Tuesday Thoughts on Writing Accomplishments

Tuesday morning started out better than Monday. This morning when I went for my walk I felt a cool breeze caressing my bare arms. I have taken to wearing a sleeveless black dress with a Christmas design on it. A cool breeze feels good because on Monday the breezes was a little warmer. I think the cool wind energized me today because I have managed to get a couple more chapters of Scavengers edited/rewritten. 

This evening I have to finish a poem that is due on the fifteenth. The poem is complete, I just have to remove some extraneous characters. When I started the poem, I did not have any idea what I was going to write about.  I found a theme when I read a news article online. I read most of the news articles online instead of an offline printed copy of a newspaper. After I finish the poem, I will edit another chapter of my novel. Once that is done I will do a couple of surveys. 

Midweek Reflections on Walking and Writing

I started to write an entry on medication, but changed my mind. I've got my medication schedule in working order. It's my writing schedule I'm stumbling over.  Usually I don't get half of what I want to write written. Today I might do better because I woke up earlier. For the last week or so I've awakened about 6:30 or 7:00 AM which means I don't get my walk until about 7:30 or 8:00. That's a little late to take a walk because that's when Las Vegas starts to heat up. 

This morning I went for my walk around 6:00 AM. My neighborhood is cooler with less people running or walking around. If I go earlier I can walk faster. Walking faster is one of my walking goals. Another of my walking goals is to find something interesting or weird to write about. The only thing unusual I saw this morning was a shuttle bus turning around in the middle of 21st Street. I don't know whether the driver turned onto 21st just to turn the shuttle around or whether he was supposed to pick someone up. If her was supposed to pick someone up he didn't wait very long after honking his horn. 

Writing on the Second Thursday of August 2016

I write therefore I am! I blog therefore I am! I give thanks for being able to write and to blog. This is the second Thankful Thursday in August 2016, which means I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful that I am still alive and writing. Considering the condition of the world today that is something to include in my Thankful Thursday Gratitude list. 

On Monday, I went to the bank and the grocery store. I had to deposit a check and pick up a prescription. This meant that I had to get into the car drive to the bank then to Smith's Food and  Drug Store. I am thankful that I arrived safely at both the bank and the grocery store. I am also thankful that I arrived safely back home. I am thankful that I had the cash in my purse to pay for the prescriptions because I didn't want to use my debit card that day. In fact I am attempting not to use my debit card for at least the rest of the week. 

The Last Saturday in July 2016

Instead of making a Success Saturday entry, I'm going to list the things I have  to do in August 2016. I'm not listing them in any particular order that way I can change the priority when necessary.  

August Writing 

 

1. Edit Scavengers 
2. Story #21 of 44 
3. Submission for I Write in August, September, and October 
4. Story #22 of 44 
5. Submission to Project Write World 
6. Story #23 of 44 
7. Entry for Virtual Camping in Europe 

That's all I'm planning to write in August. I might do some other writing, but only if I finish  the weekly entries and have time left from the planned editing or writing. I'm looking forward to August because it's the season of monsoonal moisture in the Las Vegas area and that always inspires me. 

 

Success Saturday: At the end of a hot week in Las Vegas

The triple digit temperatures really go to me this week. They were so bad that I wrote a poem about them, I have to go back and rewrite it because I over emphasized the triple digits. I put too many lines with the words "triple digit   temperatures" without looking for other phases. I'll let the poem lay a week or so before rewriting it. 

I'm not sure why the temperature affected me like it did this week. It might have had something to  to with the temperature reaching 100 degrees before noon. Usually the  temperature does not get that high until sometime after 12:00 PM, but this week it hit that mark before 11:00 AM. Of course, it is always better to have the temperature inspire then depress.    I all so finished story number 20 of 44 and now have only two more stories to write before completed the halfway mark. All in all it was a successful writing week. 

Writing My Saturday Thoughts: Is it more than just the Blues?

I want to cry! I want to sit down and bawl my eyes out. I have to do something about this brown study. I have to do something about this depressed feeling I've dealt with lately. I'm not sure when this episode started, but I think it was a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes it gets better and sometimes it gets worse. I know I'm depressed because I'm having difficulty focusing and I want to cry. 

I've attempted to write it out through blog entries and short stories, but that doesn't work for very long. Sometimes I can overcome the sadness by reading a funny story, poem, or joke. That works for a little while; however, eventually the darkness comes back. I'm going to have to widen my approach with a visit to my doctor, increasing my exercise routine, and focused meditation. I don't like the idea of talking to my doctor because the last time I brought up the subject she wanted to give me medication for the depression. 

I'm taking enough medication for other problems. I don't think medication for depression is going to help anyway. The depression passes when I write. The depression passes when I meditate. The depression passes when I say prayers. The depression passes when I exercise by walking. I still haven't answered the question: Is it more than just the blues I'm feeling? 

I suppose it could have something to do with the change in weather or my weight. I do need to lose some weight, but I get so discouraged when the weight doesn't come off the way I think it should. Come to think of it there's a lot of things that make me discouraged and discouragement encourages depression. I have to make an appointment with my doctor next week because of another matter, so I'll talk to her again about the depression. 

Thursday Writing Thoughts on Father's Day

Father's Day, Sunday, June 19, is a depressing day for me because both my Father and Grandfather passed on  several years ago. Both  of them died in the last century so the only things I have left are memories. I have more memories of my Grandfather then I do my Father. This is because my parents divorced when I was in grade school. After my parents divorce Grandpa Frank, my mother's father, became my Father Figure. 

My father died in 1996, but I didn't find out about  that until I did an internet search for him. I'm still depressed about not getting to say good-bye to him, who is buried in the cemetery in Lincoln, Kansas. I was able to say  good-bye to Grandpa Frank, who is buried in the cemetery in Blackwell, Oklahoma, alongside Grandma Mary.  I don't know where Grandpa John, my father's father, is buried because he died before I was born. 

I'll attempt to write a Father's Day poem to Grandpa John and my father. I have a picture of them taken sometime after 1921. The picture shows Dad sitting on a plow horse with his father standing beside him. I'll also write a Father's Day story or poem dedicated to Grandpa Frank. I've written sever dedicated to Grandpa Frank because he is my father figure. 

Tuesday Afternoon Writing

It's been a busy  and fun day. This morning I made an entry in my writing.com blog about the writing I have planned for this week. Then about  11:30 I went out to eat with friends. We went to Carson Kitchen on the corner of Sixth Street and Carson Avenue in Las Vegas, Nevada. Carson Kitchen is a cozy restaurant with good food. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good food and a pleasant atmosphere. 

After lunch I came home, picked up the mail and decided to get online. I played a couple of hands of Gaps Solitaire while deciding what to do next. I finally decided to make an entry in this blog before going to writing.com to review and then work on one of the stories I have started. I still have to vote in the primary election early voting before Friday, June 10, but I think I'll do that on Thursday. 

Midweek Reflections From Las Vegas on Brown Outs

It's not  even summer yet and we're experiencing triple digit temperatures in Las Vegas. We also experienced our first brown out today. It's always a shock when the electricity goes off for no apparent reason.  It didn't stay off very long, but it was long enough to cause my modem and other internet equipment to manually reboot. It cause my computer to shut off which is always upsetting. Fortunately, I  wasn't in the middle of writing a story  or poem. 

This incident reminds me that I need to save my work every five or six minutes. Each time I want to take a sip of coffee or water, I will save my work. That way if the electricity does goes off suddenly I won't lose a too many words. I hate it when the electricity goes off when I written over fifty words without saving them. When the power goes out it interrupts my train of thought which is a problem if the electricity stays off too long. 

I planned another entry for today's post, but the electricity went off. After it came back on I decided to write about the brown out. I suspect this is something I'm going to have to put up with all summer long. It's bad enough that the triple digit temperatures cause the  power bill to go over the moon, but the power outs cause the air conditioner and refrigerator to stop working. I don't deal well with triple digit temperatures when I don't have cool air and ice water. 

Sunday Morning Writing

It is Sunday, May 29, 2016, I have managed to post to all three of my blogs today. I have reviewed four items on writing.com, begin today's gratitude list, and started planning this week's writing goals. I finished two cups of coffee and a glass of cranberry juice. My Sunday morning depression left sometimes around breakfast. I am ready to begin working on this week's short stories and poem. 

