Month: October 2020

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It’s Not Failing If You Learned Something

October 19, 2020 jcladyluv

As I recently made a video discussing my fourth quarter goals and therein my third quarter failures I felt the need to reiterate the revelation that I make in my video (it will be posted tomorrow if you want to subscribe to my channel to see it when it uploads) here to those of you who might read this. I like to think that what we would traditionally deem as our failures, we should start thinking of them as lessons.

Something is only a failure if you never learn anything from it. I did not do well with my quarter 3 goals and I held off on making my video about what I wanted my fourth quarter goals to be because I was frankly a bit embarrassed at the complete and utter lack of completion with quarter 3. But as I thought about it more and more I realized that while I didn’t get the things done that I wanted to I learned a lot in the process. I gained more information that I didn’t have before and that I needed. I also did inch forward on the goal, just not the huge strides.

Every lesson learned on the way to your destination is making you better and more prepared to face what’s coming up next and if you understand that, if you have learned the lessons and begin to put them into practice, then you haven’t failed. You only fail if you were too closed off or stubborn or set in your own ways to learn something.

So think about that the next time you’re calling yourself a failure because something you’ve been working hard on didn’t go the way you envisioned. Did you learn something? Did you get the knowledge that you needed to make another go at it and get further along the next time you make your attempt? If the answer is yes, then you haven’t failed. You’ve grown and that’s really all that we can ask for. Until next time… #BeOpenminded #BeWilling #BeProductive

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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So About This Thing Called Writing

October 12, 2020 jcladyluv

Writing is hard! Oh I’m not complaining mind you but I just needed to get that out real quick because I think that some people who don’t write for a living believe that writing is super easy. I know this because I get comments from people such as “you don’t have anything to do because all you do is write”, or “oh that’s not so hard, all you have to do is put words on a page”, or possibly the most frustrating of them all specifically in terms of being an editor, “oh you’re only correcting people’s spelling and grammar mistakes which is something you love to do anyway so it shouldn’t be that hard”. Let me say this! Just because I love to do something and am passionate about doing said thing does not mean that it is easy once that thing then becomes the way that I make my living.

Don’t get me wrong, I chose this (well really, writing chose me but I digress) so I am completely okay with the hard work and dedication that it takes to be a writer and freelance editor and to write full length novels in the effort to have them published. I am not just aware but rather I take pride in that hard work and dedication. What I take issue with is those who don’t understand that it is in fact hard work and dedication that goes into being a writer, especially a full time writer.

I have people who don’t understand that during November (the month of NaNoWriMo, and really October as well (Prep-Tober) I will not be quite as available for idle chit chat or random nothingness of conversation. It’s not that I don’t love them and perhaps want to talk or catch up but I am serious about my writing and November is one of the only months where I can solely (or mostly anyway) focus on writing my novel and not just on editing other people’s work.

Then I also have people who want me to lower my rates for editing a project for them and then proceed to tell me that the person who edited the first project they had did it for a considerable amount less. Maybe they charged in a different way (flat rate and not hourly as I charge) but regardless my time is equally as important as theirs and to tell me that it should only take a couple of hours or maybe four to edit something is presumptuous of them as if they are the only project I have and as if I don’t take care in my work and don’t just rush through it.

So that is my Monday rant for this week and I’m sorry but it was something that I really needed to get off my chest. I hope all of you (well those who are not writers) out there truly understand that writing and/or editing is not easy nor is it something that can be rushed through and the writers and editors that you work with and hire deserve to be paid for their hard work and effort that they put into your project. Now if you are also a writer then I hope that you don’t also find yourself having to explain the time that you spend on your writing and having to rationalize how much your writing services may be worth. I wish you all well today and everyday. Until next time… #BeGrateful #BeMindful #BeAppreciative

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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It’s That Time Again—A Writer’s Favorite Time of Year

October 5, 2020 jcladyluv

It’s that time of the year again! It’s a writer’s favorite time of year! Well at least it’s the month of Prep for a writer’s favorite time of the year which would be NaNoWriMo! That’s right, it is Prep-Tober! It’s the month where all the planning either begins or continues in an effort to be as ready as possible to go on day one of National Novel Writing Month.

I am so excited and after the year that 2020 has been, it’s nice to have something to be really excited about. NaNoWriMo is pretty much my Christmas (not to say that I don’t also love Christmas because that is my absolute favorite holiday) and I love everything about, including the pressure that it forces you to put on yourself to finish an entire novel in a month.

When I say pressure I mean good pressure (and yes pressure can be good) because I happen to be one of those weird people who perform even better when under a deadline and nearly impossible time constraints. It kind of makes me push past the limited expectations that I sometimes impose on myself and allow me to see what I can really do because truthfully sometimes I forget.

I haven’t worked on a brand new novel since last year’s NaNoWriMo and I am beyond excited to get started. Drafting is my absolute favorite part of writing, well second to outlining (I am really detailed with my outlines and they sometimes take longer to write than the actual book) and I’m ready to join all of the live writing streams, and drink an unhealthy amount of coffee (for the purpose of writing of course lol), and get all of these ideas out of my head and finally onto the page. By the end of November I will have a new book baby and I am so thrilled.

I don’t know how many of you out there will be participating in NaNoWriMo but if you are please let me know and I wish you all the luck. If you want to know what project I’m working on specifically for NaNoWriMo then please feel free to check out my YouTube channel under Author J.C. Carpenter (it’s also linked in the signature below) and if you are on YouTube let me know so I can find you. With that said I have some planning to go do. Until next time… #BeProductive #BeInspired #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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