Reading Challenges 2014

Total books for the year

2011 - 156/150 completed
2012 - 104/100 completed
2013 - 134/100 completed
2014 - 206/100 completed

*****

Non-fiction 2014

Read at least 1 non-fiction book per month.

Jan - Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn
Feb - Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Mar - Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell; Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen
Apr - Dialogue by Gloria Kempton
May - Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress; Cold Steel by John J. Styers
Jun - Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Jul - Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What? by Amy Newmark
Aug - Practical Prosperity Magick by Ellen Dugan
Sep - Madame Pele: True Encounters with Hawai'i's Fire Goddess by Rick Carroll
Oct - The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Nov - Walking on Eggshells: Discovering Strength and Courage Amid Chaos by Lyssa Chapman
Dec - Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland; Outlining Your Novel Workbook by K.M. Weiland; Copyediting & Proofreading for Dummies by Suzanne Gilad

*****

Alphabet Titles & Character Names 2014

Alphabet Titles

Read one book with titles starting with each of the letters of the alphabet.

A - Altars: Bringing Sacred Shrines into Your Everyday Life by Denise Linn
B - Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
C - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
D - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
E - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
F - Beltane Fires by Erzabet Bishop
G - The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake
H - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
I - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
J - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
K - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
L - Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
M - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
N - Night's End by Yasmine Galenorn
O - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
P - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
Q - Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
R - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
S - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
T - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
U - The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
V - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
W - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
X - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
Y - You Slay Me by Katie MacAllister
Z - Zero Day by David Baldacci

Character Names

Read one book with a character whose first or last names begin with each letter of the alphabet.

A - Adelynn Parker - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
B - Barry Hickey - The Sink Trap by Christy Evans
C - Sam Cole - Zero Day by David Baldacci
D - Dorothy Martin - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
E - Ella Mae LeFaye - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
F - Freya Beauchamp - Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
G - Georg Roed - The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
H - Hannah Swensen - Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
I - Ida Mae Simpson - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
J - Jade Calhoun - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
K - Kelly Whitecastle - Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
L - Miles Lord - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
M - Menolly D'Artigo - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
N - Nate Fisher - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
O - Otto Brodie - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
P - Miss Peregrine - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Q - Timmy Quinn - The Hides by Kealan Patrick Burke
R - Precious Ramotswe - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
S - Leonie Simoneaud - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
T - Tricia Miles - Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett
U - Ulf - Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
V - Valerie Moraga Carter - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
W - Win Morgan - The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
X - Xenia Trubin - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
Y - Ysabeau de Clermont - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Z - Bernice Zwerg - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

*****

Geography 2014

Around the USA

Read one book based in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Alabama - Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George
Alaska - Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow
Arizona - Dance of the Winnebagos by Ann Charles
Arkansas - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
California - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
Colorado - Living with Your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
Connecticut - A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall
Delaware - Hawkes Harbor by S.E. Hinton
District of Columbia - Roses Are Red by James Patterson
Florida - Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield
Georgia - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
Hawai'i - The Knowing by L.J. Charles
Idaho - The Memory Keeper by Lisa Stowe
Illinois - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
Indiana - The Money Bird by Sheila Webster Boneham
Iowa - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
Kansas - Murder Gone A-Rye by Nancy J. Parra
Kentucky - Death of a Winter Shaker by Deborah Woodworth
Louisiana - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
Maine - The Girl in the Lighthouse by Roxane Tepfer Sanford
Maryland - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint
Massachusetts - The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake
Michigan - The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl
Minnesota - Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Mississippi - Out of Circulation by Miranda James
Missouri - In Plain Sight by Lorena McClendon
Montana - The Bluejay Shaman by Lise McClendon
Nebraska - Dying to Decorate by Cyndy Salzmann
Nevada - The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olsen
New Hampshire - Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett
New Jersey - Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
New Mexico - Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
New York - Diary of the White Witch by Melissa de la Cruz
North Carolina - Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington
North Dakota - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
Ohio - The Hides by Kealan Patrick Burke
Oklahoma - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
Oregon - The Sink Trap by Christy Evans
Pennsylvania - Gem of a Ghost by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Rhode Island - The Ghost in the Dead Man's Library by Alice Kimberly
South Carolina - Petals in The Wind by V.C. Andrews
South Dakota - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
Tennessee - Eggs in A Casket by Laura Childs
Texas - Disembodied Bones by C.L. Bevill
Utah - Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
Vermont - A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer
Virginia - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Washington - Crimson Veil by Yasmine Galenorn
West Virginia - Zero Day by David Baldacci
Wisconsin - Bean There, Done That by Sandra Balzo
Wyoming - Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Around the World

Read one book set in each of the 13 regions.

US/Canada - 
Central America/Mexico/Caribbean - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
South America - Peru - Deadly Deception by Susan Polonus Mucha
British Isles/Ireland - Scotland - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
Polar Regions/Scandinavia - Norway - The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
Western Europe - Euskadi - The Sheep Walker's Daughter by Sydney Avey
Eastern Europe - Russia - The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
Middle East/North Africa - Israel - The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
Sub-Saharan Africa - Botswana - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
East Asia - China - The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
South Asia - Afghanistan - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Australia/Oceania - Australia - The Purrfect Plan by Angela Castle
Islands/Bodies of Water - Orkney Islands, Scotland - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter

*****

Seasons 2013-2014

Read one book with words in the title or the first letters of the authors' names that begin with the letters of each season.

Dec 22 - Mar 19
W - A Witch Before Dying by Heather Blake
I - Identity by Ted Dekker
N - Ghost Night by Heather Graham
T - Trouble in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon
E - Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker
R - Retirement Homes are Murder by Mike Befeler

Mar 20 - Jun 20
S - The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
P - Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
R - Murder Gone A-Rye by Nancy J. Parra
I - Murder on Ice by Alina Adams
N - Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatan by Rosy & Carl Hugener
G - The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Jun 21 - Sep 22
S - Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
U - The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
M - A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer
M - Shifter Made by Jennifer Ashley
E - Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs
R - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Sep 23 - Dec 20
A - Watership Down by Richard Adams
U - Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie
T - The Gold of Thrace by Aileen G. Baron
U - Unfinished Portrait by Mary Westmacott
M - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
N - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint

F - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
A - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
L - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
L - Still Life by Louise Penny

*****

Cozy Mystery Themes 2014

Read one book in each theme.

1. British - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
2. Historical/Period (prior 1940) - The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker
3. Animals - The Money Bird by Sheila Webster Boneham
4. Culinary - Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
5. Paranormal - Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
6. Vacation/Exotic Locations - Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter
7. Holidays - Valentine Murder by Leslie Meier
8. Hobbies - Booked to Die by John Dunning
9. Professions - Just Desserts by Mary Daheim
10. Senior Sleuths - Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams
11. Humorous - Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles
12. Romance - Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

*****

Non-Cozy Mystery Themes 2014

Read one book in each theme.

1. Goodreads' Crime Shelf - Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott
2. Masters of Murder - Roses Are Red by James Patterson
3. Watching the Detectives - Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
4. Outside the Law - Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
5. From Page to Screen - The Green Mile by Stephen King
6. Serial Killers/New Series - Zero Day by David Baldacci
7. International Intrigue - Deadly Deception by Susan Polonus Mucha
8. Famous Detectives - The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

*****

Read and Donate 2014

Read and donate at least one book per month.  

Jan - 22
Feb - 1
Mar - 15
Apr - 5
May - 3
Jun - 2
Jul - 2
Aug - 3
Sep - 7
Oct - 0
Nov - 0
Dec - 5

*****

2013 State of My Life Address

Yes, I realize I'm not the President.  Yet.  No, I really wouldn't ever want that job!  Have you see how quickly our President's age during their terms in office?  No, thank you.

It's been a productive year, and I'm really looking forward to an even better year in 2014.

I far surpassed my Goodreads Reading Challenges and have been introduced to some new and interesting authors and series along the way.  Read a few clinkers, though, too.  I've been prepping for the new year's challenges and have come up with a list of books that will be both familiar and new and still have room for books I don't know of yet.

Library donations have gone well, and I hope to donate many more books this coming year.  I'm learning to let go of things that I don't need to hang on to, not only books but in other areas of my life, as well.

I did submit several stories to contests and publishers.  None of them were picked up, but I'm heading in the right direction, and that was more than I did the year before.  I'm hopeful that this new year will find my writing career advancing successfully.  Our little Writing Circle has been an absolute blessing.  We started as writing buddies and have become close and dear friends.  We're now coming up with writing challenges to keep each other writing, enthused and productive.  Short stories seem to be easier for me to deal with at this time, as they not only challenge me to come up with many different plots in different genres, but they'll also help me to get things out in the market faster, improve my writing skills and confidence, keep me from being burned out on writing novel-length fiction, and also help me figure out which genres I'm most attracted to writing in.  During both NaNo Camps, I'll probably continue with the shorter pieces and save November for a lengthier prose.

Moving forward toward moving onward with my life is coming along slowly, but steadily.  Just a little while ago, it was something that I envisioned doing somewhere in the great future, but now I'm aiming toward moving within the next two years (sooner, rather than later).  It's just a matter of getting the financing AND going through all my stored boxes to donate books I no longer need and lightening my load.  

I come from a family of pack rats, something we never realized while I was growing up, because we had to move every two years for the military, and we were constantly jettisoning extraneous belongings along the way.  Now, we're in a scary situation, where our belongings are taking over our living space, and the next major move is going to be an extremely stressful and lengthy process.  Hopefully, I can get my things out before then!

My dreamwork has been coming along wonderfully, and I have a few wonderful people who help me in that endeavor.  I'm finding that the older I get, the more happy I am with myself, and the less I worry about what other people think, though I am human, and some of that will probably always be with me.  Your values change, your focus changes, the more pono you become with yourself.  For all ya'll haoles out there, being pono means being right with yourself :)

My genealogy adventure continues.  I keep finding more and more cousins of varying degrees through my research and through the DNA tests that I've taken.  It's fascinating how many people you really are connected to, even in just a couple of generations.  

I've lost 40 pounds this year, which I'm very happy about.  Still have a long way to go, but it's slowly coming off in a healthy way, and all of my blood tests have shown great improvement.  That's a total of 90 pounds that I've lost over the past three years, so YAY ME!  The progress, itself, is a great motivator.

Did get out and about a bit more this year and am looking forward to doing more of that in 2014.

And I FINALLY got to meet a dear friend in person!  We had a lovely chat fueled by ice cream.  We met several years ago in an online game and have become fast friends.  I lean on her a lot, we share our lives, woes and triumphs with each other, and I am truly blessed to have her in my life.

About five more hours until the year turns.  Here's to a happy and safe New Year!

Books Read December 2013

Allen, Sarah Addison

• Waking Kate 

Fiction.  A prequel to her next book, Lost Lake.  A woman begins to wonder at what point did she give her life up for her husband, and if she’ll regret it years from now.  An elderly man tells her a story that might help her answer that question.

Ball, Donna

• Christmas on Ladybug Farm 

Fiction.  The extended family at Ladybug Farm prepares for Christmas, a holiday they’ve always reveled in, however this year they’re facing Christmas in the high 80’s, hardly winter weather in Virginia.  As they consider canceling Christmas for this year, they reflect back on Christmases past and find a new reason to celebrate.

Befeler, Mike

• Retirement Homes Are Murder

Fiction.  Paul Jacobson wakes up to find himself in an unfamiliar setting.  Unfortunately, it happens to him everyday.  With chronic short-term memory loss, each day brings new experiences and new friends.  But on this second day of living at the Kani Nani Retirement Home, he comes across something even more surprising, a dead body stuffed in the trash chute.

Blackwell, Juliet et al.

• Love on Main Street: A Snow Creek Christmas 

Fiction.  Seven short romance stories each written by a different author and that all take place in the small town of Snow Creek.

Blake, Heather

• A Witch Before Dying 

Fiction.  Second in the paranormal cozy mystery series set in a small village in Salem, Massachusetts, where many of the villagers are Crafters of varying sorts, and murders abide. 

Cates, Bailey

• Charms and Chocolate Chips 

Fiction.  Katie Lightfoot is busy baking treats to sell in her bakery and weaving her spells into each pastry.  In the very little spare time she has, she’s been volunteering at Georgia Wild, a non-profit organization trying to protect the environment.  When she shows up at the office one evening, to her horror, she finds that the head of Georgia Wild has been murdered.

Copperman, E.J.

• Chance of a Ghost 

Fiction.  Fourth in the Haunted Guesthouse series.  Alison Kerby juggles the running of a guesthouse with her fledgling business as a private investigator, as well as being a mom to a precocious young girl and housemate to two ghosts who assist her in solving cases.

Dekker, Ted

• Eyes Wide Open 

Fiction.  All four episodes in a psychological journey through madness, as two young people find themselves questioning their very sanity.

• Identity 

Fiction.  First episode in a 4-episode story of a young woman and young man caught in madness.

DeLeon, Jana

• Trouble in Mudbug 

Fiction.  First in a paranormal cozy mystery series taking place in Mudbug, Louisiana, a small bayou town.  Maryse spends her days out in the swamp studying plants and her evenings at her small cabin with her cat.  Her dull life is about to take a turn on the wild side, when her newly-dead mother-in-law bursts out of her casket at the funeral.

Evanovich, Janet

• Pros and Cons 

Fiction.  Novella introducing FBI agent, Kate O’Hare in a new series. 

