Love on a Deadline

When faced with a deadline in life, love or work what is your natural response?

Do you face up to it ready for a fight or do you shy away and go into flight mode?

After self-imposing a deadline on myself recently it has helped me to learn what kind of writer I am.

July 1 has arrived and for all in the southern hemisphere will be over in a couple of short hours. This was my deadline. The manuscript I wrote was supposed to have been placed safely into a depository we, in Australia, call a post box. It hasn’t left the building.

I struck a couple of hurdles today. Procrastination and Dissatisfaction.

While I believe I can deal with dissatisfaction to an extent, I cannot deal with procrastination.

There was a part of my story that I had been unhappy with from its conception. Until today I had no ideas that were even adequate.

My deadline it seems had worked its magic and forced me to think. Think hard and solve the issue.

So dissatisfaction has been taken care of but I have that lingering sense that procrastination had me putting off what could have been achieved last week and enabled me to post it TODAY.

My little four page picture book manuscript will leave my hands tomorrow but I am left with that feeling that procrastination will visit again and I need to be more prepared to deal with it. Putting kids and the family, the paid variety of work, blogging and feeding the goldfish first may need to change.

And just as an aside who decided that procrastinate should have the prefix pro? Who supports or is in favour of crastination? I love words and language but really? I am tempted to submit to Oxford that procrastination be changed to anticrastination.

Am I being too hard on myself missing my deadline by one day? Please share any tips you have for power-punching deadlines and assisting with anticrastination.

I need all the help I can get.

 

 

And can someone please make sure the goldfish are fed.

Image from: here.

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I Would Do Anything For Love….

……but I won’t do that.

How do you go about asking for a favour from someone?

I find it extremely difficult and I don’t know if that’s because I don’t do it often so have had very little experience in doing so or because I would rather be the ‘doer’ of the favour. I enjoy doing things for others. It’s probably selfish if you think about it. I get a kick out of the feeling from having helped that person. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the teacher in me or that part of me that makes a good teacher. Giving is receiving.

So in honour of I promise I made recently I’m going to attempt to make this as brief as possible.

Clear and concise.

Short and succinct.

Alright, enough with the babble!

I need to ask a favour *gulp.

Some of the Freequent flyers here know that I’ve been working on a top secret page-turner.

I have completed the manuscript for my picture book. Being a picture book it has less than 500 words and, as yet, has no pictures. It is being sent to the publisher on Monday who will take care of all the big details such as finding the illustrator, publication timeline, marketing, etc.

So what would I like you to do for this so-called favour, I hear you ask?

I would love for you to read it and comment as you see fit. The only other thing I ask is that you are completely and ruthlessly honest with me.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, writer or lover of reading. Even if you are none of those. You’ve read children’s books or had them read to you. You all bring valuable experience to the table.

In return I will owe you one because, for me, a favour should always be returned in some form or another. What form that takes is completely up to you.

Please remember, though, I won’t do that.

I’d love your help. If you’re willing, please email me and I will forward a copy to you then I’ll chew my nails to the quick.

♥ Kelly

Lovebug Hug to Dog, Frog and Hog

Hugs from the Lovebug are going out today to Dog, Frog and Hog.

I received a warm and carefilled hug from Words for JP a.k.a Kim and her bunch including Pee.

I’m inturn hugging Dog, Frog, Hog, Rat, Cat and Co. via Tania Ingram. If you think I must be drunk on love, head over to Tania’s blog. She might even greet you with a wag. Enjoy your first award, Tania. There will be many more to come (CBCA Award would be the best)!

The HUG Award© was initiated by Connie Wayne at A Hope for Today at http://ahopefortoday.com, which promotes hope, love, peace, equality, and unity for all people.

The HUG Award© is for people with an expectant desire for the world, for which they:  Hope for Love; Hope for Freedom; Hope for Peace; Hope for Equality; Hope for Unity; Hope for Joy and Happiness; Hope for Compassion and Mercy; Hope for Faith; Hope for Wholeness and Wellness; Hope for Prosperity; Hope for Ecological Preservation; Hope for Oneness

The HUG Award© recognizes and honors those who help keep hope alive in our current world, which is plagued by war, natural disasters, and economic recession.  They nurture hope, in any of the above areas,  by the work they do, or in their personal lives with things such as blogging, public speaking, charity work, etc.

The HUG Award© is for people who, without giving up or compromising their own religious, spiritual, or political beliefs, are able to nurture hope and respect the dignity of all people.

The HUG Award© is for those who, without bias or prejudice, use their resources and gifts to make the world a better place for everyone.

The HUG Award©is for people who have a hope or an expectant desire that the work or talents they use in things such as blogging, public speaking, charity work, etc., will make a positive impact on the world.

These people do not have to actively use the word “hope” in their work or creative talents.  They only need be conscious of their desire to make the world a better place for everyone.

These people use their available resources–a smile, a hug, a helping hand, a listening ear, a voice, time, money, possessions, education, personality, talent, websites and blogs—to make a positive impact on the world and make the world a better place to live.

I Love You at the Library

I’m loving life at the library.

Do you have a love of literature? Which section draws you into its depths when you enter? Do you love a good fantasy novel or are you a chic lit lover?

No matter what kind of genre you are passionate about it can all be found under one roof.

I’ll admit it. Right here, right now. I’m a library lover and I have tried to instill that same love in my kids.

A visit to our local community library is something we indulge in at least once a fortnight. Our first stop now is, of course, the children’s section. Here the kids will divide and conquer the fiction, non-fiction and toy library like a mini army of soldiers. Their missions at present are to find dinosaur, Star Wars, Peppa Pig and truck books and toys. Fortunately the adult fiction is right nearby so I can manage a quick glance over the titles as the little people go about their duties. We always make time to read a book or two on the comfy lounges at the library where there’s no phone for me to answer and no pan on the stove to tend to.

We never leave the library with an empty bag. It’s always filled with books that have been well loved or ready to be lovingly read for the first time. These jewels are especially rare and my No. 1 is always excited when he seeks out a new book on a subject we know so well.

Our library has just announced that eBooks and audiobooks will be available to download soon-anytime, anywhere. I’m not sure if I’m in love with the idea or sad that physical books may someday cease to exist.

I can’t imagine not visiting the library. That smell of old titles lingering on the shelves just waiting for somebody to show them a little love. Looking for the next title that’s going to be lovingly adopted. The sound of pages being thumbed as the words on the page engross its reader. I can’t imagine a life without libraries for my children. That’s almost comparable to a life without love.

I love library time with my littlies.

Image from: here.