Edit Some and Edit Some More

I made some changes to the word processing essay that I am writing. Tomorrow, I'll have another look at it to see if I can refine it even more before I submit it. My current draft definitely sounds a lot better than the first.

Speaking of drafts... It's so nice to be able to write and revise with a computer! Technology makes it so quick and easy to rework an essay. I remember the time when I had to write and rewrite several multi-page drafts by hand for English class in high school. What torture! At that time, I don't think the soft squishy pen collars was invented yet so writing was hard on the fingers. Sometimes, while writing an essay, I just had so many ideas that it was impossible to capture all my thoughts and I reluctantly had to let some of them go. By the time I started to jot it down, I had forgotten what it was that I wanted to say in the first place!

Getting back to the present, I found out today that my little review on local bagel stores was published. Huzzah! I've been looking for more assignments to pick up, but so far, no assignments are available yet. The editors were on break for the holidays and I'm sure that they must have lots of submissions to review.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I spent most of the day writing and fine-tuning an essay about word processing to submit to the about.com site. It's not perfect and seems a bit dry, but hopefully it will do. In my essay, I discussed the benefits of word processing and its ability to handle various tasks with ease and efficiency. Although I've tried to make it as interesting and relevant as possible, it wasn't the most interesting essay I've ever written. I'm really more interested in writing a technical guide as opposed to writing about the subject itself. I suppose it's like writing fiction as opposed to writing about the mechanics of writing fiction. One is the actual doing and the other talks about doing. It's much more fun to do than to talk about doing!

New Year, New Start

2012 is finally here. This year, I'm hoping to find more focus in my life since focus has always been a big problem for me. This year, I will be turning 40 and I want to start living in accordance with my values and interests. Instead of waiting for things to happen, I would like to make them happen. I want to write more and really delve into photography. I would love to make a living by writing about different subjects and publishing nature photos. Travel would be fun too, if that's where that road leads me.

During the last two months of 2011, I've written and published two poems as a Yahoo! Contributor. The first is a short haiku, which was a popular form in 17th century Japan. My haiku is called Ruby in the Snow. My second poem is a sestina entitled The Winter Journey Home. Uncommonly seen today, sestinas were invented during the 12th century High Middle Ages in what is today the southern section of France. With 6 stanzas of 6 lines and a two line envoi using words repeated throughout the poem, it is the longest and most challenging form of poetry I've ever written, but the finished product was very satisfying.

I've also been thinking of applying for a position as a Guide on about.com for Word Processing. With my professional background in that subject, I think that I might stand a fair chance of writing for that topic. It would help me break into professional writing and I would be able to share my word processing knowledge with others.