“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Leonard da Vinci
Do not confuse simplicity with ease.
Achieving extraordinary things is simple, but not easy.
It takes a lot of work and a lot of time. That’s why it’s newsworthy when someone does it.
writing
Coyote
It’s 6:44am, pitch-dark outside and the door is open (I live in the desert and winter is prime time for open windows and doors). A group of coyotes are howling in the distance and they sound like a bunch of frat boys at a football game.
The blank page looks at me, unblinking.
I remember – when I was a kid – my little mutt terrier, Leon, howling, his mouth forming a perfect “O,” as my sister played her violin. Something primal was happening.
The page waits.
The coyotes get much louder and yip-yip-yip over each other. They’ve made a kill, probably a rabbit.
Holiday Gratitude
I am grateful for the opportunity to blog and have readers who provide feedback. I’m thankful for the WordPress community and for the wonderful blog posts I’ve read the past few years. Befriending fellow writers from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and Australia has been a phenomenal experience.
Here’s to a healthy 2017 with lots of presence.
Fierce
Fierce – adj., 3. Furiously Eager and Intense
When I was in my early twenties, I lived in San Francisco and wanted to be a writer. To be a good writer, you have to read a lot. I was forever changed when I read Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind. In it is a passage about feeling “wild” while you sit calmly, writing. I completely identified with this! I made up my mind to have a Wild Mind from then on.
Being “wild” mentally naturally helps my writing and my creativity. However, I noticed that when I feel sluggish physically, I am pretty dull inside, too. So I force myself to exercise. Believe me, I am never excited about lacing up the work out shoes. But I make it a habit. I get my shoes on, turn Jillian on (the DVD, not her…) and I go to town. It’s hard. I sweat. I look forward to it ending. But I do it. And when I’m done, I feel SO GOOD (not just because it’s over). The endorphins kick in and I feel more energized and positive. I am on top of the world!
On some Sundays, I like to go roller skating. I’m almost as fast as Apolo Ohno. This gives me a great high, too. I feel fierce.
What makes you feel ferocious? What can you do to make it a habit?
Tying Loose Ends
It’s December 5. We are almost at the finish line of 2016 and I have some loose ends to tie: complete my children’s book and edit my novella (Nanowrimo). These are my writing goals for this month.
Jillian Michaels says, “It’s when you’re uncomfortable that change happens.”
When it comes to writing, I enjoy the research phase. I also love the writing phase where I just throw it onto paper. But when it comes to editing, I get…uncomfortable. All those monkey mind thoughts I fought while writing come back and it prevents me from finishing.
Working out and changing your diet is uncomfortable.
Interviewing for your dream job is uncomfortable.
Making new friends is uncomfortable.
Disconnecting from friends who don’t act like your friends is uncomfortable.
Discomfort leads to change and growth! Who cares about perfection? It’s not important. In fact, it can be your enemy. Finishing is the most important thing.
Writing Update
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.
Nanowrimo
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!
The 1,400 Mile Journey
“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
Wayfaring Writer
I’m still writing, just haven’t blogged about it. Thought I’d share the progress (and I want to hear from you, too!)
I am an entire day behind on Nanowrimo. As I wrote last night, I have been busy planning and executing my husband’s 50th birthday and it was WELL WORTH IT!
My children’s book is also progressing nicely, my teacher/friend is halfway through the Spanish translation. Yippeee! Somehow, it looks more real when I see progress that someone else has added to it.
When I realized I am not on pace with my Nanowrimo schedule (approximately 900 words/day), I started to feel a bit bad/sad/panicky. And then I was reading The Book of Joy and Desmond Tutu said something that gave me pause: sometimes, our ambition wrecks our happiness.
All the spiritual leaders I know have spoken about this. It’s FINE and GREAT to have ambition, as long as it doesn’t stress you out and cause you negative feelings. I don’t want to give up my goals, but I also don’t want to feel bad when I don’t reach my goals. I’ve always used stress to motivate myself (so my husband tells me). What to do?
Work towards them and remain flexible for a bend in the road. Continue working happily. Continue working through obstacles happily. Work around them and just remain equanimous.
Begin with the End in Mind…
With Stephen Covey’s wisdom to guide me, I’ve decided to shoot for writing a novella (20,000 – 40,000 words) to complete by November 30th. Let’s say I write 25,000 words. That means I have to write at least 834 words/day.
It’s day two and I have 368.
So I better get going.
Let’s keep on writing! No monkey mind.
Kismet 