Well, I have decided to participate in National Blog Posting Month in order to further motivate myself to continue with my everyday writing habit. I tried to follow through on participating in NaNoWriMo last year, but my efforts did not quite pull me through the entire month. A daily blog post seems to be more doable than writing a novel in a month.
Today, I am thinking about a book I just finished reading--The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I picked it up because a dear friend recommended and loaned it to me. And I am so glad she did. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read. The characters were very well written--emotionally engaging and believable. The plot centers on the work of three women to give voices to those who had not historically had a voice--the colored help who served in white households in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. I won't tell you how it turns out, but I will say that you will laugh and cry as the characters bravely work side by side to accomplish what turns out to be an extremely dangerous task. If anyone reading this post has read the book and wants to discuss it online let me know. I would love to hear what others have thought after reading the novel.
And although I am not participating in National Novel Writing Month, I am still working on planning a novel that will take me more than a month to complete. In fact, I'm sure it will be a multi-year project because I plan to write a series. More about that some other time, though.
02 November 2009
01 November 2009
One Year Later
Well, it has been one year of dodging writing intentions for who knows what reason. I looked today and saw that the last post I published came in on November 7th, and then I started to wonder why it is that I do not write more. I give in to unnecessary timesucks, so I need to eradicate them so that I can be a more productive writer. I have about a novel (or seven) lurking in my grey matter at the moment, and I am the only one paralyzing myself. So here goes. I am going to make this blog my 'morning pages' outlet. If you read this, comment if you wish. If this all seems like a bunch of navel-gazing dross, skip over it. I'm doing this for myself, so read or don't read...this isn't the stuff I care about others reading at the moment.
So what are my unnecessary timesucks...what do allow to absorb my time? Well, I suppose I spend too much time daily on silly Facebook apps...this is something as I write it that I think to myself I will be more embarrassed about in five years when I think back to all of the hours for which I have nothing important to show. Really, let's say I'm playing, um, Farmtown; all I'm really doing is participating in a very Skinner-esque activity of button pushing...but I am actually dumber that the rats or birds that Skinner tested on. They got food for their efforts. I get pretend rewards that have no value or meaning in real life. Not only that, there is really no game to the game. I feel silly now even writing it. Okay, so that is timesuck number one that will be shown the door.
Timesuck number two that has been slowly making its way out the door is clutter. It looks back at me so balefully from the garbage bag/box that is its vehicle to its new home. Take me back! it whines. But really, I have become better at turning a deaf ear on its seductive whispering.
That's it. Those are the big two...but they're huge. They keep me from writing, from being a better friend, a good sister, a wonderful mother...the list goes on. But I am saying no more! I'm starting a new life here and now. No more excuses. To get things started and get my imagination churning, I am going to choose a meme to respond to. Here goes. This comes from Sunday Stealing. Let's see what happens.
Sunday Stealing: The Strange Question Meme, Part 1
1. What is the color of your toothbrush? This shade of blue and white.
2. Name one person who made you smile today. Abigail Bowers
3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Getting ready for Sunday School
4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Having a good talk with my mom
5. What is your favorite candy bar? Ha! This has come up a million times this weekend. My favorite is Toblerone.
6. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope
7. What is the last thing you said aloud? Do you need my help with that?
8. What is your favorite ice cream? How to choose? My absolute favorite is Edy's Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint flavor
9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Ginger Green Tea
10. Do you like your wallet? I don't carry a wallet. It's just one more thing for me to misplace.
11. What was the last thing you ate? A teeny-tiny Snickers bar from my daughter's Halloween stash...with her permission, of course.
12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No, not even socks
13. The last sporting event you watched? The Steelers game last Sunday...until half time. Then, we listened to the rest in the car.
14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Just regular with hot butter.
15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? I don't text.
16. Ever go camping? It's one of my favorite summer activities...yes!
17. Do you take vitamins daily? I mean to, but I don't.
18. Do you go to church every Sunday? No. Most, though.
19. Do you have a tan? No...burn and peel is my pattern.
20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? No, I like both equally. And both usually make me equally ill from overindulgence when I do have them.
21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? No. I don't like to use straws because someone once told me a horror story about how she went walking on a beach in Jersey only to see a bunch of straws washed up on the beach. Seems that someone's garbage that had been dumped in the ocean had broken open and made a mess. Straws aren't a necessity, so I don't like to use them.
22. What did your last text message say? No texting here.
23. What are you doing tomorrow? There is a list...daughter to school, TB test read, lunch with a good buddy, cleaning, reading, writing, dance class taxi, dinner-making, homework supervising, bedtime ritualling.
24. Favorite color? I go back and forth between blue and green all of the time.
25. Look to your left; what do you see? Part of the couch, pillows, and an afghan that my husband is supposed to repair for his mother.
So, this is the beginning. I'll be back tomorrow.
So what are my unnecessary timesucks...what do allow to absorb my time? Well, I suppose I spend too much time daily on silly Facebook apps...this is something as I write it that I think to myself I will be more embarrassed about in five years when I think back to all of the hours for which I have nothing important to show. Really, let's say I'm playing, um, Farmtown; all I'm really doing is participating in a very Skinner-esque activity of button pushing...but I am actually dumber that the rats or birds that Skinner tested on. They got food for their efforts. I get pretend rewards that have no value or meaning in real life. Not only that, there is really no game to the game. I feel silly now even writing it. Okay, so that is timesuck number one that will be shown the door.
Timesuck number two that has been slowly making its way out the door is clutter. It looks back at me so balefully from the garbage bag/box that is its vehicle to its new home. Take me back! it whines. But really, I have become better at turning a deaf ear on its seductive whispering.
That's it. Those are the big two...but they're huge. They keep me from writing, from being a better friend, a good sister, a wonderful mother...the list goes on. But I am saying no more! I'm starting a new life here and now. No more excuses. To get things started and get my imagination churning, I am going to choose a meme to respond to. Here goes. This comes from Sunday Stealing. Let's see what happens.
Sunday Stealing: The Strange Question Meme, Part 1
1. What is the color of your toothbrush? This shade of blue and white.
2. Name one person who made you smile today. Abigail Bowers
3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Getting ready for Sunday School
4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Having a good talk with my mom
5. What is your favorite candy bar? Ha! This has come up a million times this weekend. My favorite is Toblerone.
6. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope
7. What is the last thing you said aloud? Do you need my help with that?
8. What is your favorite ice cream? How to choose? My absolute favorite is Edy's Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint flavor
9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Ginger Green Tea
10. Do you like your wallet? I don't carry a wallet. It's just one more thing for me to misplace.
11. What was the last thing you ate? A teeny-tiny Snickers bar from my daughter's Halloween stash...with her permission, of course.
12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No, not even socks
13. The last sporting event you watched? The Steelers game last Sunday...until half time. Then, we listened to the rest in the car.
14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Just regular with hot butter.
15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? I don't text.
16. Ever go camping? It's one of my favorite summer activities...yes!
17. Do you take vitamins daily? I mean to, but I don't.
18. Do you go to church every Sunday? No. Most, though.
19. Do you have a tan? No...burn and peel is my pattern.
20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? No, I like both equally. And both usually make me equally ill from overindulgence when I do have them.
21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? No. I don't like to use straws because someone once told me a horror story about how she went walking on a beach in Jersey only to see a bunch of straws washed up on the beach. Seems that someone's garbage that had been dumped in the ocean had broken open and made a mess. Straws aren't a necessity, so I don't like to use them.
22. What did your last text message say? No texting here.
23. What are you doing tomorrow? There is a list...daughter to school, TB test read, lunch with a good buddy, cleaning, reading, writing, dance class taxi, dinner-making, homework supervising, bedtime ritualling.
24. Favorite color? I go back and forth between blue and green all of the time.
25. Look to your left; what do you see? Part of the couch, pillows, and an afghan that my husband is supposed to repair for his mother.
So, this is the beginning. I'll be back tomorrow.
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