I'm a Writer by Susan A. Royal

     I’d be lying if I said my lifestyle has changed dramatically from what it was before I was published. It’s true there are some writers who are successful enough to give up their day jobs and concentrate full time on being a writer without worrying about eating, but in reality it doesn’t happen that way. If I had $100 for every time someone says, “You’re published? Wow…I guess you’re raking in the royalties. Why haven’t you quit your job?” I might be able to.
 

     Truth is it takes hard work and time. These days most authors work for a living, make time for their families, do a lot of their own marketing, network to make themselves known, and try to keep up with the newest literary trends. All this is done while we continue to write. That’s not counting first drafts, second drafts, edits, edits and more edits. This happens before we even submit our work. When I began writing, I was told once the author signs a contract, it can take as long as two years before seeing the finished product, and I wondered why so long. Now I know. Even more time is spent unearthing inconsistencies in a manuscript, tweaking, polishing and making it a better, more cohesive story. That takes a lot of time. After going through it so many times I loathe and despise every character and every line of dialogue and wonder briefly whatever possessed me in the first place, I’m still not done. I have galley edits. 

     In spite of all this, I continue to write. Why? There’s nothing like breathing life into a scene I may have carried around in my head for weeks. Or making one of my characters seem like a real, live person. I carry a note pad with me, because I never know when inspiration will strike. I find myself paying close attention to conversations, body language or the way some place makes me feel. When it does I write it down.

     I saw him the other day. It happened when I cut across Market Street and passed in front of the fancy new coffee shop. On the other side of spotless glass, waitresses in crisp black uniforms served expensive coffee in fancy cups and saucers. One man sat alone at a table by the window. No one I knew, just a handsome stranger who glanced up as I passed. Our eyes met and I froze in the middle of a busy sidewalk crowded with impatient people. Annoyed, they parted, sweeping past me like water rushing downstream.

Wish I Were Here by Dina Colman, MA, MBA

“Having a great time. Wish I were here.” I saw this quote on

a postcard a long time ago, and it always stuck with me. How

often are you at a party, going about your daily life, or even on

vacation without really being there? Perhaps you are still stuck in

yesterday thinking about the argument you had with your spouse

or maybe you are already in tomorrow worrying about your big

presentation.

Living in the present sounds so simple, but is actually quite

challenging. Ruminating about what happened in the past seems

to come without effort, doesn’t it? And, with so many demands

on our time, it is hard not to be thinking about the future and all

that needs to be done. How can we make it feel more natural to

simply be in this moment?

Try living in the present right now. As you are reading this

book, recognize that you are taking the time and reading a book.

Notice where you are sitting, how your body is feeling, and what

sounds you hear. Read the words on the page and just be in the

moment of reading. You have decided to take time out to read

this book, so try to be with it fully for the next few minutes. If you

are doing other things in addition to reading this book—such as

listening to music, watching TV, or eating—try doing just one

thing, reading.

Mindfulness is about being conscious of the present moment

in all that you do, filling your body’s senses with what you are

experiencing right now. Remember, you only have this moment

once in your life. You might as well savor it by fully being with the

activity you have decided to focus on. Try the Now I Am Aware

exercise to help bring you in the present moment. How can you

finish the sentence, “Now I am aware…”? For example:

Now I am aware...of the hum of the air cleaner.

Now I am aware...of a car driving by.

Now I am aware...of my dog chewing on a toy.

Now I am aware...of tightness in my neck.

Now I am aware...of an itch on my knee.

Now I am aware...of the sun streaming in the window.

Doing this exercise helps you become more present and aware

of your senses—what you are seeing, feeling, and hearing in this

moment. You can then take it one step further and allow yourself

to be in your current activity exclusively. There are times in your

life when this happens naturally because it is hard to be anywhere

else. For example, when you are riding a roller coaster or skiing

downhill, you are typically so absorbed in that activity that you are

in the now. This can even happen in a movie theater. You can be so

immersed in the movie that you don’t hear the person next to you

munching on popcorn or feel your knees stiffening up from sitting

so long.

The challenge is to bring this presence to every day activities

like washing the dishes, making the bed, walking the dog, or eating

a meal. Starting with the Now I Am Aware exercise is a great first

step to bring you into the present moment. Then allow yourself

to simply be.

The beauty of mindfulness is that it can be done anywhere

and anytime. The more we do it, the more we encourage health

and wellness by breaking the cycle of the chronic state of stress

that has become our daily lives.

In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle says that the present

moment is where we find our joy and are able to embrace our

true selves. He says it is here that we discover we are already

complete and perfect. The beauty is that this is fully in reach for

everyone. We just have to simply be. Here. Now.

Next time I’m having a great time, I plan to be there. How about you?"