2012 and 2013: Crafting a bestseller

January 3, 2013

“Tomorrow you write the 1st page of a 365 page book. Make your story count.” – Art Jonak

Mmm, the sharp smell of a brand new notebook. Its binding sturdy and cover unblemished. The pages are blank, ready and waiting for scribbles and script. It will soon record the year’s events. The large ones and small ones, the happy and sad, the mundane and the milestones.

But today, this third day in January, it’s still fresh. The new paper smell still sweeps over you as you open its cover.

I’m looking at this notebook and soaking in that freshness. It’s smell is sweet. Refreshing.

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The book of 2012 closed its cover happy and full.

In business, we invested in a movie, continued to support our network marketing team, and got our second rental property up and running. In writing, I wrote for SPN from January through December, journaled more than I ever have, posted here on AS.com a few times a month, and somehow managed to write a fifty thousand-word novel. Most importantly, personally, we welcomed a happy, healthy baby girl in May and leaped into parenthood with our arms open wide and our fingers clutching our wine bottle opener.

I would say that it was a great year, but I think that goes without saying. It was monumental.

Looking forward, we have another lengthy tome planned. A few thoughts on what I hope my book of 2013 says come next December 31…

Less wallowing. Bring on the personal editorial calendar. I want to eliminate the time spent wallowing in indecision and daily planning in regards to my writing. Remove the fog. I write for SPN and AS, I write in my journal and in my daughter’s journal, I write regular motivational and informational messages to my Vemma team, and I have freelance projects here and there. This chaos has got to get organized. If my writing is prioritized and scheduled, I’m confident that my productivity will practically double.

Becoming more present. Blah blah blah the typical mommy battle. Separating time with my child from time with my computer, and continually bettering my ability to not feel guilty about one when I’m with the other. It’s a constant fight, I realize, but one I want to be calmer about and more confident with the effort and progress I’m making.

Continual kindness. I started a list for #26Acts in honor of Newtown and tacked it to the front of our fridge. Over the past week or so I’ve added several items, numbering them as I go. I look at the list every time I walk through the kitchen, every time I walk in or out of the back door, and every time I reach inside the fridge for the water pitcher. Translation: I look at the list a bazillion times a day. It finally occurred to me today that kindness, and kind acts, should be a part of me. Why did I have to give myself a reason – you could even call it an excuse – to do them and then record them on the list as if I have to turn in the assignment at the end of the month for a grade? Shouldn’t it just be a given that I go through my day with a heart for kindness, dripping kind acts onto others?

I took the list down. It didn’t make me happy to think about doing acts of kindness simply because I had to finish my list.

A few more specific goals…

Vemma growth. I maintained our business throughout my pregnancy and first eight months of my daughter’s life. It’s time to ramp things up. It’s time for growth. There are a lot of people to help and I’m not about to keep quiet about what I have to offer. 2013 goal: 40% increase in team members and monthly income.

Another investment property. Hubz has his mind swirling over an apartment complex. Eek! It’s going to take creativity, but we’re up for the challenge.

Writing. Continue contributing to Silicon Prairie News. Increase consistency with posts here on AS.com with one every week, publishing every Thursday. If I reach that, work towards a Monday and Thursday schedule. Earn $1000 a month freelancing. Have something published in a magazine. Have something published on a major online news site (think Forbes or Huffington Post). Take steps towards actually doing something with the three childrens book outlines I’ve written.

(Yikes. That list scares me.)

(But I suppose that’s the point, yes?)

Bring it on, 2013. 365 pages. We’re on page 3. Let’s do this.

Cheers to a new year, a new you,
AS

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So, that’s my list. What’s on yours?

What can I do to help you fill up your book of 2013 the way you picture it?

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NaNoWriMo 2012: Winner! Winner! Winner!

December 19, 2012

Don’t ask me what it’s about, but I did it. I did it! I wrote a 50k-word novel (50,369 to be exact) in 30 days – the month of November – spurred on by the wonderful organization, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

What happened in November with my writing is a perfect testament to the ability to do something so much larger than you thought possible, if your focus remains on taking one small step at a time. Or, one word at a time. And then, of course, repeating that step over and over and over again.

