Crows and Eagles

Crowing:

What a week! From NYC’s Central Park to back here in Ohio and Ohio’s Emerald Necklace. From talking about writing and preparing for writing, to finishing a short story in 3 days!

Write 1/Sub 1 is definitely working as a motivator for me. I really want to log onto the site at the end of each week and report my success–not a miss–to the community there. Without W1S1, I’m sure I’d have given myself a break this week, saying “Oh, with all that traveling of course you’re too tired to finish now. Just finish it next week. What’s the rush?” Instead, I sat myself down again and again, when I wanted to walk away on Friday, and I finished that story!

How strange is it that this self-imposed deadline and goal, which is entirely arbitrary and that I could easily lie about, is working?!? How wonderful that because of it, I’ve already finished two new stories this year, and submitted one of them? It seems I have to play silly tricks on my own mind to get my stories finished as quickly as I should, but I’m okay with that. The end result is more stories, more progress in the quality of my writing, more submissions, and perhaps, more acceptances at year’s end. For these things I’ll gladly give my brain a mental goosing.

Let me tell you, the absolute glow I feel once I finish is divine. It’s better than the run-of-the-mill “I finished a story” warm-fuzzy. It’s that good feeling combined with the “Can you believe you made that awesome deadline (again!)” ego-stroking joy. Out comes the good chocolate for a celebratory yum! The desk chair does a little circle of delight (more or less–gotta avoid the cords). Here’s a little secret. Lean in close, now: it makes me feel more like a “real writer!” After all, I just met another deadline, like real writers must do!

Eagles

I’ve seen a bald eagle flying over the river below our apartment a couple times over the summer and fall. Each time it’s a shock and a delight, since I never expect to see them here. Unfortunately, they’ve always come when hubby wasn’t around, so he’d never seen it. This year, though, it’s different. Now when he’s in Cleveland, he’s working from home. That means that when the eagle cruises through in the early afternoon, hubby can see it.

And he has. Twice now this year we’ve been eating lunch and I’ve cried “The eagle!” (feeling rather hobbit-like, I must say) and pointed out the window. Just yesterday it soared slowly, arching its tail wide as the sun played off the whiteness of the head and neck’s white feathers, and the brownness of the body-feathers, like it was posing (or showing off) for us. Pretty impressive. Even the red-tailed hawk who lives nearby must think so, for once the eagle shows up, the hawk is missing for the remainder of the afternoon. I wish I could get a photo of it, but I always stand entranced watching the bird soar, and don’t want to miss a moment of it by running for the camera or cellphone.

What message does this eagle bring for me? Well, I think it’s that one of the markets I submitted to went under, poof!, with no sign or warning. So there is no rejection, but all the same my story is languishing in the “to submit” pile once more. The never-ending game of submit-and-submit-again goes on.

Oh, wait. This is a new week, and my “Submit” week for W1/S1. Weee! Cross another one off the list and watch as I spin that chair!