I worked my heart out canvassing and my candidates still lost. I’m sad about that but I don’t regret doing it for a moment. I will be writing a Canvassing For Newbies blog post soon. Look for it and share it with your friends if you think it will be useful.
While I mostly adhered to my diet, I made two luscious soups for the political office during this final week. I just had to taste them, even knowing that they had a lot more oil and calories than I should get. I only had a very tiny amount and I got back on track immediately afterwards, so I am counting this week as a win.
Time for Gratitude!
Every week I experience things that make me better and that I’m grateful for. Some are books, podcasts, websites, or videos. Some are simple experiences. I share them here.
I listened to a great podcast episode earlier this week from Akimbo called Games Matter which features a game designer talking about his career designing educational and other types of games, how they work on our psychology, and why everything we do is a sort of game. Ultimately the question is not whether games matter (they do) but what games are you playing. Shortly before I left my job at FedEx I was pretty upset that I didn’t get a promotion I believe I deserved. I told my husband that I was a loser. He said, “No, you are not losing at the promotions game. You’re just playing a different game. In your game you will win once you leave your job and write. Keep your eyes on the game that matters.” He was right. We choose the games that matter to us. What games are you playing? Are there any games you play that just don’t matter?
Here is an inspiring blog post about becoming a baddass from the No Meat Athlete guys. It’s all about bouncing back from failure and dealing with personal insecurities. Here’s my favorite part:
When we work hard, we can fail very hard. But when all is said and done, we will win really hard — and that’s what being a badass is all about:
Pushing past failure — pushing past what’s practical — again and again.
Yeah maybe you’ll fail. But that’s not the end. You’re a badass. You’ll get it next time.
— Andrew Carter from I failed at two 50 milers. Here’s how those failures turned me into a badass.
NaNoWriMo started off slowly with me behind, but I expect to catch up. NaNoWriMo is truly inconvenient in its timing with election season and Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season all occurring in November. But I suppose it’s sort of like New York City: “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”
If you’re in the Midsouth and want to join me in a few writing sprints this November, I’ll be at the Panera Bread in Germantown Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 10am to 1pm and I’d welcome the company!
Primary Novel Goal: 12,500 words per week
Additional Writing in Secondary Novel, Short Story, Farland or DWS Class Assignment, or Sea History Adventures blog: 1000 words per week
Primary Novel Editing: Half of the Book by January 1, 2019 and complete by January 16.
First three chapters of the Primary Novel sent to Eric Flint for review on December 6, 2018.
Healthful Unprocessed Diet through December 31, 2018.
Here is where I stand as of today:
Whomsoever Saves One Life (Primary Novel): 41,384 words
Ten Reasons the Pirates Always Win (Secondary Novel): 15,125 words
Completed Sea History Adventures Blog Entries: 2
Short Stories Completed: 2
Writing Assignments (This Week): 392 words
Healthy Eating Streak (started on Sept. 27, 2018): 44 days