Author Journey: April 28, 2023 - Fits and Starts

 Welcome! It's a pleasant morning here on my branch of the scenic route. The window near my desk is open. A cool breeze sweeps through periodically. And I'm looking forward to getting a ton of editing done today. I hope that actually happens, because I'm still under 20k words for Camp Nano. There are three days left, counting today, and on one of those days, I don't write. Read on to find out more.

Author Journey & Writer's Life: Fits and Starts

I know it's become cliché, but the struggle is real. I have had to fight (with myself, and with juggling chores, and work around school with our youngest) in order to edit this past month. I don't think I've ever gone a whole week without at least working on a little bit of a manuscript during a Nano event. 

I'd say I was disappointed with myself. But then I'd be depressed and dig the pit deeper. No, I'm determined to keep pressing on. I did make some progress on editing the manuscript for Surge. That has to be enough for me. My life is busy and that isn't going to change much. 

There's another Camp Nano even in July. I look forward to being done with this edit on Surge, so I can edit another shorter book. That one is titled Of Shadow and Storm for now, and introduces a few characters relevant to book three, as well as giving readers a little peek into the background of one of the characters from book two. I'm excited about it.

This post is going to be short as I'm running short on time. I decided to combine this section with my 'Writer's Life' section in order to make certain I can get the post out on time. 

There's actually not much to report on the Writer's Life front. I'm working the polls this Saturday. I'm happy because it's a way I can serve as a citizen of my country and because I earn a little bit of money to supplement our income. But I'm also wishing I had that day to rest. Our schedules are so busy now and I am just so very tired.

Spartacus is doing much better this week. He's still thriving and enjoying his play time. I'm satisfied with his progress so far. He's such a sweet cat, though he does still do cat-ish things, like sniffing out tasty morsels someone put in the wrong trash can. sigh 

Spartacus also discovered our family of geckos this past week. They hang out in our windows at night, doing their part to deplete the flying insect population. May they continue to thrive! The lizards should be coming to visit soon, too. That should prove interesting.  

Just Keep Writing: Friday Fascicles

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (ie. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

How strange that these words describe most accurately my current state! (I'm laughing, y'all. Seriously.) Do you think you can come up with a story using these words? What about a work of art for those who create without words? 

Alas! I have no short story to share with you today. I was barely able to get this post out on time. But I managed it. Yea! 

Please do visit again next week. I'll have new word prompts for you with a fresh color for the background. The usual book reviews and other things I post over a week will be there. I might be able to work on a short story next week to share with you. I hope so! 

Until next time,
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