challenge

To Looking Forward

/ JoHawkTheWriter
Photo credit: Cali2Okie (April) via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Photo credit: Cali2Okie (April) via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the fast-approaching new year.

Here, the joy of Christmas was made more poignant due to a death in the family. My uncle’s passing served as a powerful reminder of the need to recognize what is truly important in life. Perhaps it was just me, but this season’s gatherings seemed to have more meaning for everyone. From the Christmas card that conveyed an expression of thanks for including their family in the festivities, to the way people lingered at the door, reluctant to leave as the time neared for the gathering to come to an end. All of this and more reinforced my belief that these celebrations need to happen all through the year.

While I have spent the last two weeks fully engaged with other priorities, the importance of getting the first draft of my book completed has skyrocketed to the top of the list. Speaking of lists, it is also that time of the year as well. Time to plot out the journey for the coming year. Time to dream of all the things that we want to accomplish. Time to figure out what mark we want to leave on 2017. Time when endless possibilities lie before us. We can take the best from the past to build on to make the new year unforgettable.

I have dusted off the crystal ball and am preparing to…

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Pressure

/ JoHawkTheWriter
Photo via HebiFot via Visual Hunt

Photo via HebiFot via Visual Hunt

How I would love to say that I haven’t posted here because I have been writing like a fiend. My muse bound me to my chair and compelled me to spend hours at my keyboard while the words have spilled onto the page. Words and sentences and paragraphs flowing from my fingertips like water leaping over a cliff to create a magnificent waterfall with mist spraying into the air to adorn the creation with rainbows. The culmination being a story with wonderful dialog, stunning visual effects and a plot as solid as Gibraltar. A story that is destined to be on the best seller list with fans clamoring for the next two books in the series. Only seconds after writing the immortal word “The End”, producers bang down my door begging to be allowed to make my story into the next hit movie. It will be bigger than Star Wars they say.

Hmm, wait. Is my fever back?

Okay, the truth is that I have spent the better part of this week being sick. Just in time for the busy holiday season. Thankfully, today I feel better than I have since Monday. Somehow, as I lay knocked out by every over the counter medication I could get my hands on, time spun forward to a point where we are barely a week away from the fat man’s arrival. Boy am I behind schedule. There is still some Christmas shopping to do and some decorating and baking and grocery shopping and a house to clean for company and gifts that need to be mailed along with the “normal” stuff that needs doing. I wonder if I can convince the kids that Christmas has been rescheduled for next week? No? Probably not my best option.

I suppose there is nothing like the pressure of looming deadlines, other people’s expectations and the dread of being a disappointment to ignite a fire to get things done. So, I have modified my list, checked it twice and cranked up the holiday playlist. I have even planned to squeeze in some writing time. Wish me luck.

How is everyone else faring in the pre-holiday madness?

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Road Block

/ JoHawkTheWriter

I figured out why the writing was going so slow.

I ran into a road block.

Photo credit: morgandobbins via Visual Hunt / CC BY

Photo credit: morgandobbins via Visual Hunt / CC BY

A little issue with the story which I discovered when I re-read a bit today. Writing you MC into a predicament is easy, get him out in a believable way can sometimes be a challenge. My MC was trying to tell me that my solution was not in line with his character. So, I set about fixing it. A little research helped a ton in putting things right. With this done, MC now seems happier. Yippee. I also mapped out a plan for where we are going next. I think we are now set to make some progress on the story. So tomorrow I push ahead.

Charge!

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Challenges

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

How is it Friday already?

Photo credit: Sangudo via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Photo credit: Sangudo via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

My targeted word count for this week is nowhere near what I wanted it to be. It is really disheartening. I often set some lofty goals for myself, fully realizing that I might not be able to get over the bar. But I also like a challenge. The harder and more unobtainable the goal appears to be, the more determined I am to prove that I can get there. Can you say competitive?

That being said, when I look at the rest of my never ending to-do list I see it is significantly shorter than it was on Monday. Hmm, I wonder what is going on here? Have I been avoiding the writing? Maybe a little. The truth is that a few of the items on the to-do list were starting to bug me, but now they are done, crossed off the list and nothing has been added to it. Yet.

Okay, nagging distractions out of the way, time to see if I can make it.

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer