Taking a Course: Writer’s Statement, Creating To-Do List and Reading GRIT

Series: A day in the life of a writer

This is the first post in the series: Day in the Life of a Writer. I decided to write this in the form of a journal, which I’ll update several times a week. I guess I just want to share my journey with other writers; those who have just embarked on the writing journey (or maybe just think about starting one) and those already on it. A writer’s life can get lonely sometimes. It’s great to see someone by your side going through the same stuff you’re going through. Enjoy! 

I’m taking a course

Bold Authors has released a new course that sparked my interest, and I just had to have it. It’s called “How to Craft a Compelling Writer’s CV and Writer’s Statement” by Melissa Addey.

Melissa is an award-winning author who has won thousands of $$$ in grant money. She has a bottomless trove of advice for authorpreneurs who just refuse to buy into the whole “you can’t make money as a writer” thing. She’s not just dispensing advice; she has done it, earned the money and lived to tell the tale.

So that’s what I’m doing today. I started the course yesterday, and I’m about halfway through. So far, the course is really easy to follow, and Melissa has, incredibly, managed to fit an ocean of information into practical, well-condensed points.

Once I’m done (hopefully today), I plan to go back to the various elements of the course and rather than just listen, I’ll pull up my sleeves and create my very own writer’s CV and statement from scratch – using all of Melissa’s priceless nuggets of wisdom of course.

To-do list

There is a conflict that lives inside of me. A part of me loves order, strategy and planning: the Monica; the other is an anarchist that craves chaos and disorder, jumping from one distraction to another at a moment’s notice.

The problem is that I love them both and feed each one at regular intervals. However, I noticed lately that I tend to feed the anarchist a little bit too often, and today I decided to change that. 

The thing is that I have too many days where I sit at my computer and don’t have a plan. I kinda just start most of the days hoping that I remember what I’m supposed to do. This is not working for me :/ So, today I’ve opened up my trusty Asana and quickly created a to-do list, which I plan to follow tomorrow, the day after etc.

When I finished the list, I wrote “CHECK ASANA” on a well-sized, yellow index card and placed it on the side of my armchair – I don’t use a desk.

I’ll let you know how I go…

Reading “Grit” by Angela Duckworth

I’m a huge fan of both fiction and non-fiction. However, I normally go for non-fiction stuff for the benefit of my personal growth – although I wouldn’t mind if my wallet also grew. I find that, apart from the Bible (which I also try to read daily), it helps me to become a more decent human being.

I started reading Grit a few months ago. I’m slowly making my way through this incredible book. I’m on page 196 – just over halfway through. It’s taken me a long time, partly because I’m reading other stuff, partly because of my freelance work, and partly because I was finishing my own book, which required a lot of research.

So, how is the book so far? Well, it’s amazing! It offers a lot of insight into perseverance. It shows you how to start, develop and successfully realise a task, project or entire career. It doesn’t just give you the tools to be resilient; it shows you what is happening behind the scenes: the mindset that’s required for success.

I’ll be writing a full review of the book once I’m finished; I’ll let you know when I post it. 

***

Thank you for reading this article. Please write a comment or join my newsletter if you’d like to be notified whenever I publish a new post.