Dear, Dear Me!

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Dear Me: Official WDC Contest  (E) What are *your* goals for the new year? Think it over, write a letter and win big prizes! #597313 by Writing.Com Support

Dear Me,

Myself and I have a few things we feel that you need to be aware of! I am going first. (Yes, I’m the pushy one, but you know that, Me. I am not going to apologize for coming across like I'm some sort of drill sergeant or, maybe, it is just that I am using my 'Mom' voice, but know you are getting the 'Mom' glare.) We (the three of us in here) all know that ME works best: lists and some well-planted boots to the butt!

The very first thing, the most important thing you need to focus on during this year is YOUR writing. Yeah, yeah, you have the publishing company and all that, and yes you need to continue to take the care you take with them. BUT! You need to focus on your writing! Last year aside from writing your newsletters, you only wrote eight pieces. Eight! That is completely unacceptable! In previous years you wrote so much more than that and you don’t even have the excuse that you were working on your next novel. Well, you did write a whole whopping twenty-some thousand words in November, but that hardly counts!

Me, you know how important your writing is to you! Remember that line you’d use? The one about “cut me and I bleed ink?” Remember that? I should hope so! Do you realize how cranky you get when you do not write? You turn into a miserable excuse for a human being. Your brain needs to be writing, Me. It is how you interpret the world, how you handle the ins and outs, how you relax and how you focus! It is the way you work out tensions, get over ‘mads’ and come to peace with yourself. Your poetry is your thermostat, your cozy blanket and your teddy bear. It is your escape valve, your tub full of bubbles and your cozy fireplace evening.

So, number ONE is you, ME, you need to write for ME!

The second thing is you truly need to focus on getting going on is finishing what you start. As in your Jukai series. I know, I know! Shush. Yes, you are working on the third book in the series, Me. But A Masquerade of Mirrors needs to be out by June at the latest! End of story. No excuses. None. Not one single excuse. Got it? Then you need to get your butt in gear and get working on the last book in the series, so it will be out before December. (Like Masquerade was supposed to be! You have readers waiting for it, Me. They deserve to be able to continue reading a series within a reasonable amount of time. Do not let them down. That is just wrong.

Therefore; number TWO is to get those books written.

Number Three is you also have four other books in process. How many times does your husband need to plead with you, Me, to finish The Dust Jacket before he gives up? What about Place Settings? Me, that book is incredibly important to your kids. They want those stories preserved for their kids. You aren’t getting any younger. None of us are. We will be sixty-four in a few months. Get it done! I know, I know. Me, finishing the book doesn’t mean you will drop in your tracks. Finishing it does not mean that your story is over. Make it two volumes, if necessary, but do not cheat your children and grands out of that history.

Did you forget that you started that book to tell people beyond your children that they need to realize all the things they (your readers) have accomplished? Remember all the lists you wanted to include, how important it was to you to get that point across? Quit procrastinating. You have fascinating stories that people want to know about, tales that can help people whether it is about surviving rape and abuse, losing weight or finding their self-esteem. Your stories can help. Me, it is important that to finish writing it.

Thus, number THREE is to get your memoir written. Do it. I’m done. I’ve said my piece.


Okay. Myself taking over here. My turn. We all know that the 'MY' part simply wants you to be the absolute best possible! Cajoling? Sure. Encouraging? Yes!

Yes, your writing is vitally important. So is your company. You were so excited when your company was ranked the fifth best publisher in the state of Michigan. Yes, it is a big deal. Unexpected? Surely. You know. Me, you are on your way: you are doing it. You are proving all the naysayers wrong! Myself and I are so darned proud of you. Fifth out of what? Two-hundred and some? That is amazing. Some could say we are bragging, and in truth, we all want to scream it from the rooftops, but that isn't us. (I might, she's got a pretty big mouth!) -- But the point here is that we know that it is now bigger than us, our company has been validated. You, dear, dear Me, has been validated. (Of course, we knew this all along, but it is so nice to have that 'outside' acknowledgement!)
Now you must take it to the next level! Use this as inspiration to do even more! Use it as a springboard and dive into making it better! My idea is that you need to contract out a bit more. You do not need to do it all yourself. You have reached a place where you can delegate some aspects to your contract workers which will free up some of your time. This will make I happy. Myself too!

For myself, it is pleasing that you have accomplished what you have thus far, now continue to climb! The next step is to overhaul your website. It needs updating. You have folks that are more than willing to help you do this. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of this. It will only help you in the long run!

*Tosses Me a rope.* <---- see that? Start pulling! You have some interesting lines available to you that you need to do some tugging on. It might be a bit scary getting into the water with the producer types, but they are getting interested in some of the books you’ve put out. There’s a reason the one gentleman said that they want trilogies. They’ve given you the guidelines, what they are looking for. You are incorporating all these things in your books and encouraging your authors to do the same. Sharing that knowledge is important, now follow through and don’t be afraid to make that leap. Do not worry if one isn’t interested, he might know another who is! Remember, two of them have come to you. Don’t blow it! Grab on and climb!

You now have two 'work' areas, each with its own computer. You have your office for all your Wynwidyn stuff and you have your new space out in your Maui room. The Dream Room or, in Hawaiian, ‘Ka Moe Lumi’ is what you named it. Those are the words on the wall next to your desk in letters a foot tall. READ them. Writing is part of the overall dream. Fight for it. Make it come true. You have these two dreams, devote time to both and you will make these dreams a reality. *Seeing Myself as your cheerleader! Go Team Fyn! Now take a good look at your scheduling. Delineate time for writing work in the one room, publishing in the other. When you are doing Wynwidyn work; that is the focus. But when you are at the computer in the new room, writing is what it is all about.

Remember to have that family time. We know you and your hubby are so very busy balancing time between all the jobs and projects that together and individually you are both involved in. You both are working extra hard and extra hours to make that other dream a reality. Yes, you really want to spend your tenth anniversary on Maui. We know that. You know that. He knows that. Any and everyone you know KNOWS that. Your writing and your company, your husband’s work and his side jobs are all helping make that a reality. But it will not be the end of the world if it is in January of 2019 rather than in December on your anniversary. Your love isn’t going to shrivel up and blow away if schedules need to be rearranged. You and your hubby are so solid, do not let a month or three jeopardize the other important things in your life. Balance, my dear, balance!

One last thing. You need to know that along with your kids, your husband and your friends, we are so very proud of who ME is, of who you are. In the last few years and, even more so, in the one just past, you have come so far in being comfortable with the ‘who’ you have become. You have come a long, long way from the scared rabbit you were—the one who jumped at every unexpected noise, the one who was scared to voice an opinion, the one who thought she wasn’t worth anything. This is huge. This is massive. For US to be able to say this, to write this down in black and white for the whole world to see and be able to admit it, own it and be proud of how we can, all three of us, be ourselves and real and not just be putting on a confident show.

So, there it is: the plan: laid out, logical and very doable. So, go out there and do it! We've got your back, Me. Myself and I have complete faith in you!

We love you, Me!

Us




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