Showing posts with label Z to A Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Z to A Challenge. Show all posts

D is for disbelief

D is for disbelief, a feeling that overcomes me just about every time I watch television. What triggered my disbelief enough to inspire my much delayed D post in the Z to A challenge? This time it was a commercial with Rachel Ray, Dr. Phil ad members of the Channel 8 news team doing a promo for the w8totxt program. I still have trouble believing that people do not realize that sending and reading text messages while driving is a bad idea. I find it even more unbelievable that a little rubber ring on the thumb is necessary to remind people that it is not a bright idea. The people that do not think that it is silly to read and write while driving are going to keep on doing whatever they want until they cause an accident and kill someone. The Connecticut law banning talking on a cellphone while driving has worked so well (note the sarcasm) that more often than not the people I see chatting with a phone held up to their ear are the police officers that are supposed to be enforcing the ban. (Yes I think that they do have more important things to do than looking at other cars to see who is on the phone, unless they are a danger on the road, but I also think they should set a good example).

Then, of course, are the eaters and coffee sippers(which I have done, and admit to), the grooming set (hair, make up, shaving) and any number of amazing things that people do while driving. People never cease to amaze me. A friend witnessed someone eating while driving, which I normally am okay with to a certain extent. However, the gentleman in question was swerving, going very slowly, and eating his dinner off a plate with cutlery while driving down a main road- and sadly that is not the strangestdestracted driver that I have seen or heard about.

Okay, I will end my rant now :)

E is for Eventually

E is for eventually, a word I have been using a lot lately. Eventually I will have a new car, rather than a hand me down. Eventually I will get more hours at work, if only some people would retire. Eventually I will get my craft corner put together so that I have a separate space for writing and crafting. Eventually I will gt more bookcases. Eventually I will get that mulch and get it put down. Eventually I will get a new refrigerator and the drying vent run done. Eventually my mint will grow, my strawberries will be ready to harvest, my potatoes with slow down and I will be a happy harvester. Eventually I will not have to pay for preschool anymore.

I try not to get lost in these eventuallies, or let them overwhelm me so much that they become nevers. Normally when my to-do list gets big is when I am at my most productive. However, when there are more things on the list that I simply cannot do at the moment than those I can get working on i have trouble getting myself in gear to do much of anything. Lately this has even included writing. Hence my running late for my Z to A posts for no good reason. Never mind the articles that I already have the research or outlines done for and just need to put together. Oh and the big stack of galleys and library books I need to read... of my.

I'll get it all done, eventually.

F is for fresh air

F is for fresh air, something that many of us take for granted. However; when the pollen counts get high, rain hangs around for days on end, volcanoes erupt and other crises make themselves know here and around the world we need to stop and appreciate the sunshine and fresh air while we can. We need to take advantage of the fresh air that we have, and do our best to keep the environment healthy so that there will still be fresh air when our kids are our age. This is the easiest time of year for healthy living, with fresh fruits and veggies starting to become more abundant, and available from local sellers.

So today my kids and I are going outside, before the next round of rain they promise us with, and enjoy a day of sun even if the grass is still wet and it is humid and more than a little gross out. Because who knows when the next nice day will be, and when we will be able to enjoy it again.

G is for Great Read

Now everyone has different taste in books, but every reader has a set of criteria that sets a book apart as a great read. My great reads very widely to include something from every genre and age group. My criteria change based on the book itself, why I picked it up, and what group it was written for.

In books intended for children and teens I generally look for a great story that transcends the age group and can be enjoyed by everyone. I have heard far too many people say that it must be easy to write picture books, longer books for children and even teens. It is not nearly as easy as one might think. Start trying to write a picture book- you need a story that can be told in around thirty pages with only a sentence or two per page. But the story needs to be entertaining, unique, using words and concepts assessable to all ages without being condescending and must sound good when read silently or aloud. Then you either need to do the illustrations or have someone else do them for you, and they not only need to expand on the story but they need to somehow match your vision for the story. In books for older children and teens there is the same challenge entertaining without crossing lines that would make the book inappropriate for the intended age group. With any book older children and adults should be just as able to enjoy the story, and possibly learn something, as the target age group. None of this is easy to achieve, and when I find a book that manages to do all of that I consider it a great read, even if it has very few words.

With adult novels the challenge of appealing to all age groups has faded, but that does not necessarily make writing well easier. In this area what makes a great read, at least for me, often depends on why I read the book to begin with. Sometimes I like a quick, easy read, while other times I am more intend on challenging myself and exploring new ideas. Regardless, I find that a great read is one I can get lost in. A story that I can become immersed in and feel like I really know the characters. This requirement can be met in just about any genre, and has been. I have read some romance novels that I think about long after I have finished the book, even if it was a easy, fun read because of the characters and writing.

Sometimes I like to pick a random book of the library shelf and see where it might take me. I do not read the jacket, do not look at the author. I just pick and random aisle and pick a book. The first time I did this I was in high school and I ended up with The Power of One, which has since been made into a movie. I was historical fiction, based on a true story, and completely outside the norm of what I was reading at the time. However, I loved the book and was a better person for having read it. That made the book a great read as far as I am concerned. The fact that I can still picture the cover, and can actually remember the name at this point should show that it had an impact on me.

What makes something a great read for you?

H is for Hope

H is for Hope, not just the little hopes, such as my car not really needing more work now that the check engine light is on. I mean all of the hopes. Big hopes, like my children being strong, happy people as they grow up. That my husband and I continuing to have a strong, healthy marriage. Having enough money to buy the essentials, and maybe a little extra for some fun. Hope to enjoy the simple things in life, to take joy in play and smiles, to be the best me I can be in every given moment.

Those are all the simple, pretty much universal hopes. Everyone has had at least one of two of those hopes in their lives. Then there are the bigger, scarier hopes. The ones that it often feels like we can have no actual impact on in the greater scheme of things. The hopes that effect the whole world. The hopes that peace and compromise can reign, that people everywhere get to live lives that are safe, with governments that give them justice and the right to live their own lives and practice their own religions. That no one in the world would go hungry or suffer lack of resources when what they need is found in excess and going to waste in other places around the world.

So, I try to take those big hopes, and channel those hopes into things I can do. I can help feed people, by donating time, money and or food to local food pantries and soup kitchens. I can mentor a child, take part in programs like big brother, big sister to help a child reach their potential, and in turn show my children that everyone is the same in the heart, and that everyone deserves love and respect. I can reduce my waste, recycle, reuse things, buy smart, grow my own veggies and do other reasonably small things to help the environment as much as I can. I can take small steps the better the world around me. I can encourage that others do the same, and hope that if we all take small steps together, the small actions will add up and make the world better.

I is for I

I is for I, as in me, myself and I. Everyone is more than they appear on the surface. Even after knowing someone for a long time, you might only know one part of them. So, I thought this would be a nice chance to share some of the lesser known pieces of me with my readers, new and old. Some is well known, other bits only known by a few.

I am a wife, mother of two children under five, and as a result often very tired.
I love to sing, and sing in two choirs as well as in the car and to out my daughter to sleep when she lets me.
I taught myself to play drums, although have very little time to practice these days.
I have three tattoos, which I love. I also plan on adding to one, in order to add my children's initials to it, and have one more I would like to get.
I would love to have a motorcycle. A purple Harley Sportster to be specific. But will not get my motorcycle license or buy a bike until the kids are grown and out of the house.
I do not hate the color pink nearly as much as I used to. However, I still lurve the color purple above all colors.
I alternate between missing having hair down to my waist, enjoy my current length and dream of going for a pixie cut.
Every time I see a PT Cruiser in purple I think to myself "No, you can't give it back!" and still miss the car. I loved it despite all of its mechanical issues.
I miss my mother in law every day, she was an awesome lady and did not deserve to die from such an ugly illness.
I am my mother, I accept it and enjoy it. She is the most accepting and hardworking woman I know and love the fact that people think I am just like her in more than looks and voice.
I am now caught up, again for he Z to A challenge. I hope to keep it that way.

J is for judgement

On a day where one wacked out radio host is claiming the second coming of Christ and the end of days (again, he did this in 1997 too) I had to stop and think about it all. You know what, if someone has something to fear from a final judgement, than nothing that they can do in a day or two can really make up for it.I mean repentance and grace can save many souls (if that is part of your belief system) but if you live your life the best you can, every day, then what would be so scary about final judgement? Speaking of judgement, you know those people that enjoy judging? You know the ones, those people that like to tell everyone else that they are going to hell,. or not living right, or anything else I think those are the people that should have the most to fear, because they are the ones living lives full of hate, spreading hate and fear to those around them.

I say that if there is a final judgement, when it comes those that are accepting of others, that truly love their neighbors, will be the chosen, regardless of religion. Pagan, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, whatever. Those that live their lives in a positive way, releasing more good than bad into the world are the ones I want to be standing with come the end of days no matter how it comes to be. Now, I know some faiths do not necessarily believe in a rapture like event, but even if the world is just going to end or whatever might happen when a higher power or mankind's own stupidity destroys the planet, wouldn't you rather spend your last moments with genuinely nice people? I know I would!

K is for Keys

How heavy is your keychain? Do you remember what all the keys you carry around are for? I recently had to replace a car, so I have taken a good look at my key collection that I carry with me everywhere I go. There are the essential and well known keys, the ones for my house, car and work. But then there are the others. I have a few keys that open up various doors in the house my family moved out of in August. The house is in the family, and still empty sadly, and we still have keys so that we can do more cleaning and grabbing things that we left behind in the garage and basement. Mind you that both locations still hold items left behind by my brother in law, who lived in that house before we moved in- at least five or six years ago now.

I also have some unknown keys. I think one is for my parent's house, one for my brothers, and possibly one for the home my grandmother has not lived in for four years. Then there is one small key,which must open a small safe or jewelry box. I have no idea what box it opens, or where that box might be. And then there are two keys that I have no idea what they belong to. They might be keys from a previous job, or anything really. I have no idea. However, I cannot seem to bring myself to remove them from my keychain. A few weeks ago I too off a key for a project at my son's preschool (they needed a key for each child). That afternoon I was trying to get some of my gardening equipment from the old house, and it turns out the key had been the one to open the garage. *sigh* Now I am doubly afraid to remove any keys from my collection.

I find myself keeping many things for someday, or just in case. The book I might read again, the empty container or yarn scrap that might be just what I need for that special project, my favorite shirt from the days when I sang with a band but would not wear out in public now, and so on. The fear that the moment I get rid of something is the time I will realize how much I needed it keeps me from getting rid of many small thing, that add up. However, rainy days and children that are playing nicely together are allowing me to delve into the closets and weed out those things that we really do not need and send them to those that might actually use them. If only I could convince myself that I could do the same with those keys...

L is for Love.

Love is a word that is both used to much, and not said often enough. For example, I love my family to the extent that there are no better words to describe the feeling. I love my children so much that it hurts. however, I have also used love to describe how I feel toward chocolate and coffee. While it might be true, the levels of love towards coffee and my children are so far apart (on most days) that it seems odd that the same term could be used in both situations. I think that many people, myself included, use words like love or nice so often to describe things that the words have lost a great deal of power.

On the other hand, sometime people just are unable to say the word love to someone they love wholeheartedly. We part ways with our spouses, parents, friends, children, whoever we love in our lives while not letting them know how important they are to us. It is often very easy tell a small, behaving child sitting on your lap how much you love them. But telling that same child when they are acting out that you love them and always well is much harder. Telling your significant other that you love them often gets lost in the details of daily life.

I am going to step up and do my part to fix this switch in my life. I am going to spend less words on how much I enjoy that cafe mocha, and more time letting the people in my life know just how important they are to me. I am going to type the words love and nice less often, and say the word love much more to those that deserve to hear it.

M is for moist

M is for moist, because the rain right now is insane! I am glad that the rain is watering my tomatoes, however I do not want my green beans to rot away in the soil. We definitely needed rain, but a day or two would have been fine. The rain started on Sunday and has been predicted to last through Thursday, maybe longer. I should not complain, at least there have been tornadoes, earthquakes, or other huge ecological crises. but, I am still tired of the damp. I have so much to be thankful for, but when the sun has been hiding for days, and promises to do so for more then the mood is low.

I want Saturday... now! If the weather predictions are true (ha!) we should have hot, sunny weather by the weekend. I really can not stand much longer of being trapped inside by inessential downpours and the difficulties of taking two toddlers anywhere in inclement weather. I am done whining about the moist weather now, and am officially back on track for the Z to A challenge. Hurray!

N is for Not Nice!

N is for not nice. I am not a nice person, at least in my own head. I have no desire to exchange pleasantries with strangers in the store, library or elsewhere. Small talk is something that just holds no interest to me. If someone begins a conversation, I will be polite, and often find myself engaging in that conversation, and sometimes *gasp* enjoying it. However, I do not seek out nice, meaningless conversation.

The thoughts that often swirl in my head are definitely not nice. However, more often than not I keep those petty words unspoken. I was taught that if I can not be nice, or at least polite, to keep my mouth shut. I tend to be the same online. I often avoid conversations, however once I get started it is sometimes hard to shut me up. I avoid feeding the trolls for the most part, but do occasionally fall into the trap if it involves defending someone else or their work. In any situation I generally do not respond if there are bad things are said about me, but go after someone I that I care about, is important to me, I respect or is weaker than the attacker then I can not keep myself out of it. I try, but the not nice sometimes comes sneaking out. In real face to face situations this is much harder for me, because I have a very expressive face. Even if I refrain from saying things, people can tell that I really want to. On line I can read the comments that get me angry, type my angered response to get it out of my head and then delete it and not engage with those looking to get responses through being ugly. In fact, just yesterday I started feeding a troll, but after a few volleys realized what I was doing and stopped myself from reading more responses. I still have the urge to look.. but so far have managed to avoid it. Now I am curious again, but no. No...

I am polite and occasionally kind and helpful. However, if some people could hear the running commentary in my head. Oh boy! While working in a library I have the chance to work closely with some people that are extremely intelligent and just plain awesome. However, I also get to deal with the opposite, and get to test my ability to hide the 'not nice' me every day. I have no patience for ignorance or the people that refuse to even attempt to do for themselves. The words flowing through my head when near such people is far from nice, thankfully said people are often so self absorbed that if my lack of nice thoughts sneaks onto my face they do not notice. I try not to let that happen, but sometimes the idiot meter goes off the scale and I have to find an excuse to look away so as to not offend.

O is for Out of Synch

Ever just feel like you are out of synch with the world? Just a half beat off of the people around you, so that you feel out of step and a little frazzled. Well, I'm out of synch for the moment. It started with a massive virus outbreak out work, computers are barely functioning for what needs to be done to check people in and out, no one wants to risk logging into anything else just in case someone is paying attention and the virus tracks passwords or spreads further. The virus has been circling for almost two weeks now, and I am beginning to think the town wants it to stay there so that no one will be online from work at all- even though we actually need the internet to place book orders and inter library loans among other things. But no reason to consider the logistics of how the library actually functions. I wont even get into the renewed threat from the state to cut funding to the state library- and in turn all services to the blind, deaf and between town libraries. But law makers will not understand how much that might affect them until they go into a library and are told they can no longer check anything out because they live in a different town. That is where this will all end up if a particular set of cuts comes down. But I have strayed a little off topic.

