The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 12

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 103 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

Spring’s Advent – Weekend Writing Prompt

Title: Spring’s Advent
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 152 – Nomad
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 68 words

white house on green grass field near mountain during daytime

Photo by EJ Wolfson on Unsplash

Dismal clouds shrouded winter mountaintops. Cloaks of despair, they wept, their sorrow drenching the landscape. Parched souls, clinging to life, found solace in the mother’s healing tears.

Breathless, I waited.

Brown became gold as nomad tinkers arrived. Singing children frolicked. Their laughter summoned sunshine, and magical colors transformed the valley. Continually moving, they were always at home. Their work complete, they disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving hope behind.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

A Future So Bright, I Have to Wear Shades – Daily Quote

when-i-look-into-the-future-its-so-bright-it-burns-my-eyes.-oprah-winfrey

I’m an optimist. The choice was easy, pessimists are way too depressing. As a child, I remember watching people spout gloom and doom, they predicted the sky’s falling and swore we were going to hell in a handbasket. I trembled in my shoes, cowered under my covers, and prayed the boogeyman wouldn’t creep from under my bed to carry me into the night. Each morning the sun arrived to banish the darkness, and a brilliant blue sky buoyed my hope.

Their predictions rarely came true, and I learned to dismiss their warnings. Perhaps I was precocious when I challenged the status quo, and dared to seek the silver lining. I looked for evidence to discredit their opinions. I imagined a wonderful future, filled with opportunities, and smooth sailing. Not that I don’t have negative thoughts or feel depressed, overwhelmed, and discouraged. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, recognizing negative thoughts, confronting them, and challenging their validity puts you on the path to optimism.

Life can be awful, scary, and uncertain. But the fact is, change is constant. There is a saying that everything comes to pass, but nothing comes to stay. So, I can focus on the negative, and drown in misery, or embrace the option of celebrating the rain, smelling the roses, and creating a bright future.

What excites you about tomorrow?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 11

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 102 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

A Plan for Calmness and Action – Daily Quote

when-adversity-strikes-thats-when-you-have-to-be-the-most-calm.-take-a-step-back-stay-strong-stay-grounded-and-press-on.ll-cool-j.

The disaster movie begins. The dreaded event finally happens, and hundreds scream and run. Others stand slack-jawed, frozen. The hero leaps into action. He saves lost children from certain death, directs the terrified mob toward a safe area, and prods the fear-stricken into motion. What sets the hero apart from the crowd? Is he a freak of nature? Brave beyond imagination?

When you dissect the movie’s plotline, you often find the character’s backstory shows he has been predicting the calamity, has run multiple scenarios, and devised a survival plan. Police, firefighters, pilots, EMTs, doctors, nurses, and others spend years training and developing their emergency reactions. They conduct drills, learning what to expect when the unexpected hits. You don’t need extensive practice to have a strategy.

I am a worrier — a worrier with purpose. Whenever I find myself concerned about a situation, I develop action steps to help me deal with the crisis when/if it occurs. I then share my proposals with family members. Some of my solutions sound silly. The family knows when and where to meet if we become separated in the grocery store. We practice procedures in case of a house fire, a tornado, or a snowstorm. The wonderful thing about a plan is the ability to make tweaks as reality dictates. The household can pivot and absorb those changes with little communication because they have a framework.

We are facing many unknowns, and we are worried. If ever there was a time to combat valid concerns with sensible, thoughtful, imaginative plans, it is now. I am optimistic and ready to press on.

What plans are you making?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 10

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 101 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 New Morning Ritual — Flash Fiction

teacup filled with liquid placed on saucer

Photo by Jen P. on Unsplash

I never thought I would be here, really living the dream. Released from Corporate America’s draining demands, I no longer wake before the crack of a sparrow’s fart, to fight rush hour traffic, to log long stressful hours.

My day begins with a gentle stretch, a hot cup of coffee, and a healthy dose of gratitude. Characters whisper in my ear, my desk beckons, and my muse smiles as I set to work. Ephemeral emotions coalesce, transformed into epic tales. My desire to create links me to the past and ties me to the future, as I write about today.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Writing Despite the Fear – Daily Quote

i-work-on-a-word-count-basis-so-i-have-to-write-three-thousand-words-a-day.-i-can-write-them-in-the-morning-i-can-write-them-in-the-evening-as-long-as-they-get-done.-cassandra-clare

I work on a word count basis and track my results. However, my daily word count is nowhere near three thousand words. Lately, I have struggled with the blank page. It is not surprising given the confused state of my brain. Some days I generate only a handful of unintelligible words. Other times I discover sentences, paragraphs, and pages completed by the end of my writing session. I am always surprised when I have a productive day.

Thankfully, I had a firmly established daily writing habit before stay-at-home orders, and social distancing messed with my headspace. It is a ritual I try to maintain regardless of the challenges I face. I don’t worry about the adjustments we are facing because I have been here before. When I first began along this path, I was lucky to manage one hundred words. My writing was sporadic, and it was rare for me to write on consecutive days.

Setbacks happen, life throws curve balls and we have choices to make. We can sit in the bleachers, wring our hands, fret and worry or we can take an at-bat. Standing at the plate is scary. Babe Ruth, the home run king, also led the league in strikeouts five times. He accumulated 1,330 strikeouts during his career. Not every swing will connect. I expect plenty of misses. Every day I swing for the fences.

Will you step up to the plate today?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – April 9

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 100 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 Glorious Aftermath – Friday Fictioneers

Title: The Glorious Aftermath
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Jeff Arnold

Deckhands danced in organized chaos. Our seasoned captain barked orders above the storm’s incessant din. My stomach lurched in opposition to the bow’s rise and fall. Misty Gale surmounted rough waters as we ran from the storm, seeking safe harbor.

The ship’s hull slammed against unyielding water, her mizzenmast popped and groaned as her wind engorged sail dragged us towards home. Lightning crackled, and gumball sized hail descended from the heavens.

The gods answered my prayers. Misty Gale found her slip.

The captain winked, and a devilish grin fractured his wrinkled face.

“Ah, these are the days you live for.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer