Behind the Motivation

It's a Monday so it's time for a Write Motivation progress report!

What started as a great week, ended with a fizzle. I submitted my novella on Monday and ended up with another 2k on current WIP. I finished Dead Iron and started Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn. However, late Wednesday I came down with the flu. Ugh. There my productivity ended.

Though I will say, Thursday I had a heck of a fever and some twisted story ideas came to me. Kind of scared me, in all honesty. Glad the fever is gone, lol. But enough about that. Onto the goals!

Here are the goals I made for March:

1) Edit minimum 6 pages, 4 days per week
2) Write for minimum 30 minutes 6 days per week
3) Update blog minimum 4 days per week
4) Social Network/blog comments minimum 3 days per week
5) Read minimum 30 minutes per day
6) Study craft minimum 30 minutes per day
7) Eat well, drink water, move body every day

What I accomplished:
1)I sent off the novella. Whew, what a feeling :) Now I pretend that I'm a super patient person and don't mind how long it takes to hear back. Cause, you know, I have plenty of things to work on and keep me busy. No need to check my email countless times. That would be silly ;) (yeah right)

2)I've written 2k on the new story and worked a little on the revisions until ravaged by the nasty flu bug.

3)I missed two blog days. Not bad. This is where writing posts for blogs early on would've come in handy. Ah well, lesson learned.

4)I didn't get to visit near enough people this week.

5)I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to do anything. Before the flu, I'd finished Dead Iron and started on Voices of Dragons. So many books to read...hope I get to them soon.

6)I need to catch up on my synopsis workshop. We're coming to the end soon, so I'm going to have to get the homework completed and turned in.

7)The whole eat right, exercise, sleep thing pretty much went out the window. I hope to be back on track this week. I miss my routine. After two days of snow (on the first two days of spring) I'm more ready than anything for sunshine, and lots of it.

So, not much can be done. No sense getting upset with myself or dwelling on how much I'm behind. All I can do is pick up and push on. And okay, maybe I check the email a few times more than I should...not about that novella...huh uh. I'm so patient!

I truly missed my #writemotivation! Both the giving and receiving end.

So what is Write Motivation?

Write Motivation is a wonderful group of lads and ladies who are super supportive, inspiring, creative, talented, and highly motivating. They are keeping me on my toes. And if I'm having a low point or what-not, they help boost my spirits :) You can hang with us at #writemotivation on Twitter or stop by the above link to learn more. We'd love for you to join us!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Ann Cory

Writer's Retreat

When you’re somewhat of a recluse, aka shy, it isn’t easy being in the spotlight. With all the social networking and places to be for an author, it can be overwhelming. There are times when someone writes me and asks – girl where have you been?

Where?

Unplugged. Not online. Possibly hidden under a blanket or under my desk, maybe rocking myself in a broom closet full of dolls who talk to me, you never know.

Sometimes I have to retreat. Sometimes I have to be okay with not sharing news with the world. I’m a big fan of privacy. At the same time I acknowledge that in this career, I need to be accessible. Most days I don’t mind so much.

I remember when writers had a certain mystique. They hid out in the creepy but cool attic hunched over a spiffy typewriter, plunking away, pausing once in awhile to swear and fix the ribbon. They wore a mask of anonymity. I like that. I support that. Mystique is both a cool word, and cool.

Except now there's little mystique in these times of promotional circuits, personal blogs, guest blogs, platform building, author branding, critique groups, writing groups, chats, workshops, seminars, conventions, and social networking. For a somewhat shy person like me, it’s daily work to keep myself afloat out there. I take a deep breath and plunge in that deep end as often as I'm able. Even though I can't swim, am afraid of water, and am allergic to chlorine. I still do it.

When I do retreat – it’s to recharge and refuel. A time to gather myself and prepare myself for the next round.

To stay sane and out of that broom closet, I’ve joined groups such as Write Motivation and Write Campaign. I know there's support and helping hands to pull me out of that deep end when I've lost my momentum.

