Inspired by a couple in the province who, along with another family, recently won $43 million, I got to thinking... what would I do if I won the "big one?"
I guess my very first reaction would be to keep the win secret. I have heard so much about people's lives being ruined by big lotto wins - NOT, mind you, by the money itself - but by the way family, friends and anyone you ever knew, no matter how fleetingly, come out of the woodwork with their hands out.
Now I know the whole secrecy thing would be very difficult if not impossible as the lotto people would be shouting your name (and your winnings!) from the rooftops, so complete confidence would never occur. But put it this way... I personally wouldn't volunteer the information to anyone - and I mean ANYONE.
From there, I would pay off my mortgage and, if at all possible, become a kind of Secret Santa by anonymously paying off the mortgages of all my family. (As they don't access my site or blog, I am safe to declare this without giving away my identity if and when this happens :)
Next, I would pick a couple of charities close to my heart and make a very healthy donation to each one.
From there, I think I would finally allow myself some fun money - setting aside a few hundred thousand for travel, clothing and other items that routinely get bumped to the bottom of my priority list.
Finding a reputable investor and investing well over half of my winnings would be the next step. They say that a person can live on the interest of a million dollars on a yearly basis - just think what you could do with five or ten or twenty times that amount? Obviously getting the ball rolling ASAP in that department would be part of the plan too.
But the one question that arises most frequently in regards to this topic is: would you keep working?
Well, as at at-home editor and writer, my answer, of course, would be "yes!" Why give up something I love doing in the comfort of my home just because I've suddenly become independently wealthy?
So now over to you...what would YOU do if you won the big one?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
10 Things I Liked About You
Shocked, saddened and still teetering on the edge of disbelief, I join so many people around the world in mourning the death of Heath Ledger.
While I never knew him personally, for all intents and purposes, he appeared to be a honest, sincere and down to earth person whose primary goals in life were progressing in and perfecting his role as an actor and father.
Echoing the sentiments of countless others, I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends, especially his parents and sister and of course, ex-fiancee Michelle Williams and their daughter Matilda.
As an affectionate nod to the first film I ever saw Heath in - the teen romance 10 Things I Hate About You - I'd like to offer the following tribute of sorts to him entitled 10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT YOU, written in the style of the poem read in the movie.
10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT YOU
I liked the way your sunny smile always made me smile too.
I liked the way your intense gaze burned bright with brown not blue.
I liked the way you shunned the glitz and glamour of your work.
I liked the way despite hard times you seldom played the jerk.
I liked the way you spoke of what's important in your life.
I liked the way you chose those roles that caused you the most strife.
I liked the way you looked each time you talked about your "girls."
I liked the way your hair when long turned into tousled curls.
I liked the way you stayed on track and danced to your own drum.
But most of all I liked you 'cause the best was yet to come.
While I never knew him personally, for all intents and purposes, he appeared to be a honest, sincere and down to earth person whose primary goals in life were progressing in and perfecting his role as an actor and father.
Echoing the sentiments of countless others, I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends, especially his parents and sister and of course, ex-fiancee Michelle Williams and their daughter Matilda.
As an affectionate nod to the first film I ever saw Heath in - the teen romance 10 Things I Hate About You - I'd like to offer the following tribute of sorts to him entitled 10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT YOU, written in the style of the poem read in the movie.
10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT YOU
I liked the way your sunny smile always made me smile too.
I liked the way your intense gaze burned bright with brown not blue.
I liked the way you shunned the glitz and glamour of your work.
I liked the way despite hard times you seldom played the jerk.
I liked the way you spoke of what's important in your life.
I liked the way you chose those roles that caused you the most strife.
I liked the way you looked each time you talked about your "girls."
I liked the way your hair when long turned into tousled curls.
I liked the way you stayed on track and danced to your own drum.
But most of all I liked you 'cause the best was yet to come.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Making Time to Write
In reference to, not only, my last blog entry but also my "sub" profession as a writer, I would like to address one of the most common questions I am asked: when do you get time to write?
The short answer is I don't GET time... I MAKE time.
Most writers, with the exception of bestsellers and those married to rich spouses, have to work at a job other than writing on a full-time basis to pay bills.
