Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, I turned 46 today. My wife is out of town so I didn't do too much out of the ordinary. I was able to write just over 1100 words tonight, though, which is pretty good for me as of late.
One of my writing friends who is retired tells me I shouldn't worry about writing, as busy as my schedule is. (I leave home just after 5 AM during the week and get home anywhere from 5 to 8 PM.) I appreciate his wanting me to not push myself, but writing has to become more of a discipline in my life if I want to improve. My ultimate goal, same as thousands of other authors, is to be able to leave the treadmill of a 'regular job,' whatever animal that might be, and support myself writing. I don't want to have to work outside the house until I'm 67 or even 62. In order to cut the next 21 years of work down by a few years, I have to become a better writer. And how does one improve one's writing? Read a lot, and write a lot. No shortcuts allowed.
My writing friends who are kind enough to critique my revised first drafts are going to receive more requests from me in the coming days to look over longer stories. Mickey, Bill, and Hope, thanks again for helping me get better!

Here, there, everywhere

Here, there, everywhere. That's where I seem to be in my writing sometimes. I'm bad about starting a story, writing a few hundred or even a few thousand words, and getting bogged down without taking it any further. I've decided to complete at least two of the current three stories I'm working on before beginning anything new. Well, maybe I'll just jot a few notes if a really good idea pops into my mind.
"Good Will Hunting" is on TV as I write this. Movies don't often inspire me in specific ways more than a few hours, or maybe even a few minutes, but "Good Will Hunting" and "October Sky" are exceptions. A few years ago after watching one of them I decided to go back to school for a Computer and Information Sciences degree. I wasn't able to finish the program and get the degree, but the courses I took eventually helped me get my current job.
I had thought about writing short stories off and on for several years without ever moving on the idea. After watching the other of the two movies listed above I decided to take a writing course from Long Ridge Writers Institute, which gave me the foundation for all the writing I've done since.
I'm not sure which movie inspired me to go back to school and which inspired me to write, and it doesn't really matter. But they will always stick out in my mind as being important.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. You can never tell when someone or something will change the course of your life, so be mindful to always be on the lookout.