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Conversations with Barb and Jann

February 2, 2012 by Jann Ryan in category Jann says . . . tagged as Barb Delong, Conversations with Barb and Jann, Jann Audiss, Kitty Bucholtz, Online Class, time management, writer's Life

by Barb DeLong and Jann Audiss

Jann: Well, Barb, how are you doing in Kittyâ€™s on-line Time Management class?

Barb: Not so well. Canâ€™t seem to find the time to get assignments done.

Jann: I know what you mean. I did my first two assignments and posted every day what I loved about my writing, then fell off the wagon on Sunday.

Barb: Weâ€™ll get back on track. Whatâ€™ll help is when we get down to the nitty gritty and mark up our calendars.

Jann: Calendars? Last night I counted five: my Smart Phone, my Franklin, my day planner, my pocket planner and the cutest Mary Engelbreit calendar, if I could only find it. I want to settle on only one because itâ€™s driving me crazy. I might miss a hair appointment if Iâ€™m not careful.

Barb: And we canâ€™t have that. Iâ€™m afraid after I fill out the calendar or calendars with all my appointments, working full time, yada yada, there wonâ€™t be enough time to write.

Jann: Thatâ€™s what weâ€™re taking this class for, Barb. Where are your priorities? Is writing even among them?

Barb: Okay, mom. I am getting some writing done, but thereâ€™s only so many quality pages one can do in the bathtub.

Jann: Thanks for that picture. Seriously, itâ€™s all in how you figure out your goals and prioritize them. Youâ€™ve got to take a hard look, decide what you really want.

Barb: Well, baths take a long time. I could cut them out, but showers will get my paper wet. Yeah, yeah, I know. Iâ€™m following the class. Iâ€™m working on Lecture Four.

Jann: Hate to tell you, but Kitty has just posted Lecture Five.

Barb: Oh, crap.

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Conversations with Barb and Jann

January 2, 2012 by Jann Ryan in category Jann says . . . tagged as Barb Delong, Conversations with Barb and Jann, Jann Audiss

by Barb DeLong and Jann Audiss

We have been friends for what seems like forever and been struggling with our writing as well. So to start 2012 off with a bang, we have decided to blog on the Slice of Orange. What better place to get our mojo working. We decided to do a conversational blog between the two of us exchanging our thoughts and ideas about our writing.

Jann: Hi, Happy New Year. Yada, yada…been thinking about blogging again. What do you think about blogging together? I remember when we were doing it as a group several years ago?

Barb: Yes, I remember. I also had a Pro blog and my own blog for a while. But I stopped writing them, as it seems I do regularly with my creative writing. I plunge in, all excited about a new story, write feverishly, then more slowly, then I hit the skids. How can I make this year different?

Jann: I know what you mean. One problem I have is getting sidetracked with other obligations. Remember when we use to meet once or twice a month for critique group? We were actually getting pages out, why don’t we try committing to – oops backup and remove “try”, let’s commit to meeting twice a month to write for 2 hours or critique. If we critique, let’s set a page minimum – doesn’t’ matter if the pages are good, bad or ugly.

Barb: The goal is ACCOUNTABILITY!

Jann: Hey, what about taking Kitty’s Online Class for January. Going the Distance: Goal Setting and Time Management for the Writer?? Sounds like we could use it.

Barb: Setting goals, supporting each other – sounds like a plan, Jann! And hey, I think we just did our first blog! Blogging is writing, so we actually wrote something. I like this already.

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