Redefining Progress…

If you’ve noticed, it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned the progress of our writing projects.

That’s because there’s very little headway to report. 

There’s more… ummm… “changing of directions” going on than an actual progression to the finish line on these things — which can be considered some type of “progress,” I guess.

In our defense:  Isn’t it better to take our time and end up in the right place — rather than to hurry up and rush through things, just to find that we’ve ended up in the wrong place?

Yes, this process is taking much longer than expected.  It’s taking much more money than we budgeted.   It’s taken up much more of my patience than I had anticipated. 

But, I’ve learned more about myself through the process as well—and that’s not a bad thing.

The short of it is that we’ve decided to go a different direction with the cover art, which means we’ve spent much time, effort, and money down a path that didn’t lead us to where we wanted to end up…

I’m disappointed at that, but we’ve regrouped, dusted off our compass, and are currently exploring a new and unknown territory. 

We’ll share more about it as soon as we get our bearings and there’s something to share…

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Time’s Teasing Me

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that Time was playing tricks on me — and I’m not talking about how each moment of the workweek crawls by at a snail’s pace, while the weekend flies by in a blink of an eye.  I’ve gotten use to that particular injustice.   

No, I’m talking about, literary, stopping time….

For example, in the last couple of weeks, I reconnected with a two people that I hadn’t talked to for a while.  Both brought me back to uncomfortable incidents that happened three years ago.  Neither was ready to let the past go.  Neither wanted to move forward to experience the present and fantasize about the future. 

Time has stopped for them — holding them hostage to the demons that live within the unforgiving darkness of their psyche. 

But, on the other end of the spectrum…

I was part of a celebration this weekend, where a group of us sang for others.

Unfortunately, the “administration” of the organization was more concerned about Time than genuinely celebrating the spirit of the event. 

But Time played a trick on them — on all of us, in fact. Time stopped still, and our little world had to stop in response.

It happened during one of the last songs.  A solo singer sang — a cappélla — “How Great Thou Art.”  He sang all four verses… slowly… deliberately… and soulfully.  No one moved, no one made a sound, and no one complained.

Time stopped the world, so we could appreciate his gift.

Thank you, Time.  

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Intent

Things seem to be at a standstill with our various projects — and I can’t stay in a holding pattern for very long before I get antsy and find some creative distraction to entertain me…and I have...

I’ve turned my attention back on the “teen book” that I started last year (during another holding pattern of mine).

With everything that has happened over this past year, we’ve decided to revamp and broaden the focus of this second book.  With this book, we want to encourage everyone — teens and adults, alike — to live life to the fullest.  The book is intended to help us identify and deal with common hurdles and barriers that prevent us from following our dreams — which are the same hurdles and barriers that are preventing us from allowing others into our lives and hearts.

We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us on this second book, so it’ll be awhile before you’ll see it out — and you don’t need to wait on us before you start on your journey, but I want to caution you on something … 

Before running full-speed ahead with anything, we really need to understand the intent behind our actions.  Are we propelling ourselves to a new phase in our lives… or are we running away from our past? 

The intent behind our actions is important because it’s our intent that leads us to our ultimate outcome. 

For example, when we’re running away from something or someone, we’re focusing on getting away — and not on where we’re actually heading.  We just want to be someplace else or with someone else.  It doesn’t matter where else and with whom — just that it’s not the place or person we’ve just left.  By focusing on what we’re running away from, we can easily run right into a situation much worse than the one we’ve just left.

On the other hand, if we’re running toward something or someone, we’re looking forward to what’s ahead of us — not at what’s behind us.  We’re focusing on the future… and not on the past.

Another thing to keep in mind:  Like it or not, we’re not an island unto ourselves.  We need to take others into consideration whenever we make an important decision.  

This doesn’t mean we ignore our dreams; it means we have to be smart in the way we achieve them.  Our intent needs to focus on achieving our dreams without doing harm to ourselves or others.

Because everything is interrelated, everything we do affects others.  This means that every encounter, every decision, and every consequence to our actions affects others. 

Therefore, in everything we do, our intent must be focused on harming no one — i.e., ourselves or others — in whatever we pursue. 

That’s why, before you set off on your new adventure, it’s important to understand the intent and motive behind your actions — and focus them in the right direction. 

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Getting the Word Out

With the writing of the first book done, it’s time to turn some of our attention to promotion.  I’m relying on Katherine to spearhead this part, because she has the experience in giving workshops and presentations — and she holds the confidence that she can share our message to a banquet hall full of people, with no problem.   The only reason why she hasn’t done this yet is because she’s waiting on the book to be in our hands.

I know… I know!  Technically, we still don’t have a book in our hands, but we will soon… <fingers crossed>

In the meantime, we’ve begun strategizing as to what avenues would work best for our goals. 

 

I told you about a therapist group proposing a workshop for a maximum of 20 people.  That got us thinking:  Doing relationship workshops for this small group may not be the best way of getting our message out — especially, if we want to reach as many people as possible… as quickly as possible. 

It may be better if we focused on a different path — one that already has a larger, built-in audience.  For example, one fifteen-minute interview  for a TV or radio talk show has the potential of reaching hundreds and hundreds of people in one broadcast — depending on the interviewer’s audience base.   

Think about it:  Doing a TV or radio interview would reach a much larger audience than 20 people at a time.  Also, they post and archive their programs on their websites.  This allows those who weren’t able to hear the live program to replay the program at a later time.  This Internet access and replay ability can give even more people the opportunity to learn about what we’re doing.

While we’re on the subject of the World Wide Web, there are also a number of bloggers who like to interview authors and share these interviews with their readers.  

Such collaboration is good for both the interviewer and interviewee.  The interviewer is able to provide guests for his or her program, while the interviewee gets her or his message out to a wide variety of people. 

So, once we get the book in our hands — which will be soon <fingers crossed> — that’s the next step we’re going to take.

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It’s Not Just Business

     

Do you remember when I reached out to a handful of local therapists last year — asking if they would have the time to give me some feedback on our “teen” book? 

Recently, I touched base with one of them and gave her an update on everything that was going on with us.  She was very excited about our progress and wanted to set up a meeting with us and her boss — to brainstorm on how their practice could help promote our books and give us feedback and test our stuff. 

I passed all of this news to Katherine.  It turned out that Katherine knew of this therapist through a mutual friend and was excited over the idea of collaborating with the group.

So, we set a time to meet with the therapist and her boss — thinking a brainstorming session of 4 would be beneficial.

Boy!  Were we surprised when we were ushered into their conference room and came face-to-face with about 10-12 people, sitting around a table, eating their lunch. 

Once they made room for us around the table and introduced themselves to us, they started interviewing us — with questions dealing from number of years we’ve been doing this, how much our type of work was worth, what our fee structure was for sessions and workshops, what education and certifications we had, what documentation and billing systems we had for workshops and presentations… and the questions went on and on…

Imagine how we felt when we’re expecting a 4-person interactive brainstorming session, and instead, we walk into a 12-person tag-team group interview!!

By the end of the interview, the group proposed that they promote a relationship workshop based on the book, for a maximum of 20 people (to be held in their conference room) — charging a fixed price per person and splitting the revenue.  They also wanted bios and pictures to post on their website, along with a date for the workshop.  They wanted to write up a contract for the workshop, with their fee breakdown for the use of their space and their promotional efforts.  After all, they are in the business to make money — as they reminded us. 

They were also very interested in working with Katherine regarding her solo business — which is separate from our joint writing ventures. 

As you can imagine, we left their office feeling a little dizzy and juggling mixed feelings.

The meeting was enlightening, to say the least.  It did make us think about things we hadn’t thought about before.  The business-like approach this therapist group took with us solidified our own desire to focus on the personal side of connecting with others — especially in the way we approach our work and how we partner with others.

For us, it’s not just business…

It’s all about… well, what it’s always been about… relationships.

I don’t understand why, but most people separate their business persona from their personal one.  They’ll conduct themselves differently at work than at home.  You hear it all the time:  “It’s not personal; it’s business,” — as if there’s a separation between the two… as if there are different rules to follow… as if we’re not relating with each other in both settings.

No… we shouldn’t separate the two.  All of us are in the business of relating — or at least we should be.  That’s the only way to do business. 

So, I’m not quite sure how the relationship with this therapist group will develop and grow.  Since presentations and workshops are Katherine’s domain, I’ll let her take the lead on this.  If she wants to pursue this avenue for our joint venture, I’m with her.  If she doesn’t want to do it, I’m with her.  If she just wants to deal with this group for her solo business, I’m with her.  If she wants do the relationship workshop to open an access to other network opportunities, I’m with her.  Whatever she wants to do, I’m with her.  

No.  For us, it’s not just business; it’s about relationships.

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Unfulfilled Expectations

Well, the first deadline set by the graphic artist has passed, unceremoniously — with no email, call, or sign from him that we’re any closer to getting published.  When we email him to ask how he’s doing, we get no response…

So… yeah…. sadly, that means that there's nothing more to report on that front… other than growing frustration and diminishing patience on my part.

What’s our next step?  Waiting for the next deadline, I guess,… which is in a couple of weeks.

If that one passes without a sign of life from this graphic artist, I’ll suggest to Katherine that we’ll need to figure out another path to take—because doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of stupidity. 

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I Feel Time Slipping Away From Me

I’m a bit frustrated… no, I’m a lot frustrated.  Another 90 days have passed, and our book is still not published.

The manuscript is at the graphic artist’s office.  Over the months we've been working with him, I’ve been emailing him my ideas for the cover art.  Katherine has been reinforcing what I’ve been telling him… so, we were more than a little surprised with what he sent us as his drafts.

It's a sobering realization that we're not as good as we thought in communicating our ideas to others...

Anyway, we’re literally back to the drawing board… and with each new detour and hurdle, I feel time is slipping away from me… never to return…

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Let’s Enjoy the Journey We’re On

I just woke up, and the first thing that struck me was a feeling of… happiness.

Usually, I wake up with my mind already racing with all the things I have to accomplish this day, this week, and this month.  I get to work and look at the calendar and lament about how quickly time flies and how much is still is left to do…

But today… Today’s different, somehow.

This morning, instead of racing through all the things I had to do, my mind filled itself with all that I’ve accomplished thus far.  My mind immediately jumped to our writing projects and how we’ve put our final touches to the book.  This weekend, we’re passing it along to the graphic designer for his layout and cover design. 

Katherine has read the last two scenes I’ve written and has dubbed the play complete.  Yea!!!  She’s planning to share it with her theatrical contacts and get some input as to how we proceed from here… Double Yea!!!

Another friend of mine — who has two very active boys — finally read her year-old posts on Facebook and is excited about giving me feedback on our children’s book, so I sent her a copy of the first of that series.

I did a quick inventory on our writing projects and we have about ten ongoing ventures in various stages — all of which have viable promotional potential and outlets.  

We’re in the process of filing for a fictitious trade name, moving toward creating a brand name and identifiable “home” for our various ventures.

So,  yeah... I know this is probably the last thing you expect coming from me (aka Ms. Impatience), but everything is falling into place and working out the way it should. 

Although, I’ve been wishing that all this would move along much faster than it has, these projects are taking the time needed to evolve into what they are meant to be.  I see that now.

Yeah… this morning was good for me.  It reminded me that I need to stop… appreciate what I have… and celebrate what I’ve accomplished, thus far.

I’m never going to stop for very long.  I’m always going to want to push to reach our goals, but every once in a while, it is important to take the time to appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come.  These little celebratory “pats on the backs” are important in this process, because they help motivate us to continue on our life-long journey.

I don’t think a lot of us do that anymore — stop… appreciate what we have… and celebrate what we’ve accomplished, thus far.  We’re so consumed with outlining our goals — and taking the appropriate steps to achieve them — that we forget to celebrate the milestones we reach along the way.

We’re so focused on getting to where we want to be that we forget to enjoy the journey along the way. 

So, this morning is a good reminder to enjoy the journey we’re on. 

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One Step Closer

We did it!  We’re one step closer to being published!

We’ve finally agreed that the manuscript is finished — that means no more additions, no more revisions, no more edits, no more proofing, no more changes… well, not until the manuscript comes back from the graphic artist, that is. 

This next stage begins with sending the manuscript to the graphic artist, who will work on the interior layout and the cover art for the book.  Once he thinks he’s done, then the three of us will have to work together to come to an agreement on the final look of the book.

Hopefully, this stage won’t take as long as the last one; but no matter how long it takes, we’re definitely one step closer.


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“BUT” is Such a Scary Word!

I had another one of my dreams.  Even though it was a simple and short scene, it was interesting — interesting enough to set to paper.

Once on paper, it turned out to be a very intriguing scene, with the potential to turn into something I imagined could be used in workshops and meetings — to elicit discussion and group interactions…

With that in mind, that one scene lead to another… and another.

I shared the written scenes with Katherine, and wondered if she and her friends would like to act out the scenes — to generate discussions for their meetings.  Her groups were always looking for topics to discuss…

Katherine agreed that her groups were always looking for topics to discuss, and she knew of several people who would jump at the chance to act out the scenes with her, but…

[BUT… is such a scary word — especially coming from Katherine.]

But... Katherine liked the scenes soooo much that she didn’t want to stop at a couple — just to be used to generate discussion in social gatherings.

 

She wants us to develop a whole play and progress the story.  Once the play is complete, she has acquaintances who have the resources to produce and perform the play.  We could perform it live, video tape it, and/or produce an audio version of it.

She understands all this would require more time, effort, and work on my part — more than I originally intended and, possibly, wanted to put into it — but…

[BUT… is such a scary word — especially coming from Katherine.]

But what I’ve written so far is too good just to be treated as a simple discussion aid, in her opinion.

O…..K….

So, I write — what I thought — is a nice little play, but Katherine wants more.

So, I keep adding scene after scene, and Katherine keeps telling me we need another and another…

I see the same thing that has happened to our book is happening to the play.

We can never finish a project, because Katherine keeps wanting more… and more… and more…

Yes… her suggestions always make the projects better, BUT if we never finish a project… well, we’ll never finish…

Hopefully, during my lifetime, one of these projects will see the light of day, BUT…

In the meantime, I’m on a new writing adventure… adding aspiring playwright to aspiring author…

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I Have to Be Careful What I Wish For…

I have to be careful what I wish for...


Katherine and I did finally meet to work on the book.

From that meeting, we’ve got three more sections to revise, another piece to add, and a 4-page checklist and timetable to follow if we want to finish up this project within the next month.

Katherine has also started sending out “feelers” for help with developing a website…

So, yeah… things are moving again…

And one of these days, I’m going to learn:  I have to be careful what I wish for…

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Abandonment of Wonderment

Have you ever walked into a room and been immediately drawn to a person?  I’m not just talking about being physically attracted to another person, but attracted to the person’s energy, ease of laughter, attentiveness, genuineness, caring, intelligence, etc.

I was drawn to such a person the other day.  His energy, enthusiasm, passion, openness, genuineness — all of him — filled me up. 

Although I didn’t have a chance to talk with him because he was working, he affected me, intimately, in the way he approached his “duties.”  

I’ve watched and listened to hundreds of men before him — all going through the same routines and rituals that he was performing — but those others didn’t have the same intensity as this fellow did.

