September Update

Photo via Unsplash.com

Photo via Unsplash.com

I know we’re already three days into September, but I still can’t believe summer is over. Yes, technically fall doesn’t start for a few weeks, but who are we kidding, it gets chillier and chillier from here on out. I keep dreaming of a move to Portugal or Morocco, but until that happens I have to accept my reality and the ultimate truth: winter is coming.

Fortunately, colder weather is much more conducive to thinking and writing. The longer nights work on the imagination, so there are some upsides.

My Fall Posting Schedule

Although I’ve kept a somewhat regular schedule this summer, now I will be super regular with my posts. Monday Inspiration posts will continue on Mondays. I am still looking for contributors by the way. On Wednesdays I will post something about writing. I am currently working on a series of posts inspired by the Big Book Festival, which took place in Warsaw in June. I will not post on Tuesdays or Thursdays, except for some guest posts or responses to challenges, but it will not be a regular thing. Fridays is officially Friday Fictioneers day here, where I post my response to Rochelle’s photo prompt. I’ll return to the weekend coffee share hosted by Diana from Part-Time Monster on Saturdays; and on Sundays, I’ll put up my response to Charli Mills’ Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge.

That’s the plan at least.

Summer Top 10

The top 10 posts of the summer are (unsurprisingly) dominated by Monday Inspirations posts:

  1. Is There Undiscovered Depth to The Blue Lagoon?
  2. Taking Up ‘The Invitation’
  3. Alice Walker is My Own Private Librarian
  4. Great Writers Make You Forget
  5. #1000Speak: Can I Get Some Compassion? I’ve Just About Ran Out
  6. Color, Light, and Magic
  7. Flowers for Algernon: a one-sitting novel
  8. Writing Prompt Wednesday #32: Summertime
  9. Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge – Day Five: The Truth #flashfiction #99words
  10. Tahar Ben Jelloun and the unvarnished truth

Current stuff

I’m currently working on a short story that came to me in a dream. Dreams are often very inspiring to me, and mine are particularly vivid. There are days I wonder which is more real, my wakeful life or my dream life? In the end, I don’t know if I can tell the difference or that it even matters so much. After a rewrite and editing, I’ll submit it to some literary journal.

This week has been crazy. September 1st was the first day of school, with a record high of 34°C (93°F). My little broccoli lover started first grade, which is exciting and unbelievable – how is he 6 already?!

It was also the 75th anniversary of the start of WWII, which if you remember began with an invasion of Poland. Every year, to commemorate this day, sirens go off for a few minutes at noon. It’s a brutal reminder of the fear people must have felt on that day. My husband and I watched Alain Resnais’ brilliant, harrowing and moving film Night and Fog (“Nuit et brouillard”) from 1955. I recommend it.

This Monday another of my Monster Monday posts went up over at Part-Time Monster. Make sure to check it out, it’s about the Plague Maiden. I’m quite proud of that post.

What have you been up to? What are your plans for September?

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22 thoughts on “September Update”

  1. Fab update, Ula! Short stories inspired by dreams sound really exciting. I should pay attention to mine though sometimes they are rather weird… I am pleased ‘Taking up the Invitation’ was popular last month. I’m thinking of the next post… Will keep you posted.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Gulara. Even though it’s inspired by a dream, the story itself isn’t very magical or otherworldly (as one might imagine), it’s actually quite mundane. And I don’t mean it in a bad way. At least I hope that doesn’t mean boring in this case. Your two posts did really well. I can’t wait to see what else you come up with. You are a very talented and inspirational writer.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you, Ula, it means a lot to me to hear that from you. I had one of those moments before I left on a holiday when the doubt crept in (more about it in tomorrow’s post)… Back on track now, especially when I hear your kind words. Thank you! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Oh, what a schedule!!!! I recently bought a little diary to help me keep a more organise blog and it has been working great so far!! I’m sure you must be using one too.

    Yes, winter is coming. Although I doubt we really had a summer here in England. My boyfriend claims July wasn’t “too bad” but his version of “not too bad” = didn’t rain as much.

    I too dream wild dreams. I’ve been meaning to start a dream journal. Have you tried this?

    I look forward to more Monday Inspirations (including writing my second one next Monday!) 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • I always keep thinking that I want to cut down the amount of days I post, but that’s really hard to do. I’ve been posting 5 days a week most of this year, sometimes more often. I have a calendar where I write out each day and then a notebook where I also write out each day with a plan for the month and notes and ideas for future posts. I have so much I haven’t realized yet though.

      Dreams are fun aren’t they? Sometimes I have such great dreams waking up seems disappointing. I used to write them down, but I don’t any more. Words don’t usually give the right feeling, if that makes sense. When I use dreams as inspirations, I usually try to capture the mood and emotions rather than telling what happened. Often, what happened makes no sense.

      I’m looking forward to your post.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I completely see what you mean with writing down dreams. I’ve tried describing the action and upon reading it later, it has lost a lot. Focusing on the mood is the way to go. I just have to get back into it. It’s like morning pages – you have to make time and create a habit for it.
        As for your schedule, 5 days is amazing and you seem to be doing just fine with your organisation so by all means, don’t stop! 🙂

        Like

  3. I’m going to miss summer, but I am looking forward to the fall weather. Of course, once winter hits and we get a snowstorm I’ll be begging for summer to come back. 😉 Good luck with all your plans!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I like fall and can appreciate most seasons, but spring and summer are the only seasons I look forward to and the rest I kind of dread. Fall is just a sad reminder that winter will be here way too soon. Thank you.

      Like

    • I’ve been living here 9 years now, but I have yet to get used to the sirens on Sept. 1. They are eerie to me. It seems strange to commemorate they day you got invaded, but it was an event that changed the course of history for Poland for the next 50+ years. I would say the country is still trying to recover.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Winter is more productive for my writing, too! This was the summer that wasn’t for me. Between drought, staying in the hospital with Kate and smoky wildfires I didn’t get my usual summer fill of hiking, fishing and berry picking. And my writing looks like a knotted mess. You inspire me to sort out each string and make a plan. I’d like to get involved with your Monday Inspirations, too. Glad to see Carrot Ranch on your line up. Cheers to a long, slow autumn before winter really bites.

    Liked by 2 people

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