UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly!
*~*~*

Today, in between working on my book and an editing job, I’m going to be working on my Mind Map for 2024.

What is a mind map? It’s a terrific brainstorming tool for all sorts of things—book plots, vacation plans, grocery lists… I know, I get obsessive about organizing tools! I actually used to teach an online class in mind mapping that was a leadup to the “Write 50 Books a Year” workshop my sister and I developed and taught online. The picture above is the result of my 2015 class.

It’s way too busy for me now. My chart will start with a central hub for 2024 Goals but won’t be writing-consumed this year. I’m adding things that make me happy—like family goals and artistic goals. Maybe by the end, it will be just as cluttered as this one was.

I already have my large piece of watercolor paper ready with a few hubs written in. When I finish, I’ll add colored pencil or paint pen embellishments so I can stand to look at it. But it will be something I go back to when I lay out my annual work plan and calendar.

I kind of miss teaching the class because it made me think farther ahead then the final week of the year to get my plans in order, but hey, I’m doing it now. It’s never too late!

I love facing a New Year. It’s a chance to start over again. Twelve months of accomplishment are on the horizon. It’s new territory. What will the year bring? Am I ready for it?

What about you? Do you physically write down your goals or resolutions? Does your planning consist of a simple list or an elaborate spreadsheet?

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC, tell me.

This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to do something foolish this week. Let’s study the card. The god displayed here is kind of easy to guess. He’s wearing a crown of grape leaves and grapes. He has tiny horns on his head. So, he’s Dionysus, the god of so many fun things: wine, parties, insanity, theater, and more. See the eagle sitting on the branch above him? It’s likely his dad, Zeus, making sure young Dionysus doesn’t do something really stupid. There’s a cave behind him and the sun is rising in the background, so I’m assuming he was partying all night and is just coming out. Is he drunk and ready to fall? He looks too merry. I think he intends to jump.

What on earth does this mean for me? There’s a hint of impulsiveness and high spirits here. So, that falls in line with the plans for the week. The kids only have half a week of school, so they’ll be underfoot creating chaos. We’ll be cooking meals together. The adults’ Christmas (the kids give us gifts before Christmas so we can concentrate on Santa and their gifts on Christmas Day) will be sometime this coming weekend because of my SIL’s shift with the PD. So, there will definitely be some celebrating going on. I envision movie nights, fun dinners, game nights, etc. We’re a fun-loving crowd. What does this mean for work for me? I likely have to plan to get it done in the early hours of the day, before all my little chaos agents rise.

Open Contests

1. Today is Letter Writing Day! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: When winter comes… — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Favorite Christmas/Winter Holiday Movie Quote! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest — More Christmas Cheer — Win an Amazon gift card!

Well, this is an interesting card to begin my planning for the week. I had to check the book, The Mythic Tarot, to see which hero is depicted here, because I didn’t recognize the story. This is Bellerophon. He was an exuberant, boastful, brave young man. His hijinks caused the death of his brother, and he fled his home to another kingdom, where the queen there became enamored with him. The king there didn’t like that, so he set before him an impossible task—kill the chimera. He gets an assist from a seer who says he’s going to need Pegasus to do this, and Athena gives him a golden bridle to help him capture and ride Pegasus. He kills the chimera, but then gets so pumped up on how great he is that he decides to fly Pegasus to Mount Olympus to boast to the gods. Zeus isn’t impressed, sends a gadfly to bite Pegasus, and Pegasus bucks Bellerophon off his back and to his death. So, pride certainly wenteth before his fall.

What does this mean for me? Hmmm. I’m seeing a big blue sky, a triumphant journey, a conquered foe… Could this mean that my release this week, Little Green Dreams, will release with glorious expectations, only to find me bucked off my high when it crashes and burns? We’ll see.

Open Contests

1. November into December (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Delilah’s Daily Advent! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Word Search: Types of Christmas Tree Ornaments (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Krampusnacht & Saint Nicholas Day (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
6. Today is Letter Writing Day! (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
7. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: When winter comes… — Win an Amazon gift card!

Just a quick note before I start… Thanks to everyone posting on Facebook as part of the Daily Advent Countdown! It’s already been fun, and something I think I’ll do every year. I really like thinking up ways to play & celebrate online! On to my Sunday, pre-planning tarot card pull…

I’ve had this guy before. It’s Daedalus. You might know him as the father of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and melted his wax-and-feathers wings. Daedalus was a very inventive and prosperous man, who made things for kings. Here, he’s being a bit of a butt. Note the grapes framing the picture. Grapes always mean “plenty.” His wealth is cemented by the four golden pentacles he holds tightly in his arms. He’s not letting anyone steal those from him. But look at his eyes. He’s not happy, despite the fact he has so much. He’s watching his nephew Talos at the workbench, and that’s envy on his face. You see, he can already tell that Talos will be a better artisan than he is. He’s jealous!

So, what does this mean for me? It’s weird to pull this card now. I’m not paying any attention to any other person who’s doing better than me. I’m not jealous of anyone. Is the card telling me not to hoard my talents? Maybe…it’s telling me to “spend” my gifts. I’ll have to think about this one.

What does The Mythic Tarot book tell me? It says there may be a “stagnation of creative energy” if I “hold too tightly to things which are bound up with one’s sense of self-value.”

Open Contests

1. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Flea Market Treasure — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Gabbi Grey: A Sweet Story (Contest) —  This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Upcoming Releases & a Local Legend (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Anna T.S./Michal Scott: Frances Watkins Harper – A Woman’s Reach Must Exceed Her Grasp (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. November into December (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Delilah’s Daily Advent! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beth!
*~*~*

November

 

1. I compiled all three Triplehorn Brand books into a single volume and published the box set on November 20th! Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy!
2. I completed writing my standalone small-town/sci-fi/romantic comedy, Little Green Dreams (follow the link to pre-order!)! Something I’ve been thinking about writing for years. And I finally have a cover!
3. I began work on Malcolm (Book #10 of Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT).
4. I completed 4 editing projects for other authors in November.
5. I completed NaNoWriMo 2023!

Health-related:

1. I have not been exercising enough. I’ve gained weight—not saying how much! (Thanksgiving is a blessing and curse!)
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 135-155.

Happiness-related: 

1. I worked on making items to sell alongside my daughter at the local Christmas craft fair!
2. Despite the heavy writing workload, I have managed to do some painting. Here are some examples…

December

For work-related, I plan:

1. To make one more pass through Little Green Dreams to find any errors I may have missed, then release it on December 12th!
2. To write, and hopefully publish, my next Stepbrothers Stepping Out short story—With His Fire Crew.
3. To complete writing Malcolm, my next Montana Bounty Hunters book!
4. To complete 4 editing projects in December!

For health related, I plan:

1. To not make promises about counting points for my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s that time of year and I know I’d be setting myself up for failure. However, I will try to make healthier choices—emphasizing no late-night snacking!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
3. To pay attention to my daily steps, trips up and down the stairs, and to incorporate some chair exercises.
4. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To participate in a local arts and crafts event December 2nd!
2. To make some last pieces of jewelry and cards for Christmas gifts!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in December…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Sunday Tarot

This is one I’ve never pulled before—The Chariot.

If I haven’t said it before, I love this tarot deck. The art on each card gives great clues as to its divination qualities. Whoever conceived it did a wonderful job. Back to The Chariot…

I pull a Sunday card before I begin re-jiggering my work plan for the week. It’s more of a meditative step rather than a call-to-action sort of thing. I like doing my own interpretation of the card then refer to the book to see how well I did, but I’ve come to trust my own interpretation because the book’s interpretations are very ambiguous—as they should be. The author didn’t know who would pull the card, what history they would bring, what issues they’d be facing. All those things “color” the interpretation. Blah-blah-blah. I’m talking too much. I know.

So, the card. I’m dithering because I don’t like this card. Look at the background first. It looks like the red sand dunes I saw first-hand in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Barren. Dry. Unforgiving. Look at the sky. There are clouds and at the center is a very dark cloud, close to the ground. A coming storm. Yikes.

Then let’s look at the man driving the chariot. That’s Ares, God of War. His mother Hera, the Queen of the Gods, didn’t use a male seed to conceive him, so he has no father, although Zeus was his father figure. It’s always been interesting to me that the God of War came solely from a woman. Depicted in this card, his horses are galloping; he looks resolute. He’s heading into battle.

What does that mean for me? I hope I’m not heading into battle whether real or metaphorical. How can I apply this to my task today? Will I be battling myself or distractions? I’m in the midst of the NaNoWriMo challenge, and so far, so good, I’m making my daily page counts. My story, Little Green Dreams, is coming along nicely, I think. The only battle I can foresee is illness that keeps me from my task, distractions from the family, maybe a power outage that prevents me from writing. I can’t imagine why this card is the one to reflect this week’s challenges.

Now, to the book’s interpretation. The Mythic Tarot says: “[The Chariot] augurs conflict and struggle which can result in a strong personality. One may come face to face not only with aggression in others, but with one’s own competitive and aggressive drives.”

Hmmm.

Open Contests

1. Gabbi Grey: Trying It Short! Rise — Out now! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. A Reminder & the Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Hallie Quinn Brown – Inspirational Elocutionist and Hands-On Historian (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Gabbi Grey: Tying stories together (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
5. October into November (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Let’s Chat! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Story Cubes: Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…flchen!
*~*~*

October

Work-related:

1. Gunn’s Mission released on October 17th and is still going strong (see today’s ranking?)! Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy!
2. I began work on a standalone book, Little Green Dreams (follow the link to pre-order!)! Something I’ve been thinking about writing for years. (I don’t have a cover yet!)
3. I set up pre-orders for two more books, Malcolm (Book #10 of Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT) and What Happens in Bozeman (Book #3 of We Are Dead Horse, MT).
4. I completed 3 editing projects for other authors in October.

Health-related:

1. I have not been exercising enough. Without the pool to run to every day, I’m falling off the wagon.
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 135-155. I had one bad spike this month.

Happiness-related: 

1. I participated in the local art festival! Wind knocked down a panel full of framed art, which hit my sales hard, but it was still satisfying to see how many people appreciated my art and bought tons of bookmarks and postcards.
2. I am still working on and making more great progress organizing my art room, getting ready for the next arts and craft show in December, and then the reopening my Etsy store.
3. As for making new art, again, work has kept me too busy to do much. But I have renewed energy here at the last of the month. Right now, I’m just trying to refill my stock of the small things. Here are some examples…

November

For work-related, I plan:

1. To compile the stories in my Triplehorn Brand trilogy into an ebook and print box set for publication this month! Be looking for it!
2. To complete writing Little Green Dreams which will release in December!
3. To complete 4 editing projects in November!

For health related, I plan:

1. To not make promises about counting points for my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s that time of year and I know I’d be setting myself up for failure. However, I will try to make healthier choices—emphasizing no late night snacking!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
3. To pay attention to my daily steps, trips up and down the stairs, and to incorporate some chair exercises.
4. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To work on art and ornament-making to get ready for a local arts and crafts event in December!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in November…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!