Surprise!

Summer wanes and autumn approaches. Not that you’d know it with the heat we’re having. But the days are getting shorter, even if it’s still a sauna out there. Henri the storm is moving through as well but hasn’t hit as hard here, fortunately. Today was the second year in a row that I haven’t been on campus for the start of the school year. A few years ago, I thought that I’d miss it a great deal. In reality, I don’t. I’ve made the right decision.

Continue reading “Surprise!”

Camera Oddities

Mid-August…where is the summer going? And here we are in Week 32 of More Odds Than Ends prompts. I’m still feeling like I’m in some sort of weird stasis, but I think I’ve finally broken out of my writing slump. Sitting here next to a cat who’s simultaneously purring and snoring (interesting combo), I came to the realization that while I enjoy this type of writing (creative) far more than I ever enjoyed writing any of my research, my writing process is pretty much the same.

Continue reading “Camera Oddities”

Who’s Driving?

And August begins…as summer wanes. Even though this year has been more open and active than last year, I’m still not certain where it’s all gone. But the prompts go on and I am grateful for them as they keep me writing. I think I’ve figured out a writing schedule that I’ll keep to and that will keep me productive. If I’m going to do this writing and author thing for a living, productivity is crucial.

Continue reading “Who’s Driving?”

Hidden Heritage

This week I managed to get this prompt in on time. Yay! Still fighting through a bit of either block, or frustration, or aimlessness, or something. But the prompts keep me going in a writing direction at least. So, this is Week 30 of MOTE and my prompt came from ‘nother Mike: No one understood how it got there, but the MRI showed that the pain in your back was really a ….

Continue reading “Hidden Heritage”

Late prompt: Silver Feather

I’ve been distracted procrastinating, whatever, last week and this week. Not writing. I didn’t get last week’s prompt done on time so I’m doing both today. This is the prompt for Week 29 of the Odd Prompts. My prompt came from Leigh Kimmel who gave me: The mysterious stranger’s calling card is a single silver feather. I started on it last week, but never finished. It struck me that this prompt would make a good start for a second adventure for my cursebreaker Jack.

Continue reading “Late prompt: Silver Feather”

Planet Found

The middle of July, middle of the year, it’s Week 28 of prompts at More Odds Than Ends. This year is not going as planned, so I’m no longer planning and simply going with the flow. No, it’s not a cop-out, it’s more of a recognition that the universe has its own plans for us and my life will be less stressful if I do what I need to do, quit worrying about the “what-ifs”. While I do remind the universe of my wishes, I am grateful to be doing what I’m doing right now.

Continue reading “Planet Found”

Friendly City

For Week 27 at More Odds Than Ends, My prompt came from Leigh Kimmel: On a distant world is a single city with people remarkably human, and astonishingly friendly. Yet when asked about their society and history, they give evasive answers. Anthropologists attempting an ethnographic study came to mind and with that I thought of Jake and Serena, the anthropologist and archaeologist couple who have started to occasionally wander through my head.

Continue reading “Friendly City”

Advice and Riddles

Now we are halfway through 2021. Week 26 of Odd Prompts. and things are rolling along. I don’t want to jinx anything, so I’m not saying anything specific. Get thee behind me, Murphy! I have been writing along on Book #3 and I’m happy about that. These prompts are keeping my creativity stoked and I’m grateful to all the participants at More Odds Than Ends. They have kept me creative and mostly sane this last year plus. On the real life social side (just as important), husband and I had a lovely afternoon/evening with friends yesterday for Independence Day. Lots of good food, good company, swimming, bocce ball, and conversations. Great day. Back to the writing and creating today.

Continue reading “Advice and Riddles”

Running

I think these prompts are keeping me sane in the creative arena. Here we are in Week 25 at More Odds Than Ends and I’m still going. I am trying to pry myself out of this weird waiting game that I seem to be engaged in. Today, the plan is to just dive into the writing. If I get tired or stuck with one project, I’ll get up, walk around (inside. It’s disgustingly hot and muggy outside today), and then move to another project. I have three that are front and center, and at least two or three more clamoring for attention.

Continue reading “Running”

Projects

Week 24 of 52. We are almost half way through this year already. Damn. At least the pace of things seems to be picking up. I have been in a weird sort of “I don’t wanna do anything” mood. I’m not sure why. I did switch between writing projects (I have three going at the moment) and made some headway on a couple. I know from experience with academia and research that switching between projects is the best way to make headway on any of them. But for some reason I have it in my head that I must do one at a time. I need to stop (or at least try to stop) being so linear.

Continue reading “Projects”