Tag: #Holidays

Catching Up on Goals #IWSG

  By IWSG

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

December 7 question – It’s holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

The awesome co-hosts for the December 7 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

I retired from my day job this past summer, and am slowly discovering the joys of not having deadlines—at least, not many of them. There are still bills to pay and doctors’ appointments to keep, but I can arrange my life so I don’t have to worry about three conflicting deadlines all on the same day. Shoot, sometimes my biggest concern is what day I’m going to the grocery store!

But I finished my first draft of my WIP last night, (The Redemption of Jake Hennessey) so now it’s time to consider some self-imposed goals. There’s a con I’ve been accepted to as a vender next June, and I’d like to have the book edited and ready to go by then. That’s six months away, but a lot of work has to happen between now and then.

Thankfully, I don’t have any catching up to do. Yes, I’ve been in the position where I used the holidays to catch up on my writing, but I no longer have to do that. If I can get a chapter a day edited, I’ll be ahead. It’s an amazing feeling. (and yes, I know I should let the story sit for a week or two before I start editing, but I won’t.)

I suspect most of the folks on this hop don’t enjoy the same benefit as I am enjoying. To find out if they write over the holidays, don’t forget to check out the posts below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Holidays We Need

  By Open Book

 

May 4, 2020

May 4th is the unofficial Star Wars Day. (May the Fourth be with you.) What other days should be recognized as holidays but aren’t?

Sadly, there are a number of holidays in the U.S.A. that have been basically forgotten or turned into nothing but a big commercial. President’s Day is a good example. Does anybody beyond banks and government agencies celebrate it? Without looking, I couldn’t even tell you the date it was originally celebrated.

People have lost track of the difference between Labor Day in May and Memorial Day in September. All they know is one marks the unofficial beginning of summer and the other the end. 

Growing up, the first day of deer hunting season was practically a holiday. Unofficial, but lots of people took the day off and even the schools let kids out for the day. I don’t think as many people hunt anymore, so I suspect that has changed.

Another area I lived in had an excellent high school basketball team. Somehow, Spring Break normally was scheduled for when the state level basketball tournaments were held. Then one year the schedule was changed and people got really upset. When the team had a bad year, the furor died down.

(Political Rant ON) If I was going to create a holiday, it would be Election Day in November. Too many people find it difficult to go vote because of their work schedules. Either that, or make voting by mail the standard. It’s ridiculous that people have to stand in line for three or four hours to vote in some places. (Political Rant OFF)

I’d like to see Earth Day turned into an official holiday. I participated in the first Earth Day back in 1970 and it helped to make me aware of the challenges the environment faces. Combine it with May Day and let’s have some fun while doing good things.

And I really want a play day holiday. Did your school do that, just have a day to play games and have fun? Wouldn’t it be great if we could do that worldwide? We’d all get to ride bikes with bells and toss inflatable balls or whatever else makes us happy. Heck, we could call it Fun Day!

 

Is there a holiday you think we should add to our calendars? Tell us about it in the comments. And don’t forget to check what the other authors on this hop think we should add.

In the meantime, stay safe and hope to see you next week.

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May 4, 2020

May 4th is the unofficial Star Wars Day. (May the Fourth be with you.) What other days should be recognized as holidays but aren’t?

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