Still, there will be the times when I have to retreat. And I'm okay with that. I'm not totally alone. There are the dolls...

~Ann Cory

Motivated Monday

It's Monday and Write Motivation check-in day! I've stayed busy and productive and am very proud of all that I've accomplished.

My March goals are as follows:

1) Edit minimum 6 pages, 4 days per week
2) Write for minimum 30 minutes 6 days per week
3) Update blog minimum 4 days per week
4) Social Network/blog comments minimum 3 days per week
5) Read minimum 30 minutes per day
6) Study craft minimum 30 minutes per day
7) Eat well, drink water, move body every day

I accomplished:
1)15 pages deep edited and 15 pages edited. I'll need to go back through the more recent 15 pages and do a deep edit on them. But that's for next week :)
2)Between two WIP's I've written 15k
Hmmm, what's with all the 15's? Weird trend
3)I generally blog 5x's a week, but give myself some room if I'm unable to do that. I've blogged everyday except Sunday this week. I try and stay unplugged more on Sundays.
4)I pop up somewhere each day, generally I keep it to small intervals of time. Too easy to lose myself in it, so I use a timer.
5)Lots of reading :) I finished Shameless, Tithe, Poison Study, and am halfway finished with Changes by Jim Butcher. Can't read enough - wish I had more time!
6)I've been in a workshop all week - so that gets counted toward my craft study. A new one starts today! Very excited :)
7)I've eaten well, had plenty of water, the exercise thing is not quite going well, but I'm working on this.

So - goals were met. Add to this that the Sapphic Planet Anthology released in print - so I've been busy promoting it. Stay tuned for a blog hop with the contributing authors :)

Write Motivation is a wonderful group of lads and ladies who are super supportive, inspiring, creative, talented, and highly motivating. They are keeping me on my toes. And if I'm having a low point or what-not, they help boost my spirits :) You can hang with us at #writemotivation on Twitter or stop by the above link to learn more. We'd love for you to join us!

Be Polished

Do you ever get irritated with all the nonsense in the news about political figures and celebrities who aren't capable of conducting themselves properly? The scandals and the secret babies, the destructive behavior and the just plain moronic behavior...I'm sure you know who I'm talking about with that last one. It all makes for great fiction, but that's about all it does.

Whether you talk in front of the camera or post online, people need to be responsible for their behavior and words. How you put yourself out there matters.

I know there are people who enjoy the gossip mill. And there are people who love drama. I've managed to stay clear of both because I don't gossip or desire drama, I lack the time and interest, and in the end it doesn't serve me to get involved. It doesn't add benefits to my life or well-being. It stirs negativity and hinders creativity. If you can't say something worthwhile and constructive, why bother?

For writers, and really for all professions, words matter. We want our words to have meaning, substance, purpose. There is a lot of power in words. You can empower with words. You can also strip someone of their power with words.

Putting the spotlight on writers, we spend a lot of time editing our work. We edit, edit again, and then edit again before we send our work to an editor who then edits even more. Why? Because we want our work polished before it's presented to the world. We want our best work to shine because it represents us, our brand, and our business. That mentality should extend beyond stories. It should extend into our daily lives.

We can all strive to do and be our best. We can conduct ourselves with grace and dignity. We can make a difference with our words in a way that counts. It just takes a little polish.

~Ann Cory

Appreciating the Path

Are you one of those lucky people who traveled a smooth road to success? Whatever that success may be? Cool - thanks for stopping by - nothing to see here. I wish you continued success. Buh-bye.

Are you one of those people who have to work harder? Whatever it is that you do? You've been down the yellow brick road, the bumpy road, followed moldy breadcrumbs, hit a dead end or two, and know that a shortcut through the Gumdrop Mountains is a cruel joke disguised as a pretty portal to paradise? Maybe you've done the real-life version of Candyland, and just when you closed in on your personal castle of decadent dreams - freakin' Plumpy or meddling Mr. Mint snatched you up and forced you back like you were some kind of amateur? *raises hand* That's so me!

