Update #3

I'm going to have to take a raincheck on completing my Write-A-Thon as I have been feeling off for the past few hours.  I took my temp and it's sitting at 100.6 and that would explain my raging headache.  At the request of my husband, I will have to postpone my marathon until further notice.  I'm so sorry guys.  I'm so upset right now.  This has not been my day at all.

Update #2

As the 12 hour mark has passed by, I decided I needed to update you all on my progress, little as it seems to me.  My official word count as of this moment stands at 5,206.  At almost my halfway point, the number is far from where I hoped I would be.  Though I did not account for the snags, the Writer's Block, the lack of sleep, and the other such interruptions as are common in a household with a walking 10 1/2 month old (and a husband sitting right behind me involving himself in all sorts of distracting work). 

No, Nolan, it is not your fault that you are being distracting.  I'm allowing you to be.

Have you ever had those days at work where everything comes together and the work flies by and you are enjoying yourself, your work, and your effort?  That was the first Write-A-Thon for me.  It couldn't have gone better.

If you've had those days, then I bet you've encountered those days when everything seemed to be a task.  As much as you enjoyed your work, it seemed to be arduous, long, over-bearing, stressful, and not easy to achieve like you thought it would be.  Even as you push yourself through it, you wonder why it's such a task when you know you love it.  Yet, for some reason, today it just isn't happening.  That would be today.

I've been trying to look at the upbeat side of it all, and it is helping.  But this may be one of those times.  That's okay though.  As hard as it is to swallow right now.  It just means today is my difficult day, and as much as they like to make us all think otherwise, it will not last forever.  So onward I go!

Update #1

I know this is an odd time to do an update, but I thought I'd share a few things with you about my journey so far:

Chugging along...

This Write-A-Thon is definitely proving to be much more difficult and even arduous than the one before.  Last night I was excited but let my nerves give way to fear and anxiety and my start this morning was more of a huddled fetal position than a bullet leaving a gun.  I'll go into more detail at length when I have more time, but even now, as I have a lot more gumption and willpower, I am finding the words difficult to discover.

Perhaps this just isn't my day for writing.  Nothing I've written has made me truly inspired or giddy.  I'm merely following the trail I laid down for myself.  If I didn't know that editing while writing was a dangerous thing, I would have stopped and tried to fix everything.  However, the words would never get down and the story would never be written out.  Editing is for a later date, so I'm pushing on and trying to inspire myself as I go.

I am also very much behind my goals at this moment in time, but that is to be expected with the start I had this morning.  But I am not giving up.  I am not stopping.  I'm moving forward because if I don't, I'll be more than a little disappointed in myself.  I may not reach my side goals aside from finishing, but I'm going to do my best to find a way to get as close as I can. 

Thank you to all those who have commented and given me support in this.  I won't lie in that it helps me greatly to know that you are cheering me on.  I am truly grateful!

(Side note: It also does not help that upstairs, on my nightstand, lies The Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  It beckons to be read, but alas, I must wait.  Oh, the agony!)

In The Beginning...

My Write-A-Thon is already off to an interesting start.  I couldn't sleep last night, then I kept waking up.  When I finally did get some sleep, I swear my alarm clock was just waiting to go off.  I had some very interesting dreams.  And when I tumbled out of bed to begin today, I found it difficult to figure out how to put socks on and my shirt eluded my mind in terms of how to wear it. 

Despite my grogginess, I am going to move forward and get some writing done.  Granted these first words may be a bit of gibberish, but it is only a simple writing prompt after all.  That's why I do them, so that the writing that counts isn't half-asleep ramblings.  Like this may turn out to be. 

So let's get a move on, we got some ground to cover!

Tomorrow, It Begins

Yes, this is me (when I was a bit younger, of course).

In a short little while, I am going to tuck myself in, read myself a story or two, and count some stars on my ceiling.  Let's face it, I'm going to need all the energy I need because tomorrow at 6:00am sharp, after updating twitter, facebook, and this blog, I'm heading off on yet another 26.2 hour adventure in writing. 

Tell your friends.  Tell your neighbors.  Tell the guy next to you in the checkout line.  I am about to embark on my second Write-A-Thon, and I would love if you and they would cheer me on!  Hopefully next time, if not this time, you can embark on a Write-A-Thon adventure alongside me!  Trust me, it's always better when you know someone else is there, supporting you, cheering you on, and going through the same thing themselves.

So goodnight to the world!  I shall see you in the morning.

Details for the February 2012 Write-A-Thon!

The goals and the schedule have been formulated, and I am ready to share.  The official February 2012 Write-A-Thon will take place on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 beginning at 6:00 am, Eastern Standard Time.  As before, the Write-A-Thon will continue for 26.2 hours, ending at 8:12 am, EST Wednesday, February 29th.  Any and all of you are welcome to join in and write that day.  The more, the merrier.  And no, you don't have to be crazy like me and write for 26 hours straight like I will be doing. 

As before, I will be updating my Twitter and Facebook page regularly to mark my progression, and I will try to take all the pictures I can so that you can "be there with me through the long hours!"  My goals for this marathon are as follows:

1. Write 15,000 words.
2. Complete Creative Writing fiction assignment.
3. Write for at least one hour on writing prompts.
4. Complete Chapter 9-14 in E.
5. Write general outline for E.C.



My goals aren't too far off from what I outlined last time.  However, I'm definitely having my reservations once more about whether or not I'll be able to complete it.  I did last time, and I met every goal and had a lot of fun doing it, but it was difficult and I was not without doubts of being able to finish.  Right now, I am going to try to focus on my previous victory and try to enjoy my writing time.  The nervousness is hard enough.  I conquered it once, but can I do it again?

I am allotting myself an optional 3 hour nap if needed (though I'm hoping I won't), and plenty of breaks with a time limit to keep myself consistent.  So now I have a lot of things to do this weekend in preparation for this Write-A-Thon.  I mean, I can't just leave my family hanging.  I have laundry, food, quality time, and normal homework and studying to keep up with. 

Tell your reading and writing friends and family.  Get the word out.  Share the information.  Comment or leave questions below if you have any, about the upcoming Write-A-Thon or anything in general.  I appreciate the comments I got in my last blog entry immensely!  It will definitely be nice to know I won't be alone on Tuesday. 

So, everyone, be ready!  Tuesday morning at 6:00 am sharp, the first Write-A-Thon of 2012 begins!!!  Stay tuned!

 

Winter Break is Here! Which means....

...the Write-A-Thon is soon to appear!  That's right, everyone! I'm back with a vengeance!  So stay tuned because the Second Write-A-Thon is going to commence on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, starting in the a.m.  Details about the Write-A-Thon will be outlined tomorrow (I have a few things to go over and set up). 

As for normal life, I've adjusted my schedule to better fit my needs this semester, and I am finding myself getting things done, enjoying myself more, and (gasp) reading more.  Yes, I have enough time to read while going to school!  Last semester, my reading time consisted of biology textbooks and French verbs.  This semester, I'm reading short stories, poems, novels, and yes, the biology textbooks.  On top of it all, some of it is purely for my enjoyment, which is very exciting to me.  I'll admit, I'm easily excited about these things, but what's so bad about that?

My daughter is doing well.  She is walking now and is definitely a mischief maker, like her Mommy was (and still is).  She loves books and plays with and looks at them far more than any of her other toys combined.  She gets read to a lot as well (there's a surprise) and she definitely has favorites.  I just wanted to share that with you all because if you love books as much as I do, I know how proud you can be to see it passed on to your children.  I am ecstatic!  I can't wait for her to be a little older and then I can begin to read her fairy tales, chapter books, and all the wonderful stories I grew up on intermixed with all my new discoveries of late!

In writing, I've been focusing more on my Creative Writing class.  I turned in a poetry portfolio this past Tuesday consisting of five poems and a one page reflection of what we've learned about our writing this semester.  I was honest and up front about everything.  Although I will admit, I was rather embarrassed when he had us read our reflections to other classmates.  When it comes to reflections and assignments from professors that I look to for an honest opinion, I tend to be rather straightforward in what I am requesting by way of feedback.  So when I wrote the reflection, I talked about my struggles with self-confidence and in wanting to get published eventually.  Reading it to my peers, I felt a little egotistical indicating my desire to be published (though for the life of me, I'm not sure why that would sound egotistical) and then more than a little uncomfortable sharing my problems with confidence. 

However, I was pleased with my five poems that I turned in.  Only one was written before the semester started (which he had mentioned we could do for the extra poems that we turned in that weren't assigned), but I did edit it.  It's a poem I rather enjoyed writing and re-reading.  I especially enjoy it with its new editing as well.

I lightly edited Not Important and I heavily edited Dear Left Fallopian Tube.  The results were nice, but poetry has always left me feeling on uneven ground.  It seems that the least amount of time I spend with a poem, the better, and I feel there's something not right about that.  Again, it could possibly be my insecurities.

Now, though, the class is moving into short fiction, and already I am feeling more comfortable.  I wrote a few micro-fiction stories that were less than 55 words.  I have another assignment to do this next week (I may use it as one of my writing exercises for the Write-A-Thon) which is going to be fun, but I'm most excited for the third fiction assignment, which I am already thinking about as well. 

For now, I'm going to go stick my nose back into my book.  Just remember, keep checking in for the details of my Write-A-Thon next week, and also stay tuned for more blog updates with lots of interesting topics and discussions. 

Please comment below if you have anything you would like to ask or share with me or my other readers.  I welcome it!

Because I Am Writing...

Dear Left Fallopian Tube,

Bethany Lewis

Sometimes I dream you still reside

within me, mediating between Left Ovary

and Uterus. You kept them in line, in like,

even. Now they don’t associate

with each other

  At all.

I miss you.

I feel only part

woman, Despite having your sister,

Right,

Alive and well.

We speak of you silently

with utter sincerity; I wanted you to know.

We will not forget your caring nature.

The way you held on so tight

to her. How you tried to keep

her, Innocent and whole;            

                   it was not your job.

I know you only meant the best

for her. You wanted her

as much as I; for her to grow and thrive within you.

When you lost

her it shredded you. The electricity

of your despair did not go unseen.

As you bled into me, my mind

slowed

and became dumb

      I apologize.

My body could only hold

your tattered

lifeless remains,

               and hers,

Encasing your loss

within my abdomen. Concealing such calamity

from the harsh judgment of the world.

Awaking without you

was bitter. Right knew not what to do

without her sister. You left me,

                                              left us both.

Neither of us can understand what we could have done

to deserve such an empty departure

as yours                                                                                                               and hers.