Simplify life by combining blogs.

A simple life has a different meaning and a different value for every person. For me, it means eliminating all but the essential, eschewing chaos for peace, and spending your time doing what’s important to you. ~ Leo Babauta

To the few readers who visit this site, I ask that you track me down at Writing My Life – a new title for my primary blog that I’ve maintained for nearly 2 years.

I think you know I LOVE to write, and I write a lot, BUT I am NOT accomplishing the goal I’ve set: to write and publish a book by me.

I LOVE blogging, but it’s sort of getting in the way of that book goal of mine. You see I also host a THIRD blog: Link2Literacy. I created it as part of my day job working as the secondary literacy specialist for a school district. Something HAS to go, and so I chose to say adiós to The Write Groove as it receives very little attention AND the hits it does receive usually come from a spam source that promotes male enhancement products.

By combining blogs, retitling the resulting product, and broadening the focus, I think I can find more time for my writing goals that include blogging.

With that said, this is the last time I will post here, but I will keep this site enabled until the 5 or so consistent readers find me at my new place. In the meantime …

HAPPY BLOGGING IN 2011!

NaNoWriMo: What I did NOT write.

Step back for a moment, and take an objective look at your writing life. Are you failing because you’re simply not writing?  Are you failing because your family keeps you too busy to do your research or editing? Are you failing because you’re weary, depressed, or despondent? ~ Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

My response to Ms. Pawlik-Kienlen’s questions is “all of the above.”

Sigh.

I wrote ONE freakin’ page during NaNoWriMo. That’s it! PA.THE.TIC.

It is not that I did NOT or am NOT writing.

I am.

I am just not writing my “dream book.”

What am I writing? Well, let’s see …

• Email replies by the 100s
• Blog posts – and not even many of those!
• Blog comments – a few
• Book reviews – a couple
• PowerPoint presentations – big whoop.
• Google Chats – mostly to my boss Carolyn  – and her friend Amy, who pops in every once and a while
• Social networks – Facebook and Buzz status updates
• Texting – mostly family members, but a few friends and colleagues
• Notes from meetings and/or presentations
• Well-wishes in forms of birthday cards or thank you notes, etc.
• To-do lists
• Calendar updates
• Forms – from those required to buy stuff online to work reports
• Reminders to self, family members, and others who help me survive

What did I do INSTEAD of writing my novel?

• work, Work, WORK, WORK!
• Commuting- 100s of hours, but at least I enjoy listening to audio book tapes by the score!
• Hang out with hubby – which usually means watching more TV than I like to
• Sleep – about 7 hours a night – absolutely necessary for someone my age!
• Visit or escort my cute mom here and there – wouldn’t give this up for the WORLD! She is so dang fun to be with.
• Attend plays (a couple of winners at the Hale Centre) with Mom and sister Connie
• Worry – SO unproductive!
• Read – NOT a much as I like! Still enjoying my year of UTAH authors.
• Attend meetings – mostly work and CHURCH! (Yes, I am a Church Lady!)
• Shopping – as in groceries or Christmas
• Surfing the web – research for work, writing (a little), shopping, curiosity
• Talking on the phone – not much now that I can text
• Good deeds – like visiting neighbors and other Church Ladies
• Cooking – a bit
• Eating – a lot
• Preparing for and enjoying the holidays, as in Thanksgiving when the whole fam was here and Christmas, as in decorating the house, shopping for and shipping gifts
• Exploring BOSTON for a week in November! So super FUN!
• Looking for lost items

I could go on, but I think you get the point! However, as one of my favorite procrastinators Scarlett O’Hara is so often quoted, I add my confirmation ~

After all … tomorrow is another day.