Last week I had a day that represented my life well. In the morning, I worked on an article for the Idaho Statesman’s Business Insider. My biweekly column is called Words at Work, and I have been given great latitude in topics. Sometimes I talk about common errors in business writing, sometimes about grammar, sometimes about interesting words and their etymology.
Later that morning I met with a new friend who is writing short anecdotes of his time with the Peace Corps in Mexico. He is new to this fast-changing world of publishing, so I shared my knowledge with him, along with lots of encouragement. The story he asked me to read was good. He asked me to give him a bid for editing. I told him I was cutting back on my editing for a while. But it would be a fun project.
I ate lunch with my friend Vincent Kituku, a speaker who has now focused his efforts on raising money for Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope, a non-profit that provides education for young people in poverty in Kenya. Vincent has mentored my speaking efforts for several years. He advised me, not for the first time, to focus on that which I deem most important.
Uh-huh.
Not easy. I love to speak about words and encourage other writers, and since I care about words, I enjoy (most of the time) writing my column. I love to write fiction; can get lost in the story and when I make myself laugh or cry, it’s a wonderful feeling. I enjoy editing, and it provides my major income. (Thanks to my dh, I don’t need to do it full-time.)
Picking one of those to focus on is, to me, like choosing a favorite child. Can’t be done.
Later that day I attended an awards ceremony for the Top Idaho Author and Book Awards. My book won two awards. Yay!Top Idaho Author Awards
The awards encouraged me to focus for now on the second novel in the Havoc in Hancock series, with the intention of completing the first draft by the end of the month. That means marketing Mustard’s Last Stand, the award-winning first novel, must take a back seat.
I can’t forego marketing altogether, however.
So once again I shall spread myself too thin and take longer than I should completing the next novel. Oh, and getting out the compilation of those funny articles on words and writing!
I know that focus would help me reach one of my goals faster. The question I face daily is, however, do I want to do that or do I choose to spread the love between them all? So far my answer has been, “I want it all.” I’m not sure it’s the best answer, but it fits me and my personality.
How have you decided where to focus and what to cut out?