I've accepted that I have to work harder. I've accepted that easy doesn't mean better. No matter what, I refuse to give up. That personal desire to succeed drives me, fuels me, and makes me never take accomplishments for granted. I'm determined, perseverant, committed, and stubborn :) <--- hubby is probably nodding at this one.

What about you? Got what it takes to make it? Of course you do!

I've made craptastic choices. I've written stories that make my eyes bleed. I've sent in work that fell a few thousand miles short of my best. I've let people down, unintentionally. I've let myself down. I'm human with a boatload of flaws, but I learn from my mistakes. Not right away, because you know that would fall under easy and I already let you know upfront I don't do easy, but I do learn. And when I learn I like to share.

So I'm sharing that we have to take the stumbles and dodge Lollipop Woods on our journey to The Castle of Dreams. If you've suffered from a rejection of a story you thought had gingerbread cookie goodness written all over it - and now you want to drown your sorrows IN gingerbread cookie goodness - hey go ahead - it won't affect MY hips...oh, what I mean to say is...don't you dare surrender. Don't you dare drag yourself down to the molasses swamp. And don't you dare detour off to Lord Licorice's Lair. Flash a brave smile, brush off the cookie crumbs, maybe stop at Grandma's (I hear she makes awesome sauce) and get back on track.

Be accepting of mistakes. Remember that you hold all the tools you need to improve. Learn from the mistakes and apply them. Looking back can help ground you in the now, and it can ready you for the future. Make each day better. Keep working, striving, reaching, moving forward. Don't forget to pause and reward yourself for all that hard work. We all need to work harder at being good to ourselves and create healthy habits.

So you have to work harder? Big deal! You'll appreciate the end results more. You'll appreciate YOU more.

~Ann Cory

Taking Risks

Either I play too many board games or I just find they work into what I want to blog about.

Today I want to talk about taking risks. I find the actual word “risk” kind of...menacing. I don’t know why. It’s one syllable, it ends in sk. It’s short and like brisk, it’s cold. You could call my house and instead of breathing heavy or asking me trivia questions about my favorite scary movie, you could say “risk” and I’ll gasp, drop the phone, and run down the hall shrieking. I swear I won't fall. Hmm, sounds like I have a bit of a complex with the word risk. Even when I play the game Risk, I play it safe.

"You've gotta risk it to get the biscuit"
from the movie Fired Up

It's a catchy quote and very true. Sometimes you have to do what shakes you up and what freaks you right out.

When you put yourself out there, a shift happens. Old, stagnant energy gets stirred up and moving. Stagnant isn't good. It leaves you open and vulnerable. It leaves you less prepared to handle the unexpected. If you’re lying around like a pile of leaves and a big gust of wind comes along – you’re mobile, like it or not. You’re going to land somewhere new and have to figure out where to go from there. Learning to take risks and managing the fear behind taking risks will set you up for a better way of handling stress.

Say you want to try a new job. Maybe you don't have all the skills they're looking for, but you have other skills. That new job caught your attention and sounds promising, but you talk yourself out of it because you're used to being stagnant, and change sounds too much like work. You might be missing out on an exciting opportunity. Change really is good, and we’re all very adaptable about change even if we don't like to admit it.

When it comes to writing, the moment we put our work out there and share our creations, we take a risk. When it goes to publishers, editors, agents, reviewers, readers, and our families, we take a risk. But it can’t be too bad because we keep doing it. Maybe your creativity has fallen short...why not try a new genre? Look at the books in your bookshelf. What do you like to read most? Is that the genre you're writing in? See if writing something outside of your comfort box sparks new interest and creativity.

Don't get yourself so stuck that you believe you aren't capable of greatness. Comfortable is nice for a little while, but comfortable borderlines that easy thing, and often comes with a price.

The object of the game Risk is to conquer the world. You use strategy and create a game plan. You attack opponents and defend territories. Little by little you take over the next territory and the next territory. I'm not suggesting that you should go all Rambo, no need to get violent, but say you want to be on the NYT bestseller list, then you better know how to strategize, take charge, and prove your worth. You create a brand, make a business plan, and put your best work forward. You take all the necessary steps, even if they're scary, because you want the success.

Say you have to talk in front of a large group and you're shy. The thing is, you know what you're going to get up and talk about. You have the tools and skills behind you to back up each word. Stand up and say it. Your words may be of great value to someone else. Your experiences may be what propels someone into action when they've fallen stagnant.

Say you have a book to pitch to an agent and you believe that you'll freeze up. Take that risk. You wrote the book, you know it. The characters have slept at your place, ate dinner with you, and hung out to watch movies...though they mysteriously disappear when it's time to do the laundry or dishes. They've argued with you, ignored you, and played "let's hide the plot". You know the book - it's yours - lovingly created and crafted by YOU. YOU are the best spokesperson for your book!

Change can give you a personal, professional, and creative boost. Don't get so comfortable that you forget about that greatness in you. Start with small risks and work your way up. Little steps. Conquer the fear. Kick stagnant to the curb.

Take a risk - the outcome might be victorious :)

Ann Cory

Perfection

I loved playing the game Perfection. The object - beat the clock to get all the funky shaped pieces where they belong before the timer goes and the pieces explode in your face. Fun game. Not a fun way to be.

Perfection

While not as terrifying to me as the word "risk" it reeks of negativity. To me the word perfection insinuates failure. It hints that there's something wrong with me. It screws with my confidence and magnifies my flaws, and I'm attached to some of my flaws. My flaws help me learn. They make up who I am. And part of being me means I write. When something threatens my ability to write, I go all Xena Warrior Princess and get my battle on.

I've gotta fight for the right to write!

Perfection comes with a cost.

It can cost you relationships if you expect it in others. It can cost you your health if you try and live up to someone else's idea of beauty and weight. It can cost you a job. It can get you to write the voice right out of your story. I tried so hard to make a story perfect that I lost my voice.

True story.

I tweaked and changed and twisted my words to make them fit something that in the end wasn't my story. I rewrote my characters until they were strangers. And my plot? Forget about it. Gone with the wind. Gone with my voice. Gone baby gone.

Messing around with all the unique and exciting elements to my story resulted in a humdrum and incomplete story. Humdrum because it didn't flow. Incomplete because it lacked voice. I didn't recognize my story anymore. All of my stories have some element of ME in them, yet I couldn't be found. I was a missing piece.

So I had this super clever idea: Start another story.
Guess what? I did the same thing to that story. I butchered it. At no point could I convince myself that it was good, because it wasn't perfect. I don't even know what perfect is. Soon I had ten unfinished and imperfect stories. All lacking voice. Months of work and nothing to show for it. I convinced myself that if I kept reworking the sentences it would be perfect. I lost my way and went down a dead end street. The words that I tried to fit into the story blew up in my face - just like in the game Perfection. I timed out. Game over.

Well...not over. Because like the game, I tried different tactics until I got it right. I worked at it and found a way to make the pieces fit. Nothing went boom.

I don't obsess about my stories the way I used to. I write and I edit and I allow myself to be heard. I know when I need to take a breath and hit send. I know when enough is enough.

I don't need to be perfect. I need to be me.

~Ann Cory

Success: Fear or Desire?

Do you desire success?

Do you fear the idea of success?

Most people understand fearing failure more than fearing success, but you can fear one or the other or both. You can desire success and doubt yourself. You can achieve success and fear what will happen next. You can convince yourself that you will never achieve the kind of success you desire, so why bother. You can fear success before you ever give it a shot because it’s an unknown, and maybe you don’t do well with unknowns.

Fear is powerful. It paralyzes us. It crushes our dreams. It keeps us from new experiences and adventures.

Fear makes us cling to our tried and true comfort zones. What’s wrong with comfort zones? They aren’t always the best place to be. Sure they’re comfortable, but that’s because we don’t have to think about them. There’s no surprise. There's no challenge. It’s like being on auto-pilot.

