Sunny with a chance of ass-kicking

Friend Bubbles made breakfast this morning. What the Aussies call Egg & Toast Soldiers, we say 3-minute boiled egg and toast strips. So coffee, conversation, and healthy breakfast...it was a pleasant way to begin the day. Good thing, because the following hour has sucked.

I'm without a ride and not feeling great anyway, so not attending a monthly writers' meeting this afternoon. One dog has to be put down when schedules can be coordinated and he can be taken to the vet. The other dog won't stop barking. Cat is blissfully unaware dog is barking more because she's obnoxious than because he's present. Son is upset about the noise. My stomach is churning because I'm letting his grouchiness affect my breakfast. 

Couldn't write yesterday because of drill and shop vac noise and DIL asking where her textbooks are so she could resell them. Dryer won't dry. There are bees in the basement, so can't wash clothes anyway. 

If I had orange juice I'd make screwdrivers. This is bullshit.

Hello, Goodbye

Doesn't matter what we ask for. I feel we generally have to go through the search, the meditation, the trauma of achieving...or releasing. I do feel it is better to seek with a selfless heart, even if what we want is for ourselves. We have to weigh the importance against the need. Is this strictly for our own good, or will it benefit or hurt others?

In my case with Chewy, I'm setting aside my desire he remain with me to his declining health and quality of life. As with a favorite character, I can't bargain with The Universe to give me what I want if it's not doable for all concerned.

Tough decision. Goodbye sucks.

Yes. No. Maybe.

 

Fiction is so much more precise than reality. Dorothy Garlock was once asked in my presence what she would do if a character took over her story. Thinking the question absurd, she replied: I would kill them. It's my book. 

If anyone asked me the most difficult part of writing, I'd have to say it is a toss-up between penning emotion (because real emotion comes from my heart, gut, and head--it's personal, and I always feel exposed)...and separating the voices in my head.

There are those writerly voices, the characters, and there are the screams from my subconscious that force me into a corner. If a friend asks: Does this haircut make my ass look fat, I'm not about to tell her to wear a wig until her buzz cut grows out, so I'll say NO and assure her she looks great. If an aging parent makes a decision out of hope and desperation, I'll waffle, trying to find my ground before answering. Time to say goodbye to a beloved pet--the hardest truth to face, but in the best interest of the animal, I won't lie to myself.

With fiction, it's easier to be brutally honest. I'm not killing a character I've created just because he pisses me off if he veers outside his character boundaries, but since the book will have my name on it instead of his, he's not getting by with his crap. 

Maybe it all boils down to ownership and responsibility. I'm responsible for what my characters say and do. It's not that simple when it comes to controlling others' actions, because I don't wish to own their pain.

No, it's not Monday. Just feels like it.

 

Back to writing today

I'm actually in a great mood. The new bed is AWESOME. The new cat is adapting and getting along with the old dogs. Well...as well as cats and dogs get along.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all, you moms and to the dads who helped make them moms.

Social Media

Like I've said, my writing goals for 2013 include submitting at least 1 new project per month, and since I'm published in long, short, novel, novella, short stories, essays, and what have you... And since I'm a stay-at-home writer... I have no excuses. None I'll accept, anyway.

I also have goals for social media. I dislike dropping my pants unless I am skinny dipping, so this is difficult. Add to that my short term memory issues...it is hard for me to retain new knowledge without a struggle. (By the way, that skinny dipping thing rarely occurs, and not unless I'm sure I won't get caught!

My only goals in SM right now are to keep up with the blog, because writing and life ARE adventurous for me. Even at my age, I learn something new every day. Ha. I just don't recall some of it.

I also have a need to do one or two things better, if not well, so I'm relearning Facebook and Twitter, even if it kills me. I live networking, but it's best I don't learn everything second-hand, so I'm striving to be proactive. Anyone else in the same boat?

Have a great day!

Life Gets In The Way

Or does it? Picture every film you've seen on aging parents, the books you've read on coping with health issues, and articles in magazines on aging pets. Multiply by 10, and you have my last 6 months.

That said, despite getting my parents situated closer to me (he broke a hip and she broke a leg and has other issues requiring 24/7 assistance), WORRYING over big dog with hip problems, smaller dog losing her hearing, and other things...I have managed to write! My goal was for one submission per month, and I had 6 before end of April.

This time last year I was in Australia. Never had time to upload info and pics but will gather steam and get my butt into gear. Stay tuned.

Happy "pico de gayo"--as a friend said to me earlier. And that was her pronunciation.

More later!

Motivation

Back when I was a working girl and many of you weren't even a glimmer in your parents' eyes, I kept journals. In them, I'd set the dollar amount I wanted to hit daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. And since I'm a visual person, I'd clip photos of what I'd buy with that money.

For some reason, my journals kept me motivated. I'd put a big check mark every time I hit a goal. New washing machine, jewelry, trip...whatever I wanted. Often, the goal was to get a new book, visit a friend I hadn't seen in ages. Sometimes during lean months, the goal was simply to have a nice meal.

Looking back later, I'd find I produced more books and sometimes raised the bar on myself, hitting several thousand dollars more than I'd worked toward.

Good books to help included:

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffries
Wishcraft by Barbra Sher
anything by Shakti Gawain, starting with Creative Visualization
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

I was partially paralyzed for 18 months when I began this method. First goals were to move my legs, walk without crutches, get off of pain killers, and stop feeling like a victim. I was bitter, angry, depressed, and a single mother with a young son. But even writing Thank You on a bill I could pay was a goal worth keeping. Gratitude produced abundance.

Set goals. It works. But you can't hit a target you don't have.

Writing buddy DeAnn sent a link to our group that defines how to set goals. Even if you're familiar with the concept, this blog post is worth the read. Sometimes seeing something through a different lens recharges our will to succeed.

http://romancebeckons.blogspot.com/2012/10/career-planning-for-authors-wwow.html

I need to heed my own advice. Have been trapped in one of those "life hells" that pop up now and then. Both parents in and out of hospitals and nursing homes, neither doing well (understatement), with me between helping them and taking care of things at home with my family here. Haven't done much writing. Pretty much became a hermit once I arrived back here. But I'm working my way through whatever needs to be done and hope to get back into what feeds my soul...the writing.

Have a great weekend coming up.

More next time (and hopefully soon).