Happy New Year's Rambling, Part the Second

First workday of 2012, and I'd say so far so good, but I've already done two hard reboots, wrangled an annoying firewall program, beat a suspicious popup into submission and discovered the hard way that the new power cord is not as long as the dearly departed one. This last bit, I should mention, requires me to scoot the comfy chair in Panera closer to the fireplace.

This last bit is not at all a bad thing, as it allows me to be both productive and comfortable. Fireplaces are something one wants to be as close as possible to during January in the northeast US. Hot chocolate may have to happen while Panera is still offering their peppermint version. Or I can smuggle in a mini candy cane and stick one in the regular stuff. I'm resourceful that way.

I'm counting this year as starting off on the right foot, as I spent yesterday at not one but two New Year gatherings; afternoon at the open house/book swap, and then the traditional non-traditional New Year's meeting at house church. Got a seat by the fire there, too, so I think I'm on a roll. Two gatherings in one day is like handing Tigger a Red Bull and an espresso, then putting him on roller skates. This is how extroverts recharge, so after all that, I'm good to go. Didn't hurt that DH had ordered in Chinese food by the time I got home, either.

So. New year of reading and writing ahead. While it took me a while to get into Christmas mode, I'm finding that New Year mode has arrived right on time, and I plan on making the most of that. I've learned that when the decluttering bug hits me, I need to let it do its thing; already, it's uncovered the missing longhand pages of a novella I'd been wanting to finish. Very much looking forward to getting back in the groove with that as well as throwing myself into the polish of the current front burner ms and making sure I keep up an ongoing dialog with writer friends. If I know that I process thought by talking, then keeping mum is kind of silly in the light of what I know works for me.

Similarly, the taming of the out of control TBR mountain range lies in organization. I have a short list of what I actually want to read most next out of my recent acquistions, in my current art notebook. I'm keeping track of title, author, setting and links or lack thereof to other books. Already have one book read from that, so I'm feeling rather accomplished there. I read better when I have some plan or structure, so I think things look good for reading more in 2012. No record of what I actually read in 2011, as I didn't keep track, only sporadic notes on Goodreads, but if I have something down in the art book, it's locked in.

Structure is needed for me in the writing as well. Without some sort of roadmap, it feels like I'm driving blindfolded on the Autobahn and the resulting billion car pileup can be seen from space. This does not make me more or less creative than those who plunk down at the keyboard with no idea what the day will bring; it only makes me, well, me. Which is a perfectly fine thing to be. What is not perfectly fine to be is constantly looking over my shoulder to see what anybody else thinks I ought to be doing instead of what comes naturally.

Getting wordy once again (oh big surprise) so that calls for a part three tomorrow, as I am now at the end of my alloted rambling time and must pound the grownup professional writer keys. Rambling is part of what I do, so I'm not fighting it anymore, but it does need to stay within certain boundaries. I think that's best for all involved.