To The Stars, Alice #OpenBook Blog Hop

Do you wish you could travel the stars or the deep (oceans)?

As a teenager, I had a bicycle accident and ended up with an inner ear injury in one ear. As a result, I have a balance issue that gets increasingly worse as I get older. That means neither of the two destinations are in the realm of reality for me. Shoot, there are carnival rides I can no longer enjoy.

Let me add a third destination:

How about the heights? Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I have an affinity for the mountains. I loved my time living in the Rocky Mountains. But living here in the rolling hills of the Appalachians is not a bad choice.

I travelled to quite a few mountain peaks in Colorado, the highest one being Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet. Most of the time, however, I hung out in the North Park/Walden area. There, you can see a new mountain range in all directions. We got to explore dirt roads that led to isolated ranches and ford shallow outlets of mountain reservoirs. Then there was Estes Park, but the yearly influx of tourists limited our time there. The town sits at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, and is home to a herd of elk that wander the streets (when they want!)

I could sit and stare at views like this forever. (Photo credit: PJ MacLayne)

I’m old now, and can no longer climb on mountain trails to the highest points of most mountains. So, if I make it out West again, I’ll have to stick to established roads. 

Where do our other authors long to go? Find out by following the links below.

And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.

Goal Update: I’m doing a first round edit of Chapter 15. That’s over halfway through the manuscript. I’ve removed over 1000 words in the process.

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Do you wish you could travel the stars or the deep (oceans)?

 

 

 

 

Writing to the Rhythm #OpenBook Blog Hop

Jan 4, 2021

How you keep focused during long writing sessions?

My immediate reaction to this week’s prompt? Not very well.

I have a hard time staying focused, and it’s gotten worse as I’ve got older. Even writing this short post, my mind is going in scattered directions, thinking of the things I need to get done. Finish taking down the Christmas decorations. Cook supper. Or maybe splurge and get takeout instead. I’ve had a hankering for Chinese. Balance the bank account. Finish editing the last chapter of The Ranger’s Dogtags and get it ready for my editor. Don’t forget to redo Chapter One. Check my email. Worry about the big project at work in the morning. It’s Sunday, so I need to water my flowers.

I do hold on to a precious hour at the end of the evening to focus on writing. But one hour is not a long session, according to my definition.

Photo by Rodolfo Quirós from Pexels

Take me to a cabin somewhere in the mountains, where I can sit on the porch and watch for wildlife. Play some John Denver or classic rock. Give me a pad of paper and several pens. Let me sit and tune in to Mother Nature and find my voice.

That’s a lot to ask for, especially as we aren’t going anywhere these days. Those days will come again.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my late-night hour. I’ve been exploring Celtic folksongs as my background music. (If anyone has a recommendation for an artist to check out, please put it in the comments. I’d love your suggestions.) I’ll put on headphones, open my current writing project, and shut out the rest of the world. Balancing the checkbook can wait until tomorrow.

What can’t wait is checking out the other posts in this blog hop. You can, too, by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 4, 2021

How you keep focused during long writing sessions?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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