A AROW80 Look at TEH Sunshine, HERE COMES THE SUN!!

It's summer and the summer sunshine has been terribly vacant. Okay, maybe a day or two she has come out of hiding, but seriously, August! You are supposed to be the month of sun and hot, and you are more like the month of rain and maybe a day or two of sun.

Anyway, the muse has returned to me. I went onto my porch (where I am now) to finish a story story I had started. That was 3200+ words later. It is now in revision mode. There are at least two stories in revision mode that I must attend to and send out to my beta readers. That is a main goal for this week.

Smaller/daily goals (or the Bullet Points have Returned):
                 *Finished "Lirael" and started "Abhorsen". Also whilst trolling the Salvo down the way from my work, I found a copy of  "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry. Decided to give it a read and then blog about it. I have fond memories of read this book for a summer reading program at my local library [Darwin R. Barker Library] call Bookopoly. Yes, it sounds like what it is! Books and Monopoly You roll the dice and move around the board, most squares are subject/genre squares, if you land on one of those, you  to pick out a book from that genre/subject matter and had to read the book and report on that same book to get Book Bucks. Books Bucks will buy you prizes ranging from toys to books to art supplies and others. I think Misty was one of the first book I read for Bookopoly. There were plenty of books that I don't think I would have read otherwise. Of course I think because of this I read "Stormy, Misty's Foal" as well.

                 *Continuing to journal twice a week. I haven't really gotten any new ideas, but it's a great way to de-stress. I also use my journal to write more haiku. And because I have been writing A LOT more haiku, I have started tweeting them to the interwebs. Learning to use twitter as a tool to get my writing about, but also interacting with my followers. Good news is my retention of followers has increased.
                  *Visiting my fellow writers/bloggers. This has increased from last week. This past week I visited  other blogs and left comments. This week I have started on right foot and visited three this morning. My plan is to visit at least 1 blog per day.
                  *I only blog once, albeit very late yesterday for the week. In addition to my twice weekly AROW80 check-ins, I am trying to return to my once a week regularly scheduled blog, or twice a week. I had the time, but the amuse was being stubborn and so was I. This week will be better, because I have some idea to work with now. Hehehe!! Also, I bribed the muse with ice-cream! Mwahahah!!

That which I need to start back up again:
                 *Submitting work to places, online journals, contests, etc. I get a little sad when I get a rejection letter. I am well aware that rejection comes before acceptance. As this is the first year where I have made a solid attempt to submit my work, it has proven a task. And as much as the rejection letters/emails bum me out, I try to remember that the blue skies will come out and I will get published. There was this time that I submitted a kids story to Highlights! for Children and got a REAL rejection letter, with an actual signature. With that being said, I am going to climb back on my horse and ride forward.

The skies here in Corning are fighting to clear up. Blue skies abound amidst the fluffy cumulus clouds. I was a avid cloud watcher, still am actually. I don't always lay in the grass to watch clouds. With my nice and HUGE wrap around porch, I can watch the cloud while sitting drinking coffee and writing my blogs. :-)

Enjoying my porch this Sunday morning, almost afternoon, Dear Readers. What are you up to today? I will be going to see my friend Brennan perform in his last performance in the Old Havana Courthouse Melodrama before heading off to college. I think I will enjoy the drive.

Have a sunny filled day, Dear Readers enjoy the world and all the things in it. Oh, and next weekend is the HUGE Doctor Who premier with Peter Capaldi as the new doctor. I am thinking of writing a blog or something for the big premier. Don't forget, Dear Readers, go and check out the Blog Hop and visit all of us writer/bloggers dancing to our own beats and making awesome things for the world to see, hear, and read.

I leave you with some music of the day, Amanda Palmer. Someone who I was familiar with in name only. But after being introduce to her "Theatre is Evil" album, I am successfully hooked. She reminds me of a Cabaret singer turned Rocker.