Writers Block

I once read a quote that stated "Writers block is what happens when the voices in your head quit talking to you."

I don't remember who said it, or even where I read it. I love quotes and tend to look them up randomly at times.

The voices in my head are all mad at me, and have said barely a word to me in the past few days. Normally I can just switch to a different type of writing for a little while and be fine when I return to what I need to do. That isn't working this time.

No matter what I try to write, the words just aren't flowing. I have managed to force myself to write some Demand Studios articles, but not many. I tried to work with some of my fiction and sat here staring at the keyboard in frustration. I haven't even updated this blog in days. A simple email seems to be the extent of my writing ability.

Not to mention we are halfway through the month, but I am not halfway through with my goal. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Another favorite quote of mine: Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~Gene Fowler

In my case, I am off to stare at a blank computer screen and wait for the drops of blood to appear. I have to write, not only to fulfill my goal for the month and pay all my bills. I have to write because it is what I do, what I have always done, and I am never truly happy unless there is a story floating around in my head.

My ticker is not impressive today, and I have been so neglectful in keeping track that I actually had to go through and count the articles I have written this month and put it in there. I don't even know how many articles I have written since it was last updated!

I am a slacker at times, I established this in an earlier post, remember? :)

Here it is:



Pitiful, I know. But I will hit my goal. I only need to write roughly 86 articles before the end of the month. I can do it, I hope!

Goals are a good thing!

Setting this goal for April has already shown quite a few benefits, even after only 9 days. I can't wait to see what the rest of the month holds!

Both my writing partner and myself have noticed that we seem to have more time, even though we are producing more content. Because we are so focused on writing what we need each day to hit this goal, we are focused and get right to work. No more playing around on the Internet or doing things around the house until work is done. As a result, we actually have more hours in the day to do those other things.

The other day, the kids got a new movie from netflix. Normally, they would watch it while I sat at the desk and worked. This time, I was almost done with my daily goal so I was able to sit down and watch the entire movie with them. It was great to snuggle up on the couch with them and not feel like I was losing money because I chose to spend time with my munchkins!

It was stormy and icky here for most of the day yesterday. I spent most of the day battling with my Internet connection, and it won. I got two articles written yesterday and only one submitted. Before setting this goal, that would have made me feel like giving up from frustration. But because I have been pretty good about writing what needs to be written each day, it's not that big of a deal. I am back at work this morning, the sun is shining and I will be caught up in no time.

I will definitely be setting a goal next month as well! Did I mention that it is Spring break at my house? And yet I am still doing what needs to be done with a houseful of kids, because I am focused.

Here is my slightly behind ticker for the day.



Hopefully it will be a lot higher by tonight so that I can take a few hours off tomorrow and go watch trucks play in the mud...the boys in my life are dragging me to a mud bog. Some days I really wonder how a girl who grew up in the city fell in love with a country boy and ended up living in the woods, driving a pickup and going to mud bogs. Life is funny sometimes.

Day 6 of April Goal

After a very unproductive weekend, I am back on track today with 7 articles written. I almost lost my drive after the fifth article, but a quick ranting email to my writing buddy and a short break from the computer cured me and I managed to hit my goal.

My hubby was called out three times to fires today, so that made concentrating a bit difficult at times. But I managed, and when he wasn't playing hose jockey, he was here to help, with the kids at least.

Why is it that men have completely different ideas about what a clean house means than we do? It seems to me that if they can wade through a room without to much effort, then they think it is clean. I can handle some toys on the floor and some dirty dishes. I have kids, messes are a natural part of every day. But wall to wall toys and books plus a sink full of dirty dishes?? I cannot function in a house that looks like that. Our house is to small, and when it is cluttered it seems even smaller. Anyone have any ideas for getting a house husband to actually do housework?? I would love some advice! :)

Anyways, ready for the ticker? Drum roll please....




Only $1,610 left to go! I really feel like I am making decent progress, but I would like to step it up a little bit so that I have a cushion in case any issues pop up later in the month.

Off to get my beauty sleep now. It is very, very needed!

Wow..what a weekend!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! Ours was great, but very busy and tiring. We were literally not home for the majority of it. I did manage one article for Demand Studios, but that was about it.

I have done six today, so I am catching back up now. I will most likely not write any more today since I am battling a case of lazy. :)

I took a ton of pics over the weekend, as always. But there are several that were just so adorable that I have to share them:



My two littlest munchkins..they are all dirty from playing and are attempting to hide from me in the grass. My heart just skips a beat when I look at that smile!



This little beauty belongs to my husbands cousin. Not as sweet and innocent as she looks, she keeps up with my little trouble makers with ease!



This smile makes my heart all skippy too. :)

Here is my updated ticker. I am officially a little over 1/10th of the way to my goal!

Motivation Partners

We all have goals in life, some monetary, others based more on dreams and wishes. These goals give us the drive to go after what we want, to do everything possible to make that goal a reality. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have a person, or persons, who help to motivate us in reaching that goal. They may be a loved one who wants you to achieve your dreams because your happiness is important to them. Or it may be someone who shares your goal. The two of you become a team of sorts, both working towards a similar goal and helping to encourage and motivate the other. This kind of person is a partner in your motivation, as you are in theirs.

I have such a person in my life, a new friend, but one I treasure already. Through several emails each day, we cheer each other on, complain when things go wrong, and compare ideas and strategies. Our lifestyles are different, and we both have different challenges to face every day to attain what we strive for. But despite our differences, we continue to encourage each other daily. I don't think I would have even set this goal, or continued this blog, if it weren't for her. I think every freelancer would benefit from such a motivation partner, someone who truly understands what you are doing and why.

I am still getting used to this whole blogging thing, and sometimes things don't work the way I want them to on here. I tried right before this post to delete 2 comments because for some reason one comment posted 3 times. Instead, I managed to delete them all! The comment was a kind one, from the writer of the Moxie Gardener, an excellent blog that focuses on urban gardening, but is useful no matter what type of garden you may have. This time of year, it is a blog we all need to read. Check it out, you won't regret it.

As for my goal, I managed one more article after last nights posting, and 6 more today. That brings my grand total to $180 if I am adding correctly. Math is my weak point, so I could be wrong. ;)

Tomorrow will be a tough one, as will Sunday. We have an early Easter dinner and egg hunt at the home of dear friends who I am closer to than my own family. On Easter day, we have my mother in laws in the morning and the other side of the in laws in the afternoon. I am looking forward to two of these weekend gatherings, one I could do without! But I will find time, somehow, to write a few articles and update this blog at least once. And to add pictures...I am the crazy person at every family gathering who is seen with a camera permanently attached to their face.

Here's the ticker for today:




I hope everyone has a great Easter!! Don't eat to many eggs :)

Todays Progress

Today I wrote 20 articles for Demand Studios, leaving me with only $1700 left to make for the month. At this rate I will be done in 6 days.....





You do know what the date is, right??
Sorry, I have not managed to fool anybody yet today, so I had to get someone. :)

In reality, thanks to glitches with Demand today, combined with sunshine flowing in the window and causing me to spend precious time gazing out, I have written 5. Of course the day isn't officially over for me yet, but I wanted to post on here before I was completely drained of energy. Whatever else I write tonight will be added in tomorrow. So here's my ticker:




Not all that impressive, but it's only day one. And I do intend to knock out a few more tonight, once I let the frustration wear off a little bit. I have no patience for tech glitches.

My first article was accepted at Examiner, and is actually doing quite well. I thought it might, because Savannah has a lot of dog enthusiasts, but it did better than I expected. Especially since I didn't think it was very good. I am my own worst critic though, so I try not to listen to myself. I would love opinions on it though, it is the Savannah American Amstaff Examiner. I want to interview some shelters as well as some owners of rescued Am Staffs sometime in the near future.

For now, I am off to write some more for Demand Studios. I still have a lot of money to make this month!