The IQ Score

My dad used to say, “Yeah, well, your IQ score and a dollar STILL couldn’t buy you a cup of coffee.”  And he was right.  (I mean, unless you’re talking about that nasty vending machine coffee they used to sell on my college campus at Cal State Long Beach back in the ’80′s…)

What’s an “intelligence quotient” anyway? It means, roughly, what one’s mind is capable of in terms of intellectual activity and comprehension.  How flexible are the thought processes? What are the problem-solving capacities of a person?

We tend to distill this to, “How smart I am,” giving one a distorted sense of self.

The sad thing is that, for a long time, these numbers truly affected people. Maybe not so much now, but I know they were in play as I was growing up.  Maybe it’s because I went to school with “the gifted kids” in many instances, and so many of us had taken “IQ tests” and knew our scores and where we ranked on a scale.  I knew my brother, for example, was “one point shy” of being “a genius” as far as the official tests went. Knowing I wasn’t  ”as smart” as he was could have been a problem to my fragile feminine psyche.

BUT. See, I was blessed to live in a house where there was balance.  I was taught, as I indicated at the beginning, here, that that number over there? Only a mark on a chart. It didn’t mean anything practical. It is an indicator of potential, not possibilities.

I grew up knowing that yes, I had potential, but unless I could earn TWO dollars, instead of just having ONE, I still couldn’t buy a cup of coffee.  Applying that “intellect” a test said I had required work and determination.

If we could only measure those qualities on a scale, there’d be a lot more “gifted” people identified out there than there are.  The world is filled with hard-working, determined people who are true success stories.  And some of them aren’t even “test-able.”

Thank you for reading this mini-rant. I just had it on my mind and had to share it.

Now, I’m going to have another cup of coffee.  My husband – who also has a “high IQ” score – worked hard so that I could have a good cup of coffee.

Back to Work

Chapter Ten of this manuscript has been taunting me for far too long.

Today, while waiting for my younger son to finish with his day at school, I sat in the waiting area/parent lounge/foyer and just typed.

Chapter Ten
Christmas Day, 1822

And then, without thinking too hard, I decided to give the son of my protagonists his horse. A little Welsh pony about which I did copious research quite some time ago.

Included with this vignette was some nice tension between the Hero and the Heroine.

And when I had plunked out three paragraphs, I allowed myself to engage in conversation with the other parents waiting for their children.

I feel really good about this.

I WILL finish this book. I will.

But not now. I have editing to do.

One Bite at a Time

Or…

How Not to be Overwhelmed When Things Appear Overwhelming

“Wow, that’s a huge steak! How’re you gonna eat all that?” the little girl asked her uncle.

He grinned at her across the table and waved his fork.  ”One bite at a time!”

Sounds pretty silly, maybe.  Or too obvious.  But, it is a basic truth that sometimes is easy to forget. It is a truth that is too easy to put into practice, perhaps.

Consider it, however, as you contemplate goals and “New Year’s Resolutions.”

Possible Project:  Post-Holiday Clean-Up

Problem:  Too many new things, too many old things. Not enough time or room to put them away.

One bite at a time solution:  Start in one room, in one corner, and work your way around that one space.  Give yourself the “bite” for a first goal.  The area where you display the cards?  The holiday centerpieces? The decorative, seasonal throws over the sofa?  Start in one place. Sort, store in a box in the room in question, tidy that one area, including dusting or sweeping or anything you feel is needful.  Call it good and reward yourself.  When you have gone through a room in its entirety, you’ll have boxes that need tucking away. If you had a place for them before, return them there (garage, attic, basement). If you need to find MORE space, give yourself the permission to make it by judicious pruning of your current items in storage.

One bite at a time, one area, one room at a time, and the clean-up can be achieved. How long it takes is up to you.

Possible Project: Finish the Manuscript

Problem:  ”Did you read that? FINISH?  A whole MANUSCRIPT? For a NOVEL, maybe?  HUH?”

It’s intimidating to look at a possibly empty screen, or a paragraph of an idea, or an outline that goes nowhere and think that one can finish a project like this in a matter of weeks.

Yes, weeks. One year is only fifty-two weeks.  Or if you’re quick and organized, you can complete the manuscript in a month or three (depending upon your speed and dedication). That brings the time involved down to maybe twelve weeks.

Impossible? Not remotely.

One bite at a time solution:  If you look at a whole project as a whole, it can be daunting, so break your writing project up into smaller projects.  Research.  Basic storyline.  Outline.  Writing (in whatever sequence feels comfortable for you). Then, when the pieces are defined, you can break each section up into bite-size morsels of accomplishment.  Word count goals for a day’s writing, for example.

Saying, “I resolve to write a novel by Christmas” is a hugely intimidating prospect.  Saying, “I resolve to write 500 (1,000, 2,000, etc.) words a day” is much more manageable. Especially as you discipline yourself and find that you can whip off 500 words before breakfast if you’re in a good place, mentally.

For any kind of project, there are sub-goals.  Smaller things you can do, one bite at a time, to achieve your end.  Often, the only difference between a success and a failure is the willingness to take each bite with a smile.  Be willing to work at it and move on to the next.  You can chart your progress with To-Do lists (my favorite!) or a graph on a wall or by the amount of rewards you give yourself for each sub-goal reached.

And when you’re done, you might perhaps see that it wasn’t really as impossible as you thought it was going to be. After all, YOU DID IT!

I wish you all the best in 2012!