Do You Write Every Day? (short story) by Leanne Dyck

 Dreams help keep me motivated. This short story was inspired by one...

Beautiful Abby posing for you

Photo by ldyck

Do You Write Everyday?

I dreamt that I was a guest on a talk show and the host asked me, “You’re rather prolific. Do you write every day?”

“Every day. In fact, I wrote something just before I joined you.”

“Really? Well, I’d like to—.”

The audience cheered.

“Apparently, we’d all like to hear what you wrote.”

Applause and laughter.

“Okay, sure.” I pulled a scrap piece of paper out of my pocket, unfolded it and read, “She hid backstage, fearful to take the plunge, but her name was called... She pushed herself forward—one step, two. Supportive applause greeted, warmed her. She made it across the stage to a chair. A friendly face smiled at her and he asked, ‘Do you write every day? What was the last thing you wrote? Can you read it to us? We’d all like to hear it.’”

What's your dream?

"Dream Big" performed by Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand

On the Blog in December

Sunday, December 15 

Playing the Cello (short story)

 The cello stands in the corner, waiting to sing her song. Who will help her sing it? This short story was inspired by a friend's relationship with her cello.

Sunday, December 22

Carry Me Home (children's story)

Mitten happily rests beside his brother in the girl's pocket, but then he falls...  It's cold... It's dark... Who will help Mitten get home?

Sunday, December 24

Alone on Christmas (short story)

During this time of joy, of merriment... When we gather with friends and family, it's important to remember those who are socially isolated. 

Sunday, December 29

Holiday Office Party (short story)

 Especially for spouses, Christmas parties can be challenging. What do you say to people you barely know but who may be important to your husband's career?

Finely writing...

An Easier Way to Achieve Your Goals by Leanne Dyck

Jenny Hansen wrote an interesting article titled:  Is Fear Freezing Up Your Creativity? In the article, she discussed a strategy she's used to abandon her fears and work toward her monthly goals. She concluded the article by asking a series of questions. But one stood out for me: How do you approach your goals?

I used to make a long list of goals. I even added a fun goal at the end to help with motivation--something like eat chocolate. But nothing worked. Lists were usually abandoned, half-finished. Well, I chided myself. But all that did was make me feel bad. 

My overall goal was to build my author career. I knew what I needed to do to work towards this goal. I was doing it, every day. But the lists didn't reflect this. Clearly, something had to change.

2014 dawned and, with help from my friend Laurie Buchanan (of Tuesdays with Laurie), I fell into a brand new plan. This year I choose one word to summarize my goal. That word was 'keep'--as in I will keep writing; keep submitting; keep working on revisions; keep learning the writing craft; keep building community. 'Keep'--that one word is so easy to focus on. Motivated, I now do at least one thing every day to work toward my goal. At the end of the day, I use a journal to document my progress this helps to keep me on track and motivates me to build on my daily successes.