Making 2014 SPARKLE!

Okay, yes I know that SPARKLE! was our December power word.  And, yes I know it is now January.  And, no, I didn’t write a post in December. That’s because, frankly, I didn’t feel very sparkly in December. I felt chaotic, thankful, busy, relieved, and a lot of other mixed emotions but not really sparkly.  In the last week of the year, when most of the hosting and feasting was over, I was simply happy to feel and be lazy.  Because I’ll admit – I was exhausted from 2013.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do choose an overall “theme” for each year.  For the past few years it’s been: to be uncomfortable as much as possible. In other words, to constantly say “yes” to new things, to push myself, to make possibilities realities. Because the more uncomfortable you are, the more you grow.

And, it’s worked quite well. To name just a few results, I’ve gotten my own business running on all cylinders, developed some wonderful clients, taught at my former college, become a public speaker of sorts, started a new networking group, learned to paddleboard, learned to surf (barely), learned to play the piano (sort of), kayaked for the first time, made a music video with my Chicks, and written a LOT.  However, I still feel like a beginner at many of these things.

Mario Sarto CCA-SA 3.0

So this year, I’m changing things up a bit.  Always doing new things is great, but now I want to focus on doing things better. I’m going to focus on polishing my craft, whether professionally or personally.

In particular, in my writing, I am in the final stages of completing an approx 35,000 word Middle Grade manuscript.  I’ve started an awful lot of stories before, and finished very few.  This is the one I’m most proud of so far. And, to give myself the chance to make it bloom into something bigger, I have to stick with it, polish it and give it a chance to SPARKLE!  So, our power word for December has become my Word to Live By in 2014.  I’m gonna make it SPARKLE!

What’s waiting for YOU?

As a writer, I try my best to avoid the clichés (you know, “tall, dark and handsome,” “dark and stormy night”). Okay, those aren’t the best examples. But here’s the tired old catchphrase I hear every year at this time: What are you waiting for?

Many of us aren’t sitting around, “waiting” for anything. We’re out there, pounding the pavement (sorry, another cliché), submitting our work and making necessary edits and revisions. We’re doing this while running our households and working our “real” jobs as well.

So, to start 2012 out on the right foot, I decided to ask myself this question instead: What’s waiting for you?

Too many people get discouraged from a few rejections or because they suddenly feel their work isn’t “good enough” for publication. Rather than put the work into the revision process and making the manuscript stronger, they give up. I have read so many stories of this happening early in a writer’s career, for some to find out later that they did in fact have something wonderful that maybe just needed a little editing or perhaps just the right agent for it. But they gave up. And regretted it later.

I will follow the creative muse and write. I will continue my learning journey with the help of writing conferences, critique partners and the hundreds of helpful blogs. I will edit until my fingers turn raw (or keyboard falls apart), because there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s just waiting for me to find it.

What’s waiting for YOU?

Don’t forget to come back on Monday, Jan. 2 to check out the debut of our 4 Chicks music video. What’s waiting for you could be a brand-new Kindle!