Can you believe it’s the end of the month? It seems like only a few days ago that I was writing my Happy New Year post and I had that brand new calendar with all the blank space.
My January calendar is written all over! Work schedules, writing schedules, play dates with grandchildren, meetings, Writing Game numbers, actual numbers written, goals, appointments, exercise routines and classes-a lot of living happened this month.
My goal for January was to write at least 250 words every day. I didn’t make it; those vertigo days when I could barely think much less sit and type are clearly marked.
But those days when I made it; those numbers are written in a pretty pink ink! I love what those little numbers signify.
Success! Goals accomplished! Achievement!
Those little pink numbers make me smile; I want to see more and bigger numbers written in pink for February.
Writing at least 250 words a day in February-it’s a good goal, but I want more.
Ella
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Resolutions and Goals
Welcome one and all, and a very Happy New Year!
I am totally excited to be here and am looking forward to a healthy and prosperous year for everyone.
Today, I want to talk about New Year’s Resolutions and Goals: Two four-letter words as far as I’m concerned. I know I’m probably in the minority, but there you have it.
A few years ago, I decided to quit making resolutions because I felt like I was always setting myself up for failure. If, near to the year end, I had not followed through completely on all of my resolutions, I would beat myself up. My soul would plunge into deep depression. Guilt weighted down my shoulders and churned up acid in my stomach causing many sleepless nights.
Even though for a few years prior to my no-resolution rule, I wouldn’t carve anything into stone, I would still repeat over and over in my head phrases like, “This year I’m going to lose weight,” or, “This year I’m going to be a better person,” or, “This year I’m going to write on a more regular basis…yada, yada, yada. About half way through the year, I’d start whining (to myself of course), “Gosh, I haven’t lost enough weight,” and “I haven’t been a good enough person,” and “I haven’t written enough…” and the list goes on. You get the picture.
So now, I simply don’t make resolutions. I no longer fret over them and I’m healthier because of my decision. I’ve tried repeatedly, with the same result so I relinquish that task to the braver, stronger public. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? Perhaps I internalize my shortcomings a bit too seriously? Whatever the reason, I’ve come to terms with my personal monster and he no longer gets the best of me.
Now for that other four letter word - Goal. Ask my critique partner’s what I think about goals. They’ll laugh and tell you I don’t like those either. I can hear them snickering right now. Hush vicious girls! :)
When it comes time each year to write our goals on paper, I’m the one and only in the background groaning loudly. For some reason, to me, goals are just another way to set myself up for total mental and physical collapse. I know it’s probably silly of me to think this way, but then not everyone can explain their own behavior, what works for them and why it works, sometimes it just does.
I know this is contrary to everything everyone has heard or been taught before, but this is what works for me. Don’t get me wrong, I believe goals are an invaluable tool, and they work for most people, giving them a guide to follow for their coming year’s achievements. Heaven knows everyone makes goals, right? I guess I’m one of those unique individuals who doesn’t fit the status quo. I blame my genealogy for that one. Even though I forced myself to write something on that blank piece of paper, I try to put it out of my mind…hmm…maybe that’s how it’s supposed to work. Mind games.
Previously, I would do just as everyone else and make those darn resolutions and goals even though I hated it and it made me nauseous. However, as I age, I’m learning to listen to my own motherly mind more and more. That crazy little voice wandering around in my brain instinctively telling me what’s the right and wrong thing to do. My twisting gut, and a considerable amount of therapy, tells me not to worry about these outside pressures.
One way is not always the only way.
I now appreciate my universal intuition and like the feeling I get from taking responsibility for my own actions. If I decide not to do something, like make resolutions and goals while everyone else around me thinks I’m nuts, or the system tells me it’s the only way to accomplish success, I can accept that choice and be happy and content.
I’m amazed at how often I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me and that everything plays out better than I expect most times, especially when I get out of my own way. I do however prepare a mental list of sorts and then try to get those things accomplished. I suppose this could be considered mental goal making without the written backup. I know what I need to do to get those tasks done. When I recently went back and thought about everything I’d accomplished this last year, I was surprised and satisfied. And of course with the help of friends, and the goals everyone forces me to face, I will push myself harder this year. So off I go to lose more weight, be a better person and to write more!
