Random #44 - The Trouble With

The Trouble With... was a prompt from the writing group I attended last week.  The result was something I felt like sharing.  Keep in mind that this is random, raw, unedited (except for spelling) thoughts that spilled out of me after receiving the prompt.  My mind was all over the place.

The trouble with… work, winter, sunshine, rain, gas, cars, parenthood, motherhood, fathers, having children, maintaining friendships, having pets, working out, Drake, Madonna, vampires, dystopian fiction, purple, red, male writers, female writers, bloggers, readers, time… everything.  Who knew there could be trouble with so many things?

I sit inside and I wish I had a sweater, the air is just a bit chilly for me, but that’s part of my trouble. I have low blood pressure and am sometimes cold, when others are not.  I look at the sunlight streaming in through the windows.  It is a beautiful day, but I was just outside.  It is not as warm as it looks.  That is the trouble with seeing, you can’t always believe it.  I think about the drive over, a few old, favourite songs were playing on the radio.  I enjoyed the drive, until I found myself behind a black Mitsubishi, stopped at a stop sign.  I could see it a hundred metres away, not moving.  It didn’t move until I pulled up behind it.  Then slowly, jerkily, it went forward.  It stopped at the next stop sign and very slowly, turned right.  I think that’s the trouble with learning to drive stick.

At home, before leaving, I was sitting in the living room with my husband and children.  My daughter asked to watch My Little Pony.  My son climbed on me, wanting to sit on my lap and play. My husband was talking with my daughter.  We were together, happy, laughing.  We had just eaten dinner. We each had a cookie for dessert.  It had been a good meal and it was now family time.  But I had to leave.  I was sad to go.  That’s the trouble with a few things, parenthood, children, having my own life.

Last Week #28 - Character Improvements

Last week I lamented that I didn't get to write very much.  I'm excited to say that I got some work done on my outline. I needed it, the story needs it. I need to know where to go and I think I'm making progress. I doubt that I'm going to follow the outline completely, but I need something to guide me, as I'm not sure how to connect the middle with the end of the story.  Maybe once I get to that point, it'll just come to me. I also want to change the name of one of my male characters. I already changed the name of one character.  I also am in the process of merging two characters. They were serving the same function, so having both of them seemed redundant. I feel like there's been an improvement this week and I hope it keeps going.

Last Week #27 - A Little Check-In

Last week I managed to write about a movie I haven't seen yet and Mind of My Mind.  Not much else. I took the folder out with all my scenes,  I looked at the outline.  I didn't write anything in it though.  I just looked and read.  I only had a few minutes and it felt better than nothing.  Tonight I have a few minutes.  So I'm keeping this little check-in.  I'm going to write something, anything.  Whether it's a sentence, or a whole new world.  I'm going to do something.  Now.

Random #43 - Age of Ultron

I'm a geek, for anyone who doesn't know.  This week was the fancy premiere for Avengers: Age of Ultron.  The rest of us mortals are waiting until May 1 (April 30).  But not really me.  My geeky Hubby will be away that weekend.  I can't see Avengers without him!  I think it was in the marriage vows: "we shall always see Marvel movies together."  So, I'm sad. Not that I will actually miss him or anything.  But the movie!  Oh, the movie!  I can't even watch Daredevil on Netflix without him. His schedule has been so hectic that we've only see the first episode!  How many people have already binge-watched the whole thing?  I'm definitely looking that up. My geeky heart is so sad.  What do I do?

Last Week #26 - A Few Words For The Outline

I feel like in order to take advantage of the little spurts of time I get to write, I need an outline.  I found myself last week with a little time to write, but no direction.  I just wasn't sure what I wanted to work on next.  I flipped through some pages, felt the connection to the story, but also lost. I decided that time for an outline.  It doesn't need to be perfect, I'm not a "perfect outline" sort of person, but it needs to guide me.  I've started working on it and I feel good.  I feel like it's going to do what I need it to do, in order for me to continue to create this story.  

I have to mention, I finished reading Northanger Abbey last week and it was fantastic!

What did you work on last week?  Writing?  Reading?

Random #42 - The Grocery Store

Randomly, I found myself thinking about a family I noticed in the grocery store last week, two parents and their children, shopping for the week’s food.  There was some struggling, one child stuck in the cart, the other wandering off.  They were being good, no crying, no fussing, no bribery that I could see, but in my head I still wondered, why?  I try not to take my children to the grocery store.  If my Hubby is home and I have to go to the grocery store (or most anywhere), I give him and the children, a kiss goodbye, then head out.  Even if they are being perfect little angels, I know that a 30 minute trip to the grocery store will certainly double if I bring them along. They don’t make it longer on purpose, it's just how it is.

It is not as though I never take my children out shopping with me.  In fact, I usually can't go on my own, but usually I take just one.  My Hubby and I often “divide and conquer”, we each take one child and split the errands.  Again, it makes it all quicker.  If I have to take both children, I accept that I will be at the store for hours, that I have to take snacks, drinks, and activities.  I try to make it easy and potentially fun for all of us (mostly them).  I give the kids tasks, a scavenger hunt-esque game, finding what we need and putting it in the cart.  I want to avoid the meltdowns, because I've had enough of those.

I was talking to a friend of mine who said that her husband wanted to make errands like this a “family outing”.  She didn't get it.  She wanted to just go in and get out as quickly as possible.  I told her that I understood his perspective, because that used to be mine.  I tried to make grocery shopping a family activity, like perhaps, that family I saw last week.  I told my friend that I had learned my lesson. There had been too many crying, fighting, annoying, anxiety-creating moments.  I had decided, it would be better for me (or my Hubby, but usually me) to do a quick shop and then have family time after.  I didn't want to spend hours struggling at the store.  I wanted to spend that time doing crafts, playing games, running outside or even watching a movie together.  I wanted our family time to not involve yelling or pleading.  So though I may lose an hour here and there, I think quality time is better than quantity time.  This might just be me and my family though.  I’m sure there are others that have loads of fun at the grocery store… maybe.