IWSG: June 1, 2016 ~ What do you do with lemons?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a community of writers who share ideas and encourage other writers.  It's a great place to express doubts and concerns as well as offer and receive tribulations and guidance from other writers. IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month.  I think you'll find it to be a great writer's resource that's well worth your time.  Be sure to stop by and visit with some of the other IWSG writers/bloggers at IWSG Members.

The awesome co-hosts for the June 1 posting of the IWSG will be Murees Dupe, Alexia Chamberlynn, Chemist Ken, and Heather Gardner!

What do you do with lemons?
Sometimes, life sucks.  There - I said it.  It's sad, but true.  It can sneak up on you, smack you up side the head, and leave you spinning your wheels.  Without boring you with all the details, I'll say that as you read this on June 1, my husband will be one day out of a life altering surgery for a disease that has debilitated him for months, drastically changing our lives.  I like to think I'm an optimist, but not gonna lie - this has been a tough row to hoe.  Most days, I feel like a hamster who can't get the wheel to slow down enough to get off . . . just not enough time to do it all.  And, of course, it's my writing that's suffered most as its gotten shuffled to the back burner.

Still, every time I feel like throwing in the towel, I can hear the words of my dear, precious mother saying, "Girl . . . what do we do with lemons in the South?"  And the answer was/is: "Make Lemon Meringue Pie!"  Oh yum! There was nothing else in this world as good as my mother's Lemon Meringue Pie with a mile-high meringue topping.  It put a smile on my face and chased away the blues every single time she served it.  I miss both her and her fabulous cooking every single day of my life.


So - With my mother's words still echoing in my brain - My Self-Pity Party is over.  This is me taking my "lemons" and making "pie".  My writing has suffered drastically this year, BUT I can see a brighter light shining at the end of the tunnel.  With a successful surgery, my husband should be able to fully recover, and we can get back to a more normal routine which includes my protected writing time.  My w-i-p planned completion date may be off by several months, but it will happen sooner or later.  Right after I turn these lemons into a Lemon Meringue Pie! :)

How's your year going - both personally & professionally?  Are you on-schedule with your w-i-p?  Or do you have some catching up to do like me?

*Posted early due to personal commitments & a "Schedule" Link that never works! :)


  

IWSG: Pencil or Gray Matter?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a community of writers who share ideas and encourage other writers.  It's a great place to express doubts and concerns as well as offer and receive tribulations and guidance from other writers. IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month.  I think you'll find it to be a great writer's resource that's well worth your time.  Be sure to stop by and visit with some of the other IWSG writers/bloggers at IWSG Members.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG will be Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley, and Stephanie Faris! 

Pencil or Gray Matter?  

Ever get a fantastic idea for a w-i-p or new project only to forget it a few minutes later?  Ever waste precious time trying to recall an idea you just knew you'd never forget?  Frustrating, right?  Right.  Been there, done that.

Nothing frustrates me more than getting excited over a good idea for a current or future writing project only to forget it before I can write it down.  And, it seems, no amount of racking my brain will bring the idea back - Poof!  Like smoke, it disappears into thin air.  

Ideas often sneak up on me at inconvenient times - like while I'm driving or waiting my turn in the check-out line. Or an idea will ping my radar when I'm in a restaurant observing others (Ever written an idea on a napkin? Ever lost the napkin later?) or when I wake in the middle of the night.  Something or someone triggers an idea that has good potential, and I think I'll write it down as soon as I get home or as soon as I complete this task or as soon as I find my pencil & paper. And aren't those famous last words?!  After one too many times of pulling my hair out and kicking myself over lost ideas, I finally took to heart the meaning of Jack London's words, "Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory."  Well, duh.  You mean I should stop what I'm doing and write it down right then & there  - before the idea has a chance to escape?  How simple is that?

Lesson learned.  I'm living proof you can teach an old dog new tricks!  I now keep a small notebook & several pencils/pens with me everywhere I go . . . in my car, in my purse, on my nightstand in my bedroom, and in most other rooms in my house (yes, even the bathroom!).  It's an inexpensive, yet sure way to preserve those precious ideas for future use.  As Jack London said, "Keep a notebook - Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it.  And slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain.  Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory."  And that's the truth!

How do you keep track of your ideas?  Do you depend on pencil or gray matter?