One of my writing goals is to finish story 14 of the 44 stories I volunteered to write in 2016. This week I also have to clean out my desk drawers. I started cleaning out  the bottom right desk drawer last week, but I got distracted. This week I have to finish that drawer and one more. I have not turned the television on today, not even with my breakfast. I will not turn it on until I have finished at least 300 more words in story #14. I will post this and then get on with my Sunday morning writing. 

Sunday Speculations on Poetry, Fear and Death

Death will take us all 

Eventually 

Fear is a 

Form of 

Death 

Fear stops the poet from writing. Fear kills the muse. Fear is not something a poet or a writer can afford to remain in the mind. This thought has haunted my mind for the past several days. I have been writing poetry, short stories, and essays for some time and posting them on a writers website. I even do a fantasy newsletter on that website, but that is as far as I have gone. I have not attempted to submit anything in several years. Last week I realized why. 

A few weeks ago, I subscribed to Poets & Writers magazine. On Friday, April 22, I received the May/June issue. I immediately began looking through it to determine which article I wanted to read first. I came across some websites for submissions and I immediately began feeling stressed, nervous and fearful. I realized then that the only thing that has been stopping me from submitting my work is fear. 

I know that I have issues with some  technical aspects of writing, which can be dealt with by consulting grammar websites or books. I also have a bad habit of attempting to edit a story in a document instead of printing a copy off to edit. This is a habit that I can break by printing a copy off as soon as I finish writing. When I edit online, I miss obvious typos. All right, typos are as obvious when looking at a computer monitor as they are on a hard copy. The typos I usually encounter concern words that are spelled right but are not the words I intended to type. 

Monday Meanderings

It's Monday again. All right this day comes around every week about this time. The work week appears to have gotten off to a good start. I'm going to presume it's a good start anyway. This morning, I had to turn my phone off vibrate because I didn't do that last week when I went to a meeting. The problem is that I go to so few meetings that when I do remember to turn the phone onto vibrate then I forget to turn vibrate off.

Muse Meanderings
Skipping through various themes
Looking for something to write

Today I managed nine reviews on writing.com. I also responded to two blog prompts. I still have another blog prompt and a poem to write before I go to bed tonight. All right, maybe bed is the wrong word. I don't sleep in a real bed. I sleep on a recliner because it helps to relieved the pain in my back and prevents my legs from swelling. I've had the recliner for a couple of months and it's helping both problems.

A used recliner
No use purchasing one new
When a used one works as well

 

Midweek Reflection on Writing Poetry and Barking Dogs

It's National Poetry Month, so far I have managed to write at least one poem a day. I have not read the poetry books I planned and I do not think I will get them read this month; all though I could be wrong about that. Since this is the first full week of April I am not sure what the rest of the month will hold.

Poetry writing
the neighbor's dog is barking
interrupts contemplation

I suppose I should complain, but I am not sure what good it would do. The dog does not bark all the time. This morning I think someone was knocking at their door, which cause the dog to bark. I hope the dog woke the family up, as it did with everyone in the neighborhood except me. I woke up early today, took all my morning meds, brewed a carafe of hot coffee, and started to review or write. My day got off to a good start before the dog started barking.

Success Saturday: The first Saturday in April 2016

It's the first Saturday in April
a day of bright sunshine
a to celebrate of achievement.

This week I finished story seven of the forty-four stories I committed to write this year. I have thirty-seven left to write before December 31, 2016. I begin working on story eight on Thursday and completed about five hundred words. I still have over a thousand words left to write.

On the first Saturday in April
I contemplate
all my achievements for the week.

I did a good job of writing this week. In the coming week I want to achieve more then writing. I want to clean off my computer desk and the stand by my recliner. The problem is that I get so focused on writing that the let other things go by the wayside. Therefore, next week (starting on Sunday) I designate a specific time to clean of the side stand and the desk.

Tuesday Writing Ideas: Ten Memories of Easter

Easter comes early this year. Easter is Sunday, March 27, and Good Friday is Friday, March 25. These dates have brought to mind the way we celebrated Easter when I was a child. Every year the city of Blackwell (at least I think it was the city) would sponsor an Easter Egg Hunt on the Saturday before Easter. The hunt would take place at the air port, which was located across the road from my Grandparent's house.

01. The Easter Egg Hunt
02. An Easter Sunday church service
03. A Palm Sunday church service
04. How can the Easter bunny lays eggs? (Something I wondered about as a child.)
05. On a Good Friday afternoon
06. Coloring Easter eggs
07. A Chocolate Easter Bunny
08. Grandpa and Grandma hide Easter Eggs
09. The new Easter dress
10. How to Fill an Easter Basket

Past the Ides of March

It's four days past the Ides of March and there are twelve days left in the month. I'm feeling better after my surgery in February because I'm on my way to healing. Despite the fact that I seem to have problems making blog post every-other-day, I'm feeling more like writing and reviewing. Today I've reviewed several items on writing.com and I may review more before the day is finished.

I took a break from reviewing to compose this post, which will help me focus on what I have to do next. I have to finish a newsletter tonight or tomorrow night, but for some reason I can't seem to focus on it. Perhaps I should just open the document and begin writing. I know the theme and subject because it's the some one I was planning for February before I had to go to the Emergency Room. I've been putting it off and I'm not sure why. I think the problem is my tendency to procrastinate. Last month, procrastinating prevented me from complete the newsletter before I went into the hospital.

Midweek Writer's Reflections on Writing with Acid Reflex

For the past few weeks I've deal with acid reflex and the dry heaves. This started after I had the umbilical hernia repair in February. I know the problem has something to do with the healing process or maybe it's just the after effect of the operation and having a tubes stuck down my nose and throat. Anyway it isn't a pleasant experience. The weird thing is that the acid reflex and dry heaves hit me when I sit down to write, which interfered with the writing. I did manage to get a few thing written, but not as much as I wanted to.

On Monday, March 14, I went for another followup with my regular doctor. I told her about the acid reflex, so she prescribed the generic oneprazole dr. I picked up the prescription on Tuesday, took one capsule (I take one capsule each day) and that capsule worked wonders. I can now write without having to stop to deal with acid reflex. I hope this problem clears itself up eventually, but in the mean time I will take the meds as directed by my doctor.

My next writing goal is to figure out how to use this experience in a short story or poem. I think every aspect of a writer's life experience can and should be used in her writing. In the meantime, I plan to attempt an entry to this blog every-other-day.

Story Number 5 Finished

One of my writing goals this year is to write 44 short stories before December 31, 2016. I completed story number 5 yesterday. I'm not going to worry about how many stories I have to go because that would simply cause me more stress. Two thing happen if I stress (1) my blood pressure goes up and (2) my muse stops talking to me. Therefore, I have to avoid stress which has been difficult lately because I also stress over bills that I have difficulty paying.

To get back to the stories. I have to start story number 6 today. I think I will start it by finding a prompt to push me into writing. Once I find the prompt then I have to review my other goals for 2016. I have two more goals (1) edit one novel and (2) finish another. I think I will print off the first chapter of the novel I need to edit, so that I can read it and see what I have to do to edit it.

Welcome March 2016

Welcome March 2016
a month of celebration
and writing.

Because of my stay in the hospital, I still have a couple of stories to finish. I'm not sure what else I need to catch up, but whatever it is I'll do it by the end of March. One of my goals for March is to write a poem each day between March 2 and March 20. Those are the day of Fast; however, due to medication and recovering from my hospital stay I can't Fast. Instead of Fasting I'm going to write a poem each day plus give up something that I like to eat or drink.

Vernal equinox
begins another New Year:
What are my writing goals?

I'll have to think about that question. Every year I make a goal of writing 2,000 words a day. Sometimes I accomplish this goal and sometimes I fall short. I have about nineteen days to consider the writing goals I want to make for Naw Ruz.

Writing My Way Through the Healing Process

On Friday, February 19, I went into the Emergency Room with the dry heaves and pain in my gut. On Saturday, February 20, I went into surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. I was out of it all day Saturday and half the day Sunday. I finally left the hospital on Monday afternoon, February 22. I begin attempting to catch up on my writing projects since Wednesday, February 24. I have also been attempting to increase my exercise, which is not easy.

Writing through the healing process
one step at a time,
one word at a time,
one day at a tine,
take it slow
walking five minutes at a time.