We started a new unofficial “theme” this past week at work. February is the start of the fiscal year, so it’s the work equivalent of New Year’s resolutions. 😉 My all-time favorite theme is still, “Don’t be a fun-sucker!” I don’t think ANY theme can beat that year! OMG! I’m still using the term “fun-sucker.” Most FANTASTIC meeting…ever! Picture a group of people, all in their nice clothes, all saying “fun-sucker” repeatedly, too fast, and it starts to sound like something VERY inappropriate for the workplace. Good times! 😉
This year’s theme is all about “loose ends.” Finishing projects, not starting new projects until the old ones are complete, it’s all sane advice, but I’m starting to become “loose ends” obsessed! My life is FILLED with “loose ends,” both at work and at home. My hubby refers to it as “shiny object syndrome.” We’re fine until something shiny catches our eye!
So…in the spirit of this year’s theme, I’m tweaking my ROW 80, round one goals, just a smidge. I’m no longer as obsessed with word count, but I AM moving steadily forward. I’m approaching the finish line of my book. FINALLY! It feels good to be tying up this MAJOR loose end in my life. I’d like to have everything set by my birthday. I think that would be fun and somehow appropriate. In the end, no matter what, I want my writing to be FUN!
By the way, ROW 80 is a friendly group that’s there to help writers focus on their writing goals. Each writer decides what they would like to accomplish in the next 80 days. We check in on Sundays and Wednesdays with their “linky tool” and are welcome to adjust our goals as we need to. If you’re late getting started, that’s OK. Round 1 lasts from January 2, 2012 through March 22, 2012.
I did a Blogophilia post this week. I’d skipped a couple of weeks, and I REALLY did miss doing them. I’m so happy that my buddy Sue, figuratively gave me a kick in the tushie! Why? Because Blogophilia is fun! Writing short stories are fun. Writing, in genereal, is fun! Did I mention this already? Yeah, well I sometimes need to remind myself and make sure that it sticks. It’s so easy to forget, especially when I get too caught up in the technical stuff. Goals are great! I’m a huge fan of goals, but I never want to forget why I got into writing again. I NEVER want writing to feel like a job. That’s NOT…me. I don’t want to get into that mindset. I HAVE a job. It pays the bills. Most days, I LIKE my job. It’s not perfect, but what job is? Writing is NOT my job. If my life was a cup, then I’d see my job as something that empties my cup, a little at a time. Writing fills the cup back up again. It keeps me in balance. Too much obsessing over either work or writing, and I’m an unhappy Juli! Nobody wants that. 😉
I do a LOT of reading. I’m on my fifth or sixth book written by a new-to-me author. His novels aren’t the stuff that classics are made of, but they’re REALLY entertaining. I’m sure they could be picked apart and poo-pooed on, but I like them. When I read them, I get the impression that the author doesn’t take himself too seriously. There’s a lot of joy and silliness in his novels. I hope that I’m able to convey a similar vibe in my own books and short stories. Tragic comedy seems to be my writing style.
Amy Kennedy wrote an interesting post for ROW 80, about being true to your own voice. Make sure that you click on the link. I’m not very good at writing dark and brooding. I’ve tried, but I can’t do it. I enjoy reading stories that are dark. I think that writers who CAN do this are AMAZING, but for good or for bad, I know that my characters are NEVER going to have any bloody battle scenes of their own. I do have a bloody microwave scene, but that’s been pushed to Book Two! LOL
Take care everyone!
Juli
JULI HOFFMAN 
Bloody microwave scene? Sound intriguing! I’ve been thinking a lot about balance in my life and tying up loose ends. Good luck!
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The bloody microwave scene was a long time coming, but still gives me giggles, drawbacks of having an old vampire around modern technology.
I don’t think it’s possible to tie up ALL the loose ends in my life, but I’d be happy with less of them. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
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Ah so much to say for this one
Well we all need a kick in the hynie once in a while – glad I could help
yeah my life is filled with items lingering on the to do list forever and yeah those shiny objects – oh look the sun is out
fun sucker is good – but no offense I call them energy vampires… and yeah the vampires or devils and technology – alway an issue to contend with. Though dad – 98 next week – isn’t allowed to use the microwave either
I don’t read much anymore – because I’m always on here – writing silly comments – but what’s the author you’re reading?
My question of the day: did you read the Harry Potter books and why are they so popular? I’m doing a presentation on Rowling at the end of the month
ok time for lunch and to write while the spouse is still out
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Sometimes I need a “kick me” sign! I’m always looking to improve myself! I’m a living, breathing Work In Progress! LOL
Energy vampires? Hmm…I like that!
Happy Birthday to your dad!
J.R. Rain is the name of the author. I just started reading his book, Knighthorse. I’m on Chapter 5. His books are a lot of fun! I picked up quite a few when he was having a freebie promotion on Amazon. In only a couple of weeks, I’ve read Ghost College, Cursed!, Bad Blood: A Vampire Thriller, and The Vampire Club. His books aren’t very long, more like snacks than meals, but I like them. 🙂
Harry Potter…Yes, I did read ALL the books in Rowling’s series, and I did enjoy them. Why? Well, Rowling knows how to build a world with her words. Yes, she has magic and wizards, but her characters feel as though they could be real. They aren’t perfect. They have real world issues besides the magical ones. Take her three main characters, for example. Harry Potter struggles with the death of his parents throughout the series. Any child who’s ever lost a parent, can relate to the emotional roller coaster that he goes through. Her character, Hermione Grandger, may be smart, but she has to study her butt off! We discover, as the series goes on, she’s actually “bending time” so she has more hours in the day to take extra classes. Why? She’s overcompensating because she’s different. Her character is the wizard equivalent of being a child of different race or culture. Her parents weren’t magical, so she’s often called a muggle, which is a slur in Roweling’s world. Ron Weasley is sixth child of seven. His parents may be magical, but he comes from a poor family. Ron wears hand-me-downs and has used just about everything! His character has to deal with a lot of teasing as well. I think Rowling did an excellent job of fusing the fun and magic of a fantasy world with “real world” problems. That’s why I think her books are so popular.
Let me know how your presentation works out!
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check your e mail and thanks for the comments
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This is what I get for being so behind on checking in. I needed to read this post on Sunday. My whole life is a big loose end lately. I got a kick in the pants this week, so I hope I’m back on track.
I love fun-sucker… my problem is social media, because it’s a time-sucker, but fun-suckers suck, too. 😉
Thanks for passing along some much-needed energy my way. Hope you are having a great week!
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Thanks Tia! I sometimes set an alarm so I can allocate a certain amount of time for Facebook, etc. It’s not always a perfect system, but it helps. 🙂
Thanks for dropping by! Hope you have a great week too! 🙂
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Loose ends are something I need to work on :p my theme for the year is “simplification”, though fun-sucking sounds way more fun to say – heh-heh!!!!
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I just used the “Fun-sucker” line work. It’s a classic! It’s often followed by “Did you just say…? OH! Never mind!” You got to love slightly inappropriate, yet corporate approved verbiage.
K.I.S.S.: “Keep it simple stupid,” was another work related theme, however they replaced the “stupid,” and turned it into “Keep it super simple.” Can you see me rolling my eyes? Yeah…that was the year I felt the need to add a “super” to EVERYTHING, just for spite. Sometimes, there was even singing! “I’m super! Thanks for asking!” He! He!
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