So now that you know how I feel about Resolutions and Goals, what are your feelings on the subject? Do you make resolutions? Do you make goals? If you answer yes, I’d be interested to know what your process involves. If you answer no, I’d love to hear why you don’t partake in this annual ritual. I’m also curious to see if there’s anyone out there who feels like I do.
If you perform an internet search for Resolutions and Goals, over 14,000 links are out there and there’s something for everyone, so have fun browsing that subject!
Regardless of your preferences in planning your future objectives, I wish each of you a fabulous and successful New Year. I look forward to next time.
For now I remain… Sincerely Yours,
Wendy Treitel
I am totally excited to be here and am looking forward to a healthy and prosperous year for everyone.
Today, I want to talk about New Year’s Resolutions and Goals: Two four-letter words as far as I’m concerned. I know I’m probably in the minority, but there you have it.
A few years ago, I decided to quit making resolutions because I felt like I was always setting myself up for failure. If, near to the year end, I had not followed through completely on all of my resolutions, I would beat myself up. My soul would plunge into deep depression. Guilt weighted down my shoulders and churned up acid in my stomach causing many sleepless nights.
Even though for a few years prior to my no-resolution rule, I wouldn’t carve anything into stone, I would still repeat over and over in my head phrases like, “This year I’m going to lose weight,” or, “This year I’m going to be a better person,” or, “This year I’m going to write on a more regular basis…yada, yada, yada. About half way through the year, I’d start whining (to myself of course), “Gosh, I haven’t lost enough weight,” and “I haven’t been a good enough person,” and “I haven’t written enough…” and the list goes on. You get the picture.
So now, I simply don’t make resolutions. I no longer fret over them and I’m healthier because of my decision. I’ve tried repeatedly, with the same result so I relinquish that task to the braver, stronger public. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? Perhaps I internalize my shortcomings a bit too seriously? Whatever the reason, I’ve come to terms with my personal monster and he no longer gets the best of me.
Now for that other four letter word - Goal. Ask my critique partner’s what I think about goals. They’ll laugh and tell you I don’t like those either. I can hear them snickering right now. Hush vicious girls! :)
When it comes time each year to write our goals on paper, I’m the one and only in the background groaning loudly. For some reason, to me, goals are just another way to set myself up for total mental and physical collapse. I know it’s probably silly of me to think this way, but then not everyone can explain their own behavior, what works for them and why it works, sometimes it just does.
I know this is contrary to everything everyone has heard or been taught before, but this is what works for me. Don’t get me wrong, I believe goals are an invaluable tool, and they work for most people, giving them a guide to follow for their coming year’s achievements. Heaven knows everyone makes goals, right? I guess I’m one of those unique individuals who doesn’t fit the status quo. I blame my genealogy for that one. Even though I forced myself to write something on that blank piece of paper, I try to put it out of my mind…hmm…maybe that’s how it’s supposed to work. Mind games.
Previously, I would do just as everyone else and make those darn resolutions and goals even though I hated it and it made me nauseous. However, as I age, I’m learning to listen to my own motherly mind more and more. That crazy little voice wandering around in my brain instinctively telling me what’s the right and wrong thing to do. My twisting gut, and a considerable amount of therapy, tells me not to worry about these outside pressures.
One way is not always the only way.
I now appreciate my universal intuition and like the feeling I get from taking responsibility for my own actions. If I decide not to do something, like make resolutions and goals while everyone else around me thinks I’m nuts, or the system tells me it’s the only way to accomplish success, I can accept that choice and be happy and content.
I’m amazed at how often I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me and that everything plays out better than I expect most times, especially when I get out of my own way. I do however prepare a mental list of sorts and then try to get those things accomplished. I suppose this could be considered mental goal making without the written backup. I know what I need to do to get those tasks done. When I recently went back and thought about everything I’d accomplished this last year, I was surprised and satisfied. And of course with the help of friends, and the goals everyone forces me to face, I will push myself harder this year. So off I go to lose more weight, be a better person and to write more!
So now that you know how I feel about Resolutions and Goals, what are your feelings on the subject? Do you make resolutions? Do you make goals? If you answer yes, I’d be interested to know what your process involves. If you answer no, I’d love to hear why you don’t partake in this annual ritual. I’m also curious to see if there’s anyone out there who feels like I do.
If you perform an internet search for Resolutions and Goals, over 14,000 links are out there and there’s something for everyone, so have fun browsing that subject!
Regardless of your preferences in planning your future objectives, I wish each of you a fabulous and successful New Year. I look forward to next time.
For now I remain… Sincerely Yours,
Wendy Treitel
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2011, it’s going to be a great year!
Welcome to our brand new blog, too. Ella, Wendy, Geri and myself are tickled to be trying our hand at blogging. We don’t really have a gameplan, we just want to make it entertaining and informative. If you have questions whether as a reader or a writer, let us know and we’ll be happy to do our best to answer them.
I have been asked several times where I get my ideas from. I love that question because my answers usually result in brow-furrowing looks of “Oh, realllly?” J You know, the kind of response that people take a step away from and surreptitiously dial the funny farm? Yep, those kinds of answers.
Okay, maybe it’s not really that bad. My ideas come from a variety of different spots. Once, I dreamed an entire book start to finish. It was a really good book. Even if it’s currently languishing in my To-Be-Revised pile! One of these days it will see the light of day.
Sometimes I will hear part of a phrase and think, hm, I wonder… My friends and family are used to seeing me suddenly have that faraway look in my eye before I start furiously digging for a pen to write down whatever it is I’ve seen. Often a factoid I hear triggers a germ of a story idea. Once, I heard that the President’s limousine carries two pints of his blood just in case. I immediately said “Oh, I could kill the President with that!” Fortunately, I have not received a visit from anyone in a suit about that statement. My immediate thought was if I could have an assassin try to get to the blood supply, switch it and then cause an accident which needed to result in an immediate transfusion – wham, instant assassination. However, I don’t write those kinds of books, so that mostly went away!
The strangest book idea I had came from an address. It was 1200 Midnight Drive. Really. I don’t remember what town, but I remembered that street address. It spawned a short ghost story involving murder, mayhem and romance. It was quite fun to write!
Other ideas are word association games, reading the dictionary (honestly! I find some good fodder just by doing that), brainstorming with my critique partners and good old fashioned brain sweating. It doesn’t always happen easily – more often than not it’s a great deal of work to create a viable idea. Then, you have to ensure the world you create is the right place for your idea and the characters the proper ones to populate it.
Sometimes a publisher sends out a call for a specific kind of story. That's where the idea for Strokes At Midnight (Amazon Kindle Store) came from. The theme was Halloween and the heat level was erotic. I came up with a twist on the classic Cinderella story with my heroine covered only in body paint and posing as a model in a living art collection. At a Halloween party. It involves some *ahem* adult themes. To give you an idea, the tagline is : An erotic short story of fantasy, fetish and forever after!
Sometimes a publisher sends out a call for a specific kind of story. That's where the idea for Strokes At Midnight (Amazon Kindle Store) came from. The theme was Halloween and the heat level was erotic. I came up with a twist on the classic Cinderella story with my heroine covered only in body paint and posing as a model in a living art collection. At a Halloween party. It involves some *ahem* adult themes. To give you an idea, the tagline is : An erotic short story of fantasy, fetish and forever after!
The inspiration for my book Her Dark Master (Red Sage Publishing) was actually borne from my favorite song in The Phantom of the Opera by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Masquerade is full of emotion both light and dark, promise and retribution. It has genius lines and captivating music. The lyric “Paper faces on parade” was the ultimate spark. From that line, I came up with the story of Victoria Ashford, a lady of the Regency Ton who is betrothed against her will. And not to the man she loves. So, being a sort of rebellious young lady, not to mention very adventurous (after all, she writes scandalously sexy stories for an underground paper) she decides to masquerade as a courtesan and have at least one night of passion with the man she truly wants. It was great fun to write!
So, tell us, what are some of your favorite books and storylines. What do you like to read about?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)