Wednesday, March 2, 2016

IWSG March 2016: 5 Reasons to Write, Flicker, and News


Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
The awesome co-hosts for the March 2 posting of the IWSG will be Lauren Hennessy, Lisa Buie-Collard, Lidy, Christine Rains, and Mary Aalgaard! 
And, let's not forget our Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh!



My insecurity this month: Can I keep track of what I need to do to complete my goals?


I don't know. I've tried putting stuff on the calendar. I've e-mailed myself.

The reality is that life is sometimes a little wild (two sets of wisdom teeth were removed in our house last month - not mine), and I get dizzy spells if I'm on my computer too long.

So, I have to reserve writing time, teaching prep time, and social media time separately, and that means it's a little hard to keep up with all of it.

How do you keep on track with your goals?



Flicker: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry is out! 

So, I'm kind of proud of this little collection that's taken me nearly 3.5 years to pull together - 90 short stories and poems, 49 of which were published in online and paperback publications over the last three years, some lighthearted, some dark and grim, some about superheros and some about human trafficking victims, a few about criminals and villains, and seven sonnets from the point of view of a depressed artificially intelligent robot who wants somebody to love. So, the collection is diverse and odd, and I'm still thankful for all the writing that went into it. In a way, it's my answer to the criticism, "you always write the same story," and the answer to the statement, "now that I've read your novel, I know exactly how you think." If you are over 15 (some PG-13 content), you could check it out. 
Readers wanted: 15+

If you are interested in getting a pdf copy for review, please e-mail me at tyreantigger (at) gmail (dot) com.

There is no blog tour . . . my dizzy spells mean that I have to limit my blog time to once a week for posts, and random moments for visits. Random shout-outs and unexpected spotlights are always greatly appreciated. :)

And why can I tweet these days? - I've started (hangs head in shame) using an automatic feeder. (Please let me know via e-mail if I can add something into my tweet feed for you.)


Five Reasons to Write:  I am opening up my blog for more guest posts. Please see the 5 Reasons Tab above, because I'm looking specifically for posts that start with 5 Reasons to Write _____ (you fill in the blank). I have a list of possible topics, but new topics can always be created. :) I have about 5 guests signed up for the next four months.


News
Miss Jack Lewis Baillot has a new book coming out: Brothers In Arms. Check out her blog for top secret details and updates! Blog tour coming soon.


Shelley Sly has a new book coming soon! 
Typer Stockton should not spend her summer at Camp Caspar.
Camp Caspar is a “behavior camp,” full of delinquents. Kids who steal. Kids who beat up other kids. Twelve-year-old Typer may not have made the best choices during her sixth grade year, but she’s nothing like these wacko and hostile campers.
Yet, her parents insist that Camp Caspar is the consequence she deserves, so she’s sleeping in a bleak, nearly empty cabin for the next month. As Typer spends her days trying to earn “smiley points,” while avoiding some of the biggest jerks she’s ever met, she can’t help but wonder:
What is she doing here? How is it fair that she’s stuck at this ridiculous camp where she doesn’t belong?
Or, even worse, what if she belongs here after all?


Misha Gerrick also has a new book coming soon!

Tara Tyler has a new, awesome, unconventional project out: Jolissa - An Anti-Princess Story - in e-book and as an ongoing series on youtube - how cool is that?! (Extremely! Tara rocks!)





And, I belatedly made a donation to Peace Rehabilitation Center for all the sales of my Summer Vacation Devotions booklet from last year (and a few early sales from this year). My sales proceeds totaled around $27 and I gave them $50 because it is a really good group of people, helping the victims of human trafficking in Nepal. For those of you who purchased that book, I want to say - Thank you! You didn't just support me with that, but you supported women in desperate need. Thank you! I'm going to continue to donate to them and plan for the sales proceeds from that book to be a part of that process. 
And . . . in case you are curious, the book is actually a very lighthearted devotional book for families on summer vacation. It's kid-friendly and discusses God's word tasting as sweet as s'mores, and God's armor being like sunscreen. The only part about the work that Peace Rehabilitation Center does is in the back matter of the book and it doesn't get detailed. 



And, I'm sure there's more news out there . . . 



Do you have news? How do you keep track of your goals? Interested in Flicker?


And . . . from the mama "brag" files, there's this pic from all-winter training (family calendar explosion):
(my girls are the two on the far right - a high kneel canoeist and a kayaker)



A day on the water, training for the upcoming season. Most of this group have their goals set on competing in the 2016 Olympic Hopes Regatta this fall in Hungary. Can you spot Payton?
Posted by Gig Harbor Canoe & Kayak Racing Team on Monday, February 29, 2016







41 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

Sometimes life gets in the way of our goals, and we have to go with it. If I'm suffering motivational or time constraint issues, writing a daily list and crossing them off as I get them done can help.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats on the new book.

I have so many things to keep track of and goals I want to accomplish. Some I have to accomplish. Things do fall through the cracks though.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I've got a To Do app on my phone that I use for General/Life stuff, and I have an old-school desk planner for my writing goals. Some days it all works beautifully. Other days, not so much. But that's life, right? :)

Sarah Foster said...

Congrats on the book!
I don't really have too many goals to keep track of. My problem is more about motivating myself to actually accomplish them.

Julie Flanders said...

Congrats on your new collection! I will be sure to share about it. I'm sorry about your dizzy spells - take care and do what you need to do for yourself. *hugs*

Karen Baldwin said...

I've learned to have monthly goals so I don't feel sabotaged and sad with life gets in my way of writing. jAnd congrats on your new collection. Take care about the dizzy spells.

Tara Tyler said...

thank you so much for giving jolissa a shout! what a terrific surprise! and congrats to you on your collection! yay us!
as for your iwsg,
One way I keep from going screen-dizzy is to use my notebooks. i can't sit in that chair for too long either. i love my ipad, but i also love pen and paper - we are so similar with our multi-projects! and being able to take a break from one or the other is refreshing.

happy hump day!

Crystal Collier said...

90 pieces? That's epic. I've got a good 20 I debated putting out this year, and then I landed in two bigger anthologies where I actually have to do things to help promote. (Imagine that.) At any rate, how do I keep track of things? I have a paper calendar. EVERY deadline gets written on it. That's the only way I stay on track, and lately it's become more than I can handle. Maybe if both anthologies weren't releasing at the same time, or I wasn't doing major edits with a tight deadline, or I didn't have 4 kids at home all day...

Life, eh?

Rachna Chhabria said...

From quite some time life has interrupted me big time. My goals sometimes get lost and I have to run behind them, trying to pull them back.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I keep one of those really big date books- the kind with lots of space for notes and such. That helps me stay organized (well, as organized as I can be!) and I even have space to jot down notes, menu ideas, and to do lists.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on publishing your collection! Wow, 90 short stories and poems. That's amazing!
Sorry to hear about your dizzy spells. To keep track of my goals, I have to use a calendar and a to-do list. That's the only way I can even begin to keep on top of things. Life happens, though, and when it does my calendar gets lots of scribbles and things redirected. Oh, well.
I'd be interested in doing a 5 Reasons guest post in May if you have the space. I'm hoping to release my second book during the first week of May and then do a blog tour. It would make a great blog tour stop. I'll contact you about it.
Happy IWSG Day!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations to you and all the authors!
I keep track with a physical calendar and the one on my iPad. Even then, I sometimes forget.

M.J. Fifield said...

Congrats on your new book! That's amazing!

I keep a little planning notebook on my desk, and every Sunday I write down everything writing-wise I hope to accomplish over the week. Any events I have go on my big wall calendar. It works for me. My significant other uses the calendar on his computer/tablet/phone, and sets notifications to go off periodically to help him remember.

I can't sit at the computer, looking at my monitor for too long, either, so I do most of my writing the old fashioned way: paper and pen. Then later I transcribe everything into the word processing program.

Heather R. Holden said...

Congrats on your latest book! Love how diverse Flicker sounds. Have already added it to my wishlist and can't wait to have the chance to download and read it! :)

And gosh, I know what you mean about keeping track of goals. That's something I tend to be insecure about, too. My planner helps, but I still don't seem to accomplish everything I need to daily!

Also, love the sound of "Five Reasons to Write." What a fun theme for guest posts!

Chemist Ken said...

I've tried everything. Emailing myself, putting it on my calendar, leaving sticky notes, setting alarms. I've even left notes to myself in my manuscript. I just end up doing whichever seems most urgent at the time and hope no one notices.

Christine Rains said...

Congrats on your book! And congrats to everyone. Lots of great news. I don't know how I keep track of everything. I don't. I could write a hundred notes, and I'd still forget something.

cleemckenzie said...

That's all such wonderful news, Tyrean. You've been a busy lady.

Zan Marie said...

