I’ve never been good about keeping a journal. It all boils down to consistency. There are days when I skip making an entry. Life can crowd out the time I need to write down my thoughts about a day’s events. I’ve also been reluctant to pose as an expert on the writing process. If I knew anything of value about writing, my work would already be in print. I went out on a skinny limb of a tall in 2022 when I shared my 365 days of thankfulness. The exercise forced me to put myself out there with my soft belly exposed. Thank you for joining me on my journey in the written word. Therefore, I plan to keep a journal in 2023 to document my progress. I will call Entry 42: Big Girl Panties.
Note: I consider editing an important part of the writing process. Editing is where all the artistry happens.
My morning writing before I started Entry 42: Big Girl Panties
Today I have to write my way around all the activities of my daily life. I can’t sit at my computer and block the world out today. I have errands to run and grandkids to fetch from school. It’s time to wear my big girl panties and finish my writing business. I managed to get chapter 26 written before we left to pick up a prescription.
We went to the gym early. Here I am at my desk with blog posts to write and post. I feel like I am lagging behind this year. The writing journal is more complicated than my thankful ones were last year. I wrote two Blitz Poems. The thing about blogging is that I write and sometimes post on the same day. It isn’t like my other writing when I edit and edit until sometimes I feel like the piece is overdone. I read recently that some artists don’t know when a picture is finished. They keep tinkering with it until they mess up their work. I think I might be doing that with my novels because I keep fiddling with them until I mess up a good thing. I don’t know. Maybe I should explore that topic some more.
The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 42: Big Girl Panties
I am about to finish Alexander McCall Smith’s The Careful Use of Compliments. Christopher Dove shows up at Isabel’s house, and Cat arrives shortly later. They decide to have dinner together. Isabel and Jamie take a trip to Jura, where the artist who painted the picture she is interested in lived and worked. He passed away in a boating accident. The story in this book takes place before the others I’ve read in the series. It is early in Jamie and Isabel’s relationship. There is tension, and the reader doesn’t know if it will survive.
What I’m listening to right now and Entry 42: Big Girl Panties
I am listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s The Sky is Crying today. I woke up in the mood to hear someone play the blues, so here I am, spending time with Mr. Vaughan.
The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.
I am thankful the grandkids go home at the end of the day because I know many grandparents who are raising their grandkids right now. They are doing a fantastic job, but I don’t think I could go through that all again on full-time bases. I don’t have the energy or the stamina. I love spending time with them, but I am grateful they manage to go home.
This old lady says
Sometimes life throws an unexpected challenge your way. It isn’t the challenge, but how you deal with it is important. I thought that after I retired, my days of responsibility were finished. Man, was I wrong about that? Maybe things will change in the future, but I need to put on my big girl panties and get the job done.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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