In case you hadn’t heard, this is a special year for us writers.
Photo from CrystalLinks.com
2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon and, according to Fae Rowen (who I consider reliable in all matters woo-woo), this is the best year in SIXTY YEARS for writers to reach for, and achieve, their dreams.
There’s a whole lot of energy flowing around. It’s the Creativity Water Ride with a mega-Wave Machine and rolling rapids.
Some of you are too young to remember the ticket books you used to buy when you went to amusement parks but the E-Tickets were for the rollercoasters.
This is an E-Ticket year.
Haven’t you noticed the goals being met everywhere and the epiphanies so many of our peeps are having? The universe is shouting it out to us writers if we will only stop and quiet our minds long enough to listen.
Are you feeling too overwhelmed? Try doing one of these things:
- Spend 15 minutes quieting your mind. You can even walk or do a little yoga during this so you don’t feel like you’re slacking.
- Cross one small item off your list today, even if it’s just writing 1 page.
- Read for 15 minutes. It’s pretty universal that books calm writers. Whenever I’m feeling like I’m hanging upside down from the proverbial ceiling in my life, reading eases me gently upright.
- Read Kristen Lamb’s post about 3 steps that can help you take charge of your life.
I’m feeling like I’m on the edge of having some of my baby steps pay off. Some of my biggest goals are now in my sights:
Plant 3 bags of bulbs in my garage – I’ve planted one – I’m on bag #2!- Take two courses from Margie Lawson’s Lawson Writer’s Academy – Hitting this in February!!
- Look into teaching at LWA or elsewhere online – I’ve been approached about teaching online from two women I really, really admire. More deets soon…
- Attend the 2012 DFW Conference – I’m gonna be there!!
I’m behind on some of my ROW80 goals (read: exercise) but I’m kickin’ a$$ and taking names on my Life List goals. I am so freaking excited about going to DFW in May! Please let me know in the comments if you’re going. 🙂
If you’d like to support Team ROW80 and encourage others in their goals, click here.
Are your goals moving forward this week or are you feeling stuck? What is the one small thing you can do today that will make you feel better? Enquiring minds love to know these things here at More Cowbell! 🙂
Jenny
Jenny Hansen's Blog 
Whee, I am WILDLY excited by Fae’s predictions of what the year of the water dragon will mean for we writers. I’ve got my mind set on finishing SOMETHING, so maybe all this awesome cosmic energy will give me the boost that I need. 😀
I love the idea of you teaching for LWA or somewhere else – you are such a fantastic instructor, and there are so many wonderful skills that you can impart to all of us. And squee, DFWcon! That is going to be an absolute blast, and I will wait on pins and needles for all the awesome stories that are bound to emerge. Also, great tips for recharging. I’m finding that reading is really becoming my strategy of choice when I’m getting too frazzled by my WIPs. Nothing like suspending all my worries and anxiety with a good book.
Have a fantastic week, my friend!
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I’m with you, Lena! And right back atcha for the fantastic week. 🙂
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My problem on the ROW80 front is life getting in the way. Maybe I need to start writing during lunch breaks to make sure I get some words in. But for me its hard to work during my only break of the day…. I will write on, I will write on. 🙂 Have a great week Jenny.
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Dang, I hate it when life does that. It’s a pesky business, all the things that interfere with our writing. 🙂 My money’s on you, girlfriend.
p.s. I’m excited about your new series that starts this week!!
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Hey, Jenny, congrats on your progress!
I had to fine-tune some of my goals. I’ll post the updated goals soon.
As for relaxing: reading doesn’t really work for me, because I tend to critique the book, not read it 🙂 But taking 15 minutes to recharge is a good alternative.
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Jenny, a pleasure as always to stop by your blog, and because of that I’ve popped you in my blog roll to remind myself to do so more. 🙂 Well done on doing well with you goals. I’ve made some, but adequate progress. I’ve pushed a few goals further away to give me more time. I’ve been ill and relatively unproductive. I don’t see that changing just yet (cold, anaemia, hyperthyroidism – groan) so I have to contend to that fact.I find I’m not sleeping thinking about my lack of progress, which of course helps no one. But we will be venturing out this evening for food with friends, which will be a nice way to unwind a little.
Otherwise, like you I read. 🙂 X
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Thanks, Shah! I’ve got the other side of the thyroid issue and is SUCKS!! But, you’ve already caught on that worrying about it does little but keep you worried. I’m glad you’re getting out and moving forward.
