Conceive, believe and achieve.

        Since my last post my inner strength, determination and perseverance have been well and truly tested. If it was New Year's Eve I would be saying now - my resolution is to achieve all my goals, love life and go for it - whilst gritting my teeth about the things that annoy me!!

        To demonstrate this I have to own up to that fact that I started writing this blog update whilst working on assignment 10 in my creative writing diploma course at the end of April (and I am only now completing it grrrr.) The subject - screenplays, which was way outside my comfort zone. I was determined to finish it, partly to be able to move on, but partly to prove that I could do it - I can do it - and I did it.

       I have always prided myself on demonstrating this positive attitude to our children in the hope that they would grow into independent, self-assured individuals who would embrace life with all of its imperfections but enjoy it none the less.  My determination to be successful in my writing career is escalating also and I find myself thinking and working on little else despite being time poor.

         I received a distinction for my screenplay assignment which was amazing and I am now on the penultimate assignment of my course. Currently I am inspired and motivated by debut novelist Amanda Hodgkinson and her novel 22 Britannia Road. An amazing story and inspiring to see a new writer achieve her dreams. You can check out her website at; http://www.amandahodgkinson.com/about-amanda/

       My 'One for the road' project stepped up a level last week. As I continue to lose weight - 8kgs in total now and 28 cm's from my overall physique, my leg strength has improved greatly. I got the all clear to take to the road in an 11km race - the 'City to Casino' in Hobart. Extremely excited to be able to run again, but apprehensive of injury, my strategy was take it steady, not to go for a fast time but to run with the aim of completing the course.  I completed it in 1 hour and 18 minutes and the buzz from finishing was immense. That elation of completing it after believing for a year that I would never run again drove me through the week where despite aching legs my fitness training was awesome. 

     I believe in dreaming big, working hard to ensure success and having fun. So as we move forward in our personal and family dreams and ambitions, our daily mantra is, ' you have to conceive it, and believe it, to ensure you achieve it.' This remains posted to our dream board as our daily inspiration and as we tick off our achievements the words gain momentum. Watch this space!!!!



   

'One for the road'

   And so it begins.

    I have commenced my journey- 'one step' at a time, 'one kilo' a week and 'one healthier choice' every day, hence 'One for the road' my latest creation in progress.
   
    My journey is taking me to a healthier mind, body and soul, because the road I want to achieve is both physical and metaphorical. I want to run on the road again - even if it has to be on the flat for my ageing knees.  I want to embrace the roads of my life, and take all the twists, turns and detours it has to offer, even if I am unsure of my final destination.     
  
     My life truly resembles a map. The biggest thrill is coming to a cross roads, closing my eyes and putting a pin in to decide the direction. I know to some this will sound hap hazard, thwart with danger and risk and generally irresponsible, however I learnt some years ago that you have to follow your heart, and make the most of any opportunity that comes your way.  The future is uncertain both in length and direction. Therefore when opportunity knocks, I open that door, and not only have a peek inside but go in for a good look round!

     So my journey continues, and the biggest bonus of all,  apart from being extremely exciting and unpredictable, is that everyday I am inspired to write , to seek and to learn something new about myself and my world, and I love it.

    Stay tuned.........
   
Progress report - I have lost 4kgs to date and I have six chapters of my novel in draft, and the my 'One for the road' journal is growing with thoughts and experiences of how to push through the painful knees, change for the better and grow with the experience.

Everyone has a story: Making it happen

Everyone has a story: Making it happen:             As my regular followers will know I have been studying hard for my diplomas in journalism and creative writing for the past year...

Making it happen

            As my regular followers will know I have been studying hard for my diplomas in journalism and creative writing for the past year. This is no mean feat combining working full time with all the other normal daily activities. To study the art of writing in its many forms I feel will add to the depth and range of my writing career, which is ahead of me. Therefore I am so excited to announce that I have received my first award - my Diploma in Journalism.
           I am so grateful for the support of my husband, friends and family who never fail to meet my requests for being story ideas, interviews, questions about issues I am researching etc.
So what now - well I have three more assignments to complete in my creative writing course and I have my novel in progress and I have a few feature articles ideas in the research stage, so plenty to keep me out of mischief for now.
            I have discovered a few things about myself on this journey to achieve a new direction in my life, and one of the most important is that - 'I can do whatever I put my mind to,' however far out of my comfort zone it may at first appear.' This is inspiring me to step up without fear and say 'I can'  instead of 'I'll try' that tiny word 'can' truly does influence your mindset. Therefore I have introduced a new physical challenge to keep my body in tune with my overly active mind.  I have joined the gym, for the first time in my life and OMG it's great, that recognition of what your body can really do is awesome. My fitness goal is to be able to run again. Since finding out I have degenerative joint disease in both knees I have been unable to run for over a year, but now I working on a program to strengthen my legs and lose some weight, so that 'I can' hit the road again and guess what, I am writing a journal recording my journey back to fitness - its called,  'One for the road' and it will be an open, and I hope inspirational account of what it takes to achieve my goal.
          So its onwards and upwards - watch this space because you just never know what I will do next!

