Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Insecure Writers Support Group and Celebrate the Small Things


Happy March! Are you still shivering in winter or are you enjoying spring flowers yet? Whatever the weather, is always fun to check in with fellow writers. Thanks to our host, Alex. J. Cavanaugh and his outstanding co-hosts this month: Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner.

This month's question: How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/ finish a story?

Sadly, I feel great for about two seconds and then start worrying about the next goal. Should the story be edited further? If it's a short story, where will I submit it? If it's a novel, am I ready to deal with the stress of querying? For me, the journey is truly the reward.

Which of these images would you or your characters pick to experience a journey? 


Lydia's Baptistery ... HDR

Image: Emil Athanasiou






Anaga Mountains

Photo: Nico Trinkhaus - Sunny day in Anaga Mountains | Tenerife, Spain




Just before sundown at Bagan. Love this Topaz Labs effect.

Image: Neville Wooton


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What happened to February? I know it's the shortest month of the year, but I think someone hit high speed on time again. In any case, it's high time for me to thank our host, Lexa Cain, and her co-hosts: L.G. Keltner and Tonja Drecker. 



Winter Wonderland


Snow Day_dec09_0045-48
Image: David Torres

1. Friday, March 2 was a snow day!


The phone rang at 5 a.m. and I knew, just knew, it was the school district calling to cancel school. I remember being a kid, listening to the radio on rare snowy mornings, crossing my fingers that my district would be cancelled. Since I lived in S.C. at the time, that hardly every happened. But Friday was our day. I guess I got a little too excited about shoveling, because I couldn't fall back asleep, but I got an excellent work-out shoveling for 2 hours. Eight inches of heavy, wet snow. Squee!


And wouldn't you know it? My neighbor, who has a snow plow, knocked down the impossible wall of ice that the city plows had left at the bottom of the driveway. That's the second time a truck with plow attached saved me from the hardest part of the job.





Open Sesame!


"ARRG!!! HALP! DOAN WAN PILL!" 😸
Image: stratman


2. I still have skin on my fingers.


My older cat, Mr. Mistofellees, has hyperthyroidism. He's been taking medication in creme form applied to the inside of his ears for the past two years, but it's not working anymore. So we had to switch to pills. 


The last time I had to shove pills down his throat was during an ear infection so severe he couldn't walk two steps without falling down. He would claw my hands to shreds. 


This time I was more crafty. I hid the pills in port wine cheese, creme cheese, and even butter. At first, Mr. M ate the pills all by himself. But then he got sick of cheese. Rats! So I had to go back to "pilling" him. At least the pills are smaller than the humongous antibiotic capsules. And so far, I've only endured one small scratch. 




Can you hear me now? 



Image: Seth Goodman


3. I don't have to worry about charging my cell phone this week.


My husband called me Sunday morning from Boca Raton, Florida, where is he currently having a blast in the sunshine state with his folks while I deal with homework, early morning band practice, and doctor's appointments attending a math conference. He told me he had accidentally taken both of our cell phones. Really? I mean, here I am, on my own, trying to coordinate activities for two active middle schoolers. With. No. Cellphone. ARRRGH! This is so 1990s. 


Did the big storm Riley impact your area? Do you have to medicate your pets? How would you cope without a cell phone for 5 days?


36 comments:

  1. Neither cold nor enjoying spring - we are still having hot summer weather here! So no, Riley didn’t impact my area. And I doubt I could go without my phone for five days. So much depends on it now. My school requires you to ring by mobile phone if you’re going to be late or absent. Sometimes transport plays up and you can be stuck on a train for an hour or more - how do you ring ahead? And if I forget my phone outside work hours and my sister tries to call, she gets rather upset.
    I don’t have a pet, ut my mother used to plant our dog’s pills in a piece of sausage. It usually worked, though sometimes she ate the sausage and spat out the pills. Smart dog!

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  2. I had to shovel that heavy snow on Thursday so I know the workout that you got. That must be frustrating to have no cellphone, but at least your husband has it.

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  3. I remember the fun of snow days! But now I'd much rather kick up the sand and play in the surf - which I did this past weekend. :)

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  4. Ooh I love all of those images! But if I had to choose I'd go with the first one. Autumn colors get me every time.
    I know the fun of trying to give cats pills so I don't envy you there. I hope you can keep that skin for the duration!

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  5. Well, he can't be mad if he calls and you don't answer.
    Glad someone cleared your path again.
    The middle image is the one I'd pick. Off on an adventure...

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  6. After 60-degree days last week, winter returned with 2 days of snow. The sun is shining, though. No pets but I feel your pain. I would explore Wooten's place. Eerie, spooky, yet intriguing. Can't imagine being without my cell phone. Yikes!

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  7. I'd pick the first one. I love autumn. Most of my stories are set in fall. Poor kitty!

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  8. I usually start worrying too instead of celebrating. I like the third image. We haven't gotten much snow to speak of here, but there is the possibility we might see some this weekend. I'm undecided on to be excited about it or to hope it misses us. Heh.

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  9. It's definitely still cold here, but I hope it'll get better by the end of the month. And I feel you on the finishing things part--I immediately begin to think of all the things I need to do next. At least it keeps me busy!

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  10. Our weather's still sitting on the fence. We had a string of very warm sunny days, followed by nights cool enough to open the windows, but now it's cool again. Supposed to go below freezing tonight, with only a high of forty-something tomorrow. Since this is Georgia, I don't expect it to last long. Lots of trees and flowers are already in bloom. (May I borrow your snow shovel to move the pollen?)

    I'd pick that first image. No matter what time of year, anyplace near a body of water gets my vote.

    OY! I feel your pain. I've never had to give our cats any kind of pills, (Knock on wood!) but they sure have a fit every time I cut their nails.

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  11. I like the middle picture, middle earth....

    I like to let my first draft sit for a while, then when I return I scratch my head and say, I wrote that? or What was I saying here? ahaha.a....

    We still have 5 inches or so of snow here. I don't think spring is coming...

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  12. I'm leaning towards the 3rd picture. A cave, silence, a place away from the turmoil of the current political climate. I'd be happy without a phone!

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  13. You should try letting yourself enjoy your accomplishment a little more. Like from me post, give yourself s little reward to mark the end of your goal and the beginning of the next.

    I’d pick the first image. It looks so peaceful and pretty.

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  14. I would pick the second image for me, and my MC would as well. :) I do that too. The book is done! Or is it? :) Happy IWSG day! http://www.raimeygallant.com

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  15. It's the second image for me. Absolutely gorgeous, though all of those photos are lovely. I'm sorry to hear you only get a couple of seconds to feel good before the worries kick back in.

    We had to put our dog through six weeks of pills to treat Lyme disease, and like your cat, he took the pills in peanut butter just fine until he got sick of peanut butter. I think we might have ruined peanut butter for him for life. Oops. In any case, thanks for the post and happy writing to you. Hope the worries back off a bit moving forward.

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  16. That sounds about how I go about celebrating achievements. ^^;;

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  17. No cell phone? No cell phone? Ack. I would be totally freaking.
    Good luck with the pilling. I have never been good at that. Can you crush it up and put it in his food? Or use one of those treats that you poke the pill into or do you have a piller? Those are actually pretty helpful. I'll be thinking of you. How old is your furr baby?

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  18. These are amazing pictures! Thank you for sharing this post.

    www.ficklemillennial.com

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  19. We haven't had too much bad weather lately, thank goodness.

    We have to medicate our dog, but as far as she knows, she's just getting her daily spoonful of peanutbutter.

    If I didn't have a cellphone for 5 days, I'd enjoy it, but then I don't have any kids. Not sure how I'd cope with that if I did.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. It means a lot.

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  20. Only had a little snow. No cell phone, how do you live? I pick the green valley picture.

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  21. I'm choosing the winter wonderland for me - it looks so peaceful and quiet and no one would be bothering me. That cat thing? That is my life two times a day. Fortunately, Hemingway is a good boy and he doesn't fight. He just sends me mental messages that he will kill me in my sleep.

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  22. I love the images #1 and #3. Have trouble choosing between them. BTW: I don't have a cell phone. I seem to be the only one in North America still without one, and I don't feel the need. But I might buckle under pressure and get one. Eventually.

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  23. I love the first image.

    Feeding pills to a cat is no joke-- glad your hands are still intact!

    Damyanti

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  24. No cell phone? Eeek. Although, there was this one teacher who required his students to go without for a week. I forget why. There was some lesson to it.

    As for snow... Yeah, we don't get snow. Ever. Glad you got something good out of it.

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  25. I love all the photos and images. We are so dependent on cell phones that I don't think I could stay a day without checking mine.

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  26. I love that first photo! I'd like to write there.

    Aww, your poor kitty. Maybe wear gloves? I had to force feed my cat for a while, but he was weak, so there was that :)

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  27. I'd pick the middle photo for and adventure. Never had to force feed a cat. I've got three dogs who love peanut butter in case I need to get them to eat anything.

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  28. All of the adventures appeal to me!

    Force feeding animals can be tricky. I have had my share of fun in that area

    We got lots of snow here too. Glad your neighbor was able to help you with the block of ice. Hope the cell phoneless week was okay. I am sure it felt crazy without your phone!
    ~Jess

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  29. I'm not shivering in the winter. It's the best part of the year for me, in prticular the spring-winter, when the light is coming back to the north, and there's still plenty of snow. But the mountains are nice in the summer too. Anaga Mountans look great. I've never been there.

    Cold As Heaven

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  30. I would die without my cell phone. How would I get my candy crush fix!!

    Earthquakes occasionally kept us out of school here in North CA. Hasn't happened for a long while. Now its bomb threats and possible children with guns. Give me snow and earthquake days instead. But last week I was stopped in Ritzville WA and nearly took a snow day when I woke up at the hotel and the car and parking lot was covered in white. I love the snow from inside, but the inside of a car.

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  31. I love winter!! I hope it lasts a bit longer. We are going to get 3-5 inches of snow tomorrow!!

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  32. I was in Providence at Stokercon when Riley hit, and it knocked out one of the windows in the hotel and made the roof leak. I guess it set the right tone for a horror-writers' convention.

    As for the images, the last one appeals to me most.

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  33. I'm not sure I ever celebrated finishing something. I just went on to the next project. Maybe it would be more fun if I partied more. :)

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