Day 2 – 2018 AWAC

The 2018 August Write Away Challenge

If you’re just joining us, please feel free to go back and read the previous content so you’re up to speed!

• 2018 August Write Away Challenge original post
• Day 1 – What book did you read over and over again as a child?

Reminders before we get started:

• The prompt is to use or ignore as you wish;
• Absolutely any form of the written word is allowed;
• All participation will be on the honor system, though sharing is strongly encouraged;
• Participants will be asked to let me know each week that they’ve written daily;
• Those who do write daily for the week will have their name entered into a drawing at the end of the month for a $25 Amazon Gift Card;
• Any blogger who participates and writes every day for the month will receive a badge for your blog.
• Please send me an email or contact me to let me know you’re participating!

Thu, Aug. 02 – Some of the things that make me happy are…

This morning finds me at my kitchen table. I am equipped with a cup (okay, okay… a big cup) of freshly ground and brewed Superior coffee (Sailor’s Sunrise — if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it) with Coconut Creme flavored creamer, a hinky-cool 80-hour candle from someone who tolerates my ramble of a letter-writing habit, Amy Grant’s A Christmas Album (that’s right — 1983, ladies and gents) playing, and though the rain stopped sometime during the night, the Upper Michigan predawn is cool and crisp with the scent of coming Autumn.

These are the things that not only make me happy, but also inspire me. A person who crafts, regardless of medium and form, knows how important inspiration can be. It’s not always about finding something that is new and fresh; in fact, for me, it’s more about settling back into a comfortable place where I know I am content and free of distractions. That’s why I write with a candle and coffee and Christmas music. That’s why I always sit at the same place near the Lake to play my guitar. That’s why I spend my Saturday mornings drinking mediocre coffee so I can listen to Dan & Co., tell ridiculous Yooper Tales while I write. That’s why I read some books over and over, why I listen to some music over and over, why I write some sentences over and over.

The only wrench for me this morning is my big, hairy Maine Coon. He’s perched by the door to the back deck, staring out into the slowly lightening morning, crowing at something or another. Incessant, I think, is the right word. Every five seconds. “Raaaaow… raaaaaaaow… raaaaow… raaaow… raow!… raaaaaaaaow…” Maybe there’s a neighbor cat in the yard? Maybe a bird? A thirteen-striped ground squirrel? The pregnant momma fox? More likely than any of these, perhaps — the wind is moving the trees and the shifting shadows has unnerved him. He’s standing guard. His constant crying has annoyed more than unnerved me, and yet if I’m honest — he, too, makes me happy.

And… Wicket Lake. Seriously, friends… writing itself makes me happy, but this particular project? I’ve fallen in love with it. I’ve fallen in love with the characters. I’m so eager to finish and share it with all of you! It would make me very… happy. 🙂

What are some of the things that make you happy?

Happy AWAC writing!

From the shores of Wicket Lake,