Life in progress

Category Archives: Stream of Consciousness Saturday


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 18/17

Hello, hello, it’s Friday today, and time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. It’s been another cold week here in Canada. Have I mentioned that I’m looking forward to spring? I think- I think- I think I’m starting to sound like a broken record. Let’s have some fun and forget about the whole thing, shall we? Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “ham.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at 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 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!!

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your 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 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


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#SoCS – So-so job

So maybe I just need to drink more wine. Because lately, I’m finding it hard to relax enough to write anything. You know, anything creative. I’ve been working on a story for an anthology, and it’s going… slowly.

I think the real problem is that I never get out anymore. I’m tied to the house all the time now that my Autistic son has finished school. If I go out, I take him with me or I don’t go. Without going out — by myself — I’m unable to gather up any inspiration. I like to observe people. It’s one of my favourite things to do. I can sit in a restaurant for an hour or two and write while I half-listen to a conversation at another table; I get stories that way. Not necessarily about exactly what they say. Most of the time one sentence is enough to get my creative juices flowing.

I need time. I haven’t had 24 hours off from this 24/7 job of being responsible for my kids since the first of October last year. That’s more than five months ago. Since I had a day off…

That’s it, I’m opening a bottle of wine. (I wonder how many other posts are ended this way.) I shall make it so.

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This so-so post is brought to you by So..CS (or Stream of… Consciousness Saturday). Click the link and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2017/02/10/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-1117/


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 11/17

It’s Friday, and time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. Though the weather here hasn’t been bad this year — we’ve had few snowfalls and no really cold -40 days — I’m looking forward to weather that’s warm enough to sit on the deck and read a book. …okay, what I really want is a beach and palm trees right about now. Who’s with me?

Anyway, here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “so/sow/sew.” Use one, use ’em all, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points if you start and end with any of them. Enjoy!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at 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 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!!

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your 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 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


by 18 Comments

#SoCS – Hairy

Parenting is fun, isn’t it? Especially when you have to deal with a behavior-challenged child. Like mine. But I got the perfect teaching moment today, so I decided to go with it.

We’ve been having an issue with Alex bullying the dog. Luckily Winston is extremely patient and tolerant to having his ears pulled, his tail yanked on, being pinched, punched and kicked. I have a hard time dealing with it most of the time because it’s difficult to find anything to really punish Alex with that makes an impact. Until today.

He was waiting to go on his beloved bus ride around town. We were sitting together on the couch, both involved in what we were each doing. When Alex thought I wasn’t looking, he reached out and pinched the dog. For absolutely no reason whatsoever – the dog was sleeping beside him. I told him to stop – he looked me right in the eye and did it again. So that was it. No bus ride.

Alex cried. And cried and cried. He tried stroking Winston, he tried apologizing to both of us, but no. I stuck to my guns and told him if he was nice all day to the dog, I’d let him go on his bus ride tomorrow.  So he cried and sobbed, and choked on his own spit… then he kicked the dog, hard enough to make him yelp. No bus tomorrow, and he had to go up to his room.

Now his room is another story altogether. I have to take his little tv and his dvd player/vcr out of there, along with his lamp because I never know what he’s going to break next, and those are the things I can’t afford. The good news is — yes, there is some good news — he has learned the hard way not to break his movies. I have to admit that it hurt to let him do it. I made sure I took the ones out I really wanted to keep (this was months ago) and I just let him smash them. Standing outside his room listening to my money getting ready for the garbage was one of the most painful but teachable moments I’ve ever had with him.

And so I’m hoping this weekend’s lack of bus rides will be as well. The poor dog is such a lovely creature. Suffice to say though, today has been hairy.

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This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click the link to read more about it and to find all the other awesome posts! https://lindaghill.com/2017/02/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-417/

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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 4/17

It’s Friday today; who’d have guessed? I suppose that means we need a Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, eh? I’m home with the youngest offspring today (PA Day), and he’s keeping Mom busy. Now that I finally have a minute to myself, I’m all yours. Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “hair.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at 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 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!!

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your 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 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


by 14 Comments

#SoCS and Just Jot It Jan 28 – Distraction

Hello? Can I come out now? Is the world sane in here? I really should know better than to spend the day reading Facebook. It seems the craziness is getting crazier out there, and I feel kinda helpless to do anything, you know? I would…

I was on Anne Rice’s FB page today. She was saying pretty much the same thing I was thinking – too distracted to work. My answer to her in the comments was that it’s we writers (yes, I actually had the balls to put myself in her category) need to write to give people the escape they need. Especially in times like these. Writers give the world not only books, but movies, shows, articles… truth and lies and fantasies through which to travel outside of reality, if for only a little while.

I read somewhere yesterday that we are in a state of low-level stress. In a place where anything could happen at any given moment. We’re on our toes so much more than ever before, for most of us. At least for such a prolonged period.

