A Week of Observations: P3

With an extra hour to write and reflect, I figured I'd make a blog list. It's my new thing. Here's what I learned/remembered this week. Next post will be a new interview with the poet and fiction writer, Tina Barry. In the meantime, my week's lessons...

• Saying, "Thanks, that what I intended" in a super low voice is the best way to receive a compliment
• 5Ks are much easier if a dog is pulling you along
• Buying cheap candy means being stuck with cheap candy 
• Getting your short story collection nominated for the Pen/Faulkner is like eating warm bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla
• It's always good to have an extra pair of shoes in the car
• To Do lists are only helpful when they're realistic; otherwise, they are a source of anxiety
• Putting all recurring characters in a single story is awkwardly delicious
• NaNoWriMo could be any month 
• If the conversation is awkward, walking away abruptly is a natural end
• Pot pie can't be dressed up
• The right frame can be tough to find
• People are almost never who they seem
• Ice and heat, in the right combination, can cure most minor ailments
• Handstands after thirty are an exercise in fearlessness - but they shouldn't be rushed

Writing prompt: Write the opening to the next great novel. Just the opening, a mere paragraph. Make that paragraph the best paragraph you've ever written. The next day, read that paragraph and continue to write. 20 minutes minimum. See what happens.