Then blogger went down, completely destroying my great streak of blogging on time with each letter, for each challenge. *sigh* I am still trying to get back into the swing of things- almost there. I am also out of synch musically. I finally got a new iPod- a touch with lots of memory. So I have to re synch all my playlists and get my silly thing loaded with more music. The tiny little thing can also hold ebooks and I have read two on it so far- it works well, but the tiny font of the books that come through as pdfs has me considering reading glasses. See, I have gone off topic again. I am scattered and out of step. I need a good nights sleep, a chance to deep clean the house and some serious writing time to get back into step. No idea when this will happen- but you will know at least some of it has happened when I start making sense again.

P is for Procrastination

P is for Procrastination, which is part of why this post is being made at this hour. The kids, cooking, playing chauffeur, my regular job obviously need to come first. But finishing off a book to review, and working on my latest craft project usually push aside things that are just as easy, but hold less interest to me, such as writing an assignment that is important but just does not grab me. An article that is being made for the money or because I want to stretch my comfort zone, rather than because I love the topic tends to wait until I finish cleaning up after dinner and the house is quiet. Blog posts that actually take a little work, like deciding which P word to feature, wait until after I repot some plants and get to a logical place in my crochet work.

At work I tend to plow through all the quick jobs and then tackle the big ones, partially because that allows me to check more things off my done list. Since there I have someone to answer to rather than just my own feeling of guilt at the end of the day I guess that I just want to have those extra check marks on my side. However, I also find that the more I need to get done, home or work related, the more motivated I am do get everything done. If I only have a couple things going on, I feel less pressure and am that much more likely to get nothing done. Bring on the challenges, the work, and i will amaze everyone with what I can do. Let me coast by with no projects or to do list and I will be lost on Facebook and Twitter even more than usual.

Do you procrastinate more with a short to do list than a long one?

Q is for quality

Q is for quality, something that I always try to place more importance on than quantity. I try to do this in all aspects of my life, not just in my writing. I used to feel a sincere need to finish any book that I started, or even more obsessively, every book I ever brought home from the library or that made its way into my hands through friends or family. Now? If it does not have me eager to turn the page, and I do not have the desire to read on, I simply do not. There are some many other things I could do with my time than write a crappy article or story, or reading something that does not interest me.

Time with my friends and family is important to me as well, and I find that just about any time I get to spend with them is quality as long as we are interacting rather than just watching a movie or television- although that can be nice on occasion too. I nurture the quality relationships, but admit to letting several phone calls or email go unmade because I have trouble just calling or writing to say hello. It is the same with commenting to things on blogs, facebook, articles, etc. I do not leave comments just to let people know I was there, if I did I would spend time I could otherwise spending reading the next post or enjoying another story writing platitudes. I save commenting to answering direct questions or when I feel that I can add something significant to the discussion. If I really like what someone has to say then I would rather garner them a few extra clicks and possibly a few pennies by exploring more of their writing than leaving an "I was here" post. Some people might feel ignored by my lack of commenting, but that is never intended. Rather I try to live by the old saying "Better people think you a fool, than you open your mouth and prove it to be true', or something like that.

R is for te Real You

Everyone talks about being 'real'. About being your true or real self, and how that is the best way to be. While I certainly agree that no one should be lying about who they are, or pretending to be something they are not, who is the real me? Sometimes I feel like I have several different mes. The daughter, the sister, the wife, the mom, the singer, the drummer, the librarian, the reader, the writer.. and so on. Even in some of those titles there variations. In something as simple as book love there are very different aspects to me. I have a degree in literature, so as one might expect I have a sincere love for the classics. But I also have a deep and abiding love for what others would consider fluff- great romance novels, science fiction, urban fantasy, mysteries, and the bad versions of all of the above that are so bad that they are amusing. I also have a huge appreciation for children's literature and young adult fiction. It is tremendously hard to write a great picturebook- getting a whole story in under forty pages, with only one or two sentences on a page, while still being entertaining and original? Not easy!! So what is my real favorite? All of the above, depending on the day.

