Reflections Post Day, Blogging A-Z Challenge

May 7 is a Reflections Post Day in the Blogging from A-Z Challenge. So what did I discover and learn from blogging 30 days in a row? I re-learned that I'm one of those people who need discipline (i.e. a schedule) in my life or I degenerate into an unmotivated lackluster couch potato that does nothing but play games all day. So in that regard, blogging everyday got me on a schedule and motivated me. It game me a huge feeling of accomplishment. Why? Nothing more complicated than I set a goal for myself and I followed through on it. That, my friends, leaves one with a HUGE sense of self-accomplishment. I didn't even realize the cumulative effect of this challenge until this morning. Yesterday, I made myself a list in the morning. This isn't something new, I often make myself lists, but only when there are a ton of things I need to get accomplished. The difference this time? I wrote writing-related items on this list. I usually keep my daily life and my writing life separate. Merging them into one was a big step for me. It announces (if only to myself) I AM a writer. This may seem like a DUH! type of statement, but it's something internal I didn't even realize I was doing (keeping myself separate). I did almost everything on this list--the two things I didn't accomplish went on today's list (so yes, I still have the stove to clean and one phone call to make). I revised a story. I subbed a story. And then I went on to write, even though it was growing rather late by then and I had nothing to write, I remembered I had a friend's monthly challenge beginning sentence, so I wrote 127 words there. Nothing major, but I accomplished something. This morning I was looking over the end of the A-Z Challenge, and thinking of my reflections post and I realized that yesterday's accomplishment was mainly due to the challenge. I was feeling accomplished and full of goals. That, my friends, is what I call a successful challenge of blogging daily.

A Happy and Surprising Find

I have set out on a new course. Or, I should say, not new, but resuming what I dropped the ball on. From July 26, 2008 until March 15, 2010, I wrote every single day. Yep. 596 days straight of at least 100 words a day. In that time, I wrote about 240,000 words. But during the last month, I was getting really burned out and going through the motions by only writing 100 words per day. So one thing led to another and I slowed and eventually came to a complete halt. I had a spreadsheet tracking my progress, but I quit keeping track as my initiative slowed to a stop. So last week, when I decided it was high time I got back on that writing horse, I opened up my spreadsheet and started in again. I'm not going to try to re-create my writing every single day. I don't have a firm goal yet, as a matter of fact, but I'm toying with the idea of a monthly/weekly goal instead of daily. Although, writing daily works for me, because it keeps me in the habit. Nevertheless, I've spent this morning brushing the cobwebs off my spreadsheet. And I realized all those blank lines from Jan. 2011 to present day weren't *really* blank, because I have continued to do the flash challenges at Liberty Hall. So I went back today and entered all those stories in my spreadsheet. Then I opened each story to get the word count. And guess what I found? There are lots of gems in those stories that I didn't think were worth finishing. I haven't started a "new" story in probably a year -- or so I thought, until I reminded myself of those flash challenges. See, we write using a prompt and a timer, for 90 minutes, and then turn in the "finished" flash story. Except I'm famous for not finishing, because I have a hard time wriitng a flash story. Every once in a while, I'll get on that can end in 1000 words, but often, it's the beginning of a longer story. But I've never finished them because I never think they're worth finishing. But maybe what I'm judging them on is how they compared to the other stories of the week, which is usually now great. But today I realized that I need to judge them by what's started happening in the story, and I bet I can finish quite a few of them. Now I'm all jazzed that while I thought I had a dearth of stories to work from/with, I actually have a lot. They can't all be rescued, of course, but there's a few gems in there. I love discovering things like that. So now I can go from not thinking I had a story to work on every day to realizing I have quite a few.

Z is for Ze End

Z is for Ze End Since I started this 30 day A-Z Blog Challenge with a "push" of "An" Introduction, I thought it only fitting that I end with another "push" of "Ze" End. What else starts with a Z? Zoo? That's about all I can think of. And although I do love zoos, they're not one of my very favorite things. And Ze End to this blog challenge is now one of my favorite things. Nothing against the Blog Challenge, I really enjoyed it. But I'm glad to see the -- er, excuse me, Ze -- end of having to post every day. So, what did I come away with from this blogging everyday thing? I hope I got into a better habit of posting more often. I learned how to schedule posts, which I LOVE. I wish I would have visited a lot more blogs, but I couldn't seem to find the time to visit nearly as many as I'd like. But I'll most likely do it again some day, just to say I can. So now, yes, you all can take a much-needed break from me. I can see you all going, "Geez, doesn't she ever SHUT UP?" Actually, I do, more often IRL than I should. I'm just not a big talker. It's different when my fingers are doing the talking for me, though. My fingers have no censor, they just blab it all out. Thanks for listening to me, and I hope it didn't come off as too self-indulgent!

Sunday is a Free Day, or Another Y

Sunday is a free day in the A-Z Blog Challenge, but I'm on a personal goal now to post every single day of April. I love seeing my calendar with every day darkened. And I don't imagine I'll ever accomplish it again, or not very often anyway, so I'm posting today. And besides, I can't let up on you guys. Are you starting to skim over my posts yet? ::evil grin:: After I wrote up my Y post for Yard, which I do truly love working in the yard, it's definitely my favorite thing besides writing and grandboys and family, I realized I had another Y that I love. And this was after me thinking I had no Y's at all! Talk about surfeit! Anyway, I do love Yoga. When I first began, I remember thinking how damned HARD it was to hold those poses, and having to come up out of the pose for Warrior 1 about 4 times, my poor thigh muscles just couldn't take it. And all that breathing! I came away dizzy as hell. My balance was bad, and I kept almost falling over. My muscles would shake from the strain. Well, 5 years later, and I'm loving it. My balance is a lot better. I'm a big klutz, so having better balance has helped me a little in not getting so bruised up from bumping into walls or doors when I go around corners. And I don't get nearly as car sick as I used to. I don't know if that's age-related, but I do think the yoga has had some to do with it. I can work on the computer while riding in the car and read a little bit, although I'm really careful with that. And I can hold the poses now in yoga, and do some of the hard ones that I couldn't do even a tiny bit. And I find it easier to deep breathe to relax during all sorts of times. Like the dentist the other day. I'm not terrified of dentists, but it's definitely not one of my favorite things. I went for my cleaning and there are times when I'll tense up, but I was trying to breathe through my nose instead of my mouth so as to not blow my bad breath into the hygienist's face, and I realized that I had automatically gone into my deep breathing relaxation. So I kept it up even when she hit some tender spots. Ok, over and out. You only have one more day of me to go.

Y is for Yard

Y is for Yard When I say yard, I mean gardening. Not yard chores like mowing the grass, because that's the hubby's job. And that's about all I let him do outside--except he keeps sneaking around to cut (I won't call what he does to shrubs and trees pruning, because it's almost damn murder!) plants or rake where he's not supposed to. But anyway, this isn't a husband rant, it's about one of my all-time favorite things--gardening (which I get to by way of Y for yard). My forte in the yard is flowers. There's very few flowers that I don't love. My weakness is growing from seeds, though, I can't get the hang of that. I either water them too much or too little, so I only transplant in my yard. I do very few annuals anymore, maybe a few here and there but the majority of my yard is perennials. Our area is a little harder because it's so dang hot in the summer, we have to have more drought tolerant plants. But yet a lot of tropicals don't do that well here, either because our winters get cold. I do love getting out there and getting my hands dirty, pulling weeks, planting and dividing, pruning, just messing around. I can feel sluggish and yucked out and when I go work in the yard, I get all energized and happy. My maternal grandmother lived right next to us, and so I was very close to her, but she died when I was six. I know I got my love of gardening from her, because I have very early memories of her tulips in the front yard, and after she was gone, most of her bulbs kept blooming. She had a greenhouse, and I can only guess at all the gardening knowledge she could have given me had she lived longer. (The gardening bug skipped a generation, my mother has a brown thumb.) Here, have a picture of one of my miniature gardens:

X is for X-rated Game of Thrones

X is for X-rated Game of Thrones Game of Thrones, the HBO series of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series, is now in its 2nd season. I'm really enjoying it, except for one thing. Geez, do they have to keep showing naked women? I know, it is HBO. And there was a lot of sex and sexual references in the books. But some of the scenes are really close to soft porn, and most are there for no reason other than to (supposedly) titillate. It just irritates me because most of the scenes weren't even in the book--or not that I recall anyway. I'm pretty sure that Joffrey never turned down whores that Tyrion sent to him and then made one beat the other. It did show his character well, but there's been enough instances of that already. I won't stop watching because I do love seeing the characters come to life, but I really am getting more irritated the more bare breasts they show.

W is for Wet, Wild Weather

Well, you can tell I'm nearing burn-out on the 30 day blogging challenge when I resort to talking about weather for W. Today is Thurs. Last Sat., it was pushing 100. We had a t-ball game with the grandboy and dang it was HOT!!!! And last night a wild and wet thunderstorm blew in and we're at mid 60's today. Supposed to 10 degrees warmer by Sat., to the mid to upper 70's. And then back up and up. At least I got to turn off the sprinklers for Fri., though, since we got such a good rain. I have no idea where we are for the year now, but the drought isn't quite as discouraging as it was. I don't think we're back to normal for the year yet, but at least we're above half. So, I only have 4 more days and I'll be out of your hair--or not in it so often. I've enjoyed making my calendar light up with posting every single day, but I don't think I could keep this up on a permanent basis. See you tomorrow for X! I have an idea for it, but and I know what Z will be, but Y is still very much in the air. Yellow? Yours? Yeck? Yertle the turtle?