Catching Up

So this has definitely been my longest break from checking in here...

Would you believe it if I told you that at least twice a week I have new ideas for blog posts? And that I get online, skim through my favorite blogs to see what's new, and sometimes even click on my own with every intention of writing a quick post? Well, it's true. But I suppose that doesn't change the fact that I never actually posted. (Despite my long sabbatical, though, I am determined not to give up on this blog!) With that being said, I will move on to more interesting subjects...

Hubby and I have been working on a screenplay for awhile now, and have finally completed an entire draft. We are still working our way through it, but our progress has been rather exciting. I have to admit that I really enjoy this editing and fine-tuning part of the screenwriting process. (I know -- I'm a nerd.)

I've also been getting published left and right in magazines...and am loving it! I get a thrill every time I see my byline in a new publication. (Speaking of which, check out my article in this month's issue of Pregnancy & Newborn.)

Copywriting projects just seemed to be falling in my lap for awhile (which was great!). Although, I keep reminding myself not to get too comfortable because I know that it's essential to continue marketing if I want to keep lining up work for myself.

Now that I've given you a quick run-down of what I've been up to lately, I am going to cut this short. It's been a long day, and I've got an even longer day planned for tomorrow. But I just wanted you to know that I'm still here, and will be back soon.

Build A Successful Writing Career By Taking Baby Steps

A quick update on my writing journey: Since last posting, I've managed to get a good amount of writing done even after giving birth to a beautiful (and healthy) baby boy just seven weeks ago. I've recently been doing some copywriting projects in addition to article writing...and I just have to say that I really love being able to make money doing something that I enjoy so much!

Now I just wanted to share a link to an interview in which Christina Katz (aka The Writer Mama) discusses how to become a successful writer. In the interview, she notes the importance of taking baby steps towards success.

How to Become a Successful Writer: The Christina Katz Interview

Enjoy!

20 Minutes to Write

"When we talk about practicing our creativity, many of us think we will do it when we have "enough" time. By that, we mean some vast savannah of unclaimed time -- something we're not very likely to get. We must learn to work with the time we've actually got. Almost anyone can find 20 minutes -- it's enough to start." - Julia Cameron

Steadily Building A Writing Career

I just read a Chinese Proverb that I thought would be good to share with fellow writers, especially moms who might think that the busyness of daily life will keep them from building a writing career:

"Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid of standing still."

If there's one thing that I've learned as a writer mama, it's that life never really slows down and presents the perfect opportunity to begin writing -- you have to make a conscious effort to build your writing career, one step at a time.

Sometimes - especially in the beginning - it can be really discouraging to see what a slow process it is. But, from a different perspective, it's pretty cool that you can actually create a lucrative and fulfilling career doing exactly what you love by simply taking small, steady steps forward.

As long as you set your goals and keep working towards them, you will make progress. Instead of becoming discouraged by the slow process, try to remind yourself that you are succeeding in your endeavor, and that the only way to fail is by giving up and doing nothing. So keep taking those small, steady steps towards your goals and amaze yourself with where you end up!

Balancing Family and Writing Career

I know I've told you before that this is definitely the toughest pregnancy I've experienced so far, but the amazing thing is that I've managed to really advance my writing career during this difficult pregnancy. I now go to three to four doctor appointments weekly, and take care of two toddlers, and write -- all while feeling extremely tired and pretty crappy physically (because of this high-risk pregnancy and the medications that my doc has me taking). One word comes to mind: BUSY.

There was a time in my life when I would have said that just making it through these nine months with my sanity intact would have been a big enough feat on its own, much less actually setting and reaching some lofty (for me, at least) writing goals. So I have to say that I am actually quite proud of myself and very grateful for having come to the understanding that I am really capable of doing quite a lot if I set my mind to it, busy or not.

In fact, I think that might be one of the most important things I've been able to do -- realize what is and is not a priority in my life, and then plan - and act - accordingly.

In my case, my family takes precedence over everything. While writing is important to me, it still comes second on the list of priorities. Knowing this, I am able to schedule my days so that I can be a good mother to my kids, spend quality time with hubby, and still have time to write. Granted, I don't always have as much writing time as I would like, but I make it work. And, for me, the pressure of time limitations works a lot better than self-imposed deadlines, so I've managed to remain quite productive.

Unfortunately, this means that I have to be extremely selective with how I use my time. For example, I often find myself in a situation where I have to choose between drafting an article or sending out a pitch versus writing a blog post. Nine times out of ten, I write the article or pitch letter. But it can be disappointing having to do that because I really enjoy blogging.

My goal here isn't to complain, but rather to show that you really do have options -- you can choose to have a writing career while raising kids. And succeed at both. It's a choice. Everyday you make little choices that end up dictating the life that you lead. Those choices reveal what's most important to you, and have a large influence on the person you are and the person you are becoming. These choices allow you to develop and share little bits of yourself with your family, friends, editors, readers, etc.

In a nutshell, I am busy. A busy mom. A busy writer. A busy wife. A busy preggo woman. Would I prefer to be less busy? No way! Because that would mean that I was giving up something that I love.

So are you a busy writer? And would you change anything?

The First Step to a Writing Career

Let me start by saying that I hadn't planned on posting two quotes in a row, but I read this today and just thought it was really relevant to my blog, especially considering my title -- Baby Steps.


“The grace to be a beginner is always the best prayer for an artist. The beginner’s humility and openness lead to exploration. Exploration leads to accomplishment. All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step.”

-Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way


Yesterday, I was thinking about how far I have come in creating my writing career, and it struck me that I am so happy that I had the guts to take that first step. Without doing that, I would still just be dreaming about the day when I would be "a real writer" instead of reaping the benefits of the writer's life.

So if you want to make a living as a writer, just take the first step...and before you know it, that first step of setting out on the path to becoming a writer will lead you closer and closer to the realization of your writing goals.

Importance of Daily Writing

"It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop." ~Vita Sackville-West