Branching out with my writing
Yes, the word is ‘sonder’.
From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. To help you visualize, short video here.
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Note: Thanks to Seth Godin for introducing the Writers Horoscope to this concept.
Columbus isn’t the only one to be honored today.
Give a nod to yourself.
But only after you try your hand at say, a how-to article on unexpected uses of hair conditioner [yes, there are], or Astrology and the Home Cook [You’re on your own with that one.] or an impromptu photo story,
No, don’t go tossing your vat of candy corn.
You’ve engulfed your brain with too much media.
It does nothing but bring you down and, even worse, keep you from your real work.
Image courtesy of gratisography.com
Of course others seek you out!
After all, you put words together in clear, concise fashion.
You’re brimming with creative and unique avenues of expression.
Wellllll, there’s a problem.
You’re being sought out today for another of your attractive traits: perceived free time.
“Oh, it’s just a little yard work,” they say.
It’s never just ‘a little’.
You could go with yesterday’s suggestion: turn and run.
Or you could throw a fit…
Or you could show a creepingly inordinate amount of enthusiasm for the work.
That oughta cut back on the calls for help.
You could turn and run.
Or meet it head-on…with a new sentence, then a paragraph, a page, a chapter, a book.
Seth Godin keeps his view of perfection pretty darned simple.
Here’s another take:
One thing is certain: perfection is not a blank page.
Uninvited, by the way.
Yep, just when you thought you had nailed the logical soft-spoken maybe a bit uptight mid-40s professional, out comes an irascible sarcastic dope who spews about everything he knows nothing about.
Give him a day. Have a chat with him. You might even try to scare him away.
If the creep is still around, make room for him in one of your stories.
Following yesterday’s suggestions, you cleaned up your physical workspace.
It only helped a little.
Time to clean up your inner workspace.
Here’s a great start, thanks to Todd Brison’s 195 Words to Keep You Going If You Feel Down.
Highlights:
Give it a shot.
Turns out you shouldn’t knock yourself for feeling listless…apathetic…phlegmatic. Well, you get the idea.
James Clear claims that, in many cases, our work environment influences our productivity more than our motivation.
Suggestions:
Now, if you lack motivation to sharpen up your work environment, well, that’s a topic for another day. Sympathy will not be forthcoming, however.
Granted, some listeners might require a little more encouragement than others.
And remember yesterday’s advice to ‘be interesting’?
You stand a really good chance with this demographic. Just give it a little time.
Word Inventions