50,000 words divided by the thirty days in November meant I had to average 1,667 words per day to stay on track.

Ha! Haha. HA HA HA.

Ahem.

I was perfect for six whole days until I faltered. Then, a few days later, I faltered again. And then Thanksgiving week hit and, well, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.

I found myself staring at a statistic on my NaNoWriMo profile page late at night on November 25th.

Words Remaining: 20,000

To finish, I had to average almost 4,000 words per day. I had serious doubts. How was I supposed to write that much in a day when I hadn’t been able to handle writing 1,667? And I didn’t just have to have one big day of 4,000 words, I had to repeat it five days in a row.

Earlier in the month, I figured out that I was able to crank out the 1,667 words in about an hour if I knew what I wanted to write. If I sat down in front of my computer and didn’t know what was going to happen next with my story, that one hour often sretched to two. Needless to say, 4,000 words was going to take a solid three to four hours a day to complete.

Sunday night was when I sat down and took stock of where I stood. I had Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to get the thing done. Midnight on Friday, November 30th was the finish line. I laced up my mental sneakers. I locked my fingers together and stretched my arms out in front of my body, hopping up and down a couple times to clear my mind and calm my nerves. This race was gonna hurt, but I had to do it. It was go time.

I ignored the dishes, let the laundry pile up, and didn’t even blink when my inbox hit stratospheric levels. And damnit if I didn’t tackle those 4,000 words every day that week and slam them into the turf. Those words – those poor, poor words – they didn’t know what the hell hit ‘em.

Sorry for the swear words. I think.

I’m still not really sure how it happened. I look back on that week in awe at my focus. An issue with the way I have designed my life – freedom to work on what I want, when I want – is that I pursue many interests. In a single day I could be attending Kindermusik with my daughter, scheduling a homes tour for several prospective rental properties, prepping dinner, walking through my nieghborhood and Instagramming photos of pretty trees, interviewing a startup founder for Silicon Prairie News via email, doing laundry, Skyping with a Vemma team member to share how the three people sitting in their living room can make $1000 in the next week if they jumped at the opportunity, and watching American Pickers with Hubz and a glass of garnacha.

I’m a little, umm, scatterbrained.

Focus, as I’ve mentioned before, is something I am frequently lacking.

That last week of November, though. Hoo-boy. That focus was award winning. It was no-fear, I-don’t-care-what-doesn’t-get-done, people-believe-in-me-and-darnit-I’m-not-letting-them-down focus.

My laptop was open, ready and waiting, every minute that I was awake. And that’s exactly what it came down to. Minutes. If I focused on the hours per day required, I was convinced it would never happen. So instead, I focused on the minutes. I focused on one word at a time.

What happened astonished me. On Monday, I wrote 2,000 words before dinner, then the remaining 2,000 after my punkin went to bed. On Tuesday and continuing the rest of the week, all 4,000 were done before late afternoon. 4,000 words. Before the credits on Dr. Oz show!

It turns out, if you have a hairy, scary enough ambition, a very defined way you’re going to accomplish it, and an environment set up for your success, your days can just ooze with productivity.

I wrote a 50,000 word novel during the month of November for National Novel Writing Month 2012. Booyah.

Next up? Reading this son of a gun and figuring out what the heck I wrote. It should be interesting.

“I hate writing. I love having written.” – Dorothy Parker

Hugs,
AS

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Question for you, are you willing to temporarily shut out everything in order to focus on something huge? What would that something be?
Share share!

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A thankfulness and gratefulness love letter. And a video. Or two.

November 22, 2012

Sometimes it takes the holidays to force you to step back from your life and take stock. It’s during those times that I realize, holy moley, I’ve got it made. I have a wonderful husband and a healthy, happy daughter. We have a roof over our heads and many options for what to eat every night and extended families that love and support us.

In business, it’s very similar. Sometimes I get stuck in the everyday. The calls and the emails and the appointment requests and the bank statements. The yes’s and no’s and thanks for the suggestion but we’ll get back to you’s. The same people here and the same conversations there. And the rut. Ohh the rut.

I wish it didn’t take a big event to take you away from that everyday and provide you with wider-vision goggles, but sometimes it just does. And every time, without fail, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness and awe at what we have. At the opportunities that we have come across. At all that we still have ahead. It takes everything I have not to collapse to my knees under the weight of it all.

Amazingness. That stuff is heavy.

So, in that vain, I guess I just want to say: thank you.

If you’re reading this, I appreciate you. More than you know.

If you have followed my journey from the beginning or are just joining us, I wouldn’t be here without you.

I think of you often. What you worry about, what you think about, what you dream about and work towards and strive to reach.

You mean so much. Don’t forget.

I hope our walk together continues, and I have countless ideas for new adventures. Let’s go get ‘em. Together.

Hugs,
AS

P.S. I recorded a video three years ago, and another two years ago, about this time of year. Thought you might like them. (If you can’t see the videos, please click here.)

P.P.S. I was wearing the same scarf in both of those videos. And today. Goodbye.

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NaNoWriMo 2012: I’m taking the plunge

November 1, 2012

You guys, I’m not sure how it happened or what came over me, but for some ridiculous/astonishing reason I committed to NaNoWriMo 2012.

NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month – is a movement that encourages writing a novel – at least 50,000 words in length – during the month of November every year. It’s all neatly organized online at nanowrimo.org.

Like I said, I don’t know how it happened. But it did. I have shared my goal with Hubz, I have written my daily word count quotas on the whiteboard in my office, and I am now sharing it with you.

Accountability. I’m going to need it.

I’m attempting this feat amongst all of the current roles in my life, not conceding to letting anything slack – mommy, wife, Vemma brand partner, Silicon Prairie News contributor, blogger, etc. This might lead to me pulling all of my hair out. This might lead somewhere fun. We won’t know until we try it!

I’ve added a widget to the sidebar and, if you’re up for it, you can keep tabs as I update my progress towards reaching fifty thousand words.

Thank you for being here, and for providing me an outlet these past few years to share my writing with you. And thank you in advance for your encouragement the next 30 days as I attempt to take that writing to a new and scary and exciting place.

Cheers!
Annie

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Random fall fiction book recommendations for anyone and everyone

October 26, 2012

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I’ve been soaking in the non-fiction lately. This week, a break. I’m jumping into London Is The Best City In America by Laura Dave. Girly reads! I’m excited.

If you’re looking for a relaxing read for the week/month/season, join me. Dave has three titles to choose from.

I was going through a few of my shelves this weekend, and you know what? Prep is such a great read for anyone going through a transitional period in their life. High school to college. College to the real world. Even middle school to high school. We’ve all had to go through change and learn how to adapt and find ourselves again amongst it.

Life of Pi. Now there’s a read for the theologian. And if you could explain it to me once you’ve finished it, that would be much appreciated. It was made into a movie that will be released sometime next year, maybe that will help.

Feeling unsatisfied with your current life situation? Convinced that the grass is always greener somewhere else? Take a deep breath and relax into Swapping Lives. It will entertain you with its fluffiness. It will calm you with its simple reminder.

And speaking of simple reminders, remember The Westing Game? If you’re feeling nostalgic for those middle school reading lists, jump into this short read some weekend. If you’re a Type A logical-minded geek like me, you’ll love it even more.

It’s fall, and that means hunting seasons. Set aside the firearms and the outings with your dad/uncle/son/brother and pick up The Wilding. It’s full of family relationships and the wilderness and the crazy events that unfold when the two collide. I promise it will pack just as much bang as that .300 ruger. (I just had to text Hubz to ask for the name of that gun. Me know nothing ’bout hunting.)

On the subject of the outdoors, if you’re itching to get outside, antsy for an adventure, or feeling stuck in a modern day rut of menontiny, dive into Into the Wild. Prepare to be inspired and astonished. Just please don’t go to that level of extreme, ok? I’d like you to stick around for a while.

Whoops, Into the Wild isn’t fiction. Crap.

