j-day

last year i decided that to keep myself motivated and inspired, i needed to have pre-planned "mental health days" where i'd work on my creative ventures.  today is one of those days.  in 2010, every other month i scheduled a day off to write, paint, take photographs...enjoy. i used to call these "j-day's"...i'd book a hotel room, pack up all my journals, books, supplies, a bottle of wine and spend some quality alone time.

this new idea is a continuation of that theme (but i get to sleep at home with my hubby). now that i've made a commitment to writing, i need long, uninterrupted periods of time to do just that. this morning i edited/wrote from about 8:30-11:30 (by hand, of course) and then another hour or so typing. i'm completely renovating the original story from my creative writing class...which is much more difficult than starting from scratch. but i'm learning so much about how to craft a story the first time. our teacher keeps saying "what am i reading FOR? what keeps us turning the page?"

j-day also involved scouting out some new blogs from this month's artful blogging magazine.  i promised i wouldn't buy another copy since it's ridiculously expensive, but i felt something akin to a crack-addicts yearning the other night to go and buy it. in an effort to pay it forward, here are a couple keepers:

• life set to words
• feeling inspired
• life.love.paper
• here's looking at me kid

and actually COMMENTING, which i barely have the energy to do on an average day. these are some of my dreams for the new year (it's still new, right?)...to make more connections through my blog, and spend more time on fewer blogs, really getting to know my online community better. i am embarking on a scary adventure of writing and rejection, and i need all the support i can get.

this piece i'm working on is due on monday. i'm planning to send it out to a select crew of "editors" this weekend for a final run-through before d-day. this will be my first "real" submission, besides blogs and little essays. the point of this one is simply the act of submitting...i cannot have any expectations other than the sense of accomplishment associated with this task. i cannot fail.