New Beginnings
Happy 2018! It is a new year and a time many of us focus on new beginnings. What is on your mind as you start this year?
I heard a quote between Christmas and New Year's Day that went "most people overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a lifetime." ( I don't remember where I heard it, and the closest attribute I can find is a similar quote by Bill Gates. ) That quote really resonated with me. I'm usually an overestimator, stuffing my day with all sort of things I want to do, and leaving many of them undone. I certainly wasn't leaving time for unexpected things that might arise. I wasn't leaving any space to just BE.
Midway through January, I'm doing better with lowering my daily expectations and feeling more accomplished because of it. Time will tell how the rest of the year will play out, and I will update periodically.
Until next time,
Gladys
Published on the Blog
Recent stories posted on the blog, in case you missed them.
Gray Days
The recent gray, cloudy days in Daytona Beach reminded me of a similar time when I was a teenager.
Painted Bones
Based on one small incident when I was a child, I labeled myself as "not creative".
Toy Trains
My dad thought it was a good idea to give a two-year-old girl (me!) a toy train for Christmas.
Submissions Spreadsheet - Trying to find a good system to track your submissions? Thanks to an article I read, I created a spreadsheet and it is available for you to download. No sign-up needed! Just click the link inside the article and the download will begin. I hope you find it helpful!
For Reading
Who else is feeling overloaded with email and social media sites to keep up with? I'm taking January to unsubscribe from lists I haven't taken the time to read in the last few months, to try and reduce the overwhelm. Here are some other tips to consider if you are on a similar quest.
A bicycle train through the French countryside? Yes, please! If you enjoy being outside, bicycle rides, France, countryside, trains, and doing something different in general, you may want to check it out.
Snow seems to be falling in many parts of the country; it is even colder than normal here in Florida. This 2003 piece by David Sedaris reminds me of being home on snow days, especially when I was a mom. (No, I never actually kicked my kid out, but since I did work from home, it was a disruption!)
For Writers
How to Tell a Story on Social Media - a long article, but some interesting thoughts in there. While more about businesses telling their stories, I think there is good information for authors as well, especially how we are telling our own story and how we are using social media.
How many rejection letters have you received? Take heart, some very famous and popular works were rejected multiple times before being published.
I'm excited to read Nairn's Paris after reading this article. As I strive to improve my descriptions of people and places, I need to read those who do (or did) it well. And Paris is one of my favorite cities, so will be a pleasure to see it through someone else's eyes.
If you enjoyed what you read, please share this newsletter with anyone you think would like it. Sharing is caring!
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