Working on Self-Improvement

Well, it's New Year's Eve Day, so now is the most appropriate time to think about what has happened this year, as well as ways in which I want to change or improve myself.

This year was, overall, not a good one. Too much stress, not enough writing, and I'm still unemployed at the end of the year. So for 2020, I'm going to sign up for grant writing classes. This will help me add some extra credentials to my resume, and help me stretch out a bit as a writer. I want to put in the time to help myself become better as a writer overall, and acquire more tips and tricks to write more efficiently and succinctly for whichever business I am working for in the future.

I understand that I am very far from perfect, but I also understand that I can be better with some effort. Every year I try to make one positive change to my life; either improving something in my house that will improve my quality of life, or learning something that will help me be a better person overall. Hopefully these writing courses will help me in a positive direction, both as a writer and in acquiring a job.

Here's to the end of 2019, and the beginning of 2020. I wish everybody well, and that your fortune does nothing but improve.

-A.M.W.

Works In Progress

Fiction is a great outlet. However, with my imagination, sometimes I get multiple ideas at once, and I know that if I don't write it down, I lose it. The result of this is I have found myself with multiple save files. The longer stories, or the ones that are close to done or are done, have their own save files. I also have one save file that is approximately twenty pages of snippets of dialogue or situations, and it keeps growing, because it's not as if my imagination stops once I have a set number of ideas written down.

There's something interesting that happens when I have that many ideas all in one save file. I think of the snippet dump file as a lost-and-found box, in which there are several different puzzles broken down into pieces I discovered, and it's not until I have enough of them that I realize how certain ones go together. I read through the save file, and I realize that some things from over two years ago, are actually scenes that happen later to the same people for whom I wrote a scene last week.

The big thing about the works in progress is that there is always progress; even if I don't see it right away, because the puzzle pieces aren't all there yet, the progress is there waiting to be pieced together. It becomes a lot easier to handle a twenty-page snippet folder when I know that at some point, I will be pulling pages of work out of it to make its own save file, to work on that story on its own.

It's important to keep typing, but it's also important to revisit what you write from time to time. It helps connect the dots for the various pieces you have standing on their own to make a short story. In some cases, it may help connect some short stories you put away over the years, which with a couple segue scenes could be made into a longer work. This is also a good way to look at how your writing style has progressed over the years; take a look at your lexicon, your turns of phrase, and how you have characters speak and interact. The progression may be subtle, but it will be there.

-A.M.W.

Imitation As A Form Of Learning

Back in the day, when the world was young and so was I, I took a variety of writing courses. One of the ones that I learned the most from was a creative writing course run by a local author via my community college. Her writing exercises were always good, because she asked us to challenge ourselves by grabbing a random author, reading some short stories of theirs, and then writing a short story that imitates their writing style.

It was because of this course that I was able to pick up writing styles quickly and efficiently. I think it also helped when it came to picking up computer platforms; if you're looking on how best to adapt your thinking on how to communicate, you're also looking on how best to use the tools given to you to accomplish that communication.

When I feel stuck in a rut, I go back to this writing exercise. I will pick a book at random off my bookcase (I will roll dice to get a random shelf number/book number), read it enough to get a handle on the style, and then write a short story in that style. It helps me think outside of my usual box, and oftentimes it helps me figure out a problem I'm facing in my own writing.

I have used this trick when it comes to technical writing and proposal writing too. If I am unsure about how best to put together a document, I can search for something in the same genre, and then imitate that format and style of writing to put together my document. Continual learning and ability to adapt is key to stay relevant in the current workforce, especially when it comes to content creation.

So the next time you're feeling stuck, pick up a book! It may be the creative bump you need to get out of that rut.

-A.M.W.

Storytelling in Fiction

I love a good book. After cleaning and organizing my house, I actually realized I had somehow acquired so many books over the past year or so that I will need to buy another bookcase, as the one I have is already stuffed full. I love being able to open a book and mentally walk right into a different world. I like to read comedy more than watch it, and I am a sucker for a good who-dun-it, mainly because I like to see if I can spot the foreshadowing before the "who" is unmasked at the end.

I like being able to write stories too; worlds just spinning about in my brain, full of people and relationships and conversations. Being able to write it all out is freeing both mentally and emotionally to me, so most of my stories are for me. There are some worlds, some characters, which I wouldn't mind writing whole novels about and actually publish it, but for now I'm keeping those worlds to myself.

I also love video games. There has been some very well-crafted, fully realized, world building storytelling found in video games both currently and I would say in the past decade. I especially love the ones where you can play the game two different ways; either follow the main story/plot/conceit of the game and get see the world built around you one way, or you can take the time to talk to all the characters, do all the little side-quests, and uncover a completely different way to look at the world you are playing in.

I think the thing I love most about storytelling in fiction is the world building. What is so special about this particular world, this setting, that can draw people in? Of all the infinite possible worlds that one could build, what makes the particular world in that book/game/show the best setting for the characters and storylines? It fascinates me, like discovering a new world every time I open a book or boot up a new video game or watch a new show or movie, and it is in the discovery that we have joy.

So raise a glass for the storytellers; every book, every show, every movie, every video game you and I enjoy would not exist without them. 

A.M.W.

Time Well Spent?

I've been a flurry of activity in the past several weeks. In an effort not to be bogged down with a lot of nonsense in my house, I've gone through and sorted out clothes and linens, trinkets and tools. I've decided what to keep, what to donate, and what is beyond saving and really ought to go into the trash, and acted accordingly. My house is as decluttered as I've had it in a long, long time. It feels good.

It also coincides with my parents visiting me; they will be here in a couple days, to help me celebrate my birthday. I am turning 37, and while it doesn't feel any different, I have to pause and take stock of what I've done so far and wonder: was it time well spent?

I could argue either way about it, honestly. Did I need to play all those video games when I could have been learning to code? Certainly not. Did I need to play all those video games to help me unwind from whatever stress was knotting my shoulders and keeping me from sleep? Absolutely yes.

This could go on, back and forth on so many other topics throughout my life, until my head is dizzy with it. How do we measure if our time was well spent? Is it the accomplishments, accolades, and achievements peppered throughout our lives? Is it how many people like us at any given moment? I'm not sure there is any sort of metric we could all agree on, which really might be for the best.

I'm going to step away from my computer after I finish posting this, and do the last bit of cleaning that needs doing before my parents get here. Then, after dinner, I'm going to keep crocheting the blanket I'm close to finishing for my niece for Christmas. Time well spent, indeed.

A.M.W.

Moving as an Act of Moving On

I read an article stating that people were moving less for work. I understand that; moving is expensive, not many companies will help you with expenses to move, and the vast majority of office work can be done online now so moving seems unnecessary. Let's face it: you don't really need to move if it's not for work, or to go to college.

However, there are times when moving seems to be performative, not just moving to a new job in a new place, but to a new stage of your life. Sometimes you need that; sometimes you need to literally move on.

As part of looking for work and narrowing down what career path I want, I've also had to take a look at which companies make use of that service and where lots of them are located relatively close to each other. Short answer: tech-based companies and Not Anywhere Near Fort Collins. So moving has definitely been on my mind lately, and I don't mind the thought of it.

I do love Fort Collins, and it has been exactly what I needed as a place to live when I needed it, but I think that unless I get a remote job, it may be time to move.

A.M.W.

Dream Job Debunking, Boredom, and Alternative Schedules

Why do we talk about dream jobs? I have lost count of how many articles I have read that talk about "finding your dream job" or some permutation thereof in the past three months. I will admit that there are places I would like to work, and job titles I wold like to have, but "dream job"? Not for me.

Imagine having a dream job working for a certain company with a particular job title. You're building it up in your head, getting the basic skill-set, getting the degree for the job, and then after some heavy networking and interviewing, you finally get into the company you want...only to then realize the fantasy of what you're going to do is nothing like the cubicle-dwelling reality. What a let down.

Instead, find a job you are good at and would like to do for a long time, with skills you can build on so you don't get bored. Jobs where you can be content and get paid decently (or even well) are, in the long run, a much safer bet than chasing after a dream job. 

I would much rather have an interesting job where I do not get bored. Boredom is awful, but especially if you are bored at work. You ever read about those experiments where a company or a state will do shorter work days, or shorter work weeks, and then they find productivity goes up and employees claim better home-life balance and that they are happier? I would posit that because the company/state is removing time from the work day where employees would be working steady to make sure they pass the time, but be bored out of their minds, now the employees get to be more productive outside of work, and that motivates them and makes them happier.

