BEFORE:

As you can see, it was quite cluttered in here. The corners encroached after I moved the art stuff into the office to make room on my kitchen table for stuff like eating. I cleaned the living room and started making space in preparation for the piles coming out of my office.

DURING:

The first step was EVERYTHING OUT. I had done my best to organize, but I had NO. IDEA. How Much Stuff I had in this room. We cleaned and organized as we went, so most of it is blessedly gone or better organized. My life was less hectic once I started putting stuff back in.

AFTER:

It took a lot of work and SEVERAL days of it, which is not always my strong suit, but I am happy with my progress.

I turned the secondary writing desk into a primary art desk and literally turned it around to be one piece with my writing desk. I’ve banished the chair, at least temporarily, and am teaching and writing standing on an anti-fatigue mat.

The rolling bins I reordered and reorganized and made into secondary bookshelves. The primary bookshelves, in an old china cabinet, have been cleaned out and reorganized, along with the craft cabinet, housed in an old armoire. The piano is uncovered, and, I’m happy to say, in regular use, and my filing cabinets and vision boards are appropriately updated.

Now I have a wonderful studio with lots of room to walk around. I’m getting used to standing most of the time again (hail, ye cosmetology days, well met) and painting where I’m used to writing. It’s exciting, and I can’t wait to see what I produce next.

Check out the INSTAGRAM post for more photos.

NEXT UP: a little of what I’ve been working on for CAMP in April. I’m close to needing BETA READERS, so if you’re interested, sign up on my WEBSITE. Squeamish readers, beware.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and I can’t wait to show you what’s up my sleeve next! Happy writing!

xxxlinsey

Yes. I finally did it.

It took until my Tuesday stream, but I finally updated the word count and got the confetti.

Yay Me

I haven’t done much else on the project, but that was still a very long day of writing.

I have three stories left to edit. I think I like them.

So, now I’m on the hunt for a developmental editor

…another me, in other words…

to help me with the final draft. If you know anyone, tell them to CONTACT ME.

I’m also asking for BETA READERS if you’re interested down the line.

I hate being short and sweet, but nothing much is happening. That’s a good thing. It’s been busy, and we have another burst of activity at the end of the month.

The CREATIVE COLLECTIVE is off this week. We’ll meet next on May the 4th (be with you).

Oh yeah…

I cleaned out my office and made a studio

I’ll show you next week. Have a good one.

xxxlinsey

There’s not much else going on in this corner.

All the planning I did so I wouldn’t run out of content, while certainly not for naught, nevertheless does not help me when I just don’t feel like writing.

I hope this weekend will get me in the mood.

What used to be the World Wide Writeathon is now the Storytellers’ Hearth, and it’s happening THIS WEEKEND.

If you want the inside story, check out the STORYTELLERS’ HEARTH. I’ve posted the schedule below.

I’m not hosting this time…too much going on…but I will be in the chats on many, many streams.

I hope to see you there.

I’ll be working on my short story collection…trying to figure out which stories need to be added to or just plain deleted. We shall see. I hope it will be an inspiring weekend around a bunch of other writers who all love doing the same thing I do. The internet makes some pretty amazing things possible.

If that sounds like fun, I hope you will join, but don’t forget I do two live writing streams a week on YOUTUBE.

What are you working on this week and how is your motivation?

xxxlinsey

The CREATIVE COLLECTIVE starts March 30th! If you haven’t signed up, ASK ME HOW!

This is Hard.

The most difficult part of telling a story is deciding where to begin.

“The beginning” is always a safe bet unless you know how long my stories can be.

“Start Somewhere” is another bit of conventional wisdom that I often find just as baffling as it is helpful until I remember that ‘here’ is ‘somewhere’ too.

So. Here it is. And it just so happens that Here feels like (yet another) beginning of sorts. Starting Over.

The most difficult part of starting over is remembering all the ways you screwed up the last (four or five) time(s) you began and trying not to do that again. But screwing up is part of starting anything. It’s part of learning.

So, of all the stories I thought I would tell, it turns out the only cohesive one I’ve got right now is about how I’m trying to start over, trying to screw up, trying to NOT screw up (as much or again), and trying to be ok with a certain amount of screwing up. And it’s not much of a story.

This is hard.  Everything I’m starting, everything I’m remembering, doing my best, and trying to give myself grace when my best is not good enough—it’s all hard.

I keep telling myself it will get easier. Some of it. Maybe all of it. Until then, this is what I’ve got.

I wrote that 5 years ago…

I am at another beginning, the bottom of another mountain.

Not that one, thank God, and I am a lot higher than I was then.

Looking back, I am thankful for my progress. Looking forward, I am daunted but determined.

I will get through because I already have.

I’ve done it before, so I can do it again.

I have a lot more strength, a bigger team, and a much much bigger attitude that says

“Oh yes, I can.”

I’m not really sure what the plan is from here.

Maybe it will come to me, maybe it won’t. It doesn’t hurt me to trust.

This is hard. Yeah. It is. Still.

But easier too.

xxxlinsey

Wondering about the CREATIVE COLLECTIVE or LIVING WRITE course? These links will give you more info, or you can CONTACT ME for next steps.

March is a month I choose to CELEBRATE.

It’s my BIRTHDAY month and the beginning of spring when I start to feel better and more hopeful about life. It’s the lead-up to Easter and the end of Lent. Everything is blooming and beautiful, the weather has started to warm, and everything is just looking up.

It’s a pretty good time of year for me.

YET.

The dark is still there. I’m not out of the pit yet. I can see the light, and I know the end is near.

BUT.

I’m still struggling every day. I don’t understand some of what is going on, and it’s harder knowing this is the time of year I “should” be better.

So, forget “should,” I’ll just

BE.

That’s enough to celebrate right now. The fact that I am here and that I keep on keeping on. If you’re in the same boat, LET ME KNOW, and we can encourage each other.

Speaking of Encouragement…

Have you voted on the CREATIVE COLLECTIVE time? If not, that’s ok. Here’s a link to the FORM.

I can’t wait to get started with you. See you soon.

xxxlinsey

Fat Tuesday?

Or Lent?

Do you identify with one over the other? Why?

(I’d really like to know! Leave me a comment!)

Here’s the thing:

They’re both about celebration.

What are you celebrating now?

I’m still struggling, but I am celebrating creativity this month and hoping you’ll join me.

What is creativity, and how do we use it?

I believe we are all creative beings, but some of us are gifted creatively in ways others are not. We have unlimited creative possibilities, but we may be weaker in certain more practical areas, such as accountability.

This is what I’m striving to achieve: A community where we can benefit each other by working together.

Let me know your strengths and what you’re trying to achieve

Let me know your weaknesses and where you’d like to improve.

This is a completely free opportunity to join a collective of other creators.

Are you in?

Let me know