May 2020 IWSG: Happy Hour

My creativity has crawled away. My focus has flown the coop. My motivation has meandered off. I can only hope they're all together somewhere, enjoying happy hour beach-side and toasting with tropical drinks crowned with little umbrellas. 

I was doing okay overall with the COVID-19 situation. Sure, there's been bumps, like an ongoing delay with moving into our new place and issues with my husband's business, but nothing compared to what some other people are dealing with. So what happened? I have no idea.  

My most recent "accomplishment" – and I use the term very loosely – was giving my husband a haircut. Not even a cut, more of a trim. The result? He looks a lot like Larry. Larry is a tortoise. A handsome tortoise, but still a tortoise. And tortoises don't have hair. You do the math. 

What's inspiring you? What's motivating you? Please give me the kick in the butt I need to get going again. And feel free to use both feet. 

I would really like to join the rest of my gang in time for their next round of margaritas.

Join us!

IWSG: The Cruelest Month

Well, I'm back from Camp NaNo. 

My Camp NaNo t-shirt and Minion pajama pants are covered in chocolate and peanut butter and marshmallow. I refused to use those creepy Camp showers so I smell like fear-sweat. And wine. (Oh, come on, of course I didn't use the showers! Where else would a serial killer/giant rat/super-flu lurk?) My huge flashlight has run out of juice and is battered and cracked.

Much like me and my WiP.

I have picked up and put down this story for years. I lugged it to this conference, shoved it at that critique group. I wept bitter, angry tears. I know in my gut the story is alive and breathing, buried somewhere in the muck of pacing problems and point-of-view issues. It's waiting for me to dig deeper, harder.

And I will.

Camp NaNo is over, but the year is not. I've got time - to get this done, to get this right. And so do you. If your creative plans didn't work out last month, don't give up. Let's go into May with a plan and a positive attitude.

My plan positively includes eating more s'mores. And writing, of course. Care to join me?

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How was your April? Accomplish a goal? Make progress on a challenge? Have any big creative plans for the summer? Anyone going to Camp NaNo in July?

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For more information . . . 

The Off The Shelf Challenge: May Progress and Recommendations

I never thought it'd be this hard to make headway in this Off The Shelf Challenge. I mean, come on! It's reading! I love reading!

But I'm kinda like that dog from the movie "Up." He's talking, having a nice conversation, and then all of a sudden he's distracted - "Squirrel!" Only for me it's not squirrels, it's new books. Oh, that sounds like a good story! Oh, that's from one of my favorite authors! Oh, the Hold list at the library will be sooooo long so I'll buy it but I won't read it now because I already have all those other books waiting patiently on the shelf . . . well, maybe I'll just a peek at the first page or two . . . or three . . . 

Squirrel!

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Challenge Books read in January:  4
Challenge Books read in February:  5
Challenge Books read in March:  1
Challenge Books read in April:  2

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Challenge Books read in May:  2
Non Challenge Books read in May:  2
Total Books read in May:  4

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Total Challenge Books read so far in 2012:  14
Total Non-Challenge Books read so far in 2012:  13
Total Books read so far in 2012:  27

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Standouts from May include:

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian - Bohjalian takes a traumatized pilot and his family, an old house in New Hampshire, greenhouses, twins, and ghosts and creates this creepy, gothic kind of ghost story. [Side Note: I met Mr. Bohjalian many years ago when he was touring for his book, The Buffalo Soldier, and to this day, I remember how kind and encouraging he was to me when he signed my book and we spoke a bit about writing.] 

The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor - an excellent example of historical fiction, it starts right before the Great Depression and spans the first fifty years of the twentieth century. It's based on the life of the author's grandmother. Verna Krone is a heroine to be recognized. She's tough and imperfect, and she's someone you can't help rooting for even as you shake your head at another of her bad decisions. The novel covers so many big topics - race relations, politics, medical issues - and yet at its core, it's a story of a woman doing the best she can, the best way she can, the only way she knows how.