The World According to Leslie

Although I haven’t written anything in about 2 months here, I did not fall off the face of the earth. I have, however, sat at the computer wanting to write. Some days it just doesn’t happen.    I have a writing job for the summer—$8/article and I can write at least 2 an hour.   That’s more than I make teaching!  No!  I’m not kidding!  lol  (It’s sad!)   I get to go back to work in just a couple of weeks.  Actually…..  two weeks from today!  WOW!  Same school! More kids.  This year, I’m teaching regular Freshman English and Mythology.  I’ll have about 35 kids in each class!  (I know, right?!)   We went to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge on Vacation last month.  We took Mom and Dad with us!  We love going there. We went to a few shows.  Maybe… just maybe…. I’ll do a post about that!    I am now a CRIMINAL MINDS fanatic!  I love this show!  I had never watched an entir...

So I have been writing these articles about fashion lately. So far I have written about 35-40 articles. Today one of them is about how to organize a closet and accessories. I keep thinking to myself, am I the only person who does not have a summer wardrobe and a winter one? Am I the only person who wears the same clothes all year?   Seriously, there are few items in my closet that are not worn year round. My coats are there. Obviously I’m not wearing them when it is hot. My flip flops…I don’t wear them in the cold. Although, in NC, it really does not get THAT cold. So I could probably wear those year round. I don’t wear my capris and swimsuit in the winter either.   My shirt are all short sleeved or no longer than elbow length. I have black pants, knit and dress pants, that I wear all the time. I am almost 6 feet tall. It is hard to find pants that fit; when I do, I buy three or four pairs. Right now, I have 5 or 6 pairs of black dress pants that all look exactly alike...

Yesterday, I spent all day rewriting articles I had written the day before. I used the information I was given and wrote them the best way that I knew how. Then the client changed his mind and decided that he wanted something different. I changed them. All 10 of them! They were easier the second way..wish he had said that the first time!     Today, I wrote and article to get it approved for a huge project of 45 articles.   As soon as that was submitted the client send me a huge project of 2000+ words that have to be re-researched and rewritten. I didn’t write the first one. So I have to read it, find what I can in it and then re-research and rewrite the whole thing. I think it is a short ebook about something.  I have 2 days for that.   So now I’m working on that. Waiting for the other approval. And starting to stress again!   But…. I will get it done. I always do!

Today was pretty productive.    Until… Let’s start with this morning.  I got up around 8am, finished a Newsletter I needed to finish and submitted it.   I wrote another article (1500 words) and submitted it.   Then it was 11am!   I wrote a 900 word Press Release.   Then… I took a shower and ate lunch. Now, I just can’t get going again.  I should have done the shower thing at 8am so I wouldn’t have to stop during the day, but I didn’t.   I should have had the Princess bring me a sandwich to the office so I could keep going.   Now I have 5000 words due before midnight, and I’m a little worried about that.  :/  Should have just kept working.   Productivity Rule #1: Never stop when you are making great progress!

I have always been horrible at time management.  If I think it is going to take 20 minutes to do something, I plan for 60!  Seriously!  (Sometimes, miraculously, I have a little time left over!)   I could never been one of the people to give estimates for time and labor (i.e. construction planner).  I would always be WRONG!     Anyways, I have three writing contracts going at the same time.  One allows me to pick my topics and write 6 articles a week.  One normally gives me a niche and says write ## articles. One gave me a list and told me to pick and write articles.   That should all work well…right?  EXCEPT….. Yesterday, the middle client (from above) sent me a message on Skype that I had 30 minutes to complete a project.  Finished it.  Then he sent me a 5 part project and said I had 1.5 hours.  Almost finished it, but it is done now…..because at 1 hour and 15 minutes he said….stop!  You have ...

Have you ever started something and thought “Oh, this won’t take long”?  Then it takes you 500X longer?   I did that today.  I have a TO DO LIST with 10 things on it.  I have only completed 3 because #4 took forever.  I had 3 review articles to write.  I started one of them at 1pm.  I finally finished it at 5:45pm.  Really over FOUR hours?  I submitted it to make sure it is what the client wants.    Now I have an article to edit…so I can get paid (#5 on the list).   Two more articles to write TONIGHT!  (#10)   Good thing I can do the list out of order like that!     I really need to figure out how long things are going to take when  I do them!

