As I approach the end of my novella, I find myself (still) keeping Monkey Mind at bay and working hard to get to the finish line. This means business! This means focus!
My shoulders get tight.
I look at the word count constantly to ensure I am making my goal.
I second-guess myself.
And I forget to have fun.
But when I remember to lighten up, the writing flows. I get more creative. And I magically hit my numbers.
Do what kids and puppies do: Have fun!
It Is What It Is
I used to hate this saying. I often heard it after I complained about something. What kind of retort is that? It just made me angry. “It is what it is.”
When I was a kid, my home was toilet papered and egged. They wrote “chink” on the driveway. “This happens,” my father said as our family cleaned the mess up. The words stung, like alcohol on an open wound. How could he react in such a weak manner?
And yesterday, my daughter cried. A boy she considers to be a good friend made a racist joke about Asian eyes and dental floss. I was inflamed! But she sat – quiet and still and oh-so-wise, in the puddle of ignorance, stupidity and pain this boy caused. She said, “I want to talk to him and explain why it was hateful and hurtful. He will understand and never do it again. I know he’s a good kid.” As her mother, I could only see red. Someone broke my daughter’s heart and made her question this world (once more), just so he could get laughs.
And I knew. I knew the anger I felt was a false sense of power.Being angry makes you feel energized and ready to mobilize. But anger is fear on steroids.
“It is what it is” is not a rallying cry to be passive. It means,”what you see before you, IS.”
When I was undergoing surgery for breast cancer, these five words were embodied in the doctor’s confident hands, the nurses’ night time vigil and my family and friends’ constant support. This IS the situation and we’re taking care of it right now.
It’s about accepting that which you cannot change. If you can’t change it, your anger and defiance – your energy – are wasted. You continually generate negativity.
In fact, acceptance is the first step to proactivity. Once you accept reality (that which IS, that which you cannot change), you can use your energy and creativity to begin to make steps to exact change. A couple of wise friends of mine often say, “This, too, shall pass.” Everything is impermanent. Accept each season.
I’m going to share my update with you in the hopes that you feel camaraderie. Writing can be a lonely experience (albeit a very rewarding one!). I like the solitude and the quiet. It’s actually what I crave right now, after the tornado of politics, media and my husband’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Word Count on my novella:14,176
Goal (approximate): 25,020
Children’s Book: Esther, Mia and the Stars – Spanish translation is done! Scanning of images – 80% complete!
I am strongly considering using Fiverr.com for the Mandarin, Cantonese and French translations.
My mother (I believe) will be very happy to do the Korean translation.
Labels are important on:
But labels do not belong on people.
When we label each other as “other” (Republican, Democrat, poor, rich, stupid, illegal immigrant, foreigner, smart, crazy, disabled, etc.), we create a chasm which enables us to treat each other inhumanely.
We can each do our part by stopping this practice. Go ahead, try it. I bet it will make you happier.
When I use the “chuck it” with my dog, Opal, she runs as fast as lightning. I’ll throw the tennis ball 6 or 7 times and when we’re done, Opal is exhausted and happy. And then she’s mellow for the rest of the day. She is kinder with other dogs and she’s a delight to be around.
When I skip my own workout, I feel sluggish. I don’t have as much energy. When I force myself to work out – despite fatigue – I feel energized and I’m ready to take on my work.
Sometimes, the “magic pill” is just hard work.
What is it for you? Meditation? Yoga? Weight lifting? Set yourself up for success and do it, even if you don’t feel like it.
Whose idea was it to have Nanowrimo in November?
My husband’s birthday is in November – his 50th birthday, so we partied for TWO weekends. And then there’s Thanksgiving. To say it’s been challenging to write is an understatement, what with work, family, and parties…but it’s SUPER FUN!
I’ve set a goal for myself to write a “novella,” (7,500 to 40,000 words) instead of a novel (60,000 to 100,000 words). I wanted to set myself up for success, afterall! So I targeted 25,000 words and averaged it the number of days in November. Here is my excel sheet to monitor daily progress:
| Nov | goal | actual | balance |
| 1 | 834 | 300 | 534 |
| 2 | 1668 | 368 | 1300 |
| 3 | 2502 | 2218 | 284 |
| 4 | 3336 | 3327 | 9 |
| 5 | 4170 | 3870 | 300 |
| 6 | 5004 | 3870 | 1134 |
| 7 | 5838 | 4401 | 1437 |
| 8 | 6672 | 6014 | 658 |
| 9 | 7506 | 6440 | 1066 |
| 10 | 8340 | 7603 | 737 |
| 11 | 9174 | on the road, wrote in word | |
| 12 | 10008 | 9122 | 886 |
| 13 | 10842 | 10682 | 160 |
| 14 | 11676 | 11201 | 475 |
| 15 | 12510 | ||
| 16 | 13344 |
As you can see, I have to write at least 475 more words tonight. So here I go! I hope you are enjoying the process and making progress. Once in awhile, I have to remind myself to HAVE FUN and not stress about the word count or listen to Monkey Mind!
Just keep writing!
Just like that – through blood, sweat and tears,
You created your masterpiece.
Requiring a fight with fears,
fire in the belly appeased.
Fruits of your labor delivered,
joy in the making guaranteed –
the true reward: time was slivered.
You did it! Flawed as it may be.
When you are in the presence of a person who speaks his mind freely, spontaneously and thoroughly (often inappropriately) we say, “He has no filter.”
This is often a problem in the classroom when there are 34 students and the teacher has numerous goals she wants to achieve. The outspoken person not only takes up valuable time uttering words that have little to no value, but it can distract other students and take them off-task.
It often causes drama.
That student can filter his words, but it requires self-awareness and self-discipline.
We can ALL filter our minds. We are in control of what we choose to read. We are all, each, in control of who we socialize with and, to some degree, who we engage with at work. You can choose to read the news and get upset or, you can choose to opt out.
But how will I stay informed? How will I continue to participate in my world?
To which I ask, “Are you truly engaging and participating in the world when you read what inflames you and then complain about it?” How about doing some volunteer work? How about starting a rights group? How about writing letters to your state representatives?
There will things you see or hear that you do not like. This is when space is helpful.
Filter your world carefully and you will see a change for the better.
Instead of despair, action
Instead of judging, observing
Instead of destruction, creation
Instead of attaching, detaching
Instead of worrying, meditating
Instead of criticizing, helping
Instead of resisting, accepting
Joyful action attracts positive help
“Most sea turtles undergo long migrations, some as far as 1400 miles, between their feeding grounds and the beaches where they nest.”*
I thought of animals like the sea turtle who complete Herculean tasks as a part of just living. Since I started Nanowrimo and set a daily word count goal for myself, I’ve realized how it’s so important to stick to your daily goals in order to reach your End Goal. If I skip one day, not too big a deal, but if I fail to meet my goals two, three or more days, I’ve now got quite the task in front of me and it only adds to my anxiety.
Your good great health is built on a long string of days doing the right thing: eating well and exercising. If you skip too many days, you’re no longer healthy or fit and it’s just that much more difficult to reach your goal.
If you give 50% effort during several days of work per week (or month), the quality of your work (in general) suffers. You no longer have the respect of your peers, your boss(es) or your clients. Most importantly, you no longer have self-respect.
An off day is OK. But be sure to jump up and start your long journey right again the next day and catch up!
Each day is precious.
*http://www.defenders.org/sea-turtles/basic-facts
