I'm upgrading

For a while now about a year, I'd say, I've wanted to upgrade my skills and qualifications. Although several interesting and potentially lucrtive options stood before me, I held on to my desire to do something related to writing.

The Writer's Bureau have been sending me their prospectus for years. Their writing courses are much more comprehensive than the one I did with Penn Foster. Although I could have chosen specific areas, somehow I remained unsettled.

When God moves, the time is always right. A few weeks ago I received another prospectus from the Writer's Bureau for their Journalism Course. They have sent me this information so often in the last two years that I practically know the course outline by heart. This time though, not only was the price right (reduced by 100. pounds) but so was the timing.

In view of the economic downturn, which has not yet impacted my country on the scale I hear about in places like the US and UK (recently confirmed as officially being in a recession), I have been concerned about upgrading the kind of freelance work I can pursue and services I can provide.

Reading through the 28 modules being offered in the journalism prospectus, my heart was at peace and excited at the same time. This is what I should do. This is what I want to do.

Once I make up my mind about something, I don't waste time second guessing myself and asking everybody else's opinion. So I contacted the school with a few questions and when they replied, I proceeded to register. Yesterday morning I hit the "Checkout" button and sent my deposit whizzing through cyberspace. In seconds I had access to the first modules online while they packaged the textbooks to send through the post.

I have four years to complete a comprehensive 28 module journalism course. My goal is to complete it in three years instead. It will yank me out of my comfort zone and although I am a little scared, I am much more excited about the adventures that await me.

Soon ythere'll be a new journalist in town and you will see "journalist" in my email signature, my bio and my byline -

Cheryl Wright is a freelance journalist....

Saturday Soirée - The "just one more" concept

It was time to observe my New Year ritual, so I settled down on the porch with my 10-year journal, my notebook, my new journal and a cup of tea for some serious review, reassessment and planning.

I identified a few goals I want to achieve this year but more importantly, I decided to adopt and focus on the term, "just one more" with every writing and writing-related task or project I undertake - administrative duties, research, writing/blogging, editing, reviewing, reading, etc.

The days of stopping short of completing tasks on my to-do list are over. With God's help I am taking a new approach to everything I do to enhance and advance my writing career.

The concept of "just one more" entails doing one more thing, going one more step, reading for one more hour or one more chapter, writing one more page, doing one more round of editing, sending one more query and submission to one more market, etc.

I've read about and experienced first-hand, the benefits of doing one more thing, taking one more proactive step, not settling for less than excellent efforts. And that is what 'just one more" means really - refusing to settle for mediocrity or good enough.

If we want to achieve our writing goals, accomplish our writing dreams and be the writers we want to be, then we must be willing to give ourselves one more push, go one step further, take one more chance and do one more thing to make them happen.

It is not always easy to do one more of anything at the end of a busy day of home, family and work responsibilities and other demands that may come up unexpectedly. Even fulltime writers can easily become overwhelmed and sidetracked by the other responsibilities in their lives.

From time to time, I will share my progress with you. Hopefully you will be encouraged to adopt this concept for your own writing practice.

Guess what? I wrote one more post for our Saturday Soirée and scheduled it for posting next Saturday.

Have you sorted out what goals you want to go after this year? Do you have an overriding goal or strategy to improve your success at achieving them? I've shared mine; you're welcome to share yours.

Whatever our writing goals are, however simple, however grand, however varied, let's determine to keep writing, a little everyday or as often as our lifestyles and responsibilities will allow because we're writing up a storm this year. Aren't we?