Author: Christine

Christine http://www.mombie.com I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Co-Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm the current president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.

A different approach

I had a tangly kind of day. No crises, just a few vaguely unpleasant parts that I couldn’t shake loose from my brain.

My mind’s insistence on reviewing those unpleasantries kept me from work effectively for a chunk of the day. By this evening I was at loose ends and looking for a way to help myself feel better.

My initial plan was to do some journaling and then try to do some work but, frankly, I really didn’t want to do that.

So, instead, I exercised.

I took Khalee for a walk.

I rowed on my rowing machine for 20 minutes.

I did some strength training.

And I did some yoga.

That may sound like a lot but I didn’t overdo it, I paid close attention to how I was feeling and kept my efforts in the enjoyable range.

And when I was done, I felt so much better. The unpleasantries were still there but they had far less real estate in my mind.

I’m calling this method a success – not only is my mind clear but I feel good physically, too.

A light haired dog curled up on a blue yoga mat
Khalee is a fan of my yoga mat. Luckily she moved before I needed to lie on it! Image description: a light haired dog is curled up on a blue yoga mat (with lighter blue patterns on it)

Index Cards…Still at it!

I accidentally took a little break from Index Card A Day when I got sick for a few days and got off track.

I’m having fun catching up though.

Here’s my card for the prompt ‘inkwell.’

A drawing of an inkwell filled with green ink and a green and gold octopus tentacle.
Image description: a drawing of an inkwell filled with green ink with a label that says ‘Octavia Green,’ in the upper right is a green and gold octopus tentacle that is slightly curled. There are black horizontal lines in the background of the drawing.

Good News: I like my book!

Various papers and writing tools rest on a cloth surface.
Image description: A clipboard, post-it notes, a typed page and handwritten notes in a notebook are resting on a cloth surface.

I spend a good chunk of today reading my novel draft and making notes on various characters.

It was boring to do the work but the reading was really fun.

I was happy to discover that I really like my book – the characters are interesting, the plot is pretty good, and the writing is pretty solid.

There is a lot of work left to do to make it into the novel that I want it to be but I am very happy with this starting point.

Not philosophical, just fun

My friends and I had an outdoor fire at our retreat tonight.

I could spend this whole post waxing philosophical about the appeal of sitting around a fire.

I could get anthropological or psychological about the needs that are met by sitting with friends around the flames.

But really, the whole point is that it was fun and relaxing to sit there chatting while the fire crackled, being grateful that things like this are possible again.

A campfire burns, enclosed by a circle of rocks and dirt.?
Image description: a campfire burns, enclosed by a circle of rocks and dirt.

Revisions

I’m on a writing retreat this weekend so I can start revising my novel.

I’ve revised stories and articles but I have never revised a whole book before.

(No, I don’t think I can do it all in one weekend. This is just for starters!)

Wish me luck!

GIF of a man typing on a laptop and saying ‘This is good.’
Let’s hope this is how I will feel tomorrow. Image description: A GIG in which, Nick, a white male character from the TV show ‘New Girl’ is typing on his laptop in his messy room and saying ‘This is good.’