Committing It to Paper: Recording My Experiences in a Travel Journal

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adventure, adventures, courage, free-writing, Grand Tetons, journaling, national park, travel, vacation, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

I wrote a book this past year. I’m super pumped and proud of my accomplishment.

I do, however, feel the need to explain. This isn’t a story for publication. Chances are, no one else will ever read it besides me.

So why am I so excited to have finished?

Taking Small Steps Toward Change: Step by Step, Word by Word

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books, bullet journal, free-writing, journaling, learning, racing, running, write28dayschallenge, writing

Whether it’s a natural part of my personality or a talent, I pick-up habits fairly easily. Currently, I’m tracking my fruit and vegetable intake, journaling, and “suiting up” for exercise daily. As a reformed perfectionist, I’m working to see this as simply information for future growth, rather than a report card of my worth as a human.

This habit tracking served me well when I first took up running. The discipline of running 3-4 times a week and building up mileage weekly carried me through my first half, all the way through my last marathon. Highlighting the box of the completed workout kept me motivated to lace up my trainers and complete those runs.

The Art of Writing: Doing the Work When Creativity Lags

Tags

books, free-writing, journaling, learning, write28dayschallenge

While the official Write 28 Days Challenge is over, I’m choosing to continue the work. 

I’m not sure where I got in my head that writing isn’t a creative endeavor, but it’s a falsity I’ve held onto until recently. Perhaps a part of me still does, but recently I started fighting against the belief.

Travel Journaling 5 Minutes a Day: Reaching My Goal through Persistence

Tags

free-writing, Grand Tetons, journaling, memories, national park, travel, vacation, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

For my 40th birthday, my mother gave me a journal. Just a small notebook with a map of the world on the cover. Rather than getting me a birthday card, she preferred to spend her money on something that would be useful long-term. I decided to use it as a travel journal to write about the adventures the Justus Leagues take as a family, and Jay and I take as a couple.

A couple of pages sufficed to log our beach trip last June. As Jay and I planned our mountain-west vacation, I assumed a page or two a day would log the trip. Instead, I filled page after page each day with details. I attempted to keep up while on the trip. As my energy waned into the evening, I started catching up driving from point A to point B. I even journaled by Slough Creek right before being accosted by a bison.

My Surprising Encounter with Wildlife While Relaxing in Yellowstone

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books, fly-fishing, hiking, journaling, reading, travel, wildlife, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

When I first saw the prompt for this week’s Five Minute Friday, I considered spinning the word into another story about our trip to Yellowstone. I thought about writing about our time on Slough Creek and Jay as the observant fisherman.

I could then share about how un-observant I became as I sat on the bank reading a book. The bartender from the night before had written about Hemingway’s time in Yellowstone. We purchased the book, and I knew I had to pack it for our hike/fishing trip. As I sat there, reading, I became engrossed in the story. I could easily picture the places he described.

A Fresh Perspective on Goals and Enthusiasm

Tags

1000gifts, flourish, free-writing, goals, gratitude, journaling, perspective, travel, word of the year, writing

Enthusiasm about goal setting can be contagious at the beginning of the year. We start off with dreams and high expectations about what we can get accomplished in the 12 months to come. To be trendy, we’ve stopped calling them “resolutions,” since nobody keeps those. Instead, we use terms like “goals” or “objectives.”

Direction – Looking Back to Move Forward

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2019 lists, adventures, bullet journal, concerts, family, hiking, journaling, my darling love, project, scotland, storytelling, west highland way, writing

In reviewing 2019 and looking forward to 2020 (the year of my 40th birthday!), I’ve considered what direction I want to take my writing. Seasonal fatigue mixed with stress about moving to a new house (if just up the street), has left me with not much energy to devote to writing. Then I got the flu, which I’m still recovering from.

Back – The Scottish Remix

Tags

adventures, free-writing, journaling, local flavor, quotes, scotland, writing

Me: No matter what the Five Minute Friday
prompt is, I’m gonna make it work for writing about my #Scotland trip

Prompt: BACK

Me:

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Day 60 – #100DaysofFraddtastic Writing

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bullet journal, encouragement, free-writing, gratitude, journaling, learning, perfectionism, project, reading, reflection, storytelling, writing

60 days ago, I began writing on purpose, every day for at least 7 minutes. The value of repetition when trying to improve any new skill has been a recurring theme in my reading. I decided that my next step as a “real writer” was to cultivate a writing habit.

Opportunity, Story Telling, and Being a Real Writer

Tags

books, encouragement, journaling, reading, writing

Thanks to my local-adjacent library, I had the opportunity simultaneously to pursue my loves of writing and Appalachia. The Foothills Voices writing project, hosted by the Blount County library, not only facilitated the first (and only to date) story I’ve published but also taught me research skills I can use for future works.