Ideas

In the coming months, I'd really like to:

• Read more books.  An attainable goal, but not always easy to follow through
• Learn how to write a cover letter
• Figure out why my job search is so...stagnant
• Look at more old pictures; I used to cringe at seeing myself passing through various stages of awkwardness, but now it's not so bad
• Find something that I used to enjoy and learn to enjoy it again
• Be able to sleep again.  Seriously
• Watch more movies.  Again, a simple goal that takes real effort
• Rediscover honesty

Concluded

My third novel is drawing to its natural conclusion and, again, I am amazed at the creative process and how it can alter and shape us.  Fragments of ideas, things that aren't necessarily even related, can become a cohesive unit.  Interestingly enough, but the time I was at this point in my other two books, I was working on an idea for the next one.  This time, I'd really like to take a break and work more on self-improvement.  Writing has been great, but it's also emptied my brain lately and I'd like to see what else is happening up there.  I'm good at making lists, so maybe I'll work on a list of things where I'd like to concentrate my energies.  More on that later.


Currently listening to "You Lost Me" by Christina Aguilera

Memory Lane

Lately I have been doing a lot of traveling down memory lane—I think it’s nice to go back sometimes and remember how things used to be, how it felt to be young, what it was like when everything was brand new and every day was a fresh discovery.  By the time you reach a certain age, you become jaded and assume that there’s nothing new under the moon, nothing left to learn.  I’ve tried to paint myself as a life-long learner.  I enjoy reading something interesting, something new, something that gives me fresh perspective.  There’s always one more book to read, one more movie to see, one more place to travel, if you allow yourself to believe in possibilities. 

Currently listening to “Ordinary People” by Clay Walker

Thinking

Today I got past that 50,000 word hump on my novel.  It’s interesting to consider that I have written over 184,000 words of fiction just since February.  And since I completed two college degrees without ever writing anything longer than 20 pages, it’s a pretty big accomplishment.   Writing has allowed me to live vicariously through my characters, imagining how I would behave given a particular situation.   As a Gemini I understand the duality of personality and have an unusual—some might say inane—ability to play devil’s advocate.  As I’ve said before—I leave pieces of my personality throughout my work, but I also have to step outside of myself sometimes when I consider certain ideas and storylines.

Currently listening to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Little Things

Sometimes the small things in life are the ones that provide the most happiness…

• The sound of rain on the roof (rain, mind you—not storms)

• Spontaneous laughter

• And in the same vein, laughter over a long-ago memory

• A new CD, book, or DVD

• A funny picture or status on Facebook

• An unexpected card in the mail

• Any mail that isn’t a bill!

• Old photos

• A favorite song on the radio

Currently listening to “Long Slow Beautiful Dance” by Rascal Flatts

Continued

Doing pretty good so far with my goal to write more blogs.   This will be my fifth blog already for just this month.   Been feeling a bit of weird in my novel writing lately, but I think that has to do with a combination of outside things as well as getting over that 50,000 word hump—because I’m increasingly close to that mark.  It’s always a challenge to create something unique but so few things are truly unique anymore; stories, ideas, products have in many cases been done ad nauseam.   It will be interesting someday to compare my writing side-by-side to see how many common themes and ideas repeat throughout.

Currently listening to “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele

Fragile

What the events of the past few days have taught me is that life is truly fragile.  So much of life is not about having success, shining in the sun, or thriving.  Life is about our ability to endure, to be here day after day, year after year.   And there are so many obstacles and challenges and structures that try to keep us from enduring, from surviving.  Some days are peaceful and calm.  Some days you spend each and every waking moment scratching and clawing to keep your head above water.  And then other days all of the fighting to endure seems to be worth it—you have a small piece of happiness that you grasp with both hands.  Sometimes the happiness is fragile, and other times it simply endures.

Currently listening to “Never Let Me Go” by Florence + the Machine