It's Official / Happenings In The Outhouse 24-Sept-2021

My current work-in-progress is officially a novel.

Which is over 40,000 words.

And it is far from completed.  The novel is in four parts, and I am roughly a third of the way through part two.

I have placed a deadline of December 31st for completing it, however . . . I have serious doubts.  That's no problem.  I want the story done right.  It's just taking longer than expected.

First steps / Happenings In The Outhouse 17-Sept-2021

A 1000-mile journey begins with the first mile.

A 4-year journey of completing your college degree begins with the first class/semester.

Whatever you're doing, starting can be the most difficult hurdle to overcome.  Taking the first steps is essential to starting your journey, no matter what it is.

If you have a huge task, the best thing you can do is just start.  Baby steps if you have to.  I know first hand that writing a novel is a daunting task.  But as each page, paragraph, and sentence is written, the closer I am to completing it.

Start today.

Start small if you have to.

What you may find is that once you start, continuing the journey and completing it is easier than you think.

Distractions / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-Sept-2021

Someone recently asked if they were distracting me from my work--my writing, that is, not my day job.

It is good to know what distracts you, what holds you back from achieving your dreams, and what doesn't.  Each person is different.  For some, it has to be absolutely quiet in order for them to concentrate on their project.  Or they have to be sitting in a certain place.  Or they need to be drinking their favorite beverage.  Maybe a fair amount of ambient noise is necessary.

Knowing what causes you to procrastinate will lead your further down the path of success.  If social media alerts distract you, remove all notifications while working on your dreams.  If the sound of classical music or country music or heavy metal helps spark the imagination, then by all means let it play.

I have been blessed to be able to shift in and out of what others would see as distractions.  When I used to work in an actual office, I'd bring my laptop or notebook or printed stories to work on while on lunches and breaks.  The noise around me didn't bother me.  Neither does the TV when I'm at home, sitting at the table, pouring my heart and soul into the latest creation.

What does distract me is more internal.  Sometimes I can control it.  Other times, not so much.

So when it was asked if they were distracting me . . . my answer was clearly no.

But that's me knowing me.

Know thyself . . . and the truth will set you free.

Buying Barriers (make it easy to do business/buy your wares) / Happenings In The Outhouse 03-Sept-2021

One of my daughters is at her first week in college and I wanted to send her something as a surprise.  The college had sent me info a few weeks ago on how I can order a care package for her, so obviously I'm all over that.  But when I start the process, there's a few problems.

I need the dorm where she's staying.  And her room number.  And a few other items, which made purchasing the care package a pain in the behind.

At the time, she didn't know any of the necessary info.

How many times have you just wanted go to some place, tell them what you want, hand over your money, and it's done?  All the time, right?

I hate buying vehicles.  Yes, you heard right.  Hate.  Not dislike or oh buying cars is a pain.  No, I hate it with so much passion that I'd rather drink the urine of a dead cow.  Why?  Because whenever I have bought cars, it's not easy.  Most of it did have to do with our financial situation, but still.  It could have been easier.  If the money portion was difficult, I would rather they say, nope we can't do it than the hours of waiting and waiting and waiting.

Amazon, for one, makes buying so damn easy.  Ebooks?  One click and done.  Merchandise.  Just a few clicks and done.

Almost two months ago, I went to a few hardware stores looking for yard maintenance equipment.  The two stores I frequented made it easy to buy.  I told them what I needed, and here you go, there it all is.  So easy.

The buying experience can either easy or not so much.  Put yourself in the customer's shoes.

One thing that irritates me is when authors offer incentives, but you need to download them in a different way than what you are used to.  I love my Kindle and I want to just read it on that.  Yes, there are ways of side loading items onto the Kindle, but that's too much hassle.

Make it easy to buy.

And people will buy more.