As full-time generally refers to a 7.5-hour shift somewhere within a 24-hour cycle, five days a week, on top of other responsibilities and necessities including travel time, eating, housecleaning, familial commitments and sleeping, to name a few, 'time for writing' is routinely shuffled onto the back burner or off the stove altogether.
That having been said, I am of the mind that setting aside even a modicum of time on a regular basis is important. While I DETEST routine strictly on principle, I have to admit I am generally more productive if I write daily at a set time.
But when is the best time?
That's a very individual question. If you're a morning person, hop up even 40 minutes earlier, grab a java and squeeze in a half hour every day before you go in. By the end of the week, you will have written three and a half hours more than if you rely on the old "I'll do it when I have time" plan of attack.
I know some writers who jot down notes throughout the day, on their coffee breaks and even during their lunch hour employing a kind of accumulative strategy... by the time they get home, they have written for an hour every day. This one would never work for me personally as I hate the stop-and-start manic feel of it, but hey, to each their own.
Post-supper pennings are common amongst many authors who view the time after dinner when the kids are either in bed or firmly anchored in front of the tube for a few hours their sacred scribbling time. While this is not too bad from an energy standpoint, I find the act of writing hypes me up too much and therefore doing so that late in the day interferes with my sleep. But if it works for you, more power to ya!
If I had my druthers, I would go with the early afternoon. By then, I would have gotten all the morning mental and physical cobwebs out of my system. After a light lunch, a brisk walk and a strong cup of tea, I'd be ready to give 'er pretty solid for a good three to four hours.
That's if I wasn't working full-time. :)
Given that consideration, I have pretty much settled into jumping onto the computer as soon as I get home - PRE supper. While the dog is running around outside and supper is simmering on the stove, I furiously try to get down as much as I possibly can within my standard 1.5 hour span. Going this route, I work until 7:00, before tossing in the towel for the night. From there I can have supper, play with my furry kids and thoroughly unwind before bed.
In the end, and I'm sure you've all heard it before, choose a time that makes the most sense with your existing schedule and true personality but write EVERY DAY.
And while it's not a bad idea to set a goal, be it a certain word or page count for the day, don't get too focused on that... on those "bad" days when your creative wordsmithing is limited to the likes of "See Spot run", you'll just end up filling the page with crap to meet your quota, only to delete it all the next day.
Oh and one last thing... write down your REALISTIC writing goals i.e. I'm going to write 1,000 words today (NOT I'm going to write 25,000 words today!)
Why?
'Cause there really is power in the written word.
Happy writing,
Susan
The short answer is I don't GET time... I MAKE time.
Most writers, with the exception of bestsellers and those married to rich spouses, have to work at a job other than writing on a full-time basis to pay bills.
As full-time generally refers to a 7.5-hour shift somewhere within a 24-hour cycle, five days a week, on top of other responsibilities and necessities including travel time, eating, housecleaning, familial commitments and sleeping, to name a few, 'time for writing' is routinely shuffled onto the back burner or off the stove altogether.
That having been said, I am of the mind that setting aside even a modicum of time on a regular basis is important. While I DETEST routine strictly on principle, I have to admit I am generally more productive if I write daily at a set time.
But when is the best time?
That's a very individual question. If you're a morning person, hop up even 40 minutes earlier, grab a java and squeeze in a half hour every day before you go in. By the end of the week, you will have written three and a half hours more than if you rely on the old "I'll do it when I have time" plan of attack.
I know some writers who jot down notes throughout the day, on their coffee breaks and even during their lunch hour employing a kind of accumulative strategy... by the time they get home, they have written for an hour every day. This one would never work for me personally as I hate the stop-and-start manic feel of it, but hey, to each their own.
Post-supper pennings are common amongst many authors who view the time after dinner when the kids are either in bed or firmly anchored in front of the tube for a few hours their sacred scribbling time. While this is not too bad from an energy standpoint, I find the act of writing hypes me up too much and therefore doing so that late in the day interferes with my sleep. But if it works for you, more power to ya!
If I had my druthers, I would go with the early afternoon. By then, I would have gotten all the morning mental and physical cobwebs out of my system. After a light lunch, a brisk walk and a strong cup of tea, I'd be ready to give 'er pretty solid for a good three to four hours.
