Taking a few days with family

I have Thursday and Friday off from my day job, so the kids and I are loading into the car to spend the end of the week with PawPaw and the family "up north." The kids haven't seen my dad's family in quite some time, so it'll be good to reconnect with everyone.

It is a pretty short trip, so we won't be taking too much with us, but I do intend to take my writing folder with me. I don't know what's planned for the weekend, but I'm sure I'll have a few spare moments here and there to work on some background writing for the collection (and the coffee house book in particular). Since I won't have marketing writing to do, I'm hoping to get some fictioneering done instead.

What are your plans for the rest of this week? For the weekend?






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Image courtesy of Michal Marcol / Free Digital Photos.net

Feeling like an imposter

At work this week I offered my third session of a basic business writing workshop. I love talking about grammar, punctuation and writing, and I was ecstatic that people showed up and seemed to enjoy the workshop. (I've even had a couple of people talk to me about writing questions since then, which is awesome!) And while I'm thankful I had the opportunity to talk about writing and help my coworkers strengthen their business writing, it felt strange to stand in front of these people--many of whom are above me in the company's organizational chart--speaking about writing with authority.

I feel a little like an impostor when I do things like this. Even after all I've learned about writing and all my experience in the field/industry, there is part of me that still says "Who am I to talk about this with any kind of authority?"

I know quite a bit about writing. In addition to my degree in English, I've tutored English (college-level), I've taught high school English, and I've been working full time as a writer since June 2008. Theoretically, I should be able to talk about writing and grammar and punctuation and help others strengthen their own writing.

So why do I still feel like I should be in Rutledge basement listening to lectures about Keats?

100+ Books Reading Challenge 2013

Last year I challenged myself to read 100 books or more in 2012.

I failed miserably.

It's okay, though, because I did read a lot more than I would have, which has led me to try the same reading challenge again this year.

I'm not going to set a reading list, though there are particular titles I would like to be sure to read (or reread) this year that I'll keep in the back of my mind. And I'm open to suggestions!

Here are the "rules" I'm following for the challenge:

1. The goal is to read at least 100 books during the 2013 calendar year, beginning January 1st and running through December 31st. Books begun before January 1st or finished after December 31st do not count.
2. Any book counts: fiction, nonfiction, anthologies, plays, graphic novels, rereads, ebooks, etc. If it has an ISBN, it counts. Rereading the same book within the calendar year does not count. Individual short stories do not count, individual books of the Bible do not count, and individual poems do not count.
3. I will not be counting children's books because I read to my kids so frequently.
4. Books do not need to be selected in advance.
5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

Obviously, something like this is on the honor system, but I will be trying to write some kind of reflection/review for the books I read throughout the year. I tried to do that last year, but I got terribly behind. I'll try to be more faithful about it this time around. I will be listing the books I read on this page, and as I write reflections/reviews, I'll link to them.

The first book on my list for this year is Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler. It's technically a reread for me, but it's been a while since I've read it, and my previous reading was more of a skimming in some areas.

How are you challenging yourself this year?

Happy New Year!

May your worst day this year be better than your best day last year,

and may every day in 2013 be the fresh start you need.