Tag: writing

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I Could Pick Another Career….But I Like the One God Picked For Me

February 18, 2014February 18, 2014 jcladyluv

I will preface this post by stating with an absolute certainty that I love (love, love) being a writer. It is what I am most passionate about. It is what gets me through most of my bad days. It is when I feel like I am doing the most good, in general, throughout the world. And most importantly it is, what I feel, is the best legacy that I can leave behind for my daughter, and her children to come after.

Having said that, some days it is hard to be a writer when that is your only source of income and when the thought of doing anything else for a living makes you literally cringe. People seem to think two polar opposite things about the life of a writer. They either think that you are basically using a hobby as an excuse as to why you don’t have what they deem to be a “real” job or they think you have large sums of money in which you are not even close to having. Now if you have made it like J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King, or James Patterson, or Terry McMillan, then sure, you do have large sums of money at your disposal.

However, if you have not made it to that milestone in your writing career yet, then you are just scraping by like any other average working person, it’s just not doing the traditional job. That does not in any way diminish what you do or make it just a hobby that you are trying to get paid to do. There is a huge difference in doing writing as a hobby and doing it as a career. The struggle is different. Once you make writing a career, it is not just about the sheer love of putting a fictional story, or even your story, on a piece of paper for all to see. It then becomes a business in which you must then market yourself and your work. You have now become a business in which you are your brand.

The business side of writing is what I sometimes dread because I have not always been the best at “selling myself” so to speak. I can sale anyone else’s work and promote many others but for some reason when it comes to me it gets difficult. It’s something that I have to get used to and get better at gradually but gradually does not garner me any immediate income the way that I need it to.

Writing is definitely not a career choice for the weak, or faint of heart, or for those that are looking for an easy source of financial stability. I look unstable to those outside of the creative spectrum and I even feel that way most days but when I look at it in terms of whether my child is taken care of and if she has what she needs (plus a few things that she wants) and if the basic needs are being met, then I have to acknowledge that my modest way of living is working for now.

True I can’t do outlandish extravagant things and I can’t get every little thing that I desire but it makes it so much more worth it when I can obtain those things because I know that I worked hard for them. Like I said in the beginning of this post, I love writing and I wouldn’t choose any other career. There are ones that I would love to do in addition to writing like singing and counseling others but nothing I feel as passionate about as writing.

If writing is something that you love to do, then ignore all of the days that you feel like it’s just not worth it. Ignore the feelings of you not being good enough to do this successfully. Ignore all of the days where a regular job seems like the only option you really have to have everything that you want and desire. Ignore the days that you feel like you’re not truly meant to be a writer because you can’t seem to promote yourself well enough. Your days of struggling as a writer may seem like they are just beginning but in the end, if you work hard, if you fight hard for what you want out of your career, then it will all be worth it. Work hard and struggle harder.

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

Creating an Ebook Looks So Easy….But It’s Not

February 12, 2014 jcladyluv

Okay so my latest project (my ebook for writers who are guilty of self-sabotage) is coming along but let me just say that doing an ebook is not as easy as it seems. Sure I guess if you have done a lot of them and have a formula down pact then it would definitely be a bit easy going. However, since this is my first ebook that I am putting out and it is a subject that is personal to me, and one that I think so many writers, and artists in general, struggle with, I just want to make sure I give you all nothing but my very best.

It doesn’t help that I am a perfectionists and that in my mind everything has to be just right (which of course I know it’s never going to be 100% right). I just really want to be able to provide some insight and help to those writers, and artists, that are struggling and who constantly get in their own way. I want them to know that they’re not alone in their struggle to succeed by doing what they are most passionate about.

I know that this ebook is going to be a great one and an even better way for me to connect with all of my readers out there. I will also be offering some really great things along with the ebook but you will have to keep reading here to get updated about those a little later. I hope that all of you will support me in this and that I in some way will be able to help you. Now I have to get back to work on the finishing touches of the ebook but you will be hearing more about it very soon. Have a very blessed day!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

I Am Not a Yes Person

February 11, 2014 jcladyluv

I get so sick of people trying to force me to be inside this box. I’m supposed to just go along with other people’s opinions and what they say. I’m supposed to just agree on everything because a group of people as a whole agreed.