Fear makes us play the What If game: What happens if I’m asked to do more than I’m able? What happens if I have to make a choice between family and career? What if people don’t like me? What if people don’t like my work? What if I’m a one-hit wonder? What if even after all of my success, I still fail? It’s legitimate to have these fears and worries and stresses, but you need to have faith in yourself. Believe in your capabilities. You're here to learn and live and experience.

Each of us is capable of success. And I'm not talking about the kind of success measured by others. To be successful you need to be the best representation of yourself. Maybe that means raising personal expectations. Maybe that means putting less limitations on ourselves. Maybe it means a little more work, but it's the kind of work you can be proud of.

You can go as far as you want. You don't need the auto-pilot. You're in charge.

~Ann Cory

Derailed - Getting Back On Track

You know those personal and professional goals that you make with good intentions? You’ve found a balance of all the important aspects of your life and you can almost coast along with your eyes closed? You don’t of course, but you think you can. It’s a great place to be! But what if suddenly, out of nowhere, you get derailed? What if those goals and plans and daily progress get knocked for a loop? Ever had that happen to you?

*raises hand* I have.

In fact, that is part of why I haven’t updated my blog as often. I was enjoying a pretty nice pace and thought I had enough reserves in case life happened. But then…life happened. It only took two days for me to derail, and two weeks to get back on track. But the beauty is that you can always put yourself back on track.

How? Get back in the driver’s seat. You control that wheel. Just because you went left when you were supposed to go right doesn’t mean your entire trip is a bust. You may have to do some work. You may have to work hard. And you may have to fight off self-doubt and insecurities in the process. Remember that the end result is worth it because the end result is your success. You don’t have to throw your hands in the air and stay stuck. Realign yourself. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be back to making it happen. It’s not easy to right yourself, but it’s possible and you can do it.

Here’s my own personal motto that I made up: When your great intentions go astray – get back on track to find your way.

It may sound hokey, but you matter, and how you treat yourself matters. Nothing goes right all the time. It’s how we learn and grow. It’s how we find out what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes a little shake-up can be positive. It depends on how you react and how you recover.

~Ann Cory

Juggling: What Is Too Much?

According to the Juggling Information Service Committee on Numbers Juggling, Albert Lucas juggled thirteen rings for thirteen catches. Wow – that’s impressive. Thirteen sounds like a lot to juggle. Maybe too much, considering it’s a very rare feat and would take a lot of practice.

Many of us juggle far too many things than we should. Not always with success. In fact, usually it involves a lot of sacrifice of important things like exercise, eating right, getting enough sleep, and family time. You know, unless you have magical abilities or some other cool gift.

Most of us attempt to juggle as many things as we can in a day. I know I’m guilty of that, and I’m constantly working to scale back. If you’re always feeling harried, rushed, and like you never have enough time, it’s because you don’t. Why? Because you’re trying to fit in too much in your day. Do all of those things have to be done that day? Can one of those items wait another day? Does your house have to be spotless? Or can laundry wait another day? Do you want to be known for keeping a perfect house or for writing great fiction?

An area you may be guilty of is being a workshop junkie or a submission junkie. Hang on now, I’m all about learning. We are students of life, for life. I am not at all suggesting that you shouldn’t take out time everyday to learn more about your craft, or learn a new hobby. At the same time, it needs to fit in your day. It needs to make sense. You won’t learn well while you're juggling everything else too. And while you may have no shortage of fabulous ideas for stories, the world won’t stop if you save it for another time. If you're worried that you'll forget it, kick out a few paragraphs or jot down a brief outline, and then come back to it when you’ve completed the other eight you want to write.

If you want to be in this job for the long haul, why tax yourself early? Think longevity. Thing quality over quantity.

You know my posts are always written because of something I’m doing, dealing with, working through. I’ve gone the quantity over quality route. I’ve gone the never say no - I can do it all route. Am I a prolific writer? Yes I am. I understand this business and my part in it. But I’m not looking to fizzle out early. This isn’t a fifteen minutes of fame process. I aim to be around a long, long time, writing in many different genres. I will always strive to be better. But I have a life and a family, and they’re more important. Sure, the lives of my characters are important to me. I can put them into some very unsettling situations. In the end, the lives of the people I love (including myself) are more precious.

So before you try and throw another task up into the air, consider how many you’ve got going now. Take inventory and figure out what tasks can be set aside for later. Set a limit that works for you. There’s no need to try and do it all. Even if you can, what does it get you? Stress. Less time. Unhealthy habits.

Rather than take on one more activity, why not take that time to exercise? Make a healthy meal? Read a book. Close yourself off from the world. Unplug and walk away. Turn off the phone. Stop checking emails. You know you just sent that story in yesterday, so let it be.

Put all of the balls down for thirty minutes a day, and tune in to yourself. Yes, you can do it all. Yes, you are all that. Yes, your life is valuable, maybe more than that of your characters.

~Ann Cory

Support Matters

Ladies, make sure you’ve got a proper fitting bra, and gentlemen, make sure you’ve got the right fitting belt. What the heck am I on about? I’m talking about support.

We all need it. Even if it’s just a little bit. None of us do well for long when we’re out there flailing around or riding low. Hence those bras and belts! It doesn’t matter what size you are, this is a one-size fits all kind of deal.

Everyone benefits from support. It’s a wonderful gift to give someone. Who doesn’t benefit from a pat on the back or a spirited “well done” every once in awhile? Who doesn’t benefit from the knowledge that they aren’t alone and don’t have to feel like they’re alone when they try a new job, story, or project? Everyone benefits!

And even more rewarding, not only does it feel good to have someone support you, it’s a boost to be supportive.

When you work hard and put all of yourself into your task, it’s nice to know someone is there to cheer you on and help pick you up on the days you question what you’re doing.

I’m lucky to have a wonderful support system at home. I can write anything and I know that my hubby is proud of me. But it isn’t just about supporting my actual work, he supports my business ethics. He finds ways to help make my office more functional by building shelves, installing the right kind of lighting, and creating ways to help me stay organized. He's my tech support and personal handyman. He’s also fun to storyboard with when my characters are running amok, and provides me with emotional support when a deadline looms or I second-guess myself. Yeah, it happens.

Not everyone has support from their family. And you may have close friends who can't provide you with the support you're looking for, but that doesn't mean you're doomed to be a loner forever. Take the initiative and email someone in your line of work/genre/project and see where it goes? You may have to do the initial work to find someone, but after you do, it becomes a team thing. *pom pom swish*

Write a list of traits you're looking for and seek out like-minded people. Strike up conversations and see where they go. You won't know until you try. I mean, unless you know exactly what you're looking for, you tend to try on a few of those bras and belts, don't you? *wink*

If you're looking for some extra motivation to hit your goals and stay accountable, then sign up for Write Motivation. After only a week, I feel jazzed about what I'm doing. Faulty thinking is banished. Negativity - poof, it's gone. Knowing people are rooting you on is inspiring. Course I always did like those gold stars back in grade school. In a single click, there's someone in your corner :) Talk about motivation!

There’s no need to feel alone. Get active in finding your support system. And then get active by being supportive!

~Ann Cory

Unrealistic Goals Can Burst Your Bubble

Do you ever have that moment when you're on top of the world? You're invincible, and excitement radiates throughout your body like you're plugged into a super-powered Energizer battery? Life is brighter, easier, full of hope and promise?

That smashing good mood of yours has you planning your entire week. You're going to get that project finished. Clean out the garage. Go through all the cupboards and closets. Churn out one story after another. Blog daily with renewed enthusiasm. Invest time in the social network sites. Edit your current story with the hope of subbing it out within days. Oh, and query an agent. Good times!

You log your goals on a notepad and get started. Because you're all amped up on happy juice you're cruising through and marking each item off. You're singing like a rock star, getting your groove on. You know you're going to bust through tomorrow's agenda with the same mad passion.

And the next day...

Your oh-so-happy mood bubble burst. The creativity bug sprouted wings and took off to some Avatar-inspired world. You look at your lengthy to-do list and think WTF?

Life is funny that way. You can have a super productive day and be walking around with a cute little bunny bounce, and the next day you're struggling to put on a sock. What happened? It's easy to get caught up in a moment. It's easy to plan your day in advance, especially when you're pumped. It's even easier to set yourself up for failure because you expect too much. And a vicious cycle happens when you set unrealistic goals. You berate yourself, call yourself down, tap into negativity and give up. You think you can't finish what you start and you're a failure. Not good!

When you set goals, whatever they are, they should make sense. They should be doable. They should be positive. They should fit within your daily schedule. Otherwise you're doing yourself a disservice. You only have so many hours in a day and losing sleep to finish your overloaded list is equally damaging. At some point you'll crash or your family may consider an intervention. I used to have unhealthy work habits, and my hubby will call me out if I even think about repeating them.

Find the right balance. Make goals you can accomplish. Be forgiving when life happens. Believe it or not, there is always tomorrow.

~Ann Cory

What's Stopping You?

Let’s say you’ve decided on a project. You have all the tools and materials you need to complete this project. You have set aside the time needed and you’ve done your research so you can move forward. Nothing is stopping you. You’re prepared. And it’s going to be great. Ready?

It’s go time!

Wait, what happened?

Why are you stalling? What’s keeping you from completing the project? Oh…YOU are.

Gotcha.

How many times has this happened to you? An idea comes to you and you’re psyched. You jot down the information, figure out what it’s going to take to complete, and get all pumped up to do it. Maybe you even tell other people about this fantastic project. You’ve got the visual in your mind of how it will look when it’s done. But even after all of that time and preparation, all the planning and dreaming, you aren't any closer to completion.

Don't sabotage yourself. Don't be the one standing in your own way. Be cautious of all the little signs that try and veer you off your path to success. They're bright and pretty and sparkly and sound a lot more fun than doing work ever will. We all want to have some fun in our day, and we should incorporate fun in our day, but even that has to have a limit. We owe it to ourselves to keep moving forward and working toward our goals. We owe it to ourselves to do what we're passionate about.

There will always be times when life puts up road blocks. You can’t plan for every crisis. Maybe you have health issues you have to work around. Perhaps a family member came down with a cold or the flu. Maybe your spouse gets laid off from work. Perhaps Mother Nature decides to have her say. Interruptions are a part of life. Teach yourself how to make use of the time that you have. Don't wait for the time. Make any time productive.

If you have only fifteen minutes to spend on the project a day, then make those fifteen minutes valuable. Give those fifteen minutes all of your attention. Baby that fifteen minutes. In as little as fifteen minutes a day, every day, eventually you will complete that project. If you can spend fifteen minutes on the phone, watching TV, playing a game, hitting the snooze button, reading emails, getting off track while researching, or sitting down thinking about how much you don’t want to do something…you have that time.

If you’ve been wondering how you’re going to fit in the time to write when you already have a busy schedule, then set aside smaller increments of time. If it means setting a timer and making yourself write for a minimum of fifteen minutes without distractions in order to get your writing done for the day, then set that timer and have at it. If it means getting up fifteen minutes earlier, then it may be worthwhile.

Say you can type 1,000 words in fifteen minutes. In seven days you could have 7,000 words of your story written. Over time these words add up.

Say you want to build a cabinet or clean out your closet. Don’t make the decision to try and do it all in one day. The task will seem too big and you’ll talk yourself right out of it. It’s easy to do. But by breaking it up into smaller bits of time, you may surprise yourself how much you can accomplish.

If you want something bad enough, you’ll make the time. You’ll never find time, but you can make it, and you can make it work for you.

Do you have a spare fifteen minutes in your day? What can you fill it with?

~Ann Cory