An Almost Yes

I've been trying to get in the mindset that I need to say yes more when opportunities to come up. I have already labeled summer 2019 as the Summer of Yes, but it's kind of hard to say yes to something when the universe steps in. Let me explain.

I thought I had been given a new job opportunity--one of those real jobs that is securely in my wheelhouse of skills and would allow me to relocate. In this instance, I initially thought it was Chicago. But just like I always do, I hesitated to immediately reach out to this opportunity. As I was thinking it over, I realized I was being stupid. I was supposed to be saying yes. No matter how the process would go, there was always a chance to say "no, nevermind" at every step.

So that next morning, I went to respond to the original message. That's when I noticed that this person in the previous 12 hours had changed their location from Chicago to central Indiana. Red flag #1.

I proceeded to research the company, which was based in California (so this change in venue from the first contact should have been unnecessary). Red flag #2.

Then I checked the company website. Massive errors, the voice of the text seemed to be poor translations into English. I'm guessing it was a completely foreign company masking itself as being located in the U.S. for business purposes. That was the last red flag I needed to make my decision.

I'm not angry that this didn't work out. It only highlights that the universe does occasionally look out for me. If I hadn't hesitated, I probably would have wasted my time reaching out to what appears to be a scam. Thanks, universe--but you know, you could present the right opportunity, too. That would be much easier for both of us! It doesn't matter anyway--I have piles of story ideas to write and stacks of books to read. I'm set until the next time I get a chance to say yes.

July is Buzzing

This is going to be a very busy week! First of all, Unfolding Life will be FREE on Amazon July 6-8. That means if you haven't picked up a copy yet, you have plenty of time to get it. And if poetry isn't your thing, you can always pick up my Kindle Worlds romance novella The Callaways: Melody of Love for just $1.99.

Now that the shameless promotions are out of the way, let's talk about my July session of Camp NaNoWriMo. It's not going well. Yes, the month starts with a holiday, but since I laid around and watched a The Twilight Zone marathon for half the day, I have no excuse for having less than a thousand words (as of writing this post). I need to get back to business on that. My problem? I think I'm getting too caught up in the historical details of my work. The novel/serial/project (whatever label you want to use) is set in October 1942, so I worry I don't have enough historical details. Then I go looking for some and get lost in all of the research. I'm easily fascinated, especially with all the 1940s era YouTube videos I found.



But, no matter how much history fascinates me, I have to get writing. I'll save the details for the revision draft, otherwise it may never get written. So it's back to doing what I do best. Are you working on anything exciting this week?

Enter to Win A Weekend Stay

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Traveling is one of the best ways I know to get inspired. Whether its writing, photography or just a journey to reconnect with my spiritual side, traveling short or long distances is an excellent way to get that time away from the daily grind. If you are looking to get some of that time for rest and relaxation, check out the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. You could have a chance to win a free weekend stay at any Hampton Hotel. It's a pretty good deal—and it's a daily giveaway, so enter if you want to get started on your own fun, fabulous weekend.



Even though some inspiration is found in solitude, its also good to recognize those times when you will want to travel with friends. I know that I travel with my friends a lot—much more than I travel on my own. I know that I have spent many great weekend vacations with my friends, and I hope to do that a lot more.



If my friends or I won one of these daily giveaways for a free weekend stay, I think we would all agree that a trip into a city like Chicago would be fun and eventful. We would probably choose the Hampton Hotel located in Chicago's Theatre District. That way, we would be close to some of the best attractions we have yet to visit.

Who Inspires You?

Lately, the story ideas that are supposed to fuel my career have been non-existent. I thought long and hard about this, and realized that I have not surrounded myself with the people and places that usually inspire me. Friends are the biggest inspiration for me - usually not my family. Since it is the holidays my family is the only thing around me. I'm not complaining, but I'm making a mental note that December is the hardest month for me in terms of work. Most of the time general work is lacking. And since I'm not inspired, I anxiously await January 2nd (usually still recovering on the 1st...).

This is the year I am also looking into to taking more trips, whether it's to the streets of downtown or out to the east coast. I've been planning a weekend trip to Chicago with a friend for years now, but he and I still have to find the right time when both of us can escape from work and have the money to do so. Taking trips will also give me an excuse to work with my Nikon and also try some lomography, if at all possible. I'll be working like a maniac on articles, editing and other work until then, but it should be well worth it.

You know what? I just might be free of freelance articles tonight. I just submitted a few rewrites (not really my fault, but I was a good sport about it) and applied for some new assignments. Now I'm free and clear... for awhile. Today, I honestly don't care if I jinx it and get another assignment as soon as I'm done blogging. This girl needs to pay her bills... and at least I finally am at a point where I can do it with writing. Go figure. At least I'm proving my mother wrong. That feels really good right now.

Chicago is still up in the air. I'm making money, sure... but not enough to relocate at the moment. There is a few more months left on my lease, so I haven't started panicking yet--but that's only a matter of time. I don't care if I have to live in a studio apartment the size of my thumb... I want to live in Chicago. I want to be as close to a major metropolitan area as possible. And no, Indianapolis does NOT count! I've been there. I wasn't impressed.

Just so you know I am listening to the greatest podcast right now. It's Hollywood on the Radio and plays old radio shows featuring movie stars. The one I'm listening to is one with Judy Garland. It is amazing! I'm still scared to death of The Wizard of Oz, even at 23, but she is still an amazing singer. And Toto was cute.

I am really getting the hang of scheduling my time so that I don't feel bombarded by article work, yet I don't feel like I'm sitting around doing nothing. If I push out all of my articles before I watch As the World Turns at 2, I can usually feel al sense of accomplishment for the day. And of course since no new shows until April, I can still work on more articles after the Nightly News at 6:30. Usually I odn't make it past one or two articles at night, but it's still work, you know? I figure that, with the average pay I'm getting per article and how long it takes to write each one, I make about $5 and hour. Under minimum wage, I know, but at least I'm doing something I love, unlike working retail. Shoot me if I ever suggest doing that again! The only downside is that this will not get my the money that I need to move to Chicago. Average 1 bedroom where I want to live is twice the rent I'm paying now... rediculous! Looks like I will have to find some other form of income. Maybe I'll get back to selling crap on ebay... that seemed to work well before.

Talking to my mother on the phone is interesting. I tell her my script is being produced, she tells me I should do that for a living. She tells me she knows I want to write stories, she tells me to find a job that will let me do that. Doesn't she realize a 9 to 5 won't give me an office to write stories all day? Hmmm... too bad though. That would be an awesome job. I told her I was moving to Chicago and now I'm getting a lecture about not having the money, but it's still a good idea. I don't think she understands the mind of a creative person, but then again neither do I.

I just completely rearranged my room in 45 minutes. Pretty good, considering I moved a really heavy dresser, still full of clothes, all by myself. I had to do this so that I wouldn't go nuts about the neighbor's television anymore. I'm sorry, but who waits until 1:30 in the morning to turn the TV on, watch infomercials, then wait until 3am to shut it off. Doesn' that person ever sleep? And a few days ago, along with that schedule, they woke up and turned the TV on again at 7am. They need to go to a sleep clinic and I need to de-stress. Once I finish all my articles today, I'm just going to zen out, meditate, maybe a few yoga streches. And food. Lots of comfort food. Where's that chocolate bar? Oh yeah. Gotta go. *runs to the chocolate*

Aside from that, I've talked a friend into traveling with me to Chicago within a few weeks so that I could check out neighborhoods I want to live in. It's going to be rough, but I think I'll be able to manage getting moved to Chicago by late June or early July. Then I'll be poor. Again.

I'm itching to get out of the Midwest. I can't stand being here anymore. This is the one time that I wish I has finished school in four years. It's true that I only have a semester left, but I don't think it will be an enjoyable experience. The last four years haven't really been. Well, like everything, college has had its moments. I'm just stuck at the place in my life where everyone seems to be going to somewhere, or they are completely content to stay where they are. I'm in the middle of the spectrum. I want to get out of here, but I don't know how. I thought about teaching English in Japan. I thought about moving to LA just to see if anything could happen. I've even contemplated doing the same, only in Chicago or New York. There are no real promises of a great career anywhere I go. I just want to be able to find a job--any job--when I get to a new place.

I have high hopes and magnificent dreams, but they are far away from my grasp at the moment. It's because I want an easy break into whatever I decide I want to do. And that's not going to happen unless you know someone who knows someone. And I don't think I do.

But I'm trying to make steady progress. I submitted two flash fictions to various journals yesterday. I'm not hopeful, but at least I'll get a few more rejection letters to add to the pile. Then if I get enough, maybe I'll stop screwing around and finish a novel. Doubtful though--I'm easily distracted by pretty faces.