FRIDAY STIR FRY - In A Funk

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noun

1.    1.

NORTH AMERICAN

a state of depression.

"I sat absorbed in my own blue funk"

synonyms:

a (state of) depression, a bad mood, a low, the dumps, the doldrums, a blue funk "he was in a funk because his wife ran out on him"

Maybe I should re-name my Friday blog posts to "Always In A Funk". Seems to be the state of my life lately. It all started with the election. I know I shouldn't let it bother me so much, but REALLY??
What an absolute disaster.

And after that, I had a hard time writing for NaNo. I got behind in word count and gave up.

And, winter is coming. I HATE winter. (I know, I'm yelling a lot - can't help it).

And, I'm bored. With my knee pain, it is hard to do anything except go to work and come home. BORING.

I keep telling myself to do what I can. Write, scrapbook, read, catch up on Netflix. Thing is, when I sit down to do any of that, I end up staring into space and wishing I was somewhere doing something fun.

Yep, I'm definitely in a funk.

I know I'm not the only one. How do you get back on track when your motivation train derails??

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Break Is Over

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No, unfortunately it wasn't that kind of break. I wish it was. Doesn't that look wonderful? My break was neither fun or glamorous. 

First of all, I took a writing break. I don't know why. It wasn't planned. I lost my muse or my inspiration, or my desire. I think it had something to do with my work in progress which has been in progress for several years now. And it's not progressing. I think I stopped caring. I started doubting I would ever finish it or any other book. 

Secondly, I haven't felt well. In fact, I ended up in the hospital for five days. And, everyone knows that is not a fun vacation. And now I'm coping with medication and doctor visits and it sucks. But, this has also made me realize there is no promise of tomorrow. I need to follow my dream today. Nobody is going to write that book for me. And I will never be a best selling author with just one book out there.

Third - my writing groups have gotten on my last nerve - which is not a good sign. Demands on my time, disagreements and less than inspiring speakers have killed my desire to go to the meetings. I used to love these groups and wouldn't dream of missing them. Now, I'm not sure they are worth my time.   

Or, maybe, it was just the winter blues. Cold weather and lack of sunshine puts me in a fowl mood. Now that Spring is here, I'm feeling the need to write again. Starting with this blog. No more slacking off. I am a writer. 

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Been Too Long

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Wow, I haven't posted anything in a month. Not a good start to the new year. Sorry if I've disappointed any of my many fans. ;-)

I don't make resolutions, but I am hoping to accomplish some things this year. Just making it through another winter is one. I really hate winter. I'm not a cold weather person. I don't think snow is pretty. I've actually feared winter ever since we had a horrific ice storm in 2007. I was out of power for 2 weeks and had to scramble to find places to stay. Not fun. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Well, maybe one.

I want to make writing a top priority this year. Not just something I do when I have the time, Because, really, when is there ever enough time? And the older I get, the more I realize time is slipping away at an alarming rate of speed. It's like I can hear the seconds, minutes, and hours tick off. The hourglass is getting low Dorothy and the monkeys are waiting to tear you apart limb by limb.

Damn monkeys.

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Writing and Other Stuff

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Winter still has a stranglehold on us. Barely above zero today and this weekend - snow, freezing rain, sleet, regular rain. They keep saying Spring is just around the corner. I think it wasn't looking when it tried to cross the street and got ran over by a bus.

So my big plans for Saturday and Sunday - writing and editing.
(and let's be honest - probably some Netflix)

That's my plan, but as we all know, the best laid plans and such. I need to finish a 750 word story for Sleuths' Ink quarterly contest. It would help if I could figure out who dun it. I'm also putting together and editing some of my short stories for a secret project. More on that later. And, of course, I'm still struggling to finish my second novel. That sucker is killing me. 

And speaking of killing, 9 people, including the shooter, dead this morning in a small town about 90 miles from here. What the hell is going on? That's close to 20 people killed in and around this area in the last two weeks. Many of them are being blamed on domestic violence. It is a well known fact this part of the country is a hot bed for abuse. But, I've never seen anything like this. Yesterday our state auditor shot himself. So disturbing and sad. 

My book, Beyond The Horizon, deals with an abusive relationship but at least there is a happy ending. Not for these poor people and their families. 

Perhaps cabin fever is playing a role in all this. Another reason for Spring to hurry up, please. 

   

  

FRIDAY STIR FRY - January Thaw

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We are in the midst of a January thaw or what we Ozarkers like to call 'Mother Nature's little joke'. "Ha, ha you mere mortals, winter is not over, the worst is yet to come."

I'm going to ignore her taunting cackle, because it is going to be a nice, warm weekend. One that I really need to spend writing, which unfortunately requires time inside.
Ah the sacrifices we writers make.
I'm doing a NaNo, JaNo, no no. I'm reading my WIP from the beginning and editing as I go. I've come to the conclusion that is the only way I'm going to get a handle on this story and finish it. So I have a pitiful 250 new words so far. But, that's okay. I keep telling myself I'm making progress. Sort of.
I hope.

There's been a lot of talk among my writer friends concerning self-publishing vs traditional. Publishing has changed so much in the last few years. It is more difficult to get a contract with a large company and easier to publish it yourself. Which is the best way to go? My book is with a small press and they did a great job with the editing and cover art. Things I didn't want to handle. They have a good promotional department also. But, do I want to continue on that path or try my hand at doing it on my own?
I'm getting ahead of myself. Need to finish the damn book first.

Last week I hosted my author friend Lisa Medley and her new book. I tweeted the heck out of it and I had the most page views ever. Thanks to everyone who came by. I don't know if it was the tweets, the Google keywords or Lisa's fan base, but something definitely worked. I hope everybody keeps coming back.

I'll quit rambling (at least until next week).

   

FRIDAY STIR FRY - NaNo Thoughts and Other Stuff

I'm not gonna lie. It's been a rough week of NaNo. I was hoping to get way ahead last weekend. Didn't happen. Stayed barely above daily word count. And then yesterday, I hit a wall. Just couldn't do it. Couldn't get up early before work, couldn't write during lunch and last night only got maybe twenty words. Some would say that's something. I say it stinks. Ahh, the trials and tribulations of NaNo.

The bright side - I think I've added some good stuff to the novel I'm working on. And I have all weekend to write and we are off work Tuesday for Veteran's Day. Thank you veterans!

On a different note, I'm a little angry. Why you ask? Because we are going to get blasted with cold air next week. I think I've mentioned this before but in case you missed it -
I HATE WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I hate the cold, the sleet, the snow, the ice. Did I mention the cold?  Okay, I feel a little better now. Just a little.

If you are doing NaNo, let me know in the comments how it is going for you. And if you kept your sanity and are not doing it, comment about anything you like. I love hearing from you.

FRIDAY STIR FRY - What Not

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Is Spring finally here? Shhhh - don't scare it away. This has been the longest Winter in my recent memory. Lots of frozen stuff and bone chilling cold. I tremble every month when my utility bill arrives. Hopefully we are on the downhill side.

I'm doing the writing waiting game right now. Hope to make a big announcement next Friday. Fingers crossed.

One of my writer friends said it takes her all day to write on her blog. Of course, she tries to impart wisdom and writing advice. Me, on the other hand, just write whatever is on my mind. Sometimes it's profound and wise (yea, right) but, most times it's just a brain dump. which can get pretty messy. All that brain matter splattered on the page.

Did you guys do the John Travolta name generator?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/low_concept/2014/03/john_travolta_called_idina_menzel_adele_dazeem_what_s_your_travolta_name.html

Mine is Warren Farster. Pretty funny. If you do it, please post your name in the comments. Would love to see them.

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Bah Humbug

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According to Ask.com  Bah humbug comes from the word hum, meaning 'night' or 'shadow', and the word bugges meaning 'apparitions'. Bah humbug is used to mean nonsense or something intended to deceive, a hoax or fraud. It was made famous by Ebenezer Scrooge in the book A Christmas Carol.

It has been brought to my attention that my last post confused people. I was too nice. Love it! Apparently I need to get back to my Bah Humbug. Although I don't really agree with the above description.

I don't feel like a Scrooge. I just have my own beliefs, as we all should. If it's one thing I can't stand it's somebody who tries to make everyone like them.
I try not to deceive people. In fact I can be brutally honest, sometimes to my detriment. I would not want to fraud anybody either.

So what does the expression mean to me? Anything that makes me do something I don't want to. Like shop or survive winter. I really dislike winter. It makes me cold. It makes me have to wear spiky shoes so I don't fall. It makes me have to scrape my car off after work. (Although last night one of my co-workers scraped every one's car off. Yea!). And it makes me angry. I know I don't have any control over the weather, but it still makes me mad. My Bah Humbug really comes out this time of year.

I often use the expression to annoy people. I love annoying people especially if they are easily annoyed. And people are easily annoyed this time of year. What fun for me!

So if you hear a voice yelling Bah Humbug, you can bet it's me.

What annoys you, especially this time of year? Is it people like me?

P.S. Come back next week when I host a writer friend of mine - Allison Merritt.



WORRY

It's already February and we've had a really mild winter (in this part of the country anyway). There's still time for Mother Nature to slap us silly, but Spring is just around the corner. Last October I was really dreading winter. I was worrying about it so much it was harboring on anxiety.
As I get older, I dread winter more and more. The driving, the walking, clearing a path, the threat of power outages, etc. I have pictures flash in my mind of falling down and not being able to get up or of waking up to a freezing house. I'm sure the later is a flashback to the ice storm of 2007 when most of us were out of power up to two or three weeks.
I've never been a worrier but, I find myself more and more waking up at 3 am with worry on my brain. I worry about my health, my finances, my family. Is it just a part of getting old? I remember my mom worried more as she got older. She would say things like "Have fun. Hope you don't have a flat".
I don't like to worry. It's wasted energy that could better be used for positive change. One of my favorite sayings is: Worrying must work because what I worry about never happens. So true!
Do you worry? If not, how do you escape it?