The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 6

/ 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 341 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

Attempting to Quiet an Overactive Brain with Exercise – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 5 Comments

i-have-an-overactive-brain-and-as-a-result-of-that-i-can-really-get-in-my-own-mind.-so-i-like-to-try-and-exercise-it-to-the-point-of-exhaustion.-jake-gyllenhaaling

As an introvert, I spend hours in my head, but I am rarely alone. Not by a long shot. Novel characters appear with fascinating stories to tell while my muse whispers charming prose, and inspirational music plays in the background. I write in self-defense. Composing fiction is my exercise, a method of quieting the voices, and as I surrender to the writing process, I lose myself. Time travel is real. The tales transport me to different eras, unique and provocative lives, and singular universes.

Once, I believed the act of transcribing the narratives I hear would silence them. It hasn’t worked that way. Instead, it has generated additional protagonists with risky adventures, enormous demands, and they possess an unrelenting urgency for me to retell their epic sagas.

Writing is an absolute privilege that lets me connect with others in ways I could never imagine. It provides me an avenue to explore what other people might feel or experience, and it opens doors to conversations. Through writing, we discover like-minded individuals and gain the knowledge that we humans have many things in common.

How has writing changed your life?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 5

/ 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 340 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

The Perfect Christmas Cookie for Your Santa’s Every Taste Bud – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

my-family-as-you-can-probably-guess-was-more-into-christmas-cookies-and-not-so-much-the-fruitcake.-christina-tosi

My family loves cookies, and I love baking. I may have missed my calling. In an alternate timeline, I run a popular bakery and confection shop with daily lines that stretch out the door and around the block. Top on my holiday list are Springerle, Pfeffernüsse, Linzer Tarts, and Lebkuchen made with homemade candied citrus peel. There are the perennial favorites, and overall crowd-pleasers like chewy Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, soft Ginger cookies, traditional spicy Gingerbread Men, and the versatile Sugar cookie decorated with Royal Icing.

Chocolate Crinkle cookies get dressed up and transform into Red Velvet Crinkles. Hazelnut Biscotti dipped in dark chocolate are a must with Christmas brunch coffee. On the adults-only table are special laced treats. Do you want a Chocolate Rum Ball or a Bourbon-Spiked Eggnog cookie? Or perhaps you prefer a Kahlua Creme Brule cookie?

Grandma’s Icebox cookies are a household tradition, along with Grandpa’s famous Date bars. The little ones enjoy Candy cane cookies sprinkled with peppermint or the gooey raspberry and almond Shortbread Thumbprints. Uncle Arthur picks the Buckeye Balls, while Aunt Sue lays claim to every Coconut Macaroon she can find. Dad will deny he has a favorite, but the Chocolate-covered cherry cookies seem to disappear when he is near.

As much I adore creating and tasting each batch as they emerge from the oven, my friends and family miss the sweet simplicity of Lemon Butter cookies.

What cookie does your Santa crave?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 4

/ 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 339 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

The Joy of the Right Tool, In Its Assigned Place, Makes Your Work Fly — Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

i-like-to-work-fast.-i-despise-not-having-the-right-tool-or-worse-knowing-i-have-it-but-not-being-able-to-find-it.-its-a-pointless-delay-that-wrecks-my-pace-and-mood.-adam-savage.

I thrive in organized and systematic environments. I consider efficiency, speed, and precision, the primary indicators of the ultimate success and satisfaction of every endeavor I undertake. Having the proper tool for the job is paramount. As a planner, my first step before launching a project is a well-conceived plan. I gather my supplies before I set to work. When everything is ready, the conductor steps to his podium raises his baton, and the music swells.

That is how I orchestrate my life under normal circumstances, but all bets are off with a house remodel that complicates my everyday routine. They pack my possessions into neatly labeled boxes and stacked row upon row, from the floor to the ceiling. I am displaced, living where nothing is in its familiar, assigned space. Kitchen gadgets, once taken for granted, are not accessible. Basic tasks that once required only muscle memory to accomplish now demand attention, though, and extra time. While I expected obstacles, I was unprepared for the difficulties associated with the simple stuff.

I take comfort in knowing the day approaches when I can sift through the cartons, return my tools to their homes, and resume practiced dances with my intimate friends.

How do you cope with unexpected challenges?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 3

/ 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 338 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