Life in progress

Category Archives: Writing


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JusJoJan24 the 14th – It’s what I do

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and today’s prompt comes from Joanne. Check out her blog here!

“Writing” is the prompt of the day—it’s something I’ve written about many times here on my blog. So in deciding what to write about writing today, I’ve come up with only one idea: what writing is to me now.

I was told long ago that having a career as a novelist would inevitably turn what I love into a job.

And yes, there are days when it does feel like a bit of a grind, but they are few and far between.

When I’m in the thick of a novel and discovering, plucking out of the air the stories that my characters are telling me, writing is still every bit as much fun as it was when, as I child, I used stories as an escape from loneliness. Back then, sometimes I wrote them down, but most times I just wrote them in my head, going over and over them, starting from the beginning every time and adding a little to the end.

The joy of those stories meant that I was never really alone. I had my characters to keep me company.

In that, not a lot has changed.

And no, it’s still not so much a job as it is a way of living.

This thought-inducing 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 so much again to Joanne for the prompt!


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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!


by 51 Comments

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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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!


by 32 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – Worried? Who, me?

Is it telling that I wrote into my vampire story that my main character (a vampire) is upset that she hasn’t had her snow tires put on yet?

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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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 33 Comments

One-Liner Wednesday – A Cool Million

Only 51 more words to go to hit a cool million. Will I make it?

Photo: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) site screenshot of my profile, where it shows how many words I’ve written since I signed up in 2004. (They made a major change to the site in 2010, so it says I’ve only been there since then, but they lie!) My word count so far is 999,949.

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

The Magician’s Curse (2.99) on Amazon US and everywhere else (Amazon worldwide, Kobo, etc.)
The Magician’s Blood (3.99) on Amazon US and everywhere else
The Magician’s Soul (3.99) on Amazon US and everywhere else
“The Great Dagmaru” Complete Series (6.99) on Amazon US and everywhere else
The Magician’s Sire (free with sign-up) here.


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#JusJoJan the 31st/23 – It is written

Our prompt word for January 31st is “write.”

And I almost didn’t make it to my own final prompt of Just Jot it January.

It’s been a day.

Started with an hour of cleaning off the car and shoveling it out of the driveway so I could do my weekly grocery shopping.

Then, when I did get home, I had to CELEBRATE a bit because I PUBLISHED A FREAKING BOOK TODAY!

That doesn’t happen every day.

Stroked received a very nice 5-star review on it from a fellow author, Linda Fausnet:

This is a sweet love story between two misfits – a male stripper with a checkered past and a man with an endearing (and sometimes humorous!) speech impediment. Casper and Tristan find love while sharing their passions for art and swimming respectively as well as their passion for each other. Though this is book three in this terrific series, this novel can easily be read as a standalone. Also features a fun cameo from a familiar character that regular readers of this author will really enjoy!

And the rest of my day has been filled with my two new editing clients.

Until now, when I’ve finally had a chance to sit my aching body down and write.

And after this?

Write the next book, of course.

Thanks so much for reading.

See you tomorrow for the JusJoJan wrap up post!

 ***

This post of highs and lows is brought to you by Just Jot it January!

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/31/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-31st-2023/ It’s fun!


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#JusJoJan the 2nd/23 – Constellation of characters

As I contemplated what I could write on the subject of Willow’s excellent prompt of the day, I decided to go to the dictionary to see what beyond the stars I could write.

And as I thought about it some more, I came to realize that I tend to write the same sort of characters in all my books. That is to say characters all of a sort that have deep issues. Issues of longing, of hardship, of loves lost.

Some of my characters deal with their issues with laughter—they tend to end up in my romantic comedies.

Some of my characters deal with their issues in a more angsty way, as in my paranormal series, “The Great Dagmaru,” and another dark romance that’s been gathering steam in my imagination.

But they’re all part of a constellation in my mind. They’re with me constantly … perhaps helping me sort out my own issues.

***

This contemplative post is brought to you by Just Jot it January and Willow! Thanks so much again, Willow, for the great prompt. Please be sure to check out her blog.

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/02/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-2nd-2023/ It’s fun!


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SoCS & JusJoJan the 8th – In the …

In the attempt to do all the things today, I still missed the thing that is blogging.

Until now, but it’s officially Sunday, and no longer today.

Today meaning Saturday … it is no longer.

I almost forgot to schedule the prompt for tomorrow!

Which is technically today.

Because today is Sunday, and today will have a new prompt.

Which I almost forgot.

In the attempt to blog today (which is not today) it seems I have forgotten how words work.

For this is a very odd post indeed.

And forgetting how words work on a day that I am sure is not today but tomorrow, is par for the course.

Because as you know, I am the one who asks …

What day is it anyway?

Most days.

Okay, kids are calling me.

Good night!

***

This odd post is brought to you by SoCS and Just Jot it January. Click the link to see how you, too, can join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2022/01/07/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2022-daily-prompt-jan-8th/

 

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