• Takedown Twenty

Fiction.  Stephanie, Lula and the gang are up to it again, as they try to apprehend various criminals in The Burg.  Stephanie’s car insurance must be raising their rates in each book, as she just can’t seem to hang onto them very well.  Lula is besotted with a random giraffe that only she and Stephanie can see running around downtown Trenton, and Grandma Mazur finds herself in deep trouble in this episode.

Galenorn, Yasmine

- Autumn Whispers 

Fiction.  14th in the Otherworld series, told from Delilah’s point of view.  Everything from a missing person to a war in the Otherworld to a daemon bent on taking over corporate America, the girls and their extended family are kept busy trying to keep their heads above water.  In the midst of all the tragedy and darkness, the birth of three new babes bring hope into the world.

• Ice Shards

Fiction.  Novella starring Iris Kuusi, the Talon-Haltija and Priestess of Undutar.  She must return to the Northlands temple to find the truth of what happen 600-years ago and hopefully have the High Priestess remove a curse preventing Iris from ever bearing children.

• The Shadow of Mist 

Fiction.  Selkie Siobhan Morgan is loving her life with a wonderful man at her side, and a new baby in her tummy.  Suddenly, a voice from the past shatters her peace, and she must fight to sever the ties that keep her bound to a man who won’t take “no” for an answer.

Grafton, Sue

• W is for Wasted

Fiction.  Kinsey finds new relatives after one of them, a homeless man, dies on the beach.  With them help of an old acquaintance, she is able to unravel the threads of his story and reveal the circumstances of his death.

Graham, Heather

• Ghost Night

Fiction.  Second in this paranormal mystery series set in Key West.  Sean O’Hara is captivated by a new woman in his life who witnessed the aftermath of a brutal murder two years before he met her.  Psychological or real ghosts have led her to him in her search for closure, help she needs before another murder can take place.  

Herr, Michael

• The Kauai Obake Bar 

Fiction.  Parody of Hawaiian ghost stories involving ghosts, Madame Pele, the Night Marchers, a menehune, a ho’omano and others.

Johnson, Craig

• The Cold Dish 

Fiction.  First in the Walt Longmire series set in Wyoming that was made into a TV series.  Sheriff Longmire receives a call that a young man has been killed.  There are quite a number of possible suspects that Longmire must consider, including his own best friend, bar owner Henry Standing Bear.  And too, he must consider whether or not this crime is related to a viscous sexual assault that took place several years ago.

Rowling, J.K.

• The Casual Vacancy

Fiction.  Boring story of a community’s reactions to their “mayor” dying suddenly.

Smith, Deborah

• Mossy Creek 

Fiction.  The small town of Mossy Creek, Georgia is the home to some of the strangest group of residents.  Eccentric is a mild term for them, from a shotgun toting female mayor to a flying chihuahua, getting to know them is heart-warming fun.

Toronto, Suzy

• The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women Book Two 

Non-fiction.  Suzy introduces us to more of the wonderfully wacky women in her life, as she tells their inspiring stories and slips in a few recipes.

Books Read November 2013

Adams, Ellery

• Poisoned Prose 

Fiction.  Fifth in a cozy series.  In this book, a mysterious storyteller who comes from the Appalachian mountains where her family has lived for generations.  What stands out most in this book for me is that she has a medical disorder that causes her skin to be blue, based on real occurrences of methemoglobinemia, a disorder that many members of an Appalachian family suffered from.  When the storyteller is murdered, Olivia finds that her tales hold the secret to a treasure that people are willing to kill for.

Barrett, Lorna

• Bookplate Special 

Fiction.  Third book in this cozy series about a mystery book store owner in a small New Hampshire town who keeps finding dead bodies.  With her sometimes acerbic sister and faithful employees, she keeps herself very busy solving murders.

Blake, Heather

• A Potion to Die For 

Fiction.  First in a paranormal cozy mystery series starring Carly Bell Hartwell, also known as Care Bear to her currently ex-fiance.  She owns a potion shop specializing in love spells and comes to work one day to find a body taking up space on the floor of her breakroom...surrounded by blood.

Child, Lee

• Tripwire 

Fiction.  3rd in the Jack Reacher thriller series.  A private detective shows up in Key West where Jack happens to be working, but when he asks Jack if he knows who Jack Reacher is, Jack tells him no.  When he finds the private detective dead on the street, he goes in search of the client.

Clark, Mary Higgins

• The Night Awakens

Fiction.  Collection of short stories by various authors.  Most have something a bit dark and a bit romantic.

Dalai Lama, The

• In My Own Words 

Non-fiction.  Introduction to Buddhist philosophy and the practice of meditation, as well as a treatise on how the Buddhist contemplative tradition and neuroscience can work together to better the human experience.

