Friday again – how did that happen?

This has been a busy week at Ye Olde Day job, with the arrival of this year’s batch of summer interns.  That, coupled with my meeting with a group of GenX staff members, has left me feeling positively archaic.  And tired.  They’re all so bright and eager and energetic.

My Friday looks to be filled with meetings (oh, what fun!).  When I get home there is a slow leak in the outdoor sprinkler system that needs to be located, which means digging up a bit of the front lawn, and a rapidly disintegrating back fence that needs propping up.

Before I get started on my delightful home-repair projects, I’m going to open up my writing journal, take the story prompt below, and get some words on the page, since I’ve been doing far more reading than writing this week.

Care to join me?

For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.

If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, maybe today’s writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.   This week we’ve got a character to go along with our random words.

Ready?

Here is today’s writing prompt:

Write a story featuring:  a misanthropic bartender

And includes any (or all) of the following random words:

bully                 mysterious         insanity              horror

cadaver            royal                   chameleon          horn

void                  gin                      award                  ambidextrous

vixen                buffet                 collision               assassin              

Whether you’re sharing a bit of your current work or writing something fresh based on the writing prompt, we hope you’ll join us for today’s Story Time.

Happy writing to all!

Basketball playoffs are in full swing (go home team!), the hockey playoffs are nearing and end (sadly, no home team there), and baseball season, which seems to last forever, is well underway.  I, of course, have been ignoring all of these and have been reading books like it’s some kind of Olympic event.

Some of my reading has been for research purposes, a handful were contest entries, and one was an advanced copy of a (now) newly released novel.  I managed to read a few items from my TBR pile, but mostly I worked my way through some favorite, comfortable, familiar re-reads.  I started with a few Georgette Heyer Georgian/Regency re-reads, then off for a couple of Amanda Quick Regency suspense, and then on to Loretta Chase’s Carrington brothers series.

Needless to say, with all of that reading, there wasn’t a lot of time left for writing.  Okay, no actual time went to writing, but I’m okay with that.  Sometimes the best thing I can do for the writing part of my brain is to indulge the reading side.   Enjoyable as my reading interlude has been however, it’s time to pick up the pen and put a few of my own words on the page.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

It’s starting to look a little like summer.  Well, not the weather – that is currently cloudy and cool where I’m sitting – but the local stores have rolled out their inventory of beach chairs, swimsuits, pool toys, and sunscreen and the local swimming pool has been open for business for a few weeks now, so summer can’t be too far away.

Folks here in the U.S. will be celebrating Memorial Day on Monday.   Although it’s supposed to be a time to remember the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces, some think of it as the unofficial kick-off of summer, while others are just glad for a three-day weekend.

I’ve done a lot of traveling (for work, not fun) this month, and attended a lot of meetings, so I’m certainly looking forward to the three-day weekend aspect.  I have several things on my to-do list, though it’s quite possible that I won’t do any of them and will curl up with a good book instead.  One thing that I definitely will be doing is setting aside some time to get some words on the page.

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The cat is curled up next to me, I’ve got a tasty espresso beverage nearby, and a Georgette Heyer book just waiting for me as soon as I finish this post.

Life is good.

Unfortunately, my Friday will bring a longer than normal commute and a very long all-day meeting.  Not so good.  No doubt I’ll be itching for a nice workout at the gym or maybe a nice long walk when it is all done.

One thing that will definitely be on the agenda, assuming I have some functioning brain-cells left by the end of the day, will be getting some words on the page.

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May is shaping up to be a hectic month at the Day Job with lots of deadlines, deliverables, and things to do.  This week I got to interview candidates for a summer intern position on my team.  It was amazing the resumes the group of recent college graduates had.  Almost made me feel like a bit of a slacker.

With the interviews done and the candidate ranking completed, I can at least cross one item off my to-do list as I prepare to enjoy my Friday day off.

On the schedule is running some errands, including a trip to the lumber yard and the fabric store (not both for the same project).  Before I get started with my errands though, my pen, paper, story-in-progress, and I will be getting together for a little focused writing time.   I’m determined to check “get some new words on the page” off my to-do list.

Care to join me? Continue reading →