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Fast Five: Writing Goals

Oct25

Hello, My Lovelies! So it’s been a minute since I’ve done a Fast Five on my writing goals.

Embarrassed? Eh. Partially, but I am not currently a professional writer, or even trying to break in. Even when I send stuff in, it’s a 50/50 on whether it’s because I want to “Be Published” or just share my stories.

So here we go!

  1. I unfortunately missed my deadline for LoH for the first time. It doesn’t feel good. Yes, there were reasons, but a missing story is a missing story.
  2. Currently, I am writing poetry sideways. Not necessarily one a day, but when inspo strikes I am  writing it down.
  3. And instead of writing in a Word document, I am writing it out long hand. In a pretty pretty journal/notebook.
  4. I have entered the era of letters. Some are fan letters, some are actual letters. The actual letters are for a memory care home for patients with dementia. There’s less than 25 residents, and I’m trying to do one batch per quarter. The fan letters are to authors.
  5. Trying to have fun again. Did one of those fan letters where it was a poem/story that if you read the first letter of each line going down it is their name. Silly? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Will I ever share or send? Ummmm debatable. HahHaha

I’ve started to wonder about what I’m trying to write. Especially as I’m uncomfortable with parts of it. I think I’m just going to continue playing with words for the rest of the year and see where I’m at on what my goals should be for 2026.

No Kings

Jun14

A poem in progress

No Kings

Our military does not vow
To protect Kings nor Queens
Instead their vow belongs
To the Constitution
Which exists to blanket
(US) us in safety.

And should an enemy come
Forward and make complaint
Against the words,
The very page and ink, that
Forged a nation under God
Then shall they raise
Sword and shield to defend.

Lady Liberty will keep watch,
Her flame burning bright
Watching as her sons and daughters
Defend the rights
Laid down by our forefathers.

Checking In: Fast FIVE

Apr10

Oohhhh here we go! This fast five has to do with me, Myself and I. Lol. Just a quick check-in on how the writerly and readerly things are going

  1. Still reading an absolute MONSTER amount of books. Instead of constantly adding to the books read total, these past few weeks I’ve been rereading old favorites. At 140 out of the 350 I put on the 2025 challenge– I think I’m gonna be ok.
  2. I am currently grooving on the Ladies of Horror flash project. You can find it HERE. It explores a darker side that I find I really like. It makes it easier to explore some things– whether social or emotional. You should go and read all the fabulous poems and stories that are over there!
  3. Still doing a poem a day and making it to my 4pm writing date with the absolutely fabulous Rie. She has a substack where she does many types of poetry things. Here is a link to her post about one of my favorite things to hoard– blank note books!
  4. I’m getting better… I’d had a brutal  case of bronchitis and am slowly getting everything back on track. I’d let a lot of things slide while sick: housework, writing, all the stuff.
  5. Including my OTHER creative outlet– the planner journals. At first I started writing it in a journal but then stopped that too. And I’m not starting back up because it seems like so much work to back plan a MONTH. Maybe though… Maybe I should do what I do with my writing. Give myself a little bit of grace and start where I’m at. I can always go back and do the other weeks with my journal…

So there’s my current Fast Five. What would your current Fast Five include?

Not gonna lie…. Almost did a 6 but there’s nothing sinful to put on the list!

Odd Duck

Mar20

Lately I’ve been feeling like an odd duck, swimming in the ocean.

Let me back up. Life up and heave-hoed me in 2023. My dad died, the one who kept me tethered to where I was, through love for him while honoring a promise to my mother.  I moved from Northern California to Missouri a year and a half ago. I started out here with my teen son, but now I’m suddenly an empty nester. I’ve started attending church. I’ve been around family more. I started working from home.


Holy crap. No wonder I feel like a duck in the ocean.  Feet paddling just as fast as I can.


That has been reflected in my writing. I quit writing—heck I quit reading—for a while. Even the cards I used to send out were few and far between.

I’m writing more now. I’m writing a variety of things, too. I had been firmly in my short story era, but I’ve branched into drabbles, poetry, flash fiction and essays. And I’m submitting that work.


What I haven’t done? Gotten anywhere close to completing a novel. Or heck, half way through a novella. Will I? Maybe. I have in the past, but that was decades ago. Am I heart broken? Not really.
Because this odd duck is writing.

And sometimes that’s all you can do.

Oh my gosh!

Feb11

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve been here. I’m so sorry, my Lovelies!

I decided that in 2025 I was going to shake some things up. We know I’m writing every day, but I added a poem a day into that. I haven’t missed a day yet, knock on wood. Haiku is your friend, people! I also started a new planner, and decided to use it for writing things. My poems end up in there, so at the end of 2025 I’ll have a pretty book of my poems.

What else? Oh! I’m saying yes more. Getting out and seeing my sister. Going to church on Sunday because that’s where she is. Also, lunch with the family after is really nice. I’m going to be honest, I generally consider myself to be a believer. But not necessarily in organized religion. Some Sundays I get more out of it than others. Some Sundays I enjoy seeing the little ones, since mine is no longer little.

Once the weather gets better I’m going to start exploring more. I am going to the library and signed up for a class at the end of the month. Just getting more social. More connected.

Honestly, I think many of us need to nurture those close connections.

More, soon, my Lovelies!

2025 Goal Setting

Jan1

Happy New Year’s, my Lovelies! Is 2025 being kind to you so far?

I normally do intentions, but this year I’ll call them goals. I can work towards a goal– we do it all the time.

Reading Goal: 300. Why did I make it LESS than what I read last year? Because hopefully I’ll be writing more, and doing more.

Writing Goals: Poem a day. Already have today’s done 😀 However we are also keeping our writing hour Monday thru Friday. I finally got a story that feels like it has bones. Like you can hang a novel on it and it will walk away into the ether. The goal is to both write it and self publish it in 2025.

In my personal life, my goal is to get out more. I have fully bought into the writer as hermit thing and it isn’t working for me. Well, it is.. but there are things I want to do as well. Places to go. Things to see. People to visit hehehehe. Some of those places are close, some involve a train ride and the windy city, and maybe one that could qualify as a road trip. I’m going to have to save save save for it! But even if I don’t go on the big trips, there’s nothing keeping me from the little ones.

So. That’s what I hope to do in the upcoming months. It will be interesting to read it on December 31, as I get ready for a goals check in!

Do you have any goals for 2025, reading, writing or personal?

2024 Wrap Up

Dec31

2024 I had some definite goals for both reading and writing (excuse me, intentions). Some personal ones as well. Here’s a check in on how the first two went.

To absolutely NO ONES surprise, I crushed my reading goals. So much so that I had to keep moving the goal posts out further. 150 became 180 became 220. I am ending 2024 having read 343 books. 344 if I finish the one I am currently reading. People ask me how, and I’ll tell you the secret. While I often have my television on for background noise, I only watch a few shows. Between COVID and the writers strike, I just started reading more.  I also work from home so spend zero time commuting.

Writing. I am not where I wanted to be but am doing better than I was. At one point I had 4 or 5 different stories bumping around in my head and would switch around. I finally found one that has legs on it and have been working on it exclusively.

I’ve also started writing more poetry. And submitting it! I’ve never submitted to an actual poetry market before, but I’ve done it now lol. And it feels good.

Really good.

Tomorrow will be time enough to reflect on goals for 2025. Today, I’d like to bask in what did go right in 2024.

Happy New Year’s, my Lovelies!

Merry Christmas!

Dec25

Hello my Lovelies!

I hope you are having the merriest of Christmases. Today has been lovely, lots of left over Chinese food and time with the Princeling.

Blossoming is a new piece that went live today. have been getting better about submitting my poetry and prose poetry. You can see my most recent work over at the Ladies of Horror (regular link in case it didn’t work above) 

Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author Wynelda Ann Deaver @darc_nina #LoH

Hope you enjoy!

Poems & Poetry

Dec13

I’ve been writing more poetry lately. I’m gonna writer up and submit some of them– eek! But in my quest to get out the angst (poetry has always been a form of therapy for me), I’ve found someone who has been helping me and nudging me in the right direction.

My sister in words, Rie Sheridan Rose. She has helped me so much… And now she has a Substack, where she can help you too 😀

What I like about her substack is that she gives easy to try ways to access poetry for those, like me, who aren’t confident. Example to. And on the one on Found Poetry, she even gives us some of her writing to find a poem in.

Go give it a whirl.

https://riesheridanrose.substack.com/

I don’t know how to do the pretty linking while on my phone, I hope you’ll forgive me

And then go right on over and sign up!

En Bloc: Magazine Review

Jun27

Hello! Welcome back, my lovelies! It’s Magazine Monday… a day early LOL

I really enjoy literary magazines—although the price can be off putting, getting the right one can feel like you’ve found a magical unicorn. When I go to Barnes & Noble, I generally only buy my magazines there. I mostly read on my Nook. Once upon a time, the selection at any given B&N would be relatively the same. Not so this last time. I don’t know if they are selling out, or if the different stores carry different magazines. Also, sometimes the publish date seems like it was a long time ago, but with the ramifications of Covid across so many industries, I’m willing to hold my piece on this.  However, this is an interesting conundrum: I have one near my work and one closer to my home.  If they carry differing magazines, I need to figure out when the ones I like come in at each one. If they are the same and just selling out quick, well. That makes life So. Much. Easier.

I am not going to subscribe. I don’t like reading magazines on my Nook, and the US Post Office has dropped the ball. When Covid hit, I subscribed to 2 magazines. One of them I didn’t get 3 issues of. And  it’s bi-monthly! So half the issues! Yes, they sent them out to me, but really? Once things started opening up… I want to go and browse.

Today I want to talk to you about one of those browsing finds. This is from the Momcation trip to B&N. I found a little imported Literary Zine called En Bloc. It is imported from the UK, and so is one of the ones in the US that has a little bit of a hefty price tag.

The cover is eye catching and fun, a mustachioed popsicle sticking out its tongue. I am happy to say that the insides are also eye catching. The Letter from the Editor(Samuel Leach) has a large chunk of it that has a line drawn through it, and then he begins. Again. Kind of like the last bit of life has been for us.  This magazine has photography, an interview with Bill Plympton, poetry and of course the fiction that I loved. Both the for the enjoyment of reading the story, and for the techniques.

Because I write too. It’s always awesome to find writer’s excelling at telling stories in a different way. “Baby Brownie” by Ian Cowmeadow tells the story both in the past and future. It is handled really well, with the reader (me) never getting lost, and still engrossed in the story and not just geeking out over the writing. “Elanor’s Party” by Dave Gerow is one of the few stories I’ve read in Second Person perspective that really does grab you into the story and not let go.

The issue I found at B&N was the first issue. The second issue looks like it is out, based on their website (link below). I can’t wait to find it in the store.

The stories caught my eye, kept me interested. As I am a fickle, picky reader this is a great feeling! While I did read every story (I skipped most in other magazines—which will remain nameless), however there were 2 that stayed with me.

Overall verdict, not only will I buy again, it is the sort of magazine I want to share with my friends so we can talk about the stories.

En Bloc

https://enbloc.co.uk/shop/