Speech 3: Get to the Point. The third speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program is meant to help me set a speech goal and make sure that every element focuses on it. Picking my topic for this week’s speech was surprisingly difficult. The brief, “Get to the Point,” is right up my alley. I…
Category: Writing
Consider Me Professionally Developed
I despise stagnation. If I’m not learning or growing, it feels like I’m dying. This is partially because it’s the way I am (learning is so much fun!), and partially because I’ve got a lot of baggage when it comes to job progression and success. In my anxiety-infested brain, not having enough to do at…
The Write Stuff: A Mixed Bag
We’re rounding the last turn of 2017, and The Write Stuff isn’t steaming along quite as well as I hoped. Goal 1: Finish four short stories in 2017 I’d love to meet this goal, but the harder I push to come up with an idea, the less creative my brain seems. I’ve been relying on…
Writing Steps for Non-Writers
Speech 2: Organize Your Speech. The second speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program introduces the basic concepts of organizing a speech around a speech outline. Getting back into writing has made it clear to me why most authors are alcoholics, manic depressives, or lunatics. I am not a talented writer by nature. I had…
The Write Stuff: Well Color Me Surprised
Month eight of The Write Stuff finds me in the middle of peak season at work. I can’t concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes, so I’m gobsmacked to report that I finished my third story. Um, what? via GIPHY Goal 1: Finish four short stories in 2017 Look at this. Look at…