Is it only the second week of 2018?

Is this only the second weekend of the new year? Somehow it seems it should be later in the month already, as in … nearly February, probably because I haven’t had a week like this one in a long time. Every day there was something happening to cause stresses, frustrations, mix-ups, dealings with people and misunderstandings, anger-inducing situations – yes, I still get angry over things. And more than once this week. It’s exhausting! I was already tired anyway. Today I’m looking for it to be a great day that continues into next week … and beyond. Please.

2018 has already shown itself as one in which I will find it difficult to keep up my regular blogging routine. Actually, looking back I see my routine started hiccuping once Fall 2017 arrived, and it continued to flounder as the year wound down. Life got busier in our family for awhile.

*sigh* Okay. I admit it. I’ve never been great at sticking to a routine. I try, I really do try.

This year I have to plan time for more writing. Already I’m not managing my goals for the year very well at all. I think I need to take the major part of one day this week and do some purging of my space while I’m home for my week off so I feel less pressed in upon. Then I have to work on some writing projects I want to get done right away. I’ll continue to post here as often as I can, mainly because I don’t want to lose contact with you, and because I enjoy blogging – which is really the same thing. I have some book reviews to write and some books to read. Did I say some? Many. Many books to read. (I have to refer to my own list of goals. Maybe a daily checklist would work.)

Speaking of books …

IT TAKES A STRONG WOMAN TO ADMIT SHE HAS TOO MANY BOOKS …

WHICH I TOTALLY DON’T!

BOOKWORMS WILL RULE THE WORLD

AS SOON AS WE FINISH ONE MORE CHAPTER …

So, that’s what I have to say about that. 😉

How are you doing two weeks into the new year? Keeping up your goals or resolutions or routines? Do tell! Oh, and do you find a daily checklist or chart to be helpful? If you’ve found something that works for you, would you please let me in on your secret?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂 ♥

Update and Infographic: 28 boring words and what to use instead

It seems I’ve been absent too much lately from blogging. I’m still around, although not keeping up with everything. On Saturday last week – with hundreds of other writers from all over the world – I participated in an online Picture Book Summit which was amazing. Over 9 hours of amazing, in fact. It’s part of my education in learning about writing for children and I know I’m gradually learning some very good and helpful information.

Thanks to my local library I’ve been doing a lot more reading of picture books again – and other books, too, but mostly picture books. That’s part of the learning process, the really fun part. As a member of 12×12 the goal is to try to write a new story (rough draft) each month, and so far this year I have managed to do that. I’ve even drafted more than one a couple of months! Sometimes the story starts in my brain when I’m relaxed at bedtime and just lingers there long enough for me to scribble it down. One morning I wasn’t awake very long when I started hearing a story beginning, so I had to stay focused on it to capture the story before it went the way of my forgotten dreams. It’s fascinating to me how that happens.

Today I have some information to share with you that could be of help with your writing. It’s an infographic of 28 Boring Words and What to Use Instead, and was created by writer and blogger Jack Milgram. (Thanks, Jack!)

To go to the infographic CLICK HERE , but please come back to leave a comment.

Are there any words that bug you or you think are overused or boring?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂 ♥

You can’t read all day.

You can’t read all day. Huh?! And why not? Well, besides doing all the things that HAVE to be done … why not?

Read it in full —

Ahhhhh! I love it! 🙂

YOU CAN’T READ ALL DAY. If you don’t start in the morning.

You can check out my progress for 2016 HERE. It’s not as much as I would like to read and if you could see my TBR (to be read) stash you’d agree I will probably never read enough. Although I have many paper books and more on my Kindle Fire (on which I can also listen to books on Audible.com) on the go, I just can’t seem to stop buying MORE BOOKS! I picked up a few more secondhand ones yesterday. Somebody STOP ME! … On second thought, don’t even risk trying. 🙂

On the other side of things, I haven’t felt inspired to write for quite a while — until this morning; I wrote a little story for 12×12! It’s a very rough draft and needs a lot of work, but it’s a good beginning.

Enjoy a day of reading, as much as possible as often as possible.

How is YOUR reading coming along? Or are you writing more?

Thanks for being a reader, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Read, or sleep, or … read; what to do??

Here’s the scenario.

It’s late. I’m reading an amazing story, one of those hard-to-put-down books. I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. I rest my eyes a moment, my book slips and my head jerks up. Really, I was just resting my eyes! I try to read more but then … yawn. Heaviness. I shake my head, find where I left off reading, try to continue. … Oh darn. What did I just read? Blink blink. *sigh* ohhh, I give up. 😦 I like this story and I don’t want to miss anything, so, *yawn* I give up. Time for sleep.

I crawl into bed, snuggle down and …

BOING!! my brain jolts into overdrive! My eyes fly open, my mind will not shut down, yet I know I’m too weary to read. What to do?

Ever been there?

All that to show you this great quote:

What’s your experience?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Did someone say books?

One afternoon last week my daughter met me in town after I’d dropped my little Meyya off for her grooming. I had awhile to do what I wanted before going back for her, so we went shopping in a secondhand (mostly clothing) store. The fun thing in that store is they now have shelves of used BOOKS! My attention on clothes was quickly diverted when I discovered that. Even better – the sign said: BUY 2 GET 1 FREE! Oh. My. Gosh. I was in the right place! happy happy happy! Not that I needed more books to add to my already toppling over TBR pile, but … um … yes I did! You understand. 🙂

Look at what I bought for $15.00! Plus one not in this shot.

I don’t know about you, but I love books no matter whether they are new, used, or very old – and I hope you do, too. Two of these books I plan to give away on my blog. I’ll let you know later when I’m offering them, one at a time.

About the above books:

I bought Assassin’s Apprentice – by Robin Hobb because when I was on a bus trip with a friend – I talk about that HERE – there was a fellow on the bus reading one of the author’s books. I had to ask, even though I didn’t know this guy … because seeing anyone immersed in a book makes me curious. He told me the author writes really good fantasy novels. (You know I love fantasy.) He said if he’d not left at his girlfriend’s the one he’d just finished he’d have given it to me! Wasn’t that sweet of him? When I came across this book, of course I had to have it.
The Great Gatsby – by F. Scott Fitzgerald – I’ve watched the movie. Is the book better? I have to find out.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf – I hadn’t read any of her writing, so this was my first. Someone will win this book.
Song of Solomon – by Toni Morrison – I’m not sure about this one yet, but I’ve wanted to read some of the author’s work and this seemed a good place to start.
The Pursuit of Happyness – by Chris Gardner – I saw the movie of this true story starring Will Smith and his son, and I loved it! I was excited to find the book. Again, is the book better?
I’m Not Wonder Woman – by Sheila Walsh – I’ve read a book by this Christian author, and reviewed it HERE on my blog. I’m interested in seeing what else she has to say.
The Man Who Was Thursday – by G. K. Chesterton – has been recommended a few times by a friend, so when I saw this copy I had to have it!
You’ve Earned It, Don’t Lose It – by Suze Orman – I picked this one up because I thought it would be of interest to my husband. Turns out it is directed much more to the US economy – so guess what I’ll be doing with this book? 😉
The little book I don’t have in this picture is called Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties and Cats Gone Bad – by Jim Edgar. It’s quite funny, and since three of my daughters are cat lovers the book has started its rounds.

Have you read any of the above? And of those that have been made into movies, which is better – the book or the movie?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

How much of a book addict are you?

You know I love books. If I were able to take the time to do what I really, really want to do it would be … read more books!

And if I were to be able to read more books my results would have been different. But .. I am getting ahead of myself.

You know I also enjoy quizzes. I found one through Pinterest that I thought you might like to try, too. It’s fun and will reveal how much of a book addict you are. Give it a try. It’s called, of course ….. how much of a book addict are you?

Here’s my result (and for myself I would replace ‘mother’ with ‘husband’):

Congratulations! You are an active, healthy reader grounded firmly in reality. Are you addicted to the written word? Absolutely! But not so much that it worries your mother.

Will you try this quiz, then come back and tell me in the comments how much of a book addict YOU are?

And if you haven’t entered the draw yet for my fifth giveaway, go HERE to do that. The draw is only a week away! And it’s a lovely gift. Really!

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!

Love books? Love your library card!

Look at this t-shirt I bought for myself last month. I love it!

Treat yourself today by going on a visit to your local library. If you haven’t got a card it’s probably free – (mine was) – or if not free, then it will be inexpensive for all the reading pleasure it will afford you.

When’s the last time you visited your library and took out a book?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