Norman, Michael

• On Deadly Ground

Fiction.  First in a series set in Kanab, Utah starring an ex-Denver police detective who left the force in questionable circumstances and now works as a BLM ranger in the town he grew up in.  His job is made difficult by the two factions in his town...the cattlemen and the environmentalists.

Richan, Michael

• The Bank of The River 

Fiction.  First in a paranormal series about a man just getting to know his father and the secrets that they share, a magical book, and dangers of the unknown.

• A Haunting in Oregon

Fiction.  Second in a series about a father and son with special abilities who are called in to assist an old friend and his daughter with a paranormal problem at their bed and breakfast.

Tan, Amy

• The Joy Luck Club

Fiction.  Related stories of Chinese mothers and their Chinese-American daughters, the trials they’ve lived through, the differences between then, and how they finally connected.

Todd, Charles

• The Confession

Fiction.  Scotland Yard Inspector, Ian Rutledge, is approached in his office by a man reporting a murder.  He refuses to give any details about the murder other than revealing the names of the killer and the victim.  Rutledge begins to investigate the case, when suddenly another murder takes place.  This time, the victim is the man who had come to report the other murder.

NaNoWriMo is finished for this year

...and I won, though I didn't finish as many short stories as I had hoped to.  I did add to most of the MMORPG character's stories that I'd already begun and started writing scenes for those characters that I hadn't begun before, and I'm happy with what I wrote.  I also wrote some individual and unrelated scenes for stories that don't yet have plots, so that's something to work on.  Lots of humor and romance in those.  I truly don't want to write the typical romance stories, as I find most of them very boring to read, but with a lot of humor or added to mystery, I could handle that.

I'm just glad to have finished NaNo this year.  For some reason, I wasn't as motivated as I usually am, so I was struggling a lot to keep up with the daily word count, and I did write a lot of garbage.  Now that it's over, I realize how stressful that was to worry about reaching 50k words, and I'm not sure the best way to write.  However, it does encourage you to write every day, and that's a good habit to get into.  Now I can relax and enjoy the writing instead of concentrating on hitting a particular number.

  

NaNo is coming along...

...slowly.

I'm managing to keep up, but that's about it.  My storytelling isn't very impressive this month, though I have come up with some interesting insights into my motivation and psyche in regards to the writing.  I've also managed to keep up with my monthly reading challenge, although probably to the detriment of my writing.  

And it's true what they say.  To write, you just need to do it.  Daily.  Even when the words come slowly and even when they're accompanied by much hair-pulling and trips to the kitchen for more coffee.  

After a week and a half of very odd energy circling around me, I finally figured out that my problems were the result of medication maintenance and have gotten things back under control.  I think.  It's hard to cope when your brain is in another world.

All the introspection I've been doing lately has me wondering about life lessons, and what are the lessons that I'm supposed to be learning now?  If only I could identify those, I could work to learn those lessons and move on from there.  Where's my handbook?  That would certainly make my life so much easier, but maybe the struggling to figure out the question is part of the answer.  It's like the first day of class, when they pass out the syllabus that lists the topics to be discussed and tells you when the tests will be.  I look at my neighbors' copies sitting on either side of me and realize that the syllabus I have is for a completely different class!  

Five days left for NaNo.  My fingertips are sore from all the typing I've been doing.  Must.  Keep.  Writing...

Off to a slow start

After months of knowing, or thinking that I knew, what I wanted to work on for NaNo this year, suddenly it was November 1...and I stalled.  I had nothing.  No words.  On the 2nd...no words.  The same on the 3rd, and I started to panic.

I was stressed because I wasn't writing.  I wasn't writing because I was stressed.  I got depressed because I was stressed and not writing.  And all I wanted to do was sleep.  So I did.  On and off for three days.

Finally, tired of causing myself so much stress, I began to write.  Free writing, not the writing I had intended to work on, but I was putting fingers to keyboard, and words were appearing on the screen.  That's all I cared about.

Those first several days that I was writing, it came so slowly, like pulling teeth.  I was still stressing and napping a lot.

Then I gave myself permission to JUST WRITE.  It didn't matter WHAT I was writing, just babbling at times.  But the words began to come faster and easier.  And then one day, I was writing again.  Still not what I had planned to write, but plotting, story ideas, a short story about a camping trip I took years ago.

And the stress went away, and I was okay.

The lesson here is to...just write.  Write every day.  When it becomes a habit, you NEED to write every day.  The day doesn't seem complete unless you have gotten words on the screen.

And maybe, just maybe, you'll be ready to call yourself a writer.