Dreams and goals

How do I ever go from having dreams, or rather the sort of unfulfilled fantasies that create frustration to having goals and fulfilled intentions? I know that the way to do this is to formulate a plan and stick to it at least in as much as the fulfillment of my plan relies on my ability to perform and does not rely on someone else's action. Thus I know setting the goal of having a best selling novel is not within my sphere of direct influence however writing and even publishing a novel is within my abilities.


Therefore I must set a doable goal of how much work I will do each day toward getting a novel written if I ever intend to get any progress made on the dream of writing a novel

Addiction

Why write about the subject of addiction here? Because to be blunt I'm an addict.

addiction, according to one definition I've heard, is a compulsive behavior which delivers short term rewards but has long term destructive consequences.

How do I know that a behavior is compulsive?

I know that when a person (like myself) can see that his behavior is destructive to himself yet he continues to do that behavior even when it causes him pain then the behavior has become addictive (compulsive). Thus we become addicted to alcohol or drugs or work or sex... Any and all of these (and more) in a search to fill some tearing void in our lives... Well that is the excuse some people use but mostly for one reason or another at the beginning of our addiction we who are addicted chose to engage in one of those activities that short circuit the risk reward feed back cycle that keeps most of us in balance.

I believe (from experience) that laziness is at least partly to blame for our (my) addiction(s). If I was more willing to work and be patient (especially be patient) then I could have most any reward I desire in a manner that was not destructive to myself or others. But to be honest I am lazy and always in the past have looked for shortcuts. And to my certain knowledge the shortcuts have for me always led to traps some of which I have never since finding them been able to escape.

Well that is my confession for the day... I shall not directly tell the nature of my addiction but shall from time to time write about it even if I have come to belief that there are times when writing is a sort of avoidance behavior for me....

Review

I recently had the opportunity to read The World is Flat, which is a book that I believe that everyone should take time to read. I certainly can identify with the frustration of seeing the net and understanding that I am on a playing field where I am unable to access the tools or implement my ideas.... How much more aggravating it must be if one has been told that he is superior because he is a member of a certain group!

ON CHANGE

Change in one's life is achieved by consistent concerted action that does not mean the sort of frenzied activity that some people(like my self) engage in when they confront the need to effect change in their lives.

No the effort one makes when they truly change their life has to be directed according to a plan (unless one is faced by an emergency...).

I expect that this blog will settle down to a weekly column of disjointed thoughts until I have a bit more time to dedicate to it.

Appearances...

I dont know why but every time I try to post this as a draft some of the blank spaces get pulled out. The same I might add has happened in some of the poems Ive put here....

Well no matter what happens I guess I will go to press as it were just because I have at least this soapbox.

Today I am just going to make a few comments on some of the books I’ve been reading. The first book I will talk about is The Business of writing by Stephen Goldin and Kathleen Sky (I could be wrong on the spelling of the second name as I don’t have the book in my hands at this time… For a book that is over twenty years out of date this book still holds a lot of very good information and good advice never gets out of date. Writers who are serious about earning money from their craft could do worse than including this book in their to read this year.

I have read part of e-business or out of business but as it does not apply directly to writing I have put it aside for the moment as I need more practical info on how to set up a web based store. Also is the regrettable fact that I really am not ready to start in to doing what I’d love to do. A lack of tools and organization is plaguing me. Who do I need to get to know to get in to the business of writing and editing? A local writers group I can tell…. So that is what I am working on finding.

I may put some more poetry on this page and I may not… I have many things to consider including how to promote my work... most definitely a challenge that I have to face and overcome. then I've said that before here and I'm certain that if I have any readers they are tired of reading my angst about promoting my work.