Dear Me 2019

Word Count: 499

The Jungle is Back…

Well, Me, it’s been awhile since I’ve written. I’m sorry to neglect you. There’s a good four years of overgrowth in my writing jungle. Sometimes good intentions don’t always equal good deeds. Actions vs. words, that kind of thing. It’s one thing to say you’ll do something and another to execute it. My “Dear Me” letters over the years have taught me that.

Of course, I have resolutions for the New Year. I have goals. Ambitions. Good intentions. They must be obtainable. Reachable. Achievable. That’s the challenge! I placed my jungle hat on my head, and stuffed sunscreen, water bottles, pens, paper, along with my bandanas into my backpack. A wicked grin crossed my lips.

I grabbed my machete. The last time I wrote a “Dear Me” letter, I talked about the Writing Jungle. It was tough place, filled with dust, bunnies, and overgrown weeds. Now it’s twice as bad (though I did participate in the Game of Thrones here on WDC in 2017.) I hoped I could still find my 3 writing totems that were somewhere in the jungle.

I slashed and hacked, armed with my machete and my Starbucks cup. Weeds fell to the ground. It was hot. A lion roared. With one last wicked blow the weeds fell to the ground and I found my first totem! Resolution #1: Write a little something each day. It can be a paragraph, a letter, a flash fiction, a blog, a short story. Keep track of the word count for the project. At the end of the month, publish the month’s writing totals in my WDC notebook. The goal is to write 5K a month.

I’m exhausted, just thinking about it, but I believe it’s doable, achievable, and will hold me accountable each month.
A dust bunny hopped past my feet. I chased it, gasping for breath, and my face went splat against the second totem! Resolution #2: Finish my short ghost story by 30 Jun3 2019. I started it 2 years ago. (or was it 3??) Time to finish it! I will post my progress on the story on my WDC notebook at the end of the month, along with my word count for the month.

I reached into my backpack and grabbed a bandana, wiping it across my sweaty brow. Lofty resolutions – but feasible with built in accountability.

A bird cawed in the distance. One more resolution to find in this natty jungle. I packed up my items and slashed my way down the trail. Blades of grass ran with the dust bunnies.

My bird plopped itself down on the third totem pole and poo’d. Thankfully, it didn’t drip. Resolution #3: Write an entry for the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Contest due in May 2019.

Damn you, Totems! Thank goodness the jungle only held 3! I put my hands on my hips and looked around. The bunnies tickled my feet. I pursed my lips. So, how do I get out now?

See you next year, Me.

Steph