life curation

NaNoWriMo 2018 Week 1 – Updates, What’s Working for Me

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I’ve got NaNoWriMo updates, everybody! I have 7,000 words written so far. Only 43,000 more to go! Considering that averages out to 1k words per day, I’m feeling pretty good about my numbers so far. I’ll be writing a lot more over the next few days since I anticipate having some more downtime (not to mention I’ll have to make up for a few days where I won’t be able to do much writing at all).

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I just want to share a bit of what I’ve used this first week to help me make progress on my writing goal. What I’ve found it helpful is to set aside 15 minute chunks of time to write. Of course, I always end up writing for longer than 15 minutes, but at least if I set aside the time, it’s more likely that I will not only write for that time but I will also write even longer than I originally planned.

I also find that I’m challenging myself to see how many words I can write in 15 minutes. I’m seeing that it’s normal to get at least 300-400 words written in 15 minutes (if I haven’t thought out what I want to write before I sit down). However, if I have a good idea of where I want my story to go and what dialogue I want to capture, I can easily squeeze out 500 words in 15 minutes (full disclosure: I type at about 75 or 80-ish words per minute, so that helps). I’m trying to get my words up to 700 in 15 minutes: imagine how many pages I could cover if I committed to 1 hour a day at 2800 words in an hour! I know, that’s pretty ambitious (even for me) but I like thinking about the possibility.

Finally, I’ve been writing my story slightly out of sequence. I started writing the beginning, but then I jumped and started writing the last couple of chapters. That made it easier for me to stay interested in this book idea, which goes a long way in making sure that I actually finish it!

Those are all of my NaNoWriMo 2018 updates for this first week. So far, things have been going well and I’m looking forward to telling you all about my progress next week, as I think I’ll be doing this each week until the end of the month.

Alright friends: it’s time for me to get back to writing. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

words of wisdom

Words of Wisdom: Lorraine Hansberry

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“Never be afraid to sit a while and think” – Lorraine Hansberry

Talented, intelligent, and gone too soon: Lorraine Hansberry was an award-winning playwright and activist. She, like many other Black American writers during this time, captured the smoldering inner turmoil and external conflict of ambitious Blacks living in pre-Civil Rights America.

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I recently came across a photo of Lorraine while looking up information on another writer and, as always, I was drawn in by her soulful eyes and sweet smile. Behind her wholesome beauty was a gorgeous brain: her writing talents got her critical acclaim and earned her the spot as the youngest playwright to ever have a play produced on Broadway. She is also the youngest winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

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I really resonate with her thoughts regarding the path of the creative. Embracing her talent meant encountering feelings of loneliness, over-familiarity with the lows of life, but also an undiminishable hope in a more beautiful and brighter future. Her positive view of life inspires me tremendously.

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“I wish to live because life has within it that which is good, that which is beautiful and that which is love” – Lorraine Hansberry

(Photos courtesy of AZQuotes and Pinterest)

life curation

Managing Recurring Lows

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As a student of Law of Attraction (LOA), I know that what we focus on expands. So I was dismayed when I noticed that I was feeling blue for longer than a day or so. I recognized a pattern of sad feelings during this time of the year. I experienced some major losses during the fall season several years ago, and I’ve continued to experience some anxiety, sadness and grief during this season.

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It did not help that  I was having interaction with someone that didn’t generate the best feelings in me. That person is currently in “neutral”: not a factor in any sadness but not a factor in any joy, either.

I know that this time of year leaves me vulnerable to low emotions, so I’m starting to up my self care: indulging in a good cry if I need it, employing tools from my self care kit, resting as I see fit, etc.,. I have even added a therapist to my arsenal, so that I can continue making progress in managing these emotional lows.

I’m sharing this with you all in the hopes that you will continue to take good care of yourselves and not ignore the signs if you are feeling less than stellar. Your body and mind must be cared for: don’t neglect this. You’re special and precious so remember to take care of YOU.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

international · travel

Fall Vacation Part 1 – Cruise Overview

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Happy Monday, friends! Today’s post will be an abbreviated one, because I’m going to flesh out some more of the details over the next week or so.

