I was that strange kid who couldn’t wait to start school. No teacher taught me how to read, I learned before kindergarten. I completed most of my homework while I sat listening to lectures. Extra credit work was fun, and I enrolled in every advanced placement class my school offered. As a result, A’s populated my report card. My lower marks reflected my associated boredom level.  An instructor once reprimanded me for working ahead in a math workbook, even though the answers were correct. I didn’t stop. Her class was boring.

I love challenges.  Cracking a code, solving a puzzle, or learning a new skill is exhilarating. Throw me in the deep end, and while I might thrash around and almost drown, chances are, I will soon be swimming like Michael Phelps. A wise man enlightened me on the benefits of becoming a perpetual learner. He warned me, that no one knows less than the person who thinks they know everything,

This week, I have been taking an online course, studying a topic I don’t yet understand. I am pushing my limits, making connections, and it is as scary as Nik Wallenda’s volcano walk. I am happier than a teacher on a snow day.

Are you pushing your limits?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I bet Jennifer didn’t buy a typewriter, but I applaud her decision to select a vintage Mercedes. Given my current struggles with technology, I wonder if I might have been more productive using a typewriter. Then I realized even the most expensive machines lacked spell check and a delete key. Copy and paste was not an option, and printing multiple copies involved something called carbon paper. Finding a single mistake meant retyping the entire page. At the rate I make changes, I would go through a ream of paper in a single afternoon.

There is a saying that quality items, maintain their quality features. I am a big fan of searching estate sales, and resale shops, hoping for a rare find. Art pieces top my list. A well-executed oil painting or watercolor surpasses any mass-marketed print. Mismatched dishes, stemware, flatware, and vases in my favorite patterns and colors, are inexpensive additions to my eclectic table. Besides, when a guest breaks a piece, I can be truly a gracious hostess, and forgive them without shedding a tear.

Wooden furniture withstands the heavy use my household delivers, unlike any modern MDF. And there is the added benefit that its beauty increases with age. Antique area rugs make my feet happy, and they don’t off-gas the way the new synthetic versions do, which makes my lungs breathe easier. While I wouldn’t want to live in the “good old days,” I delight in living with the best products of those times.

Do you embrace vintage in your life?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Every project reaches a point of desperation. Your deadline looms, unanticipated problems arise, a key player calls in sick, shared files become corrupted, the hotel internet crashes, your car has a flat tire, and requires a towed. The mechanic phones saying the fuel pump has a leak and must be replaced. Then a product you need is back-ordered, and you don’t dare ask what else could go wrong. That is the precise moment when your laptop dies. You hear King Richard’s voice ringing in your ear, “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

Multiply by ten and you have my week in a nutshell. These challenges are annoying, discouraging, and a fact of life. Whenever I make changes or create something new, the universe conspires to throw obstacles in my path. I like to be in control; I aspire to perfectionism and these setbacks try to infringe on my sacred writing time. In a perfect world, my house is in order, my head is clear, my soul is calm, and I sit at my pristine desk and write.

If I allowed my perfectionistic demands to interfere, I would never write. Instead, I embrace the imperfections. My screen flickers as I type, I disconnect and reconnect to the Wi-Fi, and remember to save my document often. The phone rings then it goes to voicemail. I narrow my focus, harden my resolve, and work with purpose. The project will be completed. The words may not be perfect, but now they exist, waiting for me.

Do you write despite difficult circumstances?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I have been thinking a lot about, well, thinking. How do great minds think, and how do we learn to think? I don’t remember taking any class or instruction on how to master thoughts. Wanting to know more, I stumbled upon an essay by William Deresiewicz entitled Solitude and Leadership. In it, Deresiewicz states, “Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it.” It’s thought-provoking, and if you can ignore Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for five to ten minutes, I recommend reading it. The concepts he discusses prompted me to explore how I process ideas, where I find my flash fiction and daily quotes topics, and how I arrive at my beliefs.

In school, I found silence was my refuge from the constant barrage the world inflicted. I consumed a steady diet of Herodotus Histories, Benjamin Franklin, Marcus Aurelius, Carl Sagan, and Steven Hawking. The Classics, including Heart of Darkness, was required, and welcome reading. I gravitate to intellectual debate, listening to other’s opinions, researching facts and testing the validity of those reported data. I read articles that align with my convictions and those diametrically opposed to what I think I believe. I pull arguments part, examine logic, and expose them to the bright light of a healthy dose of skepticism.

I still allow myself the space to consider I am incorrect in my assumptions. And in pursuing discovery, I have endured ridicule because I hadn’t watched the latest episode of the newest mind-numbing series. Like Audrey, I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.

What do you believe in?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I believe most fiction is intelligent. To my mind, good stories have a core that addresses an underlying human question. The questions can be personal, specific to a group, or apply to the entire human race. Writers bravely tackle how it feels to love someone who doesn’t return the emotion. They explore death, and why someone might consider murder or suicide. They display shining examples of those who overcome hardships, who sacrifice everything to save another soul.

The story’s question may consider why we wage war, how power can corrupt men, or the hardships people will endure when survival lies in the balance. No matter how abstract the question, when a story presents a question, and a believable character responds, the question becomes tangible and personal. Stories allow us to consider how we might respond in the same situation. They may open hearts and minds to expose alternate possibilities that change our perspective.

How do you weave questions and answers into your stories?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Winter’s end is coming. My countdown calendar says we are a mere seventeen days from the first day of spring. March 1 always feels like a fresh start. But starting anew is often easier said than done. Peer pressure is real, old habits are hard to break, and slippery slopes catch us unawares. We fear the unknown and approach change with caution.

If you have abandoned your New Year’s Resolutions, gotten caught in the sensational worries of the daily headlines, or fallen into the trap of thinking you are not worthy, remember each dawn offers you another chance. Your future isn’t written in stone. Where you start your adventure is not an indicator of where your journey will lead you. Every day ordinary people make massive changes, achieve astonishing feats, and create their dream life.

The sun is smiling, nature is waking, your supporters stand in your corner, cheering for your success. Become a master at embracing and enjoying new activities, and walking unfamiliar paths, laugh when you trip and fall, then get up and try again—it’s how we learn.

What will you confront head-on today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Today is a red-letter day, an event that happens once every four years. Happy Leap Day, everyone. It is more significant since the last time February 29th fell on a Saturday was 30 years ago. This year, we have a special opportunity to spend our extra 24 hours in any way we determine. With unlimited options, the world is our oyster.

Businesses join the celebrations by offering customers free products, 29% markdowns, or other discounts. There are 2.29 mile runs scheduled, if you are interested in a little exercise. You might consider arm curls at your local bar, and lift a Leap Day cocktail.

Whatever you decide, I hope you maximize your bonus and set the stage for a giant leap forward. They say we go farther when we get a running start. Where are my running shoes?

How will you invest your Saturday?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The exercise of writing every day teaches us many lessons. Some days your writing session is filled with wonder.  You look forward to the writing time, and words, sentences, and paragraphs become completed pages. The process is effortless. Other days you drag yourself to the keyboard. You feel uninspired, but you sit, force yourself to type, and like magic, the obstacles disappear, and you finish with more than you could have imagined. Then there are days when despite your best efforts, the words are crap.

Discipline makes you strong, you battle through, working, and writing until you reach your daily goal. The chances are, when you edit those hard-won words, you find gems you didn’t recognize when you wrote them. The truth is, even words written on a good day could be crap. Regardless, they exist on the page. They are words you can edit. Words you can spit-polish and shine to tell your best story.

How is your writing discipline developing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Einstein was one of the brightest minds of the last century. The value he placed on fantasy in this quote is shocking, given that he was a man of science. However, “fantasy” is defined as “imagining things which are impossible or improbable.” When Einstein allowed his mind to consider alternate possibilities, he created a world where time and space were no longer absolute concepts. In his imagination, time and space were relative to a frame of reference.

We don’t need to understand the mathematical equations, to appreciate the value of his theories. Letting our minds consider the unthinkable and unbelievable is freeing. It allows us to create worlds where improbable coexists with impossible in ways that feel logical.

Will you allow your genius freedom to fantasize today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

They are predicting snow again. The alarms began on Monday, forecasting 6-10 inches of accumulation. Their cautions made me smile. I have a stocked fridge, heat, electricity, plenty of coffee, and I didn’t have to rush to the store. Daytime temperatures are above freezing, which means my concern is nonexistent. In the off chance we get snowed in tomorrow morning, I know it will melt by noon.

I am happy to let others race around like Chicken Little, while I ignore the winter weather warnings to focus on my work. It has been blissful. When I choose not to engage with the reactionary melee, the din recedes, creating the same gentle hum as my favorite background music. The babbling is a perfect backdrop for my writing. I hope the snow descends and covers the world in a thick, muffling blanket. In the silent, dark, night, I listen to my heart. My muse giggles and arm in arm, we explore.

What problems can you safely ignore?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer