_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Happy Thanksgiving
The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – November 26
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 331 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.
Did you write yesterday?
My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?
It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.
My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course. November and NaNoWriMo begin on Sunday, and I need to incorporate the challenge into my routine.
Are you participating in NaNo? Do you have a plan? What can you achieve in the next few weeks?
Let us know in the comments below.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Happy Thanksgiving – Daily Quote
It would be easy to detail the unpleasant hardships, endless worries, unwanted challenges, scary thoughts, and human suffering this year heaped upon us. The list gets long, fast. While I acknowledge the negatives, I choose instead to place my focus and my energy on the positives. I concentrate on getting myself and my loved ones through the winter and plan how best to help those who are struggling as we wait, hopeful for better times.
That is what I am most thankful for — hope. I hope we can close this book and look toward a brighter tomorrow. A glimmer of hope provided the fuel needed to survive anything. It pushes out of bed and urges me to put one foot in front of another. I hold tight to past Thanksgivings and an uninterrupted tradition of creating fond memories, retelling family stories, and sharing our lives. Next Thanksgiving, I intend to forgo a time-honored holiday ritual. We won’t go around the table and ask everyone what they are thankful for. When we sit at that future feast, there won’t be a reason. We will already know.
What are you thankful for?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
November 25 Day 25 of NaNoWriMo 2020
Are you writing for NaNo?
How is Day 25 progressing?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Your Kindness and Gratitude Preserve the Best Holiday of the Year – Daily Quote
I look forward to Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday because it offers something for everyone. I have always loved The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and will let others indulge in the plethora of football games, turkey trots, and tv marathons. I wait with my basting spoon for the annual turkey pardoning, a tradition that tickles my funny bone. I am free from the worry of needing to buy presents for anyone. A warm house filled with delectable aromas, cherished friends, and loving family is a priceless gift.
But everything has changed because of Covid. They are still holding the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade but will not follow the usual 2.5-mile route, and it won’t feature the expected high school or college marching bands. The organizers are taping some sections. In the “live” portions, the producers are filming in front of the 34th Street store, treating it like a movie set intended for television viewers only. Football lovers won’t be disappointed and can watch three different games. Dinner won’t take hours to fix, the decorations haven’t left their boxes, and I don’t expect any guests. I could mistake Thursday for any other day.
Tomorrow’s menu includes creamy mashed potatoes, a sliced turkey breast, and homemade cranberry sauce. It hardly seems worthwhile to prepare the stuffing, giblet gravy, or my other Thanksgiving favorites. I put my expectations in group Zoom calls and countless text messages. One thing which doesn’t change this year is my gratitude. I am thankful for the health and happiness of those I love, despite endless challenges. Circumstances have knocked us down, but our spirit and our wills are strong. Adversity often reveals our true nature, and the care and compassion exhibited by some who were only strangers amaze me. I now consider them my dearest friends.
I wish you and your family a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – November 25
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 330 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.
Did you write yesterday?
My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?
It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.
My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course. November and NaNoWriMo begin on Sunday, and I need to incorporate the challenge into my routine.
Are you participating in NaNo? Do you have a plan? What can you achieve in the next few weeks?
Let us know in the comments below.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
November 24 Day 24 of NaNoWriMo 2020
Are you writing for NaNo?
How is Day 24 progressing?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Start, Don’t Stop, Fail, Don’t Give Up, Get Better, Try Again, Find Success — Daily Quote
Learning a new skill can be an exciting and terrifying experience. There are new skills to learn, a new lingo to speak, and enormous expectations to succeed. We can feel like a kid learning to ride a two-wheeler, fearing falls, scraped knees, and broken bones. Half the battle with learning to ride a bike is gaining the confidence you can defy gravity.
There are tricks to help us succeed. The first trick is to set ourselves up for success. Setting small attainable goals and building on a track record of success puts us in the right mindset to attempt more difficult challenges. Give yourself a set of training wheels, and then get on your bike and practice every day.
Have you set yourself up to succeed?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – November 24
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 329 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.
Did you write yesterday?
My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?
It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.
My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course. November and NaNoWriMo begin on Sunday, and I need to incorporate the challenge into my routine.
Are you participating in NaNo? Do you have a plan? What can you achieve in the next few weeks?
Let us know in the comments below.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
November 23 Day 23 of NaNoWriMo 2020
Are you writing for NaNo?
How is Day 23 progressing?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
