It's hard to believe we are already at the end of May. I finished the rest of my prompts, so before the calendar turns to June, here they are!
27. What would eliminate the insecurity you named yesterday?
I think the only way to elimininate that is to continue to write. To trust myself. Get the words down and believe in my ability to tell a story with compassion, with truth, and everything else will fall into place. The spelling and grammar should not even play a part in the beginning process of getting words on paper. That is for much later, for an editor or even my own editing once I have the story written down. To break the bonds of insecurity, I have to keep pushing myself forward and possibly right off that scary high dive, plunging deeply into the unknown. That means I must simply keep writing it all down. Trust the process. Trust myself. Put my thoughts and words on paper. Write!
28. What makes you feel confident as a writer?
The main thing is feeling like I have a lot of stories to share. There are just so many ideas in my head. I've also received a lot of positive feedback over the years, starting as early as High School, then later as I wrote my blog, wrote a church newsletter, and shared parts of my book ideas and short stories with friends who were also writers. So, not just family, though there's nothing wrong with that either. Many of my family are avid reads and wouldn't hesitate at telling me if they didn't like it. I know I have the skills. I know I have the stories. It's just a matter of getting down to business and getting the work done. That is the hard part for me.
29. What did you learn this month?
I learned how much more is tucked away in my memory that I haven't even begun to access. Through the daily May Prompts, I've explored some new ideas and thoughts. It's helped me to focus in on my writing. Even doing them in blocks, as I did, rather than each day was still helpful. I learned that taking a break doesn't need to mean failure or giving up. It's a break! Come right back and the break has served it's purpose. Never quit just because you hit a roadblock. Daily writing really helps with creativity, so I want to contiue that as faithfully as I am able. I learned I have much to share and that I am able to get the work done if I put my mind to it.
30. Describe a food that reminds you of summer.
This is not your usual summer food but for me it's a fresh Gooseberry Pie! Growing up, picking gooseberries was part of our early summer tasks. Grandpa would usually pick them, though I helped many times, then we'd sit outside under the shade of our big oak tree and pluck the blossoms off each berry. This had to be done carefully and meticulously, to Grandma's standards! No brown bit of blossom must be left and no breaking of the berries. While we plucked the berries, Grandma would tell stories or sing. We'd join in the singing, in harmony like she'd taught us. At the end, she'd make that fresh Gooseberry Pie with part of the berries. The rest would go into the freezer. She'd serve us all a warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that gently melted over the delicious pie. Heaven!
31. Name a time when planning ahead paid off and why.
Wow, this takes some thought. Since I'm home almost 100% of the time, I do very little planning ahead. I mostly fly by the seat of my big ol' pants! Yes, you can laugh! I am! I guess one thing I put a lot of planning into was our vacation to the Oregon Coast a few years back. Plannng ahead meant best locations to stay, better prices, etc. It was a wonderful time and all within my budget. I've also done some planning ahead on my book. The first and last pages are written. I have titles and an outline for each chapter. Many chapters have been partially written. It hasn't paid off yet, but the outline is helping me organize the story and make progress on it.
© 31MAY2022 ajjahner