Yesterday (July 3rd), I spent all day in front of my computer.  I have been working on more articles.  I am finishing another trial set soon.  I am not sure I want to keep writing for this person.  The deadlines keep changing….giving me less time to write.   Today, (July 4th) Tony, the Princess and I are all at home together!  We have a long, 4 day weekend.    What shall we do?   I have 4 more articles due tomorrow—no TODAY!  (Sorry!  12:16am always confuses me! LOL)   We are going to work on changing the playroom into the office and the office into the playroom.  Long story!    Friday, I will probably have more articles due.  Then we will do NOTHNG!  HA!  Yeah, right!  I’m sure we will come up with something to do.  Of course, if it ever stops raining, Tony will do the yard work.  But… according to the forecast, it is going to be raining ALL week—like 80% chance!...

Wow!  I can’t believe another weekend is gone.  Time flies by so quickly!  June is over.  Today is July 1st!    July 1st means I have a new boss.  My principal from this past school year is taking a different job (a higher job) with the school system.  One of the assistant principals is becoming the principal today!  I’m excited.  She is great to work with.   On Saturday, we got up early and went to SC.  Their was a death in Tony’s family, so we went to the memorial service. Then we had time to spend with family we hadn’t seen in a couple of years.   That’s always good.  That makes for interesting Facebook pictures!   Saturday morning, Tony found a tick on his hip.  He pulled it off, treated the area, and kept the tick.  Yesterday, he went to Urgent Care to get checked out…as a precaution.  Doc said to just keep an eye on it for a couple of weeks, gave him a Tetanus shot, and sent him o...

For the past week, I have been trying really hard to get writing jobs.  I have already (in two jobs) made over $100 writing!  I’m excited about it.  (Most of that work was completed in two weeks, but few hours!)   Today, I put in bids for several jobs.  I was the first bid on one job.  And… I got it.  The cool thing about it???  I get to write about what I want to.  Right now, the first four articles have to deal with technology.   What does any good teacher do?  Go straight for the classroom—iPads in the classroom and  online/distance education. Those are the first two.  The other two will be dealing with “tech tantrums” and the technology of hearing.  Those are things I know and I can do minimal research about.  I also found 3-4 other topics I am planning to use for my next set, if I get technology again.     I have to have two of them done today and the other two my Monday.  I should...

I guess I technically did not write on Friday.   I’m trying not to slip into the habit of not writing.  It keeps my mind clear even if I feel like I am writing the same things every day.   I just (like 20 minutes ago) finished the articles.  He decided to only have me write 15 instead of 20 since some of the titles were so close to the same.  That worked out well.    Pay was lowered, of course, but I can live with that.   In just a few short hours, we are going to watch the Princess play in the championship game.  I can’t believe it’s a week later than it was supposed to be.    Right now, I’m saying “good night” because I’m going to bed.  But… I should be saying “Good morning” because it is after midnight.    So….Good TIMES!!   I’m going to bed and will hopefully have something wonderful to write about tomorrow.

So I have more articles that I am writing.  At the moment, I am having a really hard time getting the information.  There  are 20 articles.  20 topics.  500 words each.    Really?  I can do 500 words.  That’s not the problem.  The problem I’m having is finding the research for the topics.  I don’t know much about these topics, so I guess that’s why I’m having such a hard time.    The only things I can find online are places that sell the items.  I need information ABOUT the items.    I had the same problem last time, but I shouldn’t have this issue with the topics I have now.    Anyways…. I will figure it out and get the articles written.  I wish I hadn’t had to work yesterday.  I wouldn’t feel so rushed right now.    They are due Friday!  I’ll get it done.  I always do, but I always stress over it first!

Over the last week, mostly the weekend, I have been researching and writing articles.  They were due last night.   Unfortunately…. I could not get them all completed.  There were three topics I could not find enough information on.  I couldn’t write them.    Now, I’m back to trying to find a writing job for the summer.    I really would like to have something to do.  I’m not used to having free time.  I might go nuts!     But…. in the world of high quantity article writing…. I tried.  Ultimately, I failed.

This Memorial Day, I hope you said THANK YOU to a soldier (past or present).  I hope you stopped to think about all the things we have because of everything they sacrificed.   I spent my Memorial Day in front of my computer.  With only a total of about 90 minutes worth of breaks (food, potty, hanging with the Princess), I wrote all day.  I accepted a job writing articles.  I have 20 test articles due today.    Last week, something came up almost every night.  So I didn’t get to write them.  I spent Sunday and yesterday working on them.  I wrote 2 on Sunday.  I wrote 9 yesterday.  I still have 9 left to write today.  Unfortunately, I have to do the “real job” thing today.  So I am going to have to find a way to do research and write articles while I am at work….. guess that will be my planning period today!     Some of the articles aren’t hard to find information for, but others are killing me....