I AM NOT A YES PERSON! I used to be. I used to go along for the sake of going along and I used to just go with whatever the majority said just to keep the peace, just to be the easy one. Well I am not that person and I refuse to pretend to be. I am typically the one the goes against the grain and I don’t usually follow suit because my opinion is just usually different from what someone else’s is. I just see things in a different way than most people do and I used to apologize for that.

But I will not apologize anymore for being who I am and for having the nerve to not think like most other people. I hate being persecuted when I express a difference of opinion or being told that I’m throwing “bitch fits” because I don’t agree with you. It makes me just want to silence myself and not say anything. That’s all I have to say today. Some personal things happened and threw me off course for the day but thank you all for listening to my rant. Just wish people would let me be me!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

I’m Not Sitting Out This Quarter

February 6, 2014 jcladyluv

“Sometimes in life you have to play in pain.”

~Joel Osteen

I’ve learned (the hard way) that you can’t stop pressing forward for every scrape, every bruise, every hurt ankle. Yes you may slow down a bit but you have to keep moving or you will never get to where it is you are going. I hadn’t realized until recently that last year when I just stopped moving and gave up it was as if I was saying that I don’t want to play the game anymore and made myself a bench warmer.

I let all the pain I was feeling and the emotional heaviness stop me cold in my tracks. At the time I would’ve never admitted to myself that I was doing that but now I am ready to get back in there. I am ready to play this game whether I am hurt or not, whether I go along limping or skipping, whether I have to cry through the process or smile through it. One thing is for sure, I am not a bench warmer. I don’t enjoy watching as things happen right in front of me and even more so I hate when something is happening that I know I am supposed to be a part of and I’m not.

Even when you have those moments where you need to take a five minute rest and collect your thoughts, prepare your next move in your head first, you still have to have the mindset that this is just a break and not a complete stand still. Watching other people accomplish the things that you want to achieve is what happens when you take too long of a break in your journey. You have to keep moving, you have to press on and get off of the bench.

Don’t get me wrong, bench warmers are important. There is always a need for the second string players and they have their purpose but if you know that you are not one, if you know that you belong in that starting position, then don’t sit on that bench and watch while someone else takes the spot that is yours. Trust me, you will hate every second of seeing someone else live the life that should be yours. So if you are over there sitting on that bench and you know you are supposed to be starting, then now (not tomorrow, and not a week from now) is the time to take your position back. It was your position all along, claim it!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

When the Focus Has Been Found

February 4, 2014 jcladyluv

I have in mind the plans for this year and what I wanted to get accomplished but my plans were somewhat generalized. I hadn’t been able to be more detailed in my plans and my goals and the focus was a bit off. Then I talked to Ms. L last night and we talked about things that had nothing to do with writing or our separate businesses, things that were personal. Eventually we did get to the topic of our business endeavors and I expressed my frustration to her because I knew the things I wanted to do and get done but I just didn’t have a concrete plan (or even a vague one) of how to go about accomplishing them.

Within a manner of thirty minutes (probably less) Ms. L helped me to develop a comprehensive plan of action to get the things I need done, more specific details on how to get the most out of those things, and a plan to promote those projects that I have to get accomplished. She even helped me to add some projects to the list which tie in really well with the other ideas and can do more for my business as a whole. She helped to focus my ideas and goals so that they weren’t so all over the place in my mind.

Ms. L is a godsend and I am so thankful that God sent me a friend like her, whose mind works similar to mine, whose bones in her body also are filled with creativity. I wrote a post about when you don’t have the right people around you it could essentially hinder your progress. However, having the right person or people around you, who have the same ideals and whose goals are not necessarily the same, but inadvertently linked with one another.

Ms. L was definitely someone sent into my life by God and she keeps me sane and she reminds me whenever I forget (and I forget a lot) that everything that I need to make my dreams a reality is already within me so long as I have the faith that it is there. Make sure that you know who is surrounding you but not only that, make sure that you don’t let their value in your life go to waste. God didn’t put them there in your life for nothing. He placed them there so they could be a vessel to use, so use them!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

The Faith of a Child

February 3, 2014 jcladyluv

I remember when I was younger having such big dreams. They were dreams that honestly seemed impossible to everyone that I told them to but to me they seemed like a no brainer. You couldn’t have ever told me then that I wasn’t ever going to achieve those goals because I would’ve just told you that you were crazy for not believing in me and my talent and abilities.

As I got older and into my adulthood and life started to unfold differently than my original plan my dreams shifted, in some ways to include larger goals, and the words of those naysayers started to get inside my head. I started to think that I was wishing for too much and dreaming way too big. I started to think that maybe I should only strive for what seemed realistically possible. I guess along the way my big dreams were always still in the back of my mind but I managed to dull their shine by settling for the things that seemed somewhat achievable, the things that were safely within my reach.

I was watching Joel Osteen the other morning and he spoke about dreaming big and not being afraid to pray God-sized prayers for yourself because there is nothing so big that God can’t do. He reminded me that you get what you ask for, or in this case pray for, and that if all you ever do is pray the safe prayers and ask for the small and ordinary things, then that is what you’re going to get. He reminded me that I am not bothering God to ask for what I really want and that it is not selfish to go big rather than play it safe.

I was never one to want a mediocre life before and my dreams cannot become a reality if I only play things safe so why am I. Don’t get me wrong, I do pray, a lot, but I pray unselfish prayers and I pray things for my daughter, or for what would suffice for the moment to get me through a particular period of time. I suppose I somehow developed this idea that there were certain things that I shouldn’t ask God for, things that would sound selfish considering the misfortune of so many in this world, things that seemed too big to ask God for, things that I guess I didn’t want to believe were possible for me to have, which is funny because when I was younger I never believed that anything was impossible for me to have.

What Joel Osteen was saying about daring to ask God for the big things, the things that seem to be impossible, resonated with me. It took me back to that kid that wasn’t afraid to dream big and who wasn’t scared to pray for those things that everyone else thought I was crazy for even hoping would come true. I hadn’t realized that I was putting limitations on God and what he was able to do for me. More importantly, I was underestimating what God’s purpose for me was and not being bold enough to ask him for what he had already promised me was mine.

When you are seeking out the things you want most out of life, don’t walk in the safe zone like I have been doing. Walk in the faith zone and trust in what God has planned for you. If you have not, it is because you asked not. Dare to dream big and stop praying small. God is an awesome God who can do so many big things that he is just waiting for us to ask for.

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

The One’s You Choose to Surround Yourself With

January 31, 2014 jcladyluv

I’ll be the first one to admit that I tend to let other people’s opinions of me, and of what I am trying to achieve with my writing, affect me more than I should. Particularly people who are family and supposed to be supportive of you no matter what. It’s hard to tell when people are just saying that they are for you or if they are genuinely for you and their actions resemble that.

People can support you and give you so-called help when asked but somehow still not be supportive because they throw it up in your face that you needed to ask for their help to begin with. When people help you with strings attached then their support is on paper only. When I say strings attached I mean they do sometihng for the shere ability to be able to ask you for something in return later. Or so that they can have it to hold over your head and rub it in to you that without their assistance you might not have been able to accomplish whatever it was they halped you with. Those kinds of people who support you, are only really waiting for you to fail, or for the moment when they can remind you that you once needed their help.

It hurts the most when those very same people are in your family or inner circle because those are the one’s who you look to be supportive of you and there for you without any conditions. Sadly, it doesn’t always turn out that way. Know the people around you. Everyone who is presumably for you is not for you. Your kin is not always your kind.

The people that surround you are very important in achieving your goals and dreams. The wrong people will only bring you down and continue to pull you down as you climb your way up. But the right people, they are going to be the one’s who help to push you forward and to give you a hand and pull you up if you start to fall. Don’t let anyone drag you down simply because they are your family.

