Write 2 Be

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Breaking for Creative Rejuvenation

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 jcladyluv

This will be my last post of the year 2020 (and what a year it’s been) and I just wanted to tell my readers and followers how much I appreciate you all. I come here to pour my heart out to you in hopes of not just being able to sort things out for myself but also in hopes that I can have an effect on someone else out there. I would like to think that I inspire some of you and even if it’s not with actual successes, then with the lessons that I have learned from failing often because failing just simply proved that I have tried and as long as you are trying can you truly say that you have failed. There is truth in that saying that nothing beats a failure but a try because when you don’t try you don’t actually know what can happen.

I applaud all of you this year, in a year full of uncertainty and heartbreak and truly rough times, for the sheer fact that you have made it through and that you didn’t let this year dictate anything to you. You tried in spite of the odds maybe being against you. You gave to others regardless of the fact that you more than likely didn’t have much to give yourself. You gave words of hope and encouragement to others who needed it even while trying to find that hope and encouragement deep down within yourself. You have put yourself out there and became an inspiration for others shooting for their dreams, all while struggling to see your own dreams through. You are strong and important and I love all of you.

I have some things that I’m working on for the coming year. I’ve got some books that are finally going to be released next year and other ideas, for the magazine, for my YouTube channel and other Write 2 Be related things and I have to go off and refill my creative well so that I can come back with fresh and new ideas and inspiration for you all. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Until next time… #BeInspired #BeMotivated #BeRenewed

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

No Holding Back (Anymore?)

December 7, 2020 jcladyluv

I saw a message of motivation on social media over the weekend. It essentially pointed out that whatever it is that you are holding yourself back from doing because you’re afraid you won’t do it perfectly, someone else is already doing the same thing, and not only are they doing it incorrectly, but they’re okay with it not being done right. They are making a viable income off of it, not necessarily because it’s a good product but rather that they are confident in their mediocrity. In the end it said that you should believe in your own excellence as much as other people tend to believe in their mediocrity and it really spoke to me. Then the message my Pastor spoke about this past Sunday was on anxiety and that too felt like it was aimed directly at me.

I’ve been doing fairly well managing my anxiety levels over the course of this past year, odd given the current state of the world in which everyone’s anxiety levels are understandably up. My anxiety has peeked once again over the last couple of weeks but not because of the health crisis going on right now but rather because of the goals I didn’t achieve in the year 2020 and the goals that I am setting in the coming year of 2021 and some of it is because I have held back on doing things because I feel like I’m not going to do it “perfect” enough.

I have been letting my anxiety get in the way of quite a few things in the last few weeks and it’s a struggle to tell those negative voices in my mind to shut up. I don’t know if someone will do it better or even do it at all. I’m holding back on things that I’ve wanted to do for a long time now based on what ifs and that doesn’t get me anywhere. I have to stop holding myself back from doing things because of what I feel someone else can do better because the truth is I don’t know that and the only thing I can really control is putting all of my cards on the table and letting them fall wherever they may. Until next time… #BeInspired #BeMotivated #BeFearless

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

It is Now Planning Season

November 30, 2020 jcladyluv

So today is the last day of NaNoWriMo and I know that I’ve been MIA for the last two weeks. I realized that I had to put my total focus on writing my novel for NaNo these last few weeks. I actually put quite a few things on the back burner but it all paid off because I did it! I won NaNoWriMo!

Now while that does not mean that the book is finished because it is most certainly not (I’m not sure a book would ever be completed for me in 50,000 words lol) but the pressure of finishing those first chunk of words of my novel is over and now I can relax a bit. I say relax but really relaxing is the last thing that’s really going to happen in the month of December.

December is the month of planning for me (and a lot of other writers frankly) in which I start taking a hard look at the year of 2021 and what I want to happen over the course of that year, the goals, the vision board, the reading lists, the books I plan to write and publish, the merchandise I am releasing, the new things for the magazine, my YouTube channel, my newsletter, and other things. Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?

Yeah it’s overwhelming when I lay it all out like that but I am a planner and a person who needs goals to strive to reach and while I may not reach all of them (Lord knows I did not reach my goals in 2020—but who did lol) I will definitely feel better about myself if I know that I am at least giving it a try. So what do all of you do to get prepared for the New Year? Are you feeling a little shy about planning for 2021 given the year that was 2020? Share your planning methods with me if you’d like! Until next time… #BeMotivated #BePrepared #BeFearless

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Writing While Distracted

November 9, 2020 jcladyluv

So week 1 of NaNoWriMo felt like an entire year! Monday felt like a complete and total blur and then I voted on Tuesday and then the rest of the week felt like an eternity. I was a bit distracted by the news and by a bit I mean A LOT. Make no mistake I did make sure to get my words done each day of the week, that just seemed to be all that I managed to be able to get done. Well that and a new Author Interview up on the magazine and of course new videos up on my YouTube channel.

So this week has been a test about writing with distractions and while I am happy at the fact that I was able to complete my daily word count goals for NaNoWriMo I was not terribly happy about the other projects that I am also supposed to be working on simultaneously that didn’t get any attention last week. So my overall lesson from week 1 was that I have to know when to shut off the rest of the world and the distractions that come with it.

This is a new week and I have goals for this week, both writing in the novel project that I’m working on for NaNoWriMo and ones for my other projects as well as the Magazine, and those goals must be met, or at least met with good effort. So if you want to check out more in detail how my week 1 of NaNoWriMo went just click on the link here or below and go check it out. Until next time… #BeProductive #BeFocused #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

NaNoWriMo Has Begun but Tomorrow is More Important (VOTE)

November 2, 2020 jcladyluv

It was a busy and productive weekend. I still had an outline to finish up and NaNoWriMo started officially yesterday (although my day one was on Saturday). All of that was exciting and all and I would love to get into all of it, but honestly today, on the eve of arguably the most important election in this country’s history (no matter which side of the aisle you stand on), there seems to be a much more important message to share today. Please, if you haven’t already mailed in your ballot, or voted early, the please VOTE!

There is a lot of suppression happening and there are those who think that their vote won’t matter but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If your vote didn’t matter then they wouldn’t be trying so hard to suppress it and discount it. So that’s my message today. I don’t really care who you vote for, your personal stance on things and what drives you morally or ethically is something that is not for me to judge or to even have a place to know, however, many people died so that EVERYONE can have a right to VOTE so don’t make it all for nothing. It’s go time everyone! VOTE!!!!!!

Until next time… #BeVigilant #BeProactive #VOTE

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

It’s Almost Drafting Time!!!

October 26, 2020 jcladyluv

So who’s ready to draft an entirely new novel? Me!!! That’s who! I’m spending the vast majority of the week finishing up my outline for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and there’s still so much to get ready. I am so excited because writing on a new novel is my favorite part of writing (well outlining might actually be my favorite but anywho) and it feels like it’s been so long since I’ve worked on a brand new book.

Realistically, it’s only been about six months or so since I finished up my second mystery book but that’s a long time in a writer’s world. Now this book isn’t going to be a mystery, it’s more contemporary women’s fiction, and it deals with childhood trauma, healing, and forgiveness. I have described the story more in depth over on my YouTube channel and detailing some of my writing process so if you would like to check that out the link is also in the signature.

If any of you are also writers I hope that you are entering in the challenge of doing NaNoWriMo and I hope that you check out the channels on YouTube of so many other writers who are participating and who do live writing streams as well. It’s a wonderful writing community over there and I hope I see you there! Until next time… #BeProductive #BeMotivated #BeInspired

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

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

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

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

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

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

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310