In Honor of Leap Day

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Caffeinated Romance

I let this one sneak through without mentioning it.

Caffeinated Romance: lyrics and poems for everyday people who fall in and out of love is available on amazon for your kindle. CLICK HERE


It will be available other places soon and yes even physical copies.


This book of poems  isn't for everyone, just those who have ever loved or longed to love. You'll find lyrics and poems for everyday people. The dramatic and emotional mixed with the lighthearted and fun. Caffeinated Romance is the perfect companion to a cup of coffee, a window seat or a roaring fire on a raining day.

Do You Love What You're Doing?

If you love what you're doing, do you know why? It's probably because of; the people you work with, you're working on something bigger than yourself, you're learning something you want to learn, or a combination of all three.

Think about that and then evaluate the tactical skills you bring to the work environment by rating your demonstration of the skills listed below. Is your use of each skill: rare, seldom, frequent or consistent?

1. Planning / Scheduling / Budgeting - Setting goals and targets, preparing and justifying budgets, forecasting trends and activity levels.


2. Organizing - Organizing your own time and commitments, laying out of workflow and equipment, coordinating multiple diverse activities, coordinating resources.


3. Leading / Staffing - Resolving work plans of direct reports, maximizing their commitments, training and coaching, initiating changes and improvements effectively, delegating responsibility and authority.


4. Controlling - Setting performance standards, setting up strategic control points and requesting feedback on results, defining and enforcing policy and practice, controlling costs.


5. Problem Analysis and Decision Making - Diagnosing problems, stimulating new ideas, obtaining and verifying information, identifying alternatives and trade-offs, taking appropriate risks, making decisions with little guidance.


6. Communicating - Making presentations, leading meetings, contributing effectively to discussions, preparing written reports, keeping groups informed, providing feedback, probing and questioning techniques, reading skills


7. Relating to Others - Dealing with management, cooperating with other groups, being persuasive under opposition, sensitive to needs of others.


8. Functional and Administrative Know How - Know-How related to your job, understanding of programs and groups impacting your work, knowledge of your field.

Examine your work skills and assess your present and potential strengths and weaknesses.

• What specific aspects of your job do you like?


• In which three areas do you think you need to acquire additional skills?

Self analysis helps you identify your attitudes and the effect on your goal setting and performance. How you think and feel about people and things, greatly influences how you act. This is called your attitude. An analysis of your attitude helps you determine what you like and dislike and helps you understand why. Your attitude is influenced by your personal satisfaction.

Building Short Stories with Cubes

I continue to merge and mingle my left and right brain together to be a smarter writer and a more creative business person. My business head is looking at production, how many titles can I produce and publish in x amount of time or stated differently, given x amount of time, what could I produce. Some “artistic” writers may be repulsed by my notion of wanting creative writing to fit in some sort of production schedule. Creativity isn’t supposed to work that way. I would argue that writer’s are at their most creative when faced with a deadline. 

There’s a common metric that a writer can generally produce 1,000 words an hour. I’m not saying they are in perfect order, grammatically correct or even spelled right but they are in a workable form for later revision. I’ve never tested this until last week and for me, that number holds true. I can spew out about 250 words in a fifteen minute span. Knowing that helps with production numbers. 

How long would it take to write a 3,000 word short story? Three hours. A 50,000 word NaNoWriMo type challenge? 50 Hours or a little under two hours a day for a month. So a 90,000 word novel, if I were so inclined, would take a 90 hour investment spread out over some period of time. I’m not talking about quality, I’m just talking about speed and the “I don’t have time” myth. I know if I can find one fifteen minute block somewhere in the 96 that are offered each day, I can get 250 words down.

In February I created the goal of writing 29,000 words beyond what I’m already committed. If you’re following along that’s 29 hours for me, or one hour a day of extra writing. Pretty good, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to use those words and that time on. There’s no shortage of choices. I have several works in progress in various stages that all could use an extra hour of daily attention but most of them, are thankfully already scheduled. So, why not ramp up production? 29,000 words are 10 or so short stories. 

I’m fairly new to the short story form, but that’s where all my bigger stories start. If I want to continue writing, and earning income, then I’ll always need some more stories. In the past, I used to write fiction when I wanted to. When the mood struck or I wanted a diversion to recharge my batteries. When I had deadlines like contest submissions or events like NaNoWriMo, then writing would become an event and I felt I had to outline my story and create some type of structure. 

I’m not a pantser (one who writes by the seat of their pants) unless you count my journals. I’m an outliner, barely, because they don’t have too much detail. See, left and right brains coalescing again. Are you paying attention Congress? I believe in a loose structure so I created a grid that had these general elements;

• Current State
• Wants / Goals
• Fears
• Sacrifices
• Rewards
• Inner Motivation
• Inner Conflict
• Outer Motivation
• Outer Conflict
• Resolution

If I was going to write ten new short stories in a month I would need a plan. I had no story burning to get out. I just needed to meet my commitment to writing something new every day. I pulled out a set of Story Cubes from the family game collection. 

Story Cubes are nine dice with different images on each side which act as story prompts. There are countless ways to play and my family has had great fun using them to tell stories; some terrific, some stinkers. That’s life. I used those Story cubes to randomly populate my short story grid. I closed my eyes, rolled a cube and assigned it to each element, except Resolution. It was a little bit like placing bets on a football pool, but soon the grid was filled with five story ideas. I read each one from Current State through to outer conflict and if a natural resolution to the story didn’t present itself I would pull a random cube and force one. 

Now I have the outline to five short stories and have already written three. Some are very short but by the time I’m done with ten or more a couple may turn into a story worth telling over the course of a novel. I don’t know and I don’t care. I don’t have any expectations beyond getting 29,000 new words out but as I look over the grid I created, some stories do excite me.

It’s been said that for every twenty-four pictures you take one is worth sharing. I don’t know what the ratio is for writers. I suspect it depends on the writer. To one extreme there are those with hubris, who think all then pen is magical and to the other is the disheartened who regularly second guess themselves with every comma and period. Most fall between the two and need to chart their own way. All I know for certain is that the best writers are the ones who write.

Career Planning Step Two

Career Planning Step Two
Here’s the second step of the Career Guidance Process I use with clients. Remember, career planning is a continuous process. You are the one who decides in advance how, when, and where to take specific actions that will lead you closer to where you want to go. The following questions will help you organize your thoughts around your career planning objectives, strengths, areas of opportunity and personal development.

1. What positions or fields of work interest you?


2. Do you want to specialize or generalize?


3. Where do you want to be in two years? In five years?


4. Are these realistic given your current abilities?


5. What do you do well?


6. What do you not do so well?


7. What do you enjoy doing?


8. What specific work situations help or hinder your productivity?


9. Do you consider yourself reasonably qualified for the type of work you’re interested in?


10. What training or development do you feel you need to be better prepared?


11. What are you currently doing to develop yourself? (i.e. Education, Reading, Professional Associations.)


12. What additional knowledge, experience or skills do you need to acquire in order to perform better in your current job and meet your career objectives?


13. What can you do to acquire the additional knowledge, experience and skills and is it worth the sacrifice of time and effort?


14. Are you willing to move laterally to gather additional experience?


15. How could your current manager help in your growth and development?


16. How do you feel about moving to another location?


17. How much traveling are you willing to do if required?

Are you heading the the direction you've intended?

Are You Planning Your Career or Just Going wth the Flow?

Are you planning your career or have you decided to just go with the flow? Career planning is a continuous process where you decide in advance how, when, and where to take specific actions that lead you closer to your desired destination.

Here’s the first step of the Career Guidance Process I use with clients. The intent is to explore your career goals, strengths, and areas of opportunity.

Step One:
Begin with what I call CareerScaping. Dream about the contributions and accomplishments you wish to achieve while simultaneously fulfilling your purpose in life. Look to what you enjoy doing for important clues and give thought to the following questions:

1. When you daydream, what do you see yourself doing?


2. If you had unlimited time and resources, what would you choose to do?


3. Which work life activities do you consider to be the most valuable?


4. Which personal life activities do you consider to be the most valuable?


5. What talents do you have?


6. Are there particular things you feel you should do even though you haven’t yet? What are they?


7. What functional areas interest you (i.e. sales, operations, finance, technical, management)?


8. Do you have a specific job in mind? What is it?


9. What skills, training or additional education will you need for that job?


10. Who can help you find out more information?

Remember, career planning is a continuous process so whether you’re 18 or 80, the previous questions still apply. The answers shape your future. Where do you want to go?

Trouble with Women

Having some fun. I've been publishing about one short story per week. That schedule keeps me writing, keeps me practicing, and keeps me adding new titles into the marketplace for people to read. Trouble with Women is my first anthology of five of my short stories. You can find most on my work on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or iTunes.

About Quitting

In 2008 I published a book, How To Stay When You Want to Quit; Re-scripting your life from Whiner to Winner. I wrote it a few years before that but it sat in a drawer for a while. Before that it was a speech I gave to a few people who were feeling beaten down by work and before that ... well, I lived most of it.

The story is about two friends who are pressing hard at their careers. One is fortunate to be working with a great boss who has mentored and challenged her to be her best.  Unfortunately the other has had the opposite experience. He has been through a heavy rotation of managers, many of whom spoke a good game but never really showed up to play.

It’s a non-traditional business book in that it’s half screenplay and half workbook. I wrote it in the hopes that others would pick up a few tips they could use to help bring positive action to themselves or others who were disillusioned in their jobs.

Naturally I was thrilled to be asked to participate in Ken Blanchard’s LeadershipLiveCast, “Quit and Stayed” on January 25, 2012. As a recovering quitter I know how tempting it is to whine and blame everything on burnout even if you’re acting like an arsonist. For me, I knew I had to learn how to stay, even though I wanted to quit. So I began to re-script my life from whiner to winner.

I started with my attitude; I began to look at things as challenges aching to be solved, not insurmountable problems. Next I began to question what it was I really wanted? The answer didn’t come right away because I was so entrenched by all the things I didn’t want. So I tried a different tactic and asked myself, “Why are you still here?”  After all, when people want to quit, they quit. When they don’t, it’s because some secondary benefit is being met and usually it’s for one of three reasons.

1. To work on your personal development.


2. To work with enriching people.


3. To work on something bigger than yourself.

Figuring that out helped me stay during a rough patch, It helped me to continue to provide for my family and as a manager helped me to reengage with my coworkers.


As a leader it put me in a better frame of mind and I used the same questions to help those who I saw were mentally quitting.

• What’s going right?


• What do you really want?


• What’s keeping you here?


• What will you do in the meantime?

Most people aren’t going to stay in the same position let alone same industry for their whole career. As a leader, if you can help them get to the next place faster, you’ll both be more engaged and productive.

I hope you’ll be able to join the webinar this week or pick up my book. I’ve learned a few things about people, business and publishing in the time that’s passed since it came out, so I’d love to hear your stories and feedback that I may include in a new edition later in the year.

Private Goals

When I was in my early twenties, friends and I used to start the year optimistically with some mantra or pithy phrase for the New Year.

In my thirties, I learned more about goal setting and how to achieve them faster. I also created elaborate documents filled with metrics and dashboards with pictures of success. My success rate was good, but I often became enslaved to numbers, not intent or purpose. As a result, any celebration felt lackluster, if I bothered to have one at all.

In recent years I’ve been getting back to basics and using words as a theme and compass for the year ahead. This year my focusing words are Create, Prosper and Confidence.

You can bet behind each of them I have a specific vision, strategy, tactics and measures of success, but I’ve become far less uptight about the bottom-line numbers.

I'm a believer in broadcasting a piece of your goals so people can help hold you accountable to them, but sometimes a public declaration can take the steam out of it. Once you declared something and people hold you accountable it can begin to feel like an obligation and people helping you feel like nags. This can be positive and powerful for some. I wouldn't have built a business around being an accountability partner if it wasn't. However, some goals should remain private.

They may not be for public consumption but they are no less grand, or inspiriting or noble. These are the secret goals that paint a smirk across your face when you work on them. There's a thrill and deep satisfaction knowing that you’re accomplishing something grand unbeknownst to others. This is the place where the overnight success is born. Away from the spotlight, in the shadows where no one is looking.

Private goals achieved is often far more satisfying because you did it yourself, without outside intervention. You could have quit at anytime and no one would have known or cared. Except you, and you cared, and you don't quit. These ones are too important.

New Year's comes at a strange time of year

New Year’s comes at a strange time of year. 

Some people use the time to celebrate good fortune and some use the time to say good riddance. The New Year always holds promise, and hope. People are determined their dreams will no longer be deferred, their wishes fulfilled and somehow, this year will be the best one ever.

You can adopt this thinking any day of any month. It doesn’t have to be right after coming down from a holiday high when your souped up with sugar or laden with the weight of extra big meals.

Chances are everyone around you is talking about what they want to do, have or be in the New Year, so you might as well use that collective energy as a springboard.

There’s no shortage of tips and programs to help you achieve your goals. Google my name and you’ll come across a few that I hope you’ll pursue, but it’s the last day of the year, so here’s something quick:

Step One: Know what you want.

Step Two: Take action, right now.

Step Three: Notice if it’s working. 

Step Four: If it’s not working, try something else.

Follow the steps above and you’ll accomplish more in 2012 then you did in 2011. 

Enjoy your celebration, in whatever way is meaningful to you. Work hard, 2012 will have challenges and setbacks, but if you stay focused I’m confident you will have a very Happy New Year.

My New eBook ... GO GET IT!

I'm excited to announce my new eBook. Go Get It! Your Guide to Finding Purpose, Setting Goals and Maintaining Success, is the perfect primer for planning what's next in your amazing life. Through quick stories and clear action steps, I take you through a process that confirms your purpose and helps you set achievable goals. You'll also learn how to maintain your success and help others along the way. Download it now at Amazon. Please rate and review this quick and powerful read.

If you wrote every month like you did in November, how productive would you be?

Many people participated in NaNoWriMo this year, the writing project that challenges you to put 50,000 words down within 30 days. I was pleased to have reached over 60,000 this year.

Many accomplished more. Many accomplished much less. And most writers in the world didn’t participate at all.

I find the deadline and daily word count goal to be exceptionally motivating. Others find the whole thing too maddening.

Naturally there are many who had the best of intention but a sickness, or family trouble, or something else stood in their way. It happens. All the time.

Look at what you wrote in the month of November. I’m not talking about the quality of what you wrote, I’m talking about the volume. What if you repeated your performance all year long? How much more productive would you be?

Maybe you wrote a page a day and it took you thirty minutes. Maybe you wrote only on weekends and punched out 10-15,000 words. Every writer is different. There’s not a right way or a wrong way. The only thing that writers have in come is that they write. They carve out x amount of time and produce x number of pages. What were your x’s and what’s keeping you from extending them through the next year?

If you invest a half hour and write 250 words a day you can have over 87,000 words for just over 14 days worth of work. What can you do with 87,000 words?

If you already write with any regularity you can probably write more per day and at a faster speed. So pick your own numbers. It’s your art. The thing is, if you keep it inside, no one is going to see it.

Maybe secretly, that’s what some people want. To be thought of as a writer. How many more years do you want to wait for your first novel, or script, or book? How many years do you want to be thought of as a “new” writer?

Writers write because they enjoy writing. It’s a priority for them, guilt be damned.

Whatever you did in November, do again. Add more words, or pull back a few if you’re tired. You’ve already proven what you’re capable of achieving. Keep your momentum.

they and me can again be We

They can gawk.

They can mock.

They can swear,

and blame,

and fail to understand.

They can fear.

They can demonize.

They can protect what they know.

They can try to keep their status quo, 

with ignorance or denial.

They can rouse their forces,

weaponized beyond proportion.

They can spray the eyes or pull the hair 

of mothers or daughters or elders,

who will no longer sit.

They can crack the heads of unarmed soldiers 

who, for a decade risked their lives in far-off lands 

to preserve the promise of days like these.

They can speak from two sides, 

pretending they don’t betray the constitution,

or morality, or commonsense.

They can tear down tents, disperse crowds 

and destroy property of a free people.

They can invoke the cry of safety

to trump any law.

They can herd the young and old like cattle,

or throw men over barricades, 

like worn-out mattresses. 

They can disinfect parks sullied by occupation,

but not the hearts of an educated nation. 

They can say they'll fix the wrongs.

They can bargain for more time,

in hopes bygones will be forgot.

They will not.

They can try to silence what's already been heard.

They can try to obfuscate what's already been seen.

They can try to blame the odor on others, 

like children who hide the stink.

They can try to ignore the taste of justice 

that brews in cafés and cafeterias and classrooms 

and the places where debate is still safe and welcome.

They can feel satisfied when streets are cleared 

and they think things return to normal.

They can throw money at any problem,

because it is easier to find than good judgement. 

They could find a cure in the sea of faces,

that hold the common man, woman and child,

doing uncommon things for the good of each other.

Then they, and me,

can again, be we.

And we, can overcome anything.

18 Lame Excuses and Their No Nonsense Remedies That Will Help You Grow

Here are eighteen lame excuses I've heard, and given a few times, and no nonsense remedies that will help you grow and get your next great goal.

1. I don’t know what my passion is. If you know you want to do something, but don’t know what, figure out where you’ve been spending your time and money over the last three months. Start there.
   


2. I don’t know what I can contribute. When you strip out the noise, the only thing you can really contribute to anything is your own perspective, and that’s invaluable.


3. I don’t have enough education. Let me Google that for you. Don’t have a computer? Go to a library and start learning.


4. I don’t know any of the right people. They are probably on Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin. Find them, or the people who know them.


5. I don’t have enough money. Someone does, money is everywhere. Focus on finding the right buyer.


6. I think it’s too hard. So what? If it were too easy, you wouldn’t bother.


7. Someone else is already doing it. It doesn’t matter, they are not you. They don’t have your perspective and set of experiences. Competition makes you better.


8. I don’t know where to start. It’s a two part process; Someplace, and Now.


9. I don’t know if anyone will care. Start with you. All that matters initially is that you care. People follow leaders who care.


10. I haven’t done this before. Everything you do now was once something you hadn’t done before.


11. I don’t think I’m that good. Give yourself permission to get better or delegate.


12. I’ll do it later. No, you probably won’t. You haven’t yet. Revisit #8.


13. I don’t think I can commit right now. What date can you commit?


14. There are too many obstacles. Then you’re probably on to something. Great stories, and great lives, always have conflict.


15. I did everything I could think of. Probably not everything, just the things you wanted to do. Keep at it. Do it again, but different this time.


16. I’m too tired for this. Structure your day to include eating, exercising, resting, playing and working. Everyday you will be simultaneously exhausted and energized.


17. It doesn’t “feel” right to me. Feelings are often used as an excuses to not do something your head knows is right. Feelings are important in their own right, so don’t saddle them as an alibi for inaction.


18. I’m worried people will think I’m crazy. That’s called innovation, embrace it. Be one of the crazy ones.

Building A Writer's Character; 25 Tips, Prompts and Warnings

Below are 25 ideas around building a better character from my forthcoming book, “Write Advice II; More inspirations, tips and thoughts specifically for writers”


Let me know your favorites.

1. If you know every characters’ internal and external motivation before you start writing, you’ll be less surprised by their actions. 

2. Give your protagonist a nervous tick or habit that reveals their character. Make them fold a napkin, slurp a straw, twirl their hair, check their phone incessantly.

3. To find fictional names, open up a magazine and scan the masthead of editors and contributors, then combine the first or last name with a noun. 

4. Often the best villains are the ones that practically mirror the main character except in one or two areas.

5. Are your characters developing? 

6. If your antagonist showed up in an art gallery what pieces would they gravitate to and how long would they stay?  

7. How would you feel if you were in a cafe and you learned another writer was looking at you, getting inspiration for their villain? 

8. What trait do you personally have that would serve your antagonist well?

9. What would happen if you changed the sex of every character in your story and started over? Would your characters be the same if you changed their race, or age? If not, you might not have enough life in them yet. If you change those identities, your characters should change. If they don't, you’ve got some more work to do. 

10. What would your story's antagonist blog about?

11. Put your characters in conflict. Make them uncomfortable and write them out of a predicament.

12. What would happen if one of your created characters tweeted you?

13. Pick up on a random conversation at a cafe and then imagine the backstory or create a new one.

14. Characters that have at least one thing that others admire about them, and one thing that makes them an ass, gives them realism.  

15. Run your characters through something like a Facebook 20 questions and see what they would answer. 

16. Sit your characters in front of Google. What would they do?

17. Would you like to have dinner with your character, or are you worried that they may think you're too boring? Would they pick up the tab? 

18. What’s an interesting and potentially awkward dinner topic to have with the characters you create?

19. Be careful of developing crushes on your characters, they don't love you nearly as much. 

20. Interview your fictional character. 

21. Open Cosmo or whatever they would read and have them take one of the quizzes.

22. Do you know if your characters are left or right handed or are you just assuming? 

23. Insult your characters and pick a fight with them. See what they do.

24. Your characters will tell you when the words don't feel right. Until then, let them talk. 

25. Give your villains something to love and your heros something to hate.   

Look for more in Karl Bimshas’s forthcoming book, 

“Write Advice II; More inspirations, tips and thoughts specifically for writers”


Can't wait? Click Here for the Original

Fannies, Faith and Other People's Goals

Sitting outside, enjoying my overpriced coffee and editing a piece of work over the weekend I was distracted by three lessons that simultaneously converged around me.

Lesson One: Fannies

Earlier I had noted three generations of women, clearly related, entering the store. They were all tall, blonde and attractive for their respective ages. Now, as they left I found humor, and maybe delight in the bar graph they inadvertently created as they walked in a row, oldest to youngest. Amazingly, they were all the same height. The young looking grandmother had her hair down and wore a long cardigan that draped just above her knees. The mother, also had her hair down but wore an oversized sweater that covered her buttocks. The college aged daughter had her hair in a ponytail and wore spandex pants with a jacket that stopped at above her waist.

Moral: As people get older they tend to cover up their assets.

Lesson Two: Faith

The store and surrounding parking lot crawled with people in green and yellow football jerseys. This infuriated one Charger fan in a blue and white jersey with bolts on his shoulders. He turned to his friend who was dressed in church clothes.

“They’re not real Cheeseheads, they’re just jumping on the bandwagon because the Packers are 7 and 0,” he said. 

“They’re winning,” his friend replied.

“They’re not faithful,” Bolt Man replied.

“Faithful to what? People don’t follow losers.”

“They’re top in the division”

“They’re 4 and 3,” his friend explained, “That’s not 7 and 0.”

Moral: When you perform .571 of the time many people feel let down and lose faith in you.

Lesson Three: Other People’s Goals.

A couple was walking toward their vehicle. The man looked beleaguered and besieged as he headed to the driver’s side of his truck. All I heard was the woman say, “Here’s your goal for the week...”

They doors slammed shut before I could hear anything else.

Moral: You may feel like you’re driving, but if other people are dictating what your goals should be, you’re really not.

Process, Execution and Flexibility

This year I’m following scores of writers on various social networks who are participating in NaNoWriMo. There’s already the separation of those who are struggling and those who are very pleased with themselves. As it happens every year, there’s a wide discrepancy in actual word count produced in both camps, which tells me success or failure is rooted in goal setting and personal expectations. One writer may have 2,000 words down and be happy with their progress. Another may have surpassed 10,000 and have crippling doubts about their characters’ motivation.

I take the slow and steady approach. A little bit each day equals a lot over time. I use this opportunity to rebuild my writing disciple. I also want to increase my productivity. I’m not a particularly fast typer and I burn through way too many drafts. For me it’s about process AND execution.

When I planned the novel I’m currently working on I grabbed a cup of coffee and a stack of index cards and started jotting notes on each one. It was a form of brainstorming with phrases, imagery, rough or specific ideas or thoughts, each on one card. After about fifty cards the flow of my ideas began to slow so I stopped.

I sorted the cards, shuffling and reshuffling until some semblance of a story began to unfold. I combined a few cards, tossed some and created a few more. That’s process.

For execution there’s a built in goal to have 1,666 words written each day to stay on pace. I like to overachieve that number to give me some breathing room later if I need it. As for the actual writing, a.k.a. execution, I’ve been using each card as a prompt. This method has been freeing because even though I’ve been writing linearly so far, I know I don’t have to. If I get stuck or bored I have options. I can pick any other card and start writing. I don't care where the character or story takes me between those cards because, as a composer knows, "Music is the space between the notes."

A clear process, regular execution and the flexibility of options makes for a better writing experience. Try it with the other goals in your life.

I’m Participating in NaNoWriMo and What it Means for You

NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month, is a creative writing project which challenges you to write 50,000 words of a new novel in November. 

Purists will note that 50,000 words is a relatively low number for a complete novel. True, but it’s longer than a novella and before you get all hoity-toity, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby has 50,061 words and that’s good enough for me.

For others who recall with dread the agony it took to write a two page essay in school, 50,000 may seem like a lot of words. It is. Nearly 1,700 words per day. That’s one of the main reasons I’m embarking on it again this year. It creates a discipline for writing every day.

People who have read my blogs, newsletters and books over the last seven years tend to think of me as a motivational writer, since much of my work deals with leadership, goals and upbeat ways of tackling challenges. I’ve never considered myself a fiction writer. For some reason I fail to count the half dozen spec screenplays, the flash fiction, short stories, poetry and prose I’ve written over the years as part of my bona fides. For one month a year, NaNoWriMo changes that. 

Anecdotally I’d guess 75% of the people I know either consider themselves writers or regularly talk about wanting to write. Of that number maybe half write with any regularity. Call me old fashion, but I think a prerequisite for writers is that they write. By commiserating and celebrating with other active writers who struggle over managing goals, deadlines, and their inner critic I’m able to summon my strengths from both worlds.

The goal is not to have a completed novel in a month. The goal is to place 50,000 words on a page in 30 days. It’s not about judging if there’s a good enough story worth being told. Having something to edit and refine, ideas to massage and themes to evolve comes later, after it’s done. The point now, is to begin.

In November my social media streams may act as a mood ring. I’ll share the status of the goal and any troubles, tribulations and insights. If you’re involved with NaNoWriMo, consider me a helpful friend who shares in your endeavor. If you’re not a writer, or couldn’t give a crap, that’s fine, simply tune out. I do hope you’ll stick around and see what happens in this word driven laboratory, because as I pursue my goal, you may pick up some hints to accomplishing your own.

A Singular Path to Success?

The only path to success that matters is the one you forge for yourself. You can read self-help books, attend personal development seminars, seek wisdom from old sages and new whiz kids alike. They all have their opinion and if you listen to enough of them you will likely be so utterly confused you'll begin to question your own motives.

For every guru who preaches patience, another advises massive action. For those who say keep high standards and be discerning over the projects you accept, another will tell you to accept everything and learn along the way. For those who say live a balanced life, another says focus only on your strengths.

I'm convinced everyone who has the freedom of choice has the ability to chart their own course. It may not be the route you want to take. You might be bored by the view or impatient with your progress. Those are issues with how you go about enjoying the journey, not about your chosen path. Some will follow well-traveled paths and some take another. As Robert Frost reminds us, that can make all the difference.

Sometimes we need a guide, but this pathfinder does no good if they don't know where you want to go. They ask thoughtful questions that will reveal what you want and what holds you back. If you’re open to seeing it, they can show you the way. The steps you take and the speed you make are completely up to you.

Where do you want to go?

Quick Plotting

A "Back of the Napkin" Illustration

Plotting a story can be daunting for a writer, particularly if they view themselves as an "artiste" and prefer to write by the seat of their pants to see what moves them.

A story well told is one well planned. There's no need to account for every last detail, your muse, inspiration or deadline will take care of those. You just need a general map to get your bearings. 

Who's your Hero and what's their Goal? 

Pretty cut and dry and if your hero and their goal is so compelling and interesting, that may be all you need.

It's probably not.

To add more flavoring, determine your hero's biggest Wants and Fears.

Make those wants and fears tangible by thinking about the Sacrifices and Rewards your hero is willing to make and likely to get. 

Now, let the story unfold and alternate your hero's wants and fears with sacrifices and rewards along the way toward their goal.

If you can plot a story you want to write, you can plot the life you want to lead. You're the Hero in your life. What's your goal? What are your wants and fears? What sacrifices are you willing to make to reach your goal? What rewards have you already enjoyed?

Go. Write. And live the life you've plotted.