One (or a few) A Day...

I've been working out ways I can get myself to be more productive and also more out there in the online world (blogging, reading blogs, tweeting/posting on FB/pinterest/etc) and I've decided to have a challenge for myself this month.

It will be called the: One of Each a Day Challenge...

Stupid titled, but that's okay. Plan is, visit a blog each day. Leave a comment on said blog. Promote something on Twitter and/or a social media of my choice(Examples of promoting are: a book release, book sale, cover reveal, some other sort of announcement, a blog post, or things of that sort-or other promotional type things). And post on any two of my sites daily. (I've got Twitter, Facebook, my blog, Pinterest, Google +, Tumblr, and Instagram)(With all those I shouldn't have a problem posting something...aside from how little I've even ever posted on a few of them. :/ )

This will be my only Tuesday post for now. I didn't plan on having Tuesday posts, but I forgot to post this yesterday so I'm just going with it. I mean, really, I should've posted it last week, but oh well. I'm a few days late on the whole first of the month thing, but I'll make up for it.

And that's that, guess we'll see how this turns out. Have a great day. See you tomorrow for a new Insecure Writer's Support Group post. :)

Anything happening this month that you'd like people to know about? Got a blog post you'd like me to promote or maybe a book release? Hell, want some new Twitter followers or some more blog traffic? Just let me know in the comments and I'll spread the word. 

Planning on planning to plan...

Well, here we are, toward the end of February, and how many weeks since I posted a blog? Ugh. I keep planning on having things happen and they don't. I'm not much of a planner so I guess maybe planning on doing better is making me unsuccessful. Or maybe like just really wants to be in the way of things lately. Or maybe I just need to use my time more wisely. Whatever it is, I want to do better.

We're just over a month away from the A to Z challenge and I really want to do it this year, but I keep telling myself I don't want to plan on another failure for myself. Then I get annoyed for thinking so negatively. So I guess I'll try to do it and hope for the best.

All of my lack of productivity is really getting to me. Even more now that Lent started because one of the things I wanted to do was write and edit more, be better with getting crits done, read more, and blog more...I haven't accomplished any of those things. Hell, I also planned on only having soda once a week during Lent (which would hopefully keep happening once Lent was over) but I've already had soda twice and it hasn't even been a week since Ash Wednesday.

I'm not even sure what the actual point of this blog is. I'm not intending to come off whiny or like I'm searching for more excuses for why my plans have all been failing. I'm not looking for someone to make me feel better about my lack of following through on things I keep saying. I guess what I'm doing is just writing something in attempt to have some sort of a post since I haven't had one in a while. I would've had an IWSG post, but I forgot about my post for February and so there that went.

I think I need to find the balance between the offline side of life I have now and the online side of life I had a couple years ago. Yeah, I'm going to go try to find that...Catch you all next time-sooner I hope. :)

IWSG All About Me

(Make sure you check out the IWSG website and founder of this group, Alex J Cavanaugh.)So, I already had my post written out and then I just saw I was supposed to introduce myself. But that's okay, I'll have two posts today. To see the other post, click here.

And onto some stuff about me:

I'm a mother and a writer. I also am basically a personal assistant for my mom. Plus I run errands for my dad and I work at the gym (where my kids do dance and gymnastics) twice a week.

My kids are (recently) online homeschooled and both of them are in gymnastics and hip-hop. I don't really have a life outside of my kids and parents. Aside from when I stay up late and find time to do things I want to do (mostly online games, writing, and blogging).

This year is the first year that my youngest will be competing in gymnastics so I'll be adding gymnastics meets to my schedule which should be interesting. Most of them are going to be on Sundays though so that's not too bad.

I spent a lot of last year not blogging enough and my visiting was even worse, but I'm going to do better this year. I also tend to write too much on my blog posts and struggle to write enough in my books.

And that's about it, but if you're curious about anything else, feel free to ask. :)

Happy 2015 IWSG

(Yay! First Insecure Writer's Support Group post of the new year. And I'm on time! Before we get into this you must take time to meet the awesome Alex J Cavanaugh. Plus, go check out the IWSG website. While you're at both of those sites please take a few moments to browse, they're both great places to hang. But, don't forget to stop by each of the wonderful co-hosts blogs as well: Elizabeth Seckman, Lisa Buie-Collard, Chrys Fey, and Michelle Wallace.)

Since I haven't done anything, I'm really not secure or insecure about writing at the moment. I have no advice to give other than, write. If you wrote last year, maybe make a goal to write more. If you wrote a ton last year, make a goal to take the pace down a notch this time. And if you wrote at a good pace and you'd like to just keep at it, do whatever worked for you last year. And make sure you don't fear your insecurities either. You need them.

I feared once upon a time, actually I think I wondered it most in 2014, that writers wouldn't be as necessary. Everyone is a writer. Anyone can write anything they want. Things get published left and right, so people who needed writers don't anymore. Scripts, novels, plays, everyhting and anything you need-anyone can write it for you.

'Everyone' is not and can not be a writer. Writing is hard, it takes guts, time, effort, patience, love, understanding, caring, a bit(or maybe a lot) of crazy, and so much heart. Writers don't write because it's something people need, writers write because it's something they need. We all need to write out what's playing constantly through our minds or we'll all go crazier than we already are.

All those people who think it's easy, anyone can do it, they let anyone do it-they're wrong and honestly, not that bright. Writing isn't something that just comes naturally. Period. I don't care how fast someone can spit out a best selling novel, it doesn't mean it was easy. And those who say it's easy, aren't really writers. Not only does it take everything I said-it takes insecurities. So, make sure you open yourself up to those this year. Don't worry when you're feeling insecure, enjoy it and know that you're a writer and if you get too secure, your work won't shine as bright. Cocky writers don't always make great writers(but it's okay to be secure too).

What are your writing plans for this year? Are you writing, editing, publishing? Are you taking a break from writing all together? Or are you going to shoot out books that make it look easy? ;p

Sorry I didn't keep this one short enough, I'll try harder next time.

Have a great week and I'll see y'all next time. :)

Following Blogs

In all my brainstorming, I wandered into another thought I've been meaning to get input on...

How do you see blogs you follow? I mean, I know I follow people and I (used) to try and visit anyone who commented on my blog, but I also know there are blog rolls and whatnot. Or at least I was thinking there are.

So, this post is a short one today. I'd like to be able to have a list that is right in my face of blogs I follow so that I can remember to go check them out every time there's a new post. Is there a way I can do that? Do you have some sort of system for making sure you check blogs you follow? Any pointers, ideas, links, sites, suggestions, anything at all, pass it to me if you will please.

Thanks for taking the time for this short and simple, yet possibly a little not so simple post. Have a great Monday and I'll see you Wednesday for the first Insecure Writer's Support Group post of the year. :)