The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 29

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 120 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? We are living in an upside-down world. The hustle and bustle of daily commutes, the never-ending parade of constant stress, unreasonable demands, over-hyped experiences, and thrilling activities competing for your time, attention, and energy—evaporated. Self-isolation, social distancing, work from home, eLearning, family time, and dog walking, are the newest must-do exercises. No one would blame you if you are feeling directionless in your suddenly open schedule.

Abrupt changes can induce anxiety, but what if you considered this an opportunity to cultivate deep working habits? Deep work is a concept defined by Cal Newport, associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and self-help author. He defines deep work as “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” The concept involves complete immersion in the task. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call it “flow.”

Newport advocates approaching and completing challenging tasks by eliminating distractions, committing to block scheduling, and adhering to your intentions. Will applying this strategy help you find your voice, open your laptop or a notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told?

Try it and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Laptop Atelier and Retreat Center – Daily Quote

we-are-not-sheltering-in-place...-we-are-artists-in-residence.-there-that-fixed-it...-anonymous

I am not living in a beautiful woodsy cabin where I can commune with nature. Gentle sea breezes do not waft through my gloriously appointed palm hut with beach access. There are no chef-prepared gourmet meals delivered at predictable hours with linen napkins. Celebratory cocktails served at the end of a productive studio day have not materialized.

My acceptance arrived without a lengthy application process, project proposals, resumes or references required. The cosmos shook up the usual environment and provided the world with time to reflect, research, and produce creative works. My writing desk has morphed, transformed into command central for my everyday activities.

My laptop is the window that reveals museum treasures during online tours. I congregate with other writers in virtual rooms for writing sprints, critiques, and camaraderie. E-courses help me study my craft, learn novel approaches and techniques, and plant seeds for fresh stories. Cook-along videos encourage me to attempt to prepare meals I would never have considered during normal circumstances. Who needs a chef? My bartender is adept with the plastic screw top on the wine box, and a red solo cup is a worthy substitute for crystal stemware.

The residency is having its desired effect. Creativity is brewing, ideas bubble below the surface, and my fingers are eager to type.

How is your residency going?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 28

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 119 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? We are living in an upside-down world. The hustle and bustle of daily commutes, the never-ending parade of constant stress, unreasonable demands, over-hyped experiences, and thrilling activities competing for your time, attention, and energy—evaporated. Self-isolation, social distancing, work from home, eLearning, family time, and dog walking, are the newest must-do exercises. No one would blame you if you are feeling directionless in your suddenly open schedule.

Abrupt changes can induce anxiety, but what if you considered this an opportunity to cultivate deep working habits? Deep work is a concept defined by Cal Newport, associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and self-help author. He defines deep work as “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” The concept involves complete immersion in the task. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call it “flow.”

Newport advocates approaching and completing challenging tasks by eliminating distractions, committing to block scheduling, and adhering to your intentions. Will applying this strategy help you find your voice, open your laptop or a notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told?

Try it and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Nature’s Alchemy – Weekend Writing Prompt

Title: Nature’s Alchemy
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 154 – Fiber
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 131 words

photo of threads on wooden spindles and spice lot

Photo by julian mora on Unsplash

Crystal jars, tinted bottles, and woven baskets crowded the shelf-lined room. Identical labels with precise black handwriting adorned each vessel. Elena inched into the space, confused by the overwhelming volume of items. Her fingers traced unfamiliar words.

“Kamala Seed Pods, Madder Root, Mangosteen Peel,” her lips moved silently. As she continued reading, the chaos dissolved, replaced by an odd sense of order.

“What color does Pomegranate Rind render?”

Elena picked up the jar, shaking the rose-hued contents before she turned to face Mistress Moiree.

“Pink?”

“Guessing?” Mistress Moiree asked and extended her hand.

Elena felt the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks as she relinquished the container.

“They look red,” she said rolling the glass in her hands, “but when boiled, they dye mordanted fibers a golden yellow. You will learn.”

__________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Discovering Beauty in Adversity – Daily Quote

i-dont-see-the-desert-as-barren-at-all-i-see-it-as-full-and-ripe.-it-doesnt-need-to-be-flattered-with-rain.-it-certainly-needs-rain-but-it-does-with-what-it-has-and-creates-amazing-beaut.

Sometimes the muse abandons us in our quest to create.  We say we are going through a desert, devoid of ideas, lacking inspiration, bereft of dreams. There is life if you are observant. To avoid the heat animals burrowing underground where the earth is cooler. They alter their lifestyle by adopting nocturnal habits. Plants develop spines for protection, deep roots to connect to life-sustaining moisture in the soil, and tough skin to prevent water evaporation.

We must do the same to access the gems we seek. The desert requires us to reach into our core for the gold we pursue. We adjust our procedures, struggling to attain the seeds that spark creation. The amazing thing is the work pays big dividends providing us with things we never imagined. We uncover rich beauty.

Where do you find unexpected beauty?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

 

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 27

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 118 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? We are living in an upside-down world. The hustle and bustle of daily commutes, the never-ending parade of constant stress, unreasonable demands, over-hyped experiences, and thrilling activities competing for your time, attention, and energy—evaporated. Self-isolation, social distancing, work from home, eLearning, family time, and dog walking, are the newest must-do exercises. No one would blame you if you are feeling directionless in your suddenly open schedule.

Abrupt changes can induce anxiety, but what if you considered this an opportunity to cultivate deep working habits? Deep work is a concept defined by Cal Newport, associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and self-help author. He defines deep work as “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” The concept involves complete immersion in the task. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call it “flow.”

Newport advocates approaching and completing challenging tasks by eliminating distractions, committing to block scheduling, and adhering to your intentions. Will applying this strategy help you find your voice, open your laptop or a notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told?

Try it and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Mining for Gold – Friday Fictioneers

Title: Mining for Gold
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © C.E.Ayr

“What are you doing?” Hannah surveyed the discarded canvas in the alley.

“I’m taking the frame,” Kurt said, brushing off the accumulated dust.

“Why?”

“It’s nice.”

“And the painting?”

“Utter crap. Unsigned.”

Kurt scorned artists who were not proud enough to sign their creations.

“But–”

Kurt ambled away, the frame swinging from the crook of his elbow.

Hannah’s lips puckered, and her eyes narrowed. Kurt’s obsession with “artistic sensibilities” blinded him to the beauty inherent in everyday life’s casual clutter.

An idea flickered, wheels turned, and new collage formed. She snatched the picture, realizing who had scored garbage gold.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

From Oms to Zzzs – Daily Quote

sleep-is-the-best-meditation.-dalai-lama

I am no stranger to stress, anxiety, or bouts of depression. The first warning sign for me is insomnia. Bedtime started a futile exercise of clock watching and counting dark minutes where every tick-tock mocks my inability to fall asleep. The morning dawns with blood-shot eyes and exhaustion. Sleepless nights follow fatigue filled days whose end elicit dread. Wakeful darkness becomes torture.

Studies say meditation helps manage these feelings, and from experience, it works. But when I return to a more regular practice, I yawn. The sandman sits on my eyelids, and I often snooze. My meditation process is not making me sleep, but it is allowing me to relax to where I can enter the land of nod.

Meditating and falling asleep have similarities. Remembering how to self-calm, let go, notice, and respect what your body is telling you is a wonderful release. There are additional benefits to both plenty of sleep and finding your Third Eye. A centered and rested mind releases creative ideas and makes unique and unexpected connections. Stories unfold, and the subconscious interpretations bubble to the surface.

Sundays present the perfect opportunity to pour a cup of tea, find a comfy spot, and embrace your inner Om. And if anyone asks, you can always call it a nap.

How do you relax?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 26

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 117 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? We are living in an upside-down world. The hustle and bustle of daily commutes, the never-ending parade of constant stress, unreasonable demands, over-hyped experiences, and thrilling activities competing for your time, attention, and energy—evaporated. Self-isolation, social distancing, work from home, eLearning, family time, and dog walking, are the newest must-do exercises. No one would blame you if you are feeling directionless in your suddenly open schedule.

Abrupt changes can induce anxiety, but what if you considered this an opportunity to cultivate deep working habits? Deep work is a concept defined by Cal Newport, associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and self-help author. He defines deep work as “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” The concept involves complete immersion in the task. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would call it “flow.”

Newport advocates approaching and completing challenging tasks by eliminating distractions, committing to block scheduling, and adhering to your intentions. Will applying this strategy help you find your voice, open your laptop or a notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told?

Try it and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Staying Connected in a Disconnected World -Daily Quote

to-me-the-greatest-invention-of-my-lifetime-is-the-laptop-computer-and-the-fact-that-i-can-be-working-on-a-book-and-be-in-an-airport-lounge-in-a-hotel-room-and-continue-working-i-fire-up.

I love sitting in my writing spot, stringing words together. A laptop offers astounding flexibility. In better times it allowed me to recreate my office at coffee shops. Today I commandeer a corner in my hotel lobby, or the front seat of my car, calling them my alternate working space. Still, I find myself with odd minutes of downtime, when firing up the laptop is unwieldy or inappropriate. It is then that I turn the phone to capture notes, recording stray thoughts, and reminders of brilliant insights I do not want to forget.

The miracle is the ability to eke productivity from lost moments and harness the power of an otherwise wasted ten or fifteen minutes to write. Without a laptop, I no longer need to carry notebooks or worry about pens with no ink. I use my phone to my advantage. It is always by my side.

My laptop and my phone are my lifelines. Technology connects me and almost makes me feel like I am not alone. I join groups, classes, and lectures that keep my mind engaged and think of something other than the confinement. I collaborate on video conference calls and work in tandem with distant partners. Friends and family members smiling faces fill my screen. They dance and share their dinner hours. I long for their hugs, and the yearning fuels a fresh story.

How does technology improve your life?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer