Life in progress

Monthly Archives: December 2023


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Prompt Me Part 1 of 2 – #JusJoJan 2024

First half of the month – January 2 – 16, 2024

I’m looking for prompt words for Just Jot it January! This is your chance to inspire other people and have your blog linked to the Daily Prompt post.

I’ve decided to do this in two parts again this year—Jan. 2-16, and Jan 18-30. I only need 11 prompt words today, so if you miss getting your word in on this post, you’ll have another chance on Sunday, January 17th.

Read the rules carefully! I need 11 single words to use in the Just Jot It January challenge, for January 2nd through to the 16th. This is how you can be included:

  • I’m looking for a single word, plus a link to your blog, plus the name you wish me to use when I post your prompt (your name or the name you blog by). So for example, mine would be “antidisestablishmentarianism lindaghill.com Linda”
  • If you write more than what I’m asking for in your comment, for example, “My word is antidisestablishmentarianism, and my link is (this) and my name is (my given name or the name I blog by),” I’ll tell you to try again. Same thing if you try to slip in two prompts, even in two different comments—I’ll only accept the first. If I get the same word twice, I’ll only accept the first person who got to it. If you’re the second, I’ll let you know so you can try again. And please, remember this is a relatively G-rated blog, so nothing too risque.
  • The first 11 comments on this post that include a single word (plus link and name) will be the prompts for the first half of January.
  • These prompts will go up on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 2am EST. I’ll take care of One-Liner Wednesday and Stream of Consciousness Saturday myself.
  • I’ll link back to the blog of whomever gives me a prompt on the day I use it.
  • Make sure you get your comment in early. You don’t want to miss out!
  • Please don’t bother entering a prompt if your blog is inactive or if it exists only to sell things. If you haven’t posted in over a month and you’re only looking for clicks, your prompt word will be rejected. If, on the other hand, you’re planning to use JusJoJan to inspire you to get back into the swing of things, let me know immediately in a second comment — NOT the one you give your prompt word in. Remember, that’s ONE word plus your link and your name only. If I can’t find a reasonable number of posts written in the last month that aren’t trying to sell a product, your prompt word will be rejected.
  • I’ve found over the years that prompt words that are negative in nature don’t get as much participation as more positive words. I don’t want to limit you, but please keep in mind that if your word is on the sadder or angrier side, your prompt may not get as many responses.
  • If you provide a prompt, I encourage you to join in as much as possible throughout the month.
  • Only one prompt per person for the month. If you get in this time, don’t try again next time.
  • NOTE: Please count the number of correctly formatted comments ahead of yours. If there are already 11, save yours for January 17th!

Please see the “Rules” post for a complete list of the prompt words. I’ll populate it as the words come in. Here’s the link in case you missed it: https://lindaghill.com/2023/12/31/just-jot-it-january-2024-the-rules/

Okay. Are you ready? Aaaaand … prompt! One word, one link, one name!

We’re done for this round! Turning off the comments. Thanks so much to everyone who supplied a prompt. 🙂


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Just Jot it January 2024 – The Rules!

It’s that time of year again! Welcome, everyone, to the tenth annual Just Jot it January challenge. A whole decade! It’s hard to believe.

Just Jot it January, AKA JusJoJan, is a challenge to write a post every day of the month of January. Let’s start the year off with a a blogging bang, and to meet others in the blogging community!

Here are the simple JusJoJan Rules: (If it’s been a while since you read them, please give them a quick scan.)

1. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

3. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

4. Tag your post JusJoJan24 and/or #JusJoJan24.

5. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

6. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

7. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

8. Have fun!

Below, I’ll fill in the prompts as I have them, along with a link to the blog of the person who supplied the prompt if it wasn’t me.

