Looking Forward to Certain Times of the Year...For Me it is all About JERO ... by Delsora Lowe

Yes, I know this is March, but hear me out.

January seems to be my down month. The most I get done is organizing for a new year of writing. Other than that, the lethargy from a busy year previous sets in.

The best part about January, is looking forward to February. February you say? Are you nuts? The coldest, dreariest month of the year. What do you have to look forward to. Yeah, yeah…there is Valentine Day. And as a romance writer that should be exciting. And yes, it is. I love valentine chocolates in red heart-shaped boxes. And I love to write romantic stories.

But… The reason I LOVE and look forward to February… Or more specifically—the end of February is…

Every year, since 2016, I have participated in the New Jersey Romance Writers’ February 30K writing challenge. Thirty thousand words in twenty-eight days—what was I thinking? Or one may edit. Instead of counting new written words, one may count every three edited words as one written word. Something for everyone who wants to participate. By the time you read this I will have completed the 2023 challenge, My head will be spinning, and my energy depleted. But the excitement will carry me through until February of 2024

The first two years I worked full time at a job seventy-five miles away, so my time was extremely limited. I opted to challenge myself to ten thousand words that year and fifteen thousand the following year. Both years I exceeded that goal by a little bit. And…I was so proud of myself.

Emboldened in the third year, I went for the gold. And for the last five years I have exceeded my thirty-thousand words incrementally.

The fun part of this is the participants are not in competition with each other. We all cheer each other on each day. Whether we have a good or bad day of writing…or with life itself. As writers, we all know there are days, weeks, even years when life seems to get in the way of our passion to write.

There are basically no rules, except to report in daily (if you can) and the “never say the word ONLY” rule. As in, I ONLY wrote fifty words today, because my kid was sick, the dog escaped, the laundry needed doing, or whatever other excuse or life’s daily needs get in our way of our precious writing time. Every single word is to be celebrated, whether or not we meet the daily goal of 1072 words. If you write one word, it isn’t “I ONLY wrote…” It is call a friend or report on the loop - “YAY, I wrote one word today!”

If you take a day off or write fewer words, there is always time to make up the word count. I might not be in competition with others, but I am VERY competitive with myself. So, when I set a goal, I do everything possible to exceed my own expectations.

So, for a dreary, short, dark month of the year…I am always excited to see February role around. And YES, I always prep my spreadsheet with daily word count calculations, so it is ready to fill in on the first of February…on your mark, get set, GO WRITE! And I love the interaction and common goals of those who make up the group of writers, whose heads are down, brains and imagination are engaged, and fingers are flying during the month of February.

This year, with more than sixty writers participating, we totaled collectively 2.2 million words in twenty-eight days - WOW!

Sure, everyone is tired, but also exhilarated. We cheered each other on, we encouraged everyone, no matter their personal goals of 30K or lass or more, and we CELEBRATED together! And that counts for a lot, when normally writing is a lonely business.

 What is your favorite time of the year to look forward to AND why?

 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/mZ5eop

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, and the novella The Love Left Behind, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Recently released were two Christmas stories: The Inn at Gooseneck Lane and Holiday Hitchhiker.

 

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photo Credits:
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What’s New in ’22 … Delsora Lowe

For me, it is not what’s new for the new year, but what I will recycle and make new in 2022.

I’ll admit, 2021 was not the most productive year I’ve had. Between trying to figure out how to live a normal life, in a crazy situation, and then experiencing many life-changing situations, both sad and happy, I had difficulty making my goals that I set out for myself last year.

For 2022, I’ve brought forward all that I planned and was excited about in 2021, in hopes of accomplishing them in 2022. That list includes both professional and personal goals. For several years I have had on my list to join a local, non-profit organization that provides a meeting place and a list of activities for both teens and retirees. Last spring, I finally joined. The activities that interested me most were exercise classes, various art classes, and a writing group. Did I do any of them? 

A BIG FAT NO!

So, what’s new for ’22, is to get myself out of the house, with mask in place, and get to exercise class two days a week, join the writing group, and explore some art classes that will definitely take me out of my comfort zone. My sister was an artist. My grandmother was a juried craftswoman, mostly in painting on tins and velvets. My grandfather dabbled in painting, as did my mom. My daughter is an interior designer and a floral designer. Me? I loved art when I was in school, and I took craft classes as an adult and loved rug braiding, pottery, knitting, etc. But I never pursued any of them beyond the adult education classes I took.

2022—here I come.  Time to get out of my comfort zone and learn a new craft. If only, because it will challenge my creativity in a different way than writing. And by doing so, my hope is to jumpstart my writing,

I’m convinced that if I can activate my creative brain in other areas beside writing, that I might jumpstart my writing creativity, as well. In other words, allow the light of creativity to shine through once more.

“It is the light in the lantern which shows you the path,
 not the lantern.”
from a Yogi Tea Bag

And that leads me to what I love…writing. Alas, 2021 was a bad year for me. I totally shut down. I missed most of my goals I set for myself at the end of 2020, and I beat myself up over it. But hey…as I write this, we are in the last few weeks in December and all of a sudden, my creative juices are flowing through my brain and into my fingers. Time to take advantage, pull all my 2021 goals forward, and kick up a dance of creativity (both physical and mental) for 2022! And STOP with the I’m a failure self-talk.

The words of encouragement I have chosen to guide me for 2022 are:

Self-Forgiveness and Looking Forward

What are you going to do to move forward and find something new in ’22?

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Credits:
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Welcome to 2021 ... Delsora Lowe

I’m not telling you anything new—2020 was a rough year. And I assume a year most of us want to put behind us.

It’s always exciting to look forward to something new. A new year that is full of possibilities is always a treat, as each of us think about our goals, hopes, and dreams for 2021.

In the last month of the year, we experienced a phenomenon with two planets lining up on the winter solstice, we wandered through the holidays, whichever ones you observe or celebrate, and then we rang in a new year. Hopefully signaling a new beginning to slaying a killer viral dragon and working toward a healthy and hopeful year.

On a personal level, as a writer, it was a rough year. There isn’t much that keeps me from my love of creating–writing the stories of my heart. But late 2020 shut me down completely. Something I have never experienced even in the darkest, dreariest days of winter when it’s hard to put one foot in front of the other on some days for months on end from fall into winter. Even then I am only dragged under for a few hours or days.

In order to function, I had to relieve myself of all negative energy. And that meant not looking at the news, and not dealing with social media, something that is essential to my work as a writer. And essential in another way—that of keeping up with family and friends when writing becomes a lonely business with just me and my computer.

I was lucky to have several groups of writers who ZOOM, so that helped me stay sane. But energy levels remained at a stand-still for the months of November and December.

But onward into 2021. I vow to renew my spirit by setting realistic writing and personal goals. Goal setting is a tool that always works for me (except this year.)

I belong to several goal-setting groups. The very act of telling others your goals and then reporting in to others, keeps me on track. And when I have a bad day or week or month, those same authors are there to cheer me up and encourage me, just as I do for them. And those same people validate my feelings and my need to take a break. I need those relationships, as I am a champion at beating myself up when I can’t write. They bring me back to earth, empathize, but are also honest in giving me advice that I need to hear. And I do the same for them. .

So my advice, as we welcome in 2021, is to find those friends or colleagues who both hear you and help steer you out of the depths and back into the heights of enjoying your world, your family and friends, and valuing yourself. Set goals. Goals are a guidepost to give you the tools to reach for a wished-for outcome.

And whatever you do, give yourself permission to change those goals if need be, and permission to not beat yourself up, if you don’t reach every single one. Goals are meant to be tweaked. And there is no shame in that. They are just goals, after all, the very meaning of the word is “an aim or desired result.”

If circumstances change, then our aim or desired result may also change. All you’ve done is changed the trajectory or placement of that goal. Because yes, life does get in the way. Roadblocks appear out of the blue, and sometimes one needs to take an alternate route to reach your destination.

I’m raising a glass to the new year where anything is possible if we have the right mindset.

Happy New Year and Happy 2021!

The Love Left Behind
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

Books2Read
books2read.com/u/mglVqK

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~
Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine. .

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/ Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518 Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/ .

Clip Art:
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