Not long ago, I saw a quote attributed to Larence Block that says, “Do five things daily to move your writing forward.”

I can’t find out for sure he said it, but it’s darn good advice for writers. I mean, if you don’t, who will?

So, what should those five things be?

The most important, of course, is writing. As writers, we should be writing. I once saw the definition for a writer is someone who is writing, and the definition for author is someone who has written. Makes sense to me and hit a nerve. Somedays, I’m just an author. I want to be a writer more.

Reading should probably be second on the list. What was it Stephen King said about reading? “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” And then there’s this one. “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. By reading a lot, we learn how good writing sounds. And we also learn how bad writing shows itself. One thing I learned early on, it’s much easier to see flaws in other’s writing, and then you can see them in yours. 

There are a lot of other things that could be on that list. Blogging, research, editing, doing social media and promo stuff, marketing, and even plotting the next story.
I’m really working on getting my daily five things. Some days I do better than others, but at least I’m making a deliberate effort. And it is moving me forward which is a good thing.

What about you? Are you doing things to move your writing forward daily? What are some things you are doing or need to do better?

Thanks for stopping by…say hi in the comments and share your five things.
 
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Today is a day of rest at our house. Most of the time. Sundays we spend most of at church. And I have to say, I love my church family. Sometimes church activities get hectic, but for the most part, we do rest. In fact, Sunday is my legit nap day.

That said, there is a lot to be said for taking a day off and just resting. Did you know there are a multitude of health benefits linked to taking time off? Things such as lowering risk of heart disease, lowering blood pressure, and even lowers risk of diabetes.  
​Downtime reduces our stress, boosts our immune system, and even helps prevent cancer. We also sleep better, are more productive, and even tend to be happier.

As a writer, we also need downtime. Stress is a huge cause of writer’s block. 

One of my favorite ways to de-stress and escape is with a book. Just the other day, I visited the desert. I’m thinking about hanging out with some trolls later.
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What is your favorite thing to do on your down day?

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? If not, click on over and do so. I’ll send you a free short, Halloween story and ever so often update you on what’s happening.

​Are you guilty of tautology? I was and didn’t know it. When I was told that I was committing tautology I actually had to look it up.

For example…
I went to see the professor personally.  Personally is redundant and not needed. And so is the “not needed” in the previous sentence.

The dog chased his own tail. Own is the tautology.

The school bell rang at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Afternoon isn’t needed.

Tautology reminds me of when you do things like… He nodded his head.  I mean, what else would he nod?  Or she waved her arms, or he sat down. 

And speaking of waving arms, I know it is a thing, and there is nothing I can do about it but, I really don’t like the “rolling of eyes” thing.  I get this weird image of eyes rolling across the floor.  And she caught his eye is another one. I mean, he threw an eye at her? Good thing she caught it. What if the cat got it?
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So, that’s my new word for the month. I’m trying to be extra observant in my writing and not do it. What about you? Is this something you do? And how do you feel about rolling eyes?
 
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Yesterday, I shared my love and failure of planners and my discovery of bullet journaling. I’m really, really, really loving bullet journaling. It just works for me. As you can see from yesterday’s pictures, it’s not the neatest in the world. It is functional though, and that’s what I need.

As I was playing with my bullet journal, (Bujo, for short.) I wondered if I could make it work for my writing. And yep, I can.
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In my daily Bujo I have trackers for several stories I’m working on. I got a little more colorful on them, but again, it’s up to you and what you need. I enjoy filling in things as I reach a word count goal. And it’s a nice way to see that I am progressing on a piece.

For NaNoWriMo, I set up a small notebook just for the month. If you don’t know what NaNo is, don’t worry. We’ll talk about that later in the month, probably next week.
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I have several different word count trackers, but I’m not sure which one I’ll use most. It’s a learning, trial and error thing so will see. I also have pages for major and minor characters, settings, special world rules (I’m doing a fantasy story.), and notes I need to remember.  Again, as you can see, not very fancy but functional.

I’m thinking a Bujo will be an excellent way to keep up with all sorts of novel details. 
As a writer, how do you keep up with everything? I’ve heard of doing a novel bible but haven’t figured that out yet.
 
Also, update to my addiction post. Tuesday afternoon, my daughter texted me that she might have a problem. Of course, this concerned me. Then she told me she signed up for another race. Naturally, I immediately signed up for it too. And added an extra 50 miles to get the dragon charmedal. So now we’ll be doing 150 miles more between now and Dec. 31st.
 
Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? If not, click on over and do so. I’ll send you a free short, Halloween story and ever so often update you on what’s happening.

Have a great weekend!
 

Confession time…I’m a planner hoarder. I love them, and I intend to use them. But like most best-laid plans, I don’t. Or, I’ll use for a week or two then miss a day, and since they are numbered and dated, it’s all messed up and would be so many blank pages when I restart, that I just ignore it. I’ve tried all sorts, but none seem to work for me. And that’s annoying when you pay $25 for a planner then let it sit in a drawer.

Then, last month, I discovered Bullet Journaling.  Hallelujah!!!! Finally, a journal I can make fit my needs. I can modify, add to, omit, and even be creative.

Created by Ryder Carroll, bullet journaling has been around for a while, and I wish I’d found it sooner. He has a nice video on his webpage with details.

I love how Ryder showcases a minimalistic layout. It’s clean, unclunky, and can be modified as needed.

But, if you check out Pinterest, you’ll find all sorts of creative and colorful layouts for all seasons and themes. There are a lot of talented people out there, and if you can’t draw, there are tons of stencils available.
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Me, I generally prefer the minimal layouts, but I have started to add a few embellishments and some color. I also like all the different trackers you can have. For example, I have a vitamin tracker, savings tracker, word count trackers, weight loss tracker, virtual race time tracker, and even a couple others.

I also have some collections. Books I want to read, books I’ve already read, blog post ideas, and book events to check into.
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I even have a page set up for blogging this month along with to-do lists, a page for the Spanish workbook I plan to start soon, and of course, book ideas. I’m using a plain, ruled notebook for now but plan to use a real “bullet” journal next year.

​So, do you use journals? Have you tried bullet journaling?  What works for you?
 
Have a great day!
 
Remember, if you sign up for my infrequent newsletter this month, you’ll get a free short Halloween story. I promise not to spam you or be a bother.

​Today I thought I’d share my new addiction with you.  It’s something I never thought I’d do unless I had to, but now I’m almost obsessed.  Want to guess?  No, okay…here it is.  Virtual Races.
That’s right, exercise.
I can’t run since I have a bad ankle, but I can walk, and many of the virtual races I’ve seen are perfect for walking.
For example, my daughter, Beth and I walked the “Great Pumpkin Race” this past month. It was only 5k…which is 3.1 miles for those who don’t know. We got a really nice pumpkin hoodie, a medal, and a race bib.  I’m waiting for the weather in Texas to be cool enough to wear the hoodie, the medal I have on display in my room.

​Beth and I also signed up for a couple virtual races on Yes.Fit. These are races you can do at your own pace, in your own time. There is a virtual course, and you get occasional emails with mile markers and places of interest. They have some great swag for each race too. The races are logged either by your fitness device or manually and once you complete the required mileage, they send your prize, a medal or t-shirt. You get to pick when signing up. Some of the races even benefit a charity. The Sea Turtle race proceeds go to saving sea turtles. How cool is that?

Run Motivators also has some great races. We caught a “Dragon” 5k on sale that the medal is a seriously cool sun catcher. We haven’t had the time to do the race yet, life has been hectic the past couple weeks, but we will get to it soon.

We, Beth and I, just signed up for Run Motivators “Invincible 2020” race. I’m excited to start this one but have to wait until January first.  I love that you can run, walk, swim, row, or even bike the miles. 

I have to walk the heathen every night so figure the miles ought to go toward something. And if I can get a bit healthier in the process, that’s a good thing.

I’d love for you to join us. If you do, friend me on Yes.Fit.

Have a great day!
 
Remember, if you sign up for my infrequent newsletter this month, you’ll get a free short Halloween story. I promise not to spam you or be a bother.
 

Welcome to October and the Ultimate Blog Challenge! Can you believe it's October? The year is just flying by. Soon it will be Christmas and the new year.

I really do like to blog. Some times though, blogging gets lost in the shuffle of day to day living and then once a week has passed, it’s easy to let a second week go by, and then it’s even easier for that third week to slip by unnoticed.

That said, I plan to be more diligent this month and get back in the routine. I’ve lots of ideas of things I want to share. I hope you enjoy.

Today, I thought I’d introduce myself. First, I’m a wife and mother. I had four kids but lost one to cancer when she was almost 6.  The other three are older and doing well.  My son taught himself to play the piano when he was about 16 and played for our church for a couple years. My oldest daughter is a writer of children’s and young adult books, and my youngest daughter is an artist and does book illustrations. I often wonder what my other daughter would have been, I mean, I have a musician, a writer, and an artist.

I’m also a dog trainer.  I have a Doberman named Sonnet and a Belgian Malinois named Bodhi. Bodhi is a total heathen, but I love him like crazy. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more of his antics with you this month.

I’ve also trained our cats a while back. I love working with animals for the most part. I love seeing when it clicks as to what you want.

I even have a new addiction I’ll be sharing with you this month. It’s a good one, and you can join me, because endorphins.
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Anyway, I do hope you’ll become a regular visitor on the blog.  And remember to sign up for my newsletter. For everyone that does this month, I’ll include a free short Halloween story. 

Did you know that yesterday was 100 days until the new year? I find it hard to believe this year is almost over. I mean, next thing you know it will be Christmas.

Which leads me to ponder all the things I wanted to get done this year. Somethings I did, some I changed my mind about, some got put on hold, and some just got lost in the shuffle of every day life.

There's still plenty of time left in this year to get stuff done though. I just have to make a list, check it twice (or three times) and get in gear.

And that is what I'm doing. Getting organized is a big part of things right now. I'm even making a list for next year. 

What about you? How are you doing on your goals for the year?

Remember, I'll be blogging daily next month so stop by often. I'm going to be sharing some cool stuff. At least, I hope you think it's cool. And be sure to sign up for the newsletter. You'll get a free short Halloween story and my appreciation. I promise not to spam you or share your email with anyone.

I like to blog. I really do. So why don't I blog on a regular basis? Heck if I know...  Part of it is the lack of feedback. It's hard to have a conversation when no one is there or responding to what you are putting out. I know you are there, I can see the numbers of people who visit. 

And I get it. I don't often comment on other blogs. Most of the time, I figure my opinion isn't worth sharing or it's the same as has been shared by previous posters, so why bother.

That said, I've decided to give it another stab and have signed up for the Ultimate Blog Challenge for October.  

So, in honor of the blog challenge and October, I'll be sharing a free short Halloween story with all those who sign up for my very infrequent newsletter. 

What will you get in return for giving my your email address? First, you'll get that short story. I really enjoyed writing it and think you'll enjoy it. You'll also be kept up to date on new releases,  contests, and other such things. There may be the occasional picture of the heathen but I promise not to spam you with a flurry of emails that have nothing to offer but another buy, buy, buy. I hate those and will delete them.  I mean, why do some folks think they need to email every day? It's totally annoying and the 5th, 10th, 25th, or 37th email isn't going to change my mind.

So, subscribe and I'll send you that short story to enjoy in plenty of time for Halloween.  Also, take a few seconds to say hello in the comments. 
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Let's talk clutter. 

I know it's not time for "spring" cleaning but I'm really feeling the need to declutter some. Thankfully my house isn't near as bad as the picture, however I do have stuff in my garage, still in boxes from when we moved here...8 years ago.  Sigh...head to desk.

Apparently, I'm part pack rat. Of course, I've always known it. I just hate to admit it sometimes.  I mean, I might use it one of these days. Just because I haven't even seen in for 8 years doesn't mean it needs to be gotten rid of.

I also have some clothes I haven't worn in years. They are just taking up space. Insert another sigh here. But I paid good money for them and might be able to wear them again. Ha!!! 

And why do I have so many things that need to be dusted? Sure they are cute, but I don't need Texas Ranger bobble head gnomes. And seriously, I don't need three of them. I do have a couple things that have some sentimental value that I'll continue to dust but I did pack several things in a box to go someplace where they can be better used.  (We have a great resale shop that the proceeds go to help battered and women in need. I love taking stuff there...and of course, bringing stuff home from there. I mean, it's for a good cause. 

I'm starting my spring cleaning early. I need to declutter. I want to simplify. I don't want to have to clean so much stuff. So, here's to decluttering. Here's to spring cleaning in the winter. (It felt like spring yesterday...was 71 F and sunny and just wonderful. This morning it was cold and grey. Sigh. Love Texas weather.)

What about you? How to you handle clutter? Does it bother you or do you just avoid clutter all together?

Need some decluttering support? Then check out this great Facebook group.