Baby Steps

As you can see, I am making an effort to write every night, even if it is just boring old "this is how my day went" type of stuff. I find myself looking forward to having (making) time to work every night. It's like when I would write in my journal before bed. Yup, just me and the words. It's nice. I tend to work after ML has turned in for the night. He'll wait up for me sometimes if he's working on something or reading. I can't fault him for falling asleep. A man can only stay up so late when he's dragging his ass to the gym at 6:30am. Early Bird/Night Owl. That's us.

I've managed to keep my little nook in order (if I think of it in the same terms as I do my desk at work, it makes more sense to keep it organized. DUH!). I've been using it to write thank you notes, balance my check book, work on my Leadership class project, you know, everything but actual writing. It's OK, though. If I'm in the room, I'm most likely going to end up writing something.

I did a little research on Meetup.com and Craigslist to see if I could find a writing workshop or a group to review work with on a regular basis. I've realized that I'm not quite ready for that yet. Maybe next month. If I put too much pressure on myself or try to do too much at once, I'll go bananas and give up. Again. I do feel hopeful, though. Is that crazy? I feel like I'm getting it back, you know? Like this is a good thing for me and I'm going to be OK, after not being OK for so long. I even bought the Writer's Digest 2007 Writers Yearbook the other day and flipped through it on Saturday night. My plan is to read some of the articles and take a couple of notes, or at least check out some of the websites they mention. Maybe, MAYBE I'll enter a writing contest. maybe.

One last thing:ML helped me hang a magnetic bulletin board over my nook. I've always loved having a bulletin board. It's a mini happy place I can look at when I get stressed or freaked out about something. Current contents include a "d" magnet from my friend H. , a bumper sticker that says "Trust Women," a couple of special cards and an Annie Leibovitz photo of Daniel Day Lewis running through the desert (if you saw the picture, you'd be inspired too!). My favorite "charm" is a quote from one of my writing teachers that I typed up and laminated years ago. It reads: "The only special effect is the heart; the muscle of the heart and how it makes you write." I'm hoping to hang my first rejection letter on that board by the end of the year. We'll see.