05 March 2024
I just sat down to start writing on my new schedule. I plan to write for at least 15 minutes to see how focused I can stay. I want to increase my writing time, but starting slowly and working my way up is best. I will go as long as I can today before losing my train of thought and then repeat the process for the rest of the week. Next week, I will deliberately try to write for at least five minutes longer.
I thought about joining a local writers' group that meets weekly, but I need to increase my writing time and focus before I attempt that. I can get some good tips and ideas from the group, but I want to prepare for the event. I also am cautious about going out into large crowds, even three years after the pandemic started, because I have breathing problems, and I don't need to get sick. The group will still meet when my confidence is higher.
I'm still adjusting to my enforced writing schedule today. Like all changes, this will take some getting used to, but it will be worth the effort in the future. One thing that I always do is stop typing every few sentences to run Grammarly and correct the mistakes that I made while typing. Does anyone else do this? This practice keeps me focused, and that is a good thing. It should continue my writing process because I would do all the correcting at the end anyway.
Another thing I use Grammarly for is monitoring how much I have written and how long it takes someone to read it. One thousand five hundred words make for an excellent read that is shorter for most people. That averages to a five-minute read, which I will try to accomplish during this first writing session. If I don't make that goal, I will have achieved the objective of writing for 30 minutes.
Of course, no sooner had I typed that last sentence when we had a power surge here, so I shut the Mac down for a few minutes. I am satisfied because I got some good writing in and feel energized. I'll take things as they come, and I must get dinner ready, so I'll sign off for now and return later this evening.
I decided to return earlier than planned rather than sit around doing something. This is just another part of making adjustments to my daily routine to improve my writing each day. I can't watch TV this evening because I don't care about the elections. I already voted, and that was the vital thing. I am sick and tired of the election already; it is still eight months away! I am disgusted with the Nazis and the other party that refuses to call Cheeto Mussolini and his followers Nazis. I used to be politically active but can't stand the hatred anymore.
I did enjoy dinner tonight. I made tacos with chicken breasts that were already cooked, so all I needed was the extras to put on the tacos and the tortillas, of course. One was more than enough for me. After I finish writing this story, I plan to take a nice, relaxing shower and unwind before bedtime.
I need to go to bed early tonight. My sleep schedule has been messed up for more than a week since Phyllis was here. Tomorrow morning, I am supposed to be in Physical Therapy around 0900, so staying up late is a bad idea.
The physical therapy is doing me good, but I still need more work done to find the cause of my dizziness. I am trying to find a neurologist who can get me an MRI because that is the fastest way to identify the problem. I have an appointment with my PCP next week, and she can refer me to an MRI specialist.
I want to say that I am feeling better, but that would be a lie. The dizzy spells seem more frequent recently, and that has me worried. Hal still watches out for me every minute of the day, and I love him for that.
The dizziness affects our ability to venture out because Hal cannot drive due to vision problems. We have talked about going out some evenings, but I told him we would do that only with a Lyft ride there and back because I feel I need to be more secure driving at night.
Tomorrow's post is brewing, so I'm calling it a night here.
Be kind to each other.