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End of Year Reflection ~ The Fabulous, The Terrible, and The Explosive Train Wreck

December 11, 2023December 11, 2023 Lori Twining 12 Comments

This is my last blog for 2023. It is hard to believe the year is almost over.

In less than three weeks, we will jump feet first into a new year. It’s impossible to not be sad that you didn’t accomplish everything you were hoping for on your to-do list or goal-oriented calendar. At the same time, excitement is rumbling in your tummy for a new year to start. January always presents a clean slate that allows you to create a new list of endless possibilities.

To make the new goal list, it is always fun to use the week off from work—between Christmas and New Year’s Eve—to realize just how much you have accomplished over the last twelve months. Sometimes, reflecting on our experiences, whether they were fabulous success stories, terrible embarrassing moments, or memorable explosive train wrecks you never want to mention again… they all led to baby steps in your progress to conquer the “big thing” you have been daydreaming about for years.

What is that “big thing” I’m talking about?

Settling Into Retirement

November 13, 2023November 13, 2023 Bernice Connell Leave a comment

It has been a couple of months since my last days of paid work but my working norm of being frantic to get things done has has just begun to ease up. I was eager to get at some big housekeeping jobs that had never reached priority status before retirement. As gratifying as it was to make progress on these chores, I realized I was tackling the jobs like I had a deadline. Having now steam-cleaned most surfaces in the house, emptied drawers and closets and purged a couple of truckloads of trash to the dump and donations to the usual organizations, it is time to shift gears.

Barbed Wire Benefits

November 6, 2023November 12, 2023 Donna Judy Curtin 1 Comment

A few weeks back, I got a text,

“Coopers hurt. Can you check him out when you get home?”

Cooper had a deep and dangerous puncture, high up inside his back leg. It tracked into his groin and was only a breath away from puncturing his abdomen. It could have been life threatening. Considering our walking track and their playground is our zig-zagging forested trails through our maple sugar bush, I surmised Cooper must have snagged a branch in the wrong spot, at the wrong moment. Read more

Writers’ Summer Camp with 13 Strangers

October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 Lori Twining 4 Comments

Several decades ago, before I even had a steady boyfriend, I had this weird habit of flipping through bridal magazines, dreaming about the perfect wedding, the over-the-top Royal Princess taffeta ballgown, the jovial bridal party, and spending the most romantic honeymoon hiking through the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania.

That never happened for me.

I mean, I did have a wedding–in fact, I had TWO beautiful weddings to two different people, with incredible velvet and satin dresses, and cool-but-not-that-funny bridal parties, but I never experienced the thrill of hiking through the Poconos Mountains… until this past weekend. A part of my old daydream finally did come true, slightly skewed from the original fantasy.

Memories Old & New

September 20, 2023September 20, 2023 Bernice Connell Leave a comment

I came across a random writing prompt the other day: ‘What memory do you wish you could remember better?’

Distant memories, especially, often come to us in mere snippets of images or emotions. They can be fleeting, blurry or vague, leaving us wishing for a bit more. The author of the writing prompt was encouraging writers to unearth deeper details of favourite memories through consistent practice. This would be essential when writing memoir or creative non-fiction.

The fun about writing fiction is that memory may provoke a spark but all the story details can unfold any which way the writer conjures.

Summertime

August 7, 2023August 6, 2023 Kelly Babcock Leave a comment

It’s almost exactly the middle of Summer. It’s a time I personally adore. I mean, I’m one of those people that loves the season I’m in when I’m in it. But there’s something about summer that makes me feel good.

And I have to point out that I’m a realist. Summer starts three weeks in to June and it ends three weeks in to September for me. I don’t make the rules I just live by them. I don’t cheat Spring out of her rightful holdings and I recognize her for what she is, transition from Winter to Summer. And as such, Spring is some of Read more

Who Are You? And, Why Do You Write?

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 Lori Twining 4 Comments

The summer months are full of extended family gatherings. This year we are celebrating many things: the arrival of our second grandbaby, the engagement of our niece, the departure of my hubby’s brother and wife (moving to Singapore for two years), and a bridal shower for my hubby’s cousin (even though we are not invited to the wedding). Where am I going with all this family information?

With family gatherings come rapid-fire questions about how my writing career is going. Typical questions are something like this:

“Are you still trying to do that writing thing?”
“Where is this book I keep hearing about?”
“Why isn’t your book done yet?”
“What’s taking so long?”

These questions are often followed by examples of so-and-so publishing their 27th novel this month, and they write three books a year. So, why is my book, which I have been working on for what seems like 100 years, taking so long to write and publish? There is an instant sense of dread or shame. I should stop calling myself a writer and instead watch some movies on Prime or Netflix like everyone else.

Feeding my Brain Deep Work

July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 Seana Moorhead 1 Comment

I recently read Cal Newport’s book, “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.” It was recommended to me by a friend when I complained about my inability to focus on finishing the first draft of my new novel. Even if I found time, I kept finding myself distracted. Instead, I would check my email, social media, wash dishes, play with my dogs, plant more gardens… oh, the list goes on! Does this sound familiar?

Newport recommends that if you want to be productive, you have to log out of all communication tools and any other potential distractions and work uninterrupted for at least 60 to 90 minutes and potentially up to 4 hours… and if possible, every day! He claims practicing “deep work” will rewire your brain and allow you to learn things faster, do quality work faster and most important for writers–finish that book!

Tag: writing