55k, but feeling so far away

I've done the following since Wednesday's check-in:

- made chicken stew
- talked with my financial advisor on writer taxes
- written 634 words on my novel, so I'm now slightly passed 55,000 words
- made good progress on the last assignment for my Coursera course
- gave a fellow writer some information that may help her be able to read her stories without stuttering
- baked gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, carob brownies, but I messed up the amounts so they're not quite right.
- attended the monthly Ottawa Independent Writers meeting
- visited the chiropractor for my weekly neck adjustment
- started making changes to how I sleep as the second assignment for my email course on becoming a morning person
- getting set up for using white noise to reduce the highway noise and hopefully improve my sleep
- not allowing myself to use my phone in bed, which is a harder habit to break than I thought it would be
- attended my first sewing class
- ordered a replacement part for my bread machine
- had Iaido class
- went to a Steampunk Ottawa event
- celebrated Robbie Burns Day by grabbing haggis for supper with some friends

I didn't get through much of my to-do list, but I wasn't prioritizing as well as I did in weeks prior to this, so the list seemed to become overwhelming.

2020 Vision

Mostly, I’ve been planning for the new year, but I discovered I know Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It was a recollection under the influence that brought this to light. I also discovered I still suck at drawing, but I’m okay with that. I used to think I had to be good at everything, and I’ve realized that’s just not so. Some friends and I recently hit up a local board game pub. It was a pretty fun night. The first game was Balderdash and I was terrible at it. Because I was the writer in the group, some of my friends thought I should be more embarrassed about it and hide the fact that I don’t spend all my free time learning advanced vocabulary. But I’m not upset about it. Why? Two reasons: 1. I now know what I don’t know. 2. If one takes a close look at the top selling novels on the market, the level of the language used is not the level of many of the words in Balderdash. Not that I’m comparing my own work to those, but audience is what matters in writing. To me, it is far better to e...

Fortifying Friday - Rejection

Yesterday, I received my first rejection from an agent. It stung. It wasn't that it was bad. It was worded in a way that it may have even been personally written. Regardless, rejection never feels good unless you were secretly hoping to stay home and do nothing when a friend made plans with you. Then it feels great! I might be an introvert ;) Anyway, it hurts a bit extra when you have other things going on. Between the worries of the state of the world and being unemployed, it felt much like being kicked while I was already down. The agent said she couldn't connect with my book though she really wanted to. She also said not to take her rejection as any kind of sign that I should give up. It was nice as far as rejections go. So, I lay there for a bit. Then I let my friends know via social media. Several said that I had hit a milestone and I should try to collect as many as possible this year. Rejections, they said, were a badge of honour awarded for putting myself out there. See...

Thoughtful Thursday - Dental Access

I haven't made use of it yet as I discovered it only this week, but there are free dental screenings in Ottawa for people who have a low income. I'm not sure what happens at these things, but I imagine they're rather like the once or twice yearly visits we had in grade school from the health unit where they checked our teeth. Anyway, I thought I'd mention that in case anyone is in need. There is a schedule with the locations listed and I'm guessing it's hard to get there early enough to get seen, but I'll check it out soon. I've been using dental products that are supposed to repair and whiten. I'm unsure they are working, but I figured they were worth a try. Also, I hear if you add activated charcoal to your toothbrush before the toothpaste, it helps whiten too. It makes a hell of a mess, but I tried it. I think it might take a while to whiten, but my teeth are definitely cleaner, so I think it really does help with plaque. Activated charcoal is als...

Rae Roy

Search This Blog