Jaye’s Disappointing Days… Have I done it Again?

May 30, 2023 / Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes / 18 Comments

Have I done it again!

What I needed was a little more enthusiasm, something that had seemingly been mislaid, disrupting my joy in all things writing-related.

All of my past irons were still in the fire, but the flames had long since extinguished.

So, when I felt that joy returning last week, I was overjoyed.

I felt stronger, more capable than I had in ages. More than happy to stoke the fire and ramp up the workload. Just as well, really, for there was a lot to catch up on. My days were full of bliss and determination as I set to work.

Most of my endeavours brought even more joy to my heart, but gradually, the not-so-easy tasks began to make their presence known.

I wasn’t daunted, as I was the new, stronger me now, wasn’t I?

My enthusiasm doubled as I refused to admit defeat. Not so soon, anyway!

It wasn’t long before I realised I was almost back to square one. Too many irons in the fire again, and I wasn’t getting anywhere. The only thing missing was the despondency and depression.

I could avoid the tasks that were defeating me and walk a less complicated path, but I knew I couldn’t live with that.

The first thing that occurred to me was that I had to concentrate on one thing at a time, as it was becoming apparent that my multitasking days had gone the way of all things. Trying to ignore this fact was probably the reason I had painted myself into a corner before.

I will also ask for help more often, as trying to learn anything on YouTube can be disappointing, and I am fast running out of ideas. (And a little patience)

So, there will be changes as I continue to try and make everything work…

Is It Monday, again?

May 22, 2023 / Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes / 27 Comments

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Thanks to my wonderful new medication, everything is working extremely well these days, and I am firing on all sorts of magic cylinders.

A massive amount of enthusiasm has penetrated every aspect of my life, and I am feeling more than a little overwhelmed, if I am honest. It has been so long since I was any kind of efficient!

Ideas are coursing through my mind, creating a to-do list like no other. Not content with writing up a storm with the WIP, I am seriously considering other writing possibilities.

The rest of my life has woken up too. Housework and gardening are being done, and joyfully, I might add. Never thought that could happen!

So many plans are arriving, almost fully formed. Maybe they were all just waiting in the wings?

With a following wind, I hope I can maintain this new me, as I was getting sick and tired of the old one. Apart from all the benefits, I am so grateful to feel awake at last…

A very Happy Monday to everyone!

The Enthusiasm Wagon…

July 4, 2022 / Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes / 9 Comments

Here we are again, it’s Monday, the sun is shining, every reason to feel optimistic…

But I don’t. Somehow, I fell off the enthusiasm wagon over the weekend. Not sure why, for there didn’t seem to be a reason. Maybe I just needed to chill out for a bit.

Trouble is, today, I can’t seem to find that bloody wagon!

I have been feeling a little uneasy lately, but nothing I could put my finger on. Just enough to make my thoughts wander. I need to be more organised, have more work scheduled, already written, that sort of thing. This simply must happen if we want to move on, or up in the writing world.

Marketing has been a bit of a non-entity this year, and for the life of me, I cannot remember when it stopped being at the top of our must-do list! These days there are so many things going on, it has become difficult to string several thoughts together in order to trigger the creative process.

Apart from the garden, which does see me occasionally. More duty than inspirational though, despite managing to grow our first tomatoes, as they must be watered. But for those few minutes, as I wander around spraying water, something magical happens and I come back inside in a much better mood.

Now the weather is getting warmer, I think I will be working/writing outside. I’m not sure if this is where the enthusiasm wagon is parked, but it’s definitely not in my office!

My Day of Freedom…

June 16, 2022 / Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes / 12 Comments

They say you should be careful what you say out loud, for Fate is listening, and she is very fond of playing games.

Say how happy/well/good things are going and you can kiss goodbye to all of it!

I really enjoyed my day by the sea yesterday, but somehow, everything that came before, the progress and all that wonderful enthusiasm seems to have vanished in a puff of smoke, and I’m back to square one.

Although, after all that sunshine and glorious sea views (and ice cream) I’m not so sad about it.

Everything about yesterday was perfect. The journey down was so relaxing. I sat back and watched the world (at least this part of it) sail past the car window. I smelled the sea long before I actually saw it, and the first glimpse of all that sparkling sapphire water had my heart and soul soaring.

The family couldn’t get any response from me for ages as I just stood and stared and took it all in.

Speed boats crossed in front of me, and several people were sunbathing on surfboats, floating on the sea. It was early, so not many people were about, just wonderful.

They said it would be very warm, but there was a lovely cool breeze from the water, so it couldn’t have been more perfect.

We were all a bit subdued when we arrived, for I wasn’t the only one who needed this break, but by the end of the day we were laughing and joking just like old times.

One thing is for sure, we really must do this again, and soon…

Monday Woes…

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 / Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes / 14 Comments

Image by Pixabay.com

Has anyone seen my enthusiasm?

I started the week full of good intentions. It was a new week – new mood – new energy.
There was none of that – ‘It’s a beautiful day, watch someone ruin it.’

But someone did.

BT did. I think someone had tried to mess with my e-mail account over the weekend and I had promptly been frozen out. To make matters worse, I had temporarily forgotten the answer to my security question, so couldn’t change the blessed password either.

Thoroughly frustrated, I finally managed to speak to someone in an Indian call centre who said she would e-mail me a new password. Words cannot sufficiently explain what happened to my temper after trying several times to get her to see why this would not work, and I was passed on to someone else. This young woman was so helpful and immediately understood my problem, that my temper had no choice but to high-tail it out of the back door!

So, not a good start, you might say. But this was only Monday, surely the week could only get better?

I should be thinking about what I want to do next. Anita has a book almost ready for proofing, and my latest crime mystery is nearly finished, but something doesn’t feel right. I ought to be re-editing some of our earlier work, as some of the covers need replacing and the descriptions are just not good enough. The trouble is, I’m a bit short of enthusiasm at the moment, my ‘get up and go’ has done a runner!

Christmas is literally just around the corner and the newsletter I wanted to write is still just a vague idea floating around somewhere. What I cannot understand is why some days are good and optimistic, and then you get that other kind. The ‘what the hell do you think you are doing’ days. Closely followed by (give it up, you know you are too old to bother with it) ones.

I am basing my understanding of this writing business on what I have observed with my sister Anita. She has six good books to her credit and just seems to get on with it (and enjoys the process!) She does have bad days of course, but they never seem to be writing related.
I know we are all different, and that is how it should be, it’s just not very helpful.

I think it is my age that seems to be the problem. I forget far more than I remember and find myself wondering where all the time has gone and know that I have wasted most of it. Why didn’t I want to do this when my brain was younger?
Don’t get me wrong, on a good day I quite like my brain and how it works. It’s just that my good days are getting pretty thin on the ground these days. Today, for example, I’m not even sure I have a brain!