My Journey to Become a Writer 01/18/2024 Post #18

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What a day it has been. A bit of snow – and the start of my brain swirling around with wondering if I really ought to write what I want to today – the saga of the three year cruise that left a bruise.

I’d already told you about the song series I’ve been working on and bit my tongue at giving too many hints; but last night, upon unexpectedly hearing my dad had been quoted in the New York Times, I might as well go ahead and say, the songs are memes about the Three-Year Cruise that never had a ship to port in.

What Did I Accomplish Today to Be a Writer?

I wrestled with whether or not I was being an “opportunist” to go ahead and slap a new category on the menu of my homepage and call it “That Three Year Cruise”; but it’s something I’d already considered, so I went ahead and did it ahead of schedule, and wrote a pilot episode from my perspective of watching one of my parents die while the other one planned a trip around the world on a cruise ship.

To read the start of the story of my dad saying, “Well Beth, you get to go to Heaven, why shouldn’t I get to go around the world?” please click here.

I did Day 18 of the 100 Words a Day Writing Challenge 2024 through LA Writer’s Lab. I’m glad I’m back to journaling, especially since right now I’m hoping I have a journal somewhere from all I went through last summer while my dad was set on selling the house by September, so he could board the ship in Turkey before Thanksgiving.

What Am I Afraid of Doing Next in My Journey as a Writer?

I’m scared of missing out on opportunities because of still being too scattered and disorganized – plus overextending myself. I think having Wi-Fi installed will really help, because I can’t even post this on time.

Stuff I find myself saying: My toes are cold.
– Jody Susan

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

I’ve been thinking through some charts I’d like to print once I get my printer set up for keeping myself on track and setting benchmarks – especially in the areas of finances, manuscripts, blogging, web-development and networking. Maybe I will share those here, once I get my act together a little more.

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

I really enjoy just sitting down spontaneously and writing a story. Recording my remembrance of my dad announcing he planned to take a three-year tour around the globe by boat was probably my favorite task today. I want to format my time so I can do things like that, instead of facing a mountainous list each day that I’m not all that inclined to accomplish.

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

I checked in with someone who is reading through my last draft. It’s been good to get some feedback.

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

I took advantage of the New York Times article about the Life at Sea cruise that had no boat and geared my writing plan to address that issue, and also added some appropriate tags, which I don’t usually do, because I still don’t totally understand that process.

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

To build my blog, I’m trying to become more proactive at planning and pre-scheduling posts. I’ve slowly been adding Alt Text to my images and have some other ideas for implementing “protocols” for myself before hitting publish, so that the process will be more stream-lined.

Not so Fun Fact About Me: I like to live like I’m on an assembly line. The more efficient I can make each task, the more at peace I am – that is until I turn into a puddle and just have to do something totally creative and unscheduled.

What I’m Doing About Networking as a Writer

I’ve started reading The 90-Day Memoir to leave a review on amazon for Al Watt of L.A. Writer’s Lab.

What I’m Doing About Monetization as a Writer

I’m planning out some charts to print so that I can easily remind myself where to stick affiliate links.

What I’m Doing About Social Media as a Writer

I wrote down to contact Alzheimer’s Fight with another article, because they were asking for material.

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

Beginning to add tags to my blogposts and more links.

What I’m Doing to Stay Organized as a Writer

I’ve got far too many boxes upstairs that are still unpacked. Yesterday, I culled a bunch of books that were mixed in with paperwork. If I can keep things categorized, I know I can get through unpacking more easily.

Looking Back at My Writing Journey

As I wrote about the potential cruise, I was thinking about how our biggest problems can be the very things that lift us above our circumstances, if we will write about them. I hope to look at the remainder of my life that way. In the meantime, I’m pretty grateful for a reprieve from drama.

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

I’m posting this a day late; but I’m glad I’m getting it done. Hopefully the internet guy will get here soon, despite the snow.

Thanks for reading what I’m writing,

Jody Susan

My Dad Signed Up for Miray’s Life at Sea Three Year Cruise