The dictionary defines “jaunt” as:
jaunt | [jawnt, jahnt] | noun
a short journey, especially one taken for pleasure.
Jaunts can be as simple as taking a walk or they can be a little more involved, such as going away for the weekend. They’re a great way to explore when you don’t have a lot of time, but you’re looking for a break from the routine.
Continue reading “J is for Jaunt, and Jolting the Creative Juices”
As I mentioned yesterday in my reflection on the joy of being home, we just returned from vacation a few days ago. As we spent ten days in Italy, and the ‘I’ day fell just a few days after our return, it seemed fitting that I post something about the trip today. There will be more detailed posts coming, but for now, here are three of my favorite things from the trip. (Read all my subsequent posts on Italy.)
Continue reading “I is for Italy: 3 Favorite Things from our Italian Vacation”
This wasn’t the post I planned to write today, but sometimes it’s best to go off-script.
Today, for just this morning, I’m home and I’m alone and it’s quiet and it’s wonderful.
I’ve just polished off a bowl of homemade popcorn and a glass of sweet tea — yes, at eight o’clock in the morning. My body and my brain probably think this is appropriate because it feels like two in the afternoon. You see, I’m home for just a few brief hours after arriving home last night from eleven days of vacation out of the country. (More on that tomorrow.) After I hit “publish” on this post, I’ll go unpack and then repack so I can go into work, catch up on emails, and then hit the road to do some training in another city.
Go.
Such a simple word with somtimes complex execution.
Go work. Go play. Go explore. Go write. Go travel. Go do. Go be.
If you go, will you do it? Will you be what you want to be? Not always. In a world of constant distraction, going doesn’t always mean doing.
But to do, you have to at least start. You must begin. You must go. Continue reading “G is for Go”
I was recently asked the question: what are your writing fears? And the answer wasn’t quite what I expected. It was just something I wrote down as the first idea that came into my head, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s probably my biggest one.
I fear that I write too much for myself. That what I write is really just for me and won’t resonate with others. Continue reading “F is for Fears”
The last stage of writing is one that I have yet to complete, at least for a novel, anyway. But editing and proofing have always been integral parts of my work, so out of all the parts of the writing process, this is one place that I feel within my element.
Editing is not glamorous. It’s tedious and nitty-gritty, and it takes a careful repetitiveness, but I’m OCD enough that I really like it.
So how do I go about editing? Continue reading “E is for Edit”
Drafting might be one of my favorite steps in the process of writing.
There is so much possibility in the first couple of drafts. While stories have the ability to surprise you at any point in the process, I think the drafting stage is when they are most alive and untamed. No matter how much time you spend in the previous stage of creating the plot many things can change when actually writing. Continue reading “D is for Draft”
Today begins a mini-series within this month-long series of the A-Z Challenge. I’ll be posting on three parts of the writing process: creating, drafting, and editing. Each post will be short, offering three insights into that stage of the process. It will by no means be comprehensive, but hopefully it will be fun and informative.
So, C is for create. Continue reading “C is for Create”
Because without books, I’m nowhere.
Before I had any idea how much fun travel could be, I was going on adventures every day by reading. And no matter how many amazing places I see in the world, there’s nothing like a great book’s ability to take you to somewhere you’ve never been. And for me as a writer, the book is the inspiration and the aspiration, something to look towards.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what I want this blog to be, what theme I want it to encompass.
As I’ve come to be a more consistent blogger over the past year, I’ve realized that I most enjoy blogging about two topics: writing and traveling.
The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized that writing and traveling are very connected. Both allow you to explore new worlds and adventures. Both entail a combined process of research and spontaneity in their exploration. Both like to surprise you.
A love of adventure is something that drives many endeavors, and it’s the motivation and joy behind the two things this blog is about: writing and traveling. Each of my posts from A-Z will explore some aspect of how writing or travel (or both) is an adventure. Continue reading A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal
For the month of April, I will be participating in the A-Z Blog Challenge, and I invite you to join me! What is the A-Z Challenge, you ask? To quote the website: “…you would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until … Continue reading A-Z Challenge: Coming Soon!
Booked & Ready 