Things like stress, depression, anger, and anxiety are all
things that people have to deal with eventually. How to deal with those
situations though can be a little tricky because every person is different and
everyone processes things differently. It is a good idea to talk about things
like that with people you trust.

I know that there been times in my life where the stresses
of everyday life along with dealing with stress related to my work and/or my
family have been at times very difficult to deal with. During times like that I
am grateful that I have my family to lean on, and it makes me feel good to know
that my family can come to me whenever they are feeling worn down and need
someone to talk to. I guess the best advice I can offer is whenever you are
feeling stressed or upset about something talk to your family about it. Sometimes
something as simple as having someone there to listen to you can make you feel
better even when times are stressful.

Best of luck to you.

The issue of time management has been a conundrum for me as well. I spend a lot of time writing material. Although I may release one or two pieces of material a week, I am always working on something. What really frustrates me sometimes is that I take as much time on each piece material as necessary rather than rushing to get things done faster.

Although I would love to be fast my material, and would much rather worry about quality rather than quantity. This is something that I have learned to adapt over the years. I will be the first one to admit that when I first started writing I didn’t necessarily think about quality, even though I was probably faster in terms of getting things done; I prefer the way I work now as opposed to back then. I guess it is a little different for everybody, but for me when I do and how I do it works.

What is even more frustrating is when I want to keep working despite being utterly exhausted and trying to convince myself to take downtime in order to recharge my batteries. I love down days as much as anybody else, but it is truly frustrating after taking downtime for two maybe three days, and then trying to get back into a routine and having trouble in doing so.

What I try to do in order to save time is I do my writing blocks. Rather than simply saying I’ll be writing between this time to this time, I basically try to go with how many words I can write in a given session. Depending on how long a piece may take me to complete, I will usually try to go between 300 and 900 words before taking a break. Most of my material averages between 1500 and 2000 words or above. In terms of getting through a first draft that is what I try to do.

I can relate to feeling the need to take time for yourself.  In my case I haven’t really taken time for myself in a while.  Practically my whole life is revolved around my writing and things related to my writing. On down days (Days I’m not writing) the only thing I really do is sleep.  I don’t go out much at all so I don’t think of those days as days that I necessarily take for myself. I prefer to think of those days as simply recharging my batteries as I’m usually exhausted and days tend to run together and go by quickly when you keep odd hours. 

It would be nice if I could eventually get to a point where I could tell myself it’s okay to take a step back and really try to relax go out a little more. I’m not at that point just yet, hopefully one day I’ll get there. 

First congratulations on finishing high school and getting into college.  Well, I had crushes on girls when I was in school, but my problem was I thought I was out of my league to even approach one to ask them out.  There was one girl back then that I really liked and should have asked out, but I never did because I thought she would probably laugh at me.  We were always friends so that wasn’t the issue, but I thought she wouldn’t feel the same way. 

We lost contact after I left school and several years passed before we reconnected via social media.  She ended up calling me and asked me if I wanted a relationship with her.  Although it was tempting, I chose to be a nice guy about it and ask since it had been more than a decade since we’d been in contact if we could get to know each other again first before trying something like that. A short time later she ended up getting engaged to someone.  I consider this person as “One that got away” but I think I did the right thing by saying let’s not jump into things so quickly. 

I won’t lie when I say that I have thought about her from time to time. It’s a natural thing to think about crushes and people from your past.  One thing I have learned though is, you have to worry about yourself and the people who are important in your life. Friends and acquaintances tend to come and go, but you shouldn’t let it occupy your mind.  Often this is easier said than done because there will always be little things that will remind you of certain people or events in your life. It’s the only thing you can do though. 

There have been several people who I was close to and friends with when I was younger that I have not seen or heard from in several years. Although I am open to reconnecting should they approach me, I just worry about what I need to do for myself. It’s really all you can do. I also know what it feels like to not be liked by people. I would just try to put it out of your mind as best as you can and play things as they come. 

Best of luck to you.

I don’t know necessarily if a wrong action is acceptable in some ways if no one knows. For most people, they know what is right and what is wrong. We all as human beings make mistakes that when we think about those mistakes in reflection, we wish we could have a do over with. I know that I have made mistakes in my life and choices that I wish years later that I could’ve made better choices.

I do think though that mistakes and wrongs can be used in such a way that can make a person better simply by learning from those mistakes and choices. It may seem very sentimental and philosophical, but that is how I feel. I often say that if one were to show me a person who has had a relatively perfect life, who has not made any mistakes in their life or, choices that they wish later on that they didn’t make and I’ll show you a liar. No matter if a person is successful and well-off, everyone makes mistakes.

Well, my take on overtime is a little different than most because I am a writer and quite frankly I would love it if I were getting paid on the clock, or getting paid period. One of the most frustrating things about being a writer is that you may not know if you’re going to get paid for your work. This does not however, factor in all the time, hours, and effort that writers put into their work.

Personally I hope to one day be writing for company that will pay me an hourly wage. I do sympathize with you though because during most weeks I put in a lot of hours either preparing material and/or doing research material. I don’t really keep count, but I would be willing to say that on most weeks, I probably put in close to 25-30 hours if not more between the writing and actually covering events. Some weeks are busier than others, but as a Boxing writer I have been known to cover as many as six cards in a 48 hour period regardless of differences in time between what goes on internationally and the United States, or having access to cards via traditional means. It can be and often is exhausting, but I do enjoy it despite still paying my dues.

Well, I’m sure that just about every computer brand has its little perks, advantages, and disadvantages. For me, I have two computers a desktop, and a laptop. The desktop is a Dell. I bought it when I finally got off dial-up Internet several years ago and it really did the job. I have only have one problem in the years that I’ve used it, one time I was searching on Google for CD scratch remover and I ended up clicking a bad link which ended up giving me a Trojan virus.

I had to call Dell because as a writer I needed my computer in order to meet deadlines. If the computer was not a necessity for me, I would have waited. It cost me over $400 to have them direct connect to me in order to get the virus out. They did the job so I have no complaints. The only other time that I really had a problem with my Dell is, about a year ago I started getting blue screens. Instead of calling Dell, I decided to call the tech and have him come to my house. He opened up my tower and basically discovered that what was causing the problem was excess dust. It has truly been a reliable computer.

My laptop is an HP. I got it as a gift, because it seemed for a time that I might need it as it’s good to have it if you get credentialed to go cover sporting events in person. I haven’t gotten to go to events in person that much, at least in a journalistic capacity, but the laptop has made things a little easier as I can work on material in my bedroom and then do my edits on my desktop.

Well, this is an interesting question especially for someone your age. I guess it depends on situations and circumstances. I don’t think it is realistic for one to expect everything to be ideal and to their liking all the time. I do however; think that is possible to be happy in certain areas of your life, while at the same time not being happy in other areas.

For example, someone can be very happy in their personal life and be settled down with a family and such, but at the same time not be so happy in regard to their career. It can be just as easily vice versa.

It is an interesting question… I think it all depends on the
situation. Speaking from experience, there are a lot of things that I didn’t
try when I was a kid. Looking back many years later I do think that maybe I
should have at least tested the waters on a few things but again, I think it
all boils down to the situation.

One thing that I am happy that I tried despite not having
any previous experience was writing. When I first started out as a writer, it
happened literally on a fluke. I was sitting in a chat room one day and a guy
came in looking for writers for his website. After talking to me for close to
an hour as I recall, I eventually agreed to write one piece even though I had
no experience. From a writing standpoint, the piece I wrote was probably not the
best in terms of structure or, grammar. I can’t really remember what the topic
was that I wrote about, but that one piece eventually led me into my vocation
as a writer.

This happened almost 20 years ago. Even though I am still
paying my dues as a writer I am grateful for everything that it has allowed me
to do. I do wonder sometimes what might have happened had I not been asked by
that guy to write that one piece. Prior to that point I had never written
anything beyond an assignment for school or things like that. It definitely is
one thing that I am glad that I took a chance on. There have been plenty of
things that I have written over the years that looking back I would write
differently, but that is all part of the experiences, trials, tribulations, and
such that every writer has to go through regardless of what their genre is.

No, I do know what it feels like though to be cheated on and lied to. It isn’t pleasant and results in creating more issues. I never could understand why people just couldn’t be honest with one another. Maybe I am just too sentimental, but I think if someone has feelings for someone else who may be in another relationship; that person should at least be up front about it.

Well, I will admit that when I was younger I used to think
about things like that. I do think that sometimes especially when it comes to
seeking relationships, that people sometimes put physical preferences and/or,
appearances into the equation. As for me, I think everyone at one time or
another would like to have a girlfriend or, boyfriend who is the envy of your
classmates. I know growing up there were more than a few girls who I had
crushes on, but did not really pursue the idea of approaching one to ask them
out.

Back then, especially because I am disabled I guess I had
this idea that I was more or less out of my league. I was always polite and
would always offer a hello, but I never really thought that I had a chance
primarily due to the appearance of being disabled. Much like a lot of other
things from my teenage years, looking back a lot of things that I thought back
then now seem quite foolish. I wish I could go back to that time in my life and
correct my mistakes. In regard to those crushes, based on my luck or, lack
thereof in regard to relationships, I would at least see if there was any
interest. Nowadays, I don’t go out very much due to my being a writer but if I
do come across someone from back then who I had a crush on I am always very
polite and at least am willing to get together for a cup of coffee if it is
offered and if I don’t have something to cover.

Namrea:

Welcome back… It is nice to see you again. I too know what it feels like to go through life changes. I myself, have been quite busy in recent times and have not been on too much but I do try to come on at least a few times a week when I am not writing.

An argument can definitely cause stress. I also know it feels like to have arguments that stress me out and can ruin my mood. I don’t believe that you will ever find a person who can honestly say that they have never had an argument. Arguing is part of human nature because no matter what, there will always be something that will rub us the wrong way.