Category: Writing

Posted in Life, Writing

You’re Writing Your Autobiography. What’s Your Opening Sentence?

Posted on by jennrae

I enjoyed looking at the glass and all the little plastic bubbles with tiny toys inside. Some were stickers, some those sticky hands that came in fluorescent colors, and some were tiny erasers. I knew they needed a coin to insert in order to get one of the bubbles. But, I wasn’t sure how to ask for a coin, or whether it was a good idea to ask for one. I studied all the different little things, thinking about asking my Mom for a quarter.

And then, I looked around, and my Mom, the shopping cart, and my brothers were gone. I was alone. By the front door of the store. I felt myself panic a little. I was scared. But I wasn’t scared of being alone.

I was scared I would be in big trouble. I knew I couldn’t ask for a quarter now. She would be mad at me. I did something wrong. I looked at the bubbles and somehow everyone disappeared. It would be only later that I would realize that I remembered it differently.

My mom tells it that I ran off in the store, of course, she was upset, and panicked and wouldn’t let anyone leave until I was found. Some old man brought me to the register, and I didn’t say a word.

I remember just getting distracted and staying by the entrance. It was my family that wandered off from me, leaving me behind. I do not know what really happened.

Unfortunately, I liked to tell tall tales and my relationship with reality was sketchy at best back then. I also told everyone I lived in the White House. My house was white, so to me it was true.

I thought if I said something, I could make it happen. I also thought I could understand animals. Ants especially. Ants were my friends and cabbage moths. I even didn’t mind spiders. I would learn to fear them later like so many other things.

Daily writing prompt
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
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Posted in Life, Writing

Do You Believe In Destiny Or Fate?

Posted on by jennrae

I went from not really thinking about it at all, to being cynical and jaded and thinking “Is this All There is?”, back to thinking yes, there is something behind it all after all. Currently, yes, I do believe in fate or destiny. I think things happen for a reason even if we don’t understand that reason, and there does seem to be a point to it all. There have been times where I thought I should be dead now, but something intervened, somehow it wasn’t my time.

If you had told me I would still be here in my mid forties to me in my twenties, I wouldn’t have believed you. I thought I would die young, not sure how, or why, but I just didn’t feel like I belonged in this world. I never felt like I fit into any particular mold. I had trouble relating to people or making close friendships. I had trust issues that have only gotten worse.

So, why would I believe in destiny or fate now? If you asked me a few months ago I probably would have told you I don’t. But, sometimes things, or dominoes fall a certain way and change your view or thought process. And, that happened to me in November. I can’t fully explain it, not without sounding insane, but I will say, much like the butterfly effect, little things lead to bigger things, and alter one’s life path. However much I try to choose or do down a different path, I am always brought back to a certain place. I do not know the future. But, I do know what I should be doing.

There is a reason I say I am a writer, and not a published author. I am not a published author, although I would like to be someday. The good thing about that is it is a pathway that isn’t limited by age or looks, but ideas. I have ideas, I just need to follow through and put them down. I do believe I have a destiny, and I do believe there is a point to all this. I don’t claim to know it, or understand it, but I know it is there. I know where my path is supposed to lead if I can get out of my own way.

Posted in Life, Writing

List Five Things You Do For Fun.

Posted on by jennrae

I enjoy drawing. I have a cartoony style that is unique and unpolished. I have used it to create portraits for characters in the past. But it is mostly just fun doodles. I’d like to try my hand at painting, I used to paint years ago.

I write short stories or character studies for fun. I like to write short fiction. It is fun to wrap up the story quickly. Short timed writes are especially fun because there is no pressure for it to be perfect.

I also listen to music for fun. It is also fun to see live music. I think music is the secret to changing a bad mood to a good mood. I can change my energy based on what I am listening to. And live shows are especially fun because it is like you are one with the crowd. It is a different kind of energy.

I also like to get out of town and see new things, find new experiences. Sometimes we will pick a place to explore and see what’s there. Get to know a different place. We found a virtual arcade that way and go carts, drive in theaters too. It is kind of cool to research a place for fun things to do that isn’t typically a tourist spot. You can find some fun shopping areas too with unique finds. And I enjoy bargain hunting and finding treasure.

I also like to walk or hike for fun, or just be out in nature. Camping is awesome for getting away and recharging the soul. We hiked to the lighthouse one year which is five miles one way. Walking in sand that is also cold and rocky with the sun on your back was a unique experience, but the tour of the lighthouse was well worth it. I need to do that again. It has been awhile.

Obviously I enjoy movies and books of course, and going to the theater or even the local playhouse is also very fun for me.

Daily writing prompt
List five things you do for fun.
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Posted in Life, Writing

Where Can You Reduce Clutter In Your Life?

Posted on by jennrae

If we are talking physical clutter, I am bad at keeping manuals and paperwork. I think I have had is known as a junk drawer just filled with various manuals of different gadgets and doodads. I also, as I am sure most of you know, have a plethora of DVDs and books. The DVDs I store in binders, although I need to buy more as my collection has outpaced my current ones.

I also have a 200 disc cd changer that I got when I was a teen, still works and holds my cd collection inside it, with folders telling me what disc is where, although I need to go through and reorganize it. I also tend to put the mail down on a desk or table and I don’t get to it right away.

I have a couple magazine subscriptions but I am getting better at letting them go into the recycling. If I really need a recipe I can always find it on the internet, so there is less reason to keep those.

If we are talking mental clutter, yes, I do worry about stuff I cannot control, although I am getting better at letting that stuff go too. You can only do so much, and I just don’t want to use my energy on things that I cannot solve.

Meditation and trying to clear my mind is something I want to do daily or at least every other day. It is so freeing to just let yourself be even if it is only for five or ten minutes. If you don’t do this, you should start. It is like setting aside time just for you. It is very calming and I can usually get more done afterwards.

I do need to reorganize my writing space so it is more inviting and gives me the right mood. I did have a eureka moment at the gym which I did jot down. I do not know if this idea is a new novel, or a new short story, but it will be something, that I do know.

Daily writing prompt
Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
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Posted in Life, Writing

What’s Your Dream Job?

Posted on by jennrae

My dream job would be to get paid for my writing and to make enough to not need another job. Something that allows me to have the time and money to travel and experience things without worrying excessively about money.

I would be my own boss and make my own schedule. It would be nice to be able to be creative from morning until night. Of course, things are always less fun once it becomes work.

It ceases to be fun when the stakes are higher. I do think I would be better suited to that type of work due to my introspective nature than the customer service work I currently do.

My current work can be draining and I have to pretend to be more sociable than I usually want to be. I come home exhausted mentally from all the interactions, most of which are the trivial “hey, how are you doing”, type of things.

I would be worried that I need to improve my self discipline in order to make that work as I am used to having a set schedule that is made for me. It would be worth it though. Just to be my own master and to do what I love doing.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your dream job?
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Posted in Life, Writing

What is Your Mission?

Posted on by jennrae

My mission in life is to leave things better than I found them, and to hopefully make people smile or at least think about things a little deeper, a little more perhaps. I guess my mission would be to write and have my writings leave a mark on someone somewhere.

To be read, like Jules Verne, or Edgar Allen Poe long after I am gone from this world would be amazing. It is a form of immortality in a way. I don’t want to be famous, per se, I just want my ideas to live on, in some capacity. Even if it is just a family heirloom of a book that my family passes down, or if somehow I influence someone who becomes more successful than I.

Just to know I have done something worthy, even if it is just for me. That I didn’t just work myself to death day in and day out doing the same thing over and over and over. I guess I want to gain and pass on knowledge to others, and hopefully things get better in the future and people are brought together and are less hostile to other viewpoints.

I want to foster discussion and discourse, I want to encourage thinking and thoughts, outside of the obvious. I guess, ultimately I want to become the best version of me that I can be.

Daily writing prompt
What is your mission?
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Posted in Life, Writing

What Could You Do Differently?

Posted on by jennrae

That is hard to answer. I could do a lot of things differently. How I approach my writing, my web page, or even people I meet on the street. I usually skip breakfast, I can get ready for work pretty quickly. I am not one of those girls who primp for hours in front of a mirror. I can get ready in like fifteen minutes. And, be out the door. I don’t like to keep people waiting, and I like to be on time. I am a punctual person.

It does mean that I usually have coffee for breakfast, but then my lunch is kind of early. I have lunch when some eat breakfast. Late breakfast, but still early lunch. I have been going to the gym consistently, but I could probably add or vary my routine.

I plan on cutting down on my sugar intake, just still have a lot of garbage from the holidays laying around. Once, that is gone, I am planning on it staying gone.

I could be more organized. My room and my life is sort of chaotic at the moment. I could use more structure. I plan on structuring my time in order to be a bit more efficient.

I need to plan a new story and it just won’t happen if I don’t set aside a time slot for it. I am also trying to focus more on what I all ready have, instead of pining for what I don’t.

I need to be more grateful for the abundance that is all ready here. I need to get this writing gig off the ground so I can get away from a work environment that is at times hostile and not always good for my mental health.

But, I can’t wait for someone to step in and save me. I have to save myself. I have to try harder, and do more. More efficiency and better time management are definitely something to work on. Healthier habits will have healthier outcomes. I need to knuckle down and do the hard work. I need to do this for me.

Daily writing prompt
What could you do differently?
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Posted in Life, Writing

Do You Spend More Time Thinking About the Future or the Past?

Posted on by jennrae

I used to think more about the past by far, but lately, I have been focusing more on the future, while attempting to focus on the present. I am actually enjoying planning for the future. I got a special journal that is supposed to help with that. It is a Dream book and planner that I bought years ago before I was ready to face my fears.

It asks me a lot of questions and I am attempting to really think and answer honestly, which is forcing me to think about what I really want and how to get there.

I don’t want to be stuck with too many expectations or concrete plans because I do not want to be living my life dreaming and become disappointed when or if reality doesn’t align perfectly.

It is a balance that I am trying to attain. I want to have goals and visions of where I want to be, but I also need to focus on my day to day situations. I also want to learn from the past, but no longer be chained to it.

I have come to the difficult decision that I should table my old manuscript because I am not in the same place as I was when I wrote it, and I really think I am using it as a crutch to not write anything new. I would like to get something published this year in some form. And, I don’t think that will happen if I stay fixated on that particular mess.

I think I am going to try to plot out an idea and a cast of characters and try to make something brand new. I also am going to attempt to delegate at least thirty minutes to this endeavor. We’ll see how it goes, I may even set an alarm. Make it a habit like going to the gym. Been pretty consistent about that and I am proud of that, now if I add this, and stick with it, it will be another victory for me.

Daily writing prompt
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
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Posted in Life, Writing

Do You Play In Your Daily Life? What Says “Playtime” To You?

Posted on by jennrae

I suppose playtime to me is free time, time that is unscheduled and unplanned. I tend to be tired after work, although I do occasionally play Hearthstone, and some WoW, although I haven’t been lately. I have made the conscious decision that I need to work more on my creative endeavors rather than spend my time consuming other people’s. I only have so much time, although to be honest, I still watch some television shows and some movies.

I am enjoying The Head, kind of a murder mystery show. It has some interesting characters and it has surprised me a few times although Season one I figured out ahead of time. I have also been enjoying What We Do In the Shadows, because we have been on a vampire kick lately with Nosferatu and all. I also have been going to the gym everyday it has been open, and going for walks whenever I can. I like to get some fresh air. I like to be near nature.

Writing is a form of play for me though. I enjoy replying on twitter, pretending I am so very witty. And, I enjoy reacting to things.

I also enjoy retail therapy. I just got a new coat that I adore, and some more DVDs from the Goodwill. I need to get some more binders to sort and store them though. I also enjoy reading and drawing, but I don’t always give myself enough time to enjoy these hobbies. And, I enjoy listening to music, in fact I am listening to music right now.

Daily writing prompt
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
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Posted in Life, Writing

You Get to Build Your Perfect Space For Reading and Writing. What’s It Like?

Posted on by jennrae

For reading I would have a place with plenty of light, natural and artificial. Maybe a whole wall is a large window, and one wall would be a bookcase with tons of books covering a lot of topics and some classic literature for inspiration. Lots of comfy throw blankets and a few cozy chairs, maybe one large couch that reclines with phone chargers built in. A sound system with a record player and a cd player and a radio for audio inspiration. Lots of old movie posters or literary posters on the remaining walls. Cross between cozy coffee shop and old library.

For writing, maybe something a little less cozy, a desk for the computer and printer, good source of internet for research and a coffee maker. Again, a good sound system, I like to write to music. Inspiring quotes or posters on the wall, but less comfy furniture. Maybe a small bookcase with writing and reference books within easy reach.

I kind of like the idea of a converted shed, office in the back yard. I read somewhere that is how J.D Salinger wrote Cather in the Rye, to free him from distractions from the house. He would go to work there, and people knew to leave him alone. I love the idea of an ADU just for writing. Like a mother in law apartment with a small kitchenette and bathroom. Keep work and home separate in a way. I would like that. And a beautiful garden outside it for more inspiration.

Daily writing prompt
You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?
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