Everyone thinks spring is a busy time for mother nature and her gardening friends. I find autumn is a much busier season. There are seeds to harvest, sort and save, debris and dead vegetation to clear, compost piles to turn, vacationing house plants to move indoors, and cold-tolerant vegetables to pick and store. Trees and shrubs planted in the fall establish strong roots, and there are hundreds of tulip bulbs to bury deep in the soil. There are garden hoses to drain, birdbaths to winterize, fallen leaves to rake and firewood to stack.

As I perform all these tasks, I remember what worked well this year. I analyze areas that could use improvement, and ideas for fresh garden features settle into the fertile fields ready for a long winter’s sleep. There will be icy winter evenings in front of a roaring fire, considering what may be.

Potential lies in seeds, bulbs, soil, and our creativity. October is a productive month and fully suited to making changes and creating achievable projects. Wind sweeps aside distractions, revealing bare bones and underlying structures. The crisp air is invigorating, energizing us as we clean away the old and imagine unlimited possibilities.

What new plans do you see?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

When we first start a new endeavor, our ultimate success or failure is often even odds. Tipping the scales in our favor comes from putting our best effort towards our goal.  A dogged determination helps us through setbacks and challenges, and an optimistic attitude keeps our spirits lifted.

If we are fortunate, help arrives when we flounder and mentors who have traveled a similar pathway offer guidance allowing us insight with the journey along our chosen path. Setting and striving for a goal, giving it our lazar focus, our finest effort is noble. By doing the best we can we become a better, more confident, and we never need to wonder “what if”.  In life, daily work improves us and defines success. Look around and admire the fruits of your labor.

How can you do your best today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I guard my seconds, stick to my schedules and attempt to squeeze every ounce of productivity possible from my workday. Likewise, I construct my playtime around the activities I enjoy. They revitalize and recharge my batteries and prime my creativity pump. The horror comes when my time is hijacked and those diamonds Horace Mann refers to, evaporate into thin air.

If you woke to discover your stash of flawless jewels stolen, you would call the police, file an insurance claim and offer a reward for their return. Yet when your day filters away, lost forever, we shrug our shoulders and forget about it. Are those moments any less valuable than diamonds?

There are days when we know we will confront unavoidable downtime, waiting in Dr. Offices, at the auto repair shop, or the DMV. A little planning can help. When I expect I might have to wait, I bring a book to read or plan other small tasks. I write using my phone. It’s funny if I have work to complete, the delay is short, and I never even start.

How do you protect your time?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

We waste precious time and energy worrying about events which never happen, opinions that don’t matter, approvals we don’t need. Our imagined fears are a dog pile of a thousand tiny terrors and a hoard of gargantuan doubts. They stop us before we begin. We must confront our paper tigers, name them for what they are if we want to succeed.

Fear is a mechanism that evolved for our safety. But Saber-toothed tigers and Mastodons became extinct ten thousand years ago. To move forward, we need to determine if our concerns have any validity. What would happen if our worst thought stood manifest before us? When we consider them, most worries are dismissible, while a handful may require mitigation. Then we are free to grab our heart’s desire and prepare for an amazing ride.

What fears are stopping you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I have a monthly ritual. I analyze my word counts, compare totals against my goals, and I set my schedule for October. During my most recent review, it shocked me to realize less than 90 days remain. The countdown stands at 78. It’s a source of distress for me. Normally, those numbers have little impact, but we are talking about the year’s end. It means a reduction in time available to complete my work.

Holidays, like today, Columbus Day are the culprit.  Celebrations, family obligations, and traveling, cut my normal scheduling availability by another ten days. Suddenly, it appears my daily averages will drop. I am not willing to accept an avoidable disappointment and returned to my agenda to make a few adjustments. There is still a way to reach my objectives. By picking up small additions over the next two weeks, everything should be fine.

How do you plan to reach your goals?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

There is something magical about walking in an autumn wood, and recently, I discovered there is a name for what I have been doing. They call it forest bathing, forest therapy, or Shinrin-Yoku in Japanese. It doesn’t involve actual “bathing” it is more about “taking in the forest.” They say forest bathing has multiple benefits, including reducing stress, elevating mood, lowering blood pressure, and increasing feelings of connection. Apparently, some doctors are writing prescriptions to take walks, and there are groups meeting for guided hikes.

I don’t know if any of those reports are true. But strolling among trees, inhaling the aromas of an herb garden, noticing developing rose hips, I feel the day’s pressures fade away. My focus extends beyond the range of my screen, and I breathe deeper. My steps lighten, and soon, I find I am kicking leaves and smiling like a fool. The best thing about trecking through the woods is when I get home, the muse finds my fingers and the words flow.

How do you inspire your muse?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

While I didn’t grow up in San Antonio, I spent most Friday nights at high school football games. Tucked into my jacket, I kept a paperback handy for the boring parts. Our team was not very good because I recall starting and finishing plenty of volumes while they competed.

Kerouac and Wilde weren’t on my list, but I remember many stories as being bleacher reads. They evoke the aroma of fall leaves and bonfires. Touring my bookcase, I pulled titles with an indelible link to the gridiron. To Kill a Mockingbird, Animal Farm, The Great Gatsby, Death of a Salesman, 1984, The Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, Heart of Darkness, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, remind me of homecoming games and referee whistles. A few stories create a visceral reaction, including the Lord of the Flies, Frankenstein, and Macbeth which I read around Halloween. Who needs scary movies when you have diabolical books?

Then there is my all-time favorite, Fahrenheit 451. Besides being assigned reading, the teacher treated us to the 1966 film adaptation. They remade the movie last year, and I have yet to see it. I enjoyed the old François Truffaut movie and loved the final scene with the book people reciting their memorized novels. Somehow, I don’t want to disturb the poignant ending.

Do certain books, conjure the place and time when you first met them?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I love poetry. There is nothing I enjoy more than reading a sonnet aloud, preferably while walking around the house. Some words are whisperers begging for a voice, while others emanate from the depths of our souls. I stand in awe of the poet’s skill to evoke a symphony of emotions. I can’t write anything worthy of inflecting on my worst enemy. The rigorous structures of syntax, couplets, and quatrains stifle my ability to compose.

However, I find the constraints of flash fiction a challenge which begs me to step up to the plate. Telling a satisfying story with a beginning, middle, and end, while adhering to a strict word count of 100, 250 or 500 words requires some tricks. Selecting words which capable of doing double duty help convey a uniform message through the piece. Do you want to amaze, alarm, or surprise your audience? Precise word choice can establish or ruin the mood. While the final sentence is technically the story’s completion, it should also encourage the reader to consider implications beyond the writing.

At first, Marge’s comparison of poetry to flash fiction intrigued me, but as I analyzed the two, similarities emerged. Prose poetry often has either technical or literary qualities of a poem. But defining differences with flash fiction are less clear and the forms seem to intertwine. Perhaps, I allow my favorite poets to influence my writing and creating within stringent limits hones my craft further. It is great practice for my novels.

Do you prefer long or short-form writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I have seen experts in their field. They know what they know. It is part of their DNA. But they are also prone to taking their knowledge for granted and they erroneously assume what they know is common knowledge. They assure there is nothing special or unique about their knowledge. It’s the old ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ adage.

It is true for writers as we take our knowledge base as common knowledge. If we can force ourselves to see the big picture, we may gain access to our unique perspective. But we still must overcome inertia. When we chase a new piece of knowledge, a spark replaces the inertia.  The spark is infectious, it seeps into our writing and we write with excitement and emotion. Our reader becomes infused by our quest and the spark spreads.

What do you want to know?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The practice of creating every day teaches many lessons. Sometimes your sessions are loaded with wonder.  You look forward to the writing time, words flow onto the page and the process seems effortless. Other days you don’t want to sit at your desk, but as you type, the concepts fall into place, and you produce more than you would have imagined. Sometimes despite your best efforts, it is nothing but crap.

Discipline makes you strong and you battle through, working and composing until you reach your daily goal. The chances are when you analyze those hard-won pages you find gems you didn’t recognize as you were writing. Truth is, even the words you wrote on a good day may need resuscitation. Regardless, there are filled pages. Words you can edit. Words you can polish and shine to reflect your finest story.

How is your writing discipline developing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer