One Bird at a Time...

This week I am reading a book called Bird by Bird , a great book for writer newbies like me. Anne Lamott, the author, takes a humorous (and sometimes serious) approach to the hair-pulling difficulties of being a writer. Ms. Lamott has experienced the blanks, blocks, and dazes that wannabes like myself have gone through and has provided advice for clearing the hurdles.


My question is how does she know me? Every time she describes a writing crisis, she has to be talking about me! The good news is she gives very insightful advice for overcoming the obstacles. Gotta love it. One of the best exercises in the book is the "one inch by one inch frame" approach. When you are staring at a blank sheet of paper, and by this time the paper looks to be poster sized, try to see your work through a 1" by 1" frame. I can do that! By concentrating on something I can do, I won't be obsessing about what I can't do.


So, for this week I have given myself three assignments: write a 200 word assignment for Prevention Magazine, a 1,000 word piece for Golf Digest, and this blog. Hooray! One down and two to go.

Grandma in Wonderland

Talk about "down the rabbit hole"! Now that I have officially become a blogger, I have been investigating other bloggers and their websites. WOW! (Which, by the way, is the very name of one of those sites.) I am astounded at the amount of material out there concerning writing, blogging, and setting up an online business. Actually, like Alice, it is a little overwhelming because there is soooo much available.

I have been doing some preliminary research on freelance writing, and I have joined a couple of groups on Yahoo--they have become valuable networking tools that help Newbies like me understand the world of writing. My favorite one so far is Mike's Writing Workshop--an award winning blog that provides many tips from people who have been there and done that.

I am also starting to market my art work in various galleries and shops--after many years of doing outdoor art festivals, I am pretty well over the bad weather and pricey entrance fees. If I can place my work in enough venues, I can retire my EZ Up tent and just work on the art (which is what I love to do anyway). Here's another picture of my weird mixed media neckpieces.

Take care everyone.

What the Heck is a Blog and Why Am I Writing It?

I am about to take a risk and I am shaking in my Crocs! So far my life has been pretty predictable--married for 41 years (to the same guy--how great is that?), raised three remarkable sons who married my wonderful daughters-in-laws, marveled at my four grandsons (the reasons for my risk-taking, but more about that later), and worked in education for the last 33 years.

Oh, and I have also been an artist in every medium known to man or woman, which has lead to LTLT, you know--a Little of This and a Little of That. LTLT is an affliction whereby the artist is unable to choose what the heck they want to do, so they do a little of this and a little of that! My solution has been to become sort of a mixed media artist, which is what you become when you are so old that you have done almost everything. Hence the picture of the mixed media neckpiece. Actually, this piece is currently on exhibit at the Florida Museum of Art in DeLand, Florida--check it out if you are in the area.

At any rate, now we get to the risk part. My husband and I moved to Florida about 12 years ago, and have worked as teachers in the Adult Education program at a local community college. Now we have decided to quit our jobs and move to South Carolina, thus becoming "halfbacks". A halfback is a person who has moved to sunny Florida, and who, for whatever reason, decides to move halfway back north. In our case, we have one son who is in Atlanta, and another who is living in Charlotte. Our third son and his family still live in PA, and we would be much closer to them also. So, you guessed it, we are moving to the Anderson, SC area to be closer to family.

The risk, of course, is becoming unemployed at a time in our lives when employment opportunities are less than they should be. So, now we start the great adventure--taking risks and pursuing dreams that were postponed for years. You see, I always wanted to be a writer, and I am seeing more and more opportunities in that area. I would like to work in the field of freelance writing, proofreading maybe, or possibly children's books.

My husband, who has a vast amount of experience in the field of education, wants to become a consultant. Cool. I always wanted to be married to a consultant--I have attended enough In-Service Days to long for someone with a little personality and a sense of humor.

At any rate, I wanted to keep a journal of my journey, and I am hoping for some good advice along the way. I will keep you all posted about my adventures, and misadventures along the way.