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Cathy C. Hallhttps://cathychall.wordpress.com/I write, write, write. Then I rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. THEN I submit all those polished-up words out into the world and sell 'em. It's a plan that's worked pretty well.

In the Spirit of Competition…

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2014-10-04 13.34.04

Libs, ready for game day. (As you do if you live here.)

 

Youngest Junior Hall is hanging about here for a bit as he reorganizes his life goals (which mostly just means building up his bank account so he can move into his own place). And it’s not too terribly difficult sharing space again, but then he’ll forget and walk into the house when I’m watching some sporting event.

 

 

Me (yelling): HOW did you think that was a good idea, throwing a pass when Julio has seven guys guarding him?

John: Do you have to yell?

Me: Yes. How else is that coach gonna know what to do?

John: Oh, that’s right. I forgot you’re an expert on every sport.

Me: Well, maybe not an expert. But I know enough not to throw–WHY DID THEY DO THE EXACT SAME THING??? (This is where I turn off the TV and leave the room.)

John (groaning): What is wrong with you?

Me (yelling from the kitchen): There is nothing wrong with me. This is how I watch football.

And baseball, and maybe even a tense golf match (though I’ll admit that there’s not as much yelling whilst watching golf.) It’s just that I’m a little competitive; I like to win. And I feel that my yelling in the privacy of my own home–to name just one of my many winning strategies–helps my team on to victory.

I have winning strategies when it comes to writing, too. And I’ve shared a few over at The Muffin today in “How to Win Contests (Or At Least an Honorable Mention)”. There’s no yelling, just pretty good advice for any writer, no matter what competition you choose to enter.

(But just an FYI here, the Falcons did win last night so who’s wrong now, John Hall?)

No Place Like Home

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IMG_20190603_110723997_HDRI’ve been glued to the TV screen the last week, watching the track of Hurricane Dorian. As many of you who stop by here regularly know, I have a house that I share with family at Tybee Island, Georgia. And having a home on the coast is always an up and down experience. One minute, you’re basking oceanside, toes in the sand. The next minute, you’re looking for bags to fill with sand to keep the ocean out of your house.

But as scary as Hurricane Dorian has been, Tybee’s not my mostly home. My mostly home is far away, in the metro Atlanta area where it’s hot as blue blazes and safe from winds and flooding. So it’s heart-breaking to see all those people in the Bahamas, facing the devastation of their one-and-only homes. And to know that the Carolinas are facing dangerous winds and hurricane warnings as well.

Thank you to all who’ve reached out to me; know that I’m good, my island home is good, and I hope you’ll join with me to help all those who will be dealing with home hardship for many days to come.

It’s a weird twist that I wrote about Tybee in my latest post over at the Muffin. Technically, I wrote about forest-bathing, but on Tybee, it’s more like coastal bathing. The concept–getting away from it all and soaking up the therapeutic vibes of nature while meandering along–is the same, no matter where one chooses to roam.

I love forest bathing and I find that it’s conducive to the creative process. But sometimes, as in “Forest Bathing and a Really Good Idea”, the creative process works a bit too well. Until it doesn’t work at all and one crashes with the debris of a really great idea rattling around in one’s head.

I guess you’ll just have to read the post to make any sense of it all. Because honestly, I’ve watched WAY more TV than normal for me and I’m not sure I’m making much sense. But I am sure of one thing.

It’s true what they say. There’s no place like home.2017-02-03-08-37-49