Photo by Andif. This is a picture, to me, of the story of when I get overwhelmed by a book--or whatever--and I have to be reminded to take it step by step. Or, bird by bird, as Annie Lamott says in her book of the same name. My porch pal Sally went through that this weekend as she worked like a demon to meet the (impossible) deadline on her novel. At a point at which she thought it was all too much to get done, and she started to panic, she remembered to take it one step at a time, and now she's within hours of finishing, one word and one hour at a time. It sounds so easy, right? What it is, I have found, is easy to forget. Step by step. And then you get to jump into the ice cold water of publishing. :D
16 comments:
First!
Second! And glad I missed yesterday's picture...you know how much I love snow...icky.
Back from Glacier - hopefully post and pics tomorrow. Off to bed now - 700 miles on the motorcycle this weekend, and we're nodding over the Sunday Night Football game.
Happy Monday from Sunday!
Morning Nancy and Beth. I can't way to read about (and see) your trip to gorgeous Glacier.
To me that picture is all about convergence -- how even the jarringly different often has a way of fitting together.
And today's Monday Picture Post is completely different as forgoes the big picture to be all about focusing in on the details.
Details, [LINK]
details, [LINK]
details. [LINK]
Nancy--good words for me. I've been working for a couple of weeks to clarify what the end actually is for my story. MANY interruptions and I can't make progress, so my anxiety builds. I have to slow my mind and concentrate on taking those steps.
Beth--You are stronger woman than I. 700 miles on a bike.Tip my hat to ya. Know it was beautiful.
Andif--I really like the convergence idea. I'm seeing the target and very focused on getting there, but several ways to reach it.
LOVE the details. The leaf in particular. But the delicate grass and the dew/rain spotted flower both are interesting .
One of the things my students often miss are the details. Distracted by the negative or totally oblivious to the what is around them. It is that egocentric time of me, me, me.
Have a good day all.
Beth, that's a whole lotta riding! But what fun. (I hope.)
Andi, I was thinking yesterday how lucky I am to have access to your photos. They trigger ideas for some posts, and they relieve me of having to write a blog post on other days.(I haven't looked at the new photos yet.)
Lisa, yeah, slowing down to the details sometimes helps a writer (or anybody)relieve anxiety. Reminds me of the Buddhist Zen master, Thich Nhat Hahn who's always after his students to make a practice of paying attention to every single step, taste, etc. He leads what they call "walking meditations," which can either seem like the most boring exercise ever invented or can be a delightful revelation.
Sally has one chapter to go!
Morning all,
Gonna just nab a mug of this lovely green tea--I'm thinking Blink Bonnie Green*--and get off to working on the book. I need to take a whole bunch of those single steps in quick if I'm going to get other three quarters of this book done by the end of November when I have to shift over from spec work to contract. Think of it as one step at a time sprinting.
Have a nice day and make sure that none of those steps hits a land mine.
P.S. Someone needs to explain to the kitty who's making me twist into a pretzel to type around her that there's work to be done and chicken broth that needs another hour of boiling down, so could she please let me up.
*Per Tea Source, a floral green with forest notes, from Ceylon. Mmm.
Beth, forgot to say. I'm jealous of your Glacier adventure. I love that park truly madly deeply and I haven't had a chance to get out that way in a couple of years.
I feel that way about the Blue Ridge Parkway, Kelly. The trip thru the park was gorgeous, in spite of clouds and drizzle. They're repairing Going to the Sun road, so wait a year or two - the construction equipment, etc., kind of mars the Garden Wall experience, but if you look past it, the grandeur is still overwhelming.
Or you (Beth, Kelly, whoever is reading this) could go hike the Highline Trail; there's no better way to experience the Garden Wall. I promise after a little bit, you'll forget all about any construction equipment.
Or do any hike ... Jim and I think that Glacier has the highest OH WOW factor of any place we've ever hiked. [LINK]
I love Mondays (did I just say that??) because Andif posts more pix then. :-D
Wow, Beth, 700 miles?! Hope you recover from TB soon! lol
Nancy, is Sally's new book a sequel to Death by Cashmere? (she asks hopefully)
Lisa, ME, ME, ME? Maybe the students have been watching too many campaign commercials? lol Politicans are the BEST at ME, ME, ME (well, not the ones I like but the OTHER ones ;-))
Hi, Kelly. Hope you were able to get the kitty to move.
Mondays. bleh.
I would love to go back and do some hiking. It's tough getting decent pictures when you're moving, and I know there are stellar spots you can't access from the road. Next time we'll spend more time - maybe even stay at Lake McDonald Lodge....
Thanks for sharing YOUR gorgeous shot, andif!
Anon--Thanks for the laugh. Needed a lift. I still have probably two more hours to work and am dragging. Monday's I do counseling with students and parents from 6-7.
I'm thinking maybe most politicians never grow out of their teenage egocentricism.
Andif --Double WOW. The color of that water!!!!!
Sally--Go Sally Go!!!
Nancy, it's funny that I struggle so with the writing yet am a professional helping others cope and learn new ways to meet challenges. I appreciate your talk of the Zen master. So much easier to sooth another than myself.
Kelly the things we do to accomidate our kitty and doggie children. Here's a beer to go with your pretzel body.
Waves on way to finish the day.
Hi all!
Step by step is right. Just don't take too many or one will end up getting a bit moist, at least that's what the photo shows. ;-)
700 miles! That's an impressive trip, beth.
I guess it would feel like more of an accomplishment if we hadn't gone 2000 miles the week before, on our trip to the Oregon coast. But it was still substantial, and a lot of fun. Wish we could get to Sedona in 700 miles!
I'll take that beer. I did eventually have to set the cat on the floor. And the next cat, and the first cat again, and next next cat, and so on. It was like juggling only the "balls" kept returning no matter what I did. I think that at the moment it's because I'm the warmest seat in a cold house.
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