Me and Bobby McGee
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by Tim Anderson
Yes, I’m dating myself a bit, but it’s worth it.
What’s better than listening to Janis Joplin belt out “Me and Bobby McGee, ” her voice so raspy it makes you reach for the cough drops just to ease the pain? Sadly, much of Janis’ short-lived life was riddled with self-medicated attempts to ease a deeper pain. What is it about artistry and angst?
Speaking of angst, it’s what brought me back to Janis in the first place this morning. Since I’ve long ago forgotten most of this song’s lyrics, I simply hold on to the line I remember best - “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Ah… can you hear her?
I thought of this lyric after struggling to regain some perspective in my writing life. I’d been concentrating on being focused. This is particularly ironic, since my attempts to focus on “being focused” left me feeling scattered. How can this be?
My current focus is writing magazine articles. Not fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants articles, tossed together with little thought, and broadcast far and wide. But, thoughtful pieces, targeted to a specific magazine, section, and editor. I’ve worked hard at this and I’m pleased with the results.
This is all well and good, but I still found myself feeling disorganized. I was staying focused on writing queries and articles, but still jumping from one project to the next, somewhat willy-nilly. I needed help - I needed to be set free…
So, with Janis’ raspy voice echoing through my weary mind, I set about finding the freedom that had eluded me.
Here’s are the steps I took:
First, I reviewed my goals for the year. This was a profitable step, as it had been a few months since I had done so. Next, I developed a couple new forms to help me organize the scraps of paper from which I live day to day. One, the Weekly Plan, is just that - a place to record my planned activities for the week, including queries to be sent, and editors to contact. The second is a simple Story Ideas document. Nothing fancy, but it allowed me to transfer even more scraps of paper from my desk to the computer.
Once I had these set up, I took the plunge. Using my weekly form, I established specific goals for the week. Then, I used these weekly goals to make a daily list of tasks to be completed. Ah… now, this is freedom. Really.
I was surprised at the degree of freedom I felt in having brought a degree of thoughtful discipline into my writing life. I dealt with the distractions up front - no need to rehash them. I could turn my full energy, and focus, to the task at hand.
And, of course, turn up the CD and sing along with Janis, “Freedom’s just another word…”
Can you hear her?
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Tim Anderson specializes in writing health content and press releases. Check out his bio. and other samples of his work by clicking on his name above.
Topics: Tim Anderson, marketing plan, writing tips, article writing, freelance writing, Uncategorized |