Everyone has a story: A Writer's Retreat

Everyone has a story: A Writer's Retreat: Of late I have been finding it more and more difficult to find quality time for my novel. Despite my early morning attacks when the...

A Writer's Retreat

         Of late I have been finding it more and more difficult to find quality time for my novel. Despite my early morning attacks when the rest of my world sleeps it doesn't feel like quality time. It feels rushed and I find it hard to think.
       
         The solution, a long weekend away. To sit beside the sea, alone with my laptop. No teenage daughter demanding my attention, no television or stereo noise resounding in my ears - just quiet. The evenings will be spent with my husband, whose support I could not function without at the moment. His belief in me and my work encourages me along my journey.

          This week I was also inspired to read the article, on the link below, on gripping opening lines, to entice the reader into your book. I will be studying all of these tips and more as I retreat over the weekend.

http://komzreviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/be-my-guest-how-to-write-gripping.html

I would love to....

       In the Saturday Magazine supplement of the Tasmanian Mercury Newspaper, there is a weekly feature detailing ten items from a readers 'bucket list'.
              
       This extract from the feature called 'I would love to' was published on Christmas Eve 2011

       Sarah Jane Butfield, 46, relocated to Tasmania after Queensland's floods. Sarah has four children and three step-children. Despite working full-time she is studying for diplomas in journalism and creative writing.

 I would love to

1.   Finish my first novel and have it published.

2.   Learn Italian and spend time in Italy experiencing the culture

3.   Complete my diplomas

4.   Arrange a family dinner with all of our children from the UK and Australia

5.   Meet and speak with the Dali Lama

6.   Spend 6 months in Tibet studying Buddhism and meditation

7.   Utilise my 25-year nursing experience by volunteering in Africa for six months

8.   Project manage the building of our dream home

9.   Go on a road trip across the US

10. Be a grandmother... in a few years!

The next step

Final assignment in my journey to becoming a freelance journalist completed, printed and ready for posting - fingers crossed now !!!

Now back to work on my novel......

Making dreams a reality

      Everyday that I have to get ready and go to work in the city feels like a step away from my dream of being a writer. Although I write something everyday, usually when most are still sleeping,I know that I am not giving my writing projects the time and attention that the day job receives which seems unfair.
     Whilst pondering this thought this morning I realised that in fact that is not the case. My whole day revolves around writing. I get up early to write before I go to work. I read on the bus to assist my developing craft. I find my thoughts drifting throughout the day to things I will write, include or change when I get back in front of my laptop. On my desk at work my trusty note pad sits waiting so that these thoughts are not wasted. My mobile phone memo application is filling with snippets that I hear, situations I witness that I may use in the future and I have three chapters of my novel in draft in there which are crafted when I take my lunch break down at the waterside to sit and write.
     So in reality I am fulfilling my dream and everyday I move a step closer to the dream finale of being a full time writer.
     My desk at home has a diary with daily quotations and as I prepared to leave this morning I glanced at the diary and this is today's quotation:

"Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, 'This day let me make a sound beginning"

       -Thomas Kempis

So its off to the bus my kindle prepared and another day begins.

My writers brain went into overdrive whilst on a short break...

For Valentines day my wonderfully tolerant husband took me away to Hervey Bay in Queensland. It was our first break away on our own....no kids or dogs for a very long time. It was amazing. The perfect weather, a five star apartment over looking the ocean with a jacuzzi on the balcony, I felt like a celebrity. We were treated to amazing food, awesome weather and friendly people. We swam in the ocean with summer whiting jumping around around us and experimented with acupuncture and Chinese massage for the first time , which I highly recommend. With so much time to sit and let my thoughts wander I was glad that I had taken my notebook, because the ideas, twists and turns for my novel and my final assignments were flowing thick and fast. Luckily Nigel is supportive of my desire to write and was willing to indulge my need to record all this valuable material during our quality time. Home again now and I cannot wait to get all my notes onto my laptop and get to work this week.

A little piece of 'me' time

At last it's the weekend and I get to devote myself to my family and my writing. I know this sounds like a contradiction because when I'm writing I am alone with my thoughts and my laptop. However the weekend is my time to call my children, still living in the UK, to catch up on their news and this often inspires me to write. It also allows for some quality time with the two children living here, before I am taken away on holiday by my loving husband on Valentine's Day next week for a romantic four days in Hervey Bay, Queensland.
Today I am inspired as I contemplate that 18 years ago today my one of my beautiful daughters was born, Holly - May. Looking back at  the changes our family has experienced in that time is surreal now.
Today's writing is a magazine article for my final assignment in my Diploma of Journalism. My interviews are done, research completed; now it needs carefully piecing together, editing and inserting the photographs.
My novel has advanced by 3000 words this week, in my early morning time segments before my work as a nurse injury management adviser, so I feel happy with that. (Obviously I would love to write more words and more often)
I was hoping to upload a few examples of my work for some critique, then I remembered my work is saved on the laptop my husband has taken away with him this week - so watch this space when he gets back.

