Hello again!

Remember me? It’s been almost a year since I’ve blogged last, and honestly during that time I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to start blogging again. But as I’ve been writing lately — and struggling to put myself on a habitual writing schedule – I’ve realized how helpful (not to mention fun) it would be to try it again. Let me explain my dilemma a bit: for writers (as well as aspiring writers), taking at least a little bit of time each day devoted to doing any kind of writing is the best way — and perhaps the only way — to get better. Even if you want to be a published novelist like me, blogging about something on your mind or even writing in your diary helps you expand your creativity and think of new ways to say what you’re thinking. So even though it doesn’t get you any closer to completing your 200 pages of science fiction glory, it improves your skills so that when you have time to write more of those 200 pages, the words you’re putting down are loads better than what you would have written after picking it back up fresh out of finals week.

Really, that makes writing the same as anything else. If you play an instrument, you know that taking a few days off means the next time you pick it up, it’s probably going to feel a bit awkward for at least the first few minutes of playing, and your repertoire isn’t going to sound as polished as where you left it. If you exercise daily, you know that after taking a few days off, you might have to ease your muscles back into your workout routine. Even if you stop reading a book for a few days, you might have to flip back a few pages to remember where you left off. Everything you do in life requires consistency and freshness before any true improvement can enter the picture. So that, in a nutshell, is why blogging (and even Twitter) can be one of a writer’s most valuable hobbies.

So why did I quit? I’m not really sure what the answer to that is. Maybe it was because I got busy, maybe it was because I got burnt out. But I think a huge part of my problem was that I was too much of a perfectionist. (I won’t go into this now because I’m bound to write a blog entirely devoted to perfectionism in the future. It’s been on my mind a lot lately.) Like most of the material I write, each blog took me a long time to compose, not because I didn’t have ideas or didn’t know how to say them, but rather because I doubted myself as I was writing. There probably wasn’t a sentence that escaped a scathing edit, whether it was during its composition or after. So in all honesty, blogging was exhausting. I couldn’t stand to publish something until it was perfect, and, as all writers know, being 100% happy with a piece of writing is wholly impossible. (Depressing? Maybe. True? Absolutely.)

Though that statement is true, I’m still just as committed to my future goals as I ever was. Why? Because writing makes me happy. It’s really as simple as that. I love it, even if it means there are bad days when I suffer from writer’s block and look fondly on paper-pushing or cleaning cars. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that mistakes are just a product of being human. The occasional typo isn’t going to gain me a hate club; no little grammar fairy’s light will go out. And as cliché as it sounds, life goes on. Why let myself get stressed when I could put all that energy toward improving my skills, instead of doubting them?

So here I am, blogging again, and this time I plan on being more regular about it. There will be plenty of times when life takes over, and papers and exams and projects for my classes will have to come first. (After all, at this point in my life, they are the things with deadlines.) However, I don’t plan on taking another year-long hiatus to rediscover how important (and fun!) blogging can be.

Stay on your toes! I’ll be back…

-Andrea

2010

Happy New Year!!! It’s officially 2010, which means that we not only start another year, but another decade. Will this new chapter bring with it new resolutions to make a difference? 2010 could give you just the opportunity to take the steps needed to make an impact on your family, your friends, your community, or even yourself. Take the initiative, make some resolutions for ’10, and keep them in the front of your mind as you begin your life in this new decade.

God Bless!

-Andrea

What matters the most?

I loaded the page www.yahoo.com. Right at the top center of the page was a box that had links to the latest news all over the country. Scrolling through, I noticed links such as “Celebrity couple splits,” “TV’s newest hunk,” and “___’s fashion mistake.” Interspersed between these “riveting” news pieces were stories about a young boy who saved his brother’s life, an ancient relic that was recovered, and a two-legged dog inspiring injured soldiers. Let’s stop and think about that: which story would you click on? Which one are you more likely to hear about from a friend?

After noticing this trend on Yahoo’s homepage, it dawned on me that a lot of times I simply looked over the interesting, substantial articles, choosing instead to read about the latest celeb break-up or flip through the pictures of omg.yahoo.com’s “What Were They Thinking?!” album, a collection of the worst fashions spotted on celebs that week. After all, when I go to Yahoo’s website, it’s usually when I’m taking a break from studying or working — I want something light that takes little thought, hopefully even gives me a good laugh. But, ultimately, what does it gain me? ….. Pretty much nothing.

Now this isn’t to say that keeping up with Hollywood gossip is a horrible thing. It’s fun sometimes to read about what people are doing, or to laugh at Lady Gaga’s latest attempt at style. However, it becomes a bad thing when you start caring about only that. Who honestly will care in five years who Reese Witherspoon was dating in December of 2009? Probably no one — except Reese, of course, since that is (and should be) her private business. But I don’t think you’re likely to easily forget a story about a little boy who has the courage to save his younger brother or a dog who walks on only its hind-legs because it was born that way. That’s stuff that really counts, stuff that inspires. And, sadly, it seems to be stuff that a lot of people look over as they’re trying to stay updated with the latest Hollywood scandals and fashions.

My question to you is this: What matters the most?

-Andrea

10 Fun Things To Do This Halloween

Here’s a checklist of 10 fun things that you can do to make the most out of this Halloween!

1. Dress up! You won’t regret it; trust me. Whether you’re Captain Jack Sparrow or you just throw on your PJs and some house slippers, putting on something different from your usual daytime attire definitely makes Halloween more fun, even if you just stay at home and give out candy.

2. Give out candy. Even if you’re too old for trick-or-treating, buying some candy to hand out gives you an opportunity to see all the creative costumes the people in your neighborhood come up with. Plus, it makes you a good sport — it’s a Halloween tradition!

3. Carve a pumpkin. You can do something decorative and elaborate or just carve eyes, a nose, and a mouth — whatever coincides with the level of your artistic ability (or bravery). Or if you don’t have time to go all out and carve a big pumpkin, get a small one and break out the sharpies. Once you get done carving/decorating your pumpkin, put it outside your door and show it off.

4. Decorate your lawn. There are all kinds of Halloween decorations to choose from. Whether you want to go with scary stuff or just buy a light-up pumpkin, putting something in your yard can make Halloween more fun for you — and for the people driving through your neighborhood.

5. Go to or throw a Halloween party. A really fun way to enjoy Halloween is by going to a party! If none of your friends are having a Halloween party, throw one yourself. A dress-up party, a scary-movie-marathon — whatever you choose, be sure to invite all your friends and have fun!

6. Go to a haunted house. You really are missing the spirit of Halloween if you don’t go somewhere “haunted.” See if there’s a haunted house somewhere nearby that you can visit. If you’re too scared to go alone, try asking some friends to go with you.

7. Go to a Halloween parade. See if there’s a Halloween parade going on close to where you live. These are perfect for seeing what creative costumes people come up with and having some good Halloween fun — plus, you might score some candy while you’re there.

8. Read a horror book or short story. If you find yourself alone a lot, try heading to the library or bookstore and getting a horror book or collection of short stories. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allan Poe — whatever you choose, find something scary that will put you in the Halloween mood. It’s fun, really.

(Warning: If you get grossed out or tend to get freaked out pretty easily [like yours truly], you might want to stay away from anything too gruesome or scary. Just pick something appropriate for your personality.)

9. Watch a horror movie. There are plenty of scary movies that you can rent or buy. Try picking out a few, inviting some people over, and having a good night of fright.

10. Tell scary stories. Get some friends and sit in a big circle; then take turns telling freaky stories and see who can scare everyone the most!

Pick some of these or come up with some ideas of your own — whatever you choose to do this Halloween, remember to have safe, scaryyy fun!

-Andrea

Get Motivated

One of the biggest problems that people have with accomplishing their goals is finding the motivation to do so. This is something I’ve been struggling a lot with lately — maybe you have too. While it’s difficult to figure out what you ultimately want, the hardest step is definitely the first, because it requires a “boost” to get you started. Life can be pretty easy, and often people find that they don’t have to work very hard to get a pretty decent living. However, everyone has hopes and ambitions — the one thing that sets apart those who reach their dreams and those who don’t is motivation.

First, let’s start by defining the word “motivation”. According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, a motive is “something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.” So to achieve motivation, you have to find a reason to reach your goal. Your reason can be one that almost everyone would agree with or even something that affects you personally; but whatever you choose, it needs to be something you feel strongly about. The stronger your reason, the stronger your motivation.

The biggest step of the ones I’m going to cover is the first: finding the reason to act. However, before I discuss that, I want to briefly touch on the steps to getting motivated.

The Steps

Once you’ve found your reason to do something, you have to actually go about acting. Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, this step may be as simple as just…doing it. A lot of times, however, there are a few things (usually requiring work) that you have to do before you even get to the work of accomplishing your actual goal — we’ll call these pre-work endeavors.

Let’s use an example: say your goal is to play violin in a professional orchestra — how about the New York Philharmonic? — and you want to get motivated so you can reach your goal. First you’d pick your reason (let’s stay simple and just say that you love playing violin and performing as part of an orchestra). Now let’s dissect a way you could go about getting into the NY Philharmonic. The actual audition for a slot in the orchestra can be considered how to directly reach your goal, since that’s what ultimately determines whether or not you reach it. However, there are many pre-work endeavors, mainly the considerable amounts of violin practice (we’re talking years of hours every day), some experience playing in an orchestra, and a strong education from a reputable college (majoring in violin performance).

All of those things take a lot of work, and each can be dissected again in the same way, finding pre-work endeavors before the ultimate goal. So after you’ve decided what you want, found a reason behind it, and then found your pre-work endeavors, you have to apply the same steps to each of those endeavors. Pretty much anything can be dissected in this manner, and you’ll probably find that it’s easier to accomplish your goals if you take a step back and analyze everything.

Back to Finding A Reason

Now that you can kind of see how your reason affects the following steps, you might have a better idea of what I mean. I said earlier that your reason has to be something you feel strongly about — but what? How do you go about determining a reason to accomplish your goals? That’s a question that only you can answer. You have to explore yourself, find out what really makes you want something. Why do you get up in the morning? Why do you eat? Why do you use a PC instead of a Mac? Why do you prefer dogs over cats, pants over shorts, red over blue? There’s a reason for everything, and you can find out the reason you want something just by thinking — something you do every day and probably take for granted.

That’s not to say that you should sit there and give yourself a headache over it; maybe finding your reason will be really hard and take a lot of thought. I said there’s a reason for everything, but it doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to find it.  But try looking at it from different perspectives, or break it up into pre-work endeavors and figure out your reason for wanting to accomplish those. Once you’ve done that, you can go back and try to figure out why you want to reach your ultimate goal.

Hopefully this will inspire some of you to really think about your goals and plans for the future and start taking the necessary steps to get motivated!

-Andrea