Wednesday, February 24, 2010

FIVE


See that word, in the picture's middle? I have it on display, just skinny wooden letters, in my living room.

FIVE

The reason is simple.

Those four letters stir thought and intention. They make me consider what I want to have accomplished in FIVE. In the next

FIVE MINUTES? To have read to my daughter(s), or cheered a friend, paid a bill, or nourished myself with a favorite snack. You get the idea.

FIVE MONTHS? I want to have grown in my writing, to be querying agents with one novel, writing on the next. No wasted time.

FIVE YEARS? Movement down the path of novel publication. I want to see it happening. No wasted time, no wasted effort, no wasted talent.

Tell me... If you sat in my brown wingback, saw that word, what would you think?

What are your FIVE?

37 comments:

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

Oooo, fun!
5 min - Shower
5 months - finish editing my book and start the next
5 years - have at least 3 books under my belt and querying like a crazy woman...and get an agent!

Rebecca Nazar said...

5 min--cup of coffee
5 months--five short story acceptances
5 years--book published

Whoa, big plate. Better have that coffee--five cups. : )

Unknown said...

What a great idea!!!

5 minutes - Read Heist Society before work

5 months - Have a good chunk of my novel written

5 years - Publication baby!

Slamdunk said...

Super idea--can't have enough reminders.

5: PhD

5: Start foundation

5: Run a marathon

5: Write my dad's story

5: Take my oldest son on 3 (he is 9) more guy's only trips

Tom Stephenson said...

Five is the number of money, classically speaking. It's also the most popular number in organic nature, as far as I know, with all those pentagonal plant cells, honeycomb cells, etc. It is supposed to be my birth number, and it's the age I was when my avatar photo was taken.

I see it as a unit really.

Jill said...

I might think "take five". Or I might contemplate that five M&M's couldn't possibly hurt anyone. It might remind me of my five boys.

Or seriously, that in five months I hope to have agent representation and in five years I want to be working on my third or fourth book under contract. Great challenge!

septembermom said...

5 minutes - read a poem
5 months - have my poetry organized
5 years - enjoying how my creativity fuels my day, and supplements my income. That would be nice!

Wendy Paine Miller said...

5 little speckled frogs sitting on a speckled log and according to my Mon. post I killed all their babies.

:)
It's Wednesday.
~ Wendy

Donna M. Kohlstrom said...

Five minutes of hugging my hubby.
Five minutes of hugging my sons.
Five minutes of hugging my granddaughters.
Five minutes of giving thanks to the Lord for those five minutes!

Jody Hedlund said...

Very cool post, Janna! And what a unique but very inspiring decoration to have in your house! I love it! And BTW, I love your new blog look!

Tamika: said...

I like this!

5min- Another cup of coffee, and a test to hubby that I love him.

5mths- Editing my completed manuscript.

5yrs- Chatting with my dream Agent about my new publishing contract!

Diane said...

I would think you are completely cute and eccentric if I saw "FIVE" sitting there next to me. Great conversation starter too. :O)

www.dianeestrella.com

Unspoken said...

Education nearly done
future within grasp
living where it doesn't rain all the time
traveling plans made
this season only a memory

patti said...

Janna, you continually amaze me with on-the-spot posts.

5 minutes--a chocolate snack
5 hours--time I try to spend daily (or more) with writing, research
5 years--be more godly, more loving, more like my Jesus!!!!

P.S. Can I borrow this????!!!!!

MedSchoolWife said...

5 min - start homework
5 months - take a trip back east
5 years - done with grad school, husband in med school, have a baby!!!

Jessica Nelson said...

If I saw it I'd have no clue what it meant, but now that you explained it, what a great concept! I think my goals would be similar.

Kara said...

Oh I love 5, it's the number of members in my family! And in 5 months all my children will be one year older and I might have some extra 5 minutes for my writing and then in 5 years all my kiddos will be able to entertain themselves for more than 5 minutes so I can write even more;)

Eeleen Lee said...

5- is my birth number
5 minutes- to edit 2 pages
5 hours- the average writing session for me

Anonymous said...

5 is my favorite number!!! (Actually 8 is, and 5 is my ocd number...but that's a different discussion)

5 min - get off work
5 mon - 2nd book querying and 3rd book started
5 yrs - agented and published and on the 5th book!

yep...sounds good.

Karen said...

Next five-feed the dog nosing my arm.
5 months-have book ready for sending

5-years-published, and have more grandbabies. :)

Angie Muresan said...

I like that! Now I need to find a 5 to keep around and motivate me.

Kathryn Magendie said...

How cool is that! LOVE THIS!

five min: go get some figs

five months: working on 3rd book

five year: working on eight book *laugh*

Debbie said...

Ooooh Janna, I think that is brilliant. With my current sinus infection (thanks husband!), I can't even think 5 minutes ahead but I will try to do this when I'm well.

Sierra Godfrey said...

I like this a lot.

5 hours - be typing away like mad on my current WIP

5 months - be pregnant and sign with agent on older novel

5 years - quit job, write full time

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

5 min. - write a blog comment
5 months - finish my third manuscript
5 years - published!

Blessings,
Susan :)

Roz Morris aka @Roz_Morris . Blog: Nail Your Novel said...

Wicked question! I am thinking only about the first five - in five minutes I turn off my router and get back to my WIP!

BTW, Janna, there's a surprise for you on my blog today.

Melissa Amateis said...

Right now? Lord, please help me make it through the next five minutes. And the five after that. Why? Because I'm getting a cold and have to stay at work when I really want to go home!

Tom Stephenson said...

A man goes to a doctor for a check-up. After a week, the doctor calls him back, and says, "I'm afraid you have a terminal disease, and there's nothing I can do for you."

The man says, "Oh my God - how long have I got?"

Doctor says, "Five".

Man says, "Five what?"

Doctor says, "Four..."

Kathy said...

Um.
Well, I want to lose 5 more pounds.
I want my husband to give me 5 more kisses each day?
I want five more hours in each day.
I'd like to save 5 dollars each week.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

5 minutes- nap?
5 months- short story acceptance
5 years - a book deal and my own agent.

Ahh- let me bask.

Capri K @ No Whining Allowed said...

You made your blob all purty-ful! Love it!

5 min. shower
5 months no more WINTER!
5 years Retiring with Honey?

Owen said...

I love that type of constant reminder.

Five minutes -- fixed some dinner. Or at least decided what to eat (ooh, salad!).

Five months -- have a job and money in the bank.

Five years -- living with my honey and raising a family. And be working on my third of a three-book deal. Hey, a girl can dream.

Owen said...

OMG! lolol.

Please pretend this is Melanie. I don't have the energy to fix this.

*snort*

Melanie Hooyenga said...

I'm sorry about that. Owen must have got on the computer while I was fixing dinner.

I like his answers though. Let'd go with that.

Deb Shucka said...

I love that picture, and what it's meant to inspire!

5 min. - Watch the squirrels play in my yard.

5 months - Have the rewrite of my book done, and know for sure where to go with it.

5 years - teaching, publication, time to write and travel and have grand adventures.

Nadine said...

What a fun post!

Let's see, here we go.

5 minutes - take the brownies out of the oven.
5 months - figured out what I am doing with writing, hopefully agented and hopefully earning a steady freelance income (yes, I love to fantasize)
5 years - Have published at least two books. :)

heatblast said...

5 minutes - spinning in my swivel chair to overcome writer's block
5 minutes - throwing up into the sink after that
5 - that's as far as I can count with my right hand. I think...