Oh well, read it anyway. It’s so unbelievable it might as well be made up anyway.

If you’re lacking a bit of perspective or feeling like life is just flying by you and you’re missing the little things, pick up Let The Great World Spin. And after you turn the final page, give me a call and educate me on why it’s an award winning book.

I’m so terrible at understanding the award winners. I simultaneously liked and didn’t understand that book.

Were you a The Da Vinci Code fan? Go with one of the lesser read novels from the now-mainstream author, Dan Brown, and read Digital Fortress. Just as action-packed but with a technical, information-security, government spy angle. You might just surprise yourself and end up loving it just as much, if not more, than the Code.

You know the tv show Downtown Abbey? I don’t watch it, but if you do, run and grab The American Heiress. And don’t call it a girly novel. It’s spellbinding yet easy to read. Family relationships and cultural assumptions and riches and class clashes. Man, life seemed so much simpler and powerful 100 years ago. Fascinate yourself.

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Happy fall reading, ya’ll! What’s on your book shelf this week?

In book geekery,

AS

 

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How it turned out: my Mini Summer Life List

October 25, 2012

My mini summer life list! Remember that?

Annie’s Summer “Inspire Me” list

1) Try 5 new (to me) coffee shops

2) Visit 3 new (to me) book stores

3) Take a class

4) Teach myself how to knit

5) Bake a cake from scratch

In July I was itching for new scenery and a jolt of creativity. A bump out of the (albeit minor) rut I felt like I was traveling in. Here’s how I fared:

Coffee shops. 3 out of 5. Not too shabby.

1. A funny little place up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota that, amongst get-me-outta-this-car-seat-or-die screams from the punkin, served up a delish bowl of raspberry frozen yogurt. It was a fro yo and coffee shop combo type of place. I went in for coffee, got distracted by the screams, saw the yogurt, and the rest was history. So, maybe this one doesn’t really count as a new coffee shop? Hmm.

2. A trendy place in midtown Kansas City. It was occupied with quite a few self-employers with laptops when I visited, which was interesting because it didn’t seem too comfortable of a place to work. Anyway, I walked in carrying a car seat, ordered a decaf, and felt like all eyes were on me. The barista had on a tshirt that said “Only your Mom drinks decaf.” Yeah. Weird. They served me up a delicious, perfectly bitter mocha, though, so I guess we’re even. Once I was back inside the safety of my car, I smiled and shrugged about the oddness of it all.

3. A mom and pop cafe in the old “downtown” district of a landlocked Kansas City suburb. Now THIS place I could get used to. Super friendly service, tons of tables with just enough ambient noise to differentiate it from a library, but serene enough of an atmosphere to focus on anything work-related you would ever need to. Not that I worked while I was there. After ordering my mocha I spied a cinnamon roll in the display case. I had to have it (duh) and babygirl and I relaxed in a booth while mama got her sugar rush on. Exploring a few new coffee shops was worth it for this find. Score.

 

Book stores. 3 for 3. Yes!

1. A family excursion to the park was perfectly extended with a trip to the highest profile private book store in Kansas City. You know, “the store” that gets all of the ungetable author events. A hardcover will cost you more than a steak dinner, but the service and the atmosphere make stopping in worthwhile. Dozens of signed posters from all of their author events supplied the proof of their high profile. The only names I can remember seeing were Anna Quindlen and Martha Stewart, but I remember recognizing almost every book cover poster, all prominently displayed high on a shelf that wrapped around the store.

Note: add “attend an author event” to my next list.

2. July 22nd. The lovely, inspiring, jam-packed book store and gift shop at the art museum. More than half of the space is packed with books, so into the book store category it falls. A huge selection of unique art and children’s books. As much as I love the children’s department at my local Barnes & Noble and all of the memory-jogging titles and authors it includes, it was so fun digging through a shelf of relative unknowns and absorbing the beautiful words and illustrations. I didn’t get to spend enough time in the store the first time we went – we had just spent two hours wandering around the museum itself and punkin was cooked – so we returned a couple weeks later to dig further. Worth it.

Also, it just occured to me that this would be a fun place to purchase a gift certificate for birthdays or holidays.

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3. A small, private shop in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. It’s been there forever, apparently, and while the service is nonexistent, the store itself is cute as a button. They didn’t seem to specialize in any category or genre of book, just remaining general and small and quiet. Nice.

 

Take a class. Done. Kind of.

Does a class for my kiddo count? I tend to ridiculously shy away from the typical mommy-and-me type classes (much to the detriment of my child), but decided to give Gymboree a shot. You know what? I didn’t melt, punkin loved it, and I walked away feeling great about having tried it out. I probably won’t go back, for no specific reason other than, well, I’m ridiculous, but it has opened my mind to testing out a couple other classes that I think I – and, more importantly, she – would enjoy. Swimming? Music? We’re on it.

Re-reading that paragraph, it sounds silly that attending this one class was such a big deal. But for a new mommy, it just was. This type of stuff is scary and unknown…and scary.

 

Knitting. Whoops.

I’ve bookmarked the YouTube videos and set a reminder to ask the neighbor to borrow her needles, this one’s going on the next list.

 

Scratch cake. Attempted.

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The Great Angel Food Flop. I came, I baked…I wish I could have conquered. I sifted and separated the egg whites and fluffed stiff peaks and baked, I cooled inverted on a wine bottle, I cut into it and…it was disgusting. Damnit! It looked great, but alas, something must have gone wrong in my sifting or folding of the ingredients, as there were giant pockets of unmixed flour, leaving the properly mixed portions of the cake gross, as not all the ingredients were mixed in and the flavor was off. Into the trash it went.

Disappointing, but hey, I could have tried a regular sheet cake and been confident from the beginning that it would have easily tasted fine. Angel food was a challenge, a cake I’ve loved all my life, and I closed the trash cabinet feeling proud that I even gave it a shot. I’ll be back, angel food. I’ll be back.

 

And there you have it! I felt pretty good about my list, even though I left a couple items uncrossed off. (Uncrossed off?) It was fun and it pushed me gently out of my comfort zone, encouraging me to get going on a few things I simply didn’t have a reason to jump into before. And I think that was the point. Right?

A good experiment and one I will be repeating. The power of a couple simple goals and a short timeline. Never ceases to amaze, even if those “goals” are mostly just for fun. Creating my list even inspired Hubz to get in on the act, and he crossed off a few life experiences/to-do’s/projects he had been meaning to tackle for a while, too.

Up next, perhaps a holiday season list? I haven’t been to a tree farm since I was a kid. I’ve never made homemade hot chocolate. Hmm…

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Do tell – what’ve you been working on recently? What new experiences are you hoping to try out?

Hugs,

AS

 

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Why I’m giving up on personal development

October 18, 2012

Personal development? I’m over it.

It’s exhausting. The image of what personal development means – thinking that I’m never good enough and have to work every day in order to find any measure of success at making myself better than I am? With the natural assumption, of course, that today, in my current state, I’m not good enough to make it? No thank you.

Let’s re-label.

Continual learning. Being a curious soul. Being opinionated, while simultaneously openminded to the opinions of others.

I always have to be better. I NEED TO BE BETTER! Ugh.

I need to be me. I need to be present and confident in who I am and what I am doing. Today. Right now. I need to be all of that now and open to so much more later.

Confident and humble.

Satisfied yet hungry.

This is a lifetime thing, this learning stuff. It’s not a race with a finish line. So why stress about it? This is learning through life and not allowing the thoughts of I’m not good enough creep in.

Because we might be dedicated to constantly learning, but that doesn’t mean we’re not happy with what – or who – we are today.

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You with me?

Let’s do this. :)

Hugs,
AS

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Amazon Election Heat Map 2012

October 9, 2012

This is such an interesting (and geeky!) way of viewing an election map; based on right- or left-leaning book sales. Check it out:

Amazon Election Heat Map 2012

Click on the link to view more details, and while you’re there (and scratching your head over what this map means), scroll down to peek at the list of top-selling “Red” and “Blue” books. Interesting, eh?

This is pretty neat, Amazon. Pretty neat.

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