Michele Venne's Blog, page 4

Still Sliding

Sometimes the next week smooths out after a rough one. And sometimes week two is a continuation of “rough”. I prefer to solve one problem at a time and have the ordeal be done. Like my car. I noticed a shimmy in the steering wheel. I texted my mechanic. He suggested the tires. I made an appointment for the place that takes care of that for me, and the problem was easily solved. Done.

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Holding Together

I thought it was just me that felt this week, maybe the last 2 weeks, have been weird. It’s not a full moon. Maybe a bunch of planets were aligned? I’m not sure, but these last days have been… strange. Several of my clients were off. I thought it best to alert my boss. I didn’t expect him to do anything, just wanted him to be aware. He agreed that things have been weird. My horse wasn’t herself.

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Small Wins

I finally finished the second part of the anthology story 🙂 I knew I would be over my 5K word limit we loosely agreed on for each part, totaling 20K words. I’m over by 2K. I need to fix a few plot threads, so that will add words. I’m sure the others will make suggestions as to where I can cut a sentence or phrase. I can usually work on several projects at once, even different fiction stories.

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Unicorns

In the publishing industry, when an author makes it big with their first book, especially if they haven’t done any marketing, we call them a “unicorn.” We know what they are. We may doubt they exist until we become one or know first hand of one that exists. Well, I’m an observer of a unicorn. Someone I’ve know for a decade published her first book. Not a novel, but a collection of short stories.

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Simple Words

After two years, I couldn’t come up with how to think about my current writing life. When I started back in 2000, I didn’t know that I would write and publish books. There was just a story swirling in my head. The scene and characters wouldn’t quiet down until I wrote what I saw in my mind. Some time passed, then I took a creative writing class. That led to other classes…

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And We’re Off!

I hope your 2025 has started with hope, optimism, good health, and happiness in your corner of the universe. I’ve enjoyed some quiet days alone to fill in my calendar and consider my intentions for this year. Nothing wild, just continued forward momentum toward doing what is important to me. I’m having a yard sale this weekend. I’ve cleared things out here and there through the years…

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It’s a Wrap!

With four days left in 2024, I’m squinting at what I’ve accomplished and what still needs to be done, and I think if I tilt my head and stand on one foot, they’re balanced. I had the idea that perhaps this year would end with all items crossed off my to-do list. It was tantalizing and exciting for the handful of days I thought I could pull it off. Alas, the best I’m going for is to have a list…

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Winding Down, or So I Thought

With the holidays and gatherings and school getting out, it’s usually a time to wind down, at least for me. I look forward to a week or so enjoying quiet time alone in the house. I have few, if any, appointments, no scheduled work, and often laze on the couch with a book or watch Netflix. By this time, I’m usually done planning for the next year. I have my calendar and have penciled in things…

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To-Do Lists

Many people have them. Some can’t live without them, while others live better not having them. I’ve had one for most of my life. For me, it started when I was in high school. I had a calendar and wrote down my assignments and my schedule for work, sports, concerts, and horse shows. I worked at a restaurant and at a couple of local ranches. For each job, I had a list of what needed to be done while…

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Winter Days

In figuring out why time seems to pass by quickly, I reviewed my days and realized it’s the season. In the summer, I need to be up at 4:30am so I can get to the barn early. Too late, and the temps are already over a hundred degrees. In the winter, I wait until the sun comes up. No reason to get to the barn in the dark or ride before the sun rises. Two hours difference between summer and winter…

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