An Uninvited Guest

For several months, I’ve been working on revamping a draft manuscript that I completed about 10 years ago.  It’s called Bits of Wisdom for the Real World because Life Doesn’t Come with Instructions.   I’ve been told that the title is very long.  Uhhhh….this I know.  The title may change.   As of now, it captures the overall theme of the manuscript.  I use the term theme because it is very hard for me to describe exactly what it is in a sentence or two. 

I would say that it is more of a perspective of how to approach life that goes beyond tips.  For example, I’m currently working on a chapter about the work environment.  Everyone knows that they are going to encounter challenges at work.  A tip would be to follow office policies and procedures when presented with a problem at work like communicating your concerns to your manager.   While following policies and procedures, there is also a perspective that we can have to make the most of the experience.  We can be more than a victim when experiencing unfair treatment at work.  We don’t have to be stuck at the place of describing what happened to us over and over again with no real resolve.  Regardless of the outcome, the experience can teach us many things, cause us to grow, and strengthen us in ways we could not imagine or design on our own. 

I had this mid-February date for completion of the final draft.  I’ve scrapped that date and have not set a new one.  Sometimes we think that if we set a date that it will cause things to be completed by that date.   Deadlines are important.  However, I realized that for me it will be done when it is done.  My goal is to continue to work on it.  Just keep at it, as they say.  I needed to set a new goal that wasn't so intimidating or consuming. 

What I did not expect was that another manuscript, a compilation of essays, would begin to emerge once I decided to pick up Bits of Wisdom.  I found this to be quite disturbing.  I prefer order, process and structure.  I don’t like a whole lot of shenanigans.  In my mind, you don’t start something new without completing something else - especially when performing the same function.  I’m committed to writing so it made sense for me to just focus on one manuscript at a time.   Not to mention, I’m also blogging and I'm not just going to post any ole thing.  In summary, I didn’t need another writing project – especially one that was uninvited.  So, initially I rejected this other project that kept surfacing.  I just assumed that the only reason that this other stuff kept showing up was to distract me away from Bits of Wisdom. 

Then I decided to open the door and welcome the intruder.  She was knocking and making so much noise that I wasn't making much progress on Bits of Wisdom.    I say she because we women can be  so persistent and strong and known to keep up a fuss until we get what we want.  I realized that she wasn't going anywhere so when she appeared, I decided to take the time to write down what she has to say.   Because of the advancements in technology, there are places for me to post all of my creative work.  I mostly post my work on my blog and also on wattpad.   Wattpad is an online community of writers where I can post my work and receive feedback while it is in development.  I have 2 works on Wattpad, Bits of Wisdom and Book of Essays.  I couldn't think of a title for the collection of essays so I oh-so-cleverly called it Book of Essays.   So not only has she been welcomed but she has her own friggin room.  Once I gave in to her, miraculously, I’ve been able to continue my work on Bits of Wisdom.   This, I cannot explain.