Time Management for Writers. How do we do it?

Time Management Tips for Writers

Posted: 27 Feb 2019 03:25 PM PST

I am one of the writers who complain that we never have enough time to write although we claim that we love writing. Are you like me, planning to write, but thinking about other things like, I need to do laundry now, or I need to pay some bills before I forget about it, or I must clean out my refrigerator and on and on. Do you procrastinate about your writing?

At this link I found some good tips and you might like to check it out.
One that I like is scheduling my writing time on my calendar just as I do doctor's appointments.
Recently while discussing how overwhelmed I feel about what I have to do in the next month or two, I realized I must cut these tasks into manageable pieces.

I want to set aside a day for each project I am working on and not let anything else interrupt me.
One day I will only work on NCWN-West tasks. Another day I will plan my classes for Writers Circle around the Table. One day will be spent organizing my studio.

It is hard to write or do the things we really want to do when we are at home all day and have the responsibility of keeping house. Often the organizing gurus say, delegate some of the chores to your family members. Well - my little Lexie is not much help. She is an eleven pound canine who demands her feeding and her playing time. I have no human in my house to help me.

LEXIE

But, I can limit my telephone time, my online reading of blogs and other interesting sites, and make certain tasks top priority. What I can't do is stop the wasting of time with technology interruptions such as today when I could not get into my online bank account, or talk to a human being when I called about my credit card. Do you find that what is supposed to make life easier is often taking much more of our time because it is not working properly?

Anyway, I hope you are organized and find time to write and create what is waiting in your mind today. If you have any tips to help us, please leave a comment or email me.

Contact Glenda Beall, Writers Circle, www.gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com
Visit www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com - Writing Life Stories

NCWN West Presents These Events for 2020

Winter is a time we writers often hunker down, spend more time writing, submitting our work and planning for the coming year. In our area, we resume several of our writing events in March when the weather is more predictable. The critique groups continue year round, but it is not fair to a writer to have them plan for a reading or for teaching a class when the unpredictable weather might prevent anyone from attending.  

As Program Coordinator, I and volunteers work on a schedule of writers and poets for our Literary Hour at the John C. Campbell Folk School. This year from April to October, the NC Writers' Network West brings two of its more than 100 members in western NC and North Georgia to the stage at the Keith House Community Room. Students and faculty of the school and local community residents attend these programs. We feature published writers and poets as well as newer writers who enjoy the warm welcome of the folk school audiences. We include the audience by having them introduce themselves or by having them participate with questions for the writers.

Also beginning in March is Coffee with the Poets and Writers held monthly at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville, NC. We began this event in 2007 at Phillips and Lloyd Bookshop, and it is still a favorite. The attendance continues to grow. The Open Mic portion each month is open to anyone who wants to bring a poem or short prose piece. Featured are members of NC Writers' Network.

Nearly a decade ago, Karen Holmes who lives in Hiawassee and in Atlanta, attended a Writers Workshop in Blairsville, GA, sponsored by NCWN-West. She was impressed and became a member. After attending critique groups and readings for awhile, Karen created Writers' Night Out, a monthly gathering of writers set in north Georgia. She invited outstanding authors and poets from Atlanta and paired them with local writers each month. Many of those who traveled up from the city, stayed over and taught classes at Writers Circle around the Table. We were given the chance to meet and study with Robert Brewer, poetry editor of Writers' Digest and Michael Diebert, poetry editor of the Chattahoochee Review. Because of this event hosted by Karen Holmes, award winning poet, local writers met, learned and networked with people of influence in the literary world.

All of these events are sponsored by NCWN-West, a program of the state organization for the mountain community of western North Carolina and north Georgia. Since 1990 the writing community in the mountains has grown and NCWN-West now has a membership of 130.  The state organization receives support from the NC Arts Council and is a non-profit organization, therefore, we as a program, are also non-profit.

In the past two decades we have published anthologies, Lights in the Mountains and Echoes across the Blue Ridge, with work by mountain writers, held annual conferences and appointed representatives for NCWN-West who hold meetings for writers in counties from Henderson to Cherokee and in Towns and Union Counties in Georgia.

Over the years, small, individual groups of writers were spawned from the NCWN West monthly free events, but most professional writers become members of NCWN and therefore, NCWN-West. Members will tell you how helpful it has been to their success to be a part of the organization. From connections to top editors as well as contests for poetry and prose writers,        membership has something for all writers.

Writing is a solitary art, but when we come together in our writing community we don't feel alone and we learn from each other. 

Do You Love Your Children and Grandchildren?

Guest post by Roger Carlton.

Say Whaaaat???? Have you gone crazy???? Of course, I love my children and grandchildren. I hug them. Listen to their problems and wipe away their tears. Feed them and care for them. I want to raise them to be good moral people. That columnist must have gone crazy to ask such a question.

Well, if you think I am crazy, that headline achieved its goal. It got your attention. This columnist really believes you love your children and your grandchildren, but you need to think about that love not just in the present. The future is just as important and you have the chance to show that long term love at the polls.


Here are some questions that you might think about to ensure a good future for your children and grandchildren:

  *   Does the candidate believe in protecting the environment or are they a climate change denier?
  *   Does the candidate respect people of all genders?
  *   Does the candidate have the patience and analytical ability to make key decisions that consider all the options?
  *   Does the candidate have the ability to compromise in order to get things done?
  *   Will the candidate have a moral compass that keeps him or her from doing things for their own personal gain?
  *   Does the candidate respect our rich history of accepting immigrants as long as that is done in a controlled manner?
  *   Will the candidate be able to control their desire for revenge when someone does not agree with them?
  *   Will the candidate be  bipartisan once in office?
  *   Will the candidate be able to draw honest, trustworthy, motivated and energetic people into their administration?
  *   Does the candidate believe in paying fair taxes?
  *   Does the candidate have a vision that defines a better world for everyone?
  *   Does the candidate extinguish fires or pour gas on them?

Early voting begins February 3rd and ends February 29th. Absentee ballots must be requested by February 25th and returned by 5:00 pm on March 3rd which is the day of the election. This is a primary election which winnows down the number of candidates for many offices. The final election is November 3rd. You don't have to vote for the political party in which you registered. The Elections Office can explain that to you.

Those are just a few questions to think about as you select a candidate. Thank goodness we live in a democracy and have the right to vote in a hopefully honest election. Please remember that you are selecting a candidate not just for today. Focus on the future for your children and grandchildren. Please don't squander your vote or decide not to vote at all.

How does compassion improve your writing?

The following is from the newsletter I receive from Maureen Ryan Griffin. She is a friend and I have followed her for many years.
I often think I feel too much compassion, but Mary Ann McSweeny says we must let ourselves feel more and let compassion lead us to dynamic writing. Thanks, Maureen, for this prompt today. Hope my writing friends will find it helpful as I have.

This is WordPlay—so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This week, it's “compassion.” 

Who or what do you feel compassion for? And how might compassion help you write about these subjects with substance?

Compassion deserves pondering by all of us sharing the planet.

PROMPT: Here is a great prompt directly from this week's featured writing from Brevity magazine, "What Do You Care About? How Compassion Leads to Dynamic Writing" by Mary Ann McSweeny:

Try this exercise as you discern what gives authenticity to your own writing:
Sit in a quiet place, eyes opened or closed, pencil and paper by your side.
Clear your mind of its busy-ness. Feel your heart space—calm, deep, full of wisdom.
Ask yourself: What do I care about? Let the answers arise in their own time and way.
Write down the things, concepts, or people that surface in the stillness. Choose one and take ten minutes to write about it.

WordPlay
Maureen Ryan Griffin
Email: info@wordplaynow.com
Website: www.wordplaynow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wordplaynow

Creative Writing Class in March 2020 open for registration now

We will soon be welcoming Spring and that means I will be teaching my Creative Writing Class at Tri-County Community College. If your writing has just gone stale and you can't seem to make yourself sit down and put words on paper, take this class. If you are a new writer and need some help from friendly folks, just like you, and a teacher who remembers what it was like in the beginning, register for this class. 

We will meet on Monday evenings, March 9 - March 30 at 6 - 8 PM on the campus of TCCC.

Description:
Creative Writing: Perhaps you want to write about yourself or other people you know, places you have been or family history. Perhaps you have always had stories wandering around in your brain and you want to write fiction. Not sure? Your questions will be answered to help you discover your writing niche. This class is for aspiring writers or others who need motivation to put words on paper.

Join this informative class and learn from Glenda Council Beall who lives in the mountains of western North Carolina and whose work has been widely published since 1996 in numerous journals, magazines and online reviews.  She is also the author of three books.

Eight hours of instruction, Mondays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Tri-County Community College   $50.00

Register with Lisa Long, Director of Community Outreach, by calling 828-835-4241 or email her: LLong@tricountycc.edu

Comment from a writing student in 2018:

Glenda Beall's studio creates a safe atmosphere where I can be vulnerable in my learning, my writing and the group's critics. She imbues a tenderness of spirit that is contagious. It manifests as a well- grounded kindness that encourages the person and supports the writing process. ...Thank you, Glenda, for your many years of service to the writing communities. Sincerely and with much gratitude… Ayer G. (writing student, 2018)

Another former student:
Yours was the first writing course I’ve taken in years and you gave me not only many wonderful insights but lots of fun and very welcome encouragement....I’ve been thinking about applying for a low residency MFA program as I transition into retirement (again).
--- Don B. - student in class at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Our classes at TCCC are fun and informative. I am always delighted when the students say they don't want the classes to end.
No pressure, just encouragement and tips from knowledge I gleaned from my teachers and all the workshops I have taken for twenty-five years. Beginners are welcome. We will help you get your thoughts and memories on the page.
Put the dates on your calendar now and sign up now. 
Remember, if the class is not full a week before March 9, it might be cancelled.

Politics, Property and Political Correctness

Closing out the year with some humor by Roger Carlton

If I learned one thing from more than 50 years of public service, it is that the most intractable problems are often solved with humor. 

Today we are very polarized. People are addicted to using electronic devices and social networks to yell at each other. After all, such means of making a point does not require facing your opponent and looking them in the eye.

Here are a few thoughts meant to be humorous at the end of this very polarized year.
1. A conservative believes that “What is mine is mine and what is yours we can negotiate or take.”
2. A liberal believes that “What is mine is mine and what is yours belongs to everyone.

3. An independent believes that “What is mine is mine and and give me some time to think about yours.”

The Founders believed in certain inalienable rights unless you were a slave or a woman. It took four score and seven years for President Lincoln to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation and an additional two score and 17 years for women to be granted the right to vote. That is 87 and 57 years for those who don’t count in scores.

The prehistoric cave dwellers communicated with grunts and pictures on cave walls. As technology progressed, native people used drums and smoke signals. Some people think the smoke is still used. 

Early technology included the Pony Express, telegraph, hard line phones, television, newspapers and magazines. Once our Tennessee neighbor, Al Gore, invented the Internet, Facebook and Twitter soon followed.

Frankly, this columnist thinks tweeting is for the birds. When people tweet, it is an insult to our avian friends except perhaps the goony bird. That noble American bald eagle doesn’t tweet. He hunts with the goal of feeding his family and he mates for life.

So my friends, we come to the end of a “year of discontent.” Here are a few suggested New Year resolutions. 

Turn off all communication devices at dinner. It breaks my heart to see parents and children having dinner at a restaurant while all are clacking away  on some device. 

Second, ban all family responses that use the word “whatever.” The word defines disrespect and not caring.

Finally, if you must tweet, the victims of the tweet should be allowed to finish their sentences before the send button is mashed.

My best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.

Should Military Justice Be Different?

Roger Carlton

We welcome an article today by Roger Carlton, columnist for the Robbinsville, NC newspaper, The Graham Star. 

Military justice is different from civilian justice, and it should be.

 Fighting a conventional war like Vietnam or World War II is governed by the Geneva Conventions and Protocols which are 70 years old and basically designed to overlay the act of war with a degree of humanity. These are two concepts that are very difficult to align.

The United States has five military branches that are governed by senior officials that make up the Joint Chiefs of Staff who report to the Secretary of Defense and the President who is Commander In Chief. The Department of Homeland Security is also involved. The key point is that a civilian is at the top of the command chain. Oversight of the entire defense process including spending and declaration of war is provided by Congress through committees and eventual votes. At least that is how it is supposed to work to ensure a balance of power between the military and civilian authority.

Recently this extraordinary balance fell apart. 

It has happened before. President Truman had to terminate General Douglas MacArthur because he exceeded the authority granted by the Commander In Chief during the Korean War. Truman was no wimp. He made the ultimate decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II.

Recently a Navy SEAL posted pictures of himself with the corpse of an Islamic fighter.

