I stood on my porch today, bundled up in my winter coat, staring out into the world around me. I wondered – I truly wondered – where is Spring? The plants have started to grow back, those little snow covered tuffs under those bare branches are green and sprouted, soon to be or once were the start of the hopeful growing daffodils that I look forward to seeing every year. It’s so sad to see them dusted like they are.

Is Hell finally freezing over? Does someone need to page Persephone back from the Underworld, did she give up on coming back up here? Can someone please unthaw Demeter even if her daughter has decided to stay down below?

Either way, the constant up and down in weather, Friday it was 65 and then Saturday it was 32 and now it’s snowing and 28. The constant up and down tends to leave my head reeling and in pain. Which tanks my motivation for practically everything.

I have major edits still happening on Chapter 3 of my wip. I have major planning still happening with my novella project. Chapter 3 needs to be done by the end of this week, if I’m being truly honest with myself. It needs to go to my writers group by next week Monday.

And I’d like to be nearly done, or all the way done with my plotting for the novella project. I’d like to get writing on it, so that I can write that while I edit the novel. I have loved editing my novel, and finding all the ways I can tighten it up and make it better. But I miss writing new things! It doesn’t help that I have a slight case of ADD when it comes to writing either. I start on idea A, get part way in, and then idea B pops up and I wander to that, and so on and so on. It just leaves this awkward trail of half finished novels in my wake and then I get to a point where I want to pick them up and finish them but I can’t figure out which to focus on first. It’s a struggle sometimes to just get myself to hone in and focus on one story, one set of characters. But that’s what I’ve promised myself to do with my novel. And while it is a little slow going, I have been working on it – and the edited chapters are much tighter than they had been. I’m feeling good about it. And I’m trying not to let myself feel any sort of disappointed because it’s slow going, because any movement forward is an accomplishment and I should feel good about that.

How is your April going? We’re half way through, after all!

Happy Spring! (Said from the town that’s currently 23 degrees and anticipating snow)

I know that the first day of Spring was a while ago, back in March. I know that Easter isn’t the first day of Spring. But there’s just something about the Holiday that makes it feel more real, that Spring is here. Well, usually that’s the case. I think it’s because my Aunts, Mom and I have a tradition where we always give each other flowers on Easter. My one aunt ALWAYS gives Pansies. My other aunt finds something interesting. And Mom and I always find one flower that seems cool or is new to give to each of my aunts.

The flower featured above is one of the flowers mom and I got this year. It’s so pretty and I love how the center of the flower is hooded and facing the ground. It’s the tiniest little thing too – only stands about two inches tall.

Reading and Writing wise, my brain is kind of like, holy cow, it’s April. When did it become April? Why is it April?

I finished editing chapter two, which I think I mentioned previously. And noticed one minor flaw leading into chapter three. Namely that in chapter two, the main character sees death for the first time, and in chapter three, and the rest of the book, there’s no dealing with what she saw. So chapter three needs to be edited and expanded to have her work through what she saw, what it means, etc.

On the reading front, I think I got like three chapters of a book read. So my March TBR list will be migrating over to my April list. I want to read all the books that are on it, and I want to sit down and follow through with my reading. I hate that I haven’t really been reading. Too much work, in the grand scheme of things I think. I’m not sure if the TBR list deserves it’s own post because I’m just shuffling everything over, but I might do one anyway. Reestablish what’s on my list for myself and everyone reading this.

What have you been reading? Anything you’d suggest? Leave a comment below!