A Week of Observations: P4

What I learned this week, and a prompt:

• The advice given others can be quite useful when repackaged and delivered back.
• Flow is only possible with focus. Focus is necessary.
• Gyms are great. Go figure.
• There are days when everything sounds like a good idea, then there are days when everything promised needs delivered on and half of it no longer seems like a good idea.
• Running is far more pleasant in chilly temperatures.
• Deep-fried cookie dough exists, and it really should not exist.
• Sweater dresses are not very flattering in general, but they look good on a hanger.
• Black and white photos can make anyone look cool, even when said person forgot to tuck in her shirt (see me reading at Viva Tacoland with my shirt half hanging out).
• Everything seems simpler on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.
• Magical thinking exists for good reason.
• Interviews are damn fun.
• The elderly couple who workout in jeans are more motivation than the iron men and women of the fitness club.
• Dyslexia can be a real PITA, but it's not something to dwell on.
• The guy who works at the coffee shop and doesn't drink coffee should keep that fact to himself.
• Writing is hard but worth it.

As I work on the next author interview, I want to offer a simple prompt:

Find something you've kept for a long time, a memento or even just a strange accessory you refuse to throw away, a broken bracelet or a belt that you've tied around a stuffed animal's belly... whatever. Pick something in your home that you've had for more than a few years. Describe it in detail. Now think about why you still have this thing - what value does it hold? Exaggerate this, give the object to a character and write about why s/he has it for 20 minutes. Nonstop. This is November, people! Go!