Joy Anna's Blog

In Side Out

Just a few minutes ago, I looked down while I was busy typing and noticed that my sweater was inside out. It didn't even phase me; I could have cared less. You see, today is Friday, and those that are close to me know that Fridays are my worst days. I can't stand Fridays. I'm a half a century old, and I still haven't learned to pace myself; by Friday, I am worn out, brain dead, and can't function very well. On Fridays, I spend much of my time trying to come up with the words that are in my head, but I cannot seem to spit them out on paper or get them out of my lips. So Friday is usually a hard day for me, and 99% of the time, I end up in tears at some point. But this Friday, as I looked down at my inside out sweater, I didn't move a muscle to fix it. I just took a deep breath and let it be.  Let it be. So what if my sweater is inside out. Maybe I will start a new fashion trend. So what if I am having a bad day, each lousy day, each inside out day I push through only builds my will-power muscle. I need to embrace each inside-out day, see the humor and be thankful my experience is improving my insides, even my inside-out insides.

Thank you for asking about my writing environment. Since this question is so broad and multi-faceted, not to mention the eclectic answer you will get depending on which day I answer, I will address the subject over several blogs.

Today I am going to tell you about one of my favorite writing instruments: my BIC extra bold pens. They are light in my skinny fingered hands; I love the bold, dark line they leave. I love the way my finger rests comfortably in the grip rest, but the most important fact for me is how smooth the pen writes. Much like a dripping faucet can rest squarely on my nerves, the scrawling of a scratchy nub point of a pen can drive me to distraction. My BIC extra bold moves soundlessly over my writing pages as I work to get my daily word count completed. The see-through barrel of the pen is also convenient to monitor my ink supply, giving me ample time to reorder. I am grateful for these pens, the quality, the cost, consistency, ease, and the beautiful thick line they leave on the page. Here is the link in case you want to try them out.  https://www.shopbic.com/products/stationery/pens/MSBP81DC/

The time is 2:38pm, and I reach out for my coffee mug to take a drink of my tea. I can’t find it. Oh, that’s right I left it in the microwave. I was heating it up. I found my coffee cup filled with tea in the microwave right where I left it. It was stone cold. Ewww! I refuse to hit the reheat button because this would be the fifth time today I have re-heated the same cup of tea, and at what point do I just give up and drink it cold? Or do I just not drink it because its past its purpose? I get in the groove, and the next thing I know its hours later and I am thirsty and drinking cold morning tea. Tell me I’m not the only one who does this.

PostBookum (this word is known as a Joyism- completely made up, but descriptive) Depression. Finishing your book can trigger a jumble of powerful emotions, from excitement, relief, and joy to fear and anxiety. It also can trigger something like depression. The finished- book blues. It’s ok. It’s normal. Don’t panic. Understand it, and give yourself grace as you work through it. This where understanding WHY you write is so important. If you have your foundation set and are firmly planted in your “why” when you get hit with varied ambush emotions, you won’t get knocked too far off course. If you are in that season after you have pushed and pushed and finally finished your huge project, it’s time to rest, recoup, and recharge so you can keep that marketing engine going. Your book needs you to promote it; it won’t promote itself. So, take a short time out, hit your emotions head-on, and then gear up for your next writing adventure.

It’s out there waiting for you to write it.

Today I woke up cold, miserably cold. Bone-chilling cold. I could not get warm. I swear they removed my internal thermometer when they did my double mastectomy. I tried every type of hot liquid I could swallow. I tried a hot shower and even my trusty hot water bottle. I was so cold I could not focus on writing. I couldn’t focus period. My hands were frozen. I couldn’t type. I was shivering, and I couldn’t sit still. I was miserable. I ended up taking all the clean towels out of the linen closet, putting them in the dryer on high for 20 minutes, and then piling them on top of myself, twice. I would lay there without moving a muscle on top of the bed covered in hot towels. On the second pile up, I felt it reach my bones and then I promptly fell asleep. Charlie woke me up by jumping on the bed and nuzzling me awake to make sure I was ok. I was finally warm, but I had to fold all the towels again and put them away. I burned through all my writing time. No time to write today. My superwoman cape got lost at the cleaners, and its ok. Tomorrow is a new day.

when someone asked me what I did. The response was stunning when I told him I was writing a book. Without skipping a beat, he said he couldn't wait to read my book and my blog. Wait whaaaat? On top of birthing a book, I am expected to blog about writing. That is like asking someone to blow up a balloon after being hospitalized for an asthma attack. On top of sleepless nights, writer's block, and chicken neck, I am expected to write even more so people can get to know me? Does that mean I have to use proper, exact, perfect punctuation? WithnolongsentenceswithtoomanywordsandGodforbidIspellsometingrong. Do I need to hire an editor to edit my blogging, alleviating the judgment of my raw writing skills? Bluntly stated, No.  Ok… maybe have someone skim it to make sure I am communicating well because you know some of these blogs will be written at 2am. At 2am, everything sounds wonderful, right and true. Just ask Jerry Maguire.