I used to do 3 days off in a row, and then 4 days at 10 hours a day. I wish I could have flexed my hours to be more in keeping with my natural night-owl sleep cycle, but other than that, it was actually great. I had one business day off where I could run errands during business hours and/or go to appointments and not have to take time off work, plus the weekend so I could hang out with friends and be social. I would much rather have an alternative schedule than the regular nine-to-five/five days a week.

I hope in the future that companies will see that alternative or flexible schedules can be much more productive for them in the long-run. I hope that people understand that dreams are great, but reality is not always kind, and jobs come and go. 

The important thing is: I still have hope.

-A.M.W.

Learning As A Hobby

I enjoy having hobbies. I love reading fiction and crocheting, just as much as I love reading non-fiction, learning how to code, and speak German. But when it comes to learning and also trying to find full-time work, how can I know that what I'm studying on my own time is worth it?

The answer for me is surprisingly simple: Just as much as job searching and applying to jobs is stressful for me, learning things I'm interested in helps me unwind from all that stress. This is because I use the act of learning the same way I use the act of crocheting as a hobby. It is a calm time, a time where I can shut off the stressed side of my brain and dive head-first into things that interest me and I want to know more about for a couple hours.

I started learning German via Duolingo starting in January, as part of my resolution for growth. Progress has been nominal, and I am nowhere near close to start having conversations yet, but I'm having fun learning words and small phrases. I know that a large part of my family tree has roots in Germany, so I thought it would be an interesting language to learn, and I was right. Learning German has given me a greater appreciation for compound words, and it has also proven to me that English is just seven different languages stacked on top of each other and wrapped in a trench coat.

More recently, I started up basic coding lessons via Codecademy. I have always been a nerd, and taught myself a lot of HTML when the internet became available in my town when I was 12 years old. I've learned more over the years, to the point that I was using HTML every day at work, and I would like to delve deeper in coding. What I've learned so far about the basics has been interesting, and I look forward to learning more.

So what is next for what I want to learn? Nothing so long-term as languages, but there are some very nice, short, learn-at-your-own-pace classes I can take about grant writing. Taking a few of those would look good on a resume and my LinkedIn profile, as well as be a nice challenge for me to stretch my writing skills again.

I hope that whatever your hobby is, it's something that keeps you happy and helps you unwind.

-A.M.W.

Rediscovery and Going Back to An Old Title

Confession: I had forgotten about this blog, which I had the last time I was unemployed. The only reason I found it was because I was updating the sections of my LinkedIn and didn't know what the "Blog" link was referring to, so I clicked on it.

It has been more than seven years since I updated this space, and it is like digging up a piece of my past that I once loved. I stopped updating this space for the very simple reason that I had found full-time employment. I had a wonderful time working for a mid-sized, enthusiast-centered publication company in my town. At first I was in their Customer Support department, and then I earned a promotion-transfer into their eCommerce Operations department. It was both stability and a growing experience, which I needed during that time in my life, and I am thankful to have had it.

Unfortunately, the company went the way of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and while several companies bought up brands held under the parent umbrella, and a couple small companies rose from the ashes, I was laid off at the end of July 2019. Many of the smaller companies either weren't going to have an online store, or they already had somebody to run it, so I as an eCommerce Operations Coordinator was deemed redundant. I received a truly lovely and thoughtful gift basket from my supervisor on the last day, as well as lunch from my favorite deli in town on her dime, which she didn't need to do but I really appreciated. Business is business, and I walked out with no hard feelings, and a smile on my face as I took my last box of cubicle decor out to my car.

After about a month of searching, I was able to acquire a part-time job doing magazine subscription management with one of the small companies created from smaller parts of the old company. It is nice to be part of an office for about 20 hours a week, but it isn't full-time work, so I am looking for the next way to exercise my knowledge and widen my skillset.

I have my eyes set on what I want to do next: Technical Writing and/or Technical Editing, with an interest in Proposal Writing and/or Grant Writing.

I am, once again, a Wordsmith for Hire.