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

You Have What You Need For the Season You Are In

January 28, 2014 jcladyluv

I have a lot of expectations for myself, a lot of big dreams that take putting in a lot of work. Unfortunately, a lot of the reason that I end up giving up on some of them is because I’m afraid that I’ll never be able to do it perfectly and of course if it’s not done right then it just shouldn’t be done at all. The problem with that logic is that nothing ends up ever getting done because perfection just doesn’t exist. Sadly, knowing something logically does not stop you from continuing the same bad habit.

Sometimes you feel like you just don’t have everything you need to accomplish what it is that you want to get accomplished, in order for it to be done just right. Truth is that God gives us everything that we need for the moment that we are in and if we don’t have it, it’s because we don’t need it yet. He would never give us the purpose that he gives us, the passion that he gives us, if he were not going to give us the proper tools and skillset to make those things a reality.

I talked with a friend yesterday and she asked me when I was going to start using the YouTube channel that I have and putting it out there that I can sing as well as write. Someone else asked me about recording my poetry and putting it on there as well. I came up with quite a few excuses, I’m scared of the camera, I’m afraid that people won’t like it, I don’t think anyone would even look at it, and so on, and so on.

The pressure to be accepted, or to even want to be accepted, is oftentimes overwhelming but then I had to look at it from the other side of things. What if someone did like it, what if people did look at it, what if me being less afraid could help someone else out there see that they don’t have to be afraid to do it and should just go for it. What if something I am not doing could help someone else with the same fears?

So this year I am going to put my YouTube channel to good use and promote my other talents, and I’m also going to publish that ebook for Writer’s who Self-Sabotage themselves (When Fear is Knocking) along with self-publishing my next Novel (When Love Calls) and finishing my next two novels (Through the Looking Glass, and The Weight of HER). I am not going to focus on what I don’t have, but rather focus on what God gave me for the season that I am in right now.

2014 is the year to stop striving for perfection and just strive for completion. So are you going to take whatever leap of faith you are afraid of taking this year and just get it done? It doesn’t have to be perfect, but no one will ever be able to see it if it is not at least complete!

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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

Picking the Battles That Matter

January 27, 2014 jcladyluv

Ever had that question in the back of your mind of why when all you are doing is trying to follow through with your purpose, make your dreams a reality, is that it seems every curveball you can possibly think of is thrown at you. It almost seems like right when you are about to reach the peak of your journey up the mountain that an avalanche of obstacles falls right in your path.

It’s almost enough to make you want to stop and rethink the journey and whether or not it is the one that you are truly supposed to be on. You second guess yourself a lot when the challenges seem to be so daunting and never-ending. However, when you look at some of the most successful people in life and go examine the journey that they took to get where they are, it would appear that the one’s with the most difficult challenges on the road to their destiny were the ones who achieved the biggest rewards for their efforts.

I admit that I get thrown off course a lot of the times by the enormity of my struggles and also by people that surround me that don’t always seem to be for me. Oddly enough these aren’t even people in my inner circle, they are people who just always seem to have something to say against what it is I’m trying to do and I let it get to me. Sometimes it makes the struggles feel even more insurmountable because no one seems to understand my vision or what I’m really all about.

I was watching something yesterday and it reminded me that not everyone is going to like me, not everyone is going to understand me or what it is I’m trying to do, but that is because it is not for everyone to understand. I keep getting lured off track trying to somehow prove that I am worthy, that I am important, that what I’m trying to do is important and that it matters. It is said that the enemy (those that are against you) always fights us the hardest when we are the closest to our victories.

As it pertains to my struggles, Joel Osteen once said in his messages that you cannot expect ordinary problems if you are an extraordinary person, a history maker, so to speak. I definitely know that I am not an ordinary person and that I intend to be a history maker so I suppose that means I better get ready for some even more challenging battles ahead.

In life, when you are trying to accomplish so much, there just simply isn’t any time to waste energy on things or people that just don’t matter. That’s not to say that we should be unfeeling or cold towards people in general. It’s just that when you know what you’re purpose is you have to know which battles to choose before wasting energy on the battles that don’t matter.

If the people you are surrounding yourself with aren’t for you and aren’t going to help you along your journey then that’s a battle that you need to let go of. So start letting go of unnecessary baggage today because you’re journey.

Jimmetta Carpenter

My Write 2 Be is…

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

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