Writing Conference Prompts: Desired Outcomes.

 Desired Outcomes as a Reader

• Read 100 books this year
• Fill time with reading
• Read 31 books of poetry in October
• Read visually 2+ hours daily
• Read poems every day
• Read a story every day
• Read art
• Listen to books at every opportunity
• Read within my passions and curiosities
• Read outside my tendencies
• Read with Josh
• Read with Bruce
• Read some of Josh's books
• Read anthologies, especially Best American
• Approach books with curiosity

What am I doing well?

• The desire is there.
• I read deeply.
• I reflect on what I read.
• I read to help myself write.

What could I do better?

• Focus
• Put in the time
• Read widely
• Read daily
• Listen to books more

How can I do better?

• Keep headphones charged
• Listen during chores and meals
• Read The Plague
• Read a chapter of Creative Recovery each week
• Read poetry collections all at once in a day or two
• Finish a book most days
• Time my reading
• Use chart
• Update GoodReads and StoryGraph

Nourish/Challenge: Week 35.

I have a Decomposition spiral notebook with mermaids on it. I'm using it for random notes that I don't initially put in my journal or on one of the blogs. I've started a to-do wish list for the month. It's all spread out, so I can see where I'm trying to go, but I don't have to do it all in a day or a week. The list harnesses some of my challenges.

I lost 3 pounds! That's 16 pounds total in maybe six weeks. I'm excited and grateful even though my pants are starting to feel too big. I'm stepping up to the challenge to lose more.

I finally saw my therapist for the first time in weeks. She's been travelling or something. Our appointments mostly focus on catching up.

We saw Cynthia again. She said that the wound is healed, and though she can see where the reattachment happened, it's not attached anymore! So after that hellish week...it worked. I fixed it! It's now one of the accomplishments of which I'm most proud. We have to continue with a 3-6-hour schedule to massage the scar and keep it from getting too thick or stiff. I think he's starting to realize that though they're unpleasant, the scar massages don't hurt like the stretches did. More appointments are coming up. But Oliver is eating more! When I pull him out of class, he usually does okay, and he'll sometimes accept a sticker (a shark today!) and a Tylenol.

I didn't seek enough nourishment for my soul this past week. I've been consumed with Oliver's current needs. But a new week is another chance to try.

Freshen up Your Journal.

I've kept a regular journal, with some dry-ink spells, for eighteen years. My style has shifted in that time. Here are some tips from my experience:

• Choose a beautiful blank book, but more importantly, choose one that matches your style and tools. If you don't have a lot of space when you write, a spiral journal is a good, compact choice. If you prefer to use gel pens, fountain pens, or even markers, choose a journal or sketch book with sturdy pages. I try to have thick pages in all my journals so that my tools can shift with my mood and location. A fountain pen is lovely at home, but a ballpoint may be best for a park bench. For more about shopping for a journal, click here.
• Keep a to-do wish list in your journal. Make a list in your journal of what you would love to accomplish in a day, week, or month. I use weekly lists. Because I do this, I don't have to keep a separate planner (apart from Google Calendar). I make it colorful and detailed. I keep the list marked with a sticky flag, so I can easily flip back and check my progress. The best part of my to-do wish list is that it is just that: I don't expect to accomplish everything in that week, but I have clear directions for myself and where I'm going. I try to check off half the items.
• Use sticky flags. Pick flags you like! These character flags are my favorite. The flags can mark lists, prompts, and ideas.
• Use sticky notes. This is another reason I can get by without a paper planner. I have large blue, lined Post-Its, and I put them on the endpapers and inside the covers of my journal. These are where I collect story ideas, writers' names, book titles, movie titles, questions, and other lists. When I start a new journal, I either put the notes in my new journal, or I copy the lists into a blue glitter spiral notebook I use for that purpose.
• Keep a wish list on the last page. I add and cross off as I go, and I copy whatever is still relevant into the next journal. I especially try to keep up with names of, for example, Urban Decay eyeshadows I want. When I have a little money, or someone needs a gift idea, my list is ready.
• Play with stickers. I add stickers to every other spread, just to add some whimsy. Sometimes, the coming surprise makes me write more.
• Color coordinate. I've never wanted to use the same ink colors for adjacent journal entries (except in my first journal, which I think I filled with thick black ink). If the colors change day by day, I have a much easier time finding something I've written down (I may remember that it was a pink day). I used to use any colors that didn't clash with the cover. But now, I use only colors that cover art uses. I tried three colors, but two is much easier to manage. When I began my current journal, which shows Cinderella's pink dress, I checked all my pen cups and bags for pink and gold pens. The pens went into my glittery silver ipsy bag. When I start another journal, I'll switch out the colors. I also color coordinate the stickers I use. I love consistent color in various shades and finished. When I respond to a prompt or make a list, I use a different color pen, and I mark the entries with a horizontal (not finished) or a vertical (finished) sticky flag.

