It’s four days till Christmas, and I’m heading out the door to celebrate with family — mostly by eating an embarrassing amount of tamales. But first, some end-of-year stats! First, the basics Books read in 2016: 56 (13 since 10/1) Audiobooks: 0 (0 since 10/1) Ebooks: 6 (0 since 10/1) Pages read: 17,725 (3,414 since…
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…