Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!! How's everybody? Stuffed with turkey and cranberries and pie, I hope. I'm having deja vu. Five years ago, my family took a trip to Disney World and I stayed home with the pets for a writing retreat. This year, Michael and Dagny went down to Ave Maria to be with Max and I'm supposed to be having a writing retreat, working on my Nano book, but I've been bested by a horrid migraine. Believe me, I am thankful to stay home to soak in the quiet. I've been praying with my new rosary Dagny made, enjoying my furry friends, the lovely fall colors. This year, Thanksgiving falls on my mother's birthday so it is extra-special. She would've been 82 but because she died so young, I am now older than her.

 

 

 

Writing through the Holidays

The end of November already. How'd all you Nano-writers do? I didn't finish polishing my historical, but I'm halfway through, so it's progress.

These are all pictures Max took on our walk to the cemetery on the island. I like going there often with our dog, but in Nov. we make a special emphasis to go as a family to pray for the dead. It is beautiful and peaceful and I find myself singing: For the Beauty of this Earth.

A new liturgical year begins tomorrow, and I'm taking stock of how I spend my time, and making the necessary changes I need to stay productive. An observation: it makes writing through the holidays a lot easier :)  So if you're worried about the holidays derailing your writing, now's the time to create habits that help you to write with your family and festivities. Wishing all my brothers and sisters in Christ a most blessed Advent.

A Thanksgiving Writing Retreat ... Yes, Really!

So, I was reading this book last week, and my husband pipes up, "What's this, another fantasy novel?"

Laugh. He knows me too well. I am a slow writer. Methodical. Even scientific. Checking facts. I can be highly distractible. Procrastinator extraordinaire. I don't actually expect to ever participate in NanoWriMo and I suspect many of you are pounding the keyboard right now. I am in awe of you. I'm cheering you on. So although it may be too late for you this year, this might be the perfect little preparatory tool for next time.

But even for slowpokes like me, this is a fantastic resource. It works great not only for giving the idea shape, but also for revising. So while most folks are gearing up for Thanksgiving madness, I am having a *very quiet* home writing retreat with my pets!

What?

How?

Why?

Yeah, I know. I'm crazy. But writers are allowed this. My husband planned a trip to Disney World, invited his parents for a longish visit, and so ... I bailed out. I was in the process of figuring out pet care and knew the best solution would be for me to stay home, take care of the furry critters, and write like a madwoman. I've already had a very productive morning scribbling in my notebook.

Can I finish the whole thing in a week? Is it a fantasy? Come back next week and find out. 

Until then, have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving holiday*. Do eat an extra slice of pie on my behalf.

ETA: I took a picture of my new work area, the entire dining room table, all tidied up! The oak leaves are from our backyard. I love all the color in my kitchen.

*And if you are struggling to balance writing with family and food preparations this week, you have my sympathy. Oftentimes, it's easier to simply put the writing aside. Enjoy your family. Maybe you can plot and plan a family vacation while doing dishes ...

Halloween

We have the perfect Halloween cat sunning herself, the witch-child carving her pumpkin and my husband cooking chicken wings on the baby Green Egg. Sigh of contentment.



As you can see I've been playing around quite a bit with all the blog settings. I think I finally have it at a place where I can leave it alone and just use it for sharing my jumbled thoughts and pictures -- I love the new interface because I can select the size!

Isn't this mossy oak tree marvelous? We have lots of squirrels that distract the dog on her walk. I wonder where the pumpkin will drift to ... 





And now I must direct all this energy I have towards my book! Not everything has to be in order.

For those of you who are doing Nano -- may your fingers fly across the keyboard. My shiny new idea needs to percolate some more, gain some structure before I begin to write. I wish I could be like the people who can just write without a roadmap, but the one time I did it, I ended up with a mess that I still don't know what to do with. I need to have a solid structure before I write a single word down.

Happy writing, all.

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Seize the Day!

Molly offers the Golden Coffee Cup as an alternative to NanoWriMo every November. It's packed full of inspiration. We post our Nov. goals (not necessarily 50K words) and share what we accomplished or not at the end of the month. I'm a proud winner this year of Jesse's logo despite severe setbacks. The Blaisdells are a talented bunch ... I seem to remember seeing some line art from Jesse as well.

But today -- today was a glorious day for another reason as well. I woke up without a migraine. Oh, a teensy one gnawed at the side of my head but I ignored it. There were no hammers hammering away. No tears. No anguish. No thoughts about how to get through the day. I brushed my teeth as the kittens came to play with the water. I got the kids ready for school and even engaged in conversation without asking them to be quiet. I walked to school and coming home, sang praises to God. Everything, from the brown soggy leaves to the bare branches, looked beautiful to me.

A small doubt crept into my head. How many hours will I have? But I banished it right away. Seize the day! And I have. I have tackled long-forgotten tasks related to school and home. I've written a bit. I'm writing this post. I have lessons to finish correcting. The sun is shining. I have a a page or two of my novel to revise. I can do anything ...

I have been given gifts from friends, the gifts of time and company. I need to write them back, thanking them.

It's been a long time -- weeks, months? -- since I've not had a hammer, a chisel and an anvil in my head. I pray this is a turning point.
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