I’m a Happy Camper. No, not just happy or excited about something… but actually THRILLED because as of today I’ve lived in Happy Camp, California for TEN YEARS! In the same home/house/cabin/domicile! This is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere, ever! I must like this humble little red cabin. (I do like it – a lot!)
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A Few Things I’ve Learned About Life
Here’s something I wrote in my writing practice notebook last year:
Goals Are Like Flowers, Before They Bloom
It’s that time of year when I need to think about what I can do to make next year the best ever. First I’m reflecting on what I accomplished this year. One long-time goal has been achieved – I finished the sixth revision of The Scribe of Irohila, a middle-grade novel of 46,500 words, and am finally able to send it to agents.
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Maintaining Momentum
Success breeds success, because if you do well one day you’ll want that great feeling again, so you’ll try to replicate it. That’s why I set goals and do my best to keep at them day after day.
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Last Day of NaNo…
Thank goodness NaNoWriMo is over for 2009… for most of us. I know there are some out there still madly pounding away at their keyboards hoping to get to 50K before midnight. I know because I’ve done it myself, once or twice. But most of us have walked away already secure in the knowledge that if we can write 50,000 words on a novel in less than thirty days, we can do almost anything.
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One Hundred Words
Is it hard to write one hundred words? I think most of us wouldn’t have any trouble with that. One hundred words – that’s an easy task.
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Love Your Writing to Life
A lot has been written about how difficult and tedious writing can be. But what of love? If you sit in your chair thinking negative thoughts about how hard it is to get any words on the page, is that going to be better than actually enjoying your writing process?
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Reaching Toward Goals
If you don’t have a goal you can’t reach for it. I’m sure most of you have decided to write a certain number of words daily. If not, you might want to give that a try.
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Tearing Down the Illusions
So, did you think it was going to be easy? I expect by now you’ve had time to sit down at your keyboard and type out a few lines. Go-getters are already 10,000 words into this. Many others have made it to 2000 words. Others are self-flagellating and wondering why it is so hard to reach even 200 words!
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The Day Before NaNo . . .
I’m not going to take time to write one of those ‘Night Before Christmas’ parodies — no, I’m way too busy today wondering if I’m really ready to start writing that novel tonight. Do I know my character well enough? Do I have adequate plot points to inspire me throughout the month?
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Today’s Word is ‘Determination’
For those who would like to know how I made it through eight NaNoWriMos successfully, I have this bit of advice. What worked for me DETERMINATION. If you have the desire to write a novel in November, you have to be really, really sure you want it.
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Corruption in the meadow!
Wildflowers are blooming though we didn’t get much lupine this year. Instead our south meadow is inundated by star thistle, an unwelcome visitor. I’m learning how to eradicate this terrible, painful plant. It started in the lower part of the meadow a few years ago and now has taken over the entire area to be stopped only by a thick and well-established hedge of blackberry brambles.
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My Top Ten Uses For Writing Time
Now that I have several hours daily for writing I’d like to clarify how these precious hours can best be used.
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