That's if I wasn't working full-time. :)
Given that consideration, I have pretty much settled into jumping onto the computer as soon as I get home - PRE supper. While the dog is running around outside and supper is simmering on the stove, I furiously try to get down as much as I possibly can within my standard 1.5 hour span. Going this route, I work until 7:00, before tossing in the towel for the night. From there I can have supper, play with my furry kids and thoroughly unwind before bed.
In the end, and I'm sure you've all heard it before, choose a time that makes the most sense with your existing schedule and true personality but write EVERY DAY.
And while it's not a bad idea to set a goal, be it a certain word or page count for the day, don't get too focused on that... on those "bad" days when your creative wordsmithing is limited to the likes of "See Spot run", you'll just end up filling the page with crap to meet your quota, only to delete it all the next day.
Oh and one last thing... write down your REALISTIC writing goals i.e. I'm going to write 1,000 words today (NOT I'm going to write 25,000 words today!)
Why?
'Cause there really is power in the written word.
Happy writing,
Susan
Thursday, January 3, 2008
New Year, "New" Direction
Every January people struggle with what to declare as their New Year's resolution. Maybe you yourself have announced that you will quit smoking, exercise more, love more, eat better... you know the drill. I do too as, for so many previous December 31sts, I have likewise resolved to do one or all of the above.
But not this year.
This year I have only one goal... to move in a new direction; or more accurately, move more agressively in the direction that I have been baby-stepping towards for the past couple of years.
Sound mysterious? It's not really.
Needless to say, I am a published writer who has enjoyed some success - a miracle in itself given the challenges and constraints of the past couple of years. Like most if not all writers, I have dreamed of writing "full-time" as opposed to squeezing in paragraphs and if lucky, chapters here and there in the evenings and on weekends. But I have to admit that my writing is routinely sacrificed in the name of work and other obligations.
Well ... "not no more." (dig that groovy grammar! ;)
From here on in, I intend to make my writing and career a priority in my life. In fact I began this "new" and assertive approach prior to the holidays by contacting and sending off a package for one of my as-yet-to-be-published books to a New York literary agent. I hope they will be pleased with my work and offer to represent me, but if not, I will not be deterred. I will try elsewhere until I succeed. The good Lord willing, 2008 will have me embark on a mutually satisfying and lucrative relationship with an established agent who, in turn, will secure a couple of new book deals for us with a major publishing house, as well as sell the film rights to my existing novels to a major production company.
That's the ultimate aspiration but for now, it starts with one 'new direction'... making my writing and my career as a writer a top priority. It's my firm belief that tiny but vastly important shift in perception will accelerate the success I have enjoyed to date and propel me forward.
So here's to moving ahead. Hope all your resolutions and new directions materialize for you this year!
Have a great 2008,
Susan
But not this year.
This year I have only one goal... to move in a new direction; or more accurately, move more agressively in the direction that I have been baby-stepping towards for the past couple of years.
Sound mysterious? It's not really.
Needless to say, I am a published writer who has enjoyed some success - a miracle in itself given the challenges and constraints of the past couple of years. Like most if not all writers, I have dreamed of writing "full-time" as opposed to squeezing in paragraphs and if lucky, chapters here and there in the evenings and on weekends. But I have to admit that my writing is routinely sacrificed in the name of work and other obligations.
Well ... "not no more." (dig that groovy grammar! ;)
From here on in, I intend to make my writing and career a priority in my life. In fact I began this "new" and assertive approach prior to the holidays by contacting and sending off a package for one of my as-yet-to-be-published books to a New York literary agent. I hope they will be pleased with my work and offer to represent me, but if not, I will not be deterred. I will try elsewhere until I succeed. The good Lord willing, 2008 will have me embark on a mutually satisfying and lucrative relationship with an established agent who, in turn, will secure a couple of new book deals for us with a major publishing house, as well as sell the film rights to my existing novels to a major production company.
That's the ultimate aspiration but for now, it starts with one 'new direction'... making my writing and my career as a writer a top priority. It's my firm belief that tiny but vastly important shift in perception will accelerate the success I have enjoyed to date and propel me forward.
So here's to moving ahead. Hope all your resolutions and new directions materialize for you this year!
Have a great 2008,
Susan
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