When the going gets tough when the cards seem stacked against us, home is our refuge. We seek shelter, comfort, and an inner haven. We retreat to a sanctuary where we can heal, nurse our wounds, and gather the courage to fight our greatest battles, and defeat unbeatable odds.

Work deadlines, late nights, and early mornings exact a toll, and a short walk outside reminds you how it feels to breathe. The simple act of exercising outdoors forces your mind to focus on an alternating terrain. You may have no awareness of the process. As your feet tread on sandy soil, your nervous system communicates the conditions to your brain, which signals your muscles to make tiny adjustments. The neurons fly when you navigate a winding path, or when you alter your gate to avoid a puddle. It is a primal mechanism perfected over the millennium of our existence. Studies suggest a nature hike improves positive emotions and our general mood.

We are only human, weak, and feeble creatures attempting to find our way. But Mother Nature is on our side. Spending time with her helps us face the struggles that define the challenges for the adventurous. The valiant recognized satisfaction lies in reaching for the stars, they learn the joy of attaining their goal and realize true meaning is hidden within the journey.

How will you fight for your dream today?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

My errands yesterday included a stop at the drugstore. The parking lot was overflowing as customers see-sawed and jockeyed for the spot closest to the entrance. I saw the chaos before committing to my turn, and instead, I kept driving.  It was then I realized the date. The day before Valentine’s Day is the busiest last-minute, chocolate heart buying, sappy card purchasing, and overpriced frantic flower shopping crowds crammed into the local connivance store time of the year. No, thank you.

There are many reasons to adore Valentine’s Day. There might be a couple things to hate, but in today’s love-filled spirit, we won’t go there. Besides, I am all about the chocolate. They say dark chocolate is nutritious, packed with minerals and antioxidants. Studies suggest it may promote blood flow, control blood pressure, help with cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease, and improve brain function. Those are the facts I repeat when I must defend my chocolate drawer. Yep, I have a space dedicated to a secret stash that feeds my daily one piece of chocolate indulgence.

I love anticipating the Valentine’s Day aftermath. Tomorrow the chain store mobs will be non-existent, and they will drastically reduce the price of my favorite dark delights because of the large heart-shaped box. I hope it fits in my drawer.

What is your favorite part of Valentine’s Day?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It has been a succession of endless, busy days. Work deadlines required late nights, early mornings, and the effort has left my batteries drained. During the week, I pause every 52 minutes, but you can’t sustain that pace for long. I need less thinking, fewer decisions, and a breather. I recognized the signs. I’ve noticed my lack of energy, lack of motivation, and my “fuzzy-headed” inability to concentrate.

My poor prefrontal cortex is sending me messages, and I ignore them at the peril of sacrificing productivity. Scientists have identified this region as the center responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, and performance management. I have learned downtime is just as important as working hard. Elite athletes know the importance of recovery days. They are scheduled rests slotted between periods of intense training. It is time for a relaxing cup of tea, a blazing fire in the fireplace, a good book, and perhaps a nap. No, there will be a nap. Then I will return to my regularly scheduled productivity.

How often do you take breaks and recharge?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The next item on my schedule is rewriting/editing a piece I hate. I consider it an epic fail. Surprise, surprise, this subpar story is in my short story draft file, ignored, and condemned to languish in a perpetual state of procrastination. I don’t hate the premise, but the story’s execution is weak. There are words, sentences, and ideas I may decide to salvage. It requires me to roll up my shirt sleeves, prepare for construction dust, and do Atlas-style weight lifting.

I have several of these projects. A few stories have merit, good ideas, a likable character, and believable conflict, the stuff you want in a story.  But they lack the spit, polish, and shine for me to declare them good enough for prime time. While I may like these stories, the prospect of dissecting, cutting, reworking, and rehashing them is unpleasant. However, I want them finished, which leaves me little choice on what I must do.

How do you approach a rewrite or edit?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I started my writing journey to release the characters who were chattering in my head. Adventures hovered and flitted through my mind as numerous as fireflies on a summer’s night. But I shared Tony’s concern. Would there come a point where I ran short of ideas? Where would I find inspiration? How could I continue my quest if my well was dry?

Despite my fear, I write daily. I pluck an individual concept from the ether, tease the thread from the massive tangle of jumbled thoughts, and I describe what I see. Some develop like a single seed of a dandelion, so delicate, I must act quickly to capture them before they float away on the slightest breeze. Some tales are yarns created from nubby hand-spun wool. They produce interesting textures and present unexpected issues that demand creative solutions. They grow, creating a warm, comfortable blanket.

Writing is like cutting the head off a Hydra. One day, I discovered the dandelion seed had taken root and become a vigorous plant demanding my attention once more. Establishing itself in a tiny crack, it threatened to take over the garden, and I knew the only way to weed it out was to write more and write faster. Each written piece spawns more story ideas, and my list grows longer until I find I am standing in a field of yellow flowers.

Does your writing inspire additional stories?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

No matter how much you plot, plan, schedule working time, and commit to keeping the promise, life happens. The dog requires a walk, a friend needs a shoulder, or you fall asleep at the keyboard. If I waited for celestial alignment and ideal circumstances, I fear I would never write.

Luckily writers are creative, muse driven, inspirational lightning rods, and we must write when the ideas strike. While I am not sure my motion sickness would allow me to compose in the back seat of a taxi, hotels, airports, and airplanes would work. I am enamored with writing in a Walden Pond environment. Maybe I should start a bucket list of writing spots.

The good news is I don’t have to wait for the perfect writing space to materialize. Lacking access to an internet connection improves my productivity. If I can open my laptop and manage to balance it well enough to type, words will make my story grow.

Where is your oddest or favorite writing spot?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I remember reading the Winnie the Pooh stories as a child. Christopher Robin’s tales made me jealous. I thought it would be wonderful to have a stuffed teddy bear who could talk to me. How glorious to escape to the Hundred Acre Wood for marvelous adventures with his loyal animal friends.

Someone gave me an overstuffed purple rabbit with a carrot tattoo on his left foot. The bunny was mute, or maybe he was a stoner. I was six, what did I know? My Hundred Acre Wood comprised a single scrawny apple tree. Each summer, it produced terrible green apples so sour my entire body shook for a week after only one bite. Sour Patch, Lemon Drops, and Warheads didn’t compare with those little green bombs. When the hard, inedible fruit matured, they fell to the ground and dissolved into rotting brown heaps. The wasps loved them and aggressively protected their treasure. They transformed the backyard into a war zone, and they launched air raids against anyone who dared to enter their occupied territory.

Christopher Robin represented a fantasy. His story presented a believable lie spoon-fed to gullible children. I often wondered about Christopher Robin’s life outside of the Hundred Acre Wood. Was he a lost boy trying to cope in a chaotic adult-centric world? I considered he had more in common with Hansel and Peter Pan than Pooh revealed. Yes, if Pooh came to visit, we would have long discussions which would require a tasty morsel, and a nap, to keep up our strength.

Did you find a childhood story difficult to swallow?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I’m a non-starter for breakfast. Before two o’clock in the afternoon, I can only manage coffee. I require several hours to shake the last vestiges of sleep, reacquire the ability to speak in coherent sentences, and remember I am a human, not a zombie. A hot cuppa Joe helps my transformation.

There are many great dishes unjustly relegated to morning hours. Bacon has made the jump, transitioning from a sidekick for scrambled eggs to everybody’s wingman. Bacon-wrapped scallops, bacon cheeseburgers, bacon-wrapped French fries, bacon donuts, chocolate-coated bacon, and bacon ice cream are a few of the break-out roles for our favorite salty, smokey, crispy, fun-filled friend.

Waffles have ventured outside of their early typecasting, daring to provide a supporting role to chicken. Oatmeal creates delicious cookies. And quiche makes daring appearances throughout the day from appetizers to sweet desserts.

With these success stories, might we find a place for French toast, biscuits, round sausage patties, coffeecake, or cream of wheat? What’s wrong with Crêpes, Eggs Benedict, or hash browns served for dinner? I would love it if we elevated maple syrup to an all-day condiment. Or maybe I am a starving artist, attempting to spin my reality, and my need to eat on the cheap until my next payday.

Are you feeling stuck in your same-old, same-old?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Despite our best planning, brilliant juggling, inspired delegation skills, and a commitment to finish projects, shit happens. Life delivers hours long traffic jams, and hectic is an understatement. Coworkers pack your inbox with emergencies, thoughtlessly making them your problem (because you are the expert at finding solutions). When you think it can’t get any worse, a truckload of lemons arrives on your doorstep.

TGIF. I need a lovely meal, preferably one I don’t have to cook. The hostess informs me that unless I want to eat at 5 pm or 10 pm, the minimum wait time is an hour and fifteen minutes. This introvert is not amused. I have no desire to bump around like a pinball in wall-to-wall people. Where is my friend with the alcohol? There is nothing better than a quiet drink savored after surviving a hellish week, before succumbing to absolute exhaustion.

I am excited for the impending weekend, the promised opportunity of sleeping late, avoiding work-related obligations for two whole days, and the room I need to relax and recover. When I can breathe, I plan to organize and schedule next week. My goal is to get back on track. Is anyone interested in a few lemons?

How do you recuperate after a busy week?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Great stories fill my life. Unforgettable tales live in my memory, flow through my veins, and imbed themselves in my DNA. A tiny seed ignites a bright idea. I can write a book, a voice whispers, and my journey begins. Teachers recommend reading everything in our chosen genre and developing a daily writing habit. I scribble, read, edit, and compare my product to best-sellers, and deem my efforts lacking. A niggling doubt blossoms into abject fear of never being “good enough.”

My reactions vary. I could give up, or vow to work harder, and descend into workaholic over-achiever mode. I obsess with unproductive comparisons, or rationalize, delay, procrastinate, and otherwise avoid working on my dream.

Those traps reveal a logic flaw. I haven’t discovered a definition or consensus of an exemplary narrative or the criteria for “good enough.” The search for a sure-fire story formula leads to subjective evaluations. Readers have personal preferences, some devour romance, while others call them formulaic. Futuristic technology, which doesn’t exist, does not dissuade die-hard sci-fi fans.

I must learn to practice kindness. Brilliance is not a prerequisite to start my expedition and genius is not the end goal. The only requirement is writing to the best of my ability today. I consider the people I admire and find I focus on the things they do well, not their flaws. Emulating their bravery is the path I follow. I trust my novel will resonate with some readers, and I persevere.

How do you create your best story?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer