Life in progress

Category Archives: Random


by 16 Comments

JusJoJan24 the 7th – But what’s your motivation?

Back to our regular prompts, this post is part of Just Jot it January, and our prompt of the day is courtesy of Dan. Check out his blog here!

As a writer of stories, I do my best to make my character’s motivations clear. Like, not only are they doing this or that thing, but it’s obvious why they’re doing it.

And to take a step beyond that, I do my best to make sure they’re not doing something just for the sake of doing it, especially when the action is dangerous or stupid.

Which is why I don’t watch a lot of horror movies.

Why does the girl who’s about to be killed really need to go into the room where the killer is? Curiosity? Don’t be stupid!

I get that it causes tension for the viewer, but ugh!

If it makes me scream at the screen, it’s obvious to me there’s no plausible motivation behind the action.

If the character is walking into a dangerous situation, for instance if there’s a killer at the door and she answers it because she’s sure it’s someone she’s expecting, that’s good motivation.

But “ooh, what’s that weird noise in this dark room when I don’t have a pet and I believe I’m alone in the house?”

RUN! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!

Because we all know curiosity kills more than the cat in a horror film.

This frustrated 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 15 Comments

JusJoJan24 & #SoCS the 6th – Harder than it looks

This post is part of Just Jot it January and my weekly prompt, Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt and see how you can join in HERE.

I tell myself to “just do it” all the time. But it really is a struggle.

Just willing myself to start writing this post, I sat back in my chair, picked a few stray dog hairs off my sleeve, looked at my to do list, checked out not one, but two of my calendars, and had a drink of water before I gathered the courage to place my fingers on the keyboard.

And it is courage, it seems, that’s necessary.

Because I want to get it right the first time.

Now, yes, because this is stream of consciousness writing and I can’t go back and change it, but much of the time I’m like this.

I suppose I’m a perfectionist.

Or maybe it’s a case of not wanting to have to fix things once they’re done.

HA! And I call myself an editor.

But that’s different. When I edit someone else’s work, I’m actually looking at it for the first time…

Anyway, that was a tangent.

Just do it.

It’s more than three words. (Editor Linda is saying no, it’s literally three words.)

It’s a concept.

And it’s far bigger than meets the eye.

I’m starting to think that in many cases, there’s no “just” about it.

Do it.

Yeah, that’s better.

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

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

 


by 12 Comments

JusJoJan24 the 5th – The Penultimate Bite

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and our prompt of the day is courtesy of Judy. Check out her blog here!

It’s a chicken and an egg situation—which came first?

I’ve always left the best for last, especially with food. It’s just the way I am.

So I’ve always thought about that last bite as the ultimate. The best.

The dictionary definition of “ultimate” says nothing about it being the best. Just the last.

For me, it’s simply associative.

But …

Did I start by associating the ultimate for the best?

Or did I start by associating the best for the ultimate?

I think it’s the latter.

Either way, the second last bite is always the penultimate bite.

This not-so-ultimate 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 Judy for the prompt!


by 11 Comments

JusJoJan24 the 4th – Captivating

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and our prompt of the day is courtesy of Wendy. Check out her blog here!

I’ve always been captivated by sparkly things.

I think it started at Christmas time.

Photo: A sparkly red ball hanging from my Christmas tree along with a few other non-sparkly balls and a plush bear with wings, holding a star.

If I had my way, all my ornaments would be sparkly and they’d turn all by themselves so they sparkle more. Or maybe that would be overkill. Less is more, after all. Besides, I might be so captivated I wouldn’t be able to do anything else the whole time the tree is up.

This sparkly 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 26 Comments

JusJoJan24 the 2nd – Gregorian

I want to start this post by saying if Gregorian came from a guy named Gregory, there should be a Lindarian something or other.

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt is courtesy of Willow. Check out her blog here!

Things that were readily available when the Gregorian calendar (the one we use now) came about (in the late 1500s):

  1. Horses on every corner. Or at least on every corner that mattered.
  2. Fresh vegetables without steroids.
  3. Clean air. (Except where the horses were, then WHEW, how ’bout that smell?)
  4. Kids that weren’t glued to a screen most of the time.
  5. Lots of blacksmiths. Because horses.

Things that weren’t readily available when the Gregorian calendar came about:

  1. Horsepower. At least not the car kind.
  2. Milk in bags. Not in Ontario or Quebec, Canada? It’s a thing.
  3. Air that’s free of the scent of horse manure. (But what about those diesel engines? WHEW!)
  4. Computers that could tell you at any given point how many days to Christmas … I could actually do without that, thanks very much.
  5. Few blacksmiths, plenty of tire shops.

And that’s my Lindarian list.

This listy 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 Willow for the prompt!


by 6 Comments

JusJoJan24 the 1st – In Training

This post is part of Just Jot it January. To join in, click here to get to the prompt and drop your link.

I’ve been in self-imposed training for a while.

It’s not as athletic as it sounds, though I wish it could be.

I mean, I do try to walk every day.

But mostly, I’m constantly trying to train my brain to stick to a schedule.

I write everything down. My hours of every day are (mostly) documented.

But I really need to get rid of all the question marks during the hours I spend just scrolling on Facebook.

Wasted time, for the most part.

Except when it’s good for finding more ways to train myself to spend my time better …

Thus, my endless training loop.

But this year …

Yeah, probably the same as last year.


by 49 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – That feeling when…

That feeling when you’re planning to start a new novel for National Novel Writing Month and it’s October 31st at 9:11pm and you still have no clue what you’re going to write.

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!


by 37 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – Pumpkinferno!

Alex and I went to Kingston Penitentiary to see the Pumpkinferno on Saturday.

My favourite is the third from the left at the bottom. Which is yours?

Photos: Fake pumpkins stacked and collectively carved into 1. a dragon, 2. Spanish dancers and sugar skulls, and 3. individual pumpkins carved with angry, suspicious, and funny faces.

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!


by 22 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – Heading out

Leaving on a road trip to my hometown today. I’ll leave you with some leaves.

Photo: Several trees at the playground that are changing colours at different speeds, from green, to yellow, to orange, to brilliant red. Alex is on the swing asking me “What?” in sign language.

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!


by 36 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – I’ve decided

There is nothing good about having your alarm go off at 4:00am.

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!