Day 31: Queries, where art thou queries

At the beginning of the month I had a goal to send out 31 queries in March. I didn’t send out 31, I’d like to say I sent out a heck of a lot more but nope, I sent out a total of 14. That’s fine. It’s better than zero and I did attempt the goal. I don’t consider it a failure but a learning process. Here’s what the past 31 days have taught me:

1 - You can’t just come up with queries out of the blue. You need some sort of plan. 

2 - Brainstorming a dozen ideas at a time, then setting a period of time to research them, then to write, then edit, seems easier and less demotivating than going one at a time. 

3 - Which comes first - the idea or the market? My confidence sucks when it comes to matching my ideas to markets. But in the end I like a bit of both. Sometimes the idea comes first, at other times it’s the market that I specifically feel like brainstorming for.

4 - Each day is going to bring new writing challenges. Waiting for inspiration and the muse is just not going to get that query written.

5 - Butt in chair is the only thing that works. If you want to write, you have to force yourself to write even when you don’t feel like it. 

6 - Giving up is failure, persistence and practice will get you achieving your goals. This year, I’m going to persist and practice.

7 - You will get rejected. Or worse, you won’t get a response. Shit happens. Get over it. Move on. Resubmit. It happens to everyone. 

8 - Start where you feel comfortable. Trade, consumer, online...the markets are everywhere. 

9 - Have fun with it. 

10 - Your success depends solely on you. Take responsibility and make your dreams come true. 

Day 30: Celebrating

It’s baby shower day. I’m sitting in Burleigh, tables are reserved and slowly starting to relax. The surf in the background is soothing while the runners that pass just make me want to put on my running shoes and follow. Two months, maybe two and a half and I can get back into it. Slowly. I have to be patient. 

I'm a bit of a control freak so I wanted to reserve the tables myself. I'm an early riser so it's not like it was too much effort on my behalf plus I saw it as an opportunity to do some writing in the fresh air. Write I did. 

1 - an essay on joys of pregnancy
2 - a post for my running blog 

And thanks to family and friends, and my two besties, my baby shower rocked!

Day 29: Not writing

It’s the weekend again and I haven’t written. It has been a busy morning preparing for tomorrow’s baby shower but that’s just an excuse. 

No really. I’ve been at it since 6am. 

Now it’s time to put my feet up and relax for a little bit. Later on I’d like to go for a power walk and do some yoga, make a chicken curry, get J to give me a pedicure, pick up eski from parents place, and chill. Yes, I’d like to write too. 

Just a little bit. A little bit is better than nothing. 

Day 28: Writing Projects Keep the Muse Alive

You know that feeling where you sit down down, turn on your lap top, open up a word document or your writing journal and stare at a blank page not knowing what to write. Yep. That’s exactly how I feel this morning. I want to write but my brain seems blocked. 

Solution.

Have multiple writing projects on the go at any one time so that when you’re feeling blocked on one you can skip to another and continue to churn out the words. That way you don’t feel defeated. 

And if nothing works.

It means it’s time to step away from the page. Go for a walk. Watch an episode of Scandal. Dust off the gym membership. Bake a three course meal. Call a friend. Make a cuppa, put your feet up and read. Whatever. Just get away. 

I’m currently working on several projects. A personal finance website, a health and fitness website, and brainstorming ideas for a travel website. These are the topics that I want to focus on: personal finance, health & fitness, and travel. Parenting will make its way in there too I’m sure given that I”m going to become a first time mum in less than two months. 

Day 27: Highs & lows

There will be highs and there will be lows. We need to be prepared for both.

I haven't slept properly for the past two nights. Last night was the worst. I tossed and turned from about 12:30am to about 4am. I was checking the clock every forty minutes or so because I couldn't get to sleep. It was ridiculous. I was wide awake but what in the world was I going to do in the middle of night when I had to be up for work in a few short hours?

I finally fell asleep around 4am when J was getting up for work. I fell asleep but kept waking up every half an hour until about 5:30am when I decided to get up, have a shower, eat breakfast and get ready for work.

The universe had other plans.

I felt like shit. Light headed, shaky and exhausted.

I called in sick and stayed in bed till after midday. Then I had a 30 minute nap around 4pm. I felt better.

Now I'm forcing myself to stay up till at least 9pm before heading to bed. I'm tired. I hope that I'll be able to sleep all through the night tonight although given I'm 33 weeks pregnant, it won't be a surprise if I need to get up half way through to go to the bathroom.

I'd like to do some writing but knowing I have to be up bright and early for work my brain is in shut down mode.

So goodnight, tomorrow is another day.

Day 26: Can you have it all?

I don't.

I guess that depends on your definition of all.

Day 25: Every excuse in the book

I’ve been writing every day for nearly two months now. It started off slowly. But after two months it’s become a habit and I feel frustrated and annoyed if I don’t write. Even if it’s just a sentence or two, I want to be writing every day. 

I’m also guilty of using excuses. Excuses not to write. Excuses not to do any marketing. Excuses not to become successful. Silly isn’t it. Why would you jeopardise your own chances of succeeding in something you love doing? If a friend complained about doing just that I’d tell her to get her shit together and start believing in herself - in a nicer way of course - or not, I’d probably say it in the fashion. 

So why aren’t I taking my own advice? Well, I can list a dozen excuses but I’m not going to. Excuses suck and they are counterproductive. 

Reasons are much better. Reasons to do something. Reasons to write. Reasons to market. Reasons to become successful. 

I love writing.
Writing gives me a sense of freedom of expression.

Not writing is more frustrating then digging through writer’s block. 

Marketing is a writer’s necessity if they want to be published. 

Marketing will get my work in the public eye.
Without marketing, I’m only writing for myself. 

My success is purely dependent on me.

I will be happy if I can be successful in what I love doing.
Success is hard work, it’s a journey not just a destination. 

What are your excuses for not doing something? What are your reasons for doing them? Which ones are you going to pay more attention to?