Saturday marks the weekly binge to complete all the requisite-do tasks that didn’t get done during the week. The day started early, ended late, and resulted in an exhausted but exhilarating sense of accomplishment. There are two benefits to writing your To-Dos on paper. The first is the joy of shredding a completed sheet. The second is the kick in the pants you receive when you must re-write an uncompleted item on a clean page.

One onerous thorn had been lingering on my job chart for months. Words cannot describe the displeasure and resentment I felt each week as I re-wrote the same sentence on list, after list, after list. Sick and tired of the same annoying task, I dug in, enlisted the help I needed, and finished the project. Hurrah.

I have put the most important tasks to bed, dispensed with the maintenance chores, and vanquished a handful of minor annoyances. A rewarding day was crowned with my ability to spend an hour working on my WIP brain dump.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 519 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

By Friday, I’m exhausted and looking to vent a little steam. Pizza night, family fun time, a glass of Chianti, and I am ready for bed. I need a decent night’s rest because I have an action-packed weekend plan, and my Do Not Disturb sign is on standby, waiting for my cue. Thoughts, storylines, character motivations, and potential new cast members have bombarded my brain the entire week. They are devious, and they assault me when I have no easy method to record their brilliance.

I balance on a tightrope with some of these personalities. Some are content to wait their turn. Others demand I stop everything and jot down their words or, they threaten, they will walk off the project. I am afraid I have already lost some exquisite ideas to the great black void because I was too slow to take proper notes. I intend to beg for forgiveness, lean on the generosity of their good graces, and promise them a leading role in a spin-off series if they remind me of what I have forgotten. Besides, I’m a weak human whose body requires a few hours of sleep. I’ll let you know if the tactic works.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 434 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Interruptions seem to rule my days. I wish there were a way to expect them. But if I could plan disruptions to my schedule, would they still be annoying distractions? When you gain an enviable reputation as a critical thinker, a problem solver, a helpful person, and you perform those tasks with a smile and without judgment, needy people knock on your door. Well, nobody visits. They send texts, emails, and when things are desperate, they call you at 11:30 at night. Please solve my problem.

I’m not complaining. We must learn to be kinder with one another and help ease burdens, suffering, anxiety, and feelings of being alone. My grandmother always said many hands make light work. It’s true. Facing a challenge is easier when you have a cheering squad rooting for you, applauding your achievements, and celebrating your victories, even when they are small.

Perhaps we can arrange support hours to exclude the part of my day when I’m not attempting to indulge my need for a couple of hours of sleep?

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 594 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday the temperature soared to 68 degrees, and the wind howled, gusting to 50 mph. I was determined to spend time outdoors. The yard is a mess after having a dying Colorado Blue Spruce removed. To safely remove the 40-foot-tall tree, the crew used a large cutting tool and a heavy stump grinder that shredded the lawn. I found a bush with winter storm damage that needed pruning, a cache of clattering garbage swirling in a back corner, and proof of life.

Buried beneath the mounds of melting snow, daring to peak through the soggy mucky mulch lurked the first signs of spring. My annual countdown helps me bridge the gap from the dead of winter to the promise embodied in the change of seasons. Eight days and counting. Hope lifts my spirits, and I excitedly completed my seed order, contemplated purchasing plants for a garden extension, checked last frost dates, and used germination days to plan my indoor plantings. The area I use for my tiny seedlings is ready, and so am I.

Nurturing story ideas is like coaxing seeds to grow for your imagined summer vegetable and flower beds. The soil temperature, daily sunlight, and correct moisture levels all contribute to your success or failure. I also spent a half-hour with my WIP, tending to those seedling ideas and watching them develop.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 397 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Some days are runaway freight trains. The best you can do is activate the brakes, warn everyone of your situation, hang on, and hope nobody gets hurt. It’s a helpless feeling, watching the world whiz past, catching glimpses of astonished and outraged faces, while you smile serenely as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening, and wave. Meanwhile, under the surface, you are paddling like a whirligig in a tornado. When the train eventually comes to a clanking, lurching, shuddering stop, you breathe a sigh of relief and attempt to clean up the messy aftermath.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 537 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Does anyone like Monday? I believe you could have every scrap of work done on Friday and still discover a magical mound of unfinished tasks wagging a disapproving finger at you on Monday morning. I need to find a spell to counter whatever beast cursed me with this sickness. Based on the moans and groans from my coworkers, I find solace in the fact that I am not the only afflicted party. Part of my start of the week aversion stems from my propensity for attempting to stuff ten pounds of weekend potatoes into a five-pound weekend sack. Added to my misery is the continuing saga of the unwanted migraine interloper who refuses to leave. Isn’t there some saying about houseguests, fish, and pounding headaches stinking after three days? We are there.

Then there were my two appointments. I love when organizations give you a tight window of expected arrival times. These guys were super precise. Sometimes between 8 am. and 3 pm. The message was clear – your day is unimportant to us, and we are remarkably important, and terribly busy people. We will get to you when we get there, keep your pants on, please. The morning dragged by, and my coffee grew cold. Lunchtime came and went. At 1:15 pm. my wait ended. When they left, I was the proud owner of two tiny stickers, announcing the remodeling permit passed Final Inspection. Ta-Dah. Permit closed.

Don’t be fooled. There is plenty of finish work, paint touch-ups, hardware installation, and cleaning on the punch list. And let’s not overlook the decorating. But every cloud has a silver lining. The approval means I am now free to move into my new office. Maybe some Mondays aren’t so bad after all.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 603 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

This weekend between running errands, doing laundry, and the ever-present house cleaning chores, I eked out four solid hours of brainstorming work on my new WIP. I find spending more than about an hour per session sees diminishing returns. At the forty-five-minute mark, my handwriting stamina peaks. Then my hand cramps, and my bottom sprouts roots into the seat cushion. My brain is steamrolling ahead, and it takes an additional fifteen minutes to reach the end of the dictation. By that point, my fingers are stiff, one of my legs has fallen asleep, and I need to move before my face freezes in the silly contorted expression I consider a mandatory tool in these situations.

So far, I have eight and a half large yellow pages filled, a cast list of twenty-six and counting, and a boatload of storyline yet to write into existence from the depths of my overactive imagination. My feverish writing, and my sore arm, made me second guess my methods. Why not just type it all into a Word.doc? When I am rolling, it is not uncommon for me to hit 80 WPM if I disregard editing and correct spelling, but concept creation and mad typing skills don’t mix. The keyboard somehow short-circuits the free flow of ideas.

Handwriting lets the idea form, take shape, and appear as coherent sentences on the page. My pen flies, and when I complete a sentence, another slides neatly behind the first. Non-stop. No interruptions, no lag time, or conscious thought processes are required. It’s like drinking from a fire hose. I won’t complain about this problem. I wish the weekends were longer.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 502 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Saturdays, almost always end up being errand days. I plot my route, maximize right-hand turns (they are more efficient), and coordinate and double-check my list against my planner.  First stop, coffee. This morning, the migraine has de-escalated to the roar of a speeding locomotive inside my head. Better make that coffee a Venti, please. Next door, at the UPS Store, I collect my print request, mail a package, let them scan an Amazon return, and check my mailbox. Empty. Phew. A short ride down the road, I drop my library books and pick up this week’s holds before heading to the pharmacy for a prescription.

I crossed off the simple stuff, and the last item is the grocery shopping. Oh, how I hate grocery shopping. They reorganized the store, creating utter confusion, and I can’t find anything. I am forced to trudge up and down every aisle. It is some evil plot meant to frustrate me. And where exactly did they hide those little bottles of Tabasco sauce? Nobody seems to know, and we have checked all the obviously logical places multiple times.

Giving up on Tabasco, I endured the checkout line, loaded the trunk, drove home, and schlepped everything into the kitchen. I must hurry if I’m going to drive my friend to a 12:30 dental appointment and sneak in a coffee refill. It’s after 2:00 when I collapse in my chair. My freight train headache drones on in my head as I survey my morning list and realize I forget to swing by the home improvement store for birdseed. Sorry birdies, there are crumbs left in the feeder, and I really needed my coffee. Let’s see what is on my afternoon schedule.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 502 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Friday’s dawn broke my restless slumber with an infernal throbbing and banging punctuated by icepick-induced stabbing pains indicative of a full-blown migraine. I longed to block jagged piercing sunbeams from my sensitive eyes, pull the covers over my head, and curl into a tiny insignificant ball of non-functioning human pain. But I have a finely honed sense of duty. People depend on me, and from experience, I realize if I let the migraine win, then by default, I lose. As a bona fide Type A personality, I’m a sore loser. It’s best not to poke that bear.

I struggled to stand upright, fumbled to make my morning pot of Joe, cranked the shower to hot, and ticked through my trusty list of pain management/mitigation tools. Just another day of business, as usual. Consulting my schedule, I pushed tasks requiring concentration and a clear head to the back-burner. Instead, I focused on the mundane, the rote, and the habitually routine activities I prefer to skip. There is value in every single day, even if all you manage is the completion of annoying, thoughtless jobs. I celebrated with a tiny, quiet huzzah as I moved them all to the Ta-Done list.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 490 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Why does Thursday always feel like it should be Friday? How many times have I opened my calendar, checked my overloaded work log, and sighed? Damn, it’s only Thursday, and I can’t wait for Friday. In the scheme of ranking a day’s popularity, it is running a tight race with Monday. It is crunch day. We must complete this project by Friday. I know you can do it, so let’s get it done, no time to waste. Oh. Did I mention I’m taking Friday afternoon off? So, if you can send me the files in the morning, say 9 am, that would be fabulous.

Hmm, in effect, the deadline isn’t the end of day Friday, but Thursday night. Got it. Fortunately, I plan, create buffers, and schedule times to review, double-check, and verify my work. I also anticipate other people wanting their weekend to start a half-day early. TGIF.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 576 (countable) words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer