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I haven’t been writing a lot lately because I’ve been busy working on my writing…I’ve been sending out a lot of query letters for articles I’ve already written and for article ideas that I have. I usually never hear anything back but I’ve been getting some amazing tips by following some freelance writing blogs: http://www.thewmfreelanceconnection.com/ and http://writetodone.com/ and http://www.makealivingwriting.com/

The result? I feel enriched. And inspired. I am feeling excited, rather than overwhelmed, about the possibilities. Based on these blogs, I’ve decided that I need to create an “author website” that shows some of my work and some testimonials from clients…and I’m going to start working on that right away…

And just as I’d been settling this in my mind, a good friend of mine from college messaged me and said she’s been doing some writing for http://madisonconsumer.com/ -- a great resource that offers money saving tips for people in the Madison, Wisconsin area -- and that she suggested me as a writer should they consider starting a similar resource in my area. Wow. The timing on all of that was incredible.

It reminds me of a line from The Alchemist:

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

— Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

(On that note, check out these inspiring quotes from The Alchemist. I also enjoyed A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle for its similar themes).

I’ve also enrolled in a fiction writing workshop at KSURF http://ksurf.net/ and I plan to do the memoir writing workshop next…I subscribed to a fiction writing newsletter, and here is the quote I got today:

"Even if what you're working on doesn't go anywhere, it will help you with the next thing you're doing. Make yourself available for something to happen. Give it a shot."

- Cormac McCarthy

I recently read The Road by Cormac McCarthy and I felt like this quote was speaking directly to me. Maybe this is a new way to think about all those articles I’m sitting on that no one apparently wants! I need to change my mindset, and keep working on things…keep myself open to the possibilities of the universe.

Personal Legend

I just haven’t gotten back into my routine yet. Ever since I went on vacation and then started a new job, I’m still sorting things out. Often I’m so tired I just can’t seem to make writing a priority. I have to figure out a way to change this. Maybe I need to enroll in a writing workshop. I also can’t seem to motivate myself to do re-writing or more query letters after a round of rejections….I did get a little inspired the other night when we began reading The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, which talks about the importance of finding your “personal legend,” or realizing your dreams. I’ll keep you posted on that.

My mom is doing IV antibiotics at home for a bacterial infection in her toe. Her recent hospital visit was scary for us all, being her first hospital stay in five years, when she was hospitalized for four months after a stroke. I think she felt—and we all felt—like this recent hospital visit was going to be like it was before, the way we felt when she first woke up and she couldn’t even open her eyes or talk and we all felt completely helpless and vulnerable. At that time, we held her eyes open and she wrote messages with colored markers on a dry-erase board. She went from bedridden to walking with a four-footed hemi-cane in a matter of weeks….but there was still so much healing to do—physically, emotionally, spiritually. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the healing goes on long after you leave the hospital. And this recent hospital visit reminded her of how far she has come. She can ask for what she needs, she’s not afraid to be alone, she speaks up for herself, and she’s much more independent.

I just hope that antibiotics take care of this infection. Every day, I ask the universe for two things: for my family to be safe and healthy, and to be able to realize my “personal legend,” to do the work I’m meant to do, whatever that may be.
 

Slide-Tape Recorder

 

For now, I’ll leave you on a humorous note. You can learn so much about people and past times by looking at their things. I’ve enjoyed looking at old church cookbooks for this reason. I find myself working in a place that seems like a museum—containing relics of the past. I’m uncovering all sorts of crazy gadgets that I’ve never seen before. This is a slide-tape projector. You put your slide carousel on the top and an audio cassette in the slot and it projects the slides on the screen with accompanying audio. I imagine this was quite an improvement to the standard slide projector.

Pictured below is some sort of primitive teleconferencing unit called a “Darome.” Note the dust. Oh, how far we’ve come.



Darome Teleconferencing Unit