Wednesday, September 3, 2014

IWSG: THE FIRST DAY OF YOUR LIFE

Today is IWSG day-the first Wednesday of each month. IWSG stands for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Our purpose is to share and encourage.  You can follow other IWSG members here or on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG. We also have a Facebook page.




Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Charles Dederich, a reformed alcoholic and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), was said to have coined that phrase. I like it. I say it to myself a lot. I like the idea of being able to start anew whenever I feel the need. That’s fairly often these days.
Our son was married last October 5th. We traveled to Florida for a destination wedding.

On August 23rd daughter walked down the aisle on her daddy’s arm and pledged life and love to her groom. And so began the first day of the rest of her life as a wife.

We’re In-laws now. God help us be a good and considerate mother in law and father in law!
Hubby and I are sharing so many new experiences in our old age:
1)      Retirement.  We actually live together day in and day out. Because of his work in the construction industry, we’ve not lived together much. That’s taking some getting used to—probably for both of us but especially for me.
 
2)      Renovation. This has been a hellacious experience that neither of us want to repeat. It began March 3rd and it’s still happening. Need I say more?
 
3)      Church: Because I was raised Baptist, we’ve spent the first half of our marriage attending the Baptist church, but when we moved to Oklahoma, we gravitated toward Assembly of God and found a wonderful church with beautiful people. Back in Lake Charles, we chose to keep going to an AG church. It's been unusual and interesting. We should never forget that The Bible is the true word of God--no pastor, preacher, evangelist, priest or spiritual advisor. 'Nuff said.
Through all these experiences, I see the importance of starting over if the need arises. I see the importance of keeping the faith, and a positive attitude. I see the importance of truth, patience, love and loyalty, encouragement and friendships. New experiences come daily and affect our lives in one way or another. That means they affect our writing too. They stimulate new ideas to write about, or they stymie us so that we can’t write. I think it's our choice.
I have several unfinished and roughly finished manuscripts that nag at me constantly. I’ve felt like giving up out of frustration—just because I haven’t had the time or focus, and no comfortable workspace. I’m not good at grabbing time—writing a paragraph today, a page tomorrow. I like working in long, flowing hours. Right or wrong, I need to see progress in my word count.
Today, I woke up thinking, “Today is the first day of the rest of my life” and another thought popped into my head: What if it was the last day? The thought surprised me.
I want to write. I’ve always wanted to write and publish but I’ve always stood in my own way.
Today I set two specific goals. We have our annual Bayou Writers Conference on November 8th so I will have a completed novel to pitch to the agent on that day.  I just like one or two more chapters and a few scenes to add. Dedication and focus can get it done.
My second goal is to get back to blogging. I’ve missed it. I used to blog daily but today I pledge two or three posts a week.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Want to rededicate yourself to something dear? How do you want to start over? Any goals you need to stalk? Share with us.


7 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I work from home, so when my husband retires, it will be a major adjustment.

Halfway through writing my next manuscript. That is my current focus.

Michelle Wallace said...

Hi Jessica.
What a wonderful reflection!
My end of the globe, it's the beginning of Spring... time for rejuvenation... to shed the old and embrace the new...
Good luck with your pledge!
Happy IWSG Day!

Diane Burton said...

Weddings are such wonderful events. Tiring yet wonderful. Congrats on becoming an in-law. Retirement has been an adjustment but we've managed pretty well. Major construction (like finishing the basement)? That's another story. Hubs started that project right after Christmas. He finished in time for our son's wedding last month. Chaos for 7 months? We survived that, too. Barely. LOL

VR Barkowski said...

I will finish my 3rd novel before the end of the year, including edits. That's my primary goal. I'm on the downhill side—maybe that should be slide?. :)

VR Barkowski

Unknown said...

good luck on writing the pitch and pitching it to the agent! my goal for the next month is to survive through two book releases so I can start writing again!! ;-)

Charles Gramlich said...

I don't think it'll be too long until my son marries. Then I'll know this experience of being inlaws.

Shannon Lawrence said...

I do need to rededicate myself to my novel writing. I've put it to the side to work on short stories, and it's time I returned to it. Good luck with your goals!