The call to clean, fix, and organize is strong. Physical exhaustion is real, and my brain doesn’t work correctly when distracted and tired. Regardless, my characters were very talkative, and I have scribbled notes, doodles, arrows connecting half-formed sentences to random words, and a fragmented timeline. The weekend diverged and took a drastically different path than the one I planned. Somehow, I still returned the basement to a stage where it almost looks as if nothing ever happened. I also made a decent start on our brainstorming session and even took a well-deserved nap. I’m not calling it a win, but the unexpected did not prevent me from making progress on my writing goals.

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 518 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It was a splendid start to the perfect day. I woke before my alarm and greeted bright sunshine as I went about my morning routine. I should have known it was all too easy. A hissing sound, like air escaping from a balloon or water whooshing through a garden hose, got my attention, and a frantic investigation. The noise originated from behind the refrigerator, and water seeped from under the unit. Attempts to budge 325 pounds of dead weight to find a shut-off valve were futile. The next stop was the basement to the mainline access valves, where my barefoot splashed into an inch of cold water on the floor. A flood cascaded down the wall like an indoor waterfall.

The bucket brigade soon arrived to help manage the mess, followed by the plumber. Thankfully, it was not a cracked pipe. It was a broken fitting to the ice maker. For eight hours, I wiped, mopped, and swabbed every affected nook and cranny. We reacted quickly, and while it lasted only a few minutes, even a little water creates enormous issues. With fans set to ensure everything was bone dry, I slumped, exhausted, into my writing chair. My characters patted my back, told me to relax, and assured me we would pick up our plan on Sunday. So much for my well-conceived strategy.

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 375 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday I spent looking forward to the weekend while working overtime to perform my weekly wrap-up and ensure a simple transition for Monday morning. Meanwhile, my characters are calling. They are demanding I devote my energy towards writing their stories, and I am both delighted and apprehensive, hoping that I don’t disappoint them.

In my spare time, I have organized character interview sheets complete with a battery of probing questions. I have roughed in timelines and scheduled both individual and group discussion sessions. They are going to squirm under my unrelenting exploration into their motivations, wounds, and their deepest desires. But I am determined to portray each of them as the colorful, fully formed people I see. I have set ambitious goals for the next two days, but I am excited to begin.

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 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Another day of falling snow, work demands, impossible projects, and a dream of uncomplicated days. It never fails. When I have a fabulous idea, and the urge to write, the universe conspires to thwart my plans, test my resolve, and ensure another night with little sleep. The road is long, winter is cold, nights are dark, and the household finally finds their slumber. I brew my coffee, cue my playlist, and hope my muse’s voice gently guides my sluggish fingers in their attempt to capture the story bubbling in my brain.

Minutes pass as I stare at the screen, unsure of how to start. The lyrics feed me interesting words and suggestive lines as I search for the path. Brambles and undergrowth impede my progress, and I face them with a set of pruning shears. Good thing I write fantasy so I can create the magical words I need to transform my measly tool into a more effective machete.

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 408 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Snow days and their aftermath always seem to leave me fumbling and struggling to catch up. Yesterday passed in a blur and ended in exhaustion. Before my body gave out and my sore muscles demanded I crawl into bed and sleep, I still fulfilled the promise I made to myself.

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 615 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday, the storm dumped another 8 inches of snow in my neighborhood, based on the report from O’Hare Airport. This morning I could not determine an exact measurement. Last night, a Demon North Wind blew. He rattled windowpanes, howled around corners, and pounded his fist on my walls. I didn’t sleep, and I didn’t let him inside. If I had known he was leaving me a present, I might have waved hello.

When I pile snow, I am strategic with my placement. I have lived on this property long enough to know the prevailing winter wind likes to deposit an enormous snowdrift across the middle of the drive. Past years have seen waist-deep drifts accumulated while leaving the brown grass exposed in the front yard. My plan was a simple snow-pile windbreak thrown three to four feet from the cement edge. My snow fence worked like magic, and chest-deep snow covered the front yard. Demon North Wind’s mighty roar left only two to three inches on the concrete. My job was a breeze.

