Making 2014 SPARKLE!

Okay, yes I know that SPARKLE! was our December power word.  And, yes I know it is now January.  And, no, I didn’t write a post in December. That’s because, frankly, I didn’t feel very sparkly in December. I felt chaotic, thankful, busy, relieved, and a lot of other mixed emotions but not really sparkly.  In the last week of the year, when most of the hosting and feasting was over, I was simply happy to feel and be lazy.  Because I’ll admit – I was exhausted from 2013.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do choose an overall “theme” for each year.  For the past few years it’s been: to be uncomfortable as much as possible. In other words, to constantly say “yes” to new things, to push myself, to make possibilities realities. Because the more uncomfortable you are, the more you grow.

And, it’s worked quite well. To name just a few results, I’ve gotten my own business running on all cylinders, developed some wonderful clients, taught at my former college, become a public speaker of sorts, started a new networking group, learned to paddleboard, learned to surf (barely), learned to play the piano (sort of), kayaked for the first time, made a music video with my Chicks, and written a LOT.  However, I still feel like a beginner at many of these things.

Mario Sarto CCA-SA 3.0

So this year, I’m changing things up a bit.  Always doing new things is great, but now I want to focus on doing things better. I’m going to focus on polishing my craft, whether professionally or personally.

In particular, in my writing, I am in the final stages of completing an approx 35,000 word Middle Grade manuscript.  I’ve started an awful lot of stories before, and finished very few.  This is the one I’m most proud of so far. And, to give myself the chance to make it bloom into something bigger, I have to stick with it, polish it and give it a chance to SPARKLE!  So, our power word for December has become my Word to Live By in 2014.  I’m gonna make it SPARKLE!

SPROUT! Reach For the Sun

I struggled with the word SPROUT! for a while.  What does it mean to me as an artist? And as an action?

Initially, I felt as though once I’ve planted the seeds and given them nourishment, all I can do is watch them grow.  But that’s passive. There’s no power in that.  Then…I thought of myself as the SPROUT! instead of the gardener.

Glysiak 25 Sept 11 CCA-SA

What would I do if I were sprouting?  Why, I’d reach for the sun.  With each tendril unfurling, I’d reveal new parts of myself.  Pushing and stretching and striving toward the light.  Bringing forth something that did not exist in the world before.  So, that is what I am doing this month.

I’ve pushed myself in both my young adult and middle grade novels, writing new scenes, discovering new traits within my characters and getting words down on the page that bring my stories closer and closer to the light of day. And I will keep pushing, keep writing, keep reaching, keep sprouting.

What will unfold this month when you SPROUT?