He approached each activity with such focused attention… such conviction… such wonderment and awe. 

He reminded me of the innocence that tickles children’s cheeks as they wake up on Christmas morning — and the abandonment in which they rush to the Christmas tree, gasp at all the gifts, and realize — with no doubt in their hearts or minds — that they are loved, they are special, and they are never alone.  Santa does exist. 

That was the vision that this man conjured up.  It was breathtaking and over all too soon.  I wished I could have stayed with him longer and drink in his energy… but alas, I couldn’t.

Besides, he’s forbidden fruit. He’s a newly ordained priest — ordained a handful of years ago — who is currently stationed at a local church I visited the other day. 

Still, this constraint doesn’t prevent me from admiring his essence and the way he approaches life.   It’s a good reminder, too.

Most of the time, we’re weighed down by the stark reality of our day-to-day routines and obligations — so much so that we begin to feel like an old tube of toothpaste.  Our energy is squeezed out of us — used, abused, spit out, and splattered all over the bathroom sink…

It’s during these times that we need to brush off the caked-on paste, put ourselves to bed, and wake up like a child on Christmas morning… filled with limitless energy, wonderment, and awe over the enchanted life we hold within us…

And if we’ve forgotten how, there are people around us who will show us…

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Lost Myself for a Moment

As you can imagine, anxiety plagued me the entire week before the women’s retreat.  As the days and hours ticked closer to the start of it, I grew more and more pensive and uncomfortable — but I had agreed to go… and go I shall. 

Once we got to the campsite, I started mentally checking off items on my ever-growing anxiety list.  The more I was able to check things off, the more comfortable I became.

• Indeed, I was free to come and go as I pleased.  There were no locked gates or barriers that prevented me from leaving.
• The site was an opened campground, with an outside kitchen, a covered meeting area, and a mobile unit that was used as a community center meeting room.  If the nights were too cold for camping out in tents, we could sleep on the floor of the mobile unit.  There were also outside showers and bathrooms. 
• Trees and foliage created small, intimate areas throughout the property.  These peaceful coves created natural, private havens for people to set up their tents — as well as provided shared common areas where groups could freely gather.
• Although participants were encouraged to spend the nights there, we were free to leave and return in the morning if we preferred.  I chose to do the latter, although most everyone else stayed the nights.
• Instead of being blindly led from one activity to another, we were given a flexible agenda, so we would know what was planned for the weekend — with the understanding that things could change along the way.
• I didn’t have time to feel out of place because as soon as we stepped onto the property, the spiritual leader put us to work — setting things up for the night’s festivities.  [Hint:  This is one of the fastest ways to make members feel part of a group — having them work together on a common task or goal.] 

Even with all our prep-work, as the weekend progressed, the differences between the group and me became glaringly apparent.  There was no preventing it… no hiding it.  I was, indeed, labeled “vanilla” — as we had predicted. 

At first, this unnerved me.  I wanted to fit in; I wanted to be liked; I wanted to be accepted… and when I was labeled “vanilla,” I felt as if I had failed. 

Katherine took me aside and reminded me that I needn’t force anything.  All I needed to be was myself and I will fit in.  Simply be.

  

Simply be. 

To “simply be” meant to acknowledge the truth of the situation.  I am different from the group; there’s no denying it, no hiding it, and no changing that fact…

Once I became grounded in that simple truth, another truth surfaced.  This group of women didn’t care that I wasn’t like them.  They were confident women who weren’t concerned about our differences.  They didn’t use every moment to work on me — to conform my thoughts and beliefs to theirs.  They didn’t spend their weekend trying to change me.

They were warm and welcoming.  They were giving of themselves without taking anything from me.  They managed to create an encouraging, open, and protective place where we could share our experiences and dreams without fear of ridicule or rejection.

They were very comfortable with themselves, which allowed me to be comfortable with myself — probably for the first time since my last women’s retreat (20+ years ago).  They accepted me for who I was at that moment… appreciated where I was in my journey… and invited me back to join them for future gatherings.

Yeah, the weekend went far better than I could have imagined, and I am very glad I took the risk. 

Yeah.  It is good for me to get out of my comfort zone and expand my experiences.

Don’t let Katherine know I said this… but she was right, damn it! 

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You’ve Heard it All Before…

Here’s a quick update on our publishing pursuits:  I’m back to waiting… waiting… waiting.

 

Yes, there was a lot of activity over the push to get the book published in time for Katherine’s debut with her other partner’s plan for regular workshops and presentations. 

We even met with another friend of Katherine’s — a graphic designer and illustrator.  We intended to hire him to create our book cover for us, but after our meeting, he not only wanted to do the book cover, but he wanted to do the interior design as well. 

Part of me was excited, while the other part was… disappointed.  I’ve been working sooooo hard on the interior look of the book.  I had put so much of myself into the page layouts and such… and now none of that will matter.  All my hard work will be discarded…all for naught. 

It's not that I don't trust him with the project.  I absolutely DO trust him to make the book the best that it can be.

It's just that... now my writing project is in the hands of others.  The graphic designer is going to take over the look of the book, and I'm still waiting for Katherine to finish reading through the final draft…

So, there’s nothing more that I can do but wait… wait… wait...

I REALLY HATE WAITING!!!

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Darn it! I Can’t Focus!

I’m trying to go through Dare to Be Contagious! yet another time, to catch more typos and grammatical errors.  I’m trying to clarify things here and there, while inserting artistic nuances I know no one (but me) will see…

Like I said, I’m trying to do all this, but I’m not being very successful at it.

My mind is too distracted with the news Katherine brought me the other night.  

As I understand it, she has connected with a couple of new friends, who are wanting to start up regular workshops and presentations.  They are successful in their business.  They simply want to expand their reach and want Katherine to be a part of their ensemble.  They want to start locally but plan to go national within the year. 

They already have an audience base; they have the venue and  a meeting/presentation hall.  They have an ambitious seminar schedule with various professional groups.  They are familiar with the business-side of things.  They will handle all the tedious stuff Katherine doesn’t want to deal with… and they want her to join them!  They have the financial backing for all of this.  They just want HER!

She’s excited because they are offering her everything she wants to do and nothing she doesn’t want to do.  FABULOUS!!!

Oh… and did I mention that they asked her if she had some written material that they could push through these workshops… and that they were overjoyed to learn about our book that happens to fit right into their theme — the human connection and connecting with each other?

And did I mention that Katherine mentioned her co-author, and their reply was something like:  Bring her in.  The more the merrier!

Now, all we need to do is get the %#$@* book finished, printed, produced, and on hand for these workshops that will probably start in a couple of months.

So, yeah… I’m really excited — in both a good and bad way.  I have to get the book as perfect as we can and get it self-published and printed in a short period of time.

I’ve never self-published before, so all of this is new, and I don’t have the luxury of screwing things up and starting over.  I need to figure out the interior design, get help with the book cover design, deal with the uploading specifications, setting up the account, ordering and reviewing proofs… and the list goes on…

It feels like I’ve just jumped feet first into an ice-cold pool of water. 

Yes, Father Time has pulled a fast one on me.  All that whining about waiting… waiting…  waiting… has come back to bite me in the butt…

Waiting for someone else is no longer the issue…

The problem now is… I can’t focus on the job at hand and everything I need to get done, because I’m too excited about what the future holds for us…

And what a FABULOUS problem to have!!!

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Merry Christmas!

May the innocence that tickles children’s cheeks as they wake up on Christmas morning add to the wonderment of the season.   

Share in the abandonment in which they rush to the tree, gasp at all the gifts, and realize — with no doubt in their hearts or minds — that they are loved, they are special, and they are never alone. 

Just When I Started to Have Some Sense of Control…

Really!!  Come on!  You’ve got to be kidding me!!!  

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been making myself crazy by researching self-publishing companies and comparing rotten apples to green oranges…

It was just two days ago, when I figured out which self-publishing path I felt most comfortable with.  All of them had their advantages and disadvantages, but the one I picked gave us more control and more royalties, with less expense on our part.  Yes, it meant more work on my end, but I was OK with that.

So, now I’ve been in the experimenting mode — formatting the book on my own, researching how to create ebooks, book covers, etc.  The more I do, the less it will cost to produce the book and more we can spend on promotion and marketing… at least that’s the plan.

I’m feeling better about things because I feel that we are moving again… moving down the path of being published.  I’m no longer in a holding pattern.  I’m no longer waiting… waiting… waiting…

I feel more in control of things!  Yea!!!!

And tonight — as I’m researching and learning all about copyright registration and Library of Congress cataloging — up pops an email from the California independent publisher — the publisher that asked us to revamped the book to fit their marketing niche. 

And we did just that.  We revamped the whole book for them.  I resubmitted it to them months ago, with several follow-up emails to make sure they received the new rewrites.  When I didn’t hear back from them, I simply assumed they weren’t interested in the rewrite, and I simply moved on.

Turns out, the person I was working with at that publishing house recently left that publisher, and a new person has taken her place.  This woman hasn’t had a chance to look at our material yet, but wanted to assure me that they did receive it.

Great!  Now what do we do?

Do we put our self-publishing plans on hold, until this “real” publisher gets back to us? 

Everything that I’ve been researching, experimenting, and teaching myself would be… well, taken care of by the publisher.  The book would become their property and our royalties would be less, but…

A “real” publisher can get us into bookstores and libraries and open doors to promotional events that would be closed to self-publishers.  Our book would be more eligible to be cataloged in the Library of Congress, which makes us easier to find.  [I learned that on-demand and self-published works are out of the scope for the Cataloging in Publication (CIP) program for the Library of Congress.]

We also wouldn’t carry the “stigma” of the “vanity press” label that self-publishers have to deal with…

All this only happens if a publisher takes us on —and this new acquisitions editor still hasn’t looked at our new book proposal and revamped book.  She may pass on it as well.

So, what does all this mean?  It means I’m back waiting… waiting… waiting…

Waiting for her to either work with us or send us another “encouraging letter of hope.”

And all this happens just as I start to have some sense of control…

Really!!  Come on!  You’ve got to be kidding me!!! 

I Just Can’t Wait!

Katherine and I had one of our strategic meetings the other day, and I told her everything I just told you in the last blog entry. 

And she’s more than aware of my inability to wait and do nothing; so, we brainstormed some ways we could use our materials — without having to wait for a publisher to pick us up.  We concentrated on options that wouldn’t conflict with our goal of being picked up by a publisher, but would allow us to use our materials and support our personal goals.

Katherine brought up the workshop idea again, but this time for teens.  She thought, possibly, weekly discussion groups for teenagers would work — something informal, to go over the Ready or Not material.

Something similar could be promoted for the children’s book.  During the summer, we can set up a book club for children who would like to read and discuss our children’s book.  By then, we would have the discussion aid booklet completed to supplement the original story.

Since Katherine has connection with the homeschool community, it would be easy for her to generate some interest and promote these sessions to our target audience.

So, later this month, we may be adding these workshops to our ever-growing project list.

I’m really looking forward to this new phase.  It’s exciting to have a blank sheet in front of me and fill it with words that create a story, a feeling, a thought, and a different world.

It’s even more exciting to have someone breathe life into these words, and tell the story, experience the feelings, and conceptualize the thoughts…

Now add to all of that… the feeling of listening and discussing the different levels of meanings, feelings, and perspectives others will bring to these pages I’ve written.

They will bring their own stories, their own feelings, and their own worlds to share with us. 

I’m so excited!  I can’t wait!

I just can’t wait!     

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