January 1 –  “Train” (me)

January 2 – “Gregorian” from Willow https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/

January 3 – One-Liner Wednesday

January 4 – “Captivating” from Wendy https://waffle-with-wendy.blogspot.com/

January 5 – “Penultimate” from Judy https://judydykstrabrown.com/

January 6 – SoCS

January 7 – “Curious” from Dan https://nofacilities.com/

January 8 – “Gratitude” from Sadje http://lifeafter50forwomen.wordpress.com/

January 9 – “Pastime” from Di https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/

January 10 – One-Liner Wednesday

January 11 – “Olive” from Kaye https://kayespencer.com/blog-2/

January 12 – “Toast” from Barbara https://teleportingweena.wordpress.com/

January 13 – SoCS

January 14 – “Writing” from Joanne https://topofjcsmind.wordpress.com/

January 15 – “Craft” from Astrid https://astridetal.com/

January 16 – “Variety” from John https://thesoundofonehandtyping.com/

January 17 – One-Liner Wednesday

January 18 – “Despair” from Carol Anne http://therapybits.com/

January 19 – “Tenacious” from Cheryl https://tropicalaffair.me/

January 20 – SoCS

January 21 – “Plants” from J-dub https://jilywily.wordpress.com/

January 22 – “Mood” from Dar https://darsword.com/

January 23 – “Stoked” from Nicole https://momoetry.wordpress.com/

January 24 – One-Liner Wednesday

January 25 – “Cheesy” from Yvensong https://yvensong.wordpress.com/

January 26 – “Atrocious” from Jemima https://jemimapett.com/blog/

January 27 – SoCS

January 28 – “Congregate” from Fandango https://fivedotoh.com/

January 29 – “Family” from Kim https://inkonapage.com/

January 30 – “Calendar” from me

January 31 – One-Liner Wednesday


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Dec. 30, 2023

The last Friday of the year is here and so am I with your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. Thanks so much to everyone who encouraged me to do Just Jot it January again. Stay tuned! Here’s this week’s prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: starts with or contains “ph.” Find a word with the letters “ph” in it and use it as your prompt. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a particular subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


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One-Liner Wednesday – That time again

It’s time to decide whether I’m going to do Just Jot it January next month. Thoughts?

P.S. Thank you so much to everyone who wished me a happy Christmas! Sorry I didn’t get to reply to all of your comments. I’m half-blind today. :/ But no fear! It will probably be better tomorrow.

If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

Available now! Click the image!


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Merry Christmas

Well, it’s been a year. One that will forever live as the year my mother died, and that I kinda fell off the grid afterwards, for what might seem obvious reasons to most but is a bit of a mystery to me. Mostly, I think, because it was all coming and I could see it but I didn’t want to.

However, this is a time of celebration for most.

And so I want to take the time to say thank you to everyone who’s stuck around, despite my absence, and to wish everyone the merriest of Christmases and happiest of holidays for all the other holidays celebrated here, there, and all over the world.

Cheers, my friends!


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Treat yourself to romance

There’s still time before Christmas to treat yourself to a wonderful book of stories that revolve around Christmas markets.

‘Tis the season to find trinkets, treats, and love at your favorite Christmas Market.

Will you meet someone special under the mistletoe? Is that a candy cane in Santa’s pocket or is he just happy to see you? Whether it’s the traditional markets of Europe or a small-town winter festival out of a television movie, the holiday market is the place to come together to shop, drink, and make merry. Will you find the perfect gift or the love of your life?

Grab your eggnog and cookies and join USA Today best-selling and award-winning romance authors curated by The New Romance Café as we celebrate all the things that make this a holly jolly season.

Get it here and read Creamed, the sixth story in my Once a Week at Woody’s series.


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Dec. 23, 2023

It’s Friday, and I’m here with your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. The last one before Christmas! I did manage to get all my gifts bought, but Christmas dinner is still sitting in the grocer’s. Hope you’re better organized than I am! Here’s this week’s prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “spruce.” Use it as a noun or a verb, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a particular subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


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One-Liner Wednesday – A more honest version

I rewrote the words to “Let It Snow” to make it more accurate, for my circumstances at least.

Oh the weather outside is stressful

And the mall is just a cesspool

But since we still have to shop

Let it stop

Let it stop

Let it stop

Edit: Apologies to the late Sammy Cahn for twisting the words to his wonderful song … which was written in the middle of summer, apparently. Who knew?

If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

Available now! Click the image!


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Dec. 16, 2023

Friday is the day, and your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt is the game. Sorry I’m late. I slept in, and it was glorious! Here’s this week’s prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “bake.” Use it as a noun or a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a particular subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


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One-Liner Wednesday – How do I know?

I know I’m deeply into the book I’m writing when my kids ask me “What?” and it’s not until then that I realize I’ve been staring at them blankly, my mind hovering around what’s going to happen next in the story.

If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

Available now! Click the image!