Michelle McLean's Blog, page 45
December 27, 2010
It's That Time of Year Again
(My post from the OA yesterday) :)
It's a couple days after Christmas, the year is drawing to an end, and it is inevitable that our focus begins to turn to the shiny new year waiting just around the corner. I've heard the phrase "New Year's Resolutions" bandied about frequently in the last several days. It's not a term I like much. Mostly because it feels like yet another to-do list I'm going to fail to accomplish.
So this year, I decided to make a Desire List instead....everything sounds better with the word "desire" in it....okay, maybe not EVERYTHING, but it certainly sounds better than "resolutions" which just makes me think of "requiem" for some reason, and that just isn't a fun word.
Anywho....what do I desire for next year? The usual, I suppose....to be a better mom and wife, write some books, sell some books....and of course lose 10 (+ a few dozen and a few dozen more) pounds.
There are a lot more things I'd like to do, more goals to accomplish, but really, those are the big ones for me. Spend more time with my family....continue working on my writing career.Or to simplify it even further....to keep my focus on the big picture.
I figure if I keep it simple and keep my focus narrowed on what's truly deep down important to me, maybe the stress of trying to keep up with everything else will lessen. Maybe I won't be so hard on myself when my blogging fizzles. Maybe I won't feel so guilty if I spend a few extra minutes with my kids instead of on a manuscript. Maybe I'll let my exhausted body rest instead of staying up till the wee hours of the morning plugging away on some project or other.
Maybe. :)
I think too often we allow ourselves to get so overstretched and engrossed in whatever million projects we've got going on that we forget to focus on the big picture, the main goal, the one thing we really, truly want. We allow the details to swamp us until we forget the goal we were working toward in the first place.
Operation Awesome's Lindsay mentioned Pointilism in her awesome post a few days ago....it's sort of like that....We get so focused on the dots we don't see the larger pictures. Are the individual dots important? You betcha. Without them, there wouldn't be a larger picture. But if you spend all your time staring at those dots, you'll never see the masterpiece they form.
So, next year, I'm going to try to focus on the masterpiece, and spend a little less time stressing over the dots. :)
How about you? What's on your Desire List for the new year?
It's a couple days after Christmas, the year is drawing to an end, and it is inevitable that our focus begins to turn to the shiny new year waiting just around the corner. I've heard the phrase "New Year's Resolutions" bandied about frequently in the last several days. It's not a term I like much. Mostly because it feels like yet another to-do list I'm going to fail to accomplish.
So this year, I decided to make a Desire List instead....everything sounds better with the word "desire" in it....okay, maybe not EVERYTHING, but it certainly sounds better than "resolutions" which just makes me think of "requiem" for some reason, and that just isn't a fun word.
Anywho....what do I desire for next year? The usual, I suppose....to be a better mom and wife, write some books, sell some books....and of course lose 10 (+ a few dozen and a few dozen more) pounds.
There are a lot more things I'd like to do, more goals to accomplish, but really, those are the big ones for me. Spend more time with my family....continue working on my writing career.Or to simplify it even further....to keep my focus on the big picture.
I figure if I keep it simple and keep my focus narrowed on what's truly deep down important to me, maybe the stress of trying to keep up with everything else will lessen. Maybe I won't be so hard on myself when my blogging fizzles. Maybe I won't feel so guilty if I spend a few extra minutes with my kids instead of on a manuscript. Maybe I'll let my exhausted body rest instead of staying up till the wee hours of the morning plugging away on some project or other.
Maybe. :)
I think too often we allow ourselves to get so overstretched and engrossed in whatever million projects we've got going on that we forget to focus on the big picture, the main goal, the one thing we really, truly want. We allow the details to swamp us until we forget the goal we were working toward in the first place.
Operation Awesome's Lindsay mentioned Pointilism in her awesome post a few days ago....it's sort of like that....We get so focused on the dots we don't see the larger pictures. Are the individual dots important? You betcha. Without them, there wouldn't be a larger picture. But if you spend all your time staring at those dots, you'll never see the masterpiece they form.
So, next year, I'm going to try to focus on the masterpiece, and spend a little less time stressing over the dots. :)
How about you? What's on your Desire List for the new year?
December 24, 2010
December 23, 2010
December 22, 2010
December 21, 2010
December 20, 2010
And the Christmas Coutdown Begins....
Is everyone ready for Christmas!? I can't believe it's just days away. My kids are so excited....luckily (for me) they are still in school. They got a week off for Thanksgiving, so they only get a week off for Christmas. They are in school right up till Christmas Eve (Thursday is their last day). Of course, this would be a bit irritating if we were traveling this year, but as we aren't, I'm going to enjoy having my days free to get ready for the big day :)
I'm going to take a Unplugged Week this week so I can hang with my family and take a short break before things start picking up momentum in preparation for my book release in just a few short weeks (squeee!!!!) But, I'll have a little Christmas funny posted for you every day :)
I hope everyone has an amazing holiday and I'll see you next Monday!
I'm going to take a Unplugged Week this week so I can hang with my family and take a short break before things start picking up momentum in preparation for my book release in just a few short weeks (squeee!!!!) But, I'll have a little Christmas funny posted for you every day :)
I hope everyone has an amazing holiday and I'll see you next Monday!
December 19, 2010
Leah Clifford on the OA
Come to the OA today!!! We have the fabulous Leah Clifford stopping by to answer all your questions! Don't miss her!
December 17, 2010
Friday Funnies
Have an awesome weekend everyone!!!! And don't forget to stop by the Operation Awesome Blog on Sunday for a Q and A session with the lovely Leah Clifford :D
December 16, 2010
Coming Soon to a Blog Near You...
Upcoming events!
On this Sunday (the 19th), the OA will be hosting the fabulous Leah Clifford in a fun Q and A session. Stop on by and ask Leah anything you've ever wanted to know and she'll stop in throughout the day and answer your questions :)
And starting in Jan (just a couple short weeks away) I'll be kicking off my book release festivities. Every week leading up to my release on Jan 20th, we'll be doing something fun....games, prizes, contests, and giveaways! Stay tuned for more details! :)
Now, I know my blogging has been a tad intermittent for the last week or two (or three) - however, I think my heating problems have finally been solved, my internet seems to be working at last, my laptop is up and running, and I'm ALMOST caught up on crits and projects. I think LOL So, I will try my hardest to stick to our regularly scheduled blogging :)
In the meantime, I feel very out of the loop....what's going on with everyone? How are projects going? Querying? NaNo edits? Tell me what's been happening!! :) Is everyone ready for the holidays?
On this Sunday (the 19th), the OA will be hosting the fabulous Leah Clifford in a fun Q and A session. Stop on by and ask Leah anything you've ever wanted to know and she'll stop in throughout the day and answer your questions :)
And starting in Jan (just a couple short weeks away) I'll be kicking off my book release festivities. Every week leading up to my release on Jan 20th, we'll be doing something fun....games, prizes, contests, and giveaways! Stay tuned for more details! :)
Now, I know my blogging has been a tad intermittent for the last week or two (or three) - however, I think my heating problems have finally been solved, my internet seems to be working at last, my laptop is up and running, and I'm ALMOST caught up on crits and projects. I think LOL So, I will try my hardest to stick to our regularly scheduled blogging :)
In the meantime, I feel very out of the loop....what's going on with everyone? How are projects going? Querying? NaNo edits? Tell me what's been happening!! :) Is everyone ready for the holidays?
December 14, 2010
What's Your Point?
When it comes to writing either non-fiction or fiction, there is one thing you should always ask yourself....what's your point?
No matter what you are writing, you should have some sort of goal in mind - what are you really trying to get across to your reader? For non-fiction, most narrative essays will have some sort of moral to the story, some reason for telling the tale. And for non-fiction works such as term papers and other types of essays, there is always a main point to the paper. When choosing arguments, evidence, and examples for your project, keep your main point in mind...make sure everything you are writing supports that point.
For fiction, what is the main point of your story? What are you leading up to? When writing your scenes, make sure they are leading somewhere...there shouldn't be anything in your story unless there is a reason for it to be there. It needs to move the plot along, there needs to be a reason you are spending time depicting what you are depicting.
Just remember your point :)
No matter what you are writing, you should have some sort of goal in mind - what are you really trying to get across to your reader? For non-fiction, most narrative essays will have some sort of moral to the story, some reason for telling the tale. And for non-fiction works such as term papers and other types of essays, there is always a main point to the paper. When choosing arguments, evidence, and examples for your project, keep your main point in mind...make sure everything you are writing supports that point.
For fiction, what is the main point of your story? What are you leading up to? When writing your scenes, make sure they are leading somewhere...there shouldn't be anything in your story unless there is a reason for it to be there. It needs to move the plot along, there needs to be a reason you are spending time depicting what you are depicting.
Just remember your point :)