The other aspects of myself are just as layered, or at least it seems that why when I try and pin down the real me. I can get it down to four or five of me.. but not one comprehensive me that fits all of my interests, feelings, and activities. Maybe I have issues, but I rather enjoy the ability to shift and change to fit into the very different parts of my life easily. But if I had multiple personalities for real they would not be aware of each other. right? Right??

Do you ever feel the same way? Like there are several different yous that take turns being the 'real you'?

S is for Seasons

S is for seasons, particularly Spring which has finally sprung. I love that there are four very different seasons, each with their own benefits and disadvantages. At least that holds true here in Connecticut. As much as I might dread the crazy snow storms and the humid, hot days in the midst of summer I would not give up my four distinct season and live in any other climate. I love Spring and Fall the most. The seasons of greatest change, and yard work. Winter and Summer certainly have their benefits as well, but do not call to me the way spring does. The promise of new life, new growth, new chances, new opportunities. With Fall comes harvests and the satisfaction of having seen everything reach its full growth for the season, allowing you to start the planning for what you might want to do differently next year. Getting the yard cleaned up and doing some of the preparation to get that plan for next year started.

Winter holds the promise of snow and turtlenecks. This past winter was extreme, but not unprecedented. It felt like it snowed for two months, with no thaw to melt it between days of accumulation. Makes me a little concerned for what extreme summer might take this year. Will we be hot, hot, hot or just warm, or warm and damp? Anything could happen.

What is your favorite season? Do you like the seasons where you live or are you craving warmer, sunnier days year round?

T is Thanks

Okay, I am cheating and using the same title for Z to A as I did for A to Z, but I am going a different direction and was going to write this one way or another.

On this day after Mother's Day, T is for Thanks! Thank you to every mom regardless of how they came to gain that title. I include mothers through birth, adoption, foster care, and profession. Anyone that spends large amounts of their energy and time in nurturing and caring for others with little to no thanks. No mother is ever there long enough for those that they have cared for, whether we lose them after moments or a full lifetime. It has been less than a year since we lost my mother in law, and I know we lost her too soon. I was only five when we lost my paternal grandmother, and she was gone far too soon as well. I could be ninety myself, and losing my remaining grandmother or mother then would still be too soon. The unconditional love and caring is something that far too often is taken for granted. Mothers are teacher, nurses, housekeepers, storytellers, chefs, personal shoppers, and countless other things.

Again, I remind everyone to remember those that take on aspects of mothers in their chosen profession, because those men and women often care for their charges like mothers, and in some sad take more care with others than their biological mothers. Teachers, social workers, foster parents, teacher's aides, day care workers, librarians, anyone that embraces their nurturing spirit to make the lives of others better. They might not have the three am wake up calls and clean ups that I have, but they still suffer from the heart ache when those in their care struggle, fail to meet their potential, fall ill or die. When you feel that sort of emotion for a long string of students, patients or whoever but still keep giving then you have taken on the nurturing nature of a mother and are making a difference in the world, one person at a time. So thank you to the mothers of the soul, as well of those of nature, and all that they all do to try and keep mankind on the right path.

U is for Unusual Food Combinations

U is for Unusual Food Combinations. Have you ever seen someone eating something and just gone "Ugh! Gross" in your head? Of course, we all have. And there are some things that no taste test or conversation will ever be made appealing to me. Among these is my husband's habit of putting ketchup on pasta. He will add ketchup to egg noodles with butter or mac and cheese. Okay, I just gave myself the shivers thinking about it. I must move on to talk about more appetizing things.

I will admit to making some strange food combinations myself, most of which I learned from my father. First is my need to have baked beans and macaroni salad together, and I do not just mean on the same plate. First the macaroni salad gets put on the plate, then the beans right on top. Eat together and enjoy. Sounds weird, I know, but if you like both components I suggest giving it a try. My husband (yes again with his culinary particulars) takes this a step further, but adding a glob of mayo to his baked beans *shudder*. Another odd combination picked up from my father is one I have not had in years, and miss. Back in the days of having a huge garden, my parents would can, pickle, make jellies and all sorts of great stuff. My particular favorite, a chili sauce, they will still make on occasion so I get that fix. But they also made a green chili relish, like nothing I have ever found in the stores. Daddy used to put it on his hard boiled eggs. After multiple years of my yelling "gross!" (I was in grade school at the time, cut me some slack) he made me try it. I loved it. I wish I could have a hard boiled egg with that relish right now!

College introduced me to coffee, diet coke, baby carrots and Multi grain Cheerios (not all together). All fairly normal foods. But, I also learned to love peanut butter on oranges. Yup, oranges. You have probably seen peanut butter on apples, celery and any number of other foods, but I had never seen anyone try it with oranges before. I do not go around craving this taste combination, but it was surprisingly good!

Do you have a favorite unusual food combination? One that you have seen that bothers you more than any other?

V is for vocabulary

V is for vocabulary, something that I tend not to exercise as much as I should. I am proud of my inner vocabulary. From the wide variety of reading I have done, I have a fairly broad vocabulary and I love it. I also have put some years into studying Latin, in both high school and college. Yes, I am a geek and proud of it!

However, I find myself choosing the simple words, the short and easy to spell words rather than those that are just fun to say or less familiar to others for a variety of reasons. Never because I doubt the intelligence of my readers, because I trust that if they are interested enough to read my writing and run across a word they do not know that they will have the ability to figure the word out though the context or by looking it up. Most of the the time it is sheer laziness on my part, I do not deny it. Sometime it is out of the sheer desire not to look like a snide know it all, others just to keep things as simple as possible. Often times it is not even on purpose, just because I find one word that 'does the job' and do not pause to think about a better word. Do you find yourself failing to flex your vocabulary chops?

W is for Writing

W is for the why's, where and how you write. Do you write for the money (ha!)? Do you write because you love it? Because you have ideas and thoughts in your head that you just NEED to get out? Because you want to share a piece of yourself with others? Or for some other completely unrelated reasons?

I write for a combination of these reasons. I write because I enjoy it. Because I love to read and learn and want to share the things that I think others might want to know, or books they might want to explore for themselves.A little money for my efforts will always be accepted, of course, but that is not my motivation for my writing. I write to keep myself thinking, challenged and growing as a person. Sometimes I fear that my mind has melted to the same state as my young children, and writing helps my exercise my mind and keep it going. I feel the need to be doing all the time. I always have an article, some creative writing or idea for something floating around in my head waiting to make its way out. I usually also have at least one book on my 'currently reading' shelf, a crafty project and something else going on too. Trying to stay sharp- lol.

Some people have very specific ways that they write. An office chair and desk, music or complete silence, something consistent that they use to frame their mindset while writing. Me? not so much. Generally I am writing articles about books, life and gardening while in my living room being a mom. My netbook balanced on my lap or arm of the couch depending on how crazy the kids are being. When the weather is nice, my spot often switches to outside in a lawn chair between helping the kids refrain from killing each other and scaling the magnolia tree. I love it when I can write outside.My background noise is most often children's music or television as well as my kids- I can quote those Leapfrog videos from beginning to end. And despite some frustrated moments of having come up with a perfect phrase and not being able to get it written right away- I would not trade my time with my children for anything.

My creative writing tends to wait until the younger set is in bed. A glass of wine and going back and editing the beginning of my novels in progress and trying to decide how to wrap each one up tends to go better for me at a desk. No kids, cats or television. Music is a yes, though no set soundtrack for me- it depends on the day and my mood.

What are your writing why's and wherefores?