It’s like you’ve already shut the door on maybe.

Never and always are the two poles of failure.

You wonder why good things don’t reach you.

Could be the moat, drawbridge and electric fence around your heart.

Isolation leads to depression.

Be in the world (but not of it.)

Be an optimist (cockeyed or otherwise.)

Be yourself (but be open to new ideas.)

This day alone is the gift. Open it.

If you live long enough, you’ll express an opinion.
Somebody may be offended and you may decide not to speak your mind again.
You may decide that the truth, tempered with tact, only sets you free.

If you live long enough, you’ll inflame some emotions.
Somebody’s gonna hate you. You’ll have to learn to live with it.
Somebody’s gonna love you. You’ll have to learn not to live for it.

If you live long enough, you’ll reach a conclusion.
Judge yourself by numbers like age, weight, SAT score, net worth, tax bracket.
Decide that the content of your character and peace of mind matter more.

Do not shed tears when I have gone but smile instead because I have lived.

Do not shut your eyes and pray to God that I’ll come back but open your eyes and see all that I have left behind.

I know your heart will be empty because you cannot see me but still I want you to be full of the love we shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live only for yesterday or you can be happy for tomorrow because of what happened between us yesterday.

You can remember me and grieve that I have gone or you can cherish my memory and let it live on.

You can cry and lose yourself, become distraught and turn your back on the world or you can do what I want – smile, wipe away the tears, learn to love again and go on.

“Remember Me”
David Harkins

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Leo Buscaglia

Here’s a writing gig listing I saw today.

A new entertainment blog is looking for contributing writers, someone who knows their whereabouts in the celebrity field.  You will be expected to submit at least four or more articles per week. The company start up rates is $6 but will increase gradually. 
The job is available asap.

Let’s break it down:

First off, what does it mean when they require “someone who knows their whereabouts in the celebrity field?”   Where am I?  In the vast, make-believe tract of land where they store all the celebrities?  And my place in it?  Why, I suppose I’m somewhere between the Geico Gecko and the second generation Kardashians (the ones with Bruce Jenner’s last name.)

“At least four or more articles per week.”  You don’t need the words “or more” if you’ve already said “at least.”

“The company start up rates is six dollars but will increase gradually.” It should be start up rates are.  And whoa!  I wouldn’t want the rate to increase suddenly!  Like up to minimum wage or something.  Mercy.  Might make the old ticker skip a beat!

“The job is available asap.”  ASAP should be capitalized, as it’s an acronym, meaning as soon as possible.  But wait.  Isn’t every job available ASAP?  What are they, feeling out the candidates that they plan to hire two years from now?

I won’t give them free advertising by mentioning the company’s name here, but you can find their ad via the link to “Freelance Writing Gigs.”

Not for nuttin, as we say in Jersey, but if they paid a decent rate, they might find some decent writers responding.

All right, I’ve vented.  Later I’ll post a real, viable writing market to counteract this dud.

You have been oriented that you must pay a price in order to get somewhere, and in the process, you’ve come to believe that getting there must be really important; therefore, it must be your purpose. And we say, but if you’re not getting to joy, then you’ve gotten nowhere. Joy is really where you’re going.

Abraham-Hicks

With the new year coming, I usually buy my new calendar around this time.  I tend toward the Sandra Boynton calendar for the wall and Day-Runner appointment book for my desk.  But I had to ask:  what do you use?  How do you keep track of important appointments, meetings, deadlines, bills to be paid, etc.

For the writers out there, do you use a separate submission tracker as well, or just jot down your milestones on your regular calendar?  I mean the queries submitted, article/revision deadlines, etc.  I use Writer’s Market online (there’s a yearly fee), but it doesn’t fully meet my needs.

Any suggestions?

Just sitting here trying to figure out how much of my high-volume (not necessarily high-quality) word count from NaNoWriMo to salvage, when I came across this post on Writer Unboxed by Yuvi Zalkow. He offers a few unorthodox tips on how to make your crappy writing seem less crappy.  Be sure to check out his video, but be warned:  there is (oddly) a brief bit of semi-nudity.