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Archives for May 2022

Big Secret Goal Reveal: It’s 1977 All Over Again

It’s finally time to reveal one of those big secrets I’ve been keeping from you. And this big secret isn’t finished: it’s just beginning.

I’ve always wanted to write fiction, and have failed over and over. I get off to a great start then lose steam and stop. That’s about to change – thanks to The Write Practice’s 100 Day Book Challenge.

100 Day Book

Sure, I’ve written a lot of poetry. And yes, I co-wrote through the first draft of a cozy mystery with a friend. I believe that 100 Day Book will encourage me to finish the first draft of a novel I’ve wanted to write for years. How does this program work?

It started with a book plan that was submitted over the weekend. That plan outlines my goals. And you know how I feel about goals, right?

So, of course, this 100 days is a mission! It’s an adventure! And if I hit all the deadlines and finish the first draft on or before September 6, 100 Day Book will pay me $100 and I will give me a weekend getaway.

Pants Or Plans?

In the fiction writing world, you either write that first draft flying by the seat of your pants (aka “pantser”) or you plan meticulously. I’ve tried pantsing my way through a first draft and it was sad.

Turns out, I’m more of a planner. I even have an Excel spreadsheet with a scene-by-scene breakdown. It has character arcs and a few more things I may talk about at a later date.

You remember that I wanted to write 250 words a day, five days a week? Well part of the book plan was breaking down the novel by how many words you need to write per week. I already have about 20,000 words written so to hit a goal of 70,000 words, I need to write 3500 words per week every week over the next fourteen weeks. Yikes!

Tell Me More

This is a coming of age novel set in the 1970’s. So this summer, I’ll be reliving the Autumn of 1977 through that character’s eyes. Here are some hints:

Let’s Go!

So here I go, working my way through the first draft of a novel that I’ve wanted to write for a l.o.n.g. time. Tell me about your memories from high school and the 1970s – good, bad, funny, sad, or tell me what projects you have planned for this summer.

Mission 2022 May

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.

But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.

So how was April?

April’s Tarot Card

I did a tarot spread for the full year and April’s card was Coming To Life. It asked me to get out of my own way and let spirit lead. It was a reminder here to try to not coax or push the dream forward.

This was a month of wait and see. It was a month where I definitely allowed spirit to guide me. I was tempted so many times to take off to another town for the day to hit the thrift stores, but then realized I really didn’t need to do that. I was OK with staying at home (and I did hit the thrift stores here.)

The end of April always gets me excited about buying new things to plant outside. Unfortunately, it’s also the time when allergies attack. While daffodils and tulips and trees are busting out leaves, I’m holed up inside waiting for the trees to wrap up their leafing out. At that point, it’s nice and warm and all the plants that overwinter in the house are ready to go outside – me, too.

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

Still working on this one. Last month I said I’d have a chat with my inner child and we’ve come up with a plan. There will be words written in the coming months for sure.

And, to be clear, this is words each day for personal projects. For work I’ve been writing up a storm – and more than 250 words most days. 250 words, by the way, is about 15-minutes worth of writing.

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening. I’ve got other things on my mind now.

Post Twice A Month On This Website

Oops! April went by and I only posted one time.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

In April I used my Linux machine all of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media. I used it to watch Star Trek: Discovery on Amazon Prime. I didn’t creep back over to the Windows computer at all; it hasn’t been turned on since March.

Though I have to say I haven’t been happy with the Linux genealogy program, Gramps; I guess I just prefer the program I’ve used for years – Legacy. I’ll have to see if it will work in a Windows emulator and/or dig into Gramps a bit more.

Have Fun

Sigh. It was sprinter: spring and winter, but really more winter. Brrrr.

  • In that one weekend where spring attempted to gain hold, I spray-painted a table and lamp. Sadly, I did not take before or after photos, so this will not become a craft blog.
  • I went to the Zonta rummage sale at the library and scored on a couple of cute pieces of clothing for summer.
  • On Easter Sunday family gathered at mom’s house. First time we’d all been together since Christmas.
  • I got massages, bought an air fryer, and colored my hair fuchsia, blue, and purple.

Big Secret Goal #1

Not very much hear. That will change over the next few months.

Big Secret Goal #2

This goal involves hiring pros. Finally got an appointment set!

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. Since the last update I’ve read:

  • The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fiona Valpy
  • Birthright by Nora Roberts
  • Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life by Elizabeth George
  • A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
  • The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
  • Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
  • The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen
  • That means I’ve read 18 of 50 books for the year!

How About You?

How was your month?

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Although profoundly ‘inconsequential,’ the Zen experience has consequences in the sense that it may be applied in any direction, to any conceivable human activity, and that wherever it is so applied it lends an unmistakable quality to the work.

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