As you all recall, I just returned from a cruise. I’ve cruised many times before: please don’t ask me to count them, because I can’t LOL! It’s something that my family enjoys doing, so I participate because I enjoy spending time with them. We have done several Caribbean cruises and this most recent cruise also took us back to the Caribbean.

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This isn’t a photo from our ship, but the sunset looks so much like the ones that I saw!

We cruised with Royal Caribbean on the ship, Allure of the Seas. The ship is large, beautiful and has lot of activities for all age ranges. Believe it or not, one of my favorite things to do on the ship was get cotton candy on the boardwalk area. There are several videos you can view, if you want to see the ship and its features.

We visited Nassau, Bahamas; Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Costa Maya, Mexico. We cruised for 7 days, and we sailed out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My family has found it prudent to arrive one day prior to sailing and leave one day after arriving back, just to have a bit of a travel “cushion” in case there are any unexpected delays. So, I also have a post reviewing the hotel where we stayed coming up pretty soon.

I tried to stick with my IF eating plan but I gave up two days into my vacation! There were so many great dining options that I have to discuss those in a separate post.

 

art · hollywood glamour

More Disney Princess Art

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Recently I posted some fan art of my favorite Disney princesses depicted as film noir heroines. I was entranced with the beautiful depiction of the cartoon damsels, re-envisioned as powerful protagonists in their stories.

I was delighted to come across another article, which takes the “art” concept a bit further. Artist Heather Theurer has taken Disney characters and turned them into timeless oil paintings. Yes, you read that right: oil paintings. Behold!

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Heather Theurer, Dig a Little Deeper (Tiana from The Princess and the Frog)

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Heather Theurer, We’re All Mad Here (Alice in Wonderland)

These beauties are museum quality and they can be yours! Theurer sells her works on Wildstar Tempest, where you can check out her Disney themed oil paintings as well as her other works, including wildlife and fantasy paintings. I’m particularly fond of her fantasy pieces.

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Heather Theurer, I Am

Theurer does an insanely good job of blending magic and realism. I’m so glad that Buzzfeed profiled this incredible artist! Please make sure to check her out on Instagram and support her work.

art · life curation

Art is a Healer (I Knew It Already)

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There’s nothing like confirmation. There’s a sweet satisfaction that comes from having someone state what you’ve known all along: it’s good to know that your thinking is accurate.

Recently, I came across an article that describes how some physicians in Canada are prescribing trips to the art museum to their patients. There are therapeutic benefits associated with spending time observing and appreciating art.

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Well, as you all know, I wrote about how I healed during my divorce by regularly visiting art museums. My time in museums helped tremendously with my self care and was one of the greatest keys in lifting my mood during the darkest period of my life. There was something so comforting about walking in those pristine and taking in all of the beauty that had been created years prior.

The article also talks about doctors prescribing time in nature to patients, as well. Yup, that’s another thing I used while I was on my self-care journey. All of these things contributed to getting me back into a state of wellness.

Well, that’s it for today. Just came in for a quick gloating session – I kid, I kid! I hope you all are enjoying your Saturday! Take care, and talk to you all tomorrow.

life curation

Excited for NaNoWriMo

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I can barely contain my excitement. It’s NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writer’s Month, for those that have never heard of it before. This is possibly my favorite month of the year, because no other month gathers so many writers together to churn out a novel within 30 days.

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Now, a novel written in 30 days won’t necessarily be the next great American novel, but the main thing is to get into the habit of writing daily and capturing your creativity in words. So many people want to be writers, yet, they never can quite get their time or support network together to undertake the task. So their great book remains unwritten and inside of them. It’s tragic, really: how many of us were changed by something that we read? Imagine how many additional life-changing moments are out there, sitting the recesses of someone’s mind.

NaNoWriMo is especially beneficial for me because I love having a clear goal that I can work towards. 50,000 words in one month? Lofty goal, for sure, but completely possible. What’s really great about NaNoWriMo is that there are Meetup groups that form specifically to support one another during this month. I may attend a gathering before the month is out.

Are you all participating in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, please let me know in the comments below!

life curation

Finish 2018 on a Strong Note

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Hi friends! Can you believe we’re already in the month of NOVEMBER? I know, time flies when you’re having fun!

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With two months left in the year, you probably think that you won’t be able to do anything impactful before the years end. Nothing could be farther from the truth! 60 days is more than enough time to do something that will really help you to finish 2018 on a strong note. If nothing else, you can get a good running start for 2019.

So take out those goals you had for 2018 – you know, the ones that got lost in the sauce sometime in February – and give them a good once-over. See which one would really mean the most to you, and get started on it NOW! If you need an idea for how to get started on your goal, I have a post about one of my sneaky tricks for successful resolutions.

Start by doing something today that will take you five minutes or less (preferably less). Take the action immediately, and you’ll already feel like you’re headed in the right direction. As for me, I’m spending 15 minutes today on my “big goals” – five minute on each of my 3 goals – to get some momentum going. And then I’ll be jumping into my writing, because it’s NaNoWriMo! Check out tomorrow’s post for more about the NaNoWriMo festivities for this year.

Talk to you all tomorrow!

life curation

Making Space Challenge – Quick Update

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Yes, I’m still sticking to my #MakingSpaceChallenge, though being away for a week broke up the “flow” of things. However, being on vacation helped me to make mental space that I desperately needed so no complaints here!

On my first full day back at home, I did bag up some items to take to a local thrift store (I’ll be dropping off of those items later today) and go through the enormous pile of mail, quickly throwing away anything that I didn’t need immediately or that would end up costing me money (looking at you, clothing catalogs!) I also got a chance to listen to some podcasts that had been in my queue for a while, which opened up (literal) space on my phone.

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This little traveler opted out of buying or picking shells as souvenirs LOL

Sometimes, the greatest thing you can do to #makespace is simply don’t further clutter what emptied space you have. Avoid adding more clutter on top of what currently exists and you’ll be in a good position to eventually make some progress. Since I wasn’t at home, I wasn’t unnecessarily shopping, so I didn’t decrease my space. Yes, I purchased souvenirs, but I’m delivering all of those travel tokens to their final homes within the week, so the items won’t be in my space for much longer!

I’m spending today doing a lot of cleaning and food prep so that I have more time and space for NaNoWriMo! More about that in a couple of days, but for now, have a great October 31st, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

art · hollywood glamour

Disney Princesses as Film Noir Heroines

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Happy Tuesday, friends! Before I left for my cruise, I had a few cool things that I wanted to share over here, and now that I’m back, I can finally write some posts!

I recently came across these amazing portraits of Disney’s princesses envisioned as 1930s/1940s film noir heroines. For those that don’t know, I love movies from this period of time, especially film noir. I’m also a huge fan of Disney movies. So seeing some of my childhood favorites portrayed as boss film heroines excited me far more than it probably should have, but oh well.

I’m sharing a couple of my favorite drawings with you all here. If you want to see more, be sure to check out the artist, Astor Alexander.

Pocahontas looks like the hero we all need but don’t deserve. I’d wear this outfit right now: it’s simultaneously vintage and current. Why is this photo everything I need in life?

Cunning, dangerous, gorgeous. Jasmine draws you in like a moth to a flame. That over-the-shoulder glance is EVERYTHING. And her signature teal ensemble hasn’t lost any of its allure in Alexander’s re-envisioning. Perfection!

My personal fave, not just because she’s a Black woman like myself, but because this drawing looks so much like the impossibly gorgeous Sanaa Lathan AND this dress is something I need in my wardrobe like, today. Tiana is the edgy seductress that I want to be when I grow up. Total goals.

Make sure to check out the rest of the princesses that Alexander has reimagined. You won’t be disappointed!