Without further ado – a few Halloween pictures:
We’ve got Darth Vader, The Butterfly Princess and The Cutest Baby In The World. Any questions? 😉
Last night was fun – if anything, though, it made me profoundly sad that I’m not writing anymore. I think about it all the time and it weighs on me. The women who read, Deborah Eisenberg and Jayne Ann Phillips, said some interesting things about their process and what their writing life is like. They both agreed that writing is awful – it’s extraordinarily hard and boring most of the time and it’s something you have to force yourself to do. I completely agree. They also said they were lucky because they basically weren’t good at anything else so there wasn’t much competition for their time. BINGO. I don’t want to be good at anything else. I only want to be good at writing. But, fortunately or unfortunately my weekends say otherwise. I’m now double booked with photography jobs – shoots in the morning, shoots in the afternoon – and I’m happy about that. Don’t get me wrong. (Amazed is more like it!) I’ve always said – if you take away my camera tomorrow I will be extremely sad. But I’ll live. If you told me I’d never write another story – I’d be heartbroken. Devastated. I MUST DO IT! I MUST WRITE! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!
Did I ever tell you the story about how I used to tape a note to myself on my alarm clock? It said “How badly do you want to be a writer?” And I’d set the alarm for 5AM or something ungodly like that and try to wake up before my 9-5 job. Never worked. I’m not a morning person. At 5PM – That’s when I write best. Or mid-day. You can’t bully yourself into the process. That’s the lesson. But I’m going to try. An hour. Just sit there. Don’t do anything else. You don’t have to write. But you have to sit there. NO EXCUSES!
I’ve got something else painful to talk about: K1R2. I’ve let it lapse completely. I’m very sorry about that. I just can’t do it right now. I’ve got some feelers out about people taking it over temporarily, and I hope to have it fully functional come the New Year, but for now – it looks like I might have to shut it down for a bit. I’d hate to think it’s gone forever. Maybe a new incarnation? Something more self-sufficient? Message Boards with lots of discussions going on at once? We’ll see. I am sorry though. No formal announcements have been made as of yet – that’s why the post here. But I fear it’s coming. And soon.
How’s that for a cheery note to end the week? I am so busy I can’t think straight. My house is in CHAOS. I might not get to run today after all. AHHHHH! Januaryone can’t come fast enough!
L, C
Girlfriend! Take twenty minutes or so and run. You need it and it clears the mind. Just do it. FYI-I’m heading out for my run in a couple of minutes, let’s go together!
Don’t worry about K1R2 – it would be neat if someone else took over, but life just knocks our plans all askew sometimes.
You take BEAUTIFUL pictures. And why IS writing so hard???? I wish I knew. I have a book in me that a tiny bit comes out every once in a while, but just doing it? Now, if I could have that housework wish . . . and not be a single mom, and not have to work. Or sleep. But everyone who writes struggles with it, it’s so weird. Did you ever read Bird by Bird?
Sounds like you need the run just to clear your head. It will be good for you and you won’t feel guilty about it. Don’t feel guilty about K1R2. I think many of us have fallen off the reading thing and with the Holidays coming it won’t help matters. Shut it down and we’ll see what happens later.
The kids are just darling!! You do such beautiful work.
It’s tough when you have so many talents;-)
talents are a burden darling ….. call me and I’ll share all my tips for dealing with that particular problem! 😉
Hey, stop for just a sec….deep breath, s l o w l y now, take one or two more of them, and then get your duds on and go for at least a walk, screw the house, if you take enough pictures, pay for a cleaning person! takes the guilt away.
and take some time for YOU and write it down girl.
No guilt, okay? K1R2 might just be going the way of many book clubs these days and that’s okay. I recently quit running the book club at my library because we just weren’t getting people and I’ve talked to other librarians who have experienced the same thing. But after the holidays people might be more inclined to read and talk about what they’ve read. If I can help, just yell.
Who’s just too cute in her tiara and tennis shoes? Love it!!
I’ve been horrible with K1R2 and my real-life book club. I’ve been meaning to tell you, though, that I’ve been reading and enjoying Yellow Jack. Just always a bit behind… And there’s no sense beating yourself up about it if it’s just not there right now.
You’ve got a lot going on, girl. I second the motion to go for a run, or at least a walk — NOW.
They all look cute, but that IS One of the cutest baby pictures ever. The hair. The eyelashes! (I had absolutely no hair, eyelashes, or fingernails when I’m born and am always obscurely jealous of those babies who have them. You’d think I’d be over that by now.)
And the writing thing? I agree–it’s agonizing trying to sit down and DO it. My best writing time was always just before bed, because I’d be too tired to be overly critical and at least get a first draft down, but I’ve been horrible about writing for, well, a couple years now. The point about other talents competing for time is so true, too–Since I picked up knitting again after a puppy-raising hiatus, I just haven’t felt the urge to write nearly as much as I’ve felt the urge to knit or spin. But I really want to! (How important IS sleep, really??)
Oh, and for K1R1? Maybe if you just shifted the focus of the group? Instead of being about everyone reading the same book at certain times, what if you just let it be a discussion of whatever anybody’s reading, whenever? Open to all books instead of only some? Then you wouldn’t have to work nearly so hard at it, but people could still participate? Just a thought!
Cara, just do what you need to do. Reading knitters will always find like souls to walk with.
And take the time to write. It’s always our last priority, isn’t it? There’s the family, there’s the paying work, there’s the home, but the thing we want most is to write, and it’s the hardest thing to put into action. I’m already behind on my Nanowrimo word count, but I’m not giving up.
I know what it is like to be pulled in lots of different directions. Take a walk or a run and tell yourself you can’t do everything.let go of the guilt and work out what you want to and try and work out a way to do it. You obviously have a great talent in photography, the photos are great!
You’re singing my song!
I’m with Teresa – take the run. You need it and you’ll feel better!
run, breathe, knit, write. even just a word a two. i’m learning now that that really does count. it has to.
a new incarnation of k1r2 would still be valuable and vibrant, i’m sure.
take care of yourself.
Fab Halloween pics–I wish I had you here to take pics of mine. 🙂 My reading is down too. 🙁 Hope you got your run.