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Checking in 42: 10.28.21

Hello! Good news!


New Steps

I’ve been taking advantage of this month, a.k.a. Preptober, in anticipation of NaNoWriMo. For the first time, I am writing some outlines (very loose and general ones). I am also working on character development and world building on the stories I am planning on working on to reach the 50,000 word goal.


I’ve pretty much put my novel on hold for the time being. This is intentional because I am getting bogged down by my skill level. I’ve never written anything so long or complex, so everything that I would normally be dealing with in editing is not just multiplied by the word count, but it is exponentially… more. I have some skills, but I am getting overwhelmed. So, I am pulling back from it and reading a couple books on the subject to educate myself on how to get this manuscript up to par. Then, probably once my hectic month is over, I will take another crack at it.


The Breakdown

Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin


This is the second installment of Rubin’s Happiness Project. I read the first book, The Happiness Project, over the last few weeks and decided to continue as Rubin’s combination of humor, storytelling, and research is right up my alley. I’ve read them before, but I wanted to refresh myself. This series focuses on increasing the happiness in her life. But, unlike most of the other author I’ve read in this self-improvement/happiness genre, she very clearly states that nothing major in her life prompted this. She didn’t have a death in the family or an illness or another traumatic moment. She doesn’t have any conditions that she had to overcome. In fact, she says that she has a pretty happy household. She and her husband, Jamie, have a good marriage. Their two daughters are happy and seemingly well adjusted. But, Rubin felt she (and by extension, they) could be happier, which I think, is something a lot of people can say.


There are so many good points and wonderful suggestions in this book. Even sections that don’t directly apply to me (like kids and marriage), have nuggets that I can apply to other parts of my life.


It, and the other books in the series, are definitely worth reading.


Living Life

I finally got a job! I start Monday. I am happy about this and not just for the obvious reason that having a reliable income is kind of important. In fact, if money wasn’t an issue, I would happily never work a 9-5 for the rest of my life. I’m all for freedom. I like having the flexibility to be spontaneous. I am a big believer in not setting alarm clocks. I enjoy novelty and new things and exploring. For things like travel, vacation, and free time those are great characteristics to have. Having said that, it’s not so great in the day-to-day existence of life where bills exist.


As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’ve discovered that I suck at having too much free time. I don’t do well when I don’t have an external source that requires things from me, at least for part of my life. My procrastination monkey goes nuts. I get lazy. The more time I have to do things, the less things I seem to make myself get done. I am not good at self-accountability for things I don’t HAVE to do. It is a major factor in why I struggle to build positive habits and progress in my writing career, among other things. It’s why I haven’t published yet. Why I haven’t gotten around to learning how to self-publish. Why I don’t have a consistent writing habit. And why I haven’t gotten into a routine of posting these Check ins (as is evident by the fact that I missing the last TWO weeks!)


So, I’m really looking forward to getting on a set schedule again. Routine is good and healthy. Structure is important for me.


In addition, it will get me out of the house. Lots of places are still in COVID lock down. In my area, there are no restrictions, but I am still exercising caution because the numbers are still pretty high. But I have gotten used to staying in my little bubble. Some of it was COVID, some of it was to curb spending to stretch my savings as much as possible. It will be good to have someplace to go every day where I am expected and have an opportunity to meet new people. A little scary, but in that good way.


That’s it. Things are promising, and I think they will just keep getting better.

As always, thanks for checking out the site and I hope everyone is doing well.


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