Setting Short Term Goals

It's pretty easy to come up with long term goals. It's simple really. I want to be a published author. If I let myself dream, I want an agent who can't wait to see what I'm working on. I want a deadline to work towards. I want to write like crazy until my most recent WIP (work in progress) is off to the publisher for the last time and then take a month to relax on the beach. In short, I want a writer's life, and all that it entails; even the hard work.

But what are the short term goals that will get me there? On writers forums, you hear about people setting a goal of a certain number of words to write each day, or a number of writing hours a day. You hear them talk about making writing a priority and fitting it inbetween chauffering the kids to Little League and making dinner. But what if you've tried those. What if you need something more, something to really light a fire under you?

Here's what I came up with;

*Get 100 rejections (or a contract) by my birthday, September 20, 2010.
*Read 25 books before my birthday and write a few sentences about what I learned about writing from each.
*Take the writing course, The Two Year Novel (2YN) from Lazette Gifford at Forward Motion http://www.fmwriters.com.

My most recent very short term goal lasts only one week, possibly two. It is designed to just get me writing and submitting, and living the writer's life. Here is what it looks like;

Day One- Write for three hours
Day Two - Write for four hours
Day Three - Write for five hours
Day Four - Write for six hours
Day Five - Write for seven hours
Day Six - Write for eight hours
Day Seven - Write for nine hours

As you can see, I am increasing by one hour each day. Adding this all up, I end up with a 42 hour writing week. I am on day three right now. And I'm sure day seven will be grueling. But I'm writing and that's the point. And I can do anything for just seven days, right? I told my daughter my plan and she encouraged me to do a second week where the hours of writing decend. Right now, I am concentrating on this current week. I'll decide on a second week when I get there, but it sounds like a great idea.

So what are your short term goals? How did you come up with them?

Write Now - Because it's later than you think. ~Karen

How do you measure success?

I have read that Stephen King writes five pages a day. Supposedly, in a year it amounts to something like a 90,000 word novel. Pretty impressive. And five pages sounds totally attainable to me. But today, as I was searching this, I learned about R.L. Stein. Remember him? I do. His GOOSEBUMPS series made him a best selling author. But it did something even more important. It got my little reluctant reader to read obsessively. So there's a special place in my heart for R.L. Stein.

So anyway, I was reading about Mr. Stein here; http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/scottst52.htm and learned that he is now in retirement but can't seem to stop writing. He writes five pages a day but says, "Five pages a day isn't a writing career." Hmmmm...he just might be wrong.

Do you have a daily, monthly, or yearly goals? How do you measure them?

NaNoWriMo-The End...well, sort of

Well National Novel Writing Month ended at midnight. Once again it has been an adventure. I started off full-steam ahead with a novel I'd been thinking about for a while. Then, mid-stream something odd happened-something that doesn't happen to me!

I had a dream. My dream was so vivid and so interesting. It was one of those dreams that you feel compelled to tell people about, hoping they'll decifer it and give you some sage advice. But the people I told said the same thing, "You should write that into a book." I had been thinking the same thing, but I was half way through nano with another story. So after a few hours of soul-searching, I made a decision. I stopped writing my initial novel altogether and started on the new one. I took off like you can't believe, but it was really too late to make the 50,000 words by November 30th.

I know that the point of nano is to write a novel fast and furious in a months time. But what about those of us who don't make it? I mean, I wrote 18,000 between both novels. I've read a few people on writers forums say things like, "Well, maybe next year." What? I can't wait a whole year to write this thing. It's burning in me; it must be written and written now.

I'm hoping that Chris Baty would understand, but he's just a human being, who set an arbitrary date for completing the novel. Surely he'd be happy for me even if I didn't fit in his box. Would I have started this novel if I hadn't had the dream during nanowrimo? I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I'll keep writing "until." Until I'm finished; until I'm satisfied it's the best it can be; until...get this...it's published! Hey, it could happen.

