Life in progress

Tag Archives: inspiration


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 11, 2023

Friday is here! And so am I with your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. This past week has felt like a month. Who knew February was the longest of them all? Here’s your prompt:

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

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

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

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. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a particular 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 will simply be a single word to get you 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 all of them! 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 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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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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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 4, 2023

It’s Friday! And I’m back with your regular Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. I admit I feel a bit lost already, not having posted yesterday. I should blog more … Anyway, here’s your prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “perfection.'” Use it any way you like. Enjoy!

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

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

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. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a particular 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 will simply be a single word to get you 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 all of them! 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 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 22 Comments

It’s our annual Just Jot it January WOOHOO! post!

WOOHOO! January 2023 is finished and we made it!

We jotted all the way through January! It’s all downhill from here, baby! Give me a high five!

But seriously, it was a hectic-as-all-get-out month, for me anyway. But I did better than last year, so that’s something.

Are you going to keep going? Keep up that momentum? If so, I commend you! Writing is important, even if we’re just writing to ourselves. It separates us from our thoughts and helps us see them more clearly. Even if it’s just a shopping list.

And that’s what my prompts are all about, after all.

So let us celebrate! Link your favourite post of the month below, or write your own reflection post and link that.

Here’s the Participant’s badge for 2023. Wear it with pride!

Cheers!


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One-Liner Wednesday – Oh look! It’s another prompt!

I’m just here to say I’ve still got Christmas chocolates.

*gloats in assorted Quality Street flavours*

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.


by 22 Comments

#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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Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 31st, 2023

And, it’s a wrap! Today is our thirty-first prompt for Just Jot it January 2023. This month has felt like the longest month ever, and yet it’s flown by. I won’t say too much here because I want to leave some for tomorrow’s wrap up post. But what do you say we finish this thing with a flourish?

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st 2023, is “write.” Use the word “write” any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list and what’s to come, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for Tuesday, January 31st, 2023.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

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

9. Have fun!


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#JusJoJan the 30th/23 – Canine

Our prompt word for January 30th is “canine.” Thanks so much, Dawn, for the wonderful prompt!

I lived for many years without a canine in my life.

And then seven years ago I got Winston.

Oh, the fleas he had!

Winston

And even when he was barely bigger than a shoe, he had a huge, deep bark in his barrel chest.

Now he’s just a big, lovable lump.

I know you’ve probably seen these pictures before. The prompt was just an excuse to show them again.

 ***

This doggy-filled post is brought to you by Just Jot it January and Dawn! Please be sure to check out Dawn’s blog here!

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/30/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-30th-2023/ It’s fun!


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Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 30th, 2023

Wow! It’s our second-last daily prompt! Today is our thirtieth prompt for Just Jot it January 2023, and it’s brought to us by Dawn. Much appreciated, Dawn! Please be sure to visit Dawn’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th 2023, is “canine.” Use the word “canine” any way you’d like. Enjoy!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list and what’s to come, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for Monday, January 30th, 2023.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

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

9. Have fun!


by 25 Comments

#JusJoJan the 29th/23 – The treadmill

Our prompt word for January 29th is “exercise.” Thanks so much, Wendy, for the energetic prompt!

I try to exercise every day.

Okay, maybe try is a big word.

Maybe it’s more like I plan to exercise every day.

Okay, okay, okay. I think about exercising every day.

During the height of the pandemic, when Alex wasn’t going to school and the library was closed so Chris, my other son, stopped going out once a week, I bought a treadmill.

Are there months when it doesn’t even get used? Sure.

I still try to go out for walks when it’s not too snowy or icy or cold or hot and humid.

But does it get used when those conditions are not the case?

I used it a whole three times last week. And once so far this week.

I need to try harder.

 ***

This self-motivational post is brought to you by Just Jot it January and Wendy! Please be sure to check out Wendy’s blog here!

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/29/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-29th-2023/ It’s fun!