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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Jan. 23/16

Look at that! It’s Friday again and time for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt!  The SoCS prompt will also be tomorrow’s Just Jot It January prompt word, so if you want to use it for your JusJoJan post, go right ahead, and if you want to combine the two challenges you can do that too!  I meant to post this earlier but it seems there’s no end to my to-do list, so here I am. And here’s the prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “odd/even.”  Use one, use both, use ’em any way you’d like! 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 the 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!!

SoCS badge 2015

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.

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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Just Jot It January 22nd – Felicity

I always thought the word “felicity” meant easy. And it does, kind of. One of the definitions is, and I quote from Merriam-Webster online, “a pleasing manner or quality especially in art or language,
“an apt expression.”

So it seems to me that it means a way of wording something that makes the something easy to understand. Yes? Yeah, okay. I’m trying to justify myself. Is it working?

The first two definitions of “felicity” from the same source are, “a : the quality or state of being happy; especially : great happiness, b : an instance of happiness,
“something that causes happiness.”

So I suppose it really means happiness.

“Felicity” always reminds me though of an early 2000’s TV show called Felicity. I never watched it. I do recall seeing previews in which a woman (presumably Felicity, played by Keri Russell) seemed to be always in a state of angst. Which would have made the show quite ironic I suppose. I don’t enjoy watching ironic shows – they make my head hurt.

There’s one other thing the word reminds me of – felicitations, meaning best wishes or, as a translation from French, congratulations. I’ve always wondered at people saying congratulations to an individual for turning a year older. But it is indeed the way some say happy birthday. Weird.

The “Felicity” prompt is brought to you by Fun at Simply Me. If you don’t already know her, please head on over and have a read!

JJJ 2016

To find the rules for Just Jot It January, click here and join in today. It’s never too late! And don’t forget to ping back your January 22nd post here!


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Just Jot It January 21st – Mittens

The word “mittens,” to me at least, conjures cozy feelings of being warm despite the cold winter wind and the icy metal scraper I use to heave the snow off my car. It’s just one of those words, isn’t it? Like “hot chocolate,” or “fireplace.” But today I’m here to tell you a sad story about a pair of mittens and a boy. It’s not a devastating story – it’s just a little heartrending. And it does have a happy-ish ending, and a moral too. You ready? Here we go.

One day last week I was in the car with my best friend, John, and my son, Alex, on our way to the grocery store. Alex had noticed a hole in his glove as he got into the back seat, so I assured him we’d be able to get some new ones where we were going. However, it’s a store that sells food, primarily, so the selection of clothes isn’t tremendous. We checked out the kids’ section first, but all they had was a few pairs of gloves Alex didn’t fit into and one pair of mittens. He saw those and his eyes lit up.

Yes! he said. I’ll take them!

But… I said…

No! No buts, said Alex. I want them!

Okay, try them on, I said. (It was just to make a point.)

So Alex tried them on. And they fit.

Yay! Alex said.

Okay, I nodded. Now tell me your name.

And Alex fingerspelled his name. Inside the right mitten. Alex is Deaf.

What’s that? I asked.

Alex drooped in defeat. And gave me back the mittens to put back on the shelf.

We went then to the ladies section where he found a nice pair of ladies gloves that he liked very much. And that’s what he’s wearing to school.

And that’s my sad but true story about mittens. The moral? Fashion and communication don’t always mix.

 

The “Mittens” prompt is brought to you by Candy at Rhymes With Bug. If you don’t already know her, please click on the link and say hi!

JJJ 2016

To find the rules for Just Jot It January, click here and join in today. It’s never too late! And don’t forget to ping back your January 21st post here!


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One-Liner Wednesday – It’s not what you think

On Saturday, I went to a Japanese restaurant. It reminded me of the last Japanese restaurant I ate in, which was a Mister Donut.

In Tokyo.

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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. To execute a ping back, 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.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), 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.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.” However, if you’d like to combine One-Liner Wednesday with Just Jot It January, go right ahead!

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Have fun!


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Just Jot It January Prompt for Wednesday Jan. 20th

Hi there! It’s that time of the week again! I need a prompt word for tomorrow’s Just Jot It January and you can help!

This is your opportunity to create a prompt for tomorrow. The rules for getting your prompt in are:

  1. Enter one word in the comments below. If your comment includes more than one word, your suggestion will be eliminated.
  2. If you’ve already contributed to the existing prompts for the rest of the month, you are automatically disqualified.
  3. Come up with something original. The existing prompt words can be found here: https://lindaghill.com/2015/12/31/just-jot-it-january-2016-rules/ Please make sure you don’t enter a duplicate.
  4. Any word is eligible, just keep it clean.
  5. The first one to write their word below, wins. Hurry up!

P.S. If your word is the first and is chosen, you’ll also have your blog linked to my daily post tomorrow. It’s well worth the effort!

 


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Just Jot It January 18th – Elegance

It hasn’t been often in my life that I’ve felt elegant. I don’t have a job that requires any level of it, and I never really have. I used to dress nicely when I worked in an office, particularly when I was the receptionist.  I’ve enjoyed going out to parties, dances, and bars, (in my younger years) but those days are gone.

But I do appreciate elegance. And so I write about it. The characters in my novels are far more elegant than I can ever dream to be. It’s just one of the many things I compensate for using my imagination. They say those who can’t do, teach. I suppose it could be said that I teach the population of my stories what I can do in theory but not practice in real life. Or maybe they teach me.

The “Elegance” prompt is brought to you by Kelli at Forty, c’est Fantastique!. Please go and say hi and follow her if you don’t already!

JJJ 2016

To find the rules for Just Jot It January, click here and join in today. It’s never too late! And don’t forget to ping back your January 18th post here!


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Just Jot It January 17th – Collection

I’ve been sitting here for a while pondering the things I collect. I can’t come up with a single collection I possess that doesn’t have a specific use. By that I mean I don’t collect knick-knacks, the major reason being that I hate dusting.

I have a record collection, a CD collection, and a DVD collection. Soon, I’m sure, there will be a Blue Ray collection as well, but so far I only have two of those. The kids have more. I have a jewelry collection that I haven’t added to in at least five years, mostly because I rarely wear any of it. I used to collect coffee mugs, but last time I moved I ended up throwing a lot of them out; I didn’t use them. I collect words – books are probably my biggest vice.

It’s a bit of a conundrum, isn’t it? They say there’s so much benefit in downsizing and getting rid of things we don’t need, and yet there’s a need to collect things that we don’t use. There’s a comfort in it.

What do you collect? Tell me in the comments or jot your own post and link it back here.

The “Collection” prompt is brought to you by Deborah at Container Chronicles. If you don’t already follow her, please check out her blog!

JJJ 2016

To find the rules for Just Jot It January, click here and join in today. It’s never too late! And don’t forget to ping back your January 17th post here!


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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Jan. 16/16

Friday’s here and so’s your prompt for tomorrow’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday!  The SoCS prompt will also be tomorrow’s Just Jot It January prompt word, so if you want to use it for your JusJoJan post, go right ahead, and if you want to combine the two challenges you can do that too!  It turns out that last week’s prompt was a little confusing, so I’ve decided this week’s will be more of a typical SoCS challenge. Here it is:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “what.”  Start your post with the word “What.” Bonus points if the final word of your post starts with a “w.”  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 the 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!!

SoCS badge 2015

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.

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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Just Jot It January 14th – Motivation

I’ve been thinking about the motivation to write. I’m not talking about fiction, necessarily, but that’s a big part of it that I’ll get to in a few minutes. My thoughts at the moment are more on writing about real life and the need to connect with others who might be going through the same things as I am. The desire to put it all out there to find out if I really am alone in my living room with my laptop. And I am alone. Alone with millions of other people, all of them doing the same thing I am. Being part of that crowd is motivating indeed.

But then, a couple of days ago I read an article about David Bowie. Only it isn’t really just about him. It’s about all of us. Every one of us on social media, whether a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr… any of them. Whether you liked Bowie or not, you need to read this. I’ll give you a minute. Please come back when you’re finished.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/david-bowies-dignified-death-is-a-reminder-of-the-sanctity-of-private-life/

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

We’re urged as writers to bleed on the page. That if we’re not bleeding – if we’re not putting everything we’ve got into what we write – then no one will be interested. But how much is too much? There are some who will tell us that there’s no such thing as too much. They are the ones who live off the angst of everyone else. I think of them as emotional vampires; they’ll say anything to get us to open up to them and say it’s for our own good. But they’ll never go out of their way to help. They’ll just motivate us…

What motivates you to write what you write? To share what you share? Has it changed since you started?

I understand how cathartic it can be to share a problem with the world, or go off on a rant when something is weighing heavily on the mind. I suppose the question comes down to how many details we give out. Its scary when we realise just how easy it is to give away our privacy. To box it up in a neat little package that is a simple post on social media and hand it to the entire world. In the past couple of weeks I’ve written 50-word stories on my fiction blog. Fifty words can say a lot. I even wonder sometimes how much of myself I’m giving away via fiction. To me it’s glaringly obvious what I’m imagining and what I’m bleeding; I can only hope it’s not as obvious to everyone else.

In the past I have tried to put a few filters on what I post. First and foremost, how does what I’m writing serve me? My reason for blogging of course is to have people read, so yes, I write what I think people will click on. When a post seems to be entirely self-serving (such as a rant) I feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I’ll post, sometimes it goes in the trash. If a post serves others, whether it’s a public service announcement, an example of what it’s like to parent a special needs child, or a prompt, I’m more likely to hit the publish button without thought for my privacy. On this blog I draw the line at the people in my life. I only write about what they willingly make public themselves. Even then I sometimes hesitate. There are people in my life I don’t talk about at all. Personally I have very little to hide about my life. Until I read the article, I didn’t even really think about discretion or, on the flipside, indiscretion. Now I wonder.

It’s contradictory that we’re so isolated and yet so out-in-the-open. We’re a society that no longer needs to go to a store to buy things, nor venture outside to talk to our neighbours, yet people half way around the planet can experience our lunch, our bowel movements, and if we wish to remain anonymous, even our sickest desires and without consequence.  But it all starts with one thing. Motivation.

I ask you again, what’s yours?

The “Motivation” prompt is brought to you by Aaron Elmore at the blog bearing his own name. If you don’t already follow him, please check him out!

JJJ 2016

To find the rules for Just Jot It January, click here and join in today. It’s never too late! And don’t forget to ping back your January 14th post here!


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One-Liner Wednesday – This may become a regular “thing”

I came into the kitchen to find this.

CAM01258
“kgb got me help!” written on the fridge door.

This is what happens when your kids can spell.

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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. To execute a ping back, 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.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), 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.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.” However, if you’d like to combine One-Liner Wednesday with Just Jot It January, go right ahead!

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Have fun!