Living and Writing about it

A few days ago my husband came home from work looking quite downtrodden because someone at his work had jumped from their building. It's a large company, and my husband had never met this man who took his own life. But it didn't matter that he didn't actually know him. Maybe it was just the proximity, but the fact that he was in the same building with this man, who clearly needed help, upset him to no end. He could have walked past him that morning and not even known it. Maybe he could've smiled and asked him how his day was going. Could it have made a difference? Who knows? We never will.

But it really made us think about a few things.

First, we are very blessed to have our families, faith, and friends. Although things can seem pretty tough sometimes, we still know that we are very fortunate. Be grateful for all that we have.

Second, it is important to remember that our actions can affect others. Who knows if anyone could have done anything to help that man on that terrible day, but what if someone could have? Why not treat everyone as we would want to be treated? It's really not that hard to do. Sometimes it just takes a little more effort on our part, but at the end of the day, we're much happier when we can say that we did our best.

Third, don''t be afraid to tell people how important they are to you. Every now and then, just make to express your gratitude for somebody. It's as simple as saying, "thanks for being there for me," or "I love you," or "you're awesome, Dad." You never know the difference this could make in someone else's life.

I know this all has nothing to do with writing, but I thought it was so important that I had to share it anyway. Besides, isn't that part of being a writer - using words to express the important things in life and come to a greater understanding or deeper knowledge of them?

I will say one final thing. Seeing my husband's heartbroken look, pondering how that man's family must feel, imagining how he must have felt, all brought me to this realization:

Life is a gift; don't take it for granted.

Yours or anothers. It can be gone in an instant. Several years ago, my dad died, and I felt what it was like to lose someone you love. It was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced, but from that experience I learned that it really is important to live each day to the fullest. Don't let opportunities slip by because you might never have them again.

Working Away

It's been a while. Where shall I start?

Well, since I left off with my announcement of participating in the 2009 Script Frenzy event, I guess I'll pick up from there. Are you surprised to hear that I failed in my attempt to produce a full screenplay within the span of one month? I didn't think you would be.

But the good new is - I actually started to make some real headway with it. For the first time, I finally sat down and actually started typing, and before my eyes, a story began to play out. It was amazing! Really, I know that I sound like a nerd, but it was very exhilirating! I think I've found my calling.

It was so awesome to see my characters come to life, and to create a whole world for them. My only complaint is that the amount of time I have to spend working on it is so limited. Oh well, at least I've really begun the journey now. Hopefully, it won't take me too much longer to finish it.

One of my biggest time-killers lately has been some ghostwriting projects that I've been doing. I know that it's a good investment of my time, but it kind of stinks to spend so much time working on projects and not get a byline. Although, I suppose this is motivation to get a little more aggressive about sending out submissions so that I can build up a better portfolio.

In addition to working on the screenplay and ghostwriting, I also signed up for Jennifer Applin's Writing for the Web class. I'm now starting the third week of the class, and have already gained a lot of valuable information from it. I'm hoping that this class will really help me to reach my writing goals that much quicker. As always, I'll let you know how it goes. :)

In writing this, I'm realizing that I've been quite a busy beaver these days! Well, I guess that's a good sign...moving forward is good! I am now going to cut this short so that I can polish up an article and send it out. See ya soon!

Script Frenzy

Even though my profile states that I love movies, I don't think I have mentioned my fascination for screenwriting. I guess it makes sense, though, that a writer who loves films would be interested in screenwriting. I have actually been studying the art/craft of screenwriting for almost three years now, and have learned quite a lot. In fact, I've learned so much about screenwriting that I have kept myself from actually starting the writing process...because I am now afraid that my writing is not good enough to craft a decent screenplay.


The problem is: even if I'm not a great screenwriter, I still relish the thought of writing a screenplay. So...I've decided to give it a shot anyway. After all, I'll never know unless I try, right?

