So how does one quit their job exactly?

Firstly:
So like WOW it has been a LONG time since I have been on here!

If anyone is still following this blog let me assure you I am still alive.
(barely)

Secondly:
On With the post!

So I am not very good at picking up on the things that I think are important - I am still working for someone else!

I need to be self employed or be employed by a boss who is willing to give me full creative licence with time, output, product, methodology and consistency.

Life will never be the same now that I am on a quest to rid myself of the shackles of the 9-5 of Information Technology (IT) FOREVER.

I admire anyone who enjoys IT, but really I am an actor and writer so it isn't working out.

"its not you, its me." ... "But mostly you!"


The issue as with all jobs is the "illusion of stability" but in today's economy EVERY job is on the line if there is a market shift.

I can do many things, and some I can do rather well. "...master of some"


I am just bored all day doing "busy work" for an under budget project that should have been implemented 10 years ago, and as soon as it will see the light of day they will start drafting the charter on a project to replace it.

Meaningful work means different things to different people.

I now need to find a way to quit my job and still get paid. (that last part really is the sticky bit).

Let me know how you generate income in non traditional ways.

Cheers,
Jay Mart

Back to the Grind!

The school year is once again upon us and the fun and frivolity of the summer is drawing to a close.

This was a great summer for writing and I had a great time getting some "work" done. The work I speak of has been a few short story projects that will soon be made into videos.

The process is a long one from getting an idea, planning it out, fleshing out the idea, and then to get work published and in the appropriate hands.

I hope you had a productive writing time over the past few months and have found some respite.

I challenge you to be more consistent in your writing this year over last and really "Show 'em what you got!"

Keep putting pen to paper till we chat again!

Jay Martens

Write off!

Writing competitions are in full swing this summer!

Whether the challenge is to write the one week novel or a poetry contest between your creative circle, writing competitions are everywhere!

Be warned!
Don't sacrifice your normal writing routine for the passing fancy of being "the big winner".

Recently I had to turn down two great fiction contests that I really wanted to be a part of, because it would have jeopardized my personal writing commitment.

I have a goal of 500 edited and published words per day. It was a hard decision to make but my other projects are blossoming and both of the fiction contests fizzled for various reasons.

A dear blogger friend of mine spent 2 months working on a competition piece and abandoned his blog. The stress of the competition burned him out creatively and is only now starting to blog again after 4 months of recovery.

Consistency says a lot about a writer, and while I haven't been posting here in a few months, know this, each day I meet or surpass my 500 edited word goal for writing and with several larger projects in the works results will be forthcoming.

So take on a competition only if you are able to continue to compete above and beyond your daily writing commitments that you have made for yourself!

Keep on writing!

Writing goals in the new year...

I know that every year I enter a phase of self reflection and introspection between Christmas and New Years. Some of you are probably setting some grand goals for writing in 2011.

Don't forget that even though it is easy to set a goal, it is better to set a SMART goal.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

I wish all of you the best in 2011!

And let's get out there and write!

Cheers.

Writing is not a chore!

If you find that writing is a chore, STOP WRITING THIS INSTANT AND FIND A NEW HOBBY!

The world is filled with people who complain about what is out there, then complain that they could do better, then complain when they find writing hard.

Stop complaining and get out of the writer's circles, sharing sessions and collaborative groups. And we all know that certain someone who claims to be "Creative" and all they ever do is come up with creative excuses why they haven't done any writing.

You will only be judged by the content you create.

If you are NOT creative no one will ever judge you as they will have nothing by which to judge you.

If you find Golf a chore, you are not a Golfer. If you find writing a chore, you are not a writer.

Inspiration

Get out and get inspired.

Spend some time out of your own routine and find some inspiration.

Putting some spontaneity in to your everyday life and mixing things up will provide you with the additional inspiration you may be looking for.

So break the mold and do something out of your ordinary.

Till next time!

Settle down in the couch and write!

People get so hung up on how they write that they use that as a an excuse not to write.

I can type faster than I can write so I start all my posts by getting comfortable on my couch and typing on my netbook. This works for me, this may not work for you.

There are several bloggers I have spoken with on technique and they are still writing outlines on paper or main thoughts in longhand and typing up the final copies for publishing.

Follow what you did naturally before you took on the blog.

I have always written directly on my keyboard and have few paper notes, so my blog is an extension of the workflow I already had established.

Do what works, just as long as you are doing something.