Don’t Be Chicken

Well, it’s November.

And you know what that means, don’t you?

It means that summer is far behind us, and the slow march to winter solstice is beginning to take its toll.

Here in the Gray-t Northwest, November means gray and drizzle and gray and showers and gray and rain and more gray and cloudbursts and early nightfalls of a darker shade of ... well, gray.

Here’s the rub — if you’re not careful, all of that gray can start to affect your grey matter. And by mid-month you’re likely to find yourself listlessly sucking down Darjeeling and eating orange marmalade straight from the jar.

I’m speaking from experience here.

But this doesn’t have to be you! Your inner awesomeness and a November stretch goal will save the day... er... month!

Just say NO to listlessness by checking out this list of fabulous possibilities—

Pen a novel! (NaNoWriMo)

Create 30 picture book concepts in 30 days! (PiBoIdMo)

Research and write a nifty nonfiction piece! (WNFIN)

Or get really inventive and create a November challenge of your own...

You could draft a screenplay!

Revise those old manuscripts you’ve got hanging about!

Do daily morning pages à la The Artist Way!

You could even make it a month of poems, jokes, comics, or paintings!

Due to the fact that I write for a living and for fun, I decided to take that last option last year.

I’d never worked with acrylics, and I thought, Well what have I got to lose, but all that orange marmalade belly fat? Then I set aside an hour a day for painting.

In the end, it was great fun. And I particularly enjoyed two of the pieces I did...

 

Ahem...

Well, I guess I was a little chicken after all.

But it didn’t stop me.

PROMPT: Come up with a stretch goal and make your own November to remember...

Chickens are optional.

Angling for NaNoWriMo Recovery?

I have laid aside business and gone a-fishing.

~Izaak Walton

PROMPT: Go Fish.

NaNoWriMo Recovery: Fit as a…

Nobody ever says “piano around.”

Hmmm…

PROMPT: Feel free to fiddle around today. But if you are sadly fiddle-free, any old piano, penny whistle, or didgeridoo will do.

NaNoWriMo Recovery Week is “D”elightful!

Dawdle

Dabble

Doodle

Diddle-daddle

Dillydally

Diddly-SQUAT

PROMPT: So many D words, so little time. 

What if you delighted in all six today?

NaNoWriMo Recovery: The Slow Way

A great place to hang out today

They are slo-mo specialists.

In fact, they move soooooo slowly that algae form on their fur.

They also know how to put some serious POWER into power naps…

like, 20 hours a day.

They are sloths…

this week’s Mind’s Elbow mascot.

PROMPT: Embrace your inner sloth today. How slooooooow can you go?

Letting Go

Congratulations! You've made it through NaNoWriMo, PiBoIdMo, Black Friday, and what I like to call Black and Blue Saturday (in honor of you, Cindy).

Without a doubt, YESvember was awesome!

You ROCKED!

You ROLLED!

But now it’s time for a different kind of R & R.

Yeah… the REST and RELAXATION kind.

Without a doubt, you've earned it.

And guess what —

Kicking back is as key to the creative process as all that kicking butt.

“NOOOOoooooooo!” you might be saying. “I can’t stop now! I got so much done in November — I think I can do even MORE in December!”

Trust me, Cupcake, MORE is the first three ingredients in a recipe called Burnout.

So chill out, hang loose, and let go of all the stuff you did last month.

It’s officially R & R week here at the good ship Elbow.

Let it go.

Let it roll right off your shoulders.

Don’t you know,

The hardest part is over…

~ Rob Thomas

PROMPT: Kick back and sing along. Here’s your Little Wonders link.

Finish Line in Sight!

“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.”

~ Richard Bach

Tomorrow is the LAST day of YESvember!

That means you've got just two more days to kick some tail on that YESvember goal.

So, finish strong on Saturday —

I’m talking Super Friends STRONG.

Then on Sunday, I want you to focus ONLY on what you've accomplished this month.

I do not want to hear a pip or a peep about what you didn't get done.

I’m serious.

If you've only written ONE word, revel in it.

Because, Dude, that is one heck of a word.

And if you've written MORE than ONE word —

WOW!

You are a WINNER!

So, go ogle a bit in the mirror…

YOU are what AWESOME looks like!

PROMPT: Celebrate on Sunday! And, hey, here’s somebody who might like an invitation to the party —

“I love any and all situations where you celebrate creativity.”

~ Brad Paisley

Me too, Brad. Me too. ROCK…oops, I mean... COUNTRY ON!

Down To the Wire!

It’s the 27th of November, and you know what that means…

Including today, we've got just four days left to wrangle those YESvember goals!

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo or PiBoIdMo, it is time to finish strong.

No matter what…

And no matter what if.

As in —

What if I've fallen off a bit?

What if I've lost my way?

What if I've kind of… sort of… quit?

Get back on.

Take up the reins.

You’re headed for home.

And the race is only against yourself, you know.

So have a little fun.

And remember —

even if you only win by a nose…

You still WIN!

Ride and Write on!

PROMPT: Make a plan to finish strong. Trust me, it does a body good. YeeHAW!

Small Change

Welcome to the YESvember homestretch.

Only one week and one day left of goal-getting awesomeness!

Let me be the first to say that you are a ROCK STAR!

But right about now, some of you might be feeling a little less like the star part and a lot more like the rock.

If this is the case, you are probably mired in a muddy middle. 

Symptoms of this bothersome affliction can include wedged wellies, sticky hands, insatiable carb cravings, and writing that smells like… wet dirt. 

Did I mention those carb cravings?

Anyway, if you ever find yourself in such a state, try one of the following to help yourself unwedge —

Change your writing time. If you've been writing in the morning, try afternoon or evening… or midnight!

Change your writing stretch. Sometimes even a 15 minute approach can be too much, so try doing your daily words in 5 minute blasts.

Change your location. Try a coffee shop, a laundromat, the frozen food aisle, a treadmill, a tree house, a library, a zoo, a train, a mud puddle… et cetera, et cetera.

Change your writing posture. Lie down, stand on your head, yoga pose it, and so on and so forth.

Change your writing method. Try texting, longhand, shorthand, or “Look Mom! No hands!” (AKA voice recording)

Change your words. Do a Mark Twain and substitute “damn” for every “very” in your manuscript. Oh, what delicious fun that will be.
 

Now get out there and have a damn good weekend!

PROMPT: Even if your writing is still humming along, try one of today’s tips just to see what it does for you. Because sometimes a small change = pennies from Heaven!

NaNoWriMo — Day 21…

Yes, I imagine you are all getting pretty tired out there.

But fear not, Elbow Benders —

Science says sleepiness can work for you!

A study reported in Thinking and Reasoning found that the unfocused, disorganized thinking style of the tired brain causes it to make random connections.

Um…duh. Someone was actually paid to determine this?

Anyway, it turns out that these random connections are exactly what you need to gain insights or jump-start creative tasks.

You realize what this means don’t you?

If you are weary, worn out, or wiped…

Griping is no longer aloud.     

Humph…

Dang scientists.

PROMPT: Hip, hip, hooray, we’re sleepy today! Write about the weirdest place your main character could catch some Z’s. Or try this one on for size — Sandman vs. Snowman… with espresso.

Just a Girl with Glasses

Is your glass half full or half empty?

Half full! 

Half empty!

It depends on what’s in the glass.

It’s half full of beverage and half full of air!

Wait a minute — I don’t think that’s a beverage.

Grumble Grumble Grumble… It’s gonna spill anyway.

What are we talking about?

If the glass were in the forest and no one was there to see it, would it still be half anything?

The glass is two times bigger than it needs to be.

Look — a squirrel!

Regardless of how you answered the question, raise that glass today!

You are officially halfway through this YESvember month of NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo! 

Woot!

I do believe it is time for a dance break.

Bon Jovi, anyone?

Whoooa, we’re halfway there…

PROMPT: Is your main character an optimist, pessimist, or in serious need of ADD meds? How would he or she answer the question?