I am so determined in my screenwriting effort that I have joined Script Frenzy. Script Frenzy is a really awesome way to stay motivated in one's screenwriting efforts. The goal is to write 100 pages of a script within one month. It takes place every year, starting on April 1st. If any of you other writers join Script Frenzy, add me as a friend, okay? You'll find me as "writer-mama."

I suppose it's important to mention that from all I've learned about the screenwriting process, it's extremely unlikely that someone can do justice to a screenplay by scribbling something out within one month. However, I have put an enormous amount of research and thought into my screenplay, and think that I have reached the point where it is important to start writing. This is where Script Frenzy comes in because I think that even though quality work will not be turned out in a month, at least I will have something to work with. So after much ado, I am writing my first screenplay. Wish me luck!

Sleep-deprived Mama

My obvious sabbatical from blog posting reveals that other aspects of my life have held my pretty much undivided attention for a while now. While I wish that I could say I have been off on a carribean cruise or a family vacation, that is not the case. Instead, parenting has demanded my time...day and night. So keep in mind as you continue reading that this is a sleep-deprived mother rambling about her sweet life...and try to cut me some slack, since my children haven't.

Okay, with that being said, I already feel a little better. Things have been pretty trying, though.
For example, within a span of two days my hubby's car broke down and our refrigerator ceased to work. There goes the tax return money that we were hoping to use to cushion our savings accounts. Oh well...life goes on.

Did I mention that my 7-month old daughter is teething so bad that she is absolutely miserable...and can't relax enough to fall asleep? No naptime. No bedtime. Just me and hubby taking turns rocking my completely uncomfortable little princess.

Baby Girl isn't the only one having trouble sleeping though. Her 23-month old Big Brother has begun waking up about 4 or 5 times a night now. Unsure of what was causing these night-time wake-ups, I immediately scheduled a doctor's appointment. That's when the car died. Now, I have a car that does not run and a child that can't sleep.

I realize that I sound like a totally self-involved person that is just ranting about her problems. I guess that is exactly what I am doing. But in my defense, everything seems a lot harder to deal with when you are sleep-deprived.

Now is the time to say, though, that just as there are downs, there are also ups. Those sweet, wonderful ups. Baby Girl's two front teeth finally broke through. Not only is she back to her congenial, well-rested self, but she now has the most adorable toothy grin. My son has started sleeping much more like his normal routine again. Not completely back to normal, but it's getting there. (FYI, I'm still going to ask his pediatrician about his nighttime wake-ups, as a precaution). When I told my brother that our refrigerator no longer worked, he knew exactly how to fix it. Finally, when my friend heard about the car, he showed up the next day to "take a look at it." It works fine now. I will eventually have to buy a new starter, but it could've been much worse.

This just goes to show you that Life might throw some challenges in your path, but it also sends you just what you need to deal with them. My brother, my friend, my baby girl, and my little boy all helped me to realize that my problems really are quite small, and the wonderful people that I am so blessed to have in my life make the journey worthwhile.

Stepping Back

Now that I have completed my first writing class, Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff, I had intended to write a post about it...but that's going to have to wait. At the moment, I probably couldn't do it justice because I just have so many other things on my mind. For now, I'll just say that it was a really great experience, and I highly recommend taking that class. But more on that later.

I have had A LOT going on in my personal life recently...and today it reached a climax. It all got to a point where things just seemed like they could not get any harder than they already were. So what did I do? I packed a diaper bag, grabbed some coats, and headed to Disneyland for the day with my hubby and kids. (We already have annual passes, so it didn't cost us anything to go today).

And you know something? It really helped! My mom always said that when things got rough, sometimes the best solution is just to take a step away from it all for a moment. I think that obviously this advice does not apply to every situation, but in some, it really does help you gain some clarity.

Just for the sake of doing so, I have to mention that I truly, truly love my family! And you know, when it comes down to it, I really don't have all that much to complain about. Because I have my incredibly wonderful family - the most incredible gifts that anyone could ever ask for!

I realize that this all sounds pretty random, but it's just stuff that I really need to get off my chest. I promise that tomorrow I will pick up my pen again and get back to "being a writer"...but for tonight, I just need to be a woman expressing herself through writing. Lately, I have been so focused on meeting deadlines and following a schedule, that I have kind of forgotten about writing just for the sake of doing it. In my case, this is a big mistake because writing has been an outlet for me since I was a little kid. Since I forgot about "just writing," so much has gotten bottled up inside, which is really a shame...because it could have provided inspiration, and I could have focused all that energy on more writing.


Anyway, taking a step back today did give me some insight...

There are things that I truly love in my life, and I cannot take them for granted. It's important to take the time to find enjoyment in daily life, whether it be family or work-related (a.k.a. writing).
Really living your life is the greatest inspiration for writing. So if I want to be a good writer, then I shouldn't always be at my desk. By the way, these are just a few things that I learned. Try taking a step back sometime...you'll be surprised at what you see!

SO much to do!

Like always, life keeps going and I am running to catch up with it. For some reason, I just can't seem to get everything done the last few days. Laundry gets washed, but not folded. If I finally get around to folding it, there's not much likelihood of its making its way into the dresser drawers. This is just one small example. 

It just seems like so much is going on, there is no way to keep up! My husband is in the middle of possibly switching jobs, and that's a little nerve-wracking, especially with the way the economy is right now. Also, my baby sister just announced her engagement a few days ago! This one totally blew my mind - my little sister is getting married...in October. Well, I think it's going to take a little while for that one to sink in. Don't get me wrong, both of these big, life-changing things could be very positive things, but they're still big. Sometimes I just need a little while to adjust, I think. Oh well, we're keeping our fingers crossed about the job switch and we're excited about the upcoming wedding. 

With all of this going on, you would think that I would have more than enough material to write about...but for some reason, writing has been particularly hard for me this week. Maybe it's just all the rain. When it pours down here in SoCal like this, I always just want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. Maybe I'll get better about substituting my book for a notebook, and start enjoying my writing a little more. Who knows...it could happen. Actually, some days I really love writing...I think I've just been in a lazy mood, lately. 

With this being said, though, I still have been meeting my deadlines with my WPSS writing class. I have been learning so much from it, and am still really enjoying it! This week I have been working on my first How-To article. I will post more on that later, though. Well, it's back to the laundry for me.

Getting in the Way

Hectic as things have been around here, I am proud to say that I have actually continued working ahead with my writing! In fact, I have written my first list article, and if I do say so myself, I think it's not bad at all. 

Although, I have to admit that I have noticed a way of thinking and acting that has been holding me back: I start something, realize that it's not as good as it could/should be, and decide that I can't move on until I perfect it. When that happens, I usually end up frustrated because it never seems to reach the level of perfection that I am aiming for. I realize that I just have to keep on writing and cannot stay working on that one piece forever...after all, practice makes perfect. I know that the more I continue to write, the better I will get at it...but it sure is frustrating sometimes. Anyway, it was good that I noticed this recurring pattern because now I have at least acknowledged the fact that I am holding myself back by doing that, and I now have the opportunity to get over it, and keep moving forward. 

In addition to my enlightening moment of self-realization, this past week has been extremely draining...in every way. Both of my babies are sick...the worst they've ever been. On top of that, my husband and I have also been sick, which means that when I'm up all night with uncomfortable, coughing, sneezing, crying munchkins, I am also coughing, sneezing, and sometimes feel like crying. But I am relieved that they are finally starting to look a little better (a week later!) Hopefully, the end is in sight! 

All in all, I think this has been a good week for me. It's kind of funny, but it seems like the more I do, the more I can do. Sounds ridiculous, I know. But what I mean is that some days go by where I feel as though simply playing with the kids and getting meals on the table is all that I am capable of. But then there's days where I am determined to do that and get the laundry done, pay the bills, and finish some writing projects...once I make that decision, suddenly I get everything done and more! Not always - believe me, there are days when I definitely fall short. But sometimes...and those days are really great!