It’s that time again. Blogging time. I am here to tell you that I Denishea Young am stressed.
One more time for the people in the back
STRESSED!!!
Why? You might ask. Well because I just published not one, not two but three new poems. Yes, you read correctly three poems y’all (if not up now check back tomorrow afternoon).
You can check them out by clicking HERE.
Now you might be wondering, why is that such a big deal?
Well glad you asked 477zzztpt! It is an accomplishment because I did it and I am proud of them. I was also surprised by them. They just rolled out of my mind and onto virtual space like water escaping a duck’s back.
Not only has three poems been uploaded but so too has the second installment for Happy Hills and Forlorn Fields been added. If you like the first part and want to see where it goes then check it out at the link below:
(ooh you like that rhyming without even trying. Man am I on fire or what!!!)
In addition to this I have decided to try do Camp NaNoWriMo. It officially started on April 1st. Seeing as how today is April 15th and there is not a time machine built so that I can go back in time and start on the first.
(Plus, if I had access to a time machine, I would not be going back for that. I would be going back. Waaaaaay back to the Ancient Civilization times to see ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Kush empires, the empires of the Aztecs and Mayans…
well maybe not the Aztecs I don’t want to be caught up in any type of sacrifices...
Let’s put some stipulations on going back in time. I would go back in time to see these ancient cultures as a cultural anthropologist not to necessarily live as a native. I would be an anthropologist who is able to be seen only when they want and would appear to the people of the Native land as one of them with translation technology so I am able to understand and speak their languages as well as able to read any written languages they may have. Also, I would be covered in some type of suit that protects these ancient civilizations from any germs that I may carry and vice versa. Okay I think that covers my bases for time travel…)
Okay sooo went on a bit of a tangent there. What can I say? I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to time travel and anything at all related to Star Trek…. back to the original conversation
I have decided since there is no going back in time and as has been established by the tangent, I wouldn’t waste my going back in time trip on that. I am instead going to do my own 30-day writing challenge that just so happens to start in April. For me specifically April 16 so that it ends on May 16. Nice easy numbers.
(Yeah!!! April only being 30 days)
You might now be wondering what exactly is Camp NaNoWriMo. Well, it is a 30-day writing challenge where you can determine your writing goals and what you are writing. It allows for the writer to be able to interact with others who are also interested in participating in a writing challenge. I like the idea of it because it allows for people to interact with each other that you may not have otherwise. They can help you if you get stuck or encourage you if you just feel a lack of motivation. As for me since I am starting late and it appears to be too late to take advantage of being placed in a writing group, I will be doing it on my own.
Unless you want to join?
You can be the ones to hold me accountable. Yeah, what responsibility. Of course, I too will be holding myself accountable but yeah sometimes telling someone your goals forces one to try and reach them and go that extra distance to succeed. I know that it works that way for me (not sure what that says about my mental health, but whatever…)
What am I going to be doing…?
takes a deep breath…clears throat…. fidgets with keyboard.
Okay what I am going to do for the writing challenge for 30 days that will begin on April 16, 2021 is to…
See, the thing is... what I learned from doing NaNoWriMo last year was that before I could go forward with a big writing project, I had to close some doors that were still flapping open in the breeze.
I need to go back and finish some stories before I can clear my mind and go forward. These are unlike my other works. They are not even finished and already twice as long as any of my short stories. Indeed, they rival the size of my lite novel.
I stopped writing them because of life changes and haven’t really gone back to it. In that time as one’s mind tends to do I have forgotten some information. Threads of storylines, character traits and names, etc. (Plus this was my first attempt at writing such a story.) As I am a pantser writer (meaning I write from the seat of my pants). There is no detailed outline, only a brief encapsulating summary from which the story flows, providing me with some haphazardly placed guideposts and the overall story arc.
What being a pantser means that I was already so far down a path that I didn’t remember all the twists and turns I’d taken to get there. I was semi-lost. I knew what my destination was, I knew the general direction to go in but I had forgotten the details and as that famous quote goes.
“The story is in the details” (or is that devil) shrugs
I came to the realization that I needed gasp….
An OUTLINE… DUN, DUN, DUNNNN.
What does this have to do with the NaNoWriMo challenge?
Don’t worry I’m getting to it.
Instead of doing a word count goal or an editing challenge I will be doing the dreaded
OUTLINE...DUN, DUN, DUNNNN.
Really every time I say the o-word the music follows, granted it’s only in my head but still...
So, for my challenge I will be gauging my success with (drumroll please) ….
TIME!
Yes, I will use time as a measure.
How much time?
Hmmm...
One hour sounds right but highly unrealistic. What with the job requirements, exercise regimen and crash course in how to start a business featuring myself as student and teacher. Not to mention the other daily responsibilities.
No worries Papito and Pedro you will not be forgotten.
A more realistic goal is ten minutes.
You are now wondering what is ten minutes going to do?
Well first and foremost it takes the pressure off completing the task. No one expects one to finish something in ten minutes. It’s only ten minutes after all. However, as I have learned when employing this method, ten minutes is actually a lot longer than you think. Bonus points (actually the main point) you actually can get a lot accomplished in ten minutes. Don’t believe me then check out this YouTube video called How to Stop Procrastinating With The 10 Minute Rule. Craig the guy in the video finds out just how effective doing some tasks for just ten minutes can be and demonstrates it for you to see.
Wow I sound like I’m trying to sell this.
I promise I’m not. But if you so happen to try it and it works well hey…. hey…. hey,
Hollywood swinging”… No must stay focused…. Okay so my goal is:
From April 16 until May 16, I will write every day for ten minutes with the goal of creating a detailed outline that contains the details pertinent to finishing the story. In the event the outline is completed early then I will then shift the focus to writing the story based on the created outline.
What do you think? It’s a solid SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bond) goal. No worries I will you keep you updated with my progress via my Facebook page posts.
Yep... So here I go to begin my challenge. But before I leave, I figured I would leave you with a little treat
A bonus for making it to the end and sticking with my various ruminations. It is a part that didn’t make it into the main portion of the blog but that explains quite clearly what often happens when faced with a seemingly insurmountable task.
With that I present:
The To-Do List
By: Denishea Young
“Today is the day!” You announce as you swing open the door. Cringing slightly as it’s rusty hinges' squeaks and squeals end abruptly with a
BANG!
The door hitting the wall.
You reach to the side feeling along the wall you know there’s a switch there. Ah you’ve found it and with a flick of your finger the light flares, humming to life deepening shadows and illuminating areas rarely seen. You wait for a while but the humming continues. Shrugging you take a step beyond the doorway blinking to adjust to the glare. While stifling a sneeze from the lazy stirring of dust in the air. You gaze in dread at the gravity defying towers of papers, the pyramid of bags, the twice and thrice labeled boxes, the kitchen chair with the wobbly leg you planned to fix, the totes that are bursting at the seams filled with random stuff. You squint and look into the distance. Is that….? Yes, it is! It’s a stack of CDs. You try to remember the last time you listened to CDs. Was it a year ago? Ten?
Staring at the endless mass of half-finished projects, towers of old shoes, stacks of books and scattered tools. You shake your head. Trying to ignore the tightening of your neck. The spread of goosebumps. The increased beating of your heart. As you calculate just how long this will take. An hour, two, ten? You blink and wonder did the piles grow larger. Is that tower leaning more towards me? Is it me or is it starting to look like a giant’s open maw?
You take a breath "Calm down," you say "it's just a little spring cleaning." You laugh nervously as you take another step before freezing. You feel something on your skin. Is it!?! Lifting your hand, you grab the strand and pull it from your face tracing its path to the ceiling.
Is that a spiderweb!?! It is and it's the largest you have ever seen. A thought detonates in your mind releasing floodgates of dread. 'Where.... is... the... SPIDER!?!
You hear a rustle and see a shadow move quickly along the wall. Letting out a stifled shriek. You whirl around, jump for the entrance, slapping the light off and slamming the door. You press your back to it and breathe. Just breathe as you try to calm your racing heart. Counting slowly in your head just like your mother said
5…..
4…..
3…..
2…..
1….
Calm…
You look down at your to-do list and shake your head. I rather wash dishes instead. Pushing off the door you walk quickly away putting off the daunting task until another day. With a vague reminder to buy some Raid to kill any bugs that dare try to stay.
Lol love that story I hope you all got a laugh out of it too. Sometimes it really does feel like that when having to clean a room, go through old papers or through totes stuffed fill of somedays....
So, you know what the blog topic is next right? You got it and boy is it a doozy.
Until next Thursday join my Facebook Page and read my other Works!
Also leave a kind comment or two.
Thank you to None for being my first commenter on my blog and to Tashawnna for being my first on my short story, Writing and Riding.
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