Life in progress

Category Archives: Prompt


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It’s a SoCS/JusJoJan 3 Twofer

Twofer the price of one, that is. I think I got about two hours of sleep last night with Alex’s coughing, and I’ve had no more than two minutes to myself at any given moment all day. Looking after a sick kid is very demanding on the attention. He’s sleeping peacefully at the moment and so far my two minutes have extended all the way to about twenty.

Still, all day I’ve been thinking about what I could write for SoCS today, given my own prompt, but nothing really stuck out as a good word that started with ‘t.’ Concentration has been a rare thing though, although I have managed to get a lot of blogs read during my minutes between being asked to do this or that, or pay attention, or simply rub his back – not easy to type whilst rubbing someone’s back. So I’ve been here but I haven’t.

I’m seriously ready to drop off to sleep any minute now. Just waiting for the other teenager to go to bed. *sigh*

I have quite a few blog posts lined up in my head for the coming weeks. I still have dozens of pictures to share, and I kept a journal while I was gone as well, though I have to re-read it to see if it’s exciting enough to copy out – perhaps I can spruce it up a little without straying from the facts.

Lots to do, but much of it depends on the kids going back to school next week. It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow and then on Monday the temperature is supposed to drop to -10C. I hope the rain dries up in the meantime, otherwise we’re going to have a repeat of last year. No fun at all. I shall certainly try not to fall and almost kill myself this year on my paper route.

I’m tired just thinking about it. …who am I trying to kid? I’m just tired. And that would be my whine for the evening.

Oooh, wine! *runs to the kitchen*

This post is part of Just Jot It January: https://lindaghill.com/2015/01/01/just-jot-it-january-pingback-post-and-rules/

JJJ 2015

And Stream of Consciousness Saturday: https://lindaghill.com/2015/01/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-january-315/

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Join in to both now!


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JusJoJan Day 1-10 Prompt

Happy New Year, everyone!  This post will be a combination of my very first “Jot” for this year, in combination with being your (our) first prompt of the month. See how easy Just Jot It January is? 😀

Your prompt for January 1st to 10th is: reading.

Some suggestions:

1. Make the title of a post the name of a book and let inspiration take you from there.

2. Write about something you’ve read, whether it’s a newspaper article, a novel, a short story, or even a blog post. Don’t forget to link back to it! I’m sure it would be appreciated.

3. Write about what reading means to you. What would happen if you couldn’t, for some reason?

4. Don’t use the prompt at all! It’s not mandatory – it’s only if you get stuck. Alternatively, use the prompt every day for 10 days. It’s up to you!

Your next prompt will be posted on January 10th, to cover the dates from the 11th to the 20th.

I can’t wait to start reading your JusJoJan posts! Don’t forget the most important part – have fun!!

This post is part of JusJoJan: https://lindaghill.com/2015/01/01/just-jot-it-january-pingback-post-and-rules/ Anyone can join in!

JJJ 2015


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Just Jot It January – Pingback Post and Rules

Here are the rules for JusJoJan:

1. It’s never too late to join in, since the “Jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post) counts as a “Jot.” If it makes it to WordPress that day, great! If it waits a week to get from the sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. If you write a JusJoJan post on your blog, you can ping it back here to make sure everyone participating knows where to find it. To ping back, just copy the URL from this post and paste it anywhere in your post. Check back here occasionally to see other bloggers posts – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section.

3. Tag your post JusJoJan.

4. Write anything!* Any length will do!

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

JJJ 2015

6. Have fun!

*Note: On the 1st, 10th, and 20th of the month I’ll post prompts. Each will last for ten days. You can use them if you get stuck for a subject to write about, or you can just ignore them. To make them easier to find, I’ll copy them here at the bottom of this post after they go live.

Prompt # 1 for January 1st to 10th inclusive: reading.
Please visit the prompt post for more details. https://lindaghill.com/2015/01/01/jusjojan-day-1-10-prompt/

Prompt # 2 for January 11th to 20th inclusive: ‘rithmatic.
Please visit the prompt post for more details. https://lindaghill.com/2015/01/10/jusjojan-day-11-20-prompt/

Prompt # 3 for January 21st to 30th inclusive: sex.
Please visit the prompt post for more details. https://lindaghill.com/2015/01/20/jusjojan-day-21-30-prompt/


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Just Jot It January 2015

The premise of Just Jot It January is simple – jot something down, anywhere you like, every day in January. It was a concept I came up with last year in a fit of desperation, really, to keep up my writing momentum of November’s NaNoWriMo and the now-defunct “Every Damn Day December.”

I’m thinking about perhaps posting actual prompts this year to help everyone along with ideas on what to post, should their jotting for the day be on their blog. At the moment I’m considering three prompts, each lasting 10 days with the final day as a day for us all to just jot out our collective back-patting.

So, with January just three days away, I’m wondering who’s up for joining me this year. Hands up, bloggers! It’ll be fun!

JJJ 2015

There’s even a neat badge! Rules will be posted January 1st, 2015.

P.S. I’ll still be hosting One-Liner Wednesday and Stream of Consciousness Saturday.


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In Appreciation: Three SoCS in One!!

Now that I’m present and accounted for–I’m back from holiday–I have no excuse not to blog. 😀

See what I did there? The above sentence is a culmination of all three wonderful SoCS prompts presented to you by my three lovely guest posters. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them all for filling in for me while I was away.

