I’ve never been good at 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 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 this post Entry 135: Slow the Roll.
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 135: Slow the Roll
The editing process still moved along at a slow pace. I am reading with Microsoft Word, correcting the chapters in Amazing Buchanan and The Beast. It is good to eliminated word clusters that slowed the story’s pace and find ways to write words that punched the plot.
There is a book about editing on one of my bookshelves, Manuscript Makeover, by Elizabeth Lyon. It might be a good idea to reread this book. I’ve moved on to chapter 10, so I am making progress. The editing process slows the writing and forces you to think about how every word on the page fits into the story. Slowing your roll can be so productive and make the story stronger.
The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 135: Slow the Roll
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson has moved onto Ursula living in London during WWII. She works at a government agency. Bombs are being dropped on London. The poor woman dies in one of these explosions. She also avoids some of her other deaths and situations that prevent her from achieving what she was born to do.
What I’m listening to right now and Entry 135: Slow the Roll
I listened to Counting Crows Hard Candy today. It’s one of their CDs I am unfamiliar with, but I’ve discovered you can listen to full albums on YouTube.
The adventure Rooster and I took and Entry 135: Slow the Roll
We went to the gym before we took a short motorcycle ride to attend a meeting of the motorcycle rights group we joined over twenty years ago.
The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.
I am thankful for the brief intermission from the business of life.
The Henhouse Lady says
Sometimes it is nice to stop everything and take a breath. All the stuff that accumulates can become a burden after a while. It’s alright to say no. The older I get, the more I find that word escaping my mouth. Slowing my role is fastly becoming my new motto in life.
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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