Friday already?  How did that happen?

This week didn’t include much writing outside of the day job, but I did do a great job on my “get rid of one thing every day” goal.

At the end of last year Michille posted about the successful completion of her 2019 goal to basically “get rid of stuff.”  Inspired by her resulting empty drawers and clean mudroom, I decided to adopt the goal for 2020.  I don’t have a mudroom, but I’m visualizing a tidier garage and maybe some empty dresser drawers too.

It’s currently day 16 and I’ve already gotten rid of close to 100 items.  True, many of them were holiday decorations that hadn’t been out of their boxes for years, but I’m pretty sure they still count.  Next up is the household-goods cupboard in the garage.  Since I’m pretty sure I have pots and pans out there that came from my parents house, I’m sure to find plenty of things to part with.  I’m visualizing an empty shelf in my future.

Now that I have my tidiness goal well underway, it’s time to turn my sights on writing.  I think I’ll start things off by giving today’s writing prompt and/or random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Friday!  I’d like to say I had an extremely productive week, getting lots of writing done and tasks completed.

Sadly, that would be a  work of fiction.  In reality, I spent far too much time this week falling down the rabbit-hole that is Twitter following the RWA implosion.

On the plus side, I’ve been exposed to a whole new set of writers and learned a lot.  On the day job front, this week been a combination of wrapping up 2019 end-of-year stuff and doing 2020 planning.  We always say we’re going to get the planning all taken care of in November so we can hit the new year running, but it never, ever happens that way.

One bit of 2020 planning that I did manage to take care of this week was getting my calendar set.  I’ve scheduled regular days off each month and blocked off specific writing times.  I’ve also blocked Friday afternoons off for “quiet time” so I can get things done without interruptions – all part of my less stressful / more productive 2020 plan.  We’ll have to wait and see how that all works out.

I’m thinking this Friday’s quiet time will be a the perfect time to give today’s writing prompt and/or random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Welcome to a brand-new year of Friday Writing Sprints.

I hope your 2019 had a happy ending, whatever you were doing and however you celebrated.   Mine ended with a whimper.  Well . . .maybe that was the dog whimpering in response to all of the fireworks the neighbors were setting off.  And maybe it wasn’t fireworks we heard, but the sound of RWA imploding.

I’m enjoying one last day before heading back to the office and hours of back-to-back meetings.  I don’t mind going back too much, but I will miss lounging around in pajama pants; although, considering all of the holiday baking (and eating) I did these past few weeks, I might have to stick with them.

Ah well, good thing there is a gym at work.   Here’s hoping all of those “I’m going to work out this year” folks are still on holiday so the gym won’t be too crowded.

Whatever else happens, I’m planning to give today’s writing prompt and/or random words a try, once I get home from work.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

As I write this post, I’m sitting here on the couch, enjoying the sparkly lights on the Christmas tree while the cat sleeps peacefully beside me.  A far cry from years ago when the cat was a just a kitten and the tree had to be wired to a bolt in the ceiling so that neither he nor the puppy could bring it crashing to the ground.

Oh, how times change.

Now the only thing the cat finds interesting about the tree is the water bowl underneath, which he considers his own personal beverage dispenser.  Maybe this means it’s finally safe to put the breakable ornaments back on the tree.

I’m enjoying this time of “staring off into space”, because I’ve managed to wrap-up some major tasks, both at home and at work.  The week will have a busy ending though – it’s quickly-wrap-up-everything-before-year-end time as well as annual-goal-setting time at the day job again, plus Friday will include all-day strategy/planning session.

What could be more fun?

I can think of several things, including doing some writing sprints.  Once my meetings are over, and I’ve had a chance to unwind at the gym, I think I’ll give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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), if you’re not feeling random, 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, I hope today’s random words and writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.

Ready?

What if: “Your character is on the run?

Feel free to interpret the “What if” any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:

hooves        hotel              original       disbeliever

parade        blinking         illegal          puppet

alarming     antique         freakish       hiss

alcohol        tragic            property      lullaby

I look forward to seeing your stories in the comments.  If you’re not feeling in the writing mood today, or don’t have time, feel free to post suggestions you might have for future “what-if” prompts.  Ideas are always welcome.

Happy writing to all!

Welcome to the end of another fun-filled week; or if not fun-filled, then at least a problem-free week.

I’m currently quite pleased by the fact that the flu-shot I got in the early fall seems to have worked it’s magic:  I have been illness free while friends and coworkers have spent the last few weeks suffering from various maladies.

Having remained healthy is a good thing because not only am I in the midst of the traditional year-end crush at the day job, but I’m also in the midst of finals.  For some reason (I can’t even blame strong drink) I decided earlier this year that going back to school would be A Good Thing.  Now, with finals at hand, when I’d much prefer to be reading or admiring the sparkly Christmas tree, I’ve just spent the last few hours studying away like a good little student.  Something I’ll do again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.

What was I thinking?

Fortunately, in less than a week exams will be over and I can find something fun to do until it’s time to start the whole cycle over again.  As a reward for good behavior, I think I’ll take a break and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Friday; hope you’re having a great day, whether you’re recovering from Thanksgiving, searching for the perfect Black Friday deal, or just relaxing.

I’ve been off work all week and have spent most of that time relaxing.  That’s worked out so well that I’ll be sticking to the plan for the remainder of the week.

Should I feel a burst of productivity, I may just give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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), if you’re not feeling random, 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. Continue reading →

This definitely hasn’t been a typical week and it certainly hasn’t gone quite as planned.

It started out with a funeral for our CEO who died unexpectedly last week.  Funerals are nowhere on my list of “favorite things” and events, attended by 3,000 people and lasting for hours are even further off the list.  It was a lovely ceremony, but being surrounded by grief can be challenging and, for an introvert like me, exhausting.

The rest of the week has been a crush of trying to get a wide range of projects wrapped up both before the end of the year and before folks head off for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.  The capper on the week was when Microsoft Office pushed a software update out that broke my database program, just as I was in the midst of a big deliverable.

Doesn’t it just figure?

Well, the software will either be fixed or the deliverable will be missed; at this point it is all out of my control.  Instead of worrying, I think I’ll direct my efforts in a more creative direction and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →