how to make a writer physically violent

Saw this video posted at She Writes in a great blog post by Lauren Davis on the 10 questions to never ask a writer. Check it out. But in the meantime, this excerpt from The Family Guy deserves posting. I admire Brian’s ability to not slap Stewie upside the head!

 

a good reminder to have some fun

This video offers some great reminders as I start the second week of the new year. I should be having more fun!

 

nice try…

My social-networking/media blackout/digital cleanse lasted all of 4 and a half days. (I’m so giving myself credit for the 1/2-day). I completely caved this afternoon. I did it all: Twitter, Facebook, entertainment sites, gossip sites, news sites. Total binge.

Admittedly, the only reason I probably made it 4 days & not just 2 days was because of the holiday & a weekend visit from friends that kept me offline. But still, yesterday–Monday–I was quite good & I found I had so much extra time to get things done. I edited two articles & wrote another. I was focused. I didn’t feel like I’d wasted time. And more importantly I didn’t feel like the day had gotten away from me.

 

digital cleanse & media blackout

To start off the new year I’ve decided to do a little digital cleanse. In other words, I’m cutting myself off from Twitter, Facebook, & all media sites (i.e., gossip, entertainment, & actual real news) for one week. This is similar to my one week news blackout last year.

I heard about this idea via Twitter–a retweet of a tweet linking to this post. I like the idea of starting off the new year with a little less garbage & distraction. Also, it’s a great way to figure out just how much time I spend on all those sites. While I can live with a week of no Facebook, Twitter, & media, the proposed no texting idea just isn’t going to work for me. There are certain people in my life who it’s just better that I only text & not talk to. Not texting would not be good for my mental well-being like the rest of this digital cleanse. So, in lieu of the no texting, all add in a TV news blackout. So, this cleanse will be a more extreme than my only news one.

So far, I slipped once–clicked on my Facebook page; & have an overwhelming urge to look at my Twitter feed. In my defense, the FB click was out of habit. I momentarily forgot about my plans.

I’ll be curious to see how I spend my time on the internet without those sites, because I have the sinking feeling–30 minutes into this–that I spend A LOT of time on those sites without realizing it. So, hopefully this will be conducive to writing & reading this week. We’ll see. At least I’ll still have this blog & email. (Maybe I’ll add those two to my 2011 digital cleanse.)

And as always, if the world ends & I miss the news story…feel free to email me or comment here just to let me know. Otherwise, I’ll reenter social-networking & media world on January 8th.

 

2010 in 1 word

So, for 2010 I’ve been able to come up with one word that I want to define this year, my “action word”/mantra if you will.

MOVEMENT

2009 helped me figure out what I want & need. 2010 is about making it happen. Besides, I’m really done with the emotional roller coaster of 2009. I have learned much in this past year, even from the difficult moments. But I’m ready to move forward & to put what I’ve learned to work.

I’ve learned that to make things happen I need to focus on the steps rather than the end product. I need to do the little things that would result in the big thing. I need to stop freaking myself out with the enormity of a project or task & instead just look at the smaller steps/pieces that would get me there. Yes, taking one step at a time might result in completion taking longer, but honestly, I have a better chance of completing things. Every day, I need to take some kind of action, some kind of movement on the things I care about, the things I want to do in my life whether it be finishing this novel, doing more freelance work, or getting a full-time job that I like and that gives me financial security and stability. If I do just one thing every day, I’ll be one step closer to these things becoming a reality. Movement creates. Procrastination, fear, & inaction create stagnation.

So, I need to move every day. That’s the goal for 2010. MOVEMENT.

Oh, and if you’re looking for help on figuring out your word for 2010, check out Christine Kane’s blog and her free worksheet on finding your “Word of the Year.”

 

2009: in 4 words

As 2009 draws to a close, I decided to look back at my post for January 1, 2009. In that post, I decided in lieu of New Years’ resolutions I was going to come up with 4 words that would define my life in 2009. I chose:

CONNECTED

CENTERED

ACTUALIZED

PROSPERED

I’d say that 2 out of 4 is where I’ve ended up at the end of the year.

 

for now, just going with it

Currently listening to: Cloud Nine by Ben Howard

I just tweeted:

Yes, still up & writing. Going w/it. This week: all abt going w/what feels good. My mind & soul r a bit beat. Being careful w/them.

If I’ve learned anything in the last 15 months of dealing with loss & grief, it’s to go slow, to take my time, to go with what feels right in the moment. Believe me, I’ve had more than a few people in the last year tell me to hurry up and move on, to dive into work, to drown myself in it until I’ve managed to forget. The problem is the death of a loved one cannot be forgotten. And avoidance only avoids your new reality.