small steps

small steps & minor victories

Yesterday I wrote 650 words during the first writing session in two months.

And I went to the gym, slowly working out my injured shoulder with light weights.

Its frustrating, not jumping back in full-force, targeting my previous limits.

Still, it's an accomplishment that I could repeat it again today.

600+ words, again.

I also rose at 5 AM, ran with the dog for one mile in the Park at dawn.

Three big goals accomplished before my "normal" waking hour.

No coffee or junk foods, treats or baked goods either.

Slow, small steps toward the goal of a healthy body and a finished first draft.

I'll see you tomorrow!

how I write

now to empty the mind, that’s the first step
well, the first step, after getting ‘warmed up’
which takes me about an hour of rolling around, stretching, showering, drinking a cup of tea and, ideally, taking the dog for a walk - all at the break of dawn

but , small steps, for now I’m happy to sit down , before noon, and get back to writing

so calm the mind, banish thoughts  and interruptions - using my apps and glasses to create a trance, as I sit, or , more usually, stand, in my special writing place , with the timer set for 25 minutes

if I can just keep the fingers moving across the keys for that long, I’ll earn a break, a small five minute celebration , before I reset the timer and get working again,

And I’ll do this however many times it takes to get that day’s word count accumulated

1,000 words - 90 days - three months - completed novel - that’s the goal

nothing else really happening in my life, aside from a new job and a move and some summer travel , and the perils of trying to earn dual college tuitions - which means I may need to split that writing time with freelance work.....

these are the busy bees swarming about , those that I’ll need to silence so I can enjoy the solitude and the joy of composition  - when I am writing - it is OK, I am OK, and everything is Good Enough, or even, sometimes, Great , those rare occasions when I make myself smile or , more rarely, laugh alout

There is research to do, and planning, and all this counts as “real” writing. 

But for now, the job is to put words on paper, form to story, so that , later in the day, when I am tired, and I’m wondering what I accomplished I can think ‘THIS, I wrote today, and tomorrow, I will do it again’

hello, again

It has been two very long months since I picked up the digital pen - two months that saw me face down every insufficiency in myself and the inherent instability of my present reality ...

Now, I have a job.

And I’ve successfully prioritized my most important goals -- to make it through the next four years, covering the cost of college for both of my children, coming out debt-free (both them and me) .

And I proved it by setting aside this writing while I tackled that task  ( it was NOT easy - edging up on 50 with fixed responsibilities at a time of financial belt tightening in the tech world , I had to go to court twice to keep from being evicted , for just one instance )

The deal I made for myself was that, once I got a job , I’d get back on a regular schedule and that writing, as well as exercise and a social life, would follow.

So here I am , with a road map established, for my professional,  personal and publishing lives .

I’m glad to be back, again.

Now to make it happen.

WRITE YOUR WORDS ~ DO THE WORK