Mother Nature sent me a harbinger to serenade my efforts and let me know Spring is not far away. Two robins chirped in the parkway trees. I heard their calls and could not believe my ears. They must have sensed my doubt because they flew to my tree. “We are here,” they said. “Winter wants to stay, but Mother insists and says he must go. It is our turn to play.” Somehow, the snow felt lighter after their visit. There are thirty-one days to count before Spring’s official arrival.

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 567 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I’m willing to tell you. I’m wanting to tell you. I’m waiting to tell you. – George Bernard Shaw

Characters are filling my head with stories again. They are growing very impatient as I trudge outside every day to repeat the insane tasks of removing snow from my driveway. Someone suggested I was taking artistic liberties with the snow situation, which compelled me to do some fact-checking. O’Hare airport, a mere 13 miles from my doorstep, is reporting 16 inches of snow on the ground before this latest storm. Another fun fact is that we have had snow with measurable accumulation on ten of the last eleven days.

My characters were unimpressed. They want me to write their stories. One of them dropped a big bombshell in my brain during yesterday’s frigid, extreme-cold workout. Motivation, intrigue, skeletons in the closet, old wounds, deep-seated hatred, and a thirst for revenge spilled from loose lips. I gasped and asked why he was telling me this when I couldn’t stop and write it down. He laughed and said he hoped it would be enough motivation to force me to drop everything, get my butt in the chair, and write. It looks like I have marching orders.

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 652 words.

Did you write yesterday?

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Sunday at noon, the kind folks at weather central pulled a fast one. They rescheduled the snowstorm slated for Tuesday, upping the arrival time for 3 pm Sunday. They shot my plans into oblivion, and I scampered to reset my battle plan. Inquiring minds need to know—who was asleep at the switch? I expect this type of screwup from the 9-5 circus, but Mother Nature must be angry at someone.

I am agile, quick on my feet, and exhausted. Thirty-three days until the official start of spring, but who else is counting? Don’t be shy.  I know I’m not the only one.  Anticipation, looking for brighter days with less snow, is my coping mechanism for surviving February. There is something else I track daily.

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 400 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Saturday was another gray, gloomy February day. I ignored the “dusting” on my sidewalk and driveway, although I determined it was at least an inch and a half. The forecast called for more snow in the afternoon, and I had no desire to shovel twice. Instead, I tackled weekend chores and watched the snowflakes fall outside my window. Freshly fallen snow is beautiful, and it lets me track the wildlife activity in my garden.

Each morning a pair of bunny prints appear, entering from my south neighbor’s backyard. They cut between the houses, cavort under my winter-bare rosebushes, and then head along the property line to the street. They don’t scale the snowplow’s mighty mountain but turn to scamper up my driveway, follow the shoveled path to my porch, then hop across the front lawn to the opposite side of my house. They skitter through the fence and romp in my backyard before slipping back through the railing. The rabbit prints finally disappearing under my neighbor’s arborvitae.

I see squirrel tracks too. They leap through deep drifts to navigate between trees whose branches are too far apart to execute death-defying leaps. Even on the coldest days, they led busy lives, and it reminds me I have my daily routine to complete.

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 443 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Thankfully, they revised the expected snow accumulation downward from 4 to 8 inched to 2-4 inches, and I breathed a sigh of relief. They expect temperatures for the weekend to range from 10 to -8 degrees before calculating the wind chill. We will see how much arrives, check the Brrr factor, and adjust the shoveling schedule as needed. I count myself lucky I can stay home, nurse my migraine, and work on eliminating my monstrous To-Do list. I doubt elimination is possible, but whittling it away to a more manageable size is a noble goal. The weekend stretches like a long ribbon of highway, and I have great expectations.

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 513 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer