Round of Words in 80 Days Writing Challenge

A couple of weeks ago I posted here about being accountable with my writing...

...and then I left for a cruise. I still worked on Blitzen the Believer while on vacation. I wrote longhand, filling up a notebook on the deck, on the beach, on I95 riding home. I outlined, characterized, was inspired.

But there it remains... most of it still in the blue notebook that's bursting now with torn out extra paper stuffed in an inner pocket, and scraps of notes I made on the ship's stationary. I'm probably the first person to touch that stationary in years. But I'm the kind who takes the shampoo bottles too--.

Once home, I let Mme.Laundry take over my life, had to re-ingratiate myself with my cat LaDuchesse, and had to restock the fridge and pantry for the guys. Before me, my son  has all his Last Days as HighSchool Senior ahead, and so, by default, do I... at least in his orbit. Last Drill Meet. Last Field Day. Prom. Awards Night.
And then....
Commencement Exercises.
And on top of it all, I'm rolling his Graduation Party and Birthday Party together into One Major Blast,complete with bbq and swimming pool. 

I must be crazy in the head.

But, he's my first.
We'll bribe the second son with a cruise in lieu of all this when he graduates in two years....

  An author friend, DeeDee Scott, is holding a Yahoo online Muse Therapy group, designed to help you get in touch with your inner Muses. Signups are still open here. Go. She's fun! And a couple of blogging and writing friends I know via Facebook and the Friday BlogHop-- Buddy Gott and Gabrielle Bissett -- are joining in this writing challenge too.
Add up the two of these and I believe the universe is sending me a message.

Kait Nolan is the originator of this challenge. She's a self published paranormal writer with her feet on the ground and a head for business and hundreds of followers. And, like me, and like you too Reader, she has a LIFE! One that cannot stop for NaNoWriMo or the kinds of challenges that have you completing a novel in 30 days, all for a badge on your blog and the sense of achievement. I appreciate that, truly I do, but... but...

To me, you've got your kids for just a short time. The days for Wings living under our roof are nearing their end. Fins has been an independent little cuss since he grew taller than me and learned I needed him to reach the top shelf. I've had this need to be near and close, especially since there have been no aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents nearby to celebrate their successes or watch their games.
Warring against that is my own need to create something special and valuable and worthy; to learn my craft, to ink this story and this series that has me talking out loud in WalMart and rolling my eyes at the characters' conversations in my head; has me excited with details I create, jumping up in the middle of the night to write in the dark; has me chewing my thumbnail in frustration when I can't figure out a motivation or a plot point.

Enough with the indulgence! 
Okay, Writing Goal for this 80 days-- April 4 through June 4 -- is to get the bones of the story down completely. That's it. Anything else is gravy. If I name a bigger goal, with all that May is bringing, I'm setting myself up for failure.
And from one dieter to another-- because everyone in America is on some kind of diet-- we all know what happens with failure, don't we? We roll in the self pity and then we binge and purge, or something along those lines.
I'm done with the bingeing and purging. I'm taking the time for myself to be consistent.


And I'm going to teach the boys how to do their own laundry this week.

Join me: here's the link with the rules again: http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/    #ROW80 on Twitter. April 4 is the starting gun. Post your goal somewhere, even if it's on my blog here if you don't have one of your own; I'd be honored if you called this home. We can support one another and do this together.

A bientot!