Faces of Tomorrow

"We don't own this place though we act as though we did/ It belongs to the children of our children's kids/ The actual owners haven't even been born yet." - "We Can Run" sung by The Grateful Dead

I had gotten way behind on my writing goals this week due to taking care of a sick child and being sick myself, so I have been trying to catch up this weekend. In the book I have been getting exercises from, A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves, the prompt for yesterday was "The Face of Tomorrow". There are no set rules assigned to these writing prompts, just to write whatever comes to mind. I thought I would share what I wrote for this passage. I would love to hear what you think!

I see two little faces every day that are growing up so quickly right before my eyes. They are the faces of tomorrow, the future of our world.

One face embodies so much drive, determination, and intelligence, that it just seeps from her pores. She always has goals and plans to make them happen. Her expressions, like her actions, are guided by a balance of practiced logic and intense emotion. She says what she means and means what she says. This child is sure to do great things in the years to come.

The other face, the one that is lit up with an electrifying blend of energy, natural humor, and pure sass, is the yin to her sister's yang. She is a wild spark of fire, a brilliant leader who commands attention as soon as she steps into a room. Not domineering, just magnetic. Her wheels are always turning, looking for solutions, answers, ways to explain the complexities of life. And she's only four years old.

If these girls decide to team up in the future, the world better wake up and take notice, because big things are going to happen. Will they find a cure for cancer, become leaders of the free world, host their own television cooking show? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure. I'll be in the front row cheering them on when they do it.

I'm Sick

"I'm sick, my head hurts/ Whatcha got in your purse?" - "Roseanne" by The Grateful Dead

I. Am. Sick. And I have nothing in my purse to make me feel better. I wonder what Jerry and the guys were alluding too...?

Getting sick is an occupational hazard for anyone working within coughing distance of a child. And when said child is coughing, sneezing, and breathing all over her caring, doting, understanding nanny who doesn't even flinch when she gets sneezed on right in the face, it's pretty much useless to hope that you will stay healthy. So now I'm sick and spending ten hours a day taking care of a sick kid too. We are just two miserable peas in a pod.

Hey, I just realized that my song of the day on Monday was also a Dead song. I'll keep this trend up, and hopefully the lyrics will be more upbeat tomorrow.

As for my goal this week, it's not looking good. I haven't written anything since Monday because I have felt too exhausted to pick up a pen or type out even a few sentences. I am hoping that I can catch up this weekend and finish my current chapter in Book Four (I still haven't decided on a title), as well as complete my writing prompts for the days I missed. I hate being sick. I get nothing done, I have no energy, I want to sleep (completely abnormal for me!), and I feel like dying. Ugh. I also tend to be a little dramatic. Can you tell?

Tired and Broken

"Maybe you're tired and broken/ Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken and thoughts unclear." - "Box of Rain" by the Grateful Dead

This is the perfect song choice for today. I am exhausted, I have so much going on in my head I can't seem to think straight, and my words are only half spoken because I didn't write a single sentence in my novel all weekend. I still achieved my weekly goal, thanks to a couple of very productive days, but I am left feeling unsatisfied with what I have done. My question is, how can I take care of myself (meaning by writing to save my sanity!), if I am consumed with taking care of everyone around me? Isn't is a pain when real life gets in the way of a much calmer, nicer, creative life?

So, taking into consideration the way this week is starting out (sick kid that is not mine but I take care of and worry endlessly about, as well as being very worn out myself), my goal is simple. Continue doing a daily writing prompt, which has been great by the way, and try to complete one chapter in my fourth Willow Ryan book. There is so much coming up in this latest installment of Willow's life, and I can't wait to write about, but I guess I have to. Hopefully the week will get better though. You'll hear about it either way! Have a good Monday, everyone!

Things That They Stood For

"Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham/ Can you tell me where he's gone/ He freed a lot of people/ But it seems the good they die young/ You know I just looked around and he's gone." - "Abraham, Martin, and John" by Dion

Ah, Presidents' Day. A day that some lucky people (like me) get off of work, but does anyone really think about the reason for this holiday anymore? Not to get overly political or anything, but there was a time where the President of the United States was highly respected by most, if not all of the public, someone to admire. They stood for something. If people were a little more open minded and willing to see the big picture instead of just focusing on the negatives, maybe the same thing would be true today.

Okay, enough with the politics and onto the writing! I accomplished my two chapter goal last week, and am now over 120 pages into my fourth novel. The more I write, the happier I get with Willow's character and where she is going in life. I think one thing a writer has to do in order to create a good book is to have believable characters that his/her readers can relate to. Willow is by no means perfect, but as her journey has continued, she has grown so much and learned a lot from her experiences in life. By creating characters that seem like real people, with hopes and dreams, fears and worries, I am aiming to write a story that readers can see themselves in. Who hasn't at one time worried that they weren't a good enough parent, kept a secret that was eating them alive, worked so hard to the point of exhaustion to try to give their family a better life, or had dreams so big they fear they may never come true, but still have to dream because it's part of who they are? There is a little bit of Willow Ryan in all of us.

This week, my goal is to crack open a book I bought last week and start doing a writing exercise every single day. I'm hoping to expand my knowledge of writing and find new ways to think and new ways to convey ideas in all of my writing. In addition to the homework I am assigning myself, I also plan to write at least 20 pages this week. I'm excited to see what happens next in Willow's story!