The past couple of weeks I have the opportunity to revisit my personal goals that range from learning the open source graphics program GIMP.org to getting back in shape and finishing Argentum.
Like a lot of people I know, fall is the season to reorganize before the big winter. From last-minute “around the house” projects to ensuring the house is prepped for the cold (to avoid those skyrocketing heating bills) there is lots and lots to be done.
In the middle of figuring out where I am on my “to do” list and my goals, I realized that in order to reach a goal — you have to be prepared to meet that goal by getting your proverbial house in order. The biggest barrier to completing any project for me is not time — but how that time is used. Many of my friends and I have been talking about finding that balance between work and play which is really challenging if you’re creative. Sometimes, you just can’t stop working on a project or other times — you just can’t stop having fun. We realized that a work-life balance is not an ideal, but something we can make a reality provided we clear out our closets and sweep our basements of all those pesky little tasks that have been piling up for months.
Over the course of October, in addition to my other blog posts I’d like to get a little more personal and share with you how I’m getting organized for National Novel Writing Month — the finish line (of course) would be a complete first draft of the first book in my Violet War series, Argentum.
I hope that you’ll join me in October, preparing your outlines and your schedule for NaNoWriMo in November. Let’s get to work!
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Bill September 29, 2008
How’s learning GIMP going? I personally give up on it every time I try to use it since I’m so accustomed to Photoshop. I have been using InkScape though quite a bit – it’s a pretty good alternative to Illustrator, although you can’t copy a selection from it and paste it into Photoshop (at least not Photoshop elements).
Monica Valentinelli September 30, 2008
The learning of GIMP is going…okay. I’m a bit behind in my graphics fu, so some of the options I really don’t get. I’d love to learn Photoshop, but it’s just too darn expensive for what I need it for.