I write my goals down in a journal and maintain a writers' forum goals section every month. That helps me.

Congrats on the book!!!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

I keep a calendar on my phone for important appointments and meetings, but for everything else... it either happens or it doesn't. I'm terribly disorganized. I was always the type of person to keep everything in my head but as I get older that's been getting harder. I'm not that old, I just have too much to remember, and I suspect the fact that I don't sleep very much probably just makes it worse.

So yeah, I'm not the best person to ask.

Congrats on the new book!

IWSG March

Unknown said...

Congrats on the collection - I really love the cover! I'm sorry to hear you get dizzy on your computer. I have chronic positional vertigo, but that only affect me if I lay down or look up or down too fast (there have been embarrassing incidents at grocery stores from looking up and down at shelves and resulted in me hanging onto a shelf and trying not to fall down). I hope you feel better soon. Keep up the writing progress! :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Congrats on the collection. I'm not sure what I would do if working in front of the computer made me dizzy. Hope that goes away.

Erika Beebe said...

I hope your dizzy spells get better. It does sound like you are still spending time with those you love. I think I have hit the busy time in my own year with my family, work and writing but I do stay the course and dedicate an hour a day to writing or research before anyone, but the cat, is awake. Congratulations on your accomplishments.

Nick Wilford said...

Congrats on your collection! It sounds very exciting. And 49 publications in three years is awe-inspiring. Keeping track of goals? Wish I had a good answer. I think posting about them helps you keep accountable, to some extent.

Juneta key said...

I write my goals in OneNote, but last year I started writing some of them on my About Me page on my website thinking knowing other see them I'd do better--ah, had a so so affect. Congrats on the collection. You go. Wishing you much success,
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Juneta key said...

I write my goals in OneNote, but last year I started writing some of them on my About Me page on my website thinking knowing other see them I'd do better--ah, had a so so affect. Congrats on the collection. You go. Wishing you much success,
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Luanne G. Smith said...

Wow, what a cool project you've put together. And I've found even scheduling fifteen or twenty minutes to write, and only that short amount of time, will sometimes get me to focus and pound out words faster than sitting for a leisurely hour with no deadline hanging over me.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks, L.G.! Deadlines and timers definitely help me, too.
I miss your blog! Please let me know how I can visit.

Samantha Bryant said...

I've been using a mixture of google calendar for short term planning and a document I made for myself with a year's overview, so I can keep track of things like conventions, deadlines, and promises I made. It is definitely a struggle, especially when you're still holding down a day job and caring for those you love. Best of luck finding a system that works for you!

Anonymous said...

Life sure likes to throw wrenches into things. When it comes to my goals, I blog about it. I found putting it out in the public keeps me motivated to do them because I want to update and cross things off.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Going public with goals definitely helps. :)

Heather M. Gardner said...

Congrats on your book! Best of luck!

Goals are hard. You're doing a great job!

Heather

Cathrina Constantine said...

Congrats on your new book, Tyrean!!!

Murees Dupè said...

I am so sorry about the dizzy spells. I know that can't be easy. Congratulations on your new book! Yay! You are super busy, so I think it's okay that you miss a few details now a then. Wishing you the best.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thank you, Cathrina!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Murees!

M Pax said...

Boo on the vertigo still plaguing you. Well, I started working and have yet to figure out how to juggle everything. One big thing I did was automate a lot of my social media. I used Buffer to line up Tweets and Flipboards to find content. FB is more organic for me. I cut down to posting once a week on my blog and that may change o 2-3x a month very shortly, because otherwise when I do get some free time, it's all used up on other stuff.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Hope you can overcome the dizzy spells soon. I write lists to keep me focused on goals. Congrats on your collection.

Tyrean said...

I'm not a fan of automated stuff, but I had to do some of it. I'll have to check out Flipboards.
I understand on the use of free time on other stuff. Life happens.
Best wishes on your work, life, and writing!

Tyrean said...

Thanks! I find lists help, but sometimes they reach over-long lengths.

Stephanie said...

Sorry about the dizzy spells. I hope they clear up soon. That collections sounds like a lot of fun, especially the robot sonnets. I've downloaded it to my kindle and can't wait to start reading.

As for my goals, I tend to sort them to Evernote and word files. I'll have my big, overarching goal, a handful of smaller, but still big goals, and than the daily goals that keep me moving forward. Good luck!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for the download, Stephanie!

It's good to hear the different ways you keep track of your goals - thanks for sharing!