Life in progress

Category Archives: Life


by 17 Comments

#SoCS – What I’ve got

The bulk of what I’ve got is time.

And work.

And procrastination.

They take up all my time.

They fill me up until my head explodes.

But it’s weird; I can’t do nothing. I used to be able to do nothing, once upon a time. I could sit and just stare out the window, or listen to music and just daydream.

Daydreaming, I guess, has become my job. My daydreams go on paper to be shared.

Does that mean I keep none of my daydreams to myself?

No.

Because some daydreams shouldn’t be shared.

And some are just too big and don’t feel like they’d fit in the world outside of my head.

They’re way too bulky.

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

This wildly random absolutely stream of consciousness post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! It’s fun!


by 23 Comments

When having a to-do list sucks

This morning I woke up ready to take on my to-do list. I was pumped and raring to go.

I got out to get my grocery shopping done as I usually do every Tuesday morning … and it only took me 20 minutes to clean off the car and shovel it out.

Got back home at a decent time, and after a bit of doom scrolling I took Alex to his program. Great! I had a couple of hours to get some things crossed off my to-do list.

I just had to get gas first. And pick up Alex’s computer from Best Buy. And stop at Tim Horton’s for lunch—gotta keep my energy up for my to-do list. Oh! And I needed sausages from a different store than I get my groceries at.

Finally I got home … just in time to pick Alex up from his program!

Now, at 4:30, I’m sitting at my computer getting the first thing done that was actually on my to-do list (blogging), and feeling a combination of satisfaction at getting so many things done and frustration that only one of them was on my list.

I don’t know if I need a longer list or I should just say to hell with everything else. 🙄

Suggestions welcome.


by 27 Comments

Hmm

I’m sitting at my desk in front of my laptop, drinking my coffee and staring at a blank page. Okay, not quite blank, because it now has two sentences on it.

Hmm.

When I’m writing a story, I often launch into it with no idea what’s going to come out. What’s going to flow from my fingertips. That’s why I love stream of consciousness writing so much, I guess. It comes natural to me.

Far more natural than, say, speaking.

If I’m faced with talking about something? If I don’t know what to say, I usually end up saying something stupid. Something that plays on repeat in my head, making me want to slap myself.

Why is it always the stupid things you say that you remember most often?

Or maybe it’s just me.

Hmm.


by 34 Comments

Hey!

I’ve decided I want to try to keep blogging every day. We’ll see how long that lasts.

So what are we all talking about these days aside from politics?

The weather? That I can do.

But not today. I’m staying indoors. 🥶


by 28 Comments

#SoCS – I don’t believe it

I have to preface this by saying I’ve never actually tried it.

Or maybe I have, but if so, I was too young to remember it now.

But I refuse to believe that a spoonful of sugar would help the medicine go down.

I’m, like, imagining popping a Tylenol into my mouth and trying to wash it down with sugar.

It would be so … dry!

Don’t you think?

Either way, not helpful in the slightest.

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

This silly post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! It’s fun!


by 13 Comments

JusJoJan25 the 31st – Infinity

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “fini.” See how to join in here!

It occurred to me tonight that being a parent means having to accept help sometimes.

Even when you don’t want it.

Because sometimes your kids want to help.

And what would have taken you five minutes to do, ends up taking an infinity.

Or so it seems.

But you’ve gotta love ’em, don’t you?

🙄😂

This whiny post is the last post of Just Jot it January 2025! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks to everyone who joined me in Just Jot it January!


by 8 Comments

JusJoJan25 the 30th – Hesitation

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “hesitation,” comes to us from Wendy. Check out her blog here!

Hesitation has to be my biggest downfall. It happens on different levels.

At the smallest level, take this post, for instance.

I got the title and the first two lines ready to go almost two hours before I finally started writing what was going to be in the body of the post.

At the most critical level (of my writing and publishing career), I tend to hesitate before I publish a book, putting it off—putting off the steps to getting ready—sometimes for months, leaving me to scramble at the last minute to get everything set to go.

I’ve often thought this might be a form of self-sabotage.

And maybe it is.

But the core reason behind my hesitation is the NEED for everything to be perfect.

And it never is and never will be.

What sucks is my hesitation causes me actual physical pain.

Before I started writing this post, my heartburn was extremely painful. Now? After, like, four minutes of writing? It’s almost gone. In fact it was gone before I started writing this paragraph, but now that I’m thinking about it … (Stop thinking about it, Linda. It’s entirely stress-related.)

So yeah. I wish there was a cure for hesitation.

For perfectionism.

And for worrying about screwing up when I’ll never know if things will go smoothly unless I actually start doing them.

This woeful post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks again to Wendy for the prompt!


by 20 Comments

JusJoJan25 the 28th – Confusion

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “confusion,” comes to us from Dan. Check out his blog here!

Now that I’m in my sixties, I expect to get confused occasionally. Or at least my younger self expected it.

And yeah, sometimes I do.

But when I sit down to analyze why, I realize that if I’m focused on something, I don’t get confused at all. It’s when I’m thinking too many things at once.

And yeah, maybe I used to be able to juggle a thousand things in my head and not forget why I walked into the kitchen, but in my defense, I think I’m juggling three thousand at the moment.

Take my writing for instance.

In the space of ten and a half months (November 1, 2023-September 18, 2024), I wrote three novels in a series—approximately 271,000 words total. Now I’m editing two of them at the same time.

Which makes sense because although they’re about different but related main characters, the second half of Book One takes place at the same time as the first half of Book Two.

It’s all about the details. If it’s snowing on January 12th in the first book, I have to make sure it’s snowing at the same consistency on January 12th in the second book.

If information comes to light on the common enemy in both books, I have to ensure everyone is on the same page, both literally and figuratively, twice.

You can see where that might be confusing at times.

Thank goodness I have a program like Plottr to help me keep track of the timelines.

Would I have been able to keep track of all that without a program back in my twenties? Maybe. But I didn’t have all the responsibilities I have now on top of juggling two books simultaneously.

A thousand things vs. three thousand.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

This enterprising post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks again to Dan for the prompt!


by 13 Comments

JusJoJan25 the 27th – Glamour

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “glamorous,” comes to us from Sadje. Check out her blog here!

Myself being one of the least glamorous people I’ve ever met, I enjoy writing characters who are glamorous occasionally.

Characters who live in always clean huge houses with dozens of rooms and giant kitchens.

Characters who dress up and go to parties, balls, expensive restaurants.

Characters who go shopping for cars and furniture like it’s nothing.

Characters who wear makeup and own more than one pair of shoes …

Okay, maybe that last one is a bit close to home.

Aside from the makeup, cars, parties, balls, and restaurants, I dream of a lifestyle in which I could afford the things I write about.

I think that’s why I write it. It allows me to live vicariously through my characters.

I believe that’s what we do when we read about things we can only dream about, too.

What do you think?

This dreamy post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks again to Sadje for the prompt!


by 9 Comments

JusJoJan25 the 26th – Jubilee

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “jubilee,” comes to us from Liz. Check out her blog here!

I haven’t had much reason for jubilation in I can’t remember how long. We celebrate my kids’ birthdays with family dinners, and there’s the usual Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving celebrations, but something that qualifies as jubilee?

Stress is closer to the truth.

But I’m content with my quiet life.

My traveling days are likely all behind me, though it would be nice to get a weekend off. That would be reason for some jubilation after *checks calendar* five and a half years.

Seriously, I’m okay. 😊

This contented post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks again to Liz for the prompt!