Where These Roads Lead

I finally did it--I took a dozen boxes of junk and got rid of it all. Okay, that's not entirely true. There are a couple of boxes left, but it is so much better than it was before. I feel relieved. I didn't need any of that stuff, and I know that it will still have another life with someone else that will enjoy it, whether it was clothes, books or anything else I seemed to be holding on to for no reason.

With me the celebration is usually very short, and this little victory was no different. I got rid of all my stuff for a specific reason--I wanted to leave where I am and end up somewhere else. As soon as the boxes were out of the garage, I clearly expected a miracle to occur. There was nothing. I'm not surprised. I constantly look for answers and never find them. I only look and find the avenues that I know aren't right for me. At least that's a start.

This week hasn't been kind to any plans I may have formulated. I lost a freelance job I thought was going to be long term, I didn't win a grant I thought I had a real shot at winning and all I'm left with are daydreams. I have reached a point where it seems the only answer is to just walk out the door. There's no thinking or planning involved. I just go. People do it all the time and seem to find a way to create something out of nothing. I usually end up with more of nothing, if that's possible.

Photo: Pixabay.com

There's a deep pit of desire inside that just wants to take me everywhere. Even my usual plans aren't satisfying dreams anymore. I don't just want a city at my disposal, I want the whole world now. I want to see every inch of it. I think this case of wanderlust is so bad because summer is right around the corner. I tell myself every year this will be my golden summer, the summer of all summers, the one I never forget. I always end up in the same places, doing the same things and not enjoying any of it.

The cure? Become a travel writer. I have plenty of experience writing travel copy for amazing destinations around the world--though all of this work is anonymously floating around the Internet and has no hint of the unique voice I could have given it had I really experienced it.

My rational side has already thoroughly vetted this career option. Most travel writers cannot become travel writers without a long history of, you know... traveling. The current market for travel writers has also become so overcrowded that even if you get a gig or two, it only pays a fraction of what it used to, which is never enough to cover the travel expenses you accumulate trying to get inspired in the first place.

I may have cleaned out the garage, but there's still a lot of thoughts and fears cluttering my mind. Progress is still appearing as a tiny dash on a long, winding road.

If I Don't Need It, It's Out

This week it's all about getting the clutter out of the way. I know I probably missed the spring cleaning bandwagon, but this clutter-clearing session is more about moving than it is about cleaning in general. I need to get rid of anything that's not important and that I couldn't see taking with me (good advice for revising your writing, too). Problem is, I find a lot of things important. I get sentimental about scraps of paper or little mementos that look like trash to everyone else. I seem to be the only one who knows the stories behind them, so... yeah. Lots of things that I have to sort through.

The one thing I'm not sentimental about are the books I have. I mean yes, some of them I love dearly. But it really is time to part with a good percentage of my library so I don't have to think about it anymore. I tried selling a few on Half.com, but because that's a very slow way of selling, I'm just going to go and donate them all. My local Goodwill is getting a huge literary haul at the end of the week. Your welcome.

But don't worry, the writing isn't suffering through all this chaos. After almost two weeks of not being able to log into Biosgraphy, I was finally able to put up another piece about my short stint experimenting with the Law of Attraction which you can read here. I'm also still knee-deep in book #3 of the trilogy, and I've begun an outline for a crime thriller that I may hold off for NaNoWriMo in November. Or I may get too excited about it and start writing it tomorrow--you never know. ;-)

New articles, new outlook

I just published two new articles on eHow. If your into spring cleaning and want to take this time to go green in your home, check out How to Spring Clean Green. If you live in an apartment, get tips on How to Spring Clean an Apartment.

And I have already found out that this new schedule needs some tweaking. I all of my surfing (+ Entrecard drops!) and research is easier to complete in the morning. Articles are easier to write in the afternoons. It's a small change, but I think it's going to work out much better for productivity. And you can't make money as a freelancer without productivity!! But the good news is that my new job has rated my work so far, and I'm still doing well. I expected that, but with all the doubts I had recently, it was a nice thing to hear.

277 Miles update: I've been editing the manuscript during my lunch hour, and I have 5 of 12 chapters line edited so far. I'm hoping to finish the editing off this weekend and start working on the revising part of it all.

And before I forget: I had a huge blogroll on this blog for awhile, but when I made changes on it a few weeks ago, it accidentally disappeared. So if you were on that blogroll, or if you just want to join it now, I would be more than happy to exchange links.