ROW80

Conga line baby steps RoW80 check-in

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
writing spaces writing pens
my former writing space, sigh

I’m somewhat cheating on the Sunday sprint by writing my check-in, but it’s okay, it’s still writing. I have been writing the past week, although only a little of it has been fiction.  I’ve been editing an article for the last week at the day job, as well as working on a web page for my department so the creativity is different. The fiction has been relegated to notes and scribbles, but at least I have not abandoned it entirely.

Last week, I pulled a muscle in my back, so I could only write longhand, and have fallen behind on any comments I can’t manage to do on the phone.  Writing by hand really is a different way of processing words.  I read that writing notes by hand help students remember their notes far better than typing them into a laptop.  I’m always fascinated by things that are holdovers from earlier centuries. The time we spent writing by hand far outweighs this new manner of taking notes, and it seems clear to me that our synapses have not yet caught up.

My plans to savor a cup of coffee as I mentioned in last week’s check-in have not been as successful. I still feel slothful if I do not have knitting or quilting or some form of needlework in my hands, but I have been able to find a certain amount of quiet in those tasks as well.   Although not as good as meditation, I’m making baby steps to finding that distraction-free space.

I’m contemplating returning to updating my blogs, and there are some things I need to fix on my Facebook profile and page as well. I go all over the place about the platform thing, but I enjoy having the social media outlet as well as the blogs.

How are all of you facing the summer–or if you are in the Southern hemisphere, the winter? What changes in your household or work environment will cause adjustments in the normal way of work?

Please go visit the other RoWers here especially as we slide into the last few weeks of the Round.

smaller EM

 

 

Published by Elizabeth Anne Mitchell

I am the youngest of four children, raised in the old-fashioned Irish-American way. I suspect my mother encouraged me to write from an early age to keep me out of her hair, although she may have regretted the decision when my teachers began to call about the controversial stories I was writing. Thus I began my career of butting heads with the good sisters at my Catholic elementary school, and ended it by leaving high school for college with no diploma. I wear my high-school dropout badge rebelliously and proudly. In college, I became fascinated with the Middle Ages, which was described as a “starry night” by one of my professors. So began a trek through languages and legends that informs my narrative non-fiction and historical fiction, as well as my blogs. I love feedback and enjoy discussing ideas. I have an accountability blog for the Round of Words in Eighty Days entitled Leavekeeping; I write a blog on literary history, intellectual history, and the history of words entitled Lapidary Prose. I'm on Twitter and Facebook; my email is lapidaryprose@gmail.com.

4 thoughts on “Conga line baby steps RoW80 check-in”

  1. I know I can’t just sit. Even if I’m watching tv, I have to have something in my hands. Whether it’s yarn or a book, or something.

    After Wednesday, both kids are going to be home for the next 12 weeks. That’s going to be an adjustment. Still trying to figure how I’m going to handle it(judging by the way they were fighting over the weekend, not very well).

  2. I’ve not managed that “one good cup” most of this past week… But then, we knew trying something like this would be a bit of a cha-cha. Perseverance,,,,, you’ll get there. Progress is happening daily, just the progress of reality not the progress of dreams.

  3. Well, the carpet cleaners are coming tomorrow morning for our little two BR apartment, and I’m afraid ALL will be in upheaval, starting tonight. I would relish that one good cup of coffee and uncluttered writing time. But don’t our messy lives bring clutter anyway? Despite our best efforts? Maybe that’s where the creativity hides? My husband still does his writing slowly with a pen. He thinks long and writes a little. Me, I’m at the keyboard, dashing words down. Hope your back heals quickly — or you enjoy the added time to write with reflection. Have a truly good week.

  4. Umm, I’m telling! You cheat? Nah! Writing a post IS writing. It sounds like you’re doing well on your goals Elizabeth. As you may know, I am a sloth. lol! But I just moved and haven’t felt very well. So that takes a bite out of my creativity. Thus, I haven’t written many posts lately, although I have been editing. Don’t forget to seize the moment and enjoy a cuppa! Life is too short. 🙂

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