Writing

The Benefits of Making To-Do Lists

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

20071126-todo-listI realize it has been more than a week since my last post and I apologize to my readers.  An unexpected hospitalization took me out of commission. Although I’m better, I’m  not quite back to full speed. So, today’s post is one I wrote a while back in response to a prompt on lists. Enjoy.

For those close to me, they know I love lists. I’ve been a list-maker as long as I can remember. There’s something innately satisfying about striking through or checking off a task.

The types of lists are limitless. Grocery, spring cleaning, Christmas shopping, books to read, stories to write, blog posts, bucket list, and the, ever helpful, pros and cons list.

Shortly after we married (second marriage for both of us), I discovered a pros and cons list my husband had begun when we started dating! Obviously, the pros won out and 23 years later, we often pull it from its place of safekeeping and enjoy a good laugh. There are many benefits to making lists, including finding Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Photo courtesy of homeonderanged.com & GoogleBenefits of List Making

Our world is often a whirlwind of busyness. In the rush to meet everyone’s needs, we often forget important appointments or feel overwhelmed with to-do tasks.  Lists help:

  1.  Keeps us on track.
  2. Prioritize, and create a plan of action.
  3. Provide accountability.
  4. Establish goals
  5. Reduces Stress

It’s not always about staying on track. Sometimes it’s about clearing the cobwebs of our mind.  Stress-relief is one of the major benefits for list making. With each check mark or line crossed through a task, there is an incredible sense of accomplishment and in some cases, relief. Reduced stress means more Zzz’s and a clearer mind. And, trust me, I need all the help I can get in that department.

Want more information on the benefits of list making? Check out The List Producer.

Having a list at our disposal has never been easier. We all have cell phones and there are numerous Apps we can utilize. I’m partial to the Reminder App and Sticky Notes.

Want to explore the best Apps for list making? You can check out, Forbes – The 9 Best To-Do List Apps for 2014.

 

Are you a list maker? What are your favorite lists?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood and  Twitter @cofcmom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Magic of Bubbles

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

Five Sentence Fiction: Bubbles

Miranda wiped the sweat from his small bony brow, cringing with each labored rattle as if she were the one struggling to breathe.

She prayed to God to give him strength as his birdlike chest played sonorous vibrations against her hand.

He turned away from the nebulizer, “I can’t.”

She pulled the bottle with its tiny wand from her purse, and began to blow filling the room with translucent, glistening shells of hope.

His eyes fluttered open in childish wonderment as she lifted him, lowered the wand and watched his breath growing stronger with each magical blow.

Entering Contests

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Deborah Luskin, from Live to Write- Write to Live, gives us a brilliant look at contests and judging from the inside out. She confirmed what I believed along, while submitting an excellent manuscript helps get you noticed, but who wins is subjective. Strive for excellence and a story that will move the judges.

Deborah Lee Luskin's avatarLive to Write - Write to Live

In 2005, I won a local writing contest; as a result, I’ve frequently been asked to judge it. (image: www.pixabay.com) In 2005, I won a local writing contest; as a result, I’ve frequently been asked to judge it. (image: http://www.pixabay.com)

Like many writers, I’ve submitted short stories to contests, hoping that my work would win and fearing that my entry would be far outclassed. But I’ve not entered many contests, mostly because I figured if I had to pay someone to read my work, I’d do better investing in an editorial reader to give me meaningful feedback.

I have submitted work to contests with no entry fee – and I’ve won prizes: both money and recognition, but neither fortune nor fame. In 2005, I won a local writing contest; since then, I’ve frequently been asked to judge it. This has given me a new perspective on contests and how winners are picked.

At first, I was one of five judges. We all read all the entries, then met to decide…

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Why I Write

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 13 Comments

Chuck Wendig’s FLASH FICTION WRITING CHALLENGE: WHY I WRITE

Photo Courtesy of humintell.com

Photo Courtesy of humintell.com

As long as I can remember, I loved putting words to paper, expanding on the great mysteries or the miseries of my young life. It was a way to get my point across without being shushed.

Introduction to the magic of words came early for me, as my mother was a voracious reader. She belonged to more than one book-of-the-month-club and even as young children, we were fortunate she passed the books to us, without censorship.

In between those many pages, I met a world of different people. Their words painted vivid pictures and gave breath to the hopes, fears, and dreams of a girl. In spite of her love of the written word, my mom repeatedly warned me, “Don’t ever  put anything in writing; you don’t want others to see.” Perhaps mom’s voice was the words from her books.

It would come later as a young, naïve girl before I understood the damage others could do when words are misconstrued, distorted, taken out of context or endure the deep cut of betrayal. I learned the hard way and after that hid my words away.

I’m an average woman, professional in background, a mother, grandmother, wife, friend, and a writer. I write now because I have a voice, and I can.

  • I write for catharsis, a purging of past sins, regrets, hopes, and dreams.
  • I write to share what knowledge and experiences I’ve acquired with those I love, hopeful they’ll be spared a wrong turn or learn the joy of sunny days.
  • I write to voice my opinion, my values, the very things I believe make the world, and us better people.
  • I write not that, in the end, my singular voice matters more than others do, or will move mountains, but perhaps, it will become one of many and create a chorus of positive change.
  • I write to expand my imagination and free my demons; we all have them.
  • I write to bring pleasure and encourage others to stretch their word wings, tell stories, real or imagined.
  • I write to leave a legacy to those I leave behind. Egotistical perhaps, but I want to surprise them. “That was mom? Sheila? She did that?” I don’t want to be forgotten or remembered only in faded photos or as the name on a bronze marker.

I write because I believe words have power. The power to move people, change them and change the world. After years of writing by a stream in a cow pasture, hiding my words from the world, between the pages of a worn-down journal, I have found my voice, and so I write.