checkin up

The year is more than a dozen days old. How are you doing on whatever decisions you may have made on the first?

I'm supposed to be living a risky life. Taking chances and thumbing my nose at fear of failure and all that.

How am I doing? Well... I'm mediocre at throwing my cares to the wind. Or my cars, as I first typed.

I said I wanted to knit something with a pattern. Well, I can't figure out how to read patterns. But I made up my own and guess what? I've messed it up pretty good. And some of the mess-ups I've fixed and others--most--I've left as is. It's a terribly imperfect scarf. Isn't that wonderful!? Of course it helps that it's for my son and he won't care a lick, but it's a start.

I've starting editing the story I wrote for NaNo and it's kinda scary. I don't know how to do this. But I'm just doing it. Taking a risk. Although I don't really know what I'm risking. I have a copy saved of the original, but it feels dangerous anyway.

Little changes. Little steps. What about you?

no more playing it safe

I've decided this year will be a year of risk taking. That may sound kinda wild, but let me explain what that means for me:

Knitting something from a pattern. You see, when I just knit a scarf I can't really mess up. But if I'm trying to follow a pattern, well... I'm pretty sure I will mess up. And if there is one thing I hate, it's messing up.

Finishing the story that I started last year.

Re-writing the story I wrote during NaNoWriMo and seeing if I can make something of it.

This year I'm going to do my best to get in touch with my imperfection. Letting myself get into situations where I may not succeed. Accepting failure as an option.

And that is incredibly frightening.

So, let others jump from airplanes or dive with sharks. I'm knitting a hat!

And may you all have an exciting, fulfilling, peaceful, and joyous new year!

NaNo

This is the view from my bedroom this morning! Lovely October we're having here. And I mean that! I love it!

I have decided to do a crazy thing called NaNoWriMo. You writers know exactly what it is. For those of you who don't know, it's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel from scratch in the month of November.

That is a big challenge and I don't know if I'm up for it, but I've decided to give it a try.
I have two goals. One is to learn how to shut up the perfectionist editor in my head. To learn how to give myself permission to do something badly.
The other goal is to finish something. I'm very good at starting things (I have 4 novels started), not so much at finishing.

My goal is NOT to write something good. In fact I am deliberately planning to write badly, break every literary rule I can think of, and enjoy the process.

So, wish me luck.

Hopefully, I will find the time and energy to post now and then along the way!