Monday Classroom: Learning to say “No” and learning to pull back just a bit from the chaos

Hi y’all! Even though I write this before I jump in the Boopmobile to go to the deep south, it will not go “live” until today.

The place where my friends and I will be staying in or around or near Fairhope may not have internet connection, and we are extending our stay at least a week or a little more beyond the conference. Now, at first when I learned this “maybe no internet connection thang,” I was all a-jitter. How would I do my blog posts? Because I don’t have time to write up enough posts in the “schedule posts” thangee. I’m in the midst of finishing up Family Graces galley proofing! Lawd! and packing and thising and thating. What about Facebook and twitter? Oh woe is me! What ever would I do? *JITTERY JUMPITY LAWDYNESS ABOUNDS!*

But then as I scurry around this morning trying to do all I need to do before I leave, my chest tightened and my eyes

if you see me, give me a wave and a honk!

wilded, and I thought, “Maybe this will be a bit of a relief.” There. I said it. Ha! It is said. Want to say it with  me: sometimes we need a bit of relief or else we will burn -out ourselves to a crispy critter! I have been going crazy-go-to-meeting for a while now with only a few breaks, and even in some of those breaks I still worked.

Because folkses, I will admit that I have been all over the place lately. I am supposed to be working on my organization, but have let chaos pull me into discombobulation – lawd lawd h’ep me! The new book will suffer and not be written as it should if I do not learn to relax and let go of some things so I can concentrate on the writing–considering this as a Business, I am not being a good Manager/Owner of my Business. As well, I become C R A Z Y when I do not write regularly. Oh, no – ask GMR – I become a M E S S! My head wants to explode with all the gobbledeegoop that needs to be drained by regular writing . . . yup. Trust me on this.

But, as well, I am going to have to learn, or re-learn, the word “No,” even when I really really want to say, “Of course I’ll do it!” Thing is, there is so much I do enjoy doing and have enjoyed and I am honored to be asked–and that is sincere–but when my inbox becomes full of requests and I am scattered willy nilly, I do no one any good, for then I may fall into the trap of doing many things not-so-well instead of a few things very well. I love helping people, but I have to recognize I realistically can’t help everyone who may ask, so please do understand if you ask me and I say no, it makes me sad to say no. *Very Sad Face Here*

As well, I love my social networking because it keeps me in contact with you all–readers, colleagues, friends, family, so I won’t give those up, but I can use them in a more wise way.

So whilst I am gone, I am going to think and ponder and pondificate these things and I hope to come back with a good solid answer to how I should become more organized, which includes the phrase, “I am sorry; I wish I could but I can’t” or some variation of it.

Now, if we end up at a cafe with wireless, then I’ll pop in and say hello, but if not, then for the next ten days or so, I will be

a fairhope sunset

POOF! Discapeered. There’s that flip in my stomach again–haw! Gawlee, Kat, let it go!

There are plenty of posts in the archives, and below, and on my old blogspot blog, if you misses ole me *teeheehee* but I bet many of you may think, “Hey, this is one less thing to think about today. La la la tee dah. Ding Dong the yappity writer is gone, hi ho the cheerio, sing it high and sing it low, ding dong the yappity writer is goooooonnnne!”  Huhn. Of course, I want you to miss me – haw! – because just because :-D. And if I am gone all this time, I hope you won’t forget me and return when I do – *pwease!*

Now, go have a wonderful day. I will see you, well, I am not sure–guess that remains to be discovered. Ohhhh! Isn’t that sumpin!

Friday Linky Love: Gumbo Writers & Fairhope Conferences, Penneys & Cartier, Ocean & Interview

Kat, Angie, Alaine

First, I visited Marilee Brothers at Book Blather and am there now, well not really there now, since I am here now, but I am there, too — lawd, I can see me caught up in this loop with all my crazy-arse brainackities. She’s a fellow BB author and I love it when we support each other!

My bestie and fellow Publishing Editor of R&T Angie Ledbetter is back on her Gumbo Writer blog after a “life is insane” hiatus. She offers up  fun, funnies, recipes, and all things wonderful. If you haven’t been by, go see her, or if you haven’t been by in a while, she’s back! She’s one of the most wonderful, giving, cool-arse women you will ever come to know.

the beginning of the mischief in fairhope

And, at the Gulf Coast Association of Creative Writing Teachers conference Angie and I will be attending along with other colleagues and friends in Fairhope, Ala (where we went last year and . . . I wrote a post about some of it –Girl’s Night Out in Fairhope Alabama–Starting with the End & the Bloody Man Blues – . . . “there’s something to be said from sitting outside of a bar when you are not inebriated but have all your clear-headed faculties  . . . “ ) *post script – the inebriation came earlier* -Laughing). Our  R&T Managing Editor Cyn Toups, our RT Art Director Alaine Benard (my other bestie!), and one of our poetry editors Marilyn Shapley will be on the panel for Ekphrasis Squared — Hybrid Synergy of Art to Poem, Poem to Canvas. Angie and I decided we probably won’t be on a panel this year and instead attend and enjoy panels (but one never knows)– if you are in the area, come to the conference! Fees are only around $30, and it’s a laid back group, and held in a beautiful little town.

wheee - gimme another martini!

I have loved JC Penney for a while now, for they have clothes that bridge that gap between “this is too young for me” and “this is too old for me” — I mean, I don’t want to wear granny clothes and I don’t want to wear twenty-somethings clothes, and Penney’s has a little of everything–including clothing lines that fit my style. So, now they’re changing how they do business and asked Ellen DeGeneres to be their spokesperson–Loving this! As well, I went in to Penney’s the other day and I don’t care that it’s all about “creating buzz” – it was just so cool to see things marked without the .99 on them. Now, that may mean in some instances I am paying one cent more (like if something that is $14.99 is instead $15) but I don’t care, I just love the concept and it’s something new to give my jittery chaotic mind a “whooo-haaa! new new new new shiny thing!” And they have the best sales–I picked up several shirts for $4 and $5–and not just because they were so cheap, but because I LOVED them. Go JC Penneys!

I adore OCEAN Magazine — editor Diane Buccheri gives of her time and money and more time and more money to create a print magazine that celebrates and protects our oceans. I know she is always looking for poetry and prose submissions, as well as photography–all in and of and about and around the ocean. I have been honored to have had poetry, prose, and photographs published  there. I’m also a subscriber – because I believe in her and her philosophy of honoring and protecting our Oceans. Please do check out her website and if you are moved to do so, subscribe.

And finally, I had this video on my Facebook page, so those of you who are round those parts may have already seen it, but if not, this is a commercial that had me actually pressing the “stop” to my fast forwarding through commercials, rewinding, and then watching the entire beautiful thing. I don’t care if it’s a commercial, or even that I doubt I’ll ever own anything from Cartier, this commercial WOW’d me – it made me want to write something fantastical and epic and mystical!

I am working on the fifth novel and so excited to be back to work on something new. The last book in the Graces Trilogy (Family Graces) will be out this spring – next month – and I can’t wait to hold that in my hands (in print and kindle version! :-D) . . . I have the best job EVER! Now, y’all go do the day and be filled with gratitude for this life we live on this beautiful earth.