Isn't that what Write Now is all about? Yes it is. Time to get back to writing. May your writing days be long! ~Karen

Bridge Anyone? Moving Beyond the Expectations of your Life

photo courtesy of Karen L. Alaniz

My favorite television news show is "Sunday Morning" on CBS. It is on, of course-Sunday mornings. You can look at some of the stories here; http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/09/sunday/main13562.shtml. This morning there was a profile on the card game of Bridge. The camera scans a room of mostly gray haired people at a tournament in California. It's not one of those top tournaments. I thought I recognized someone at one of the tables and sure enough I did. It was Bill Gates.

The story was about the game of Bridge and how young people aren't playing it. Bill Gates as well as a few other billionaires have put a million dollars of their own money into elementary schools to be sure that game doesn't become extinct. But just like a church sermon, I often miss the main point but pick up something life-changing none-the-less. When the interviewer asked Bill Gates if he was good at Bridge, I had one of those moments.

Gates said, 'Well, no. But I get to play with people who are so much better than I am.'

And that comment got me to thinking. I think it's human nature that we're attracted to people who are like us. Our friends are usually within our own socio-economic status. They hang out at the same places, participate in the same activities, and rise to the same levels of aspiration. Bill Gates, of all people, could sit back and just enjoy being with people like him. And yet, he chooses to be with people who are better than him at something. How can I break out of my comfortable life? Do I want to? Do I really want to? What changes might I have to make in order to move above and beyond where I am now? What difference might it make in my life, in my writing, in my ability to succeed?

How about you? Do you want to move beyond the expectations of your daily life? Our lives are a series of steps- some small, some large. What steps can you take today to get there? Where do you want to be ten years from now? How about 20, 30, or even 50? But more importantly, where do you want to be six months from now? How will it look different than today?

I am open to ideas. Please do share! ~Karen

Changing Perspectives

("Wednesdays with Murray" has been cancelled this week. My son had a dental appointment, so we weren't able to go to breakfast.)

I've had a few dental issues in the past few months and my dentist may be able to retire early because of it. But this morning, my son was the victim...uh, I mean patient. He's getting ready to have braces put on, so needed to get some work done first. Though he's old enough to do it alone, he wanted me to stay. The dental assistant was kind enough to bring me a chair by my sons feet.

As I watched from that angle, I learned a lot of things. It was completely different from me being the one in the chair. I could see each instrument clearly. I could see the "dance" between the dentist and her assistant-how they flowed through each procedure. My son's dental work wasn't all that different from mine and yet, from that perspective, it looked completely different.

Writing is no different. It's all about perspective, especially when it comes to freelance writing. I often come up with a thought which is not even an idea yet. It's just a fleeting thought about a subject that might make a good article. By taking the idea, setting it in one place and then walking around it, I can come up with a variety of ways to approach it. I may even decide to discect it and create several different articles. I may look at it from a first-person perspective, or perhaps it makes more sense to go at it in a less personal and more informational way.

Perspective is everything when it comes to writing. By looking at an idea from different angles, you can end up with several articles for a single idea. And more articles translates into more money. More money means more trips to Hawaii and who doesn't want more trips to Hawaii?

Overcoming an Ordinary Life

photo: my ordinary dog at an ordinary park

A happy childhood has spoiled many a promising life. - Robertson Davies

I know I'm a rarity, or at least I think I am. I've lead a very ordinary life. I wasn't abused as a child. I have been married to the same man for almost 25 years (on July 9th). My parents continue to enjoy a long and healthy life. And there are no skeletans in my closet (at least not any I know about). So why in the world did I decide to become a writer? Can a writer make it today without an earth shattering tragedy in their past?

I'm hoping so.

