The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – March 24

/ JoHawkTheWriter

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 84 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Life is an endless parade of challenges, exciting experiences, and thrilling activities all competing for your time, attention, and energy. The glitter and glam captures your attention, turns your head, and you forget about doing what makes you happy. While having multiple interests speaks to your personal freedom and your right to choose, the fragmented focus can keep you from following your passion and derail the attainment of your goals.

What activity lights your eyes, sets fire to your soul, and penetrates every fiber of your being? If it makes you happy to sing, then sing. If your feet yearn to dance, allow them to waltz you around the room. If you are compelled to build, teach, run, give comfort, or host dinner parties or live events, please follow your heart. If you are called to write, make the space in your day to find your voice, open your laptop, your notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told. I promise you there is someone in this world whose lives will be enriched by the passion you pursue.

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

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Time in A Bottle – Dee | Grammy’s Grid Writing Prompt

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Title: Time In A Bottle
Source:  Dee | Grammy’s Grid Writing Prompt
Word count: 65 words

assorted-color glass bottles

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

“She calls them, what?”

I picked up an empty red-tinted bottle. Raised letters spelled “Poison.”

“She called them ‘time bottles,’” Jared corrected as he reached for my specimen and replaced it on the shelf.

“I don’t understand.”

“Each of them holds a story that starts with, ‘Remember the time?’ Now she is gone, and it’s my job to pass the stories to the next generation.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Time Machine – Friday Fictioneers

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

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

Time travel’s first rule was validating your arrival date. I stepped through the portal and groaned.

A 1950s era diner? Was Josh joking?

Diners were ubiquitous on the timelines. I could cite countless examples over the last 200 years. This establishment offered no clues I was in the correct year before the portal slammed shut.

This place was quiet, too quiet. A shiver raced down my spine, and my stomach heaved.

We told the initiates fantastical tales, our attempt to scare first-time travelers. I had never seen one and doubted they existed. Until today.

I turned and faced The Watcher.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Embracing Your New Normal – Daily Quote

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Today is Monday. The start of another crazy, precarious week. While you might not be heading into the office, your stress level has, most likely, not abated. Yesterday’s position is not the same situation greeting you today. Many confront the challenges of working from home, furloughs, layoffs, and uncertainty of what tomorrow brings. We have granted kids their wish for a never-ending spring break while insisting they adapt to at home eLearning options. Social expectations have changed overnight, and your daily routines are in a state of flux.

Doubts and insecurities rule the day and cause sleepless nights. You can deny the changes, bury your head deep in the sand, and refuse to deal with reality. Or you can acknowledge facts, accept an altered life, and create an alternate plan. Dare to assess your starting point. Dream and dream big. Then plot your next steps.  Be proactive. Change is transformation, and to move forward implies you must grow. Growth requires action and courage. Expect to feel uncomfortable, expect life to seem unfamiliar.

Your actions will determine your future. Your choices always dictate your route, that much hasn’t changed. You can worry, wring your hands, and wait to see what happens. Or you can push past the aches and pains, embrace what the day offers, show up and play the best game of your life.

Is today your day to shine?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – March 23

/ JoHawkTheWriter

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 83 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Life is an endless parade of challenges, exciting experiences, and thrilling activities all competing for your time, attention, and energy. The glitter and glam captures your attention, turns your head, and you forget about doing what makes you happy. While having multiple interests speaks to your personal freedom and your right to choose, the fragmented focus can keep you from following your passion and derail the attainment of your goals.

What activity lights your eyes, sets fire to your soul, and penetrates every fiber of your being? If it makes you happy to sing, then sing. If your feet yearn to dance, allow them to waltz you around the room. If you are compelled to build, teach, run, give comfort, or host dinner parties or live events, please follow your heart. If you are called to write, make the space in your day to find your voice, open your laptop, your notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told. I promise you there is someone in this world whose lives will be enriched by the passion you pursue.

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

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Finding Joy in Being Alone – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 17 Comments

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I spend many hours alone. I write alone. I drink my coffee alone, dine alone, and shop alone. My life is perfectly normal when I am alone.

Friends ask if I wouldn’t have more fun with company. They worry I might be lonely.

I enjoy meeting friends, and they provide plenty of entertainment, distractions, and interesting conversations, but the loneliest I have ever felt was in a crowded room. I love hosting house parties, connecting with strangers, and cultivating new friendships. Those interactions, while enjoyable, tax my psyche, and I schedule time to rebalance my life after major events.

The virus has turned our world upside down. American culture values and venerates extroverts. Suddenly, we are experiencing an interest in introverted qualities. Working in groups with endless team meetings are stressors for solitary types. Many writers find productivity in group write-ins. For me, those experiences elicit the opposite effect.

Self-isolation may be the order of the day, yet my daily world remains unchanged. While we do what we must to contain the virus’s spread, I believe those who identify as introverts should offer helpful tips to our extroverted friends. Consider treating this as an opportunity to connect with your inner voice. Learning to talk to yourself can be very revealing. Introspection is easier when without the crush of noise and constant motion.

Busy schedules, and social commitments provide easy excuses for not creating. But when you remove those obstacles, the only one stopping you is you. Cherish this interlude and create, create, create.

Where will you find Joy today?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – March 22

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

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 82 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Life is an endless parade of challenges, exciting experiences, and thrilling activities all competing for your time, attention, and energy. The glitter and glam captures your attention, turns your head, and you forget about doing what makes you happy. While having multiple interests speaks to your personal freedom and your right to choose, the fragmented focus can keep you from following your passion and derail the attainment of your goals.

What activity lights your eyes, sets fire to your soul, and penetrates every fiber of your being? If it makes you happy to sing, then sing. If your feet yearn to dance, allow them to waltz you around the room. If you are compelled to build, teach, run, give comfort, or host dinner parties or live events, please follow your heart. If you are called to write, make the space in your day to find your voice, open your laptop, your notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told. I promise you there is someone in this world whose lives will be enriched by the passion you pursue.

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

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Waking to A Nightmare – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments

almost-everyone-i-know-is-battling-something-whether-its-allergies-or-depression.-whatever-it-is-it-makes-you-feel-less-than-who-you-are.-i-believe-part-of-lifes-challenge-is-to-work

Panic wraps cold claws around my heart each morning when I wake. I try to breathe, and thoughts of the dreaded virus rattle my brain. I am wide awake and running through my checklist. Did someone whack me between the eyes with a baseball bat? A heavy hammer pounds on my temples, echoing in my ears. My eyes itch. Red, watery, and caked with sleep, I struggle to keep them open. Nasal congestion and a runny nose produce a series of sneezes, and I relax. I don’t have Covid-19, it is only my seasonal allergies.

Each spring I depend on tree pollen, grass pollen, mold, and dust mites to piss off my immune system. Then just like Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse, my histamines get busy and bounce those nasty allergens, triggering my symptoms. I know this. I have experienced this since I was a little kid. Yet every morning, I am obsessed, worried, and annoyed. I check the day’s pollen count to find the level is medium-high. My nose could have told me that.

Fanatical cleaning, and my medication, makes me feel better. Banishing the dust and keeping the pollen at bay is my daily mission. I sweep the double doormats. One on each side of the door. I use my duster to scrub the ceiling, the walls, and all four corners. I work from top to bottom, moving and dusting every item on every shelf. The bedsheets I strip and subject the linens to hot water and plenty of soap. I beat, fluff, vacuum, and sanitize curtains, chairs, sofas, and tables. No surface is untouched. Scrubbing the floor is my final task. Exhausted, I collapse in a chair and wonder if I should sleep.

What are you battling?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – March 21

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

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 81 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Life is an endless parade of challenges, exciting experiences, and thrilling activities all competing for your time, attention, and energy. The glitter and glam captures your attention, turns your head, and you forget about doing what makes you happy. While having multiple interests speaks to your personal freedom and your right to choose, the fragmented focus can keep you from following your passion and derail the attainment of your goals.

What activity lights your eyes, sets fire to your soul, and penetrates every fiber of your being? If it makes you happy to sing, then sing. If your feet yearn to dance, allow them to waltz you around the room. If you are compelled to build, teach, run, give comfort, or host dinner parties or live events, please follow your heart. If you are called to write, make the space in your day to find your voice, open your laptop, your notebook, grab a pen, and record the words and stories that are begging to be told. I promise you there is someone in this world whose lives will be enriched by the passion you pursue.

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

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer