Last night, I reached my NaNoWriMo goal for November 2020 - by writing 50,000 words on my novel A Thousand Years. I actually wrote 51,486 words in the month of November. It's the first time I've "won" NaNoWriMo though I've participated on and off since 2009. On November 2nd, I wrote this post, wondering if … Continue reading Writing a Novel
Wishing you a safe, healthy, & hope-filled holiday.
In that place in between, where we differ, you shine most. You can't tame wild things.
Yesterday, after dropping off Amelia at a middle school she despises, I pulled over on the side of the road and cried. It felt like hours. But was more like ten minutes. I sometimes don't know how to hold them all up - all six of them. Thomas needs me more than ever. The kids, … Continue reading It Looks Like This
This is my favorite song at the moment. I love these four singing together. How do I get this in my life? I'm just over here waiting is all. https://youtu.be/CkZdKLLmpcY
Now more than ever, I feel this in my soul. I don't have time or space in my life for those that are reckless with my heart. Don't be afraid to cut people off for wasting your time & playing fast & loose with your heart.
My heart is a liar. Sometimes. Sometimes she's just a little confused. I run through every moment. I relive what has been said, what has been left unspoken, and the little things that mean more to me than they probably should. Someday, when I look back on this time in my life, I know it … Continue reading My Heart is a Liar
Yesterday, I wrote 2,434 words bringing me to a total of 26,002 words. I'm halfway there! While I think the novel will be over 50,000 words - the goal for NaNoWriMo is 50,000. I have to say - I will never again return to writing the old way. My first draft is a first draft … Continue reading Halfway There – a Novel in Progress!
It has been a little over a week since I started writing furiously on my new novel. Here's my A Thousand Years - NaNoWriMo update: I've written 18,154 words so far. I'm so proud of myself. Why even deny it? I'm excited. I am working really hard at not doing things I normally do when … Continue reading A Thousand Years – NaNoWriMo Update
Photo by Mark Neal from Pexels Your words can sting. I don't always know why. Today, they stung. More often than not - you are soulful, profound, and you have this way with words that I adore. But today? Your words were harsh. I still don't know why. I've tried to talk myself out of this. I succeed … Continue reading This Canyon Between Us
I started writing my new novel on October 31st - writing over my daily goal. Yesterday, I wrote until I had surpassed my writing goal by a bit - for a total of 5,952 words so far. I will be posting my daily word count on my NaNoWriMo profile (https://nanowrimo.org/participants/elainamarie). I won't update here until … Continue reading Chasing Goals
Tomorrow kicks off National Novel Writing Month! Did you know there was such a thing? Well . . . there is. And for the last 11 years I’ve started and never finished. This is a thing I do. Start. Not finish. 👎🏼 So, if you read here you know that since about August I’ve been … Continue reading NaNOWriMo
Spring of 2000 And just like that, my whole world is burning. What’s left will look like a pile of ash before this is over with. The man I will love forever, is plunging headlong into a new life, with the last woman in this town he should be with. Me? I’m pregnant – making … Continue reading A Thousand Years – Prologue
I miss you today. I miss you often. Some days hit a little different though. Today it's the sound of your voice and how I feel when you look at me - in that way you do - that I'm missing. The way you look at me always knocks me a little off center. Mostly … Continue reading I Miss You Today
Recently, I wrote a post about how I use music to inspire me and keep me going when I'm writing. I thought I'd come back today and share a bit more about what inspires me to start writing a new novel or short story in the first place and how I begin getting the story … Continue reading Writing a Novel ~ Part Two
If you're one of the lucky ones that has always known what you were meant to do or be, well - congratulations to you! I am not one of those people. Thankfully, I fully believe this quote is true - it's never too late to be who you might have been. If you're still working … Continue reading It’s Never Too Late
I’ve tried a million times to tell you. There’s a deep canyon between us. We could meet each other halfway - to bridge this divide. But until one of us starts the journey, the words I don’t say, outnumber the ones I speak. I told a friend recently that I was waiting for the man … Continue reading It’s the Way You Say my Name
We'll figure out the details later.
It was World Mental Health day, yesterday. But honestly, we should be able to talk about mental health issues every day. I hope that in a year that many of us have felt more isolated than normal, that we all know that it’s okay to not be okay. Far too often there’s a stigma associated … Continue reading World Mental Health Day
I'm not a great planner when it comes to writing. I'm an artist. I'd rather just follow whatever crazy trail my muse takes me down, as I write. But there are things that inspire me or keep me pressing ahead - though I'm not a huge fan of planning (we're called seat of the pants … Continue reading Writing a Novel ~ Part One
https://youtu.be/5c1WCd8Qefc "Hate stumbles forward and leans in the doorWeary head hung down, eyes to the floorHe says, "Love, I'm sorry, " and she says, "What for?I'm yours and that's it, whateverI should not have been gone for so longI'm yours and that's it, foreverYou're mine and that's it, forever"
I love a good adventure. I always have. It’s what gives me the push to keep chasing dreams - even if no one sees or understands those dreams. By this point in the year, I guess the situation in the world would make anyone feel defeated. But I’m just picking up steam. September was a … Continue reading October & Letting Go
The weather turned a little corner and so did the light. The golden light of autumn is almost enough to convince me that all is right with the world. It gives me a little hope. When we met, I never dreamed what you would mean to me. Knowing you is like knowing another part of … Continue reading The Autumn Light
Good word. The one that truly "values you, wouldn't ever put themselves into a position to lose you." I keep trying to remind myself of this.
“My love for you is strong Lord it brings me to my knees It was born in the wild” - Ryan Adams It is untamed. Wild and unplanned. I wake deep in thought, recalling the mornings in the Redwoods - the air cold and damp. There was nothing around but the untouched forest. Standing there, … Continue reading Wild Things
Every year I choose one word for my year {versus resolutions}. This year's word took forever to decide on, but once I did, it became very clear it was the word. But then we all know what a nose dive 2020 took. Straight into the crapper. Between a global pandemic, working from home and feeling … Continue reading Wellness – OneWord 365 Update
I'm getting there - these improbable beautiful, dangerous things are resurfacing. It looks like it'll take a bit - with a global pandemic and all. But I can let myself hope again about what lies ahead.
Yesterday, I shared that I'm "taking it easy." That's not always easy to do. About half of my day I'm telling myself to chill the heck out. We feel, or can feel, a lot of pressure under normal circumstances. My routine is all over the place. I am having trouble staying focused. I want to … Continue reading Chill the Heck Out – Wellness Wednesday
With everything going on in the world today, my emotions have been . . . hmm, how to describe it . . . all over the place. I've come to accept this. On this Tuesday, that looks nothing like I expected of April 2020, I am taking it easy on myself. Even though I'm … Continue reading Take it Easy
I don't know about you - but I don't feel super motivated today. Or since things started to get rougher last week. This COVID-19 situation is discouraging, right? It's having an impact on all of us - though I know some are feeling it more than others. I started telework today. But being that it's … Continue reading It’s Going to be Okay
I've missed a couple of "Wellness Wednesday" opportunities so I wanted to share a few more strategies or positive coping skills for kids - that may be useful to you as a parent - particularly if you have a child who may be struggling behaviorally or emotionally. I shared about dietary changes & kids, here. … Continue reading Positive Coping Skills for Kids
I’ve been learning the art of giving myself some grace. The process of becoming a butterfly isn’t exactly pretty. They start as this ugly, squirmy thing and then they’re wrapped up in an even uglier cocoon for anywhere from 5 days to 21 days! I’m not where I want to be - but I will … Continue reading Butterfly – Monday Motivation
I am participating in a 2020 Reading Challenge. For February - the book theme was memoir or biography. I chose Peter Mayle's My Twenty-Five Years in Provence: Reflections Then & Now. I have read other books written by Mayle, including the novel A Good Year, which became a movie starring Russell Crowe {love the … Continue reading My Twenty-Five Years in Provence: Reflections Then & Now
Happy Monday! This is a slightly different Monday Motivation post. I saw this art work & had to track down the artist. She's a new favorite. You can find her, here or here or, here! It feels good to let these things go. In the new week, let them slide right off of your back. … Continue reading Monday Motivation
I have spent plenty of Mondays in my life wishing it wasn't Monday. I walked into my day unwillingly and negativity followed. It may not have been noticed beyond my own nose, but I felt it on the inside. The negativity bubbled under the surface until I realized that my attitude impacted the course of … Continue reading Attitude is Everything
If you have a child that struggles with ADHD or other complex diagnoses - particularly if they experienced trauma at any point, it can feel very lonely. Not only is it isolating because people do not understand and lack compassion, but the medical profession sometimes seems to work at cross purposes. I sometimes wonder if … Continue reading Tips for Eliminating Foods That May Worsen Behavioral Issues in Kids
I'm moving. Again. In the words of my Grandma, "Ai, yi, yi." It is what it is. I am already dreaming of settling in to that next home - wherever that is and whenever that is. Making a home gives me joy. Unpacking boxes of books and placing those precious books on shelves {in a … Continue reading Coastal Decor Ideas & Inspiration
I love this quote. I wonder what my next step will be sometimes. Even at nearly 44, I am still trying to figure out what my calling looks like. It's quotes like this that simplify & strip it down for me. "Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do." ~ Rumi For … Continue reading Monday Motivation ~ Doing What You Love
Wellness requires active choices to create a healthy and well-balanced life. Our wellness can be seen as a wheel {I like the 8 component model}, with each section of it, a required part of optimum wellness. Life isn't exactly linear. Reality sets in. Pain makes a visit. We lose jobs. Relationships end. Careers, children, and … Continue reading Website Updates & Changes
On a long journey to wellness, I've begun to find what works for me - after a lot of experimenting. As my blog makes a transition {writing more of my wellness journey}, I will share some of these strategies, as well as experiments I try along the way. When I was a child, my Mexican … Continue reading Essential Oils & Wellness
I don't like to wonder about the "what-ifs" in life. I have made it my goal to not reach the end of my days with more regrets piled up, than chances taken. While the road hasn't been straight & I've crashed and burned a few times, I would rather live fully & dream big, then … Continue reading Live well. Be well.
I admit it. I started Slightly South of Simple before starting a Reading Challenge in January. The theme for January was a book related to your New Years resolution. Since I don't do resolutions, I decided finishing a book that was in my Kindle queue or on my bedside table, was close enough to a … Continue reading Slightly South of Simple – 2020 Reading Challenge
Reading has always been a favorite escape. I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. I read early. I read a lot. And then somewhere in there, life got busy. I read less. I was online more (I say as I type out a blog post on my laptop). This year, I'm … Continue reading What Are You Reading in 2020?
When Lacey Mays was five-years old, just days before she started Kindergarten, her father killed himself. If anyone in the county had been asked, they would have said it was only a matter of time that either Bob or Donna Mays would have ended up dead. They fed more than one of each other’s addictions … Continue reading Lacey Mays
