Rediscovering the symbolism I was weaving in there

I got some decent work done today in going through and reviewing the draft thus far. I think one of the big things that had me stuck was that I had lost track of the symbolism and trains of meaning I had been weaving into the story line. So going back through and doing an edit/review thing is good right now. I am taking notes on the story line as I go, as well as the symbolism I want to keep using. I still have a long way to go in reading through and noting everything, but I am working on it. I like the idea of setting the timer for thirty minutes and doing a spurt of editing, then leaving it be for a while. If I feel up to doing another spurt later in the day, I can. If not, I will work on it more the next day. Editing feels like heavier work to me than writing a rough draft. I wonder if all writers feel that way, or if different writers are more skilled with different parts of the writing process. That would be an interesting question to ask of my fellow writers at the next writer's club meeting. I just have to succeed in remembering to ask it!
I have done more creative work in the kitchen today than I have in my novel. I made pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins, as well as a pan of beef pot pie. I am subbing on Friday as well as Monday and Tuesday, so I figure I should have some food on hand to bring for lunches in the next few days.
We are also plotting some creativity in conjunction with nature - a garden in the backyard this year. So far, we just have seeds that we are starting inside. The cabbage and the sunflowers have started to sprout, and I can see the beginnings of a sprout for one of the peppers. J laughs at me when I say so, but I keep declaring the seedlings cute. It is fun to water them and watch them grow.

keep on plugging

I have been working on the plot to pick through the hard copy of my novel thus far. I am liking this process in part because it is more tactile and mobile. I can flip through pages rather than scrolling up and down on a screen, and I can scribble all over it as ideas and possibilities come to me. I remember feeling this way about writing plays when I was in high school too. I also like the mobility of it because I can take it with me as we get into substitute teaching season (everyone still has sick days and vacation days, and the end of the school year is approaching!). I am going to keep on plugging away at the hard copy of the novel draft. I am also knitting more. I found a good solution to my wrists feeling weak and tired. It involves stealing a tennis ball from the dog and squeezing it for five seconds at a time, ten reps per session, three sessions a day. I am doing a little physical therapy on myself that way. I tack it on at the end of my little interval workouts on the stationary bike, along with some other exercises to keep different grouchy parts of me from misbehaving (knee, back, etc), and I am stronger and happier. I am going to keep on plugging with the knitting, the writing, and J and I are also starting to grow seedlings for our garden this year - another creative outlet. I am excited about the first sprouts coming up - the cabbage beat all the other seeds, with the sunflowers a close second. We will see which seeds decide to sprout next. This is fun to watch.

a plot to conquer writer's block (hopefully)

I have noticed more and more how much I am doing the writer's block thing right now. I haven't gotten a lot of new stuff written in a while - I have been coasting on what I wrote with the last bout of good writing. So my plot for now is to work my way back to being able to do another good bout of writing. It feels like it is time to get the vehicle of my writing serviced - tune up type stuff. So I have printed out the rough draft so far - all of it - 116 pages single-spaced. I am reading through it right now and trying to pick out discrepancies and things that need to be fixed. I am not sure how many times I will need to read through it. Maybe this will be partly getting things in my memory correctly that I have written before. When I feel fairly confident that I have things straight there, I want to go through and make more of a plan of how I am going to work from what I have towards the rest of the story line. I want to make sure I keep myself pointed in the right direction. My goal is to get back to my daily goal of getting 2,500 words a day written. One thing I need to figure out is how to set a goal like that for editing and reviewing purposes. I am not sure if it would work better to think in terms of time spent - like setting a timer - or pages reviewed and edited. I am leaning towards the timer because it is less biased. There will be some pages that won't need more than just a quick read through, while others will need a lot more attention. So measuring my edit and review efforts with a timer seems like a better way to do it. For now I will review how much time I spend each day editing and reviewing, and go from there in deciding how much counts as a worthy goal for each day.

not meds - now what?

Well, it wasn't my meds that were off. I'm not really sure what it was. - maybe J's sinus infection and temporary sleep apnea throwing me off. I have had a lot of stuff going on that leaves me feeling really discouraged. We need a new range; ours is dying. I am still tired, and the best I can figure is that it has to do with allergies and lack of rest. J has had to work really hard, and I am just hoping that things will change soon so he doesn't have to. I have felt off and fuzzy-brained enough that I haven't gotten much writing done. I have just been napping and subsisting. I was crying a lot last night and this morning because I don't feel like I do enough to pull my own weight; I feel like a burden on those around me. I feel like it is the middle of winter again and I don't have any access to sunshine. I've been trying to write and knit and find aid in my creative outlets, but that is harder to do when I feel so fuzzy-brained. It is hard to concentrate. I have been reading more, which is something. I tend to have a harder time reading for long periods of time because my memory makes it harder to keep track of what I've read. I have been reading shorter pieces and stuff where the story line isn't as hard to follow. That is helping some. I am ready for some resolution or change soon, though. I feel like I have been at the end of my rope just hanging on for a while now.