Thanks for putting me in your blog roll!
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Why are you planting light bulbs in your garage? *grins*
Great week, Jen and congrats on being asked to teach. You’ll be fantastic at it and (depending on what the classes are) I may end up being a student of yours one day soon.
Have an excellent week my friend 🙂
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I wondered about that, too, Gene. But she’s from Southern California, and they do things different out there.
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Ahahaha!!! See how these quick ROW80 posts bite ya in the backside?? I’ve had 3 bags of tulip bulbs in my garage since last year, when I DIDN’T get them planted. I started planting them last week. I’m 2 bags down and have one bag to go. Totally exciting for me to get this knocked out so I have a pretty yard in a few months.
Daffodils remind me of my mama. 🙂
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Nice progress!
You’ll love Margie’s classes. She is fantastic!
My goals are moving along. Not as nicely as I would like, but I’m still rowing 😉
Have a great week!
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Thanks, Juliana! I’ve heard about Margie’s classes and she’s on my list but I’ll be taking my Feb classes from somebody else. No Margie…YET.
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Definitely moving forward for me. My divorce was finalized on January 3 and I think that just opened up a whole new set of feelings and mental opportunities and beliefs for me. My WIP is in the final stages (after being stagnant for the last six months), and I’ve been meeting people who are turning me onto places and events that are just pushing me along. It’s awesome.
So is your progress, Jenny. I think we’re all in for the ride of our lives. And it’s just the beginning. 🙂
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OMG, Diana!! I’m so excited you’ve crossed that milestone. What a relief to have it in your rearview mirror, even though there’s a lot of feelings associated with it.
It sounds like the Water Dragon has given you a love bite, my friend!
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Well if the universe says I must succeed, who am I to argue.
DFW. Gloria is all over me to attend. She will graciously provide the lodging. All I need is a donation button on my website to raise funds for the airfare.
As for LWA, I’m in Taming WordPress for February. Method to Madness in March. Fab30 in April. Maybe we’ll pass each other in the halls. Save me a seat in the cafeteria, I’ll save you a swing at recess.
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I’m thinking of joining you in Taming WordPress, though I’m afraid to piss all my fellow students off with my questions.
Crossing fingers that we meet at DFWCon…
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I’m still trying to recover from the year of the rabbit, which was supposed to be a year in which we were able to catch our breath! Didn’t happen in my world.
But now that you mention it, I have been flooded with ideas for blog topics lately, and mentally that has been a desert for me for quite a while, so lets hear it for the water dragon!
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That’s awesome, Callene!! The Year of the Rabbit was a race for me too, but I really enjoyed it. Can’t wait to see what this year has in store for us…
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Hi Jenny! Congrats on the ROW80 progress and good luck on your new projects. I feel as if I’ve graduated to another level of writing this year. I’m learning how to balance writing final revisions on ms#1 while plotting and writing first drafts of wip#2. I consistently post once a week on my blog, enjoy Twitter (sorry FB), and read/comment on my writer friends’ blogs whenever I can (at least once a week). Considering everything going on with my dayjob, family, and health in recent months, I’m pleased with my progress, too. Thanks, oh wonderful Water Dragon. 🙂
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Jolyse, I think you are Wonder Woman! That’s a tough juggle but you sound excited about it. I’m glad. 🙂
I’m looking forward to hearing more about your projects as they get toward the done point. (And I think Twitter kicks Facebook’s hiney.)
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Bowing to the Water Dragon…thank you for making this our year to fly!
Congrats on all your projects, Jenny. Looking into Margie’s classes myself. No DFW for this year, as I’d hoped. Maybe next year. Have another great week ahead!
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Thanks, Marcia. And trust me, I understand.
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Congrats on a kicking week girl! Great progress…and a teaching opportunity is fantabulous! Woot woot!
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I just went to see your goals too and you are KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE PARK!! Woo-hooooooooooo!
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Jenny, MORE COWBELL always makes me smile!
I’m hanging in there. I have a mountain of work to conquer, but I will get through it. Broke my next novella down into chapters last night. Only eleven. That’s so manageable. I am a little daunted at my “Let’s publish 4 works this year” but going one story at a time. And as a reader myself, I just keep reminding myself that there is nothing more valuable than a new, good story to escape into. 🙂
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I’m so glad, Elizabeth. What is your mountain (because it sounds like you are kicking ass on your novella!)?
Can’t wait to see these when you start publishing them!!
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Oh, I love it! The year of the water dragon. Sounds perfect! I do think 2012 is going to be a big year. Congrats on making your goals. Classes and conferences are so fun, and great goals. I’ve found a class I’m going to take next month and I’m super excited. Sometimes I really need a little help to move forward on new things. Which is what teachers are for. I’m excited to hear about the classes you’ll be teaching. You’ll be a great teacher.
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Thanks, Emma! I have to confess, I AM a teacher. I just haven’t done it for these particular gals. 🙂
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I just googled DFW and all I got was the airport… I’m going to a conference for Children’s Writers in OK this spring. Good luck on teaching!
As for the year of the water dragon, I’m just happy this is the year that I finally get a break from being pregnant or nursing. Getting a book finished will be a bonus.
Have a happy week! Great job on your goals.
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LOL, Heather. Here is the link to the conference – I should have put it into the blog.
http://dfwcon.org/
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Teaching? When? Where? You GO girl!
I love dragons, and so far it DOES appear that I’ll have some pretty awesome sparkle-icity hitting the Epub world in 2012. If that’s due to dragons, hooo-rah!
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LOL…Details are still in the works but y’all will be the FIRST TO KNOW!!
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Fantastic work Jenny, go you! Congrats on the teaching offers, you’ll be awesome 🙂 Guess I need to read up on water dragons! Best of luck this upcoming week.
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Congrats! And thanks for the encouraging words. I feel like this year is gonna be big too. 😀
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Ready to rock. Pushing my dumb as dirt protagonist forward. He’s gonna smarten up and become somebody. Me too. My great novel may have turned into short stories but I don’t care. I’m gonna whip ’em. Just got to focus. Oh yeah, did you ever notice pretzels and ginger ale are a perfect taste combination. I’ve left the burn the cane fields writing to the slower plant the tulips writing.
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Tom, I have indeed noticed that pretzels and ginger ale are where it’s at. Actually, pretzels pretty much go with anything in my book. 🙂
As someone who planted about 100 tulip bulbs this weekend, I can attest that it is QUITE SLOW! So glad to see you rockin’ it…
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So glad you’re coming to DFW. Can’t wait to meet you.
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Ditto, ditto, ditto!!!
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Wow, Jenny, you’re doing fantastic. And I love the idea that 2012 is going to be an awesome year. 🙂
I’m taking a Margie Lawson class in Feb, too, so perhaps we’ll be in the same one.
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Oooooh…which one are you taking?
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What a fabulous post. Not only are you doing a great job, you’ve managed to inspire all of us writers with your insights. I love this blog!
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Thanks bunches, TeacherWriter. What IS your name??
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Ah Jenny, you are always an inspiration. And don’t let those guys be braty. I love daffodils too! I did not know that you could plant bulbs here in SoCal. I thought they had to go through a freeze. Hmm. Always learning something new at More Cowbell. Now what is LWA? You know me, I always have a question. Am I driving you crazy? I’m so happy that you get to attend DWF. That sounds like so much fun and what an opportunity! Well, I would say that you’re doing great. I’ve been telling people on my ROW80 check in that you were gonna come kick my butt if I didn’t get it into gear! LOL!!! Just having some fun. See you for Techie Tuesday! Thanks Jenny! 🙂
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LWA is the Lawson Writers Academy:
http://www.margielawson.com/lawson-writers-academy-courses
I don’t believe the bulbs must freeze – in fact, I think most climates pull their bulbs out and replant them. We get to leave ours in year-round, which is my kind of gardening! LOL.
You all inspire ME, so it’s good that I can pass some back. 🙂
p.s. You never drive me crazy.
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Oh Jenny, you have NO idea of how much I needed this post —
I got up to write at 3 as usual – always check emails first. 43!
Took forever – couldn’t read blog posts.
Got to work, three hours later – 45 new emails!
I haven’t had time to call my daughter in two weeks, and I have a friend who left me a frantic
VM last night – afraid I’m dead, because I haven’t returned her last VM.
Okay – deep breaths….
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I love epiphanies! I’m ready for a great year. I need to look into the Margie Lawson’s courses too. Her name keeps coming up over and over, so they must be worthwhile.
I am shaking the cowbell because I will be at DFW 2012 as well! I am uber-excited about getting to meet all of my fabulous cyber/writer friends. I have a feeling y’all are even more fun in person. (No pressure there. ;)) Have a great week, Jenny!
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