After eight tours of duty, he was charged with many counts and served time in the brig. With long established military justice procedures followed, he was exonerated of all charges but one and sentenced to time served. That should have been it, but the White House decided to intervene. In fact, the President had ordered the Navy Secretary to release the Navy Seal from the brig which he declined to do. Such direct communication from the White House around the Secretary of Defense is highly unusual and violative of long-standing protocols. The Secretary of the Navy was dismissed after his own admitted mistake of not following the chain of command.

The Navy Seal had offered to voluntarily resign. The questions were at what rank since he had been busted down a rank, would his discharge be honorable or what is called "general under honorable" and could he keep his SEAL Trident pin. The Navy Secretary was told by the White House to restore his rank and give him the pin. These decisions should have been made by what is called peer group review. This means people make these decisions who have stood in the shoes of those in the line of battle and have broad perspective unvarnished by politics. Political interference instead resulted in the Navy Secretary being ordered to restore the pin.

This political interference in a tried and true process is enormously disrespectful of our military. 

We have the best military because they understand their role as guardians of democracy. Our military is highly trained, well equipped and disciplined. With few exceptions that are handled internally, these folks should be left alone to do their job. I learned from my own experience as a City Manager overseeing police chiefs for most cases of police discipline.There are exceptions to ethical conduct at the local level as well. However, I found it very difficult to insert myself into the decision-making process of someone looking down the barrel of a gun.

Let us all learn something from this. Keep politics out of a process that is damaged by interference. 
Follow chains of command until the situation has become so egregious that you have to go around the chain. Support the whistleblowers who have the fortitude to do the right thing. Have faith that the voters will see through the veil of toxic fog that defines our democracy today and do the right thing next November.

Reading and Writers

I was very happy today to get a good report from my favorite doctor, my cardiologist. I have been a bit depressed due to my chronic pain in my hip and leg, but I was told that I am physiologically younger than my chronological years, and while I might need to slow down my intensity, I should not stop doing what I enjoy. I can do that. 

As a senior adult with the usual stresses, I was thinking about making major changes and walking away from writing, Netwest, Writers Circle around the Table, and teaching. But today I decided to rethink my future. 

A writing class at Writers Circle around the Table

In the past week, I have received calls and emails from local people who want to know when I will teach again, where can they go to take classes in writing.
I am reminded of why I began my Writers Circle studio. I like to take writing classes and I like to teach beginning writers. I like to give them the chance to see what they can do, to instill confidence in them, to give them the opportunity to pursue their dreams in a safe environment where they cannot fail.

I was reading a post on the site of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press,
about the benefits of reading for older adults. Writers are important to society in general, and often they don't get the respect that visual artists and musical arts receive, especially in their local areas. How we would miss writers if they were not working all the time to bring us books, stories, facts and news we want to know about.

I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. My house is filled with books, so many I don't have room for all of them and I am giving away books all the time. I subscribe to a couple of magazines also and enjoy browsing through them. 

Reading takes us out of our present and puts us somewhere else for a time. The writer on Progressive Rising Phoenix Press explains this in the quote below:

The Health Benefits of Reading

Life of a senior can indeed be stressful. Health problems and family worries wear a person out. And at an advanced age, stress can be costly. To the rescue comes the book, which is a real treasure during difficult times. 

A good novel can take you to different places and different times and distract you from your worries. It helps you to take a deep breath and face problems calmly.

Many studies have shown a connection between reading and mental health. Reading as an everyday activity can reduce memory decline by 30%. The scientists have also discovered that brain stimulation provided by learning or solving puzzles minimizes the probability of having Alzheimer’s disease. 

Another excellent benefit of reading is that it improves the quality of sleep. Anxiety, pain, and side effects of medications can make falling and staying asleep very difficult. Reading before bedtime is a perfect way to help your brain slow down and tell your body that it’s time for its well-deserved rest.

We writers must continue with our work, our passion, to write the words that others need to read. 
We don't have to write the next great novel or the most praised play or memoir. We can write whatever pleases us and share it with the world. A book of short stories, a poetry book, a self-help book---someone out there wants to read what we write. I enjoy writing for my blogs. Some people leave comments and some write emails to tell me how much it means to read my blog posts. My page views are often from foreign countries. And many people read what I write but never tell me. 

I would love to hear from you whether by comment or by email. See the Contact Form on the sidebar of this blog. Go there and follow directions to write your thoughts and send them to me. Let me know you read this blog.