Determination

I've been very busy lately, under a deadline for Monday. All the while, I am looking for a full-time job and trying to get as many applications out there as possible. I saw a career counselor a few days ago, and she said to expect 1 interview for every 10 resumes you put out there. If you are not getting such a response, you need to revise your resume.
It would be easy to feel stressed about the lack of a full-time job, the work that is flooding in, our lack of money, but, as my friend says, "I feel pretty Zen about the situation." Me too, Alissa! The important thing is to stay focused on small steps - one blog at a time, one small job at a time, slowly building my resume. I'm reminder of the old adage, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"
This is determination, and it is very important in the life of a writer. For one thing, getting out large assignments can be a daunting task. Also, getting out there and looking for assignments can be a daunting task. It's good advise for writing and life - just eat one bite at a time.

Making a list

One good idea for writing found in Writing Done The Bones is the idea of making a list. Why would a writer need a list beyone going to the grocery store, you ask? It is pretty simple. Sometimes sitting down to write can be intimidating because you can't think of anything to write about. If you write down writing topics as you think of them, all you have to do is consult your list anytime you are drawing a blank on topics. You might start off writing on one topic and end up going in a totally different direction. That's fine - when inspiration strikes, go with it. The main purpose of the list is to get you started and keep you from having an excuse not to write, which any writer will tell you is a task that needs to be done. It's just another way to get some writing practice.

job searching

I am still looking for a full-time writing job and thought I could use today's post to discuss techniques. I've found Craigslist to be very helpful for writing jobs. (In Fort Collins, there are usually 3-4 jobs a week, which is decent for writing jobs). This is where I found my part-time job writing blogs and other content. I also consulted with a career counselor.Although she was too expensive to use for my purposes, I think a career counselor who really knows her job could be a great tool in the unemployed writer's workshop. Also, I think it's important, when writing for work and looking for writing work, to give yourself the time and space to create pieces just for fun. This is more than something you do to make a living. It's a craft that gets better with practice.

response to the last post

Skye commented on my last post and said that she wanted me to explain Jack Kerouac's admonition to "accept loss forever" as an essential for writing good prose. I am sure I cannot speak for Kerouac, but I can speak for myself. I think accepting loss forever has a couple of meaning, each essential to clearing the mind in order to write universal truths. First, I think we could think about accepting that some losses are permanent. That ex of yours is long gone. Your grandmother who passes away is not coming back. This frees us from longing for the past, so we can see clearly in the present. And, as we have talked about before, the present is the only place to create heart-felt writing. Also, this quote reminds me that I need to accept that loss is a permanent part of this world. Everything is transitory. That's what gives writing it's power. It is a record of moments that have passed, until  the paper or microchip on which it is written dissolves back to earth. I don't know what Kerouac would make of this, but that's where I am.

essentials for prose

I recently read Jack Kerouac's essentials for prose. I thought I'd share some of them with you. Accept loss forever
Be submissive in everything, open, listening
No fear or shame in the dignity of your experience, language , and knowledge
Be in love with your life
I think we could all stand to fall in love with our life so take this smidgeon of advise for today.

writing down the bones

So I am currently reading Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Apparently, the text is used by high school teachers in english classes, but I've gotten alot out of it. I was most impressed by her ideas on first thoughts. Most of us, when we write, try to edit and revise as much as we can. Goldberg discourages this idea. She thinks it's best to go with first thoughts and not to suppress any instinctual motivations. Sometimes, the first draft is the best. We have touched on this topic before, by discussing the flow of writing, but now I think it's more appropriate than ever. This is because I am working in communications now, and it's definitely possible to lose sight of the joy of writing. The joy of writing is being present and enjoying every moment, not demoralizing yourself with how many revision you have to make. Revisions are important when the time comes, but, in the meantime, enjoy yourself!

Resilience

My apologies for not writing sooner, but we moved on Sunday and the radiator in my car broke on Monday. Needless to say, it's been a busy week.
So, I had planned to write a blog on shaking the dust off your feet when it comes to getting writing criticism and writing jobs. I had gone a long time without a writing job and was starting to feel like I needed some help staying committed to the cause. However, the day after I had those thoughts, I got a part-time job offer writing content for a company that creates websites. Then, I got an interview for a full-time technical writing job. I just can't believe the abundance. I gues the moral of this long-winded story is to "never stop believing - the best is yet to come." This is a quote from a family friend and psychotherapist out of Germantown, Tennessee named Don Doyle. He has actually written a book on the topic that helped me through some of my darker writing days. Therefore, keep writing; you never know what's around the corner!