I’ve learned a lot from each of my guest posters, but none more than Helen Espinosa. Here’s a lady who has been through so much in her life and yet has managed to keep a positive outlook. Her brave dealings with cancer, during which time she relied on the love of her family is so inspiring. Helen has shown me what it is not to give up, and to live life to the fullest; her philosophy is one I aspire to. Please visit her blog often. You can find Helen here: https://helenespinosa.wordpress.com/

Pav. What can I say about Pav? An English teacher by day, a dedicated dad and husband, a tireless runner, and an author any chance he gets, Pav has a unique sense of reality. His humorous posts are a never ending experience in eyebrow-raising entertainment, spackled here and there with a lesson in what it is to be a little bit of everything all the time. Any time you need a smile, go and read Pav’s blog at http://pavorisms.wordpress.com/

For our last but not least of the SoCS prompts, we were blessed with Leigh. Speaking of busy, Leigh Michaels defines the word. Mom to five incredibly lucky children who have survived the foster care system, she seems to be a full-time everything, including the author of no less than four novels. To me, she is a lesson in what it is to give of oneself – inspiring doesn’t begin to cover it. Visit Leigh here: http://www.authorleighmichaels.com/ to read her blog and find out where you can purchase her novels.

So with that I’d like give my warm appreciation to you, Helen, Pav, and Leigh, for taking time out of your own busy schedules to keep SoCS going for everyone while I was away.

Please join me once again in paying tribute to three incredible bloggers!!

This post is, in part, a SoCS post.

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions


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SoCS – A “But” Rant and a Thank You

There are times when I just can’t stand hearing people say “but.” I do it myself sometimes and I hate it when I do it too. I suppose that’s why I hate it – they say the things we dislike in other people are the things we dislike about ourselves – that’s one time it fits to a tee.

“I want to go on vacation, but…” This is the one I hear most often that bothers me. Is there really any good time to go on vacation? There will always be something more important to do than taking time for ourselves. There will never be enough money to go. There will never be enough time. So do it! Stop saying “but”! Either that or stop saying you want to go!

Wow, there was a rant I wasn’t expecting.

A bit of this time I’m taking to write this post should be used to mention that the participation today, and in the last couple of weeks has been awesome! My promise to read and comment on each and every SoCS post is taking longer and longer to do, so I apologize if it’s next Friday by the time I get to your post, but I will get there. I hope there will not be a time when I can’t read everything, but at the same time I hope this prompt will spread further and wider so that many bloggers will have the opportunity to participate and, most of all, connect.

So, thank you!! To all who read the SoCS posts linked in the Friday prompt, to all of those who are part of this wonderful WordPress network, and most of all, to all of you who join me in Stream of Consciousness Saturday!

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

This post is part of SoCS: https://lindaghill.com/2014/11/07/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-november-814/ To join in the fun, please click on the link to get started!


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Writer’s Quote Wednesday – As I See It

I’m trying something new today. I’m participating in my dear friend Colleen’s prompt over at Silver Threading. Her rules in “Writer’s Quote Wednesday” state that the quote can be by a famous writer or by ourselves, since we’re all writers after all. So I’ve taken the liberty of writing my own statement, as I see it. I have to say it’s a little weird quoting myself. I hope it doesn’t seem too presumptuous.

 

quote lindaghill.com

 

Here is the link to Colleen’s prompt today: http://silverthreading.com/2014/11/05/writers-quote-wednesday-silver-quotes/ Please join in!

 


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SoCS – When Things Go Pear-Shaped

I like circular. What comes around, goes around and what you give, you get back. Rectangular things are better than trapezoids, but not better than squares. I suppose I’m a little obsessed with order, though you wouldn’t know it looking at my house. Tidying up is at the bottom of my list of things to do.

Order in the way of plans are also important to me. When things go pear-shaped I get stressed. Not that I need to stick to a schedule – it’s more for my kids than me. Both of them are obsessed with schedules.

Today will be a busy day. If things don’t go as planned it will result in a late night.

This post sucks.

But that’s Stream of consciousness for you. Pear-shaped indeed. Show, don’t tell, right? Haha.

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

If you’d like to participate in Stream of Consciousness Saturday, click here to get the details! https://lindaghill.com/2014/10/17/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-october-1814/


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One-Liner Wednesday – Writing

I’m so totally absorbed with my writing that I forget to eat, to sleep; even to turn the lights on four hours after the sun has gone down.

~ True Story

 

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Anyone who would like to try it out, 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. As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday, if you see a ping back from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

The rules that I’ve made for myself for “One-Liner Wednesday” are as follows:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

Have fun!


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for SoCS July 5/14

First, to my American friends, Happy 4th of July! I hope your day is filled with family, friends and fireworks. Second, today’s prompt will have nothing to do with Independence Day, but extra points to you if you can figure out how to connect the two. For this Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness post, I’d like to give you a word that might not seem at first as though there are many places you can take it. But give it a little thought. There’s more to it than meets the eye.

This week’s prompt word is “body.” Do with it whatever comes to mind, and don’t forget – it doesn’t have to be non-fiction. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at the prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Don’t hesitate to join in!

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

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people will come and read your post! The way to ping back, is to just copy and paste the URL of my post somewhere on your post. Then your URL will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. For example, in your post you can copy and paste the following: This post is part of SoCS: https://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/07/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-514/  The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! 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 right 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. Have fun!