Happy Halloween!

I've been missing. Conferences, VillageQ and a wedding have combined with all the other demands of life and kept me away from this place for too long. I don't have a full-time job anymore (and haven't for almost a year now) and I still find myself wondering where the time goes.

It's Halloween. Wasn't it just the 4th of July?

The funny thing about my blogging absence is that I have so much to say, so many things to write about. Perhaps I have too many words and they are all stuck in my head and the part of my brain that still pulses with creativity says, "Write!" and the part that is sluggish and clogged says, "Be patient. You'll have time soon."

But that part is a liar.

Because it's Halloween already and summer is over and the holidays are coming and I have to sit down and let the words out.

The words are coming! They are - tomorrow is November 1 and the beginning of NaBloPoMo and I have done that every year since I started blogging.

So, sit back and get ready. I have a few stories to tell.

Happy Halloween!

P.S. I typed this entire post on my phone. The future is now!

P.P.S. You can now subscribe to my blog via email. Go to the top of the right sidebar and sign up to get the Fox in your box. Inbox, that is.

Take Note

What did I do last week when I should have been writing?

Well...I actually wrote again! Weird, right? What is this new trend? I worry that YouTube is going to fail because I have not been watching commercials from the 1980's. How will YouTube survive without me?!

I also went to the TypeA Parent Conference and led a hands-on writing session with Heather King. We had a great time working together and I must say that she was a fabulous roommate as well. She always made sure the shades were drawn so that the sun didn't shine into my face and she made me coffee every morning. I am not even kidding.

The weekend was not without mishaps, however. We did end up at the wrong hotel and have to make our way across town via the MARTA but that just gave us a good story to tell.

Heather put a summary of our session up on her blog and, if writing is your thing, you should go check it out.

This is a very short post and I feel like I should ramble to make it longer and worth your time but rambling wouldn't be worth your time anyway, right? Instead, I'm going to leave you with the image of me and the giant pencil.

Now, you understand why writing is so hard for me. That pencil is heavy.

Announcing Monday

I am supposed to write about all the things I did last week when I should have been writing but the weird thing is that I actually spent the week writing and I don't know how/why this is happening but if it could happen for a few more weeks then I would be done with the first draft of my book and I would like that because I am really good at starting things and less good at finishing things.

GASP! THAT WAS ONE SENTENCE!

Sometimes, I like to write in run on sentences and sometimes I like to write in fragments. I am a word rebel.

You know what I also like to do? I like to analyze things that don't really  need to be analyzed. That's fun!

So, why am I finally writing? Maybe it's because Susan and I are setting Twitter goals almost every day. Maybe it's because I'm in a group with some great writers and we are trying to be accountable to each other. Maybe it's because Laurie said to me, "You just have to write everything like that post about Zeca's guitar." and I knew that but now am better at remembering it. Maybe because Deborah is willing to listen to me ramble about wildflowers and perfectionism and self-doubt. Maybe it's because Luisa does the laundry and the grocery shopping and, when I freak about getting a "real job", she says that writing is my job. Maybe, I have just finally realized that finishing this book is right there, so close.

I know that "why" doesn't really matter but I think about it anyway. So, when I'm not writing, I am thinking about writing - the why and the how. Though I can't answer those questions with much certainty, there are things I know...

I have only two more essay drafts to go and I know what they need to say. I just have to put the thoughts and words on the page.

What did I do this week when I could have (not should have) been writing? Well...

I went to soccer games and I baked banana chocolate chip muffins. I talked on the phone with friends. We started planning our wedding. I helped with homework and ran a forgotten lunch to school. I drank coffee with a cat in my lap. I read and I slept. And I'm not perfect...I did watch clips of Orange Is The New Black on YouTube and tweet and spend a little bit too much time on Facebook.

So, I have nothing to show you. I have no YouTube wormholes to share. But, maybe...just maybe...I'll have a book to show you someday.