Today is a great day to write about your ordinary life. ~Karen

Rejection Letter Wallpaper

A month ago, I had the privilege of sitting down to a meal with author, Robert Dugoni. It was during my time on Bainbridge Island and I was invited by a writer friend. He said something that I keep thinking about. He said that he wrote a book and sent it out to agents. He got rejection after rejection. He put all of the rejection letters up on the wall, and then sent the query or manuscript out again. Well, one day he was looking at the rejections on the wall and noticed something. Many of the rejections had hand-written notes on them and many of them said the same thing. I don't know exactly what it said, perhaps something about the plot or characters. Finally, with that information, he went back and revised his manuscript. And it sold!

That story made me think. Do you think putting up all your rejections would work for you? Do you think it's negative? Do you think it would spur you on to that final celebratory acceptance? ~Karen

Where are you going?

I had the mundane task of having to wait yesterday...I hate that! What's worse is I expected it to take maybe a half-hour, so I didn't bring anything along with me to busy my mind. I was sitting in the lobby of an office building. I'd parked quickly and rushed in for my 9:30 appointment. But here's the thing, it seems I was the only one who was on schedule. Two hours later, the appointment complete; I finally left...frustrated, mad and...enlightened. What? How could that be?

The space I was trapped in had windows on two sides and was near our downtown area. I found myself people-watching. I started to play a game with myself. I'd watch as a business person in a suit or a kid on a skateboard went by and guess where they were going and then watch to see if I was right. There are many destinations nearby and though a few just went by the window, for most, I could watch as they went through the door of their destination. So I watched their body language to see if I could figure out where they were going. Sometimes they glanced periodically at the destination. Sometimes there was a purpose in their step, in the way they walked. And my guesses were almost always right.

Here's what I learned;

We focus on where we are going, no matter how far away it may be. We may focus with our eyes, with our hearts, with our minds, or even with out physical bodies. When we have a destination in mind, we can't help but take steps toward it. It would be impossible not to do so. Where are you going with your writing?

Sometimes we encounter obstacles. A businessman approached a crosswalk, but there was a utility truck parked across it. He looked across the street to his destination and walked around the obstacle. He didn't say, "Oh gosh. I guess I just can't get there. I'd better go back to where I started." No, he figured out a way to get around it and persevered. What are the obstacles to your writing?

Sometimes we must change directions. Occasionally someone would seem to be going one place but then go to another. At times we get on a path that leads nowhere. And when we finally figure it out, we have a choice; we can either make the best of our path, or we can purpose ourselves to turn another direction. Have you ever taken a wrong turn?

Who knew that two-hours of watching people go about their lives could teach me so much? The next time you have unexpected downtime, ask yourself, "What can I learn from this?" It's really quite amazing. ~Karen

photo: My recent trip to Bainbridge Island, Washington. Three generations are represented on the path.

A Room of My Own - Photos

I always laugh at those home design shows where they redesign "small" spaces. Their idea of small and mine are entirely different. This room belonged to my youngest son. It's on the second story of our home and when my daughter graduated and moved out, he moved to her room. It has sat virtually unused for a couple of years. And now I wonder why! What a wonderful writing room this is. Our home was built in 1907 and in those days there was no air conditioning so they had sleeping porches. You would open up all the windows and enjoy a cross breeze that ensured you would be able to sleep (most nights) The temperature here in the summer gets up above 100 degrees so it was a necessity. Contrary to what you may believe about the Pacific Northwest, we enjoy about 300 days of sunshine a year and not a lot of rainfall. Anyway- I so enjoyed the sunshine as I wrote yesterday.

The photos above and below were taken from each end of the room. The bookshelf was made by my dad, who is almost 87. I bought the chair when my, now 13-year-old was a baby...it's seen better days! There are windows on all four sides! How is that possible? Three face the outside and then one side has a window that looks into the hallway and the other looks into, well...the bathroom...don't worry, there's a curtain. I'm guessing the original sunroom was an addition, though not too long after the house was built...so the windows that face into the hallway and bathroom, probably looked out onto our back yard at one time. Anyway- this is so much fun. I highly recommend it! ~Karen

A Room of My Own

There is a book called, "A Room of Her own." Each chapter of the book is a different woman who has made one room in her home her very own. Some are famous people and some are not. Some have extravagent spaces and some have a converted closet. I am most inspired by the small spaces that with love and care become something new. Though I read the book years ago, it put a little seed in my little brain. My sister just moved back town after many years so today I called her. She came over and we transformed a small "bedroom" into a writing space for me. I put the word bedroom in quotes because that is what we have used it for even though it is really too small for that.

My sister helped me clean it out and then we gathered things from around the house that represent me and my hopes and dreams and placed them about the room. It was great fun! I gathered all of my writing books and brought them up (it's on the second story). And right now, I am writing from the mostly-finished space. What fun it is to be writing to you from my little room. I'll post some photos later this week. But in the meantime, tell me something...where do you write? ~Karen

Finding Your Path

Each month for the past 10 months I've posted monthly goals on the Absolute Write website. There is something about knowing I'll have to post them at the beginning of each month, that makes me think hard.

My writing has been all over the place in the last ten months. I have often read that you should figure out what you're good at, what you know a lot about, and specialize. The problem is that if I look at my professional life, and go solely by that, I would go one direction. And sometimes that's not enough.

I taught special needs children for 15 years. That would be the most obvious choice. And it is an area of specialty for me. It's an area that I am absolutely passionate about. But as I have sent out queries and articles, I have found some unusual specialties. I've found that I love writing travel articles. For an example, go to the Mid-Columbian website http://www.mid-columbian.com/ where my article is on page 17 and beyond. I found that I love photography, as in taking my own photographs. Now, I can tell you, I am not an expert at either of these things. There is nothing in my past that presents itself as a foundation for this kind of writing, except maybe curiosity.

I am forever curious. When a new bird visited my bird feeder recently, I didn't just say, "Oh how nice." No. I asked everyone I knew what kind of bird it was (nobody knew). I went online and did searches, often getting distracted by learning about birds that have not visited me yet. I am an information seeker. I've often said that if I could figure out a way to be paid to go to school, I'd be a professional student. What fun that would be. Now ten months ago when I read that you need to specialize, figure out what you know a lot about and focus all of your writing there, travel writing and photography wouldn't have even been on the list. But here it is. So I guess what I'm saying is that it is good to read, research and follow advice, but not at the exclusion of listening to yourself and following the path that appears before you pebble by pebble.

I didn't find the kind of writing I love, or the kind of writing I'm good at by following a formula. I found it by putting one foot in front of the other, sometimes taking a path that lead nowhere, and sometimes twisting my ankle and sitting it out for a while. But find it I did. What kind of path are you on? Does it feel right to you? ~Karen

Vacation From Writing

I'm back from Seattle. It was a very good time and the first time I've allowed myself to really take time off from writing. I see my writing as a new business. I've heard it said that when you open a new business, you should plan on not having a life for the first three years. You should work at it 24-hours a day, seven days a week. And I've tried to look at my writing career that way. I go to Seattle twice a year...sometimes more often. I always take work with me. I work on articles. I work on my book. I check my email and respond accordingly. But this time I didn't.

Before leaving, I had a crazy week. Entering a literary contest took every moment of my writing time. So I gave myself a break. I actually "took off" the whole four days. And it was lovely. I highly recommend it.

Now, all I need is the oomph to start up again! ~Karen

What a Difference a Day Makes

What a difference a day makes, indeed. My mother gave me a pot with a large Amarylis bulb in it. If you haven't had one before, it's time you treated yourself. It begins it's life in the pot looking like nothing but a blob in dirt with a bit of moss on top. But with just a little water each day, and a lot of light, it begins to grow. It grows so fast that it really seems like you can watch it grow. So cool! So I decided to take a photo of it when it looked ready to bloom; see first photo. The very next day, today, its bloom was complete; see second photo. Within the span of 24 hours it went from mystery concealed to mystery revealed. Amazing. And it made me think...what steps can I take in a span of just one day which will propel me toward my destiny? What tiny growth is taking place within me which will one day, seem to be "all of a sudden" evident? I know it's there. But what can I do about it today? What can you do today that will bloom another day? Lets bloom together, OK? ~Karen

A Story Worth Telling

Everyone has a story to tell. But not everyone has someone to tell their story to. The theme of this blog is, "Write Now-Because it's later than you think." And it's really a double meaning. It refers to being a writer and it refers to writing down family history. But not everyone has family. And even if they do have family, their story still may not be told. That's where you and I come in. When you choose to write down someone's story, you are honoring their life. You are honoring their memories and what better way to do that than to create a permanent record of it?

As I contemplate this in my own life, I first think of my parents and the stories they have to tell. But I also think of my children; why not ask them to share their school memories? And I think of my grandparents and wish I'd had my life together enough to realize that they wouldn't be around forever to tell their stories. And that's why I'm here. I'm writing this now to encourage myself as well as my readers- to do something today to make a difference.

When you think of writing down someone's stories, consider;

• Your Children - Even if they are young, or maybe especially if they are young, they have exuberant stories to tell.
• Your "Greats" - Chances are that your "greats" have less time left to tell their stories than anyone else in your family. Great aunts, uncles, grandparents and anyone else of that generational age are a wonderful place to begin. Their stories are full of thoughts, vocabulary, and history that will too soon be gone forever.
• Your Parents - Sometimes we forget that our parents had a life before us. And that means that there are stories we haven't heard, let alone experienced.
• Cousins - first ones...second ones, and once removed ones-Oh MY! If you have cousins you can interview, you'd be surprised by the stories they will tell. You'll learn things about not only your cousins, but also your aunts and uncles that you never would have known.
• Your Siblings - It may be tempting to skip talking to your siblings. After all, it would seem that they have the same stories to tell that you do. But what you will find is that they do indeed have stories to tell which are unrelated to you. And you may even learn more about your parents and yourself.

When you think about interviewing someone, don't forget about your non-blood-relatives. Consider the following.

• Neighbors
• Nursing Home Patients
• In-laws (brother, sister, mother, father)
• Members of your Church
• Friends
• People who are Ill
• People who are lonely
• Children (with parents permission of course)
• Step Children/Step parent

The possibilities are endless. Tell someone's story today. ~Karen

300 Words - My Mom's Turn

As promised, I interviewed my mother*. I didn't ask her permission or warn her. Maybe that's not fair, but I didn't want her to worry about it. I simply showed up at her house with my laptop, and said, "OK, it's your turn. Mom, I want to interview you." She was less than enthusiastic. But once she got to talking, memories-things she hadn't thought of in years, came to the surface and I typed as fast as I could. Thank God for my high school typing class. I can type without looking at the keys, and pretty fast too. From this experience, I would highly recommend doing this. And here are a few tips on how to do it.

• Limit the time you'll spend interviewing. I spent only about twenty minutes and made that clear when we started.
• Start with a question. It's overwhelming when you're trying to think of your entire life story in one sitting. Begin by asking about times that are framed by an event such as a grade level or a holiday. I asked my mother to tell me about kindergarten. I didn't know they didn't have kindergarten then, so we started with first grade instead.
• Only ask questions pertinent to the clarity of the story. You may have a lot of questions while your loved one is talking but ask only the questiong that will help to clarify the specific story they are telling. Resist the temptation to go on "rabbit trails" that are actually a separate story.
• End on a Positive Note. If the particular subject is not a happy memory, encourage your interviewee to then share a good memory. First grade was not a happy memory for my mother, so when we finished first grade, I had her also tell me about second grade, which was much happier (and made up for a nasty first grade teacher).
• Have a Plan B. Not all memories are pleasant and some may be traumatic. Be prepared to change to a different question if your interviewee is uncomfortable sharing. Have a "Plan B" question that is very different from the first question. For example, if you first asked about kindergarten memories, your "Plan B" question might be, "What is the best Christmas present you received as a child?"
• Plan for the Next Interview. Let the interviewee know what you'd like to talk about the next time you get together. And when you get home, reread what you've written; make sure that it all makes sense. Then jot down any additional questions you have.

