My 2015 Writing Goals

I'm starting strong with a new job at a second library.
Hey j9, let's keep this trend of goal achieving going into this New Year!

• Polish the 10 Short Stories I already finished and send them off.
• It's just January & I've already sent off four stories!!! Yay!
• One was rejected, but it's already out to another publication.
• TWO have homes!!! (Details TBA)

• Edit the 10 stories that need major rewrites & send them off.

• Finish & send out the rest of my Yultide stories / doodles (This is what I did for gifties this year. I got my immediate family and a few friend's done, but so many left to do. Should I change the name to Springtime Stories if it takes me too long?)

• Finish the background work for the e-zine I'm putting together by May, go live with it by August.

• Sort through my Yuletide stories, my Tiny Terrible Tales & my Drabble Dreams & pull the ones that I want to grow (This is a Summer goal.)

• Finish rewriting The Peculiar Predicament of Poppets  (PPP) as a novel. (This story has been a poem, switched POV countless times and just keeps growing.) 

• Self-publish PPP by November. 

• Work on the Innosphere (This is the new title of the novel I wrote & got feedback on. It's changed A LOT... for the better... I hope!)

• Pull together my short story collections. 

• Decide which ones need a publisher & which are to be self-published.

It's gonna be a lot of work, but I'm excited about this new year!

In Seven Years

a poem dedicated to my Mom who died on December 12, 2013

In seven years

all cells renew

In seven years

I’ll be made new

My newborn skin

Will not recall

The touch of you

I'll lose it all

But memories

Aren't in a cell

It's with my soul

That I rebel

My heart does mourn

My loss of you

As I become

Bodily new

(I miss you, Mom)

Scheduling Time to Write

A dear friend of mine advised that I should treat my writing like a job since that's what I want it to be. (Dress for the life you want? Something like that....) This is EXCELLENT advice! Unfortunately, I suck at taking it. Part of the problem is that one of my paying jobs doesn't have a set schedule so it's difficult to set aside time for my non-paying job. Difficult, but not impossible. Since I rarely have evening visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm setting aside those times for my writings. I am also taking Sunday off (what's this? An entire day off? Well... sort of.) as long as I don't have a house-sittings.

I'm running an Open Mic the last Thursday of the month (or second to last for Holiday Months) at the Clarendon Hills Library.

I started a new fiction blog which my fictional character Lyra updates weekly. (So far, I've stuck with that one faithfully!)
All About the Spine

And Then My World Fell Apart...

...but only just for a while. I'll pick up the pieces and rebuild it again. Loss does that.

Two weeks after my Mom died suddenly and I'm swimming through choppy waves of emotions. I can almost fool myself into thinking that I'm alright, but then a memory, a thought, something I see or hear bursts that bubble with another river of tears. I can sometimes contain the tears... but not always.

The Last Day / Few Minutes of 40...

Today is the last day of my 40th year! 

Time to set some goals for the next year of my life.

40 Goals...

In no particular order...

Here goes!

1. Set up a regular Blogging schedule... and stick to it!
2. Finish all the short stories I currently have in the works
3. Send those stories off to be published
4. Get published? (Okay, so I have no control over this... but it is a goal!)
5. Finish my novel: The Jurisphere (working title) - hopefully this'll be the last draft... to be seen!
6. Work on my novel: Sister Stitch-Witch
7. Clean my room (Come on, with a list of 40, I gotta have some easy ones! Sadly, this is not that.)
8. Research getting an MLIS degree
9. Run the No Shush Salon
10. Take myself out for writing dates more often 
11. Begin a writers' group
12. Get a bunny... maybe?
13. Foster more kittens
14. Visit my family!
15. Snuggle ALL the furry creatures living in my house!!!
16. Get a new car... maybe?
17. Learn illustration to a satisfactory degree
18. Illustrate the Stanley stories
19. Work on my Spanish
20. Read LOTS of books
21. Watch LOTS of movies
22. Study Science (For Science!)
23. Sew stuff
24. Get another tattoo or add to one of the ones I've already got
25. Set up a writing schedule
26. Go camping
27. Try new foods
28. Write at least one note of appreciation each month
29.  Learn more about trees
30. Organize my sock drawer
31. Get a drawer for my socks
32. Help with finishing the Death Metal Kitchen
33. Do more rituals
34. Meditate
35. Begin a podcast for Ninyx Natterings Presents
36. Join a gym (YMCA?) with a swimming pool
37. Research different librarian career paths
38. Play the Harp again
39. Go kayaking
40. Invent teleportation 

How To Get Hit On at the Supermarket in Six Steps

1. Take six walks with six dogs. The hotter the day, the better.
2. Be certain to you've been sweating... a lot! I mean, sweating so much that your eyelids are sticking to themselves when you blink.
3. Make sure you got sloppy kisses from no less than three of the dogs you walked so you smell like dog breath.
4. Wear your most bedraggled work-shirt. The more stains and holes, the better!
5. Wear a big floppy hat over your very messy hair.
6. Make eye contact, 'cause you always do, and smile.

This should allot you at least a, "hey!" from a strapping young man and maybe even wink from a lovely young woman.
But if you're lucky... if your very, very lucky, you might even get a, "how ya doing? You're looking sexy, baby!" or maybe even a stocker telling you about a deal at another store on something you're about to purchase.

New Persona

With the intent of eventually setting up a YouTube channel where there's a bit of theater (which I miss) combined with my writing, I created a new persona. I have yet to do much with the YouTube channel. (But lo, much will be done!) I have given her a facebook page, a twitter account and she now has her own blog. The idea behind the blog is for it to be the testing ground for new writings. I'm also updating that blog daily. So some of it may just be, well, natterings. Today's only the fourth day, but so far... Yeah, it's only the 4th day.

Nin Nyx Natterings