time to check out a new phone for myself. The one I have been looking at recently is the LG DoublePlay™. This phone is available exclusively from T-Mobile. There are so many features that would be great for me and my phone use. First, this phone has a main display AND sub display for multitasking. The large screen is 3.5 inches and the sub screen is 2 inches. These screens can work together or independently of each other. Now I can check my email and tell everyone what I'm doing on Twitter at the same time. I know that I spend a lot of time texting, updating social media, and checking email. This phone would be perfect for that. In fact, I may even use my phone more if I got the DoublePlay.

Additionally, the DoublePlay has a 5 megapixel camera, 720p HD video camera, Android 2.3, and a split QWERTY keyboard for easy use with multiple phone apps.

Think this may be the phone for you? Go ahead and check it out. If you want, let me know how much you currently use your phone and whether you think that switching to the LG DoublePlay may change the way you interact with others using your phone.

Down to the Wire

2011-12-15T09:50:00.002-05:00

The ShippingDeadlines for the holidays this year are approaching fast.It seems like only yesterday that we were all preparing forHalloween. Holidays sure have a way of sneaking up on a person, don'tthey? If you still haven't bought the perfect gift for all of yourloved ones on your Christmas list, there is still a little time left.

And if you want to save yourself somemoney, there are a variety of online coupons that can get yourdiscounts on some of the best gifts or even free shipping in somecases. That always helps when it comes to staying on budget with yourChristmas shopping. I know that I have certainly taken advantage ofNeweggCoupons for some of those on my Christmas list. Onlinecoupons are great and so easy to use. It's like getting free moneyevery time you shop online retailers.

If you're still shopping, don't delay.ChristmasShipping Deadlines 2011 are almost over! There's nothingworse that having a gift arrive late, because you know what therecipient will think... that's right. They will think you forgotabout them. Don't let that kind of a Christmas disaster happen toyou.

Rising to the Challenge

2011-12-12T08:11:00.003-05:00

For the most part, my career is back on track. I may have to live within a smaller budget, but there is work and plenty of it now. Freelance writing is here to stay... at least for me. It was my mom that actually made me realize I was being a baby about the whole thing. I told her the other day that I was back writing articles but didn't like it. "But I thought you loved writing?" She replied. And that did it. I do love to write. I may not be too happy about every subject I'm asked to write about, but that's all in paying my dues so my career can continue to move forward. Thanks, Mom. :)

Sweet Deal for WordPress Users

2011-12-07T12:29:00.001-05:00

This is a 76% discount... that's a HUGE deal! (Just thought all my fellow bloggers out there should know about it).

Calling All Geeks!

2011-12-07T09:20:00.001-05:00

This holiday season a lot of people arelooking into gizmos and gadgets for presents. I know that I'm notvery tech-savvy, but I sure had a few high priced, luxury geek itemson my wishlist. And I know that a lot of other people do too, so Iwanted to let you know about a fun website that provides a lot ofinformation on those quirky, geeky items that we all secretlylove—even if we don't want to admit it!

Geek Alerts offers its visitors news,entertainment, and plenty of online promotions and coupons to helpyou stay within a budget this holiday season. When you can save alittle money with ThinkGeekcoupons, you can buy even more great gadgets! I know thatplenty of people in my family would love to get something great, andwith MusiciansFriend coupons I know that I can. And for those that loveto buy online, there are even more ThinkGeekpromo codes to check out on their website.

Don't get lost in all the high pricesat the mall this season. Check out Geek Alerts before you riskoverpaying for Christmas gifts. You will be glad you did!

Biggest Winner

2011-11-30T12:23:00.001-05:00

Written by my friend Teodoro Martin

I am addicted to working out. I have always been a fit person, and I have always been involved in sports. What I failed to realize in my younger, pre-child years was the stress-relief that comes from walking into a gym. I don’t always love to go to the gym. Sadly, the only time I can give to myself is once the girls are fast asleep. So, while most others are wrapping up their evenings and settling in for the night, I am throwing my running shoes on and hitting the gym. It isn’t easy to find the motivation or energy to work out after 9 pm, but once I make it to the gym, I find the motivation I didn’t realize was lying under the surface. Night after night, I am surrounded by nameless faces just like me. With headphones on and weights in hand, we have formed a bond this little gym-group and I. I don’t know most of their names, but I know their faces, and they know mine. They are my accountability, my motivation to get in that gym night after night even when I just feel like crawling in bed. On Tuesday nights, my other motivation is watching “The Biggest Loser” on directv Sierra vista. I love to see the transformation with these contestants as they are challenged to push their bodies and minds past the boundaries they ever believed possible. We all need a little motivation whether it comes from music, TV, or fellow gym-rats.

Scraping for Scraps

2011-11-28T19:05:00.001-05:00

After two full weeks without an income, I went back to those low priced articles. I didn't realize when I started freelance writing how hard I actually worked just to get $20-$40 a day. Maybe my last job spoiled me, I don't know. What I do know is that the $10 I made today (yep, that's all) was the hardest I have worked in awhile. And for what? I'm still barreling towards financial ruin. A couple hundred bucks at the end of the month won't make a dent.

I would still love to get a new job in a different field, but who hires between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Seasonal work. That's about it. I've done that before. It's not much more pay than what I could make with writing and about ten times harder. I'm not opposed to hard work, but I'd like to feel appreciated when I do it. Retail and food service can't provide that kind of feeling at the end of the day. At least from my past experience it didn't.

What's frustrating to me is the feeling of frustration itself. One minute I'm puffing out my chest, ready to get something significant done. I have hope for a future that I've probably sprinkled too much fairy dust on. An hour later, I'm so disappointed in not finding an opportunity to explore that frustration sets in. The frustration turns into bitterness. I start scowling and sometimes go as far as yelling at the people on television. At least I'm not taking it out on anyone that can hear me, right? That's a little bit of a bright side.

On Turkey Day...

2011-11-24T08:34:00.001-05:00

I'm giving you a quote and a blast from the past... not my best look but appropriate for the holiday.

Thanksgiving is an emotional time. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. ~ Johnny Carson

Thanksgiving 2009

Minimizing Advertising

2011-11-22T12:08:00.001-05:00

Sometimes blogs and websites can get bogged down with advertising and lose its basic message. I decided to try and minimize the amount of advertising I'm inundating my regular readers with. This blog is about writing and how my life in constantly turned upside down in the pursuit of that. While ads may be a necessary evil, why draw more attention to it than I have to?

There will still be the occasional paid blog posts, but for anything that does not require a post, I'm adding it to my Hot Deals! tab so that if you want to take advantage of the offers, you can. If you don't, you don't have to look at them. It's a win-win for us all.

Back To Business

2011-11-21T19:10:00.001-05:00

I'm through with whining and sulking. Since this is technically a holiday week (all of you with regular 9-5's know that you're mind probably isn't 100% into your work today through Wednesday) I'm relaxing a little on finding that elusive job outside of the home office, but I'm still actively looking at freelance gigs. I went back to my standard sources, such as Guru. The only problem with that website is that it has changed so much since the last time I accepted a freelance project there. I'm sure that I can still find a job without paying the membership fee, but with only 10 bids a month I'm going to have to be careful about what I choose to bid on.

I'm also looking for new opportunities, but I don't seem to be finding that many. The reason is that after working as a freelancer for nearly four years now, I know what I decent, wage-earning rate per article looks like. And 90% of the job offers out there are well below that rate. If I get desperate, I know I'll want to take them, but I'm not sure that is time well spent, even if it does keep food in my mouth for another week. I'm not really in the habit of encouraging these people to pay so low. That's the #1 reason these people can still get their work produced at super low rates--somebody is always willing to take them.

After all of this, I'm still working on getting down the backlog of books I have to read and writing reviews for all of them. If I got paid to write book reviews (besides being paid in free books, which I'm not complaining about!) I think I would be in heaven. Anyone know of any paying review gigs? I've also done product reviews for a variety of websites, so I'm pretty familiar with the general format. Anyway... I can only hope that kind of a project comes my way.

And of course, since I want to fill my time with as much to do as possible, I'm digging out one of the novels and diving back in. This is the one that I have been working on for about 10 years now, off and on. I got off track dozens of times with this one because of research. I get buried in facts and figures and can't tunnel my way back out. This time I'm going to just lay the story out and put the facts in later, as needed. Maybe that will get everything back on track to produce something worthwhile.

Calling All Techies

2011-11-15T09:36:00.001-05:00

you can get up to $50 of Pexagon Technology products for half price! The products can be personalized, so it will make a great gift... or something for yourself.

Family Cookbook Project

2011-11-15T09:34:00.001-05:00

Want a fast and affordable present for your loved ones? This sounds like such a fun idea for the holidays! If you want to know more, go ahead and check it out:

Ready for Hire

2011-11-14T08:31:00.001-05:00

I'm going to try to make this sound as optimistic as possible. Let's see how it goes...

Remember all those worries I had about my current job? They all came true. There's no more job to speak of. As of last Thursday, I no longer have a regular income. This job was on it's way out--I have known that for a couple of months and I tightened the belt long ago, but it may not be enough.

There are some complicating issues to this situation, some of which I discussed before. I slipped into complacency and had one job--this is not good for a freelance writer. I also technically own my own business, so the thought of any unemployment benefits is nonexistent. I've been wanting to branch out into other related fields and get a job outside of my home office, but I'm lacking some qualifications you can only get with work experience--the experience that most businesses cannot afford to hand out these days. If I could just find a job that hires creative people without having to prove you're a genius first, I would be set.

What's a girl to do? I really don't know at this point. I thought that this would be a great opportunity to just pick up and relocate like I always dreamed. But even if I land someplace better, where am I going to live? Is there a chance I won't get hired anywhere? I'm willing to take anything I'm qualified to do... just not here. I've considered the advice I've been hearing over the weekend. That advice is to just take any job for now and save to leave. I recognize a trap when I see one. It's a broken record in my life. I save and save for a year then at the last minute I let someone talk me out of my big adventure. I never end up more than a mile from where I started. The only problem is that if I don't get out this time, there's little chance I ever will.

Need Advertising? Get A Great Deal

2011-11-04T14:19:00.000-04:00

The #1 problem I see with many freelance writers is that they don't take enough time to promote themselves to find new clients. I know I have been guilty of this myself! So I thought I would let you guys know about a great deal that's come up through Sponsored Tweets. I have used this type of advertising myself and it works really well to drive traffic to your articles, websites, etc. Check it out:

An Unlimited Deal

2011-10-31T07:53:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Net10 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We all want to get great deals, especially in the current economy. If you need to save some money on your next phone bill, check out Net10 Unlimited. This is super plan that provides you with nationwide coverage that includes unlimited talk, text and data. Care to guess the price? It's only $50 a month—much less than most cell phone companies can offer, and the best part is there are no contracts to sign.

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Net10 also provides great phones for their customers. You can get the simple phones (under $15) for those that need just calling and texting. But if you want to stay more connected to friends, family, or work, you can also choose from phones with cameras, video, blue tooth, and mobile web for less than $40.

Aren't convinced this is the plan for you yet? Check out What Rob has to say.

An Unlimited Deal

2011-10-27T20:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Net10 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Aren't convinced this is the plan for you yet? Check out What Rob has to say.

A Shiny Little Glimmer of Hope

2011-10-24T15:06:00.002-04:00

I probably mentioned this at one time or another, but I do have a poem coming out in just a couple of weeks. My poem is featured in The Poetry of Yoga anthology (volume 1). It's exciting to have something published! I hope all of you will check it out when it goes on sale 11.11.11.Go to thepoetryofyoga.com for more information. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Damn You, Economy

2011-10-21T08:59:00.001-04:00

It's finally caught up to me. I thought I was very lucky over the past two years when it came to economic security. Sure, as a freelance writer the work was never exactly "secure" but I was feeling pretty good about the money I was making. Was. Now, I wish I had listened to the same old advice all seasoned freelancers dish out (including myself on occasion): NEVER depend on a single job/project/client, even if the money is good. I've learned my lesson. Again.

Because of this great opportunity I had, I've been out of the current freelance market for about two years. Although I do the occasional paid blog post or paid Twitter ad, 99% of my income came from a single job. And I liked it. I still do. But the whole thing is being revamped, restructured--whatever business term you want to use for it--and there's a potential it could be gone at any moment. At least for me. I'm sure the company will survive, just maybe not with as many hands on deck as they used to have.

I did what any shy, sensitive writer would do. I sat down and cried for three days, staring at a computer screen that said work was not currently available. In recent days work has been available, but not nearly the amount I am used to.

Getting back on the horse is the appropriate metaphor for this situation, but the freelance market has changed drastically in the past two years. First thing I noticed was the number of jobs available. It's probably about half of what it was in 2009 (at least where I look for it). The second thing I noticed was that the stakes are much higher, though the pay seems to remain the same. I came across many ads for jobs that required a master's degree. A master's? You mean I worked for 4 1/2 years for a bachelor's and that's just not good enough anymore? Now I'm not only sad, but angry at the thought that my skills are no longer competitive in this market.

And like I've talked about in past posts, I was looking to branch out, making a more stable career for myself. Something in journalism or book publishing. I still don't have the right skills to be considered for these jobs. Now with the thought that my savings account could be empty in a couple of months, that internship is slipping through my fingers before I even finish the cover letter. I can't pay for travel to get an interview (if one was offered), let alone the money I would need to live during the internship if I was lucky enough to get it.

What can I do now? Many have told me to just go and work at Walmart. "At least it's a paycheck." I've seen too many great creative minds fall into this trap. Once you start looking at a job as nothing more than a paycheck, you've lost something of yourself. It's hard to get back to the dream that you started out with. I don't have a family to support. I don't need all the extras I like to buy. The work that's "just a paycheck" should be available to someone who really needs it. I can't let myself think of a job as just a way to get money. I want to be happy with what I do. And call me young and naive, but I still have that thought in the back of my head that I want to make a difference somehow with what I do.

In this economy, I am still lucky compared to many. For now I still have a roof over my head and food in the fridge. My whining doesn't mean a thing to anyone who can't say that for themselves. I just don't know where to go from here. If I don't make a bold move (whatever that may be), I'll never get to experience what's out there. Money makes the world go 'round. So how bold can anyone really be with $20 in their pocket?

Today is Step 1

2011-10-10T08:22:00.002-04:00

I had a blast this weekend going back to Ball State for homecoming with some friends (although they did lose top Temple 42-0). We had planned on going to the game, but tailgating got the best of us. We spent a lot of time waiting for the dogs and burgers to grill. And I promised myself before going back to Muncie that once I returned and rested a little bit, it would be back to business and all my plans this morning. I'm trying to keep that promise to myself.

Step 1 in this plan is to revamp the resume. What I really want to accomplish with the revamp is how best to list my freelance writing experience. I'm not sure if I want to list specific companies I have worked for, or if that's even necessary. I guess I'll be doing a lot of example-searching today! Once I get all of those details out of the way, it'll be time for Step 2: the Cover Letter. This I have little experience in writing (I think I've manage to write one since I first learned what a cover letter was) so that will be tons of fun, I'm sure.

I'm more excited than ever about these tasks just because there's news flying around that my current freelance gig may be diminishing... or even disappearing. It has already been slow on and off for months. I did my normal cry-it-out-and-get-it-over-with yesterday and I'm back with a vengeance. After the resume and cover letter are complete I'll be looking towards finding a new gig or, as people still put it to me, a real job until I see what happens with this internship.

Positive thoughts work, right? I guess they can't hurt!!!

A Plan is in Place. Finally!

2011-10-04T07:56:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I finally worked out all of my professional woes. While I feel I'm a little too old and removed from the internship scene, I actually found one or two internships that will NOT require me to go back to school. They aren't in journalism though. These internship possibilities are in book publishing, which I happen to love just as much as journalism. And like journalism, I am missing some requirements to get the entry level positions, but at least there's more of an opportunity to learn through internships.

Problems? I am nervous about my resume. I'm terrified I will write a poor cover letter. Most of the internships I'm interested in are in NYC (mostly this is a perk, but there's still apprehension there). The stress of a possible interview in the middle of blizzard season. I'm not sure what to do about all those life things I have to take care of (i.e. if I take a summer internship, should I renew my apartment lease? I know I'm never going to want to leave once I get there). But you know what? Even with all of these worries, the prospect of a paid internship in NYC is just about the most excited thing I have had to think about in a good long while.

Starting today, I have 120 days to get my act together. A sparkling resume! A flawless cover letter! The determination of something bigger and greater for myself. And seriously, a chance to see the city I have always dreamed about.

Best Friend's Baby

2011-09-30T19:03:00.000-04:00

This guest post from Edgardo Rosa

My best friend had a baby over the weekend and I have not seen the baby in person yet. I’m glad we got satellite internet from satellitestarinternet.com because she was able to email me some pictures of the baby. When I had my first baby my best friend and her husband were in the waiting room. When I had my second baby, they came the first night we were in the hospital. Now that I have two kids, I cannot just go where I want when I want to. I have to find a babysitter, and taking care of both of my kids can be quite a handful at times. My friend said she understands and that we can wait until they get home if we want to so we can bring our kids, but I really would like to visit them in the hospital if possible. I know that when I had both of our babies, I really appreciated people coming to visit while we were actually in the hospital. I also know what it is like to want peace and quiet after you have a baby. Hopefully I can find a babysitter so my husband and I can go see the baby soon.

Reviewing Untitled Jersey City Project

2011-09-27T18:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Untitled Jersey City Project. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just across the river from Manhattan, a hard-edged old town is being polished up into a sleek new city, but the players haven't changed. The Untitled Jersey City Project is one of the latest online entertainment experiments. This project is a unique work-in-progress television drama playing out online. The project consists of eight short-form episodes that are pulled from a larger story—leaving enticing cliffhangers and new twists popping up.

The story that unfolds is filled with fame, power, and lots of money. Who will win? Who will lose?

Episode 2 depicts Frank and Ray meeting with Jane Kaplan, a reporter from the The Ledger to discuss the Waterfront Stadium Project. But Kaplan knows that there are some not-so-favorable elements to the story, which she fully plans to explore.

The episode left me wondering whether Kaplan is playing around for her own reasons, or to get closer to the story. The episode also left me wanting a lot more—I'm definitely anticipating the next episode. Overall, the story is intriguing, the actors are spot-on, and it seems that this online experiment is a great way to get out a new idea.

Check out Episode Two of Untitled Jersey City Project for yourself:

What did you think? Make sure to leave your comments. I'd love to hear your opinions.

An Array of Different Hats... Metaphorically Speaking

2011-09-23T19:05:00.000-04:00

Buying a new hat yesterday turned my imagination upside down and got me waxing poetic about the different hats that people wear throughout their lives. Of course I had to turn a simple wool hat into a gigantic metaphor for my life. That's what I do for a living. But it's the same as saying that people have different faces or any of the other cliches you would like to insert here.

It's the new job search that's making me think about all of the little nuances that make up each individual person. In the past 24 hours I have been looking through dozens of job postings. Right now it's mostly to get a feel for what these companies are looking for. Most of these jobs list qualifications that I have, except maybe one or two. But those one or two are typically the most important or non-negotiable. Now I have to work at getting those qualifications. Easier said than done.

I'm stuck in the same place I was almost four years ago--I need experience to get the job, but there's no place to willing to take a chance by giving me experience. I have the passion and drive to learn all I can to be the best at whatever the job may be. But in this economy, that sure as hell isn't enough to make the cut. I guess my only choice at the moment is to wait it out. I've got a a few decent freelance gigs right now. At least they pay the bills. And I've got those great little creative bursts that keep cropping up. Those get me through the days when work is scarce.

I'll keep chugging along, trying to find that one little opening that will get my foot in the door to the great wide world of journalism. I'll find it somewhere. Even if I have to go halfway across the world to find it, I will. Hey... that's an idea... maybe I should go halfway across the world...

Feel Richer

2011-09-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

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It's Back

2011-09-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

You know that drive I thought I lost? The motivation? Well, it's back--and with a vengeance. I haven't felt a creative high like this in a long while.

The only problem I seem to have now is what to focus on with all this energy. Today, I have been bouncing off one project and on to another. I started with poetry this morning, then I went over to the novel this afternoon. And because I'm all of a sudden interested in being involved in journalism again, I'm researching various topics of interest and trying to find the best way to break back into it all. I got a full plate, that's for sure.

What will become of me in the next couple of months? Something other than status quo, I'm hoping. I'll give myself a tentative deadline of January 1, 2012 to surprise myself, show a little confidence--get something worthwhile done. I'm determined to have a career I can be proud of.

Out of Practice

2011-09-12T14:01:00.000-04:00

Along with the triumphs and struggles of my current novel, I have also decided to take on the task of getting back into freelance writing. My current job (the one that actually pays me on a regular basis) is connected to this field, but the last real article I wrote for money was published at the beginning of this year. And if I remember correctly, it was about three sentences long. Time to dust off the old keyboard and get back to work. However, it's been a little harder than I thought.

My original idea was to do an interview/profile on someone interesting and who I admired. Easy enough, right? Until you realize that you first have to find a publication that's interested in it. But even before that, you have to come up with multiple angles that the article can veer towards. This is important when you're shopping it around to publications that all have a different focus for their readers.

After all that research is done, it's time to write the query letter. That's not really difficult if you have a good example to follow, except when you get to the last paragraph. It is supposed to be about your credentials and qualifications for writing the article. Um... yeah. I've been writing for years and I still don't have much in the way of published work I'm proud to admit to writing. Some of my best writing was sold as full rights, no byline. How young and naive I was then.

Even evading that paragraph in the query letter, you have to next move on to actually getting the interview. This is where fear of rejection really takes over. I'm not too concerned about the editor of a publication rejecting my ideas--I don't know them from Adam. But the thought of asking for an interview and getting rejected, no matter how politely? Oh, I'm not sure I can handle that. My previous (in-person) interviews have consisted of exactly one audiologist and one biologist. Not a rousing bunch but I had interesting conversations with both. Of course at this point in my career, phone and email interviews should be out of the question unless absolutely necessary. I never really liked those, but I have done them often due to various situations on my end.

And this, my friends, is why I never finished my journalism degree. Three whole years of study and I bailed. Crippling fear apparently. It was, as I recall, a journalism event I was attending where I had my very first panic attack.

At least I still have that all-important English degree that can technically get my foot in the door of both worlds. I know how to write well; it's the hunting and gathering of information that gives me trouble.

But no worries--I'm sure that I'll either get over the fear or maybe put this idea to the side until I can work up to it. I might start with a smaller, research-only article. Baby steps. I need to think in baby steps.

Last Night's Dream

2011-09-11T07:03:00.000-04:00

I woke up with a strange, but very empowering, dream in my head. I was outside of some building that looked like the facades you could find on any college campus. Once inside the building, however, I realized that in order to get where I was going (which I wasn't entirely sure of), I would have climb a huge set of stairs. Now let me tell you, this was no ordinary set of stairs. It looked more like a game show obstacle course than anything else. I started out all right, but things got a little tougher as the stairs got higher. With each step, there was less and less safety. I was higher up and felt I was going to fall and break my neck for sure. There was even someone down below, not quite jeering but not being encouraging. She was telling me that I should turn around and come back down. It wasn't worth it. She told me that I was afraid of falling--or failing--I couldn't really hear her well at this point. but I kept climbing. Did I get where I was going? Who knows. I woke up at an inopportune time. But could I very well have gotten where I was going, as long I kept working hard? I'm sure I could have. I'm sure I can, awake or dreaming.

Changing Gears

2011-09-05T12:04:00.013-04:00

Holidays are a great time to sit and relax. Do nothing. Me? I like to work extra hard so that the rest of the work week is smooth. That's only if work is available to me over the holiday weekends. Many times it's not. This happens to be one of those holidays.

So what am I working on? A lot of different projects, but still feeling like very little is getting done. I'm sure every writer knows that feeling at one time or another. I'll be honest--I stopped to write this blog because I was getting frustrated working on the novel. This novel is a new one, which means I'm adding one more work to the gigantic pile of unfinished, unpublished manuscripts but this one is a special one. It's the story that I never thought I would write. I always had that attitude about this story because I enjoyed thinking about it so much in my mind that I knew I just couldn't do it justice on paper. I have actually tried to write this novel twice before, but scrapped both of them because it just never seemed the same. My imagination still wants to hold tightly to this story, but I'm going slow and making sure that I'm not missing a single detail. Including thinking time, I already have more than four years invested into this.

I'm also trying to catch up on my ever-growing reading pile, even as I wait for more books to come in the mail sometime this week. I really take my Goodreads reviews seriously, but some of the books that I get are just completely not my style that a few have been very difficult to get through. But finishing one a day for the rest of the week should have me back on track. I hope!

Then there's real life. I suddenly found myself with things to do on the weekends. I have a car that I really need to learn how to drive (I'll get to it, I promise!) I have friends again. We all have fun. More than once I've woke up with a hangover in the past month. It's making more of a balance in my life, which is good, but it's giving me way too many excuses to neglect the writing. I'm gonna work on that. After all, most writers don't live their lives by the alarm clock... and from now on, neither will I.

A Premium Aged Rum Just For You

2011-08-30T19:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Diageo. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't know about today's writers, but many writers of the past enjoyed a good drink now and then. I know that I do. And that's why I occassionally partake in a bit of rum. Zacapa premium rum is one that I like to use when I'm having fun and relaxing.

Zacapa rum is not only a great tasting rum, it also has an interesting history. The rum originates from a town called Zacapa in eastern Guatemala. In 1976, one of the best tasting rums in the world was born right there. Why here? Because this is where quality sugar cane is grown. And to get the best flavor possible, Zacapa aged rum only uses concentrated first press sugar cane, not molasses like most other rums. This, along with Zacapa's unique ageing process, provides a premium dark rum that tastes like no other. This process takes place in the Quetzaltenango highlands where the cool mountain air slows down the process. To add to the distinctive taste, each drop of rum is also passed through a series of casks that previously housed sherry, whiskey and wines.

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I Bet You've Been Wondering...

2011-08-29T07:29:00.009-04:00

...just where I've been these last couple weeks. Well, I've been going out and being one of those silly adults who take on responsibility and stuff. The biggest news I have for my dear writer friends? I finally have a car. I bought it last Saturday and ain't she a beauty?

Of course, now I just have to, I don't know, learn how to drive. I started that process by getting my learner's permit (again) this last week. Apparently I got all the questions right on the test, because they didn't tell me I missed any. They just said I passed and snapped my picture.

I figure that writers have to suffer in some way for their art, but me bouncing around like a crazy person feeling trapped in my apartment was just too much. So the car was the ultimate solution. Of course, now it's also turned me into a VW fanatic. I'm gonna be one of those people that doesn't just drive the car, but has the keychain, the jacket, the t-shirt, even the jewelry (yep, they make it)... oh boy.

As far as writing goes, these were 14 days of sloth. I couldn't even manage to pick up a book for half of the days just because I was either out and about in the new car (I'm still being chauffeured at the moment), chained to my desk to hit the goals for my day job, or napping. I seem to be a big fan of napping these days. I really shouldn't cut back on the coffee like a did.

Let's just blame these last two weeks on a low tide of the creative cycle. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Saving Some Money

2011-08-16T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Crazy or Confused?

2011-08-08T16:28:00.007-04:00

Been thinking a lot about my plans for the future... mostly instead of doing my work. But there are a lot of choices that I'm reconsidering. I'm reconsidering the purchase of a car if I can get my dream ride (1969 camaro). I may change my mind on where I want to move to next year--there's got to be a less expensive city out there somewhere. Unfortunately many lists that I've consulted list Indianapolis as an affordable city... yeah, been there, done that.

I still have plenty of time to make these decisions, but it does feel like the pressure is starting to build. The pressure is self-inflicted, but this time the pieces of the puzzle have to be put together sooner rather than later. I don't want to have happen what has happened in the past: I panic and choose the closest thing to me, which has proven time and time again that it's not the best thing for me.

As far as the writing goes, my journal is filling up fast with my rants and ramblings about these decisions. I've also written out ten or more ideas on various scraps of paper. Thinking about new places, new choices and new ideas gives me so much more than just something to look forward to. It also helps me discover the things I want to write about next. So I guess a little stress isn't all that bad...

Thought I Would Forget? Not Likely...

2011-08-03T19:02:00.007-04:00

Okay, so I won't lie to my readers: I nearly forgot to post today. But it's all good... I remembered before I hid myself away for the night. Work has been going off and on at weird hours of the day, so I feel like I'm constantly working without making much progress. My mind then tends to go into Imaginationland. It's fun there, but you can never stay too long.

The good news is that I, as an avid reader, finally now own an eReader. I never thought I would really want one, but so far I love it. It was a super-belated birthday present from a friend. I think he gave it to me at the right time because I wanted something smaller to travel with and I have a lot of giant regular books on my reading list--and let me tell you, those aren't fun to carry around all the time. Especially since I'm still rocking a Huffy.

my pretty little baby

The script is still in revision #2. It's taking so long that I really hope I'll have a finished draft after this revision. Poetry? Short stories? Novels? All on the back burner, but just for the moment. One of these days I'll become independent wealthy and be able to do just exactly what I want to do. ;)

See the Light

2011-08-03T17:01:00.001-04:00

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Big L on My Forehead

2011-08-02T09:01:00.002-04:00

Yep... was it predictable that would miss Monday's post? I decided to work outside of the home office at the last minute, so the blog post totally slipped my mind. I should really write these things down, you know. Anyway, we will return to the regularly scheduled posts on Wednesday!

Glasses 4 Life

2011-07-29T14:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of globaleyeglasses. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've had a love-hate relationship with eyeglasses most of my life. I started wearing them at 7 years old. The first pair I ever had were these awful pink plastic frames that were way too big for my face. Each and every school picture featured glasses similar to those... eventually leading me to finding new places to get my eyeglasses so I wouldn't look like such a dork anymore.

Now that I'm an adult, there are thousands of places I can choose to buy my eyeglasses. One place that I have found some of the coolest glasses with the best prices is at GlobalEyeglasses.com. Not only do they offer great styles of glasses from just $6.95, but they also provide a 100% money back customer satisfaction guarantee. This is what I like most about companies--the chance to change your mind. Because you know we all do it.

This eyeglass store also has a great feature to try out. They have a tool called the Virtual Mirror where you can try on eyeglasses online and even share the results with family and friends. I know getting opinions on what the glasses look like is a high priority for me when I shop!

Getting The Right Plan

2011-07-27T17:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

Phone plans can get confusing and very expensive if you are not sure what you need. But with a plan like Straight Talk, there's no need to worry about getting stuck with a ridiculously high phone bill each month. There are no contracts to sign with the Straight Talk plan, so anyone without this plan would be a fool to wrap themselves up in one and two year contracts with other cell phone providers. And what's the best single thing about this plan? No surprises, no setup fees, no credit checks to qualify. It's a plan everyone can use hook, line and sinker.

I could just imagine all of the things I would get with the savings on my phone bill. I would practically fill my office with brand new books. Writers, after all, need to find their inspiration too. And with the All You Need Plan, you get a wicked amount of minutes, texts, and data use chat and call a friend. An unlimited plan only runs $45 and would serve the needs of even the heaviest phone users. International calls are also available at great low rates.

Not only do you get great service with this plan, you also get the choice of the top of the line smart phones, touch screen phones and phones with app capabilities. Who wouldn't want that? It's everything you need. Remember, mom knows best!

The Big Decision

2011-07-27T11:32:00.002-04:00

And now as promised: my big plans for the next year. The first priority is to keep my writing up. It's easier these days. I found something in myself that just wants to keep going, no matter how hard the task ahead of me seems. That's the easy part. The hard part will be to finally get the hell out of Dodge.

I have wanted to move out of state since I was about eight years old. I thought that would be the only way to get exactly what I want out of life. Indiana isn't bad; it's just not the place for me. Here it's really hard to make friends and network. I know a lot of people would disagree, but take into consideration that I work from home. And I don't have a car. Most Hoosiers spend their lives in their houses, their cars, or at work. At least that's been my experience. You can break through—but remember I'm shy. This place doesn't make me open up as much as I want or need.

The solution? Move to a big city, of course! I know I've probably talked the ears off of everyone I know about moving to New York. It's been my dream since I first started reading The Baby-Sitters Club books. Stacey was always my favorite character, and she had originally moved to Stoneybrook from New York. I'm a dork, I know. But the more I think about it, the more of a hassle it seems. I still hold a place in my heart for the city I've never seen, but I have to move to plan B.

And let me tell you, plan B is probably just as far-fetched. Right now I'm working to save money not to move to New York, but to Los Angeles. I know. I know. Lateral move compared to NYC, right? I just know that I'm at that point in my life where major change needs to happen, and what's more of a change than moving 2,000 miles away from everything I've ever known? It's a lot like the song “Boston” by Augustana. Sort of. I know that song is about someone getting out of L.A., but the concept is the same. And the whole time I have been wrestling over this decision between NYC and L.A., one of the band's other songs (“Hotel Roosevelt”) pops into my head occasionally. The lyrics in particular “New York/L.A./Hey man, you know it's all the same.” Maybe it is... and maybe it's not.

I've spent a few weeks weighing the pros and cons of each city and there are additional perks to choosing L.A. Over NYC. The rent is cheaper (okay, so it's only about $100 difference, but still a savings!), the weather is much more stable, and I know that even though I never intend to own a car, I can find a place in L.A. where I can walk or bike to whatever I need. I just need a change. I need something to look forward to. I need a chance to actually live my life the way I want to without depending on or caring about what other people think. If this is what moving to California brings for me, I'll welcome any uphill battles to get there. I'm not going to let anyone stop me this time. I'm 27 after all... why should anyone be able to hold me back?

My Own Salon

2011-07-26T07:51:00.002-04:00

Post contributed by Hilton Miranda

Being a hair dresser was something I always wanted to do as a kid and that’s exactly what I’ve grown up to be. I love getting to chat with my clients all day every day and I know they really appreciate how much work I do to keep their hair looking good. I decide last year it would make sense for me to open my own salon so I got to work finding a suitable space and some other stylists to get on board. IT’s been so nice to be my own boss even though getting this place in working order has been more trouble than it’s worth! I had to hire a contractor to get everything together and I went to texaselectricityproviders.COM like my brother suggested to keep the air bills down. I talked to the small business bureau and even my insurance agent and now that we’re open it seems like a lifetime ago! I love having my own salon and all my clients do, too.

Back into The Habit

2011-07-25T11:49:00.002-04:00

I haven't gone missing. I know I blogged like two days ago and everyone was like, “Oh, she's still around?” Okay... maybe I just wished someone had noticed the absence from my blog. Baby, I'm back! And I'm all ready to be consistent once again.

My goal for the blog was to write a more personal post on Mondays, writing tips on Wednesdays, and I had super big plans for Friday posts. I am a prime example of how life takes funny little turns and puts you where you didn't know you would be. Turns out, if you have to wait in front of the computer day in and day out for work over a span of about two months, writing seems to fade into the background.

For the first month, I waited around for work with a book in my hand. Work always showed up just about the time the character in the book was going to do something crazy stupid and I really wanted to get to the next chapter. My life during this time was filled with next chapter – work –next chapter, etc. And this, my friends, is not something you want to read about every week. Am I right? There was no way I could drag my mind out of the mud to get something even coherent on the blog or otherwise. (If you don't believe me, check out the useless drivel I tweeted during June @Terri84) The one bonus? I did get a lot of book reviews written (you can see them all on Goodreads).

Then July hit. Ah, July. My favorite month of the year. Not just because that's when I was born, but also because I really love the way the word 'July' sounds. As with anyone that gets older, I get worried I'm not making enough progress in my career. It was time for a new goal, so I started writing a feature length script. It's now a month into that process and the progress is still steady. The first draft gave me a whopping 52 pages (for those that are unfamiliar, a feature length needs to be a minimum of 90 pages). The first revision gave me a whole 62. I added in another scene this morning and now I'm up to 64. See? Visible progress. Maybe that's why I like scripts so much... page count is so much more satisfying to me than word count.

And where do I go from here? On that beautiful journey of making more life decisions that will, at the last minute, fall through. Let's hope they don't, but I've got to be prepared if they do. Prepare carefully to act spontaneously. That's been my motto for months now.

So what's in store for me over this next year? Well, to maintain the promise of getting back into the habit of writing on the blog, I'll let you know on Wednesday. And if I fail? Remember, I'm human. I tend to do that.

Watching Some Watches

2011-07-25T11:38:00.003-04:00

I've been in the market for a new watch lately. I'm getting really tired of those cheap watches that break within a year. No matter how cute they are, I feel like I'm wasting a lot of money. Instead, I'm thinking of going a little bit bigger the next time I purchase a watch.

What I would like to get when I make my next watch purchase is something a little more luxurious. I love the selection of luxury watches from ShowOffCity.com. These pieces are really nice. And what's great about them is that there is a wide selection. I didn't know there were so many luxury watch brands on the market. Usually I could only think of the obvious one or two. Now I have a lot to think about!

Focus And You Will Find...

2011-07-23T07:47:00.007-04:00

It took me practically my whole life to figure this out, but I am NOT the kind of girl that can multitask when it comes to my writing. Sure, I may be able to do my normal work with music blaring, snacks on hand, a second window opened to my Amazon wishlist... but when it comes to the writing that I truly throw all my passion into, mutlitasking does not work.

My current project is a feature length script. It's a pretty ambitious goal since I know no one in the industry and probably won't be able to get it looked at by anyone with any means of getting it to the next level of production. But I had an idea and I couldn't just sit on it any longer. I'm through with the first draft and one round of revisions, which has still left me about 27 pages short of the minimum standard length of a script. I think I'm holding back. I'm not ripping apart the characters to really see what their motivation is just yet. I guess that's coming in round 2 of revisions.

And until this is done, I'm not going to even think about any other writing project. But I definitely have a pile of ideas and half-finished projects waiting in the wings when this script is done. It may sound stressful to some, but this is the kind of thing I live for. I love being a writer!

Starting Back to Day 1

2011-07-07T06:51:00.009-04:00

Today is my birthday. I've been up all of one hour and already the excitement is kind of over. Birthdays have never meant much to me (or to anyone else for that matter) so I keep them quiet, keep them to myself, and let a another day pass by.

What I do make a point to do on my birthday is set new yearly goals. I think the whole New Year's Eve resolution-setting is arbitrary. After all that holiday celebrating, who wants to start something new? I choose to sets goals on my birthday instead, because it seems to me a person would want to make sure they have at least one goal accomplished before they turn... whatever age (mine happens to be 27 this year).

My goals for this year? Unfortunately, they have to be the same as last year. I didn't get anything published, though I tried very hard. The other goal was a little weight loss/health kick, which I sort of accomplished. I'm 2 lbs. from where I wanted to be. Just shows me that almost isn't acceptable anymore. If I want something, I'm really going to have to go for it. After all, I'm not getting any younger!!

Holiday Relaxing

2011-07-04T12:38:00.007-04:00

I've been having a difficult time relaxing over this holiday weekend. This is the first time in awhile that I really have nothing to do except lounge around for a few days. Reading is nice, but because my eyes are so bad from sitting in front of the computer screen all day, it can quickly take its toll.

So what does a girl with all the time in the world do? She watches DVDs! I've been told that I have an extensive collection of movies and television shows on DVD (like the ones I was looking at here: www.canadapost.ca/shopper/misc-television-movies/sc/3), but to me I know that I am still missing some of my favorites. That's why I've been doing a lot of comparison shopping lately so that I can the most bang for my buck. I'm living on a tighter budget since I only have about 16 months left before I get ready to make that big decision to move--again.

What The Universe Is Telling Me

2011-06-28T11:59:00.008-04:00

We all knew it would happen at some point. Did I think it would happen today? No, but here I am, devoid of all that positive attitude junk I was feeding myself for the past six weeks. Why did it have to end? I was living in blissful ignorance. I thought the world was at my fingertips, just waiting to be seized. And look—I'm even butchering cliches.

It's the same old story—the little things begin to build up to the point that I just break. I've once again been defeated by a long line of trivial setbacks that would normally push a person into that territory where you're either more determine than ever or you flake: I flaked. I let a bunch of rejections (both professional and personal) get to me. I'll never understand why they always have to happen on the same day, but they usually do.

But you know what? This frickin' Universe of ours keeps sending me signs. I guess I don't have to listen, but when you write what I just wrote, then casually check Twitter while you're forming your next thought and see this: You Have a Choice (from @CorbettBarr), you gotta believe in something or someone wanting you to not give up. I'm trying really, really hard not to. There are so many things I could just toss out the window today and never look back. But I won't. I'm determined. I'm still a bitch to be around right now, and maybe I just needed a good cry this morning, but I'm going to get through it. I have to.

Just A Conversation...

2011-06-25T06:42:00.005-04:00

My friend and I, who I hadn't seen in more than six months, got together last night. It was like we had never missed a beat, you know? Although we did end up talking a lot about taxes. I told him all about the self-employed situation that I deal with every year, and he thinks that he will have to do that this year.

When he said he may have to file as self-employed, I told him about how I used tools online to help me file taxes. And since sometimes payments can be difficult to make, I also informed him about ways to file tax extension electronically. I have never had to use it yet, but at least I know its there if I do!

The All-Important Impending Decision

2011-06-24T11:12:00.016-04:00

I've been writing on this blog for some years now. About two or three years ago, I made the choice to clean out my archive, taking out uneventful posts, random ramblings, and one unfortunate paid post where I was advertising for something connected to Glenn Beck before I knew who he was. The impending decision now is whether I should do the same with my online articles?

I started freelancing in January of 2008. In the past 3 years or so, I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learned about the business. I started out giving away my precious words for $5 here and there. I unknowingly did some article ghostwriting, thinking I was getting a byline or some type of recognition the whole time. I have even sold full rights to articles that (in my now well-informed opinion) were not worth the purchase price. There are probably 200 articles online right now that I have the rights to do with what I want and maybe 20 of them are still worthy to been seen by the general public. Should I lighten my load and get them out of the way?

Payment is no longer an issue. I think last month I made a total of $0.81 in royalties. That's not even $12 a year. It's equivalent to about one new book a year. Mass market paperback--not even enough for a hardcover. I think I can give up one. But just one. ;)

Unfortunately, I know there are still some pretty bad pieces of writing out there with my byline that I can't do anything about. I sold out. I guess the best I can ask is that people NOT look at them... I mean, to me it feels just like when your mother insists on showing your boyfriend your naked baby pictures. It's there, it's done, but you just aren't the same person anymore.

But I'll see what I can do... these companies can have the bad writing they bought. Just don't give me any credit for it!

What A Week

2011-06-20T11:35:00.015-04:00

Usually I don't have exciting things to write on this blog--hence the low number of dedicated readers (I still appreciate all of you!!). But this last week was such a whirlwind of activity. I'm not making a huge dent in my stacks of unread books, but I have worked on a lot of my projects--enough to declare these particular pieces are finally ready for contests or magazine submissions. Maybe it's only 1% of everything I have ever started, but it's still an accomplishment.

And the comic? Slow going, but still going. Definitely still going. I may have to slack off posting those for awhile though. I'm running out of the general stories. Most of the comics I worked on last week are part of the bigger project and don't really stand alone. And just a heads up--when I do post a new comic, it's almost always going to be on a Thursday... unless I forget. Which I totally did last week.

Now that all of the business is out of the way, I'll give you some notes on the personal life, because I know you are just dying to know what boring things go on in this little apartment of mine. First, let me just tell you that a positive attitude is such a useful tool. People have been telling me this for years, but I was quite content holding on to my passive-aggressive pessimism up until now. This new-found outlook has given me a great distraction from the isolation I've put myself in, the refrigerator (which my waistline thanks dearly), and the occasional upsets I used to blow completely out of proportion.

Being positive does come with a downside: my face hurts from laughing and smiling so much.

Great Health & Wellness Products

2011-06-15T21:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

We all know how important it is to be healthy. And what better way to stay healthy than to know the right products to use for our specific needs? I know that when it comes to shopping for some of these products, I tend to choose Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products because of the price and quality of the product. You can't beat the prices, and the quality of each and every Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products equals other national brands on the market.

I know that one specific product I keep around is my Walgreens Extra Strength Pain Reliever. My job entails a lot of sitting at the computer each day and a lot of stressful deadlines to meet. Sometimes tension headaches creep up and this is the product to take care of my immediate needs. It works every time and makes the money I save worth it to choose this specific brand.

Another great reason to choose Walgreens for your health and wellness needs is that for every purchase of a Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product, the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ provides support in bringing local communities the preventive wellness services they need. Walgreens will contribute up to $3 million annually to the fund. This money is used to provide preventive health tests, health education, and vouchers for select stores. Every purchase does make a difference.

And here's something extra for you: several bloggers are giving away Walgreens Gift Cards. Check out these great giveaways.

What's Been Up?

2011-06-15T15:56:00.003-04:00

Well... I haven't been getting a lot of work done, or a lot of books read, but I have been at the zoo. I took Monday off and went with the nephew. It was fun, but the place just wasn't as big as I remembered when I was younger.

Yesterday was supposed to be the day I really hit it hard--I wanted to finish reading two books, draw 5 comics, and finish polishing a flash fiction for a contest. Did I get any of it done? Well, maybe a little, but not enough to feel accomplished. I did much better today, but still not hitting the goals that I need to. Whether it's lack of motivation, lack of caffeine, or just because I tend to wake up at all hours of the night now, I need to figure out what's holding me back. The truth? I'm waiting for a sign that tells me I'm on the right path. Haven't seen it yet. But why should I wait for something like that? Doesn't working on these projects every single day make me feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing? In most ways, yes. But I guess my real concern is if all of this hard work I'm putting in will get me where I want to go.

I might be getting a little philosophical, but at least I'm not depressed... yet.

ERROR

2011-06-06T06:15:00.008-04:00

...not what you want to see on the work website when you wake up on a Monday morning, but there it is. I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to work for awhile, so what to do, what to do...

Things have been going well in the comics department so far. Although, I'm pretty sure I suck at drawing arms from the shoulder to what seem to always be gnarled fingertips. Not everyone I knew in college had fingertips like that, so redrawing (AGAIN) may be necessary. But it's all part of the process, right? Just like editing a novel? Please tell me it is? :)

The comics had led to slight neglect in the fiction department, but I'm still revising some flash fiction for an upcoming contest. If I can find the last revisions I printed out. I think their hiding in the filing cabinet, so I must go exploring later today. I'll be sure to take a snack and a flashlight in case I get lost.

Other than all of that... life is pretty sweet right now. And where the hell did this lasting positive attitude come from? Seriously don't ask me. I've been happy or at least content for about six weeks now. I don't know where it came from and I really don't want to jinx it. It seems to work for me.

Check It Out:

2011-06-04T09:37:00.003-04:00

For those that aren't already religiously following my College Chronicles blog, I just wanted to let everyone know that the first comic has been posted. I know I still have a lot to learn but trust me, once the giant binder of scripts is all drawn and pretty, it will all make a lot of sense--and hopefully some money too!

Oh So Close

2011-05-29T20:25:00.004-04:00

I was finally able to start drawing my comics on Friday after getting all the art supplies I needed. I knew that teaching myself to draw comics would be an uphill battle, but it's been surprisingly fun. I think they all look awesome right after I finish. When I go back later though, I see where all the little details are wrong, missing, or backwards. I have completed three so far with three that need redrawing. But I'm doing it. I'm getting the project done. I don't want it to take years (drawing only one page a day probably will take that long) but if it has to, then so be it. I'm sticking with this one!

All of this confidence and bravery I seem to be exuding lately has been a mystery to me. I don't know where it came from and I don't know how long it will last, but I'm going to hold onto every last ounce of it that I can. And listening to Lady Gaga's new album while I write and draw doesn't hurt either. It feels like a daily pep talk of sorts.

Whenever I get a comic ready that I think is worthy of public viewing, I'll post it on College Chronicles and also let you guys know about it here.

I Got It Back

2011-05-16T19:39:00.003-04:00

After a slow, whiny, self-pittying weekend that carried over until just about an hour ago, I have some creative energy back. I'm currently working on the comic book. Working so hard, in fact, that I have a little blog post done over at the comic book's official blog, College Chronicles. Check it out!

The Springtime of My Life

2011-05-14T08:26:00.023-04:00

As I look outside my window, a thin veil of clouds casts a gray light on everything around. There could be rain; then again, it's spring and the weather can make a complete turnaround before you can find the umbrella in the coat closet.

Soon the unpredictability of May will slide into June with her warm, sunny days and humid nights. Then it will officially be summer by all standards: kids are out of school, pools are opening, the days seem to go on endlessly. Things are beginning to change.

If you consider a life like the four seasons, my own life is just coinciding with this time in spring. It's the waning edge of the springtime of my life, a last-ditch effort to capture the youthful invincibility we are all granted for a little while. It's a time where those flights of fancy can still turn into your dream come true. It's a place where things are starting to line up, but you are afforded one or two more chances to have a major screw-up, if you choose to take it.

What will these last few years of spring bring for me? I can't answer that; to know what's to come is to trick yourself into thinking you are bigger than the universe. Maybe the universe doesn't even know what's to come. Maybe it all comes down to chance. I can at least hope for the chance to have my rites of spring like endless others have before me and will after me. I don't want to sound envious of those others that have passed through, but it's getting late in my spring and I have yet to make my life my own. When will it be my turn?

If I don't succeed in capturing the essence of spring, I will still be forced into summer like a giant tornado sweeping across the farm fields, all planted in neat little rows. This disruption is clearly visible and takes time to heal. What will I have to look forward in that summer? Maybe a lot--maybe nothing. For most, summer is the time where their world is solidified: plans are set in stone, goals are beginning to be met, children are being raised in the image of their elders. It is a time where joy is palpable in the air. It's a time where we've given up the idea that we will live forever, but today was still a pretty good day. It's a time where we are preparing for the fall: one last trim of the lawn, one more gathering of friends and family, one more hug from the daughters and sons that will be heading out to find their own spring soon enough.

What is summer to someone who has never experienced spring? Is it just more of the same? A life where nothing seems to matter, yet pulling yourself through each day is so routine that you don't even have to think anymore? Would I even be able to find that glimmer of joy everyone else seems to have captured like fireflies in a jar? Or will I just step back inside, retreat from the intensity of the sun for fear I'll wilt and wither away? I guess I'll be the lucky one to find out.

It's getting late, and I must make my decisions count. Summer is just around the corner.

Got it!

2011-05-10T12:42:00.003-04:00

Contributed by Milford Woods

I saw an ad not too long ago that told me to click for specials on a bundle deal for TV and Internet. I don't usually CLICK on that sort of thing, but I'm glad I did because now my house is totally hooked up to the digital world. My kids are absolutely loving having so many channels and I really like having a reliable Internet connection, which is something we haven't had for a long time since we're in a dial-up zone. I only let my kid watch relatively educational shows during the day, and I'm really careful to monitor their Internet usage so they don't get into any trouble when their online. I never realized what a gaping hole there was in our home communication services but I'm glad I'm finally able to watch the shows that all my friends talk about while at the same time get some work done at night on my home computer. Why didn't I think of doing this a decade or so ago?

I'm Really Not Surprised...

2011-05-10T12:17:00.002-04:00

Well, it's May 10th, so it's time to announce the winner of the Freschetta Giveaway. Can you guess who it is? Can you? No one. That's right. Nobody entered the contest, so there's no winner to announce. Surprised? I'm not. I can't seem to do anything right--even running a contest giving away free stuff.

And Just When I Thought it Was Better...

2011-05-09T06:33:00.006-04:00

I don't know the reason I've been annoyed by people all my life, but it's really awkward when every time I try to keep to myself and leave others alone, they suddenly have no respect for me. This time I'm talking about my neighbors. I don't play loud music, I don't slam my doors. Unless you look or listen carefully, I wouldn't be noticed at all. What do these people do? Throw dirt on my patio, make noise all the time, stomp til things fall off the walls, blow cigarette smoke into my home, scream in the hall... there's probably more, but let's leave it there. Oh, but I will add one more thing: none of them go to work--ever. At least in my last few apartments everyone had someplace to go during the day. I love having a quiet place to write and feel like I'm at a real job. Not with these people!

I know you know there's a point to this--at least more than random venting about my life. There is. Two things: first, young writers should take note of their surroundings all the time to get story ideas. Can you even guess what kind of stories I've been able to come up with from these people already? And second, it's motivation. I don't care how it happens, but I really need to leave to a more exciting place--permanently. No more vacation talk here. I've gotta get out of here, and it has to be soon. My nerves just can't take anymore of it.

I know what you would say though: these annoyances will be worse in a jam-packed city. I know that. But at least in a city you can leave your apartment and actually have someplace to go. Here, it's the grocery store or the parents house. Both are not the kind of places you want to spend a whole lot of free time. At this point I can't even sit outside because people are loud, pushy, and don't know that if my face is in a book, it means I want to read, not talk about the weather. (ok, here's the anti-social scaredy-cat coming out). People tell me I need to find a house instead of an apartment. No, I'm tired of being antisocial and that would make it worse. I need a place to meet people my age, with my interests. I'll never find that here.

Okay, rant is over.

Index of Online Articles

2011-05-07T09:42:00.015-04:00

This post is an alphabetical index of the articles I've written and published online. Click on any of the links and you'll be taken directly to the article (and supporting my page views!). If you want to check on new articles, be sure to bookmark this post. I will be updating it on a regular basis.

A
B
C
Calling Out to Daddy (poem)
Carved in Stone (poem)
D
Dark Night (poem)
E
F
G
H
I
I Am Free (poem)
I Am From... (poem)
If I (poem)
J
K
L
Leap of Faith (poem)
Leaving (poem)
M
N
Natural Remedies for Crohn's Disease
Nobody (poem)
Not Who We Are (poem)
O
Ooh You (poem)
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

A New Best Friend

2011-05-02T07:44:00.005-04:00

Though it may seem silly, I went to Wal-Mart yesterday and picked up a new best friend: my brand new 3 hole punch.

It's really come in handy lately with all of the comic script pages I have been writing. I don't know how anyone else revises, but for me the task is daunting and a little old fashioned. I print a lot and use binders to hold everything in.

I cannot completely edit and revise on the computer screen. While it may be environmentally friendly to do so, there's nothing like editing a page you can hold in your hand. My editing/revising process goes something like this:

Type (or hand write) first draft
Print for 1st revision
Revise computer file
Print for 2nd revision (if necessary--and good writers will know it's probably necessary!)
Revise computer file

And then if it needs additional revisions, I do the same steps. So... all my writing friends out there... what's your revision process like?

A Little Pizza Talk and A Giveaway

2011-04-28T03:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

For many American families, pizza is one of those staple “quick” foods. I know in my house, that's certainly the case. In fact, I had some pizza tonight! But wouldn't it be great to have more than just a few choices when it comes to enjoying a great pizza? I love that Freschetta has introduced FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™, a line of delicious and unique pizza flavors. The eight new flavors include: Harvest Supreme, Hawaiian Style, Classic Bruschetta, Tuscan Farmhouse, Rustic Pepperoni Pomodoro, Southern BBQ Recipe Chicken, Chicken Bianco and Farmers Market Veggie. Just listing those off made my mouth water... I know from personal experience that the Southern BBQ flavor is absolutely fabulous for any BBQ lovers out there.

And it's not only the thin, crispy crust and high quality toppings that you'll love. Families going green will love the fact that Freschetta Simple Inspired Pizza also uses 30% packaging material and without sacrificing freshness with its FRESCH-TASTE SEAL™ packaging.

Want to learn more about Simpky Inspired Pizza? Check out @FreschettaSI on Twitter or like them on their facebook page. There you can find weekly giveaways and coupons.

And guess what? It's GIVEAWAY TIME! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post (w/ email please, so I can contact you if you win) about which of these flavors you would want to try and why. THE PRIZE: You will get an awesome bamboo cutting board and Freschetta coupon. How cool is that? Entries for the giveaway will end on May 9, 11:59PM eastern and winner will be announced May 10.

CONTEST FOR U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY (sorry!). WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM FROM ENTRIES RECEIVED.

Something That Works

2011-04-25T07:32:00.005-04:00

I think I may have struck creative gold this spring. The comic book thing is really starting to work for me. I probably have enough ideas and scripts for a whole comic memoir already. Of course everything is still in the first draft mode, but I haven't abandoned the project when I get to the tedious tasks. That's a new thing for me. It's been nearly two weeks now.

It's also made me more disciplined working on flash fiction for a contest. I have developed a rhythm that provides plenty of time to get all of this stuff done.

Unfortunately, all of this has been at the expense of my paycheck. I can't control when I have work at my day job and when I don't. The past two weeks happened to be really slow. Typically I work seven days a week, but yesterday (and this morning too) there's no work to be had, so I'm typing up comic scripts and drinking some hot coffee. It's still rainy here, as it has been for the last week. The weather really makes you want to stay in bed and do nothing but read a book.

But I know that if I want to finally get something--anything--published this year, laziness is not an option. And besides, I can only rearrange my bookshelves so many times before it becomes fodder for a therapist. :D

It's Been A Long Time, Old Friend

2011-04-18T06:16:00.008-04:00

It's been well over a month since my last post. I'm sorry for that. I was hoping to have better news when I returned to post here. Instead, I bring you the reason it has been so long: the New York City trip has been postponed indefinitely. That's one of the biggest reasons I was waiting to post in the first place. I wanted to have all the details worked out and plans ready to go before I started talking about posting portions of my travel journal. Obviously that won't happen now.

For those of you that know me personally, I just want to tell you I didn't flake--I didn't change my mind, I didn't get scared. I had everything planned down to the minute details, including a practice packing session to see if what I wanted to take would fit in such a small bag (it did, by the way). But there was one variable that couldn't control, and that went south quickly. So it's off.

The worst part about this whole thing is not that I can't go on the trip; it's the huge emotional upset its brought with it. It's not really the trip itself I'm angry at, it's the people involved that made it not happen. I'm now in a place where I hate myself as well as other people who have all brought me to this point in my life... but I guess that's a story for a psychologist, not a writing blog.

In the aftermath of my depression from this realization I will never see my favorite city (at least not in the near future) I actually had a short burst of creative energy. I started writing scripts for comics. I can't draw, so eventually I will have to find an artist if I want to finish them off, but it was a good release for me. That is, until yesterday. Yesterday I was skimming through a book and happened to run across some copyright law issues. Turns out, if I want to write about real people (it was going to be nameless characters in the comic, but if you know me personally, obviously you'll know who it is), they can sue me for not only defamation of character, but also for invasion of privacy if there is a 'public disclosure of embarrassing private information.' Um... well there goes writing comics about my years in college... does anyone know if this applies to comic books? I'm sure it does.

To sum up: my life is falling apart in front of my eyes. Just writing this so early means that there is no work to be had on this dreary Monday morning. I can no longer pick up my Portable Dorothy Parker without scoffing at all those that put my vacation down the tubes. And I must admit, if severe dandruff is induced by stress, I'm stressed. I need direction and purpose. I'm just not sure where I'm going to find it this time.

Adding to My Own Portfolio

2011-03-16T19:16:00.003-04:00

Contributed by Milford Woods

My work as a graphic designer has been the most fulfilling aspect of my life for many years. I get true joy out of working with unknowledgeable clients and showing them the light, so to speak, and I couldn’t ask for a better profession. I spend my days pouring over illustrations and graphic design programs like Adobe and Illustrator and lately I’ve added a whole new facet to my business: website developer. I’ve taught myself some basic code and am now able to build a website from the ground up. I do everything from researching domains on sites like domainnames.com to the graphic design for the page itself, and it’s been really beneficial to my business to have such a portfolio of offerings. My clients really like being able to call on one person to make all the changes to their site rather than having to deal with multiple people or even an agency. I’m making really good money and love learning about this new field, which is something I should have done ten years ago!

Slight Change of Plans

2011-03-07T11:47:00.009-05:00

Well, the taxes blew my plans out of the water. Truthfully, I should have been more prepared, but a lesson learned in the process. Because of this, I had to move my DC/NYC adventure to May and cut out DC all together. The cherry trees bloom every single year so I'm sure that I will catch it someday--just not this year.

But a vacation in general is still top on my to-do list for this year. A change of scenery is definitely needed and maybe even necessary to get me out of this mood that seemed to last the last 20 years or so. Even with this mood I have been able to get right back into my writing. I've put aside the novel because I felt like I was running it into the ground. Instead I'm focusing on a 10 part poem and some old shorts that need significant revisions. It's easier at this point to change the original idea rather than come up with new ones.

This month is all about plans--April is the scariest time this year. That's going to be the month of execution. And if you know me at all, execution of my plans is usually where the timid little mouse comes out. I need to be a roaring lion to get this all done. And I'm working on it.

Positively Positive

2011-02-20T14:17:00.010-05:00

I'm starting this week on a good note, even if I have to force myself to enjoy it. I researched a few contests to enter within the next month or so. Unfortunately, there were only two that I thought my work had any sort of a chance to compete. I'm not sure if that means my work isn't up to par, or these contests were a little too specific in what they were looking for. I'm not too keen on giving up some hard earned money for a small chance to win $1000, so I'm being frugal in what and where I enter.

What has helped me get back into the spirit of it all? Two things: Writer's Digest and my latest poem. Writer's Digest is self-explanatory--nothing to motive a writer more than giving them advice. I'm really glad I subscribed. I also got a bit of a boost while working on my latest poem. I wanted to write something longer. I thought it would include 7 parts, but I'm at part 6 and nowhere near to complete. I really like exploring this poem though. It reminds me more of an independent film when I get the images in my head. I don't know... it will definitely need some revising, but I'm still steadily working to complete draft 1 right now.

And it's nearing spring, so this uncooperative body of mine is really going to get back into shape. Working out always makes me feel a little better, though it sucks up a good chunk of my day when I do get around to it. I don't need a beach body or anything, just an inch or two off here and there to fit into last year's styles--the taxes this year kinda killed me, so I'm on a very tight budget. It's never fun to be broke, but it's a great way to get creative!

Tech, Tech.... BOOM!

2011-02-19T20:24:00.003-05:00

Well, looks like the arrangement issues and the fussy sidebar are going to be around for a little while longer. If you're looking for my Entrecard or CMF widgets, they are currently appearing below my posts. I'll try and get it fixed ASAP.

UPDATE: Apparently, it's only on the homepage that it does this. If you go to the individual posts, looks like all it right in the Blogger world. Anyone know how I can fix this?

Pregnant? Get Your Free BellyBag

2011-02-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you currently expecting? Pregnancy, especially the first time, can be exciting, informative, and even a little scary at times. www.Cryo-Cell.com is currently offering a great Expectant Parent Information Packet that will provide expecting parents with vital information on how they can choose to save the umbilical cord blood of their child at birth. Many parents choose to save and bank this cord blood because doctors find it beneficial to aid in treating many health problems including leukemia, lymphoma, and a number of metabolic disorders. There are new discoveries in medicine each and every day. Those in the medical research community are working hard to look into even more diseases that may be treated or cured with the use of cord blood saved at birth.

Parents wanting to know more about this information AND to get the free BellyBag should visit CRYO-CELL, request the information packet, and watch the cord blood movie. Your decision to save the cord blood could help treat your child someday. If you are expecting soon, www.Cryo-Cell.net also offers a toll-free number to request a same day kit. Not only is the information very useful, but the free bag is cute and functional for all expecting mothers to carry around.

Planning and Preparing

2011-02-14T07:53:00.013-05:00

It's hit me again: that huge feeling of Wanderlust that comes around this time of the year. Usually, all I want to do is vacation in some exotic location. I've also been known to think I need to completely uproot my life in order to be successful at writing. This time, however, I'm a little more realistic. I really do need a vacation for the writing, but I know that a permanent move is just not necessary.

The reason I'm in need of a vacation is because everything that goes on the paper lately has been flat and stale. I'd rather have writer's block--at least then I wouldn't be wasting my time on something that's probably not worth revising. I also have a hankering to take photos of some place other than where I live. I want to get a little more exotic and urban with my photos. That's why I want to take a trip to D.C. and NYC. I want to go to D.C. to see the cherry trees in full bloom, and I'm still going to get to NYC at some point, so why not do it when I'm already on the east coast?

It may be tough to pull off. I get scared at everything and this would be a huge leap for me. But I realized that if I don't prove to myself that I have that tiny bit of courage I need to navigate a vacation without a panic attack, there's no way I can ever function in society. The other snag is that the cherry trees bloom in the beginning of April, so if I really want to push myself to have an adventure, I need to make my decisions and plans in the next two weeks. I'm taking a lot of time every night to psych myself up to do it.

One of these days soon I will be blogging from the train or the hotel room, my copy of On the Road on one side and my camera on the other. Let's hope, anyway.

Finally Getting Around to It

2011-01-24T06:52:00.005-05:00

This year, I'm very conscious of what can and cannot be deducted from my taxes. I got a little lazy for the 2010 tax season because I have very few deductions this year. But anyway, this brings me to exciting news. I am finally getting an official .com to get my professional look solidified online. I've been looking at plenty of hosting sites, and all of them such as hostgator hosting look to offer the plans that I need for the price that I can afford. And since getting a website for my business is tax deductible, I know that I'll reap the benefits even more later on.

It will be nice to have a place to send my readers and colleagues to other than a blogspot address. Don't worry--this blog will definitely stay intact. It'll just be linked through the website. I used to mess around a lot with Dreamweaver, so I'm hoping that I can handle some simple designing myself, but who knows? I may just hire that job out as well. I've got plenty of things on my plate this year, but I'm sure that it will all be worth it in the end when I have a professional website to show for it.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2011-01-20T07:24:00.005-05:00

I wanted to let all my faithful blog readers (there's got to be at least 3 of you out there) that there are some changes coming to this blog. Most of what you will see will be aesthetics. The content will relatively stay the same--yep, that means you'll continue to get every whine, procrastination, and occasional paid post. I'm cleaning up some of the haphazardness on the sidebars. This is mainly due to my overwhelming energy to turn my image into somewhat professional in nature. That's going to be hard, because I still feel like a 12 year old most of the time.

The biggest change may be that I'm no longer shamelessly begging for freelance work. Does that mean I'm not taking any new clients on? Absolutely not. This just means that if you want to contact me about it, you'll need to leave a comment with some type of contact information (email, website, etc.) I know plenty of people that have asked me to work with them, but they always forget to leave a way to contact them.

Come hell or high water, I publish this year, so you all have that to look forward to. And I'll do it no matter what, even if I have to hand write every page in every copy myself!

Getting Down to Business

2011-01-17T11:50:00.009-05:00

I'm resisting the urge to find almost anything to distract me this week. It's going to be hard, because I finally figured out the best way to play the Sims 3, so every ounce of my body says "Go be lazy and play all afternoon." But I have a simple thought that counteracts that. I ask myself "Have you been published? I mean, really published?" I think everyone knows the answer to that. I now sit in front of the computer, excited and full of dread at the same time. I need to do plenty of things, but the biggest task ahead of me today is to narrow down the work load and pick 3 projects (or less) to concentrate on. I'm settling on compiling the full draft of 277 Miles, the beginnings of a layout for my lomo/haiku book, and a single page comic. Yeah--I know. I have been recently obsessed with comic books, but I know nothing about drawing. I'm pretty sure it's going to look like crap, but I'm going to try my very uncooperative left hand at it. If it's legible, it'll probably end up posted here, but I wouldn't suggest holding your breath.

No more excuses!! The Sims 3 (or anything else, for that matter) shouldn't be an excuse anyway. Although all I need for the couple to do is have just one more kid to meet the lifetime happiness goal thingy, if I'm not working on any projects or my nontraditional 9-to-5, I should be reading. I made a goal on Goodreads to read just 25 books this year. I don't want to slag off already!

Favorite Sports Network Finally Found On Satellite Television

2011-01-14T06:30:00.002-05:00

Posted by Gaylord Campbell

Watching television was always such a bore before because I never knew what was going to be on before and I was limited to only four basic channels. That is when I finally knew that I was going to have to find a new way to watch television. The problem was I had to convince my husband that it was going to be a good thing to get a different way of watching television.

That is when I realized that I could find out what his favorite sports network was. Then I would be able to convince him that the only way to watch the television was with his favorite sports network on Direct TV. Once I was able to convince him of that I knew that I would have him sold. The problem was he was always resistant to change and that could be a major issue at times.

Finally I managed to convince him to make the switch and even though it cost us some money in our budget we have not looked back anymore. Now we are both happy because we are able to watch all of our favorite shows without the worry of static or weather affecting the quality of the signal that we are getting each and every day.

Why I Love my DVR

2011-01-12T19:26:00.002-05:00

Posted by Heriberto Fuentes

Remember when you used to record television shows on a VCR? You had to make sure there was room on the tape, and make sure you weren't recording over something you had not hat time to watch yet! Well those days are gone! My new best friend is my DVR!

With the old VCR you had to program the date, time, and channel of everything you wanted to record. There was no feature that told it to record all Auto Racing programs, for example. Being a racing fanatic, the DVR has been the single greatest piece of technology I've ever owned! I set me DVR to record all auto racing programs on Direct TV Gastonia, and I am provided with a never ending supply of racing to watch whenever I want!

Since the DVR records on to a hard drive, I never have to worry about recording over something I haven't been able to watch yet. I set it to save programs until they are erased, and it will notify me when space is getting low and I need to make some room for newer recordings. The versatility and convenience of the DVR is truly remarkable and I could not imagine life without one.

If life were simpler...

2011-01-11T12:21:00.003-05:00

... I wouldn't be so dependent on technology. That's what my anger is directed at this week. It goes from my TV (or DVR, not sure which) going all screwy at random moments from my work's website have "technical difficulties" that are making it nearly impossible to do anything but sit at my computer all day for less than $6/hr at the moment. And people wonder why I still hand write many of my stories and poems on first draft? This is why. I want to have a tech-free weekend one of these days. Just me, a stack of books and a thermos filled with cappuccino. I think we all need to do that once in awhile.

A Holiday Film for the Entire Year

2011-01-08T18:59:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the post from Rashad Townsend

A film that stays with me is called Holiday Inn. It stars Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and it's a delight to watch. It's my favorite Christmas film, even though its theme allows it to be shown every month of the year.

The entertaining musical production numbers are what draw me to it. They do terrific routines for several holidays celebrated throughout the year, like Independence Day and Thanksgiving. The song Freedom is one that resonates inside of me.

