I know I should be fast asleep by now....after all it's almost 2am on Friday morning, but I got started on something and before I knew it....2am. Being focused is a good thing. I enjoy the concentration and excitement that accompanies an enjoyable task. Those unpleasant tasks? Oy. Those are the ones I would rather not focus on, and find that I have an unusually difficult time concentrating on. That's when outside motivation helps.
Most of the time that motivation comes in the form of my iPhone timer. I set it for a certain amount of time and race to beat the clock. When I'm in my groove I can easily do it. When I'd rather be doing anything but what I'm doing, the clock does little to help.
Sometimes motivation comes in the form of chocolate. I know. That's probably NOT the best motivation, but really, it's chocolate. Full of healthy anti-oxidants and stimulating caffeine. Right, because I need more of that. Anyway, the chocolate works much the same way as the timer. Finish an article, eat a bar, er, piece of chocolate. You get the idea.
Other times, motivation comes from other people. That's the best. It may seem wrong; you may be thinking I should be intrinsically motivated, and while I am, usually, sometimes I just need that encouragement to keep going. It's like having a coach to help me keep my head in the game. That's awesome. Really. And for those of you who coach me through and motivate me when I'd rather be cleaning the lint from the dryer trap than sitting and writing one more article, I thank you. Because you're awesome.
So, with the bulk of my work behind me for the week, and a small pile staring at me for the weekend, I can rest comfortably. Even if I did end up staying awake until 2am.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Difference
Someone asked me what the difference is between writing for work and writing for myself. When I stop to think about it, there are some huge differences, but putting some of the most important ones into words is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be.
But that's also part of the pleasure of writing just for me and for you, and not for work.
My first reaction was to say that the difference is that personal writing is fun, but honestly, I absolutely love the writing I do. I love writing articles and posts that give people new ideas and help them deal with situations in their classrooms. It's fun to do that. And humbling. And a huge responsibility to nurture the customer-based community of a wonderful company. It's writing with a specific purpose.
And I think that's where the difference lies.
This...this type of writing, is so free form that anything goes. A deep, introspective post one day can easily be followed by a lighthearted one the next and vice versa. There's no pressure. And really, when I write here, I know others may be reading, but it's done more as self-reflection than it is to change lives. This is me. Slightly edited, but me.
Work writing is me in disguise. And isn't that how it should be? Shouldn't there be a separation between work and home? Are you as uninhibited at work as you are at home? Probably not. And that's probably a very good thing. Work is work. And this, to me, is not work.
I also like writing contractions. It's a flaw in work writing, but here, anything goes. I can write "don't" and "can't" and "haven't" and "shouldn't" and "wouldn't" until my fingers fall off and no one cares. And that's nice.
Maybe the biggest difference though is that here I can show you my snarky humor in all its glory. Work writing isn't so conducive to that. In fact, snarky humor and work writing are two things that will never go together or I'll be sitting here with my snarky humor and not much else. That's the way it should be though.
So, enjoy this for what it's worth. Unlimited snarky humor and contractions are yours free of charge. Lucky you.
But that's also part of the pleasure of writing just for me and for you, and not for work.
My first reaction was to say that the difference is that personal writing is fun, but honestly, I absolutely love the writing I do. I love writing articles and posts that give people new ideas and help them deal with situations in their classrooms. It's fun to do that. And humbling. And a huge responsibility to nurture the customer-based community of a wonderful company. It's writing with a specific purpose.
And I think that's where the difference lies.
This...this type of writing, is so free form that anything goes. A deep, introspective post one day can easily be followed by a lighthearted one the next and vice versa. There's no pressure. And really, when I write here, I know others may be reading, but it's done more as self-reflection than it is to change lives. This is me. Slightly edited, but me.
Work writing is me in disguise. And isn't that how it should be? Shouldn't there be a separation between work and home? Are you as uninhibited at work as you are at home? Probably not. And that's probably a very good thing. Work is work. And this, to me, is not work.
I also like writing contractions. It's a flaw in work writing, but here, anything goes. I can write "don't" and "can't" and "haven't" and "shouldn't" and "wouldn't" until my fingers fall off and no one cares. And that's nice.
Maybe the biggest difference though is that here I can show you my snarky humor in all its glory. Work writing isn't so conducive to that. In fact, snarky humor and work writing are two things that will never go together or I'll be sitting here with my snarky humor and not much else. That's the way it should be though.
So, enjoy this for what it's worth. Unlimited snarky humor and contractions are yours free of charge. Lucky you.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I've Been Outed aka Hurry Up & Update
Tonight I was outed. Oh, yes. A nice new follower on Twitter just mentioned my blog and (*gasp*) linked to it. OH DEAR GOD! Write something QUICK!
It's true, I've been remiss in updating so I'm going to cram 60 days into 60 seconds. In fact, I have at some point or other in the last two months (!) forgotten I have a blog. No, not really, but I simply haven't had time. There are these other things that have taken over....they're called kids and work. And not necessarily in that order all the time.
Ah, the joy of being a working-teaching-nurturing-french fry burning-stay-at-home mom. It never ends.
Let's get to the highlights...got the job, working the job, loving the job, no more ER trips (*knock on wood thank you very much*), trips to Grandma's, homeschool-love-it-hate-it-sessions, bought a Shark Steam Mop (yeah, seriously, this is a highlight), shoveled more snow than is healthy, got sick from and of shoveling snow, tried to paint the living room as a "surprise" (not so good), got an iPhone, downloaded Kindle for the iPhone, sneak the iPhone everywhere I go so I can read books on the it, more lunches with Grandma, found an awesome babysitter (thank you, God!), almost tipped my van over (yes, Mom, we're fine), found out more about software development than I ever wanted to know, lost power for almost 15 hours, bought more candles- a LOT more candles, annnnnd a bunch of other things that were a lot less exciting since I cannot, apparently, remember anymore.
So, thank you, new Twitter follower for pushing me to update the blog.
Please post the link again in two months so I can update again.
It's true, I've been remiss in updating so I'm going to cram 60 days into 60 seconds. In fact, I have at some point or other in the last two months (!) forgotten I have a blog. No, not really, but I simply haven't had time. There are these other things that have taken over....they're called kids and work. And not necessarily in that order all the time.
Ah, the joy of being a working-teaching-nurturing-french fry burning-stay-at-home mom. It never ends.
Let's get to the highlights...got the job, working the job, loving the job, no more ER trips (*knock on wood thank you very much*), trips to Grandma's, homeschool-love-it-hate-it-sessions, bought a Shark Steam Mop (yeah, seriously, this is a highlight), shoveled more snow than is healthy, got sick from and of shoveling snow, tried to paint the living room as a "surprise" (not so good), got an iPhone, downloaded Kindle for the iPhone, sneak the iPhone everywhere I go so I can read books on the it, more lunches with Grandma, found an awesome babysitter (thank you, God!), almost tipped my van over (yes, Mom, we're fine), found out more about software development than I ever wanted to know, lost power for almost 15 hours, bought more candles- a LOT more candles, annnnnd a bunch of other things that were a lot less exciting since I cannot, apparently, remember anymore.
So, thank you, new Twitter follower for pushing me to update the blog.
Please post the link again in two months so I can update again.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Yes, It's True, I'm a Freelance Writer
I am, among many other things, a freelance writer. This can be a confusing subject for those who have absolutely no clue what that might mean. Basically, people pay me to write articles, web site descriptions, press releases, marketing pieces and just about anything else they have available.
In the last month or so I've written over 100 pieces on everything from software development to descriptions of dog breeds to the importance of social media marketing to how to hire a contractor. It's amazingly diverse, and thus, perfect for me. I love the opportunity to write about so many different subjects in so many different ways. It keeps me from being overtaken by my ever present nemesis - boredom.
Now the down side to being a freelance writer is that a lot of the time I'm ghost writing. That means that even though I'm writing the article, someone else is getting the byline. It's slightly disappointing, but then I get paid and it's fine again.
So, that's what I've been doing lately. And that was today's blog post.
In the last month or so I've written over 100 pieces on everything from software development to descriptions of dog breeds to the importance of social media marketing to how to hire a contractor. It's amazingly diverse, and thus, perfect for me. I love the opportunity to write about so many different subjects in so many different ways. It keeps me from being overtaken by my ever present nemesis - boredom.
Now the down side to being a freelance writer is that a lot of the time I'm ghost writing. That means that even though I'm writing the article, someone else is getting the byline. It's slightly disappointing, but then I get paid and it's fine again.
So, that's what I've been doing lately. And that was today's blog post.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
You Know You Want To...
show my articles some love that is.
My first three articles are up on HandmadeNews.org! Have you read them yet? If you haven't please hop on over and take a peek. Vote 'em up and leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Monday's article will be a great recipe for homemade dog treats. Kato, my dog pony, tested them thoroughly and agrees that the recipe is a winner. Thanks, Kato!
Also, be sure to visit my friend and fellow columnist, Heather Mewis', articles. She working on an exciting one for next week that will help you identify your crafting personality. It's sure to be a hoot.
In fact, after you read my articles take a peek at all of the great articles on HandmadeNews.org. You'll get lots of tips and tricks, inspiration and insight, and, as always, a chuckle or two from the Just For Fun department. We do what we can to lighten the mood.
Thanks for your support!
And an extra special thank you to the fine folks at YourGreatestProtection.com for advertising on my page! You guys rock!!
My first three articles are up on HandmadeNews.org! Have you read them yet? If you haven't please hop on over and take a peek. Vote 'em up and leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Monday's article will be a great recipe for homemade dog treats. Kato, my dog pony, tested them thoroughly and agrees that the recipe is a winner. Thanks, Kato!
Also, be sure to visit my friend and fellow columnist, Heather Mewis', articles. She working on an exciting one for next week that will help you identify your crafting personality. It's sure to be a hoot.
In fact, after you read my articles take a peek at all of the great articles on HandmadeNews.org. You'll get lots of tips and tricks, inspiration and insight, and, as always, a chuckle or two from the Just For Fun department. We do what we can to lighten the mood.
Thanks for your support!
And an extra special thank you to the fine folks at YourGreatestProtection.com for advertising on my page! You guys rock!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
HandmadeNews.org Launch!
Handmade News launches Thursday at 8am!! Go visit!!! (did I add enough exclamation points to convince you?) !!!!!!!!! (how about now?)
UPDATE: Er, okay, well, I guess it's just the soft launch and since it didn't happen at 8am EST, maybe 8am MST? ummm....I'll keep you posted. But hey! Ad prices are AWESOME!! Only $4 for 5K clicks I think I read. You may want to double check that, but it's awesome and you definitely want to advertise on my page. =)
UPDATE: Er, okay, well, I guess it's just the soft launch and since it didn't happen at 8am EST, maybe 8am MST? ummm....I'll keep you posted. But hey! Ad prices are AWESOME!! Only $4 for 5K clicks I think I read. You may want to double check that, but it's awesome and you definitely want to advertise on my page. =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)