End of a Journey

I am waiting to hear back from the director of my degree program to find out if my project has been accepted and what if any editorial changes she would like me to make. I am so excited to see the end of this journey - in one week from today I will be listening to a commencement speech and waiting to walk across the stage to accept my diploma - yeah!!!

As if that isn't enough to look forward to I also will have the chance to share this paper with the wonderful authors I interviewed for the paper and get their responses and feedback. I think they are going to be very excited. I also get to start looking for journal to publish it! Yes, it is that good!

I normally don't like to write or speak about anyone or anything negatively - there is so much of that in the world I don't think it is necessary to add to it. However, I am so glad I didn't listen to the naysayers who said I shouldn't or couldn't go college because it was too expensive and if I had to go then I should go to a community college not a university to save money or it would take too much time, that was for both degrees. For my graduate degree they said I didn't need it - the earning potential with a master's degree is not much different than that of an undergraduate degree.

Looking back I now believe wholeheartedly that:

1. I was worth the investment.
2. If I was going to make the investment why not end up with a degree from a major university like DU! Besides I discovered it really wasn't much more than other programs. 
3. The time was going to pass anyway - the only difference is now I get to look back with pride instead of regret. 
4. It turned out I did need it - I needed to get it so I could write this research project. Besides it was never about the earning potential just like writing is never about the money.

I think it would be great if everyone could go believe that if they are really meant to do something they shouldn't let anyone stop them - even the loudest naysayers who will do their best to fill you with doubt and hold you back.

My June Post never published (blush)

I missed my July post because I was having way too much fun to worry about it and I say that with a level of sarcasm. I was stressing big time about my capstone but I was also seeing all my hard work manifest into a paper I am truly proud to say is mine.


Once it is done, edited, and graded, I'll officially be a graduate!

June - a month of amazement

Apparently, I am blogging about once a month. Oh to blog and only blog, no actually, I am so very excited that I am finishing up my degree. I am working on the final project initial draft due July 18th - revisions due by July 28 and then it's time to graduate! August 2011. I began this journey in 2001 with two amazing classes: ADM 1500 (a personal and professional development class) worked my way through the writing certficate by 2003, the BA by 2008 (still proud of that whole Magna Cum Laude status) in 2009 I entered the graduate course...wow! All the time, all the homework, all the papers, the laughter, the kinship, relationships...I am just about the luckiest woman alive. If, that is you think, luck has anything to do with this.

I am also plowing along on the fiction book - maybe I'll hit the half way mark by August as well.

The non-fiction book proposal couldn't have worked out better. I have a great feeling about that one.

Life is good!

May. May! I think it is time to accept reality.

There is no reality only perception - therefore only perception matters.

What is the perception of this blog? Is it lacking...is it neglected? Or perhaps is there material available for others to read to get an idea of who I am, what I write, and what I value? Actually...yes. Regardless of the dates the essence is there.

Please note, dear reader, that I, like you, have been caught up in life and that is the reason for the time passing between posts. It is not because I do not value blogging or the impact blogs can have on a professional writing career. I simply am an overwhelmed, over-committed human being. Certainly the majority of readers can appreciate this. There are so many wonderful causes, so many wonderful people, so many wonderful reasons that keep us from doing what we intend to do and instead delay us by making us do what we need to do.


Hmmm. did that make sense?  I do not regret any of  the hours I have spent between now and my last post. I have devoted my time and energy to my family, my education, my responsibilities, and even my future plans. How can any of this be a bad thing. Someday, I will be done with classes. I will have more time on my hands. I will, perhaps, blog away to my hearts content. It is also possible that I will do just what I have been doing. I will check in occasionally and report that I am on track to achieve the numerous goals I have set out to achieve. I am living life and blogging when I can which may in the end be more valuable than blogging religiously and living life when I can.

Thoughts?

April! Really? Are you kidding?!

Today's Writing Quota (What I Plan to Do): 1000

Friday’s Quota (What I did): 918

Today's Writer’s Quote: Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia  ~E.L. Doctorow

Today's thoughts: Characters are busy talking to me again. I am doing my best to keep up with the conversations. Two new stories are pushing their way to the front of the line. I have come to accept that the novel I typed out in December may take a long time to fix. I’ve been on chapter one now for four months. (Can you believe it is April already?) I changed the setting, the time, the POV – I know the story is good. I just have to figure out the beginning. In the meantime, I am typing out plenty of other ideas and conversations for other books, short stories, and possibly a play. I love that I am inspired to start so many projects but I am also eager to finish one. Perhaps after I am done with my current class I will get a chance to workshop something and complete it. 

Todays great find: If I loved you...Robin Black - read this! This is what writing should look like!

Beginning Again

Today's Writing Quota (What I Plan to Do): 1000

Friday’s Quota (What I did): 700

Today's Writer’s Quote: What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. ~ Samuel Johnson

Today's thoughts: 

Yikes! I just realized that I need to start my novel all over – I have been struggling with editing chapters 4 and 5 and realized the book started in the wrong place. I am feeling good about the theme, characters, and basic plot of the story though – now I just need to fix the pacing and kiss my March 1st deadline good-bye. Maybe I should schedule time for a workshop.

Back to Business

Today's Writing Quota (What I Plan to Do): 1000

Yesterday’s Quota (What I did): 1114

Today's Writer’s Quote: “Write without pay until somebody offers to pay” Mark Twain

Today's Thoughts:

I am finding the hardest thing about being a writer is developing a schedule for writing and sticking to it. I think I miss having to be to work by a certain time, knowing what daily tasks I needed to get done while being able to interact with people and collaborate. It seemed I was able to accomplish so much in a day. Now, although I am getting a lot of things done, it doesn’t have an effect on others. No one would be upset or affected negatively if I don’t work. I mean let's face it, working on a novel doesn’t impact a single life but my own. When I am done working, I concentrate on school, which means I am spending time again not impacting a single soul but my own. I think this is why I can be distracted when my family calls. They need something – I am eager to help.

               But even with the distractions, I am meeting my writing goals. I can write in the morning, in the evening, in the middle of the night, I have no set time to “be in the office” so I can work anytime in a 24 hour period. Maybe my ability to meet my goals with all the distractions means I need to up the ante on those goals. Or I need to be less willing to reset the goals. I allowed myself time off for mourning and then spent a week getting back on track with school and home and set low writing goals to  pace myself and allow enough time to do good work. Then, just as I was ready to take off again and set the bar high, Phil and I awoke to a phone call at 5:30, which meant we were about to receive bad news - what other kind of news comes at that time of the morning?  

               Our eldest had been in a one vehicle accident. (The road was an ice rink in -18⁰ weather conditions). He was fine. His truck was not. I spent two days helping him get back on track, working with adjustors, getting him to work and home again. I didn’t mind the distraction, I was too grateful that he was okay and needed nothing more than a visit to Alison, an amazing muscle activation therapist. (Tangent: I highly recommend muscle activation therapy MAT to keep the human body pain free and working properly). Anyway, the distraction was not unwelcomed, looking at the condition of his truck – well, I don’t even want to go there.

               Maybe, instead of worrying that meeting my writing goals is a bad thing I need to expand them. Now that I am back working full steam, I realize I haven’t blogged in over a month on this site and almost two weeks on my other site and I need to include my blogs in my writing goals. I think as a writer, I really should develop a good blogging habit.

               Anyway, soon, I will be done with the novel, done with classes, graduated, and I will be back in the swing of things with a “real” job, working with people, collaborating, meeting numerous deadlines, and longing for time to write.

Miracles

Today's Happiness Quota: 8 – fun, productive weekend – always makes it easy to enjoy life!
Today's Happiness Quote: by Albert Einstein “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”
Today's thoughts: I am humbled and blessed that my life is the result of so many miracles. I came across a list of miracles that I started some time ago, probably the result of some journal suggestion, and it was certainly a pleasant find. So often I discover that the power of journal writing is two fold. Initially it helps clear the chaos that runs through your mind on any given day and then later it offers prospective, on life, on memories, on processes, and it helps to remember that everything becomes a memory and fades in time, the good and the bad. Which means it helps to cherish the good while you can and endure the bad when necessary.