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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.

End-of-Summer And What Have You Got?

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cathy going home

Me and Libs on the porch swing at Tybee Island, and yes, I’m wearing my choir robe. That’s a story for another day…

Here it is the last day of August and I thought I really should check in because, as you may recall, I had grand plans to check in every month with my writing and such and it is the sorta end of summer. But you know that old saying about plans, right?

Man plans and God laughs.

So much for the Great Accountability Plan. And yet… I have been writing.

I’m halfway through a middle grade novel that I’m thoroughly enjoying. That is to say, I’m enjoying writing it and I’m enjoying reading what I’ve written. That is no small thing, I think.

And I’ve sent bits and pieces of writing out into the world, not because I felt like I should but because I had something to say.

Small steps add up and before I knew it, I seemed to be sorta back on track here at the sorta end of the summer. And I hope your steps–whether small or large–are adding up to writing success. Because frankly, y’all, tomorrow’s September 1st–SEPTEMBER 1st!–and we all know what that means, plan-wise.

 

 

Just A Word

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Before I head out of town for a couple of weeks away, I’ll check my calendar for writing deadlines. And so it’s not uncommon for me to write a post for, say The Muffin, two, three, even four weeks out.

That was the case for this latest one, “The Importance of a Word.” I wrote it, scheduled it, and then forgot all about it. And then tragic events happened, and I couldn’t help thinking of my post and a word that has sparked national controversy, not to mention grave importance in this country.

No matter the platform–social media, a blog post, a letter to the editor–words spread rapidly. And just to be clear, I’m not preaching about the rightness or wrongness of your words or your beliefs. I’m just asking that you be mindful of what you write and put out in the world. That the next time you’re writing and shrug, “Well, it’s just a word,” I hope you’ll stop and remember how my mother set me straight.

It’s almost always more than “just a word.”