Tag: progress

  • The Agony of “Almost There”

    You know when you stand at the base of something big, and you’re prepared to start, like a trek up your own personal mountain? You probably prepared to get there. You’ve done the work ahead of time. And there’s a certain energy and excitement about getting started. Nothing like the agony of when you were…

  • Cages

    How often have you experienced the kind of overwhelm that comes from feeling that there are so many things you “should” be doing, and that list is so long, you end up paralyzed and end up doing nothing? I recently finished reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle. She talks about how the cages that society creates…

  • Just Keep Swimming: Finding Encouragement Everywhere

    As the parent of a small child, my husband and I have found that a larger and larger percentage of our movies start with a rather distinctive castle. And we tend to watch the same movies over and over and over again. But as a writer – and one who’s been feeling a bit down…

  • Tangible Productivity Markers for a New Year

    Do you have a new calendar yet? Have you written out goals and plans on it? Or do you let the days pass as they will? As we begin a new year, I’ve been thinking more about using time instead of chasing after it all the time. Instead of having a bit of a loosey-goosey…

  • Crisis and Catharsis: Or, Just Keep Writing, You’re On Your Way

    It’s been a heck of a wonky-week. I’ve been reading new craft books, and testing out a new potential CP. CP looks terrific, but both the books and the CP delievered the news (unintentionally, both of them) that what I was taking for subtly is just lack of clarity. Oh, and the plotting isn’t working…

  • Check the Sign-posts: How Far Have You Come? 10 Tips for Progress Measurement

    Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved checking the road signs telling you how far you are from wherever you’re going. Especially when it was a really long drive (here in Canada, most places are a “really long drive” … or maybe those are just my vacations), it’s a half-sign of success when the…

  • Mountain Climbing in a Fog: How Do We Measure Progress?

    We all have end goals, some small, some, well,  mountainous. Some goals – and their attainment – is easy to measure and see. Others less so, especially if success is something measured in our heads. That makes some of these goals like mountain-climbing in the fog: we have no way of knowing where we are…

  • Retrospective: What a Difference a Year Makes

    Today is my daughter’s first birthday. Yipee! We all survived the first year of parenthood, and she’s had quite the impact on my life. From squalling infant to little critter that tries to talk and is getting close to walking, it’s hard to imagine that we’d only just met her last year this time. Significant…