Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

army

Got Your Ducks Organized?

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Holy cow cakes! Lots of writers/people checked out my post on Tuesday, thanks everybody. I’m trying to catch up with all the great feedback. Always amazes me when real people are actually out there and make a comment. Thank you for the support.

Part of any new year is getting organized and right now I am working on taxes. Oh joy. I’d rather be writing! But this “other” paperwork needs to be completed too. So for inspiration I found this video about getting your ducks organized. Fits the Quirky Friday fun theme, so enjoy! Have a great weekend and keep writing what you love.

How Can We Organize Ourselves And Our Writing For 2013?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Today we say hello to 2013 and start with clean calendars to plan our writing goals. My friend Carol and I say every year,  “This year we’re going to get organized!” We’ve been saying and doing that for more than 25 years and we’re still not done. It’s a process.

Spec Ops Cat does his part to get the office paperwork ready for 2013.
Spec Ops Cat does his part to get the office paperwork ready for 2013.

This past holiday season I took some time to think outside the box and the basket. (See Spec Ops Cat at left) With four manuscripts in various stages from final editing to first draft, I wanted to figure out a way to combine my business needs with my writing time.

It dawned on me I can finish all four manuscripts first and THEN publish them when I choose. Just because I finish a book doesn’t mean I have to rush it out the door to publication. Getting the four books completed first will also help me to budget my finances this year. Duh!

We get so used to striving and straining in a certain direction, we forget to consider if we’re on the right road in the first place; or the correct writing project or the right location. Downtime and thinking time are required parts of being a writer. I’ve set some simple but big goals this year and I’m looking forward to hitting them. It’s also reducing my stress level.

Two of my goals are to spend more time on my photography and having fun. I’ve started having fun by adding this “Authors Are My Rock Stars” calendar to my office. Yeah! http://www.amazon.com/2013-Authors-Rock-Stars-calendar/dp/1402270992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357006123&sr=8-1&keywords=authors+are+my+rock+stars (And maybe in 2013 I’ll figure out how to shorten and rename these links on WordPress!)

To refill my photography cup, I decided to get a subscription to “Outdoor Photographer” this year. Stumbled upon photographer Ian Plant’s blog and his fabulous top twelve photos of 2012. These are gorgeous. http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/blog/ian-plant/2012/12/twelve-significant-photographs-a-year-2012.html

Make a small change and explore a new area of interest or one you’ve neglected for years. A new calendar or even one magazine can send you off on a new journey in 2013. Maybe being a little more unorganized is what we need to do this year and let our muses wander. Who knows what fun we can have by taking a mosey into the new year instead of trying to speed through life.

Happy New Year everybody! Keep writing!

Happy Holidays To Our Troops Around The World

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

This Friday we head into the holiday weekend and my thoughts and prayers are with our military troops around the world keeping us safe. When we’re away from our families in the military, we make the best of it, but there is a special little place in our heart that wishes we were with our loved ones.

For all our troops around the world, here is a favorite video to let you know we care about you and to thank you for your service. We appreciate the sacrifice and hardships you and your families deal with on a daily basis and especially during the holidays. We wish you all return home safe and sound very soon.

Always on duty, we know the men and women at NORAD are getting ready to clear the airspace for Santa and his reindeer. Thanks again for yet another job well done!