Bleed for art

I've seen and heard this quote from Ernest Hemingway many times. I've had mixed emotions and opinions about it, too. Currently, I feel as if it is the absolute truth. 

Write

Don't give up

This is a reminder I need for myself this evening! 

Happily Ever After

I went to an RWA meeting today and it was wonderful! It's an organization full of people that write romance novels so of course Happily Ever After is a MUST! Happy For Now will do too but the point is - a HAPPY ENDING to an enjoyable and hopefully well-crafted story. 

Then I came home to discover that there is a wedding happening in the neighborhood. It turns out that we can hear quite a bit of it from the kitchen/dining room. There is a lot of laughter and that makes me smile. So often there is chaos and tumult in our world but I believe that the majority of people do want love, laughter and happiness in their lives. I know I do and I feel blessed to have those things. It's also why I write romance novels and never give up on getting my stories out there. I believe the people of our world like love and Happily Ever After! 

So true

Paper and Pen

I had forgotten just how much I like writing with a pen on paper. In April I got into a thing called Bullet Journaling. It's an organizational system built around simplicity and results. However, it is also a world of creativity that I had no idea existed until a few months ago.

I kept seeing it referenced through hashtags on Instagram. Finally, I checked it out and - as I told a friend of mine - I went down Alice's rabbit hole! There is an entire group of people - myself included now - who swear and plan their lives through their Bullet Journals! The original creator of the system, Ryder, has a great video about his intent and how he uses his Bullet Journal. As he says, "It's the analog system for the digital age." You basically use a notebook or journal and write down the things you need to do or remember and then get things done!

A lot of people also use their Bullet Journal for actual journaling or artistic ventures such as writing or drawing. It can be as fancy or as simple as you want it to be. Every Bullet Journal is as individual as the person who uses it. In my opinion, that is the beauty of this community.

My Bullet Journal is a mixture of a task oriented planner, journal and writing ideas. It is wonderful to have the things I need to remember for my kids, myself and my husband in the same book that I journal in and jot down ideas for my books. I absolutely LOVE having all of this stuff in ONE book that I can put in my purse and have whenever I need it. As I said in the beginning, an added bonus is that I have rediscovered the joy of writing with a pen on paper.