Every little word helps

To ensure that my word count continues to grow I get up at 5 am each day to put some words together before I head off to my day job. My addiction to this process is concerning at times but ultimately fulfilling. After my morning fix in front of the laptop, I make my way to work but even on the bus to the CBD the words don't stop and I find myself letting them spill out onto the memo app on my mobile phone. Now this is no bad thing as my target is to write for 10 hours a week so it's like a part time job really. However the madness of the hour is all consuming and I forget that I have work to do on my other jobs as wife and mother. Multi-tasking to the max; you would think it would cloud the brain and stop the flow, but no I find ideas, twists and turns for my novel whilst completing the most mundane of tasks. The most concerning part of my obsession for innocent bystanders, is that everyone is a potential character and endless notes scatter my desk at work; notes about people I have observed in meetings, on the bus, or walking around Woolworths! Notes about situations I recall and the places they were set oh and so it goes on. So as I head off to my day job as an Injury Management Consultant to solve medical puzzles and decide strategies for injured workers to return to work I find myself in a sudden panic as I have forgotten to put the coffee machine on and wake my husband!!!!

Today's aspiring writer inspirational quote

Really, in the end, the only thing that can make you a writer is the person that you are, the intensity of your feeling, the honesty of your vision, the unsentimental acknowledgment of the endless interest of the life around and within you. Virtually nobody can help you deliberately -- many people will help you unintentionally. 
- Santha Rama Rau

Our Nuffnang 'Vitamin Me' entry

My ‘Vitamin Me’ levels would be restored if I won a $5000 dream holiday in Queensland. In January 2011 shortly after relocating to Ipswich near Brisbane our newly renovated home was totally submerged in the floods. We had to relocate to Tasmania, to live with my father in law, and start over. It’s been a hard and testing time as we fought the banks and lost, ending up in bankruptcy. The downside of bankruptcy for us has been the restriction on travel to the UK as some of our children still live there. Luckily we are positive people and we have turned this humbling experience into a positive sea change. We have both branched out into new careers and I am trying to fulfil my lifetime ambition of becoming a freelance writer and novelist. We will not be beaten by this.

           Our dream holiday in Queensland would incorporate spending time in Cairns, the Whitsunday’s and a 4WD adventure on Fraser Island. We love snorkelling, photography and adventuring in new places; trying to find good seafood restaurants, as we are vegetarian, and fine wine to accompany the food. We endeavour to be inspirational to our children, some living in UK and some in Australia, to show them that whatever life throws at you, you don’t have to lie down and take it. Life is short; live it now and live it well.

The study continues....................

It's Saturday and that means study time. I am working on my creative writing assignment and its all about romance. I have asked my facebook friends to privately share some of their stories of first love, enduring and tragic love for me to adapt into short stories. I will be trying to upload some of my magazine assignment articles and would really appreciate any constructive feedback. Its early days but I enjoy this so much and I have so many ideas to follow up. It's so exciting!!

Everyone has a story.

Welcome to Everyone has a story.
My name is Sarah Jane and I have always dreamt of being a writer. The old adage that everyone has a book in them, has haunted me my whole life. Every time I experience something good or bad, I feel the urge to write about it. 'Is this my one book inside me?' A year ago as a family, we lost our home in the Queensland floods and it was a turning point in my life. I have been a registered general nurse for 26 years, but at a time when you have to make life changing decisions about where to live and where to work, what really counts is what's inside you, how you feel and the love of the people around you. Sitting in a caravan in Queensland after the floods contemplating our future, my husband Nigel, always positive and  honest said, "if you want to be a writer you need to just do it. Do something about it, learn how to write or just write." Taking these words to heart I realised that, I was the only one who could make it happen. I couldn't just sit there talking about it, if I really wanted it I had to make it happen. So I did. I enrolled in two diploma courses. A Diploma in Journalism and a Diploma in Creative Writing;  I started my first assignment, in our caravan whilst we were still trying to work out our future. Fast forward one year. We have relocated to Tasmania,  initially living with my father in law whilst we found work and a house to rent. We both now have work; I study on the weekends and I have now managed to adjust my 'normal working hours' so that I get one full day a fortnight to be a writer. I intend to become a freelance writer and publish at least one novel! I have so many ideas and so many drafts saved I feel I could write forever. I look forward to sharing the pursuit of my dreams, and of course receiving your feedback on my work along the way.