My Journey to Become a Writer 01/06/2024 Post #6

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Its been a long week, and I’m fizzling out, so I’m just going to do a speed round of these questions.

What did I Accomplish Today to Be a Writer?

The song I started yesterday is actually a story. It could either be a long ballad, or better yet three, or more, songs. Its a real life telling about turning a bad situation around and getting some good out of it.

Dave Carroll turned “United Breaks Guitars” into more than one song.

https://youtu.be/5YGc4zOqozo

I don’t have his musical ability; but in this situation, he could definitely buy a good number of replacement Taylor Guitars with the amount of money a certain company has withheld from some very unhappy customers – leaving them upriver without a paddle – or a boat for that matter…

Can you guess who that might be? Leave your speculations down below in the comment section.

Fun Fact About Me: I used to sell vending machine parts on eBay, using a Barbie

to be like one of the Barker’s Beauties from the Price is Right.

– Jody Susan

How Am I Balancing the Different Aspects of Being a Writer?

I decided to make Saturdays mostly a clean-up sweep of unfinished projects and add a planning session in at the end.

Like with books, everybody’s schedule needs some sort of margin.

What I’m Doing About Building a Body of Work as a Writer

I completed Day 6 of the 100 Words a Day Writing Challenge 2024 through LA Writer’s Lab.

I worked on three plus songs at once, because they’re all to the same tune. I’m trying to use three part story structure to make them into “episodes”, because it’s a long story, and the tune is the theme of an old TV show. Any ideas which one?

What I’m Doing to Complete My Manuscripts as a Writer

I contacted someone about the possibility of joining a group of women that hold each other accountable to their writing goals, and offer support through the rewrite process. I’m just considering doing this right now – I’m not completely sure, because I don’t want to overtax my schedule.

What I’m Doing to Grow My Website as a Writer

Trying to make and stick to one plan, instead of getting so scattered. Yes, I can tweak things at times; but I tend to keep adding new ideas until I’m overwhelmed.

Stuff I find myself saying to myself: “Don’t fill both hands. You’ll just end up dropping stuff. Keep one free.”

– Jody Susan (my rough translation of a Bible verse)

What that verse actually says: “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.”

– Ecclesiastes 4:6

What I’m Doing to Build My Blog as a Writer

Started a more concise posting plan and am still here on Day 6.

What I’m Doing About Networking as a Writer

I had an idea this morning; but I’m gonna wait on it, because the last thing I need right now is more ideas.

What I’m Doing About Monetization as a Writer

Nada.

What I’m Doing About Social Media as a Writer

Today I tried to post the fifth video from my potato sack; but I got too embarrassed, so I just stuck a photo of my front page up with a song that made me laugh. I thought I was starting to like Social Media when I made that batch of videos, because the potato theme made me laugh; but having to watch them makes me want to hide in a hole.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1xj8TWvZme

And can I just say, I get kind of traumatized every time someone I don’t know leaves a comment that says, “Send pic” – is that normal, or is that some weirdo, I need to block? I’m afraid of being rude; but I’m also scared of other things…

What do you think? Leave a comment down below.

I did enjoy some good story telling over on Instagram by @jasondmorrow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvhxLnrgIpC

That cracked me up, and made me feel a little better about my own writing, which at this point, couldn’t even make its way to the shelves of a Used Bookstore.

What I’m Doing About Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Writer

I made the post I wrote on Tuesday “sticky”, so it would “stick” to the top of my blog, instead of getting lost in the shuffle.

What I’m Doing to Stay Organized as a Writer

Trying not to write too many things on my To-Do List.

Totally Random Fun Fact: Did you know you can get magnets to easily mount Smoke and CO2 detectors to the ceiling without using screws?

I just stuck some up today. It was so much easier than having to drill holes.

– Jody Susan

Looking Back at My Writing Journey

On this day last year, I was sharing a little bedroom with my mom and started to get sick. She was in a hospital bed, and I was in a twin bed I couldn’t get to without doing some climbing, and there was a bedside commode in between us. I’m pretty sure she’d had a stroke, had been on Hospice nearly a year with pancreatic cancer, and was just entering into a bout with bronchitis that lasted for months and left us both exhausted.

As one author put it, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”

Here’s a post I put up last year, based on that line., about “The Dickens”.

I’ve probably never laughed so hard as when my mom was my roommate; but I wouldn’t wish her back here going through so much suffering for anything.

Here’s a video of us, apparently also sharing a room with Siri. Maybe my mom’s ever faithful flashlight will shed some light on the situation (be sure to turn the volume up):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tix6K3duNdQ

Any Other Thoughts on Becoming a Writer, Random Rants, Tales, or Trials…

Today I sorted through some more of my mom’s stuff. She died in May. It still feels rather raw, and just thinking about it wears me out. People keep encouraging me to write about that, and I probably will; but at this point, I’m just not ready.

Thanks for reading, Jody Susan