Still, it is the Christmas aspect that caused me to take a comfy seat on my sofa last night and watch it on Satellite TV Specials. It's in Holiday Inn that Crosby first sings White Christmas, the Irving Berlin hit that would eventually become the name of another Crosby movie.

There's a wonderful romance in the movie that creates the conflict and drama between Crosby and Astaire and which ultimately leads to the happy ending. I don't consider that a spoiler. Most Christmas pictures provide happy conclusions that please viewers.

The concept behind the plot, the idea of a small inn that is open only a few days per year (the observed holidays), is unique. I've never seen this done in another other production. That adds to the appeal of this film.

Holiday Inn may not be Christmas for all of its minutes, but it still satisfies.

Fresh Beats!

2011-01-07T13:36:00.001-05:00

Guest post written by Arnoldo Acevedo

“What a great day!” is the line that the Fresh Beat Band uses to end a show, which is aired on nick jr at 6:30pm ever night, on satellite television from ExpertSatellite.com. Marina, Twist, Kiki, and Shout are the main characters forming a hopping and popping band on this show. Twist is the one who loves to come up with the craziest solutions to problems that the Fresh Beats find themselves in. Marina is the one that always tells Twist that he is slightly over board with his ideas. Kiki is the one who comes up with the beats and dances for the group, whereas Shout tries to keep up with everybody. This show is a great show to help teach preschoolers how to dance, how to have a good time with music, and how to work together in teamwork. I personally love the fact that the majority of their songs are repetitive and I can learn the words so that I can sing with them when they come on. By doing this my children are more likely to get up and dance with me and work off some extra energy that they may have. So teamwork and music appreciation are two good things about this great show for preschoolers.

Lessons To Music

2011-01-06T11:57:00.001-05:00

Guest post written by Sidney Owens

Yo Gabba Gabba is an excellent educational show for children. Everyone is wearing brightly colored clothing, and dancing and singing. It is such a fun show to watch. Everyday the cast shows how to do a new dance. They walk through all the steps, and then start the music up and compel all the at home audience to dance with them

Direct Tv offer this show on the nickelodeon network, for younger kids. Nick Jr. There is also lots of singing and celebrating holidays. The cast consists of DJ Lance, Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Plex, and Toolee. It is a show that promotes sharing with your friends and being nice to other people.

Valuable life lessons are here to be learned. Things like waiting your turn, not biting other people, and using your manners are among some of the life lessons taught on Yo Gabba Gabba. It is a cute little show that packs a big message. The music and interaction with the tv audience keeps younger viewers captivated and playing along. A definite to teach how to be a polite and productive person.

New Facebook Integration... What Do You Think?

2011-01-06T11:48:00.003-05:00

Facebook is trying a lot of new things lately. I use Facebook on a regular basis, though I tend to stay away from many of the outside apps and integrations that they currently offer. What I do use are things that share my interests with my friends, such as Goodreads.

According to a recent NY Times article, Facebook is considering an integration between Clicker. Clicker is a website geared toward tv shows where you can share what you're watching and find information about your favorite shows. With so many people on Facebook and also many more choosing to watch tv online, there is a good argument for the Facebook/Clicker integration. The biggest perk for users would be to have an outlet to share your television interests with your Facebook friends.

I don't think it's a bad idea. After all, there are many sites that have already chosen to integrate with Facebook. What do you think about it?

Deep into the New Year

2011-01-03T19:33:00.002-05:00

It's only January 3rd, but it already feels like the year is just dragging on. It's feels like the the day is dragging on, for that matter. I accomplished many things today, including finally getting around to a good, deep cleaning of the bathroom. But it still seems like I'm chasing my tail, because my to-do list is still miles long. I'm making slow progress (but progress!) on my current writing projects as well as a couple of new ones. The one that is a huge change for me is the online dating project. I'm going to spend a year evaluating what I want, what I have to offer, and how I execute all of that on one or more dating sites. I never thought I would have to use services like that, but with the way I hide it just might be the only way to meet someone new. We'll see what happens.

The New Year

2011-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

By the time I finish this post, it will officially be 2011. I don't know if I necessarily have a tradition for the holiday, but on New Year's Eve I typically watch the ball drop on TV, cry (both for how pathetic the previous year had been plus having little hope for the next year to be different), then write the first journal entry of the year. And this year I was able to have a toast with a little Jaegermeister I had left from when I still had friends. The booze did help lighten the dark mood just a little. Sounds sad, but when I thought I had other plans (nothing grand--just babysitting) I almost missed the idea of this ritual.

And I don't make resolutions anymore. I can't stick to anything no matter what the date happens to be. If I did though, it would be the usual: find love, find purpose, get something published. There's not much else in my life that I don't have besides that. I have a job, a great DVD collection, a fantastic library... I'm just missing the intangibles. Everyone tells me to stop wanting it, and I'll get it. Ha. I laugh in their faces. Why? Because even though they have it, they sure aren't happy with it. And if they are, they're lying.

My toast to 2011: "May you not suck as bad a years past and may you bring into my life exciting adventure." There. celebration is over. Off to bed.

After Holiday Shopping

2010-12-27T07:29:00.005-05:00

I'm a sucker for the sales when it comes to after holiday shopping. I usually try to buy the things that I know I'll need for next year, but sometimes you just have to grab the half-off things that are cute, but not function. The best thing is that this year I received a Target gift card as a present. To stretch out the money even further I'm finding Target Online Coupons to get even more deals.

There are quite a few Target coupons that I have found will work great when I choose what I want to redeem my gift card for. I'm really glad that there are Target coupon code savings not just for me, but for a ton of people out there who would love to save.

Okay... now it's time to pick out the presents. :) I'm pretty sure that I want to get a sewing machine, but I also want to get a few more things to spruce up the apartment. After taking all of the Christmas decorations down yesterday, somehow the living room and dining room both look empty and sad. If I want to make a bunch of positive strides in the New Year, I know that I have to fill my home with positive things to look, read, and do.

2010-12-13T08:33:00.005-05:00

I've found that the more creative I get, the more I use it for evil. How, you ask? Although I find that creativity sparks many projects, I also tend to use my creativity to procrastinate like no other. Which is exactly what I did this weekend. I recently stocked up on DVDs (I tend to go through them quicker than paper towels) so that I could have some entertainment during the cold, harsh winter months. I inadvertently tried to watch all of them this weekend with a mish-mash of Get Smart and Mad Men. Well, I failed at finishing off the DVDs (still on the 1st seasons of both) and I was able to get little done on my novel. But today is a new day and I'm throwing the procrastination monster out the window into the snowdrift that covers my patio. There. Be gone, Procrastination Monster.

Maintenance and Imagination

2010-12-11T10:04:00.005-05:00

This weekend is going to be full of stuff to do around the house. First, I just finished spraying lemon Pledge all around the windows, doors, etc. I'm having a huge problem with spiders (even in this cold!) and heard that may help. If it doesn't, the apt. will smell lemony fresh.

Then I have to clean the rest of the place. I tend to keep things neat, but I do find dusting and sweeping a major kink my daily activities. After that's all done, I'll need to hop back on the Wii Fit. It's been telling me lately that I'm not doing so hot on keeping a daily routine so... yeah. The video game is telling me to step it up.

When all the chores are finally out of the way, I get to go back to 277 Miles. This novel is seriously getting on my nerves because it is so close to being done (at least done enough for someone to beta read). My goal is to finish it by the end of the month so that I can get on to a couple of other projects waiting in the wings.

Getting Wicked Fresh

2010-12-07T16:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Toms of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know that many people can be hypocritical when it comes to the issue of saving the environment. Everyone wants to do their part, but very few are willing to change. But with just one little change in your life, you can make a big impact. That's why I choose to use some natural products that are created by environmentally aware companies, such as Tom's Of Maine. For the past forty years, Tom's has used their oral and personal care natural products to make a difference in the community and for the world. Personally, I have used the Wicked Fresh! Toothpaste and mouthwash. These are pretty good products. They provide what you would expect from these oral care products, including fresh breath, cavity protection and a clean feeling after each use.

Have you ever had any Wicked Fresh moment? Maybe it was hilarious and you told all your friends about it. Or maybe it was sweet and only you and your diary know all of the details. If you have, you can share one of your favorite Wicked Fresh moments at the That's Wicked Fresh contest page. Here you can share your moments for a chance to win some Wicked Fresh prizes.

And if you like Tom's of Maine products already, sign up for more information by liking them on Facebook or follow them using Twitter (@TomsofMaine).

My Dream Purse

2010-12-07T11:48:00.005-05:00

Ever since I was little, I wanted to own a designer purse. But the women in my life at the time showed me that cheaper purses will allow you more variety. Of course, when it comes to cheaper, it's not always better. They usually replaced their purses once or twice a year not because they wanted a new option, but because the old one fell apart.

I'm an adult now, and I feel like it's time for me to finally look for the purse of my dreams. I'm a writer who likes to carry around a notebook. I'm also an occasional photographer, so size is definitely an important. But it needs to be pretty and versatile too. I've been looking at some from online purse stores and I think I've found a few that will work for my daily needs.

I think every girl should have a great purse. And just like a man, when you find a good one you'll just know. :)

If It's December...

2010-12-02T06:49:00.008-05:00

...then I must be feeling pretty rotten about myself. Usually happens around this time of year. All of my friends, family, and such seem to be dining at the world's fanciest dinner party. I'm out by the dumpster looking for table scraps to fulfill even a part of my life that's missing. The only problem is I'm still not quite sure what's missing. I could list the obvious (such as any sort of normal human interaction)--but that can't be the only thing missing, right?

My feelings about my situation are probably being a little exaggerated. I watched the HBO movie Grey Gardens the other day and I am probably the most fearful of ending up a person who could leave a situation any time they wanted, but they just couldn't get themselves to do it. But it wouldn't be the exact same with me anyway, since I really don't like cats and no matter how hard I try, I can't see myself becoming a hoarder.

And while I have been taught that money is not important, I've become consumed with making every little penny and that has caused me to recently tweet some strange ads, including coupons for tampons. While relevant to women's lives, not so informative for someone that wants to read about writing. It makes me laugh sometimes at the ridiculousness of my life. Let's hope for more sanity in 2011. :)