Vaccines and Other Small Victories

Weather: So lovely and warm the past few days. Rainy as well, but we need it. (Midwestern thing. We say this every time it rains.)

Got my first dose of the Covid vaccine this past Tuesday: Moderna, even though I would have been fine with any of them. Haven’t suffered any side effects other than a bit of a sore arm and some fatigue. Worth it.

Please get vaccinated so we can finally get out of this quarantine hellscape. I know it’s going to still be some time until we are able to get back to less fraught interactions, but it’s a big step in the right direction. I’m still bitter over where we could have been at this point, but that’s a different post. And requires a lot of salty language I just don’t have time for right now.

I consider the vaccine one of my few small victories of late, mostly because it symbolizes a movement forward. Stagnancy has been a big problem for me and a lot of other people in my circle. Not because the will isn’t there, but for one reason or another (mostly Covid), the resources haven’t been there, or the players had scheduling or travel issues. Creativity has kind of gone in one of two directions: either exploding or flat out dying on the vine.

Trying to get a book written when you’re in a constant state of anxiety is a non-starter for me. Add in a foggy brain when trying to concoct mosaic designs or jewelry… you see where I’m going with this. I picked up crocheting to add to my stitch skills (along with cross-stitch needlework) but that’s become more therapeutic hobby than anything else.

So, small victory number two this week was finally getting my craft room/office organized. It still needs work, but I’ve conquered the nesting that was starting to happen. I can see the top of my crafting table and my filing cabinet. My desk is still in progress. It’s amazing how much easier it is to think and plan when you aren’t surrounded by clutter.

I’m starting to reach the headspace where I want less things around me and more space to create. I’m finding that value is coming in amount of time and what things mean to me. It took a long time to realize that I was holding onto things that were only valuable to me as something I could show to someone else. Like “look! I have this [book, item, picture etc].” to which they’d respond “that’s so cool!” and I could ride that validation for months. But most of my friends and family have seen the stuff and a lot of it is sitting collecting dust, not getting any use, or giving me any kind of satisfaction. In fact, I’ve started resenting its presence as a dust collector. Maturity? Anxiety? Boredom? Who knows. All I know is it’s not doing me any good just sitting on a shelf or stuck in a closet. So off to donation it goes, so someone else can give it some attention or love.

Small victories are sometimes better than the big ones in that they don’t come with as much work or sacrifice, yet give you a moment of satisfaction that you aren’t just standing still or spinning your wheels. We like to praise people to great levels when they accomplish something big, like ran a marathon or completed a college degree and yes, both those things are admirable and worth the compliments. But sometimes, when you’ve spent a week on the couch, depressed, or overwhelmed, and the dust and clutter is starting to seem insurmountable, sometimes just getting the coffee table cleared off and the dishes into the dishwasher can seem like crossing the finish line.

On the creative front, I’ve printed out several of my recent manuscripts in progress and I’m attempting to mark them up with a pen, rather than trying to squelch my easy distractions online. If I can get through a few pages each day, it feels like progress. If I can get some new scenes committed to paper and then transcribed into Scrivener, it seems like I might actually get the ball rolling again. I’m starting to get some design ideas for mosaics again. And I’ve moved my jewelry fixings into the craft room from the basement. It feels like with spring finally rearing its weary head, my malaise is evaporating. It feels a little like hope and possibility.

And sometimes…sometimes, that is all the taste of victory I need to get myself back into the battle. Bigger victories will come, but for now, I’ll keep grabbing a toehold where I can and leveraging myself upward.

Oh Gods. It’s March again!

Weather: Starting to warm up towards Spring! In the upper 40s and flirting with the 50s, with plenty of sunshine. Snow is melting and it’s starting to feel like the world is waking up again. Bring on the green!

We joke about 2020 feeling like just endless March due to the Covid lockdown/quarantine/cave dwelling, but damn if the PTSD didn’t kick in when I flipped the calendar over to March again this year. Ugh.

Had a few epiphanies kinda drop on my noggin the past week and wanted to share, in case the might help others. First, I realized how much of my day was getting eaten up by mindless scrolling on the interwebs. Not just social media, but news sites, and even some go-to research sites. The web can be ever-so-helpful in stimulating our brains with new information and amusements, but it pushes the same big red button mentally and emotionally that comfort food and fuzzy blankets seem to push. It’s a bit of a drug in that way. And boy oh boy, do we love our comfort foods, especially now with the plague stealing our joy and connection to others.

Like all comfort foods, there’s a difference between snacking on them now and then as a treat, and making them the entirety of our diet. The former is good for our mental health, the latter, not so much. Also, subsisting solely on comfort foods can dull down your consciousness, your intuition and also decimate your time management. It’s just flat out not healthy for you on every level. So try and step away from your technology for a bit. Allow yourself to be bored. Believe it or not, but in the boredom is where creativity blooms. 😏

This year of being shut in and away from people has made us all look for alternative ways to connect, and I know for some, that need is much more pressing than for others. But understand that connecting with other people via Zoom or FaceTime is a different animal than spending energy on fights with strangers or absorbing the misery avalanche that occurs when you immerse yourself in the news for too long. Seek an amiable form of connection. Comfort food should comfort, after all. FOMO will never be satisfied and it’s a fools errand to keep chasing that dragon.

I know my anxiety has skyrocketed in the past few weeks, but I think for me that has to do more with the fact that my hormones have decided to join some sort of art collective and have performative outbursts on the regular. So annoying!

In better mental health news, I was able to finally sign up for the Covid 19 vaccine this morning. Actually cried from relief just seeing the confirmation for the appointment. Didn’t realize how emotional waiting for the damn thing had made me. Now just gotta get the husbeast his shots and we’ll be set! (He’s a few years younger than me and was just below the age cut off for the vaccine here in Michigan). But in two weeks I’ll have my first shot done and I can start breathing a little. (Obligatory reminder to get your vaccine when your time comes, any of them. Please help get us to a high degree of herd immunity so ALL of us can start hanging out again! IN PERSON!)

One little self-congratulatory thing for me– I finally got off my prodigious derriere and started stretching & doing some limited exercises. I also printed out my last few manuscripts so I can start manually editing them. I’m finding that editing on the computer is not advisable for someone like myself who is easily distracted, so I’m resorting to paper, pen and post-its for this go around. I’m trying my best to get myself back to reasonably functional again, both physically and mentally. We’ll see how things go. Spring is on the way, so it’s time to shed my usual winter doldrums and get back to work!

That’s all for today. I hope everyone is starting to scrape off the last year as best they can and start pursuing life again. I know it’s been hard and tragic and just flat out exhausting by turn. Lift your head and give yourself patience and room to trip a bit. It’s like getting back on the bike after a long hiatus. The muscle memory is there, but it’ll take time to get the rest of you caught up. Do it for yourself, no one else.

Winter Musings

Weather: Oh dear god, SNOW SNOW AND MORE SNOW!!! AND COLD! (Typical Michigan Winter in other words!)

So I’ve fallen off the blogging bandwagon for a bit, mostly due to health and brain foo. Plus there’s been a metric ton of snow that has needed to be shoveled. So far, we have accumulated approximately 18 inches in general, with drifting as deep as two feet in spots. Doesn’t seem like a lot until you have to shovel it in single digit temps. But being a Midwesterner, you just layer up and get out and do it, knowing there are warm beverages and food waiting for you when it’s done. So much soup and tea and casseroles, I tell you!

Currently, the state of Texas is suffering from a rare snow storm — thanks Polar Vortex!– and a lot of people are in the dark and freezing due to some stupid bad planning on the part of their state government when it comes to their energy infrastructure. Help is being sent (Thanks, POTUS!) , but I feel terrible for the people who are not used to this cold and are not equipped for it. I have family and friends who are going on their third day of no power in 20º temps. Makes me angry when suffering is preventable and the powers that be take no accountability. But that’s a rant for another time. Keeping all the citizens in my thoughts. The officials are getting a different type of energy sent their way. Don’t piss of witches, is all I’m saying. 🧙🏻‍♀️🤨

It’s been a relatively normal winter here, but after 4 years of being spoiled., it feels worse for some reason. Probably a side effect of getting older. Feeling the cold in my joints more. Sigh.

On the project/ work front, I’m getting back to writing (I have so many damn books pending!) and working on crocheting/stitch craft in my spare time. I’m still trying to get my mosaic/jewelry work sorted. Time has gotten away from me, lost in some sort of navel gazing, self-pitying. stress induced haze. I started falling down the rabbit hole that is TikTok, mostly because the app doesn’t stress me out the way social media does. I’m finding that now that his orangeness is out of the WH, I’m finding the news to be a bit, refreshingly, boring. Not that there aren’t things that are still worrisome, or noteworthy, but I’m finding that knowing that there is someone at the top actually getting things back on track, I’m kinda less worried at an existential level. I’m also finding that I’m struggling with the self-flagellation that occurs when you exit the stress bubble and realize that not only did you lose an entire year to obsessing over every single news item, but you lost every inch of ground you had gained, health and wellness-wise, from the gym and therapy and overall living in the actual world. Of course we’re still dealing with Covid, so until both the husbeast and I are vaccinated, that is going to curtail a lot of activities I’d like to be doing. Soon, I hope. Both our parents are vaccinated so there’s a little relief there. My mum is 90% done with her cancer treatment. Things are starting to look up. Finances are still a bit sketchy, but we’re making do.

Bri and I have decided to start renovating the house. Mostly because we’re just fecking bored with the current design and colors, and a lot of our furniture is approaching the 20+ year wear and tear level. But there is another bludgeoning reality that we are probably going to be here for longer than we initially thought, so we are motivated to do some structural and cosmetic work here for us and, of course, for the future sale of the place. So I imagine there will be periodic house reno posts with photos in the upcoming year!

I’m also starting to pare down some skills I want to scrape the rust off, including some coding skills, research and professional skills that I haven’t used in a few years. Not sure what I want to start doing as a job (we need more income to finance our house reno addiction), but I’ll be blunt, I really am trying my damndest to get away from customer service. (Not easy and beggar’s can’t be choosers, yadda yadda yadda). We’ll see what happens.

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe in the current weird weather shenanigans! I promise to be a little more consistent with the posting here.

Shaking off the rust

Weather- overcast and rainy. Upper 60s/low 70s. Early fall weather – HUZZAH!

So- first week off the beaten track of daily job and I’m a little wobbly on the path less traveled. 

Good news is I have been able to get some structures in place, and have started a habit of morning planning & making to do lists–which I have been accomplishing  with regularity. Checking things off the list bolsters my motivation a ton.

Yesterday, Husbeast & I got the basement studio finally cleaned up enough so I have space to work on my mosaics. It’s nowhere near perfect yet, but I have space to get things done, or at least started. The rest will come as needed. Felt good to sit at a table with some projects set out to be worked on today. Still need to get a glass cutting station set up (I can clip tile at the table), and we need to get the workbench cleaned off to set up the grinder and the soldering station for the Husbeast. (He’s itching to get back to his glasswork as well. Now if I can just do something about all the blasted spiders. Sigh. (Spider Bros and I have a compact to just studiously ignore each other but sometimes they get a little too curious and come visit. Double sigh.)

Also, I took some time and got all my Scrivener files backed up to the cloud, got an “edit” copy of my first book partially printed out to start line editing it (the first 100 pages at least- It’s 300 pages total- NEEDS EDITING!),  and spent time meticulously outlining the story arc for the three books I’m currently working on.  The story arc is more clearly defined now and I made sure to solidify some of the rules that govern my story-verse. It’s much more solid in my head and now I can shore up the story line in Book 1 and finish Books 2 & 3.
There are at least 4 other books that have been started or partially outlined, so I have a lot of things to work on going  forward. They will be spin-offs of the initial trilogy, with related story lines and some possible recurring characters. I’ve conjured up a big universe and there are a lot of stories to be told within it. 🙂

I’ve kept the television off, for the most part. I’ve tried to minimize my social media immersion (Still working on that).  The only distractions I’ve allowed myself have been music and the occasional podcasts. I’m making time to read as well. My to-be-read pile is ridiculous at this point. I think I have at least 20 unread books stacked next to my bed and on my desk. :Facepalm:

Most helpful thing yesterday was getting together a whiteboard with goals for the month that will allow me to visually track what I want to get done, what I’m working on and what I’ve accomplished. (Keeps me focused and not overwhelmed.)
Thanks to Sarra Cannon over at Heart Breathings on youtube for the idea!

On the non- creative endeavor side, I’m making sure I’m carving out time to exercise, meditate and keep up my 6 small meals a day eating plan. I’m determined to make sure my health doesn’t get sidelined because I’m scheduling myself so firmly with other things.

All in all, the structure seems to be solid, and the framework I’ve set up for myself on the daily seems to be flexible enough that I am not getting overwhelmed by the routine. I’m also making sure to get out of the house when I can. Isolation can start feeding depression and anxiety if I’m not careful.

In a month’s time, there will  be a better view of how things are going.  My updates will be a little more detailed going forward as projects start coming to fruition.

Reminder: Our Etsy shop (Einini Glassworks)  is up and running, and we still have a number of items available. The items list is about to get much longer so please come back periodically to see the new offerings.  You can follow our facebook page for updates as well. We can be found on Twitter here: Einini_Mosaics and Einini_Glass
My personal Twitter is here: Raven1967. There you’ll get more random things, but I’ll be updating writing & photography projects there. Be forwarned, I do post political stuff there, and cat pictures…so tread carefully. 😀

Going to keep moving forward.  A stroll will get you to the finish line as well as a sprint, and you can enjoy the scenery a bit more. 🙂

 

 

End of Year Recap- 2017 “OMG WHY IS EVERYTHING ON FIRE?” Edition

Weather: Winter has come, full-throated and persistent, and it’s been snowing on and off for a bloody week now. Sun’s out today, but there will be more  soon. Temps in the low teens, windchills in the “OMG WHY DO I LIVE WHERE MY FACE HURTS”degrees.

So, it’s that time of year again, to poke my head back into the blogosphere and see if I can manage to sum up the experiences of the past 12 months.

This year is gonna be a difficult one to sum up. I have only blogged a handful of times, and because I tanked NaNoWriMo this year- the brain on the 2017 News Cycle is a burnt-out, noncreative brain- there hasn’t been much to relate.

After my last blog post about my stupid 50 year old body starting to sabotage me, I had an entirely new health related setback. In late July I experienced an anxiety attack so severe, I honestly thought I was having cardiac issues and ended up with 2 weeks of medical tests and doctor visits and ultimately a run to the emergency room for EKGs and monitoring. I lost something like 8 lbs in as many days from not being able to eat. Here’s the rub- I’ve always had mild panic attacks now and then, but this was like a category 5 storm instead of the mild tempests I’d experienced before. The upside, if you can call it that, was that I got so many tests run, that I know that many of my organs are in good shape. The downside was getting the medical bills.

All in all the experience was a wake up call to start managing my stress better and start doing a lot more self-care.

The only other thing that happened of significance this year was we moved our studio home from the Box Factory. Although it was primarily a financial decision, there was a time management component too. We were spending less time at the studio, partially due to increased day job commitments, but also there was an admittedly big bit of laziness on our part. We have not abandoned our art making, but we have let petty inconveniences get in the way. And that just points to our wavering commitments to creative work.

Financially we are ending the year in a much better place. I’ll talk more about that in my New Year post. (And I have a lot more positive things to talk about there, naturally)

Why was this year so…un-notable? Well, mostly because the world, and our country in specific, made some fairly awful choices and some very ugly and stupid things crept out of the woodwork in the process. Things that we should have taken a stronger moral stance on a while ago were emboldened by thinly veiled encouragement from leadership. (I only use that term  loosely, since we don’t have leaders, we only seem to have opportunists and thin skinned narcissists at the helm these days. There are good people trying to keep the ship of state off the rocks, but there have been a lot of near misses and the vessel is damaged.)

My hope for our nation is that the people, good people who are in the majority, regardless of political leaning, will shake off the apathy that we’ve all been wearing for far too long and push back against this gang of sycophantic morons & get things back on track.  As a people, we have always shown that we will stand up for our communities and for those who are in need when crises arise, and will fight against those who would seek to denigrate, harm or otherwise diminish the basic decency that is the core of this country. I would love to see more people stand up with zero tolerance of bigotry, sexism, abuse and selfish greed,  to re-establish our support for our neighbors and for equality for all our citizens, to help those who are hungry and give a hand up for those who have stumbled. I’d love to see compassion and empathy return, and for blame and excuses to make a swift and fiery exit.  Instead of complaining about who’s fault this mess is, how about we just try and fix it? Get people in power who are willing to try? Stop worrying about who’s the perfect candidate and start supporting people who want to work for the greater good.  If you’re disillusioned by the national groups, maybe send your support to the local groups or directly to candidates you support.

I guess I’m weary of all the petty fighting and finger pointing. We can easily find out what people have voted for, and we can easily see what kind of legislation is getting passed. Make your decisions based on actions, not rumors or aspersions.

I guess the big question to answer at the end of this garbage fire of a year is what are you going to do about it? If you’re answer  is just to sit on the sidelines and bitch about the state of things, or write long think pieces on re-litigating past grievances? I’m probably just going to ignore you. Too many dead horses have taken a beating this year. Let’s figure out a solution or at least try to encourage people to fix things.  Easiest way to punish people who do wrong? Vote them out.  Oh and and stop wasting time and energy trying to convince people who have zero interest in wanting to see things as they are. Some people are so invested in their view of the world, they would rather go down with the ship rather than grab at a life preserver. You can’t save everyone.

On a bit more positive note, I have discovered new teachers this year. Some have re-lit my artistic fire, some have renewed my spiritual path, some have made me look at things with a new perspective and others have humbled me by showing me that I am making excuses instead of working. The list is too long to relate here, but suffice it to say, I have a lot of things that will be pared away next year and my focus is becoming much more acute. It’s less about making goals and more about creating space and carving time out to make room for things to happen.

Two words have come to the forefront for 2018: Minimalism and  Evolution. I will flesh that out in my next post. But you can probably tell there is an equal amount of cutting back and building out that will be happening.

Also, in the past few months especially, I’ve realized that this year has put me in the passenger seat and I’m going to be reclaiming the steering wheel with a certain amount of determination and force, if necessary. Letting myself get overwhelmed led to health issues and a certain amount of apathy.  I despise myself a bit for allowing that to happen. The husbeast and I have had several long talks at the dinner table about what things need to change for both of us. I’m lucky I have a life partner who is both honest and who listens, because sometimes you need to hear some harsh truths and speak some tough love to fix your path. We are both committed to each other’s contentment, but we also know that sometimes, we can take some things for granted and bad behavior can follow. The good news is that we always end these discussions on a positive note and 2018 is looking better for that.

So to wrap up this rambling bit of looking back, I just want to state that I am thankful for the people in my life, for their courage, their anger and their compassion. My circles of family and friends always seem to intersect and overlap, but their input is always insightful and their humor is always well timed.

So I think it’s time to pack 2017 in a box and shoot it into the sun, giving it the fiery demise it deserves.

Here’s hoping we can make a change in 2018, for the better. Let’s be better citizens, better neighbors, better HUMANS. I’m going to do my best on all three counts, and so should you.

NaNoWriMo Day #20 – Deep thoughts are creeping out again…

Weather: Still cold- low 30s- but much less windy and the snow seems to have gone. Still, finally feels like November.

Thanksgiving is on the near horizon, and Christmas is not long after. This year has been mostly a garbage fire. Not that my personal life has been awful, far from it. But it seems the world at large has been fracturing, with long simmering resentments bubbling up and taking form in surprising and chaotic ways. We’ve lost a lot of touchstone people that especially people my age (late 40s) were hit hard by- Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Alan Rickman, the list goes on and on. I know that a lot of this is to be expected- as we age, those we look up to or are inspired by, age accordingly. Some will leave us sooner than we are ready to let them go. Doesn’t make the hurt any less.

NaNo has been harder this year for me than last. Didn’t help that there was a contentious (she said, in vast understatement) election in the first week of writing, and between the weather, and potential jury duty, and imminent family gatherings, and the usual financial roller coaster, the word making was a little derailed.

But I’ve realized in the  past week that as the particular overwhelming signal to noise disruption happening on social media required me to step away a bit, I’m starting to get back in touch with life again. I hadn’t realized how much the politics and associated strong emotions had sucked me in. The slow drowning effect, I suppose. Didn’t realize I wasn’t breathing or underwater until my health, both mental and physical started taking a hit. So I extricated myself as best I could. The concerns I had before the election are still there, but the associated din of outrage and blame and finger-pointing and gloating are not washing over me like before. I’m trying to take the “Make Good Art” mantra to heart.

Do not take this as me giving up fighting for things I believe need fighting for, but understand that existing in a constant state of rage and fear does not make for clear thinking or good judgment. I’m no anarchist. I don’t believe that burning things to the ground is necessarily the way to fix what’s broken. Yes, it requires an unvarnished look at how we got here, but I also believe that things can be fixed by a complicated combination of compassion, realistic assessment and taking a long view. By finding allies with common goals. By not demonizing those who would help us, though they might not 100% agree with us. By not letting things slide because they are difficult. And most of all, by not enabling bad behavior or derailing conversations because it’s “not going to change” or “it’s been going on for a long time”.

I’ve said many times before, I am not a fan of nostalgia. I find it annoying and unrealistic and cherry-picking, because the past is the past for reason. Yes, there were good things, but there were also awful things and you don’t get to gloss over the bad because the good things make you wistful. Too easy and lazy by a long stretch. I’m more for grappling with the issues we have today, so we can entrench the advances we made and work on the new challenges so we can move forward. I mentioned to a friend today that part of our problem now is that we are just far enough away in time from things like the Depression,  WWII or even Cold War eras that the current generation has no real connection to that time. It’s stuff in history books or things our grandparents talk about. (In my case, parents). We look around and say things are horrific, and by some measure, they are. But we are still nowhere near the bottom of the barrel of the Dust Bowl, or rationing, or the Draft, or being wiped out by the flu. (1918. Look it up.) We need to deal with our current problems, but we also need to get a grip. Worse things have been lived through and worse things have been conquered. Which should be a MOTIVATION not a way to diminish our worries or challenges, mind you.

(I see too many people minimizing others pain by saying others have it worse. That’s cruel, reductive and not at all helpful. Be compassionate or be silent.)

All the same, I think our historical challenges can help us face our current challenges a little more clearly if we put them in perspective.

All of this musing leads to story compilation. Taking a long view of history and asking a lot of what if questions when turning that view toward the future is how ideas come to mind. Will those ideas fix real world problems? Who knows. Creativity is not limited to fictional or artistic outlets.  It’s something I think we’ve lost a bit over the past few years. We do a lot of re-sharing of others ideas, images and creative output, but I think we’ve diminished a little by not putting our own creative output out there as well. Happy accidents and half-baked ideas can lead to solutions. Maybe not in themselves, but by providing component pieces to foster discussion or to build upon by others with their own pieces to the puzzle. Collaboration has taken a big hit of late, whether due to fear of ridicule or fear of having one’s own ideas co-opted by someone else or losing one’s sole claim to glory, who knows?

Sorry for the woolgathering here, but these things have been weighing heavily on me lately and I’ve been too scattered to compile them into something coherent. I suppose I need to take my own advice and start suggesting ideas and putting my creative output into the stream and see what floats and what sinks. Failure isn’t fatal. It’s just an idea that didn’t work. Trying something new that builds on what didn’t work, or just making another attempt from a different launch pad is not a waste of time. That’s how most things result in a success. We talk way too much. We need to do more. Discussion is fine, but ONLY discussion results in little. Awareness is good, but awareness alone changes little. No one is asking you to fix EVERYTHING or even to solve anything on your own. Don’t let people make you think that all the challenges we face are a zero sum game, that by focusing on one problem, you are ignoring others.  You can’t spread yourself that thin. But you can contribute. You can lend a hand. Make your voice heard. Create memorable images. Help motivate others.  Just my 2 cents on all this craziness.

NaNoWriMo Day#19: Catching up on a Stormy Day.

Weather: Went from the upper 60s to low 30s overnight. Gale force winds today, with rain/snow/ice mix. The lakeshore is howling at us. Seems apropos. 

Here’s a great shot of the lake today, to give you scope. (Credit Joshua Nowicki)

Have been writing, but haven’t been updating. Things in RL have been interfering with that. Also, mentally I’m kind of drained. Actual stress and online stress (mostly political related) have reached fever pitch, so I stepped away for a bit. Work and family and everyday stuff seemed like more workable stress sources. 

So, back on the writing horse, and getting a story epiphany this morning, which is always helpful. It relates to how the villain of the piece is portrayed. His motivations and arc finally fell into place. I knew what his actions would result in already, but getting to those results was a little murky. Captain Exposition was in control of the car again and things were starting to head into the weeds. Needed to get my authorial machete out and clear the path again. 

Here’s some apropos writing advice from the House of Wendig:
(considering I’ve had the soundtrack on a loop today. Because REASONS.)

FIVE STORYTELLING LESSONS FROM HAMILTON’S AMERICA

In case you don’t know what the article is referencing:
Hamilton’ s America (Trailer)

Things in this country seem scarily unstable at the moment. Make art. Write. Create. When everything is out of control or seems untenable… Make something. It helps.

 

NaNoWriMo Day#7, 8 & 9-Distractions abound

Weather- Chilly, although the sun warmed us up to about 60º today. Not for long, as the 30s are popping up in the 10 day forecast. November is finally here. A bit of rain for Election day.  Temps definitely angling south.

So I’m going to refrain from discussing my reaction to the election in any great detail. I’m saddened and worried, but I have no illusions how we got here. Best write up that I’ve seen was this: Don’t Panic . There is work to do. Which I will do once I sober up and uncurl from this ball. 😦

Back on topic. It’s been a week of distractions, though not all of them unpleasant. I’m smack in the middle of call ins for jury duty. (I have to check the website daily until Thursday. So far, I’ve been in the clear. Whew!) My sick kittie is doing much better now that she’s on meds for her condition. Work has been crazy, but that’s to be expected considering it’s 4th Quarter. (I work in insurance, in Employee Benefits.) The election was a big blow to the heart and stomach, which did derail my creative brain a bit. But I sat today and ground out the wordcount, albeit not my best work.

Wil Wheaton posted an excellent blog for NaNo, (Thanks to my FB friend Andrew for the link!) and I think it helps with the constant insecurity of seeking perfection on a first draft. It also has some good advice about not flagellating yourself over daily wordcount. (There’s a reason my posts have been a bit far apart. Feast or Famine, to be honest.)

Here’s the blog for those curious. Pages Upon Pages.

Back into the word mines tomorrow. I hope to get ahead again this weekend, to bolster the WC against Thanksgiving coming up. Hope everyone is doing okay out there! Here: Have some otters cuddling!

NaNoWriMo Day #4, 5 & 6: Catching up

Weather: Been a bit cooler; 40s to 50s through the day. Still feels like early fall and Not November. 

 

Managed to escape Jury Duty on Monday, but the rest of the week will be a wait and see on a day by day basis. Didn’t post word count Friday because there wasn’t any. I had a fundraiser to attend at our studio so there was precious little time to write. 

Saturday found me up and running early to get my cat to the vet for some bloodwork (she has hyperthyroidism)  and then running other errands with the husbeast, followed by a grueling session of leaf raking. I swear the silver maples out front of our house dumped ALL THEIR LEAVES AT ONCE! We have thigh high piles of leaves in the street. (We have those awesome trucks that drive by and literally vacuum up the leaves.) 

So today I crammed a lot of writing in the afternoon, hoping to make up some lost ground. 

Didn’t do too bad.

Today’s Writing link is from Brain Pickings. (Check out their writing tag. Lots of fantastic articles there.)

Jennifer Egan on Writing, the Trap of Approval, and the Most Important Discipline for Aspiring Writers

Pull quote of note:
” You can only write regularly if you’re willing to write badly. You can’t write regularly and well. One should accept bad writing as a way of priming the pump, a warm-up exercise that allows you to write well.”

Added bonus link- Another Chuck Wendig blog, because Chuck is wise and funny and very good at the advice game.
Control what you CAN control: GOOD WRITING (AND LIFE) ADVICE

See you again later…Hoping for better writing days ahead.

NaNoWriMo day #3-Doing the work

Weather: Low 60s but cloudy,. Finally heading into the Fall Temps proper!

Got a good second wind today, so I’m finally getting some structure under the flimsy paper skeleton I started with initially.

Today’s Motivational Quote image thingie:

That’s a good point. You can’t claim to be a writer if you don’t sit down and …you know…WRITE.

I’ve met a number of people who love to spin dissertations on the books they’re going to write, about the stories they want to tell. Not a one of them sits down and puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboards. It’s fine to have a story or even have a fantastic world created for yourself. But until you put commit that idea, however lofty or thrilling, to a tangible form, don’t call yourself a writer. Do the work. Even if you only write the beginnings. Or the middles. Write some dialogue. Describe the movie playing in your head when you think about these scenarios. It all starts with a few words and suddenly the dam breaks and you can’t seem to stop. Oh, you’ll have pauses. And dark days where the story seems to have stalled out, but if you stop thinking linearly and can let the current scene sit and move on to the next, you’ll be amazed how that missing part suddenly back fills when you sidestep the pothole.

Short post tonight. Very tired after the Cubs Win last night. See you on the flip  side.

And a reminder: