Writing Excerpts – March 7, 2016

Week #6

Note: This series of Writing Excerpts was originally inspired by this post and Jeff Goins’ My 500 Words challenge.

 

The daily writing is getting back on track this week.  🙂  The snowstorms and associated snow days are hopefully over, spring may begin to arrive this week (we could see temps near 60°!), and my life is feeling somewhat more structured. I’m a list and schedule sort of person, so this is a good thing. Not every writing is up to 500 words, but getting something written every day is settling my mind and inspiring a few thoughts for the writing prompts list or blog posts.

 

3/2/2016

Thoughts on returning to work.

It has been nearly 7 months since I worked for someone else. Tomorrow I return to work on a part-time basis. I don’t know yet if it is permanent, but right now I’m just thinking about it in terms of the rest of the school year. This is a good thing, since I have found myself not putting a full effort into freelancing, and the lack of income is beginning to take a toll on my mind and our budget.

The last time I worked part-time years ago, I really loved it. This time it will be a little different, but I am so excited to be bringing in a little bit of money while at the same time having several hours every morning to work on my blog and other online efforts. Even though I will still be working for the school system and I will be working later hours, it will be interesting to be in a different environment and learn yet another software program.

I have found that working outside the home actually helps me get more done AT home. I am more disciplined with my time since I know I have less of it for myself. I just really REALLY hope this position works out as promised.

 

3/3/2016

(Fiction)

The plan began with a spark of an idea, something so fleeting that she would not have remembered it had she not been already writing at that moment in time. She didn’t even realize she had written anything out of the ordinary until the next day when she began the editing process. Her forehead wrinkled as she read the words.

“Research your previous life.”

What?! How did that get into the middle of an article about budgeting? She didn’t even really believe in previous lives or any sort of religious mumbo-jumbo, although the idea of karma was pretty nice. *wink and grin* She tried to dismiss the whole thing, but the words popped into her head at all times of the day. Her dreams became more vibrant and, oddly, she could remember them the next day.

She began writing the dreams in a notebook.

3/4/2016

My greatest hopes for my family and myself.

For my older son: I hope he finishes college and gets a good job doing what he absolutely loves. Honestly I don’t know if that’s what he is studying in college, but I hope he keeps a good job long enough to pay off his student loans. 😉  I hope he opens his mind to the idea of travel and getting to know new people. I also hope he continues his drawing, gets back to writing, and finds someone wonderful to love.

For my younger son: I hope SOMEONE can crack the tough shell he has built around himself. His years of epilepsy happened during the time when most children are developing social skills. He learned to be so self-contained that he has a difficult time relating to other people and interacting with them. I also hope he rediscovers how to laugh spontaneously. Quite honestly, I hope he learns to live and thrive on his own as an adult and has no lingering effects from the epilepsy, surgery, and medication. I worry about depression, but hope he can find at least one close friend who will be a good influence on him.

For my husband: My sort of selfish hope is that he will someday consider living somewhere other than Michigan. Or at least traveling extensively, perhaps in an RV. I hope he will have the choice to quit his job within the next four years, become content with his life, and have plenty of opportunities to fish with friends and family.

For myself: I hope to stick with my plan of doing something on my own to become financially successful, instead of feeling stuck in a job or place I don’t always want to be. This would allow me to to feel an incredible sense of accomplishment and self-worth and give my husband some expanded life choices, which would make our relationship better. I also want to read ALL the books. 🙂

 

3/6/2016

How many books are saved on your kindle that you haven’t read yet?

I was just having a comment conversation about this with another blogger last week. Several weeks back I had written this into my writing prompts list, and then I ran across a post from someone who was talking about trying to get through reading the books they already have before they buy more. Wow, could I ever relate! I love to read and I have collected hundreds of titles. Except I’m so cheap, I don’t usually pay for books. I’m like the queen of free reading. For me to actually put out money for a book, it pretty much has to be the most amazing thing ever – or an incredibly overpriced textbook required for a college class.

I have about a hundred actual paper books that my parents have loaned to me. I’m constantly doing the math in my head – two books a week and I could get through them in a year. Except my parents love to buy books and they both read quickly. Nice, but somewhat overwhelmed.

And then there is my kindle app. Yikes! One thing I wish Amazon did was to put a counter somewhere that would tell you how many books you have saved. Because the last time I actually sat down and counted, I had 350 unread books. That was months ago, and I usually save another 1-2 books every day. I’m pretty sure that I’m up to about 600 books now.

Add in 50 or 100 books on my nook app (Any thoughts on how long nook will last before it fades away? I read an article yesterday that B&N are no longer selling nooks or digital content in the UK.) and probably 20 more books in PDF format.

I love to read, and I love having such a selection available on my phone or tablet if I’m away from home, but I’m thinking this collecting of books needs to slow down. Maybe I need to unsubscribe to my bookbub daily email. Maybe I need to – *gasp* – delete some books and not even keep them on my reading list.

 

(Laughing to myself because I just noticed that my last line from the previous day’s writing is about wanting to read ALL the books. Greatest hopes in one hand, reality in the other…)

 


Writing Excerpts - March 7, 2016 | www.fillingthejars.com | The daily writing is getting back on track this week. Not every writing is up to 500 words, but getting something written every day is settling my mind and inspiring a few thoughts for the writing prompts list or blog posts.

Do you have a daily writing goal? Do you write random thoughts or a cohesive story? Post a link to your writings, I would love to read what you have to say! Or share a link to your favorite writing prompts, it’s always nice to have a list of fresh ideas.

 

Grab 30 FREE Printable Journal Prompts for Adults!

Journal prompts aren't just for kids! Enter your information now to receive your FREE printable list of 30 Journaling Prompts for Adults.

Choosing to join the Filling the Jars email list means you will receive regular emails with tips and recommendations to help you on your journey to Build Your Best Life.

Filling the Jars Privacy Policy

We hate spam and promise to keep your email address safe. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

4 thoughts on “Writing Excerpts – March 7, 2016”

  1. Kudos to you on writing and your part-time job! It’s been awhile since I’ve been in a work environment. I’m currently hoping to find freelance work to help with costs here at home.
    XOXO

  2. I loved this Julie! We haye so much in common! Glad we connected on the journey 🙂 Enjoy your new part time job….my job takes a lot out of me but I love it and I think in the end we should enjoy where we spend so many hours at. I love my home too but I would like to go camping more although the chickens and pets can make that not so easy.

    1. Thanks for visiting, KarenLynn! I’m enjoying my job very much right now, especially since it’s part-time. 🙂 Thank you for spreading some of your positivity to my blog, I always smile when I see your avatar.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top