What Do I Do Now?

Started off a sunny, breezy, (too) warm day with a call to Mom. I finally got her after missing her all yesterday. We talked for over an hour! Basically, she said that I need to make more of a plan before I drop the local copy editing idea. I get all of these big ideas...but I never do any of them because I'm not good at making strategy. It overwhelms me, and I end up getting scared and dropping the idea. That's been a big problem for over a decade now. I need to make a business plan and start separating the big plans into more manageable chunks.

I have no idea what to do for class, either. The teacher hasn't e-mailed me since I sent in my first assignment in late February. I need to e-mail him and ask him what I should do now. I'm not going to have a website ready by the time the class is supposed to end on March 22nd, nor will I be able to do major advertising. The class did give me a business idea...but I really should have taken writing courses first, not courses in starting an online business. I was hoping to learn how to draw up a business plan, but there's nothing about that in this class.

And I need to figure out  how to meet other area writers. I want a mentor, someone who can help me get started, but that's always been another sticking point. I'm not sure how you go about meeting area writers. The one and only writer's group for South Jersey listed online isn't accepting new members. There are no professional writers in my family or among my few friends. Mom suggested asking the libraries if they can direct me to any writers who have guested there. That's not a bad idea, especially at artsy-fartsy Collingswood.

It was 10:30 before I finally got to breakfast, and past noon when I finally hit the laundromat. The wait may have been worth it. There was one couple there and a few random people, but it wasn't really busy. Good thing, too. I had a lot of laundry, including two towels from my gym visits and the jeans with mud stains on them.

After I got in and put everything away, I went for a walk. I did end up at CVS, but they didn't have what I was looking for, so it was really more of a wandering the neighborhood walk. Oaklyn looks lovely at this time of year. New pale-green grass, lavender hyacinths, and brilliant yellow daffodils brighten gardens that are still shedding their winter grayness. A few families have St. Patrick's Day decorations or banners out; a few more have left up their winter decorations. Most are content to be between holidays.

I had a really quick lunch when I got in, then went to work. Work was exactly the same customer-wise as yesterday, steady and fast with few problems. The computer did slow down on us later, but I dodged it by volunteering to round up carts outside. That was a blast! It was a gorgeous night, breezy, warm (in the 60s), and a little cloudy. I got a better workout pushing carts to the patio than I do at the gym, even after one of the baggers was sent outside to help me.