But here I am bringing the crazy here. I want to forget about it for a while. Get lost in a book that has no fighting. (Guess A Game of Thrones is out.) I need a romance novel, something light, something that will take my mind off it all. I may even be forced into watching TV for a change. Or a movie. Yeah, a movie. Time to put Netflix to good use.

I’m going to hang around and read some blogs first… 🙂 Hope you’ve all had a good day, my friends.

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This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday and…

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Just Jot It January! Click the link to join in and read some awesome posts! https://lindaghill.com/2017/01/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-and-jusjojan-jan-2817/


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS and #JusJoJan Jan. 28/17

Friday’s the day today, so today is the day for the Saturday Stream of Consciousness prompt. Sorry I’m so late; I got caught up with my editing after a chaotic morning. I’ll likely write about it later.

This prompt will also be the one for tomorrow’s JusJoJan post, so link back here even if you don’t write in Stream of Consciousness style. Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January is: “wood/would.” Use one, use both, use them any way you would like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at 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 or JusJoJan post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our 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.

You can also use the Just Jot It January badge! Here it is:

jjj-2017

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your 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 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


by 20 Comments

#SoCS, Just Jot It Jan 21 – Glass

Ah, finally. After a busy day, sitting with a glass of wine or two, happily flitting to and fro like an insane Pomeranian, trying to choose from the many possibilities on what to write of “glass.”

It’s insane, but here I am communicating to the world as my fingers stroke a keyboard, and symbols which can be read appear on a sheet of backlit glass, to instantaneously fly through the ether and into the homes of so very many onlookers. What power! How would Shakespeare have handled such fluidity of information? How much has been lost…

We are such fragile things, we humans with our egos and our importances that we carry with us from day to day, year to year, some falling away like forgotten leaves beneath the first snow. What if we could get a glimpse back through time to the things we found, in the past, to be life-changing but weren’t? We scoff at it now, just as we scoff at the clothes we wore, captured through the lenses of our memory-saving devices – you know, the ones we never had with us when it was most crucial. But now…now…

So much is seen through glass.

I see through my glass that it is empty, again. Time for a refill, methinks.

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This philosophical post is brought to you by a combination of Stream of Consciousness Saturday and

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Just Jot It January. Click the link, read the posts, and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2017/01/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-and-jusjojan-jan-2117/


by 50 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS and #JusJoJan Jan. 21/17

It’s Friday today, and here I am with your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. This prompt will also be the one for tomorrow’s Just Jot It January post, so link back here even if you don’t write in Stream of Consciousness style. Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January is: “glass.” Use the word “glass,” or find something that’s made of it and use that in your post. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at 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 or JusJoJan post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our 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.

You can also use the Just Jot It January badge! Here it is:

jjj-2017

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,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your 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 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. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


by 29 Comments

#SoCS, Just Jot It Jan 14 – People

People are funny. Particularly around authors. Most will give you a blank stare if you tell them you’re a writer… I wonder often if they’re just thinking, “what do I say now? And will it end up in a book?” This is why I don’t tell people I’m a writer unless they ask.

But there was one day, a couple of months ago, when I was sitting by the water on my favourite waterfront trail and a woman came along and started talking to me. She told me she was there to write her novel… as if she expected me to be flabbergasted that I was talking to a real writer. We ended up chatting about Amazon and Createspace for the following half an hour, though she couldn’t help herself from occasionally giving me the odd advice on how to write, edit, and publish. No matter how many times I said, “yeah, I know.”

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Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was sitting in a restaurant, minding my own business, proofreading my own manuscript. It’s printed out in a spiral-bound book and I’ve been working through it with a red pen. The waitress stopped to give me my tea, as waitresses do, and she asked me if I’m a teacher. I said no, I’m a writer. She reacted the way the lady down on the waterfront expected me to.

“You’re writing a book? What kind? Can we buy it at the bookstore? Do you have a card or anything?”

*makes note to get cards or bookmarks printed*

Needless to say I got better-than-average service that evening.

I keep having to remind myself that though many people think they can write a book, not everyone actually does it. I’m surrounded here on WordPress by so many talented people, so many authors and people who know authors, that it has become normal for me. And yet I remember the first time my blog was followed by a “real author” and I was flabbergasted, even though I had already written three novels myself. Because he was published, and I wasn’t.

I love people. People are who populate my novels. I write novels about people, not about events. I don’t write plots – I write about things that happen to people and how those people react, and that builds my plots.

I really need to write more.

Potato.

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This post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January. The prompt for this week is the letter “p,” with the challenge to start and end the post with a “P” word… thus the potato. Click the following link to join in and read all the other awesome posts! https://lindaghill.com/2017/01/13/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-and-jusjojan-jan-1417/