Saturday Summation.

What a very nice day today. The dedication of the Patriot’s Patio at VFW Post 2503 was at 1 p.m. It was a perfect day outside, and the remarks were short and sweet. The crews that did the work were all very talented men, top craftsmen, one and all. What a joy to see their creation. There was a pictoral history of the progress from day to day, and the men were collectively proud. I love this stuff. It would have been perfect if the Babe’s brother in law Lou Riedmann were still with us. He would have been equally as proud.

This month’s edition of Writer’s Digest suggests Journaling as a Superpower. Also suggested, we begin journaling. It is basically a diary. One type of Journaling could be a novel journal. What a great idea! A novel idea even. Too soon? I suppose.

I’m tempted to journal this NaNoWriMo. It is described as a a collection of novel-in-progress. What are your goals for the scene, what clues do we need to plant? List 10-15 different directions my character might go, based on events of the story. Try different points of view for the character.

Also, an idea journal should be handy. Any ideas for stories, short stories, chapters, novels, etc. should be recorded. I’m liking these journaling ideas. Last night, we talked about journaling being important in learning in peer support. A person learns a lot about how they think and process memories through journaling.

All the words I write, in my novel or not, count as words to be considered for NaNoWriMo. They don’t have to be just chapters, blogs, or notes to myself. It will be good to count everything, and definitely add to the final tally. I hope the flow is conducive to more writing. We’ll have to finesse it as we go along. I’m getting kind of excited. Back to writing Ahhh! It’s been a long time. Remind me of those excited feelings in about a week when I’m tearing my hair out, ok?

It’s been a long day and that king-sized bed looks pretty good to me right about now. Have a great rest of the evening, and we’ll see each other tomorrow, ok? Thanks for reading.

Never Give Up!

If you know me at all, you know how I love to read books to children. I read to all my kids, and they all enjoyed it. They were used to my changing voices for characters and such things. The first time I read to Gavin and changed voices, he was on my lap. He turned slowly and looked at me; wish I knew what he was thinking. I miss having a little one on my lap and reading aloud to them. I may volunteer at the library someday or as a teachers aide, (when I run out of things to do).

I am thinking of getting copies of some of my favorite kid books and making videos of me reading them. Maybe they could be Podcasts or on You Tube. If kids might calm down and listen while Mom or Dad lets them listen/watch, it might become a thing. You know? I’d have to read just a couple pages of mine, though, because the idea is to sell my books, not read them for free. Thoughts?

I was down in the dumps about “Roxie! WHAT Are You Doing?” last night, and actually told the babe, “Maybe I should just quit.” That is not like me. His response was perfect. “You have too much invested to do that. See it through.” Just what my dad always told me. See things through. True to an Irish proverb; 

“A Good Laugh and a Long Night’s Sleep are the Two Best Cures For Anything.”

And in the world of wonders, I mentioned looking for another illustrator, and a creative group I’m in on Facebook suggested posting my needs in the group. And, voila! (Do people still say that?) I’m doing a Zoom meeting with a fellow group member next week, one day. The Universe truly provides for we who believe! Yes, the Long Night’s Sleep did it’s magic. I have always believed that down to my bones! Thanks, Babe.

All a person needs is a glimmer of hope. And sometimes, you have to look for it. You have to risk asking to find it. There is hope for all creators, it’s part of being what I call a creative soul. Hope and light and love follow. We’re all capable of it, and it takes commitment. Making it means sticking with it when you feel like giving up. So last night was just a fleeting thought, and totally normal. It’s good to know we’re normal sometimes and it’s all part of the process.

Getting Back to Work!

Wow, my weather app on the phone just told me it was going to start raining in Gretna in six minutes. I didn’t know it could be so precise! Of course, the dogs went to find cover. Goldie right by me, Lexie, in our dark closet. I hope it lets up at the the time Addison is leaving school. It should, and it’s supposed to have a fall-like cool off. Looking forward to opening the windows again!

Enjoy the rest of your day. And if you’re feeling down and doubting yourself, just take a very long sleep. It will all look better in the morning. Trust me. It works. See you tomorrow!