No Excuses

I cannot write poetry worth a damn. There. I said it.

As for other things, I have finally listened to my husband about starting out writing short stories. I attempted to write a novel which has been a work in progress for nearly five years now and I get more discouraged every time I work on it. My husband has told me that I'm trying to tackle something too big, that I should start small (short stories) and eventually work my way up to a novel once I figure out the process for myself. Having taken that advice to heart once and for all, I have four short stories I am working on (one on which I have to yet write one word - all I have is a title and a glimmering of an idea on how I want that tale to go) and I feel relieved that the work load is smaller.

The intricacies of plot and characterization are still a mystery to me, hard as I have tried to decipher and master them over the years. I simply do not have what it takes for an entire book. Not yet, anyway. I refuse to give up entirely on the prospect. More often than not, I need baby steps in order to gain confidence. So be it.

I have also taken on a new attitude this year, a "no excuses" mentality. I realized recently that I have not accomplished much in the way of writing or other things because I give myself too many excuses. I was bored, I was tired, the internet distracted me, I'd rather read, I've let the housework go and it desperately needs to be done, motherhood gets in the way, yada, yada, yada...I've claimed them all and then some.

Because of this new attitude, I have finally restored three buttons to three articles of my husband's clothing, broken out and dusted off my sewing machine and am learning how to use it (I have three pair of pants to hem) and have taken charge of other tasks with punctuality and resolve. If I don't offer myself excuses, then there is no reason I can't accomplish whatever I set out to do and/or whatever needs to be done.

I refuse to a be a prisoner to my own sloth anymore. 2013 is the year of progress.