That’s a Wrap-Up

[cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Picking back up after six months of absence can be terribly difficult for anyone. Whether it’s not having sung in public or not having picked up a paint brush, having had to rest a torn acl or just taking a break from being too busy the passage of time has a weird affect. So as I get back into this I can definitely feel the rust that hopefully will loosen up quickly.

When I wrote my last 60 day challenge post I was in the middle of teaching and also working on children’s book writing. The teaching challenge is over (for now) and the children’s book writing is still in progress. Let me first start with the teaching challenge wrap-up.

Teaching Wrap-Up

I taught 1 class for both the fall and spring semesters. Oddly enough I felt the fall semester I was better prepared than I was the spring semester. This may make sense to some but having never taught I thought that having had a semester under my belt I would do better the next semester. In reality I may have been better but it certainly didn’t feel like it. I felt as though I had a harder time explaining the concepts – it’s hard to put into words.

This I can say, we all have different gifts and talents and abilities to use them. Some are better at computer programming than others, some are better at home repairs, some at art, some at sports, some at science while still others are better at language. Part of life is figuring out our own gifts and talents then working on our abilities to utilize those gifts and talents. All said it’s our job and should be our goal to be better today than we were yesterday, be it writing, cleaning, business or teaching.

Children’s Book Wrap-Up

In a conversation with a friend it was mentioned that writing is easy, writing quality is very difficult. As I continue working toward writing children’s books this is proving very true. Having a creative mind, I have learned, is not the hardest part of writing. Rather, it’s taking that story that’s in my head and translating it in a manner that both recreates the scene in the reader’s mind as it is in mine and at the same time is engaging.

On top of that criteria is what the publisher and editor are looking for. Things such as a story that “shows” rather than “tells” the story. Or things they don’t want such as word echoes – repeating a word(s) in nearby sentences. Writing well requires a lot of work.

Is it worth the work and effort? That’s the question I must ask myself. I think the answer is yes. I can see myself writing stories that I hope others will enjoy. I also feel more comfortable with the written word where I can articulate better than with the spoken word. And if I desire to continue writing these posts I must continue to get better and more engaging. So, all in all, I think I am going to continue writing. Hopefully one day a publisher will enjoy what I write enough to sign me to a book deal.

 

That’s a very quick wrap-up of the 2 challenges I was involved in when I went on my impromptu hiatus. Next week I will explain my absence and what has been going through my mind these past six months. Until then, have a prodigious time.

Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section]