_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Wild Weather Creates Stories Inspired by the Elements – Daily Quote
They predict a storm this weekend. The forecast calls for precipitation, freezing rain, sleet, and snow with projected accumulations of 2 to 4 inches, and I am expecting them to add hail, tornados, thundersnow, flooding, high winds, and streets covered with ice to the line-up. I am waiting for locusts, snowmageddon, and the four horsemen. It is 2020, after all.
I drive home, racing past packed grocery store parking lots without stopping. At my house, a full freezer, a stocked pantry, and the aroma of a simmering crockpot greet me. I have plans, and the impending assault helps set the mood as a dense fog obscures the view from my window, and a misty drizzle falls.
I have scheduled a long writing session, and the inclement conditions suit me. My characters are on the run, fleeing their evil tormentors. Biting wind gusts blow fallen leaves into their path. Tree limbs crack like whips, and lightning scratches angry marks across the midnight sky. Bram Stoker trembles in his grave as the pursuers gain on our intrepid heroes.
Temperatures plummet, the torrent solidifies, snowflakes fall, sticking to every surface. Jon Snow adjusts his Night Watchman cloak. Winter is coming. Can my protagonists escape? Will hunters captured them, or do they succumb, becoming victims of the elements? There is no way to foretell the tempest’s fury.
Does the weather influence your work?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 12
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 347 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.
What can you achieve before the year’s end?
Let us know in the comments below.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Cooking with Snap, Crackle, Pop, and Elf
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Five Seconds to Beat Your Everyday Irrational Mind and Rule Your World — Daily Quote
Count down from five.
Fear can paralyze us. Fear stops us in our tracks, prevents action, progress, and derails the fulfillment of our destiny. Some days the most daunting task is getting out of bed. Try counting backward from five, then go. You can’t wait until you feel like doing something because – surprise – you are never, ever going to feel like it.
Your goal is to exercise every day. You planned it, scheduled it for 9 am. But when the clock strikes 9, you waver. Neuroscience has calculated we have five seconds to act before our brain kills our best intentions. Exercising is risky. You might injure yourself and develop sore muscles. Your instincts are trying to protect you, keep you safe, and they encourage you to pull the blankets over your head.
The five-second rule breaks the impulse. It gets you moving and pushes you into action. You may know there is nothing dangerous about going for a walk, making a phone call, writing a story, but when you hesitate, you have five seconds before your brain convinces you to stop. Watching tv, or scrolling through your social media feeds is much more enjoyable.
Instead, you must take control, rule yourself, start counting, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO.
So far, it’s been working.
Will you take five seconds to rule your world?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 11
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 346 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.
What can you achieve before the year’s end?
Let us know in the comments below.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Glad Tidings of Great Joy
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Crazy Solutions to the Current Challenge of Communicating Your Smile — Daily Quote
The simple act of smiling has profound consequences. Scientists say a smile causes your brain to release neuropeptides that can help you handle stress. Your smile floods your body with dopamine, endorphin, and serotonin, chemicals shown to lower your blood pressure, decrease your heart rate, and even ease your pain. Studies show when we smile, others perceive us as looking younger, thinner, and more intelligent. Yep, that’s right, smiling makes people believe you are smart.
Wearing a face covering, well, it masks our smiles. Or does it? I find I am watching people’s eyes more than ever before, searching for some connections. I have discovered an honest-to-goodness, 100% genuine smile is transmitted for the eye to behold. There is a wrinkle, a crinkle, a glorious twinkle, and zap – it supercharges my heart, lifts my spirits, and suddenly I am smiling too. I want the other person to imagine the loony grin hidden behind my mask, and I boost my responses with sign language. Enthusiastic thumbs-up, energetic hand waves, and grateful air hugs augment my repertoire. I have even added happy dance steps to accompany my muffled laughter.
Your friends smile back when they see your smile. Sometimes I think they are only laughing at my antics. But they receive those same mood-boosting chemicals, predisposing them to smile or maybe dance for the next person they meet. Your beaming face and body language can start a feel-good epidemic.
Whose day will you brighten?
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 10
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 345 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.
What can you achieve before the year’s end?
Let us know in the comments below.
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Jingle All the Way
_________________________________________
Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Jo Hawk 