Micro Fiction Monday: Her Life

When I woke up, I was living someone else’s life. My face was the same, as was my body, as was my voice, but the life that surrounded me was as unrecognizable as that of a stranger’s. My parents would not speak as much as one word to each other, my friends didn’t give me so much as a second glance, and I found myself following a routine that I hadn’t created.

I went to sleep that night with an aching heart. I was homesick, despite the fact that I was in my own bed, surrounded by my own room in my own house. While these things belonged to me, they weren’t really mine.

~~

When I woke up, I was back in my own body. My parents had returned to their stoic silence, and my group of friends had shifted back to the social circle I had grown accustomed to over the years. But this was no longer my home.

The different aspects of my life that were once familiar now caused me pain. I missed the loving gestures and glances that I had seen between my parents while I was away, and the strangers who had called me their friend. I missed her walls, her bed, her room, her life.

She was not me, but I so badly wanted to be her.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

Starting (Once You've Stopped) (BEDS #20)

So here's the thing: as hard as it may be, developing a routine and writing every day is very, very, very, very, very, very, very important to any writer's life. Because once you develop a routine or a habit, following it becomes second nature, and suddenly your entire life just becomes that much easier.

Life is a jerk, though. Life likes to wait until you're comfortable with your routine, and then burst through the door one day screaming about sardines and throwing rubber chickens at you. It likes to throw thing after thing after thing at you until, eventually, you have no choice but to stop and take a break.

We've already established that that's okay. Taking a break is needed, once in a while. It's an easy thing to do, too. The only problem with taking a break--be it because of an illness or a major life event or just plain taking a vacation (or in my case, all three)--is the restarting.

It's been a while since I've worked on my WIPs. First I was on vacation, and then I was moving, and then I was sick. Bam, bam, bam...it just hit me one after the other after the other, so quickly that I just didn't have the time or energy to write. I figured that I would just focus on the blog, that that would be enough. I was keeping up with my commitment, and I was okay with that.

But now that I'm starting to feel better (although still hacking and coughing constantly, which at this point that happens so often that I'm used to it), and I've been moved in for a while (even though a lot of my stuff is still in boxes...shhh), I feel like I should start writing again. I should grab that WIP, and start giving it the time and energy it deserves.

It's not quite as easy as it sounds.

I had a routine before. I had a game plan, one that worked and worked well. Now that game plan is null and void, and I've gotten so used to spending the majority of my time either unpacking or watching TV that I hardly know how to make a new one. My lack of motivation is as frustrating as ever.

Sometimes, though, you just have to sit down and do it. It's not always easy...scratch that, it's never easy. But if we waited until it was easy, it'd never get done at all.

It's not the easiest thing to accept. There's always a part of me that will wish for something else, some magical strategy to an easier alternative. But life doesn't play with magic, and it certainly doesn't like easy.

So all that's left is to do the hard thing, and work on it.


Until later,

- Justyne

New Beginnings (BEDS #10)

I've always been someone who is consciously aware of when a big change is happening in my life. I hype myself up for it, and build this momentous occasion up in my mind as a big, huge deal--sometimes bigger than is actually warranted. It's what I did when I graduated high school, when I left home to attend school in PEI, and today, when I moved out of my parents' house and into a brand-new one in the city.

As per usual, so much build up beforehand leads to a slightly disappointing aftermath. Here I am, sitting in the basement of my new house, consciously aware that this is a huge step and the start of a new chapter of my life, and I feel...no different than I did yesterday. It's like back when I was a kid, and I spent all summer waiting for my birthday to come around, expecting to suddenly feel "grown up", or in some way different, when the day finally hit. But as it turns out, being 11 feels about the same as being 10.

I think I spend so much time building up to these events, the ones that I know are supposed to be a big deal, that I forget that sometimes, the biggest events are the ones I don't notice. They're the ones that seem little, or even completely uneventful, at the time--only to show their true importance months later. It's kind of funny, actually, how one mundane event can change the course of your life forever.

Back in the ninth grade, for example. I had very few friends, none of whom attended my high school. I was the shy and quiet kid, who always had her nose in a book and spent her lunches alone, writing her own. I was lonely, yes, but not unhappy--just content.

I barely remember the day it happened--that's how mundane and ordinary it truly was. I don't remember the morning leading up to it, or what followed for the remainder of the afternoon. Those, I think, stayed the same, which is why I may have dismissed the event as truly important.

All I remember, really, is panic. Panic over walking into my English classroom, only to find that my teacher had rearranged the desks.

It's not that I was attached to my seat in question. I never spoke to the people around me, anyway, so really, it didn't matter. But at least before, it was routine. Now, with the desks arranged in groups of four, whose set would I complete? Whose group would I join, if I had spoken to no one?

It was a split second decision, really, as one only has so much time to stand in the doorway and stare before others start to question it. So, I picked a desk. I picked a group of three other girls, who I vaguely recognized from other classes.

I'm not kidding when I'm saying that that decision changed my life. Almost every friend I made in high school can be traced back to those original three, and I am so, so grateful that I met them, and that they're still in my life now.

So yes, maybe what I'm going through now is supposed to be a big deal. Maybe it'll live up to the hype. Maybe it won't. I'm not sure what happens now, really. All I know is that there's bound to be another split-second decision to make, somewhere down the road.

It's scary. But I think I'm alright with that.


Until later,

- Justyne

My 3 Productivity Tips (BEDS #3)

I'm not an expert at productivity. In fact, I still really suck at it most of the time. But in my quest to become a functioning member of society, I've discovered a few things that help me out along the way.

(Disclaimer: like most of the life lessons I share, this is best used by people pursuing creative endeavors, like myself. But that doesn't mean you law students and medical students can't benefit from them, too!)

TIP #1: Get your ass out of bed, already.

I'm not a morning person. I've never been a morning person. But if I wake up fairly early, eat breakfast and shower right off the bat, it makes a big difference. If I were to sleep until noon every day, and spend half of my day in pyjamas...well, I won't feel like being productive. The day quickly turns from "I'm-gonna-write-20-blog-posts-and-a-novel" into "I'm-gonna-watch-all-ten-seasons-of-Friends-in-one-sitting". I think we can all agree that the former is much better than the latter, yes?

TIP #2: Alternate.

Yes, we have our creative-worky things to do. But we also all have our fair share of real-life-worky things to do--things like going to the bank, cleaning, calling people about stuff, etc etc. I've tried putting the creative-worky things first, and the real-life-worky things first, but I get the most done with the best sense of balance if I alternate between the two. (That way I can be sure that I'm not neglecting one complete half of my life. This happens more often than you'd think.)

TIP #3: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T WRITE OFF THE REST OF YOUR DAY!

Do you know how many times I've looked at the clock, noticed that it's already 2 pm, and just shrugged it off and continued on with my Sims game? Do you realize how much I could have gotten done if I had said, "Huh, I should start being productive" instead of, "Eh I've wasted this much time, no sense in turning it around now"??

If you haven't gotten anything done and it's 2 pm, START WORKING. If you haven't gotten anything done and it's 5 pm, START WORKING. I don't care if it's 10 pm and you're going to bed in an hour--one hour or even just ten minutes of productivity is ten more minutes of progress that you didn't have yesterday.

DON'T BE LIKE ME. PLEASE, GOD, DON'T BE LIKE ME! I am a terrible role model.

BONUS TIP: Make time for you!

You don't have to be productive 24/7. For one, it's impossible. For two, it's exhausting.

Pick a day and schedule some time for you. Is there a new show on Netflix you want to check out? Watch it all in one sitting! Need to catch up on your reading for the year? Pick up that book and finish it today! Do it without fear or guilt of not having been productive--because that's the point. I like to call it a "Procrastination Day". It's like excusing yourself from working.

I mean, come on, what's better than doing nothing and not feeling guilty for it?


I hope these tips will help you make the most of your time! What are your BEST productivity tips? Share them down below!

Until later,

- Justyne

10 Quotes That I Absolutely Love

Every now and then, I come across a quote--be it from the internet or a book or whatever--that I love oh-so-very-much that I just HAVE to write it down.

I now present to you ten of these quotes, in no particular order.

~~

"...and I decided that I would do my best in future not to write books just for the money. If you didn't get the money, then you didn't have anything. If I did work I was proud of, and I didn't get the money, at least I'd have the work." - Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art 

"I know you're not perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else." - Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door 

"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy." - Stephen King 

"The truth is this: successful writers don't have more time than you. They MAKE time to write." - S.J. Scott

"For any one of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. ... If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it?" - Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever 

"Life is full of screw-ups. You're supposed to fail sometimes. It's a required part of human existence." - Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride

"Writing is the only thing that when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." - Gloria Steinem

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman, Coraline 

"I am here to tell you that if you don't feel ready for university at the age of eighteen, there is always time to go back should you ever want to. I am here to tell you that having a well-paid job that is so often glamorised by the media and 'career advisers' at school is not the answer to happiness if it is not what you want to do." - Emma Blackery, YOU ARE NOT YOUR PARENTS

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

What's your favourite quote?

Until later,

- Justyne

Cramming (NaNo Prep, Week 3)

When I say that I'm cramming, I normally mean that I've put off studying for a test too long and am cramming all of the information needed into my head in a measly 24 hours. (Which is, well, the situation for just about every single test I've ever taken ever.) This time, though, I'm talking about NaNoWriMo, during which the word has an entirely different meaning. (Okay, more like same meaning, but sliiiightly different concept.)

Your goal? 50,000 words in 30 days. Not an easy task--I only made it to about 14k my first year. (Granted, I wrote more than that the final day of my second year to win, but I digress.) I mean, your life is crammed enough as it is--school, work, chores, relationships, and that pesky thing called sleep that we apparently need--so finding time to squeeze in 50,000 words is definitely a challenge. But that's part of the fun, right?

When it comes down to it, finding enough time to write your novel isn't nearly as hard as it seems. It helps when you realize that all 50,000 words don't have to be written in one day. (Shocker, I know.) If you keep on pace throughout the month, you only have to write approximately 1,667 words a day. I know, I know, it still seems like a lot...so break it up a little more.

This is where the cramming comes in. Whenever you find yourself with free time--be it a minute, or five, or sixty--use that time to write. Before your class or shift at work starts, during breaks, on the bus, just before you go to bed, whenever. If you have enough time to browse through your news feed on Facebook, you have enough time to write. You have to cram writing wherever you can, in whatever tiny little increments of time that you have. At the time, it may not seem like you're accomplishing much--100 words here, 200 there--but trust me, they add up. By the end of the day, you could even find yourself with more words than the daily goal calls for.

If your schedule is already stretched pretty thin and you still find yourself struggling to reach the word count, try getting rid of some things. Make a list of the tiny little things you can give up for the month--Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever--and try your very very hardest to stay away from them for the month. (I won't even try and fool you by saying that you'll never turn to them--procrastination runs abound during November, and odds are that you'll end up browsing through your various social media feeds at some point. But just try your best, that's all I'm asking.) If there's anything at all that you can leave until December--including recording your favourite television shows and binge watching them in celebration after you've typed your 50,000th word--leave it. It can wait. (Unless it's a bill payment, those can't wait. Please don't make those wait.)

Similarly, getting as much done as possible while it's still October is just as useful. Book any hair or dentist or doctor's appointments, catch up on your e-mails, get as much studying or homework done as you physically can before November 1st rears its ugly head. I would also suggest using the few days leading up to NaNoWriMo to sit back and relax. (Or play Sims furiously for hours, as you all know I will be doing.) Get those various books and video games and movies out of your system, so you won't be as likely to turn to them when you're suppose to be writing.

And last, but not least, remember that life happens. If, for whatever reason, you can't make your daily, or even the monthly goal, don't beat yourself up over it. If November is a busy month for you and you don't feel you have time to write a novel, alter the goal a little bit. Make it lower--or even higher, if you're an ambitious little jerk and think you can do better. The point of NaNoWriMo is to write your story, however much of it you can. Even if you only write 100 words, that's still 100 more words than you started off with.

We have two weeks left, guys. Get ready.

Until later,

- Justyne

Rollerskating and Smelly Feet (WFMAD Day 13)

These are the things my family instructs me to blog about.

(My sister also suggested "the joy of working at MacDonald's", but that's her job, not mine.)

Since the day is basically over and I have yet to come up with anything better, I think I'll just roll with it. (Hehe. Roll. Get it?)

I suck at rollerblading about as much as I suck at ice skating (which makes sense, since they're basically the same thing in different seasons). I'm not too bad, I guess, considering that I can at least stay upright. But God forbid I go rollerblading on pavement that isn't brand-new and 100% smooth. I hit the slightest bump or imperfection, and I go flying.

My dad and sister talked today about going to a rollerblading rink. I really hope I get to go to this because come on, how many bumps or imperfections are going to be on a rink?

(There will probably be a lot just because I'll be there.)

I don't have much to say about smelly feet, other than the fact that I tell my sister that her feet smell a lot when they really don't.

(Oh no, my biggest secret has been revealed! *darts into refrigerator filled with chocolate milk because why not*)

Another random thing to add before I go: I spilt chocolate milk all over myself today. Not even kidding, guys. That's what I get for not putting the lid back on my Milk To Go cup between sips.

(I also got it all over the table and all over my chair at Subway.)

Really, really random blog post tonight, I know.

Until later,

- Justyne