Blog: Copy Editing for Fiction Writers | Freelance Book Editing

Realizations About Tracking Progress

May 28, 2020 by Jody CalkinsNo Comments

Realizations About Tracking Progress Dear Blog, Last Monday I wrote about goal setting. About giving up our freedoms to things that are easier. Well, today, I want to talk about the reasoning behind the goals. If you've been following me for a while, you probably know I like to track my progress. I've been doing it daily for my writing since 2017. You probably also know I've been trying to get into the habit of tracking progress in other areas, like language study and water intake. If we don't track progress, do we really know how we're doing? If we don't write it down, did it really happen? It's easy to forget how much we're progressing if we don't track it in some way. But tracking takes time. Maybe more time than I'm willing to give it over the long-term. It's great to know how we're spending our time during the day and it's a great tool to figure out where we need to make necessary changes...

Goal Setting & Productivity 101

May 25, 2020May 25, 2020 by Jody CalkinsNo Comments

Goal Setting & Productivity 101 Dear Blog, Last week I wrote about unfollowing people on social media (it's been great, by the way!). So, I thought I'd write about goals and productivity today. So many of us use the time excuse. I don't have time to do that. I'm too busy. I couldn't possibly add anything more to my schedule. We get so caught up in making excuses that we start settling for a life that doesn't include the seemingly random thing we want to do. If it's not a time excuse, then it's some other excuse. Oh, I could never do that. I don't even know where to start. I'm too old to start now. And then if we do start it, we don't stick with it for long. It feels weird. It's too different. I can't seem to do it or get into the groove of it. So many excuses flood our day. And we let them tell us what we can and cannot do. And...

Obsessed With Social Media? This Might Be For You!

May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 by Jody CalkinsNo Comments

Obsessed With Social Media? This Might Be For You! Dear Blog, I did something crazy the other day. You know how we're obsessed with social media? We go on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter just to grab the latest updates. Who's sharing the new funny thing? What's the latest drama? Who else liked or commented on or shared my post? What's happening in the world? Okay, bad example, but you get what I'm saying. Well, have you ever commented on someone else's post and then the person never replied or even liked your comment? Or have you spent time thinking through and drafting a helpful response to a friend's issue and then all they do is write, "Thanks!"? Social media was supposed to be about building connections. Being helpful. Offering tips. Learning something. Information is power. Knowledge is power. Because it gives us ideas for new solutions. Solutions that might actually work. We get sucked in to this idea that we need validation from others....