*Remember, you can interview absolutely anyone.

Crown of Disappointment

I got a check in the mail the other day. It was for an article I wrote and that check alone was enough to meet my modest financial goal for January. My 2008 financial goals for my freelance writing business are cumulative. In other words, I set a specific amount for January and after that, my goal is to make a bit more each month. So I'm off to a great start.

My mind wandered to what I should buy with my little chunk of change;

• a bouquet of flowers?
• take my family out to dinner?
• order pizza?
• treat my husband to a movie?
• put the money in savings?
• travel to...OK it wouldn't get me very far
• a new pair of shoes?
• books/magazines?
• a crown?

Huh? A crown? Well yeah, and it's not the kind that will sit atop my royal head. I went to the dentist yesterday and it seems the decision on how to spend my money wasn't so difficult after all. My broken tooth needs a crown. So it looks like my hard earned money will be gobbled up by...my tooth. Boo! It just feels so...wrong! Why is it that when I got a regular paycheck as a teacher, I didn't think this way, but now I feel that any money I make writing should be spent on something...beautiful, something celebratory, something romantic?

Maybe it's that now there's such a one-to-one correspondence with the money I make. I know exactly what I did to earn that money. I know how many hours I spent writing the article. I know the struggles with finding markets, and working with editors. Oh, I don't know. What I do know is that my little chunk of change just shrunk. It'll only pay for 1/4 of my crown. The good news is that at least I won't have to waste time dreaming of what I'll spend my next chunk on...it's already been decided for me. ~Karen

300 Word Sample

I decided to post my very first 300 word history, just so you can see how basic and, well...corny it can be. For this one, I wrote about the first thought popped in my head regarding Kindergarten. Here it is;

Kindergarten - I was five years old when I started kindergarten, but with a September birthday, I turned six soon after. Mrs. Baker was round and wore dresses every day. The first day of school, a little girl in my class cried and cried. She cried every day for weeks. I was curious about her. I watched her come in with her mother. Outside the door, she didn’t shed a tear. But once her mother guided her inside our classroom door, the water works began. She cried all morning. When she wasn’t shriek-crying, she was sobbing, her shoulders raising and falling dramatically. I don’t remember tears, but I do remember that she had a hyper-productive snot gland. She stood there helplessly while Mrs. Baker tried to calm her. Every morning it was the same. Every morning, Mrs. Baker assured her mother that Miss Cries-a-lot just needed a little more time. Months passed. Suddenly one day the classroom was quiet. She was gone and I knew exactly where she was before Mrs. Baker even made the announcement. She was next door, in another teacher’s room. You see, that little crybaby didn’t cry because she missed her mommy. She cried because she wanted to be in the other kinder class – the one with more toys. That’s what she howled about every single day. But that’s not the story Mrs. Baker told. During circle time that morning, she announced that the little girl was now in the other classroom because there were too many kids in her class. I suspect that every single one of my classmates had the same thought…”move me…move me.”

After circle time, all the kids were playing when I approached Mrs. Baker. “She really got to move because she cried, right?” I asked. She didn’t answer. “Go play,” she said.
She would later tell my mother how smart I was. “She figured out exactly what happened.” She shared.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist.

Now it's your turn. Open up a page on your word procesor and begin with Kindergarten. Write just a paragraph or two of the first memory that comes to mind. Tie it up quickly and stop.
Then challenge yourself to add to it regularly. As a writer, I find it is a good "warm-up" to the writing I must get done on a particular day. Or you may want to use it if you are stuck for what to write. And in the mean time you are doing something even more amazing, you are taking something that is yours and yours alone- a memory- and recording it for generations to come. Good for you! Write Now, Karen

"My" Book

This was fun. My sister and I looked in Barnes and Noble for the book, "Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul-Second Shift." My story, "A Dose of Compassion" is in the book and although I already had a copy of the book, I wanted to see it in an actual book store. So my sister found a sales clerk to help her find it, and of course, bragged me up on the way. Then when the clerk left, she took a photo of me. That's the book in the background too. We had to be very sneaky about taking a photo-we didn't want to get arrested.

You see, about a year ago I thought it'd be fun to take a photo of each of the bookstores I visited on vacation. It would make a fun scrapbook page. I had taken about five shots of the length of the shelves (very cool look) when a sales clerk ran down the escalator and scolded me, very loudly for "copyright infringement." It was a tad embarassing. I tried to explain but she would have none of it. In fact, I'm lucky I left with my life. I'm lucky she didn't rip the camera from me, arms and all. Sheesh! So what can I do with this information? Well, my plan is to tell this story over and over when I'm on my book tour...someday. Until then, I'll tell it here. ~Karen

Writing Your School Memories

Not having electricity for a few days is an interesting experience for a writer. I have a laptop with a battery, so obviously I can still write...until the battery goes dead anyway. (I DID have a place to go plug it in to recharge) My problem was that a lot of the articles I was working on at the time were dependent on the Internet for research. So what's a writer to do?

And honestly, it was difficult to concentrate. When you're figuring out what is cookable on the wood stove, it's hard to concentrate on work, for me anyway.

Well, luckily I was reading "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott. In the book, Lamott talks about purposing yourself to write just 300 words. She encourages readers to start with their childhood, a time when memories are vivid. So I did that. What fun! Really. It was fun to just write what I wanted. First I tried to think of what my very first memory was but that was kind of impossible. So I started with kindergarten and wrote about my strongest impressions. Later I wrote about first grade and then second. I didn't include every single thing I remembered about it, just the memories that jumped to the front.

Lamott has a purpose in having readers do this exercise. There are memories that you have that you don't even know are there until you write them. You may use one of them in the novel you're writing, or it may trigger another memory that can be used. But I can think of another use.

As you know, a few years ago, my father gave me more than 400 letters he'd written during WWII. That single act changed my life. It changed how I see history. Now imagine your great-grandmother stepping back through time and handing you something she'd written; letters, a diary, a journal. What a treasure that would be. In writing our family history, we must remember to include ourselves. All of these memories that we're trying to drag out of our parents and grandparents, we have too. And believe me, someday, one of your relatives will be thrilled to read about your life.

I'm up to the 7th grade now and plan to keep going, 300 words at a time. What's your earliest memory? Have you written it down? ~Karen

Motivation to Write

After having two back surgeries, I committed to walking every single day, for the rest of my life. The only time I don't walk is when it is icy out. Of course some days I have absolutely no motivation to get out there and walk. So I tell myself to just walk to the end of the park (a rose garden) which is probably only 1/4 of a mile. That way, I figure I get some blood flow to my spine (your spine only receives passive blood flow-ie: you have to be moving), and though it may not be much, at least I'm keeping things loosened up. But invariably, I do not stop at that rose garden. Once I'm out there, once I've gone through; finding my shoes, getting my coat on, putting the dog on her leash and walkng to that corner, I just want to keep going. Usually I walk at least another 3/4 of a mile. It's all about the routine. Have you ever heard the saying, "Act as if you are, until you are"? It's like that.

I do the same thing with writing but didn't really think about it that way until I read Linda's comment on my previous post. I'll tell myself to write a certain number of words, but find myself going past it. Or I commit to writing for a half-hour but write for two or three hours instead. Looking at goals in small chunks of time can propel us to write even more. And for me at least, the opposite is true too; if I take a day off, I want to take two or three. The longer I stay away, the harder it is to get back to it.

What are your thoughts? ~Karen