This past week I completed an item that’s been hanging around my to-do list for a year: write a query letter for my memoir manuscript. After twelve months of procrastination I even surprised myself at how quickly the first draft came together. With feedback and suggestions from a circle of writerly friends incorporated, the final draft was good to go within a couple of days. But the unexpected bonus has been the jolt of energy that showed up on my doorstep once I crossed the long-suffering task off my list. I had no idea the drag on momentum that was caused by the ‘should do that’ message that had been running like a ticker tape through my mind. Every time I noticed the manuscript and copy of Thinking Like Your Editor on top of the filing cabinet, there was that voice incurring a fresh rush of guilt and shame.
But once I had that first draft out of my head and on paper, I became unstoppable: picking fresh bouquets from the garden, snapping photos, cleaning the fridge (not very glam, I know, but the sparkly results are such a reward). In fact, I felt I’d earned some additional blog browsing time. Here are some of my favorite virtual stops this past week:
- the Purl Bee blog – visually delicious with fun, colorful fiber/fabric projects for all skill levels
- Author Mary Johnson’s site – her book “An Unquenchable Thirst” is due out in August. In a prior life chapter, Mary was a nun and worked with Mother Theresa!
- An article about curating one’s interests online confirmed my interest in Pinterest and Etsy treasuries – even if it has to go on my backlist.
- One of my daily favorites is from the Brooklyn-based Swiss designer, SwissMiss. She’s always got her eye out for innovative design; guaranteed her blog feed will make you smile.
- Out of anyone in our knitting group, “Cora Brown” easily takes the title as Most Meticulous Crafter. This scarf had me swooning and wanting to make one of my own.
- And last but not least, my pal over at My Fantastic Life has been entertaining me with photos and posts as she tackles a 30-day blogging challenge.
What I want to know is why do we keep putting them those to-do list tasks, when we know how good it will make us feel when they’re done? Thanks for all the great links, and for showing off one of my projects.
— Cora Brown
Wow. great quote from Martha Beck. I’m so stealing it! Explains a lot at my house — sadly!! LOL Congratulations on getting the query letter out there. Maybe I’ll get to finally read your memoir. I’m really excited about think. The links were fun and thank you for the “favorite” status for the week. Seriously cool!
Congrats on getting through the block of writing your query letter. And thank you for the lovely trip you sent me on through the links you shared.
Look what showed up in my ebox this morning: “You may have no idea you’ve produced an extensive memoir, but you have. In fact, you’re living in it. According to psychologists who analyze the relationship between our home and our psyches, we often – consciously or not – choose and arrange our living spaces to reflect our life histories.”—Martha Beck, O At Home– Fall 2006