The Push Broom in my Mind

So far, my KISS – Keep It Super Simple - word/strategy for 2023 is working pretty well. When I catch clutter creeping in, especially mental clutter, I imagine my focus as a big push broom, shoving stuff out of the way. (My husband always laughs when I use housecleaning examples because we both know the only time I might ever actually use a broom would be for Quidditch.) 

 

WRITING – 

I'm pretty sure I've done more work on my novel/novella last month than I did last year.  

 

WATCHING – 

Movie – Summer of 84 (2018) is nostalgic AND creepy. The monologue delivered by one of the characters toward the end is utterly chilling. I'm still thinking about it. 

 

TV – Don't ask me how we missed Friday Night Lights the first time it was on because I don't know. I do know, though, that we're enjoying it now! We're in the second season so no spoilers, please! 

 

PHYSICAL HEALTH – 

Well, we signed up for another miles challenge. And we're carrying over one from last year so here's where we are as of 1/29/2023:

19/300 miles

0/100 miles.

 

I usually focus more on overall health, but this year, losing pounds - in a healthy way! – is my goal and will hopefully give me the most benefit all around. So far, I haven't lost any weight, but I also haven't gained any either, so I'll take it.  

 

*****

 

How's your year going so far? Any movies or TV shows – old, new or new-to-you – that you're enjoying? How do you lose pounds or handle weight loss in general? Any suggestions?

February 2020 IWSG: My Creative Cave

My husband and I are moving in the next few months. My anxiety level is at an all time high - big surprise! - and I am beyond stressed. We're busy trying to get all our ducks . . . um, I mean, tortoises in a row. Speaking of tortoises, they're happy their new outdoor area will be a bit bigger but they're kind of miffed their indoor habitat set-up will stay the same for now. I tell them, "Sheesh! Hold your shells! One house at time!"

So, as I declutter and downsize, I thought this would be a good opportunity to focus my freaking out and really consider my new creative cave. This is where you all come in:

* WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE SPACE?

* WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WOULD YOU CHANGE?

And when I say "creative space" that's whatever it is to you – a home office, a corner of your living room, a patio, a favorite table in a coffeehouse. I'll have a small room of my own with a door I can close, something that makes the other members of my household – hard-shelled and otherwise – very relieved.

Join us!

Foot in Mouth - The Sirens Call

I am honored to once again be included in The Sirens Call eZine's Annual Women in Horror Month Issue - Issue #37.

My flash fiction piece, Foot in Mouth (p. 32), is a twisted little tale about how, when you say something you regret, you're not always able to take it back, to remove foot from mouth. No matter how hard you try. 

FREE to Download 

IWSG: Slow. Steady. Strong.

Click here for more information

In January's IWSG post, I talked about how I had two big goals for 2018, and that's where I was putting the majority of my effort and energy.

Well, for both my writing and my running goals, progress has been slower than tortoises who don't want to leave their heat lamp on a cold day. (But who can blame them? There were days this winter I wanted to crawl in with them!) Everything is taking so much longer - and is a whole lot harder - than I'd thought.

But then I remind myself that what I'm doing is building a solid foundation for my story and my health.

Slow. Steady. Strong. This is what I say when I sit down to write, when I need to figure out the logic of a major plot point before I can even get to the actual writing, when I need to cut a character I love because he no longer serves the story.

Slow. Steady. Strong. This is what I chant - ok, gasp - when I run. It's what I tell myself when I put on my sneakers, when I worry about people in passing cars laughing at me, when I don't think I can make it to the next corner.

But I'll get there. And so will you. Don't give up on your goals, your resolutions, your plans. It'll probably take a while, maybe even all year, but we can do this. It's only February, after all.

*****

What do you do when progress feels non-existent? How do you stay focused and patient? What do you tell yourself - mantras, cheers, quotes - when you need encouragement? 

*****

Don't forget to visit my wonderful co-hosts: Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia, Angela Wooldridge, and Victoria Marie Lees.

IWSG: Fizzle

Click here for more information

Hmm, so it's February 2016, and I've accomplished . . . nothing. 

Okay, not nothing but close to it. I don't exactly know what happened. A few real life incidents arose but nothing serious. I got new furniture for my office that took forever for my husband and I to put together, and my stuff is still kind of in flux. The weather has been funky for our area - cold and stormy, including nearby tornadoes - and that's thrown off some stuff, like exercise. Yeah, so what, right? None of this should've stopped me so completely. 

Probably the biggest issue is that I'm in-between writing projects. I'm dabbling in this and experimenting with that, trying to figure out what to throw myself into next. I'm at the point where no one idea is tugging at me, leaving me standing still, paralyzed with indecision. 

I really wanted to start 2016 with a bang, but so far I've only managed a fizzle. Sigh.

Any advice? Encouraging words? Chocolate?

IWSG: Alphabet Anxiety

Visit HERE for more information

I know it's only February but I'm already kind of anxious about the 2014 Blogging from A-Z April Challenge.

I've participated in the challenge for the last two years and both of those years, my theme revolved around quotes - motivational quotes and ones by Stephen King about writing and reading. Working in my own thoughts on the quotes and writing the whole thing up into 26 posts was work but it was worth it - you all seemed to enjoy them, I got lots of comments and new Followers. The whole thing was a blast.

But this year, I'm thinking of doing something different, not related to quotes (gasp!) of any kind. It's not anything earth shattering, and I bet similar themes have been done over the years, but I'm excited about it…which means, of course, that doubts are creeping in. Do I have the creativity, the time, the energy to pull it off? Will you all find the new idea as entertaining as the quotes? Will new visitors to the blog want to return, based only on the A-Z posts?

I guess the only way to know for sure is to give it a try, to throw myself into the challenges - the new theme, the A-Z itself, being a Minion in Captain Alex's Ninja Army - and see what shakes out. Gulp!

Recommended Reading - February 2013

Even though I'm behind in my Goodreads Challenge, I'm happy with my progress (12 books read toward the goal of 100), and I am really enjoying the many different books I'm reading.

Unfortunately, though, I've started a handful of books only to stop reading and start feeling disappointed. I took a chance on buying a few hardcovers I'd heard good things about - yeh, gift cards! - only to regret my decision. One of novels became plodding and heavy-handed, while the other started out with a great narrative voice but once the characters started talking to each other, the dialogue came across as stilted and forced. But it's all just my opinion and, even though I was kind of annoyed at using my gift cards, I re-framed it as supporting a couple of debut authors. I didn't care for the books, but I'll pass them on to someone else, someone who might just love them.

*****

Books Read in February:  6

Books Read 2013:  12

Standouts -

Kings of Colorado by David E. Hilton - this coming-of-age novel reads like a cross between Stand By Me (The Body) and Lord of the Flies. It's raw and heartbreaking and bittersweet and if the first sentence doesn't pull you in, the voice will.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - this novel is like a fairytale for adults. I curled up with it and a cup of tea, and I was lost in a different place (the Alaskan wildness) and a different time (the 1920s.) It's a love story about love in its many forms - between an older married couple, for a child, for friends, and for the wild, brutal, beautiful place where the story takes place. If you're looking to lose yourself in a book, this is the one.

*****

Have you read either of the Standouts? What were you thoughts? Think you'll pick up one of them? What have you read and loved lately? 

The Off the Shelf Challenge: February

Here it is, the end of February, and I think I'm progressing nicely with The Off The Shelf Challenge 2012. 

Books read for the challenge in January:  4
Books read for the challenge in February: 5
Books read that were not part of the challenge: 3

I have a loose plan where I alternate reading books for the Challenge and books not for the Challenge. There are way too many new books coming out every month that I can't/won't wait to read. So far, so good.   

Standouts from the Challenge for February include:

Night Road by Kristin Hannah - this is the first Kristin Hannah book I read but it will definitely not be my last.

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning - historical fiction at its best.

Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace - it's like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, only with baseball. Loved it!

I also usually mention a title or two from the Challenge over on the sidebar in case you're interested to see what I've read recently.

How about you all? What have you read this past month? What are you reading now?