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1. Wrap yourself up in a new project. Immerse yourself in a new fictitious world.

2. Pray.

3. Exercise.

4. Spend time with your family. Laugh. cuddle. Play.

5. Get lost in a book.

6. Think positively.

7. Stay focused on your goals.

8. Read scripture. There’s loads in the Bible about waiting.

9. Don’t buy brownie mix.

10. Don’t buy a 12 pack of Diet Coke.

When I was younger, my mom always used to say, “Don’t wish your life away.” How true are those words? Once, I got a critique back and the person said, “Make every word count!” I couldn’t help but think how applicable this is in life. We should strive to make every minute count. How we live our life while we wait says a lot about who we are.

Today, I’m going to choose to delight in my waiting, because let’s face it, waiting is a part of life.

Question to Ponder: What healthy things do you do while you wait for your dreams to come true?removetweetmeme

1. Check email every five minutes.

2. Stare at laptop, thinking, “Maybe I should check my email.”

3. Read through the first page of EVERY book on your bookshelf to see if the first page of your manuscript can compete.

4. Cyber-stalk any agents and/or editors you submitted your work to.

5. Open up the emails you ALREADY sent to the agents and editors to make sure there aren’t any mistakes (this serves absolutely no purpose, since the email’s already been sent).

6. Open up the emails you already sent to the agent/editors to make sure you sent them to the right address.

7. Drink caffeinated beverages. This does nothing to alleviate the erratic state of mind that comes with waiting.

8. Eat half a pan of brownies. This also does nothing to alleviate the erratic state of mind that comes with waiting.

9. Wish pieces of your life away….this is very sad. Time is priceless. We can’t get it back.

10. Do nothing. Just sit and think things like, “I wonder if so-and-so has opened my email yet.” Or, “How do I know my email didn’t get shuffled to the spam folder?”

Not that I’ve done any of these. Of course not….

Please join me on Wednesday, when I discuss healthy ways to pass the waiting.

Question to Ponder: What are some unhealthy habits you’ve developed while waiting for your dreams to come true?removetweetmeme

Cares:
I submitted Beneath a Velvet Sky to a few people yesterday. Eeek!

In the spirit of Follow Friday, allow me to suggest stopping by Nicole Baart’s blog. She is one of my favorite authors. She writes literary fiction for Tyndale. Her prose are amazing, her stories gripping, and her blog lots of fun. She discusses everything from her writing, to her family, to excellent food recipes. Plus, she’s an Iowa girl, just like me.

Concerns:
I’m sitting here, racking my brain for a concern….. I got nuthin‘.

Celebrations:
See concerns

Yesterday, one of my short stories, Goodbye Gavin, was published in CFOM’s October issue. I’m planning on making it into a full-length novel. Disclaimer: Although the short story ends on a sad note, the novel won’t. So all you HEA’s out there, no worries. This isn’t the end of Gavin and Melodi. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations on this brisk Friday morning?removetweetmeme