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New Name, New Design…Older Me
It’s been a LONG time since I have posted. Partly because 2022 was a shit-show. And 2021. And 2020, if we’re gonna be honest. The other reason is because Momma On The Rocks has been held together by bubble gum, pipe cleaners, and a whole lot of hope for far too long now. Unfortunately, I’d been quoted big money to fix it, and while I really, really intended to get it updated – I just couldn’t find the bandwidth to do it. Time got…lets just say it REALLY got away from me. I am not technically minded and trying to fix the website broke a friend who has skills. We…
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I Didn’t Write Last Month.
I didn’t write last month. At least not enough to merit a pat on the back or the chocolates I keep as a reward for every 1000 words written. (I’ve set the bar low here, people.) The irony of the situation is that the month of November was National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it’s referred to in the writing community. If things has gone as planned, I’d be sitting back, as I did last November, celebrating at least 50,000 words of utter crap. I can work with a pile of utter crap. Instead, I have barely 5,000 words of nonsensical crap and a half-eaten (an unearned) bag of…
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One Last NaNoWriMo Attempt with Pants(ing)
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. Well, here I go again, down the same path of insanity, but this time I’m hoping for a different outcome than the last by changing up one little thing. Kind of. What is this path, you ask? Well, today is the first day of NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to squeeze out the first draft of your novel – 50,000 words worth of it, at least – in the month of November. That works out to about 1,667 words a day, give or…
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It’s Media Deprivation Week. (Stop Laughing.)
I’m in a group that is working through Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. It’s a book on discovering – or recovering – your creative side, and in theory should be helpful with overcoming a creative block. This is, however, my fourth time at taking on this book, the second with this group. I’m already behind on my weekly tasks, and as we enter Week Four, I’m foreseeing a possible fifth attempt. I don’t know if that is optimistic because I know I’ll give it a go again, or fatalistic because I’m assuming I won’t get through this one, either. Now, depending on which edition of the book you have,…
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One Word for 2019: Re-Engage
Resolutions? Pffft. Not this girl. Give me One Word to focus on. I am not the girl for resolutions. Like most, I burst out of the gate with enthusiasm and energy…and then by March, those resolutions are cast aside like the photos from 2013 I printed in 2015 that still wait to be placed lovingly in photo albums. A few years ago I came across the idea of choosing just one word that I can focus on all year long, one that can guide my goals, big and small. My word was “thrive” in 2015, “cultivate” in 2016, and in 2017 it was “conquer“. I confess while I chose “moxie”…
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Thoughts From My Third Erma Bombeck Writers’ Conference
When I was a kid, time was measured in countdowns – how many days until summer vacation, until my birthday, until Santa came. As an adult, time is still measured the same – how many days until I turn 50 (75, should anyone want to send me chocolate), until my next hair appointment where I can get the grays colored (13) and how many days (roughly) until I can attend the next Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop (approximately 715, give or take a week). The conference is three of the most inspiring, uplifting, positive learning- and laugh-filled days of my life. It’s definitely a roller-coaster of emotions, too, as feelings swing…
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Surrender (Or, When a Tweezer Leads You Astray)
Forget it. I give up. I surrender. Some days, my focus is there and I can write like a demon. Other days? There’s a chin hair that I keep playing with. And my desk is cluttered. And I have words in my head that are coming out all wrong, or not at all. I stare at my laptop. I fight to stay focused. And then I give up. I go to my car, pull out of the garage – and grab the car tweezers, because, seriously, is there any better light than in the front seat of your car looking in the visor mirror? (And yes, I have car tweezers…
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This Month I’m Participating in NaNoWriBloPoDoSomeMoMo. (I’m Writing)
The first of November brings many things: a belly ache from over-consumption of the kids’ Trick-or-Treat candy (which, surprisingly, does NOT mix well with the margaritas I consumed to survive three hours of doorbell ringing); the lethargic gathering of Halloween decorations from around the house, which will typically sit on the hall bench for another few days until I find the energy to dig out the “Halloween decorations” bin from the garage; a panicked, anxious and last-minute sign up for “NaNoWriMo”, which stand for “National Novel Writing Month”, where I commit to writing about 2000 words a day, attempting to complete a novel; the alternate desperate commitment to participate in “NaBloPoMo”…
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Just Go Down the Chute: An Indecisive Introvert’s Mantra
What should I be when I grow up? Do I stay an extra day while I’m on my trip? Should I rebrand the blog? I need a new Twitter handle – what should I change it to? Be it a big question (life goals) or a small one (do I get the fish or the pasta?), I all too often get easily and stupidly overwhelmed. “Why”, you may ask? I overthink EVERYTHING. It took me a long time to realize that this is primarily rooted in fear. Fear of the unknown? Maybe. Fear of making the wrong decision? Fear of looking STUPID? Totally. So I research. I Google. I ask questions. I…
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Here we go with NaBloPoMo!
Oh, the inside of my head is a very confusing, distracted place to be. I don’t function well with clutter around me. Facebook is NOT my friend. I have turned off all sounds and notifications, but I am still too easily distracted. I write better first thing in the morning – mostly – but I only get to the gym if I go the first thing in the morning. This is a problem. My to-do lists are helpful – when I remember to write them. My brain – it just isn’t focusing like it once was. I should probably get my thyroid checked, but I every time I go online…
