Tuesday, July 3, 2018

IWSG: Clearing Clutter, Changing Goals, and D&D


Time for another posting with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, where writers can share their insecurities and encourage one another. IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We usually share our posts the first Wednesday of the month, but since the U.S. Fourth of July holiday is on Wednesday this year, we are posting on Tuesday. July’s optional question is: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

June went a little better than May for me, but I still have a lot of catching up to do in nearly every area of my life. It seems as though I will not be able to fully concentrate on my writing until I start clearing away the clutter around me. Not just concrete things like clothes and desk supplies (although those are on the list), but also digital clutter with emails and organizing files, and clearing my head of distractions and negativity. It has been a long, difficult process, and I feel as though circumstances keep trying to pull me backwards, but I must keep moving forward.


As for my goals, they have adjusted themselves over time. I still would like to write my non-fiction “quiet book” someday, but organizing those thoughts and ideas into meaningful words has proved harder than I thought it would be. I feel like I would have to change to a better, less stressful day job in order to give that project the attention it requires. I have recently grown fond of writing short stories and even a little flash fiction. I hope to get a short story published within the next few years. I have been tweaking and adding to my fantasy story entry from the 2016 IWSG anthology contest. My friend and her husband inadvertently helped me with it a couple weeks ago. ~ Warning: The next sentence will reveal just how much of a nerd I truly am. ~ They started a sort of Dungeons and Dragons role-playing story and invited me to join, so I decided to use one of my fantasy story characters. We are not following the typical D&D rules, but I think this will be an entertaining verbal storytelling experience. I highly recommend it for fantasy writers!

I guess I distracted myself from the initial question. My ultimate goal, under my current circumstances, is to publish at least one book. If I ever manage to obtain my dream job of being a stay-at-home wife and mother, I may be able to publish more (maybe). Under better day job circumstances, another goal of mine would be to write weekly devotional blog posts similar to the ones I used to write when I started this blog. So, to better my writing, I need to broaden my search to find a better job, or get married (lol 😄).



To my United States followers: Happy Independence Day!

10 comments:

  1. Decluttering is good.
    Dungeons and Dragons isn't nerdy! Tell me it's not so...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, Alex, let me just say that I feel as though I've leveled up in my obsession with sci fi/fantasy :)

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  2. Hi,
    It sounds like you are getting things in grip and taking control of what is going to happen in your life. You're making lots of changes so don't be too hard on yourself. Be a gentle friend to yourself and give yourself plenty of time.

    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pat! That is great advice because I do tend to be too hard on myself when I don't meet my own expectations.

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  3. Digital decluttering is something I need to do. I have so much garbage in my email box that's taking up storage space and my photos are so disorganized.

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    1. Same here, Ellen. The sad thing is that I had a good email deleting/organizing system going for a while, but I let it get bad again.

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  4. Good that you are doing some writing!! I hope you can find that less stressful job soon!

    betty

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  5. Yeah, get as nerdy as you like. I'm quite fond of nerds and nerdy things.

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  6. Listing my goals out from the beginning of journey help me see I had made some progress despite feeling like had gone nowhere or done anything. I did a lot more than I thought. Nerdy Rules! Death to stress, hope you find your balance. Happy IWSG!

    ReplyDelete

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