My journal is a big part of my life. I don't know enough about bullet journaling, and I don't have time or focus for art journals, but my journal still reflects who I am and who I want to be.

Stitch Fix: What I Do and Don't Like to Wear.

I recently started using Stitch Fix, and it's made me think more about my personal style and what I do and don't want to wear, even down to accessories and other details. Stitch Fix sends you five items per fix for a $20 styling fee, which then goes toward anything you like and keep. You can just send the rest back for free. Do you want to try it? Use this link, and we'll both get $25 credits:
here!

So these are some of my personal preferences (a lot of what I dislike on myself looks great on someone else).

I don't like wearing

• Pointed-toed shoes
• Open-toed shoes
• Distressed denim
• Orange 
• Yellow
• Hoop earrings
• Windbreaker-style jackets
• Stilettos 
• Cropped tops
• Cargo pockets
• Back pockets with flaps
• Pencil skirts
• Animal prints
• Geometric prints
• Puffy outerwear
• Tassels

I do like wearing

• Round-toe shoes
• Dark denim
• Blush
• Gray
• Purple
• Green
• Black
• Light blue
• Pinstripes
• Mary Jane shoes
• Necklaces with charms or rhinestones/crystals
• Chandelier earrings
• Rhinestones, sequins, glitter, etc. on everything
• Wedge heels
• A-line, empire waist, and swing dresses
• Polka dots
• Star and heart prints
• Toms and similar slip-on styles
• Inspiring, literary, or fantasy-detailed graphic tees (especially Disney!)
• Unusual cardigans (I think I already own all the usual ones!)

A List of Lists I Should Make.

This is silly since many of my posts are lists. They make me feel more imaginative and structured and more creative and energized. So here are some ideas I may use for future list entries:

• Reasons I married Josh.
• Brief descriptions of every place I've lived since I left my parents' home.
• Favorite movies with one-sentence justifications.
• My favorite fictional characters.
• Memorable clothes--pieces of clothing with strong associations.
• Important colors and how they affect me.
• Reasons I should start eating breakfast again. 
• Favorite names and the characters they conjure.
• Things I can't stand.
• What I feel I'm always waiting for.
• Color coding ideas.
• Questions I'd ask God.
• My favorite toys of Oliver's.
• My own life hacks (enchantments!)
• Strange ways I've fallen asleep.
• People who have challenged me.

What are some lists you'd like to see on this blog?

Twenty Things I Can't Do Well Without.

1. Running water
2. Pens
3. Paper--especially journals and notebooks
4. Books
5. Blankets
6. Dr. Pepper
7. Intimacy
8. Reading glasses
9. Bookstores
10. Shows
11. Showtunes
12. Swimming
13. My bed
14. Fantasy and magic realism (forms of fairy tales)
15. Quotations
16. Wikipedia (quick way to find out almost anything!)
17. Francesca Lia Block's books and future books
18. Texting--easy contact grounds me
19. Fun makeup
20. Brie and honey

I would also really miss stickers!

Intricacies and Fascinations.

This phrase is from Marisa de los Santos's The Precious One. I love what these words suggest, totally out of context. Even the words themselves sound so royally opulent. What do those words bring up in us? What desires or delights come to mind?

• Gold pens. Finding the best one takes time and experimentation.
• Gold dots on white, black, or pink. This is my favorite pattern and trend.
• Some of Francesca Lia Block's books like Necklace of Kisses.
• Madame Alexander's detailed, darling dolls.
• Certain music, perhaps of the Pure Moods variety. 
• Fancy desserts, like the Chocolate Dream Cake at Carrabbas.
• The silky emerald blouse my mom handed down (insufficient phrase) to me.
• Any discovery of art supplies in the house.

40 before 40.

I can't believe I'm old enough even to think about this, but let's go.

1. Read 100 Years of Solitude.
2. Read The Golden Notebook.
3. Read the New Testament (if not the whole Bible)
4. Read Dracula.
5. Read Frankenstein.
6. Finish the Harry Potter series.
7. Write 100 short stories.
8. Write a novel.
9. Make a new poetry collection.
10. Attempt to publish at least two books.
11. Try a magnetic nose stud.
12. Fill more journals than I buy.
13. Reduce credit card debt by half or more.
14. Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
15. See a show on Broadway or at the West End.
16. Visit the UK.
17. Keep up with my library's new releases.
18. Read all of Ann Patchett's books.
19. Visit Ann Patchett's bookstore.
20. Read all Oz books.
21. Read all Wrinkle in Time books.
22. Rent a just-right house.
23. Attend touring shows each year.
24. Take some kind of class.
25. Try an unnatural hair color.
26. Read half or more of Neil Gaiman's books.
27. Stay at the Wilderness Lodge again.
28. Win or place in a writing contest.
29. Read 10 or more Pulitzer Prize-winning books.
30. Read 5 or more books of poetry a year (50 total).
31. Try a support group.
32. Try Kindle publishing.
33. See Sparkle Scribbles to 100,000 views.
34. Read all Austen books.
35. Read all Bronte books.
36. Read all Jeffrey Eugenides books.
37. Make daily use of my lovely secretary desk (from Mom and Shane) and denim chaise (for which I taught an extra summer class).
38. Take Oliver to shows.
39. Gain more control over anxiety, fear, and dread.
40. Continue to sparkle, even if I'm "too old."

Some of these are difficult, but I have most of the decade ahead of me. So many of these are related to reading. It's too bad I read only 18 books in the first 6 months of my 30s! I'll make it up. I wonder if I'm asking too much of myself with all the product-based writing and attempted publishing. But I hope to get bolder. Let's see how far I can go.

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Little Ways to Make Life Lovely.

• Color in a (now easy-to-find) adult coloring book.
• Find a use for sparkly crayons.
• Several times a day, hug those with whom you live.
• Accidentally spill glitter.
• Have appropriate snacks--mini lite Babybel cheeses, jerky bites, Lindt truffles with sea salt, baby carrots andd Caesar dressing. Emerald packs of almonds and walnuts. Be prepared for a variety of snacking needs. Include protein.
• Send a book to someone directly through Amazon, so the recipient will have the fun of receiving a package.
• Wear the prettiest and best clothes right now. Don't try to preserve them. 
• Concentrate on how the water lifts you at the pool. Think about what else lifts you that way.
• Use scents--candles, sprays, soaps, bubble bath. Let associations unfold.
• Wear the body spray that makes you feel like a beautifully manic, wildly creative and quietly confident sixteen-year-old again. 
• Get rid of something that isn't lovely or neccessary, whether that's an activity or an object. 

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Ongoing Wish List.

I've started keeping an ongoing wish list in the back of my journal. When I finish a journal, I copy the list in my new journal. I find that I forget what I want, and having a list is also a great reference for the "What do you want for ____?" question. I think my list is kind of funny, ranging from little things that I'd just like to have to completely unrealistic wishes.

• A sackful of Gelly Roll pens from Cheap Joes
• Large, lined Post-Its in a pretty color
• Business card-sized cardstock
• Anthropologie dishes in a range of colors
• Decorative, unusual silverware
• Soup spoons
• Pretty paper straws
• New couch tray
• A new dress for every theatre outing
• Wooden salad bowl and utensils
• Salad spinner
• Sea salt
• Planners for mood tracking and tasks
• Silvertone aquamarine ring
• Small, colorful rubber bands
• Sewing tape measure
• Big mug bowls
• Sturdy watercolor paper for collages
• A bike
• Laptop
• Large album for design book 2
• Julep Maven subscription
• Fine glitter in gold and champagne
• Sequins
• Fit Bit
• Stila Body palette