Tag: progress

A Still, Small Voice Passes the Midpoint

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

AStillSmallVoice-cover20151020e-flat-3DIn multiple ways, the next Phil Brennan mystery A Still, Small Voice passed the midpoint this week.

I’ve written 35 of 64 scenes.

Over 42,000 of a projected 75,000 words, my longest book by far.

And sentence #6 of 12, the Midpoint, where Phil changes from Wanderer to Warrior, from flailing and failing to winning.

It will be written before we go away for our year-end sabbatical, during which my beta reader will review it for sanity (where appropriate.)

The underlying theme has made writing some scenes emotionally challenging, in ways beyond the usual Resistance.

Progress Report on ‘A Long, Hard Look’

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

It’s edited and proofread, and almost ready to be formatted.

James, the world’s greatest proofreader, found some logical inconsistencies in the story.

Tom, the editor, agrees with me that, in his words, “It isn’t an equation, its an ebb and tide of hypotheses.”

So, today I check the proofreading notes, make my final font choices, and send it off to Leigh Anne Aston to be formatted.

She’ll have it back by Monday(ish) and then we upload it to CreateSpace, order and check the printed proof, and then you all order a handful of copies each for your reading groups, friends, family, and others.

Yeah. That’s the plan.

Practical Advice from ‘The Progress Principle’ by Teresa Amabile (An Actionable Books summary)

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

“When we surveyed hundreds of managers around the world…95 percent of these leaders fundamentally misunderstood the most important source of motivation…the conventional rules miss the fundamental act of good management: managing for progress.”

The Progress Principle, pages 3 & 10

The husband-and-wife team of Amabile and Kramer have studied creativity for more than 35 years. Along the way, they have challenged some long-held assumptions about how we work, how we create.

During a year-long study involving over 120,000 work events reported as they happened, they noticed a pattern: what mattered most in any work environment, no matter the worker’s basic personality or position in the company, progress, however small, was the greatest indicator of their happiness and performance.

Here’s what you’ll learn: … more … “Practical Advice from ‘The Progress Principle’ by Teresa Amabile (An Actionable Books summary)”

A Profound Truth About Coming Unglued and Getting Unstuck

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

In the past couple months more than one person has, out of the blue, asked me what was wrong. I’ve noticed it myself: more tough mornings, more cancelled work days, more struggle to create, then flopping into TV-watching or eating instead.

During the past year I’ve been aware that there’s a seismic shift making its way from my inside out.

During the past six months I’ve realized it’s the rest of what I started 10 years ago.

The rest. As in, perhaps it’s the end of an era and, by definition, the beginning of one.

the bridge over the River Laune in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, Ireland
